IMPERIAL DAWN [PMTPunk / Closed / IC]

by **Forest State** » Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:39 pm

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TALAM... A brand new PMT setting where global peace won't last long and where conflict is right around the corner.

In the western hemisphere, the title of regional king is still up for grabs following the decline of the Republic of North Aurelia, which enforced an uneasy peace between opposing sides but has long since been out of the picture thanks to its own civil war and fracturing. Today, the Republic is a shell of itself - the Republic and the States that have come from it, the Free State of Feria and the Republic of Western Aurelia, look at each other with suspicion, and what was once a free society has fallen victim to authoritarianism and regression into the standards of the third world. Entire settlements lie abandoned, valuable industries left as broken reminders of the past, while the hills and mountains and deserts of the heartland, now the core territory of the Free State of Feria, serve as an impassable barrier between the Aurelian and Oriental oceans.

To the south of the former Republic, conflict brews between outside settlers and natives in South Aurelia. Colonialism has long been an aspect of the western hemisphere, and the movement of Aunoran settlers into North and South Aurelia, aside from creating what would become the former RNA, formed the nations of Kael and Reveau as well as the colonies of Alamanian South Aurelia and New Castana. And in the wake of the death of the RNA as a superpower, the Southern Wind Alliance formed between the Republic of Almirez and the Union of South Aurelian Soviets. Their aim? A South Aurelia for South Aurelians - at the expense of nations such as the Alamanian Kaiserreich, and the enterprising Federation of Kael. On the other side of the coin, the Aunoran settlers prepare for war, aiming to win the land not through birthright but through conflict, now that push is about to come to shove...

In the eastern hemisphere, things are no better. The red menace, the Zemalyan Federation of Socialist Republics, casts a large shadow over the old-world dominated continent of Aunora. Kingdoms and Empires, imperial states or just those looking to protect their way of life, face down against a growing communist threat. And out east, in the Orient, proxy armies of the ZFSR already wage their conflicts of 'national liberation' in a number of locales, resulting in a region ravaged by wars of which there is no clear winner yet.

The world of Talam is a rough one. And the year 2049 C.E... May see it plunged as deeply into the flames of conflict as it ever has been before.

As you can probably tell from the title, this is a closed RP with me and Lunas Legion following the adventures and trials of the Kaelic nation. As there is no OOC thread, any remarks/questions should be sent by TG or Discord.

by **Forest State** » Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:41 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1
“WORLD WAR A”

The western hemisphere of Talam is at an uneasy peace… But the regional powers of North and South Aurelia are gearing up for the day when that status quo ends. Among them are the 105th Mechanized Cavalry and the crew of the KNS Omen.

Fort MacEntire, 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade Headquarters
10km northwest of Daernel, Federation of Kael
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Was this perhaps… The pinnacle in technology? Of advancement?

Royce Mahon was staring at her reflection - her reflection in the clean white outer armor of the GNM-15 “Comet” Combat Suit in front of her, a humanoid form which loosely resembled the figure of a soldier but was much larger, much bulkier, and able to both give and take a lot more punishment. It was more than just a hardened exoskeleton to enhance the skills of the one that was wearing it. No, that was practically a past technology compared to this, something from the bleeding edge of the future, developed by Gnothas Mearn, perhaps the most innovative arms company in the country. This was different than those exoskeletons. It was a machine of its own, that didn’t just enhance the skills of the pilot but brought its own skillset entirely.

All the pilot had to do, of course, was put those skills to good use from behind the controls. Something that was easier said than done. Everyone thought they could pilot one of these things just fine. Some soldiers could manage to do it without wrecking. Piloting it well and completing the tough objectives that these experimental units found themselves with? Now that was much harder.

But, she supposed it would become more common over the years - need bred further technology, and they did need this tech. They didn’t have the largest population or military in the world. It was a force multiplier. Didn’t matter if the enemy threw more soldiers at it. At the end of the day they still had the upper hand, which was why the project had received so much money from the military in the first place. Both the company that had made the ‘mecha’ suit and the government that was now employing it had realized the necessity of it all.

The 105th’s hangar at Fort MacEntire…

Because it seemed like there was going to be a World War, or at least a regional war, soon enough.

That was how things were these days, in the world of Talam. The west was peaceful, but it remained to be seen how long it would remain like that. Because not everywhere was the best place to live. And there were plenty of places where a war could kickstart a revival. A lot of the nations in North Aurelia could use a revival. Royce was acutely aware of what was just to the north of her nation’s own borders, beyond the mountain range that had formed the natural line between the two. At one point, the Republic of North Aurelia had been in the competition for hegemony, a power around the world. In their own backyard, which had stretched from the North Aurelian continent all the way down to South Aurelia, they had maintained some semblance of order. Sure, things happened from time to time. But they weren’t typically big things. Not when the area was firmly in the sphere of influence of the dominant power of the era.

That had been about fifty years ago, however.

Sometimes, the greatest forces collapsed under their own weight. The RNA had split under ethnic lines, or more specifically, linguistic and socioeconomic lines - trying to unite a country that had been made up of a number of past colonies of different cultures was easier said than done. And it hadn’t lasted forever. The RNA still controlled the coast which made them a power in the Aurelian ocean - but their former heartland now stood independent as the Free State of Feria, and was now known as Kael’s northern neighbor rather than the RNA itself. And the west, it hadn’t considered itself part of either. There was now a Republic of Western Aurelia, too. All the divide served to do was weaken all three factions. There was a western state with little influence in the heartland and the Aurelian, a heartland state with no influence on the coasts, and an Aurelian state in the east that was left with a shell of its former power.

All of them trended towards authoritarian these days, all of them had a certain level of paranoia, and all of them were plotting against each other to some degree - or at least, all of them believed that the others were plotting against them and aiming to reunite the RNA in their image, when in reality, the days of hegemony were long past and they would be better off trying to avoid a complete decline and collapse. The abandoned factories and entire ghost settlements that dotted some parts of the landscape in the former RNA, as well as the military bases with rusting and unmaintained equipment, said enough about the state of the former superpower…

Which meant that western Talam was now, fittingly, something of a wild west.

Colonial wars had been fought in South Aurelia without the interference of the broken RNA, natives to the continent fighting against the settlers from Aunora who had come over in search of land and resources long before this current age. Sometimes they had success. Sometimes they didn’t. But it had set a pattern of the area being decidedly unstable, able to devolve into low level fighting at any moment. It was the reason why Royce’s own country was braced for war. It had only been five years ago that the Southern Wind Alliance had formed - most notably, that alliance represented a joining of forces between the Union of South Aurelian Soviets, and the Republic of Almirez, two states that weren’t anything to joke about militarily as well as being two of the more nationalistic nations in South Aurelia.

That was to say, if there was a war in either of the Aurelian continents in the next years, it seemed likely that it would be started by the Southern Wind Alliance, attempting to throw out the Alamanians and Castanans and Feronians from their continent now that there was no threat of a larger superpower stepping in to mediate.

And then, in all of it, there was the Federation of Kael - Royce’s country, and the one that she had sworn to defend. If push came to shove, she would likely end up on the front line… Using the combat suit that was in front of her, tied right now to a light system of scaffolding since it wasn’t in use. Kael was, of course, on the southern coast of North Aurelia rather than on the Southern Continent proper, but if there was a war, they would likely end up in it anyway. Because they were very much still Aunoran transplants, just of a far different branch from the Alamanians or the Feronians. And their presence was still a problem to many nations - especially those who would call themselves allies of Southern Wind.

They didn’t have colonies, but they might as well have been imperial in name - they had business interests with the Alamanians and the Castanans, they had their own business operations in various countries such as the post colonial state of Diamenia, and even, to an extent, in hostile territory itself as they operated certain companies out of the Republic of Almirez - things like logging, air travel, and mining. Money made the world go around… And Kael was better than most at seeking it, through their ‘clans,’ organizations that were often dominated and were almost feudal in that they stretched across politics, the military, and business as all powerful noble houses might. It didn’t help that they as a nation had little respect for the ‘laws’ that some others set out - they enforced their interests less through diplomacy and more through guns and bullets, and mercenaries acting as paramilitaries. They were one of the nations in the world to still keep slaves, a fact that Southern Wind rarely let them forget.

It was practically a rallying cry on their end - ‘Remove the slaveowning imperialists from South Aurelia!’

It was also a plain fact at this point that when the ‘Aurelian World War’ did happen at some point, it would likely be Southern Wind and their associated states against the Kingdom of Castana, Alamanian Empire, and Kael. Which was perhaps the reason why Royce spent this much time thinking about it - because it was more than likely that it would end up as a reality at some point. Her reality, when she ended up on the frontlines of such a conflict, protecting the interests of her country with the most advanced and cutting edge equipment in their inventory… The combat suit.

But to someone like Harper, geopolitics was several levels above her paygrade to squint at beyond trying to determine wherever they were going to deploy next, and she’d had more luck throwing darts at a map of the world to pick the next tinderbox than work it out herself. It wasn’t something she troubled herself with, and from her relaxed, carefree stride as she entered what was soon to be her platoon’s mech hangar, humming to no one just to fill the otherwise quiet air with noise.

It would be enough, however, to cause the Lieutenant who was acting as the leader of her platoon to turn, looking for the source of the noise before settling her eyes on Harper. Royce gave a quick assessment, just with her first glance - she seemed average enough for one of the soldiers of the 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade, but maybe a bit higher class than Royce herself. Then again, Royce herself wasn’t exactly high class at all. She did come from the capital, Daernel, but it was from the more criminal outskirts rather than the luxurious inner areas of the city. For her, the military was an honorable way of moving up and out of that situation.

Noticing the rank insignia, she realized she was likely looking at her Platoon Sergeant. “You’re the one that’s going to be working with me on this, eh?”

“Guess so.” Harper shrugged. She’d never been a particularly good judge of people, part of the reason she’d ended up in the military rather than in the less exciting, if higher paying world of biotech engineering that her parents and elder brother were in. “Staff Sergeant Harper Nerney.” She added, snapping a lazy salute towards Royce upon noticing her rank insignia.

“Don’t have to be that formal around me,” Royce stated with a nod, turning and looking back at the combat suit that was in front of them, before shifting on her heel to meet Harper’s gaze once again. “The name’s Royce. Royce Mahon. I might seem a little young to be leading the platoon… But I can assure you that I’ve earned my spot just like anyone else… Just through the mechanized corps instead of the academy.”

“Just figured I’d better cover my ass in case you were one of the types that insist on formality.” Harper said, relaxing noticeably as she dropped the salute. “And as far as I’m concerned, if you’re in your spot you’ve earned it until I see shit nosedive but I’m pretty sure you’re not that bad.”

“Well, we might be under pressure soon,” Royce said with a slight sigh. “Pretty sure that’s what the increase in training exercises and such is about, but with Almirez harassing shipping and such… They’re sayin’ World War Aurelia might be right around the corner. You think we’re going to end up in a jungle somewhere soon?”

“No idea, never had the head for politics.” Harper shrugged nonchalantly, crossing her arms. “But we were always gonna get sent somewhere sooner or later, jungle can’t be all that bad even if the mechs are gonna be pains in the ass depending on trees and shite like that. Beats having them in a city.”

“There’s big cities down there, too. And slums and such. Although, at least there’s cover and such… Better than being an open target on some steppe or something,” shrugged Royce. “But I think when the first shot comes… We aren’t necessarily going to expect it. Based on what’s been going on the past few months and such… Seems like the other side is just going to do something. And I’m sure we’ll end up the first ones on the ground when it happens.”

She paused. “Hopefully, you’re ready for it.”

“I better be.” Harper let out a laugh. “No reason I wouldn’t be, honestly, kinda eager to, y’know, do something, training gets you prepped but it’s no substitute for the real thing. But… Like you say, we’re not gonna expect it. Someone will do something stupid, things kick off and we go clean house.”

“Mmm. I’d say I’m ready for a lot of things. Dunno if World War A is one of ‘em, but I don’t think we’ll get much choice in the matter,” said Royce, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she craned her neck to look at the large mechanized combat suit in front of her, her reflection once again showing in the glossy white finish. It likely wouldn’t remain that clean and untouched once they saw actual combat. But that was just the nature of things… It was just a matter of when they’d end up dropped into some dire situation, not if.

The Southern Wind Alliance… A bond formed between the Union of South Aurelian Soviets and the Republic of Almirez in the wake of the civil war and fracturing of the RNA. In fact, it was only possible because the Republic of North Aurelia was no longer the power that it had been, or a power on the world stage at all for that matter. They never would have allowed a nation of Soviets to form on the continent below them, practically in their backyard, but many things had happened in the power vacuum that wouldn’t have been possible before it. One of those odd outcomes was the SWA.

Their goal was pretty simple. Expel the imperialists, the slavers, and foreign business interests from their continent.

It wasn’t a goal that everyone joined them in - there were some in South Aurelia who were fine with the status quo, since it didn’t affect them enough to care - but it was a goal they believed in. And their goal of national liberation also happened to fit the interests of one of the most powerful nations on the planet: the Zemalyan Federation of Socialist Republics. Southern Wind wasn’t the strongest alliance in the world, not by a longshot even… They didn’t have depth beyond the USAS and Almirez, but what they did have was support from overseas, which was perhaps what had emboldened them recently. They didn’t just have inherited and rusting ships like some of the neighboring countries, but hulking Zemalyan vessels capable of going toe to toe with some of the best that their northern rivals could throw at them. They didn’t just have the limited or nepotistic training that was common in South Aurelia, but instruction from experienced officers who had come over not so secretly as advisers.

They’d pursued their goal peacefully up to this point, but everyone knew that it wasn’t going to last forever. They were going to make their move eventually. When they were strong enough. Which, considering their growing strength… Meant that World War Aurelia could come sooner than some were expecting.

Perhaps the first spark would come from the Almirezian Navy destroyer Almirante Ramos, and the brilliant young Commander in charge of it, Zacarias Araya. While the rest of the country went about their day in peace, the Almirante Ramos was on the prowl… The bridge was in constant communication with other units at both land and sea. The task they had wasn’t one that they could slip up with - and the bright commander had been chosen for this mission rather than more experienced peers for a reason.

Amirezian Navy Destroyer Almirante Ramos

Right now, the navy of Almirez just needed the job done. Pleasing senior officers by keeping the appearance of favoring them could come second to that.

Despite the faith that had been placed in him by officers of far higher rank than himself, there was still some nervousness on the part of Araya. Something any human would have in a situation like this, perhaps. There was no benefit of past experience for the Commander. This was the biggest thing he had been tasked with. And it was no easy task. It was, as some would say, like getting thrown out of the frying pan and right into the fire.

For someone in that situation, though, the Commander was still handling it calmly. Watching the clock in specific, and ensuring that their vessel continued on time as they worked on the first phase of their operation - the hunt.

“The vessel should be in sight in the next five minutes or so…” one of the bridge staff said, drawing a silent nod from Araya, who continued to look forward through the front window, at the endless waters of the Aurelian Ocean that surrounded them.

The Alamanian merchant ship Keller would be in view soon, if the statement was accurate. That was the target. Not some warship, but a merchant ship, carrying goods from Alamanian South Aurelia to the markets of the northern continent. Of course, to the more aggressive and emboldened Southern Wind, this presented a perfectly valid reason to seize the ship and its contents. According to them, anything gained from the Alamanian colony in South Aurelia was simply ill gotten gains that should be returned to their native homeland. However, seizing this ship wasn’t where they intended to stop.

Seizing vessels had gotten a response from Southern Wind’s northern rivals before. Maybe that would happen again if they seized one right now, something that they had already been warned about in the past. That response would lay down the groundwork for the real plan at play here. But Araya couldn’t afford to think ahead of himself. There was still a monumental task for a Commander that isn’t all that experienced to handle.

If things went well, which their Zemalyan advisors told them that this plan might, both they and their Union of South Aurelian Soviets allies would likely have more breathing room. Might even make their rivals think twice about challenging their influence here. There was also, though, a decent chance that things wouldn’t go well. Much of it would come down to how the Commander of the ship executed the plan, which was why there was a definite nervousness on the part of Araya.

He did his best not to show it, though. “Status on the rest of the operation?” he asked. There were other assets in play than just this destroyer… And all of them needed to do a damn good job for the plan to have a shot at working as intended.

“Everything… Going according to schedule,” said another one of the bridge officers.

It drew a slow nod from Araya himself, who bent slightly to see the computer screen that the officer was looking at. It just confirmed that everything seemed to be going on the right timeline… For now.

“Good work, everyone,” Araya said from his post. “We’ll continue on this route and begin preparing the special forces detachment to seize this Alamanian ship… And then we’ll move onto the next phase and hope it works… I dunno what the headlines are going to look like if we don’t succeed here…”

“I think if we don’t succeed, we might not have to worry about having a job much longer,” one of the enlisted sailors said… That was also a true point. There was a big career ahead for Araya. Would the challenge be risen to?

These tensions were nothing new, of course - they were expected. With no hegemony in the area it seemed the regional powers were eventually going to fight out their differences… And the Imperial Navy of Kael was ready for when that time came. Large numbers of ships had been constructed since the fall of the RNA, many of them using reverse engineered RNA technology directly… When a power fell, it also tended to have looser control over where its design elements ended uo. In this case, much of it was now in the hands of one of the nations that the Republic of North Aurelia had kept somewhat in check, among other places.

The pinnacle of the naval developments, other than the pair of aircraft carriers which had also been developed using what could be recovered from some of the fractured arms companies of the broken RNA, was perhaps the KNS Omen… The name meant to say, of course, that the nuclear battlecruiser was a bad omen for the enemy when it showed up. It wasn’t hard to see why. It was armed to the teeth with surface to air missiles, surface to surface missiles, and even anti submarine missiles. It might have resembled the battleships of old in a way, but the vessel didn’t need guns to do the job, the missile armament might as well have been enough to down an enemy surface group.

Which was the reason it was being deployed to the South Aurelian continent, or rather, the ocean around it. It was set to join the allied patrol group off the coast of Alamanian South Aurelia and New Castana due to the rising tensions in the area and the threat to allied shipping that Southern Wind and their increased activities presented - Soviet or Almirezian vessels had been seen further and further outside of their own waters.

The trip there, though, was supposed to be uneventful… They would head west and go around the continent before coming out on the south side and joining the patrol zone. Apparently, however, a peaceful trip there was a bit too much to ask for. There was a distinctive sound of a bell ringing played over the ship’s intercom system, and it signified that Captain Monroe Saunders was calling the ship’s Lieutenant Commanders, otherwise known as the heads of various major departments, to the bridge…

Imperial Armed Forces Navy battlecruiser Omen.

There was some kind of something going on. That wasn’t to say anyone but the bridge staff knew just what it was yet, though.

Something, however, to someone like Ashla Walsh, almost always ignored the ‘bad’ that was inevitably tagged on after the ‘something’ which almost all superiors tended to forget to add. And so it was with a tired-looking, grumpy scowl on her face that she entered the bridge, only pausing briefly to salute the captain as she entered, mentally bracing for the inevitable bad news to come.

The news, as expected, wasn’t great. Although it partly depended on how one looked at it. “We’ve received word from the shore that we have a change to our assignment…” said Saunders, when the different department heads were gathered along with the bridge staff, all of them waiting to hear just what was happening. They didn’t have to wait very long to find out. “According to what I’ve heard from command, the Southern Wind Alliance - the Republic of Almirez Navy in specific - has seized an Alamanian merchant vessel headed for North Aurelia… This vessel is being impounded in Alca as we speak, in a more overt act of aggression by Southern Wind. The Alamanians happen to consider this an act of war, after the previous warnings… It seems like the other side wants war. They reportedly intend to imprison the sailors from this vessel. And as one of the closest capable ships in the area, we’ll be joining another vessel, a destroyer, and diverting our path to Alca to conduct a port strike and hit back. The extraction of sailors… Is set to be handled by ground based forces. Our task will remain on the sea for now.”

“However…” continued Saunders, letting out a brief sigh that said that all of the trouble wasn’t past with just that announcement. “We’re expected to run into opposition on the way there. Maritime surveillance has detected the Almirezian destroyer Almirante Ramos patrolling this area as well as two attached frigates. Those of you in departments dealing with combat should take note… We may end up engaging in it soon enough.”

Ashla nodded curtly; her department was weapons, so she needed to know exactly what she was up against. A single destroyer and two escorting frigates wouldn’t be a problem for a leviathan like the Omen, but a little bit of caution and wariness never hurt anyone. They had the advantage in firepower by a large margin, no reason not to exploit it.

So, that was how they ended up turning around and changing their path from west to east, headed right towards hostile territory… With contact expected to be made rather soon once they were far enough into their trip, moving at full speed to catch up with the enemy sooner. They wouldn’t be able to get there in time to stop the Almirezians from impounding the merchant vessel. But they could definitely do something about it, preceding the operation on the ground that would free the imprisoned sailors.

Even if their actions would end up being just one part in the sparks that would ignite a war - World War Aurelia.

by **Lunas Legion** » Fri Jan 10, 2020 5:26 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 2
“BATTLE OF THE ALCA COAST”

After Almirez has begun the first moves in sparking war with the colonial axis in South Aurelia, the KNS Omen has been sent on a rapid mission to break through the Almirezian Navy and aid in freeing captured friendly sailors.

Imperial Armed Forces Navy Battlecruiser KNS Omen
En route for Alca, Republic of Almirez
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

An act of war. That’s what they were saying that it was, as the news spread across the world via the internet, saying that the Republic of Almirez was impounding a merchant ship from the Alamanian Kaiserreich. The Kaiser, supposedly, wasn’t happy about it - the Alamanian Navy would likely be in the region soon enough to prevent such a thing from happening again, even if their resolution to the problem had to be one reached with guns and missiles and blood rather than peaceful diplomacy… But then again, Almirez had been the first one to skip past diplomacy, surely urged on by their allies from the Union of South Aurelian Soviets and aided with indirect support from their advisers in the Zemalyan Republics.

The whole situation meant that even if they hadn’t been directly involved at first, the crew of the KNS Omen would soon be dragged in by proxy… Threats to colonial interests in the region were threats to their own interests, too. Even if they weren’t as involved as a nation like Alamania was. No, Kael’s involvement was more subtle, even if their grasp on the continent was stronger than many would give them credit for. They’d found an unusual ally in the Kaiserreich - but the bonds of that alliance would be proven today as they charged headfirst towards a newfound enemy with the aim of retaliating against Almirez’s move on their ally.

And they were almost alone in their chase. The Corvus class nuclear guided missile battlecruiser had kept pace better than the Banlow class destroyer that was supposed to catch up with it… There were at least three enemy ships they were expected to run into before they hit the coast of the city of Alca, where an operation was about to be conducted to strike back for the seizure and free the sailors who were being imprisoned in Almirez for their ‘crimes’ - crimes which they had been sentenced to purely under the orders of the Southern Wind, not of their home country or any allies.

Still, Ashla didn’t consider one on three to be bad odds by any stretch as she made her way down through the ship at a brisk pace, fast enough to get down to her own weapons department than she otherwise would’ve, slow enough to preserve her own dignity as an officer. A sprinting weapons officer, or any officer for that matter, tended to result in mildly perturbed crewmen.

“Prepare to engage.” Ashla declared as she swept into her department’s part of the ship, banks of monitors and displays surrounding the room as she took her place in the center. “Intelligence indicates three probable targets, get me anti-ship missile locks ASAP. And keep an eye on the sonar, I’m not ruling out an unexpected submarine or two.”

She was met quickly by one of the brightest Lieutenants under her command within the weapons department, Nevan Cassidy - it made sense that Cassidy was competent, coming from one of the more relevant clans in Cabry after all. It had been the military or politics for the young man and he’d selected the military and hadn’t looked back since… Although he couldn’t say that he’d been in any situation like this one before. This was all new territory.

“We haven’t seen the enemy on radar yet,” Nevan remarked with a slight sigh, gesturing to the number of computers where crew members were working away, examining screens and preparing for when they would inevitably have to launch at the enemy. That time hadn’t come yet. It was, in a way, a calm before the storm, and almost a fitting one as the sun started to set outside. Not that they could see the peaceful sunset from down here… They were below deck, and besides, the focus was on the screens and their work… Not the outside. “Depending on what they do, it might be a bit before we spot them. But there’s a helicopter up right now, looking…”

“Then I suppose we shall have to just wait instead.” Ashla said, starting to tap her foot in an irregular, impatient rhythm against the floor. She hated waiting. It was the calm before the storm, when you knew what was about to come, but couldn’t quite yet do anything about it. “Although what three escorts can do against the Omen...” She let the sentence trail off. Three escorts against a ship like the Omen meant the enemy commander was either a foolish glory hound, a hardcore loyalist following suicidal orders, or someone competent with a plan. All were dangerous in their own ways, but some more so than others. She’d have to see what happened.

The conversation with her Lieutenant wouldn’t last long, for one of her other crew members would quickly make a call out while pointing to the communications console within the room. “Lieutenant Commander, there’s an incoming call from Captain Saunders!” the communications officer pointed out, getting her attention.

“Put the captain through.” Ashla said calmly, her earlier panic mostly gone now she was back in her element and in command of the situation.

“Aye!” the member of the crew said, pushing a few buttons on the console - and then holding out the phone receiver to the Lieutenant Commander, with the Captain waiting on the other end of the line.

Ashla took the phone, holding it up to speak into it. “Yes, captain?” She asked, not about to stand on ceremony during the lead-up to a battle.

“We’ve picked up the enemy Almirante Morales class destroyer and its two Project 426 escort frigates on radar… They’re not in our range yet. They’re further east from our current position, closer to the coast… It’s not the best kind of waters to give chase to them in. We wouldn’t want to run into problems, running aground and such. I’m asking if you have a plan in place to eliminate the enemy threat before that becomes a problem,” Saunders spoke quickly, not wasting much time getting the point across… They were, after all, roaring full speed ahead in the direction of their opponent at this very moment. Time was of the essence.

“We don’t need to catch them, just get them in range.” Ashla spoke. “They’re running, but they’ll be running to somewhere. If you can plot a course for us to intercept them before they get there, or plot us a course in parallel with the shoreline we can finish them off with superior firepower, but we do not want to get too close to the coast and I think the enemy commander knows that.”

“Be sure that they do get finished before we close too much with them… I don’t want to hang around the shoreline and there’s an airbase in Alca. Be way of air based attacks. We don’t know how far the Almirezian Navy is taking this thing… But they’re sure making more provocations than they would have in the past, damn it,” said Saunders. “We’re currently on pace to meet them about head on… Still closer to the shore than what’s comfortable.”

“I’m more worried about submarines than land-based air strikes, but concern noted. And I have no intention of letting them get away as long as its within my ability to do so.” Ashla said.

“See to it that you don’t.”

The call ended on that which left them cruising towards the opposing group of ships, still moving at their maximum speed while the crew made preparations. They’d had to get the weapons set up to fire, considering they hadn’t been expecting combat previously, but that was all but done by now and it was simply systems checks and the like… Maybe just a way to pass the time considering the tense situation. Wasn’t like any of the sailors here could say they had been in something like this before. Helping in counterinsurgency operations and such was vastly different from taking on the navy of another regional power, with a prisoner situation depending on their success.

Their attack on the port, after all, which needed to happen on time and would require them to get through hostile ships first, would be a required part of getting the Alamanian sailors freed. Because the Omen was really just one part in the larger assault that was coming… But their actions would also represent the tip of the spearhead, the first to show up and the first to strike a blow.

And the quiet silence had returned once again, much to Ashla’s irritation as her food started to tap against the floor again as she waited for anything at all to happen rather than simply waiting.

“The opposing commander is known for being crafty, you know…” said Nevan, also staring ahead at the others working, waiting for some further developments in the situation. “At least, if it’s the name that I heard circulating around once we knew we were going to be taking on Almirez… And that it was probably going to be a destroyer we’re up against. Zacarias Araya. Formerly a frigate commander. But this wouldn’t be the first time that Araya has tangled with the Alamanians. Or well, in this case, with one of their allies.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s ever fought the Kaelic Navy or a ship like the Omen.” Ashla stated. “Cleverness and intelligence can only ever get you so far before luck or something else catches up. With luck, that’ll be today, once we get his little group in range.”

“Yes but… Taking on the Alamanian Navy… Provoking the Alamanian Navy and coming out of it, with just a frigate, is something of an impressive feat. And look at what Araya has now. More assets than before. I suppose that’s the reason for caution. We have more firepower… But we are alone, headed into hostile waters,” Nevan continued, shrugging slightly. “It’s not the spot most commanders would want to be in…”

“That implies he knew the Omen would be the ship sent to respond and alone rather than with escorts.” Ashla pointed out. “He’s gotten two extra frigates, sure, but now he has to fight a far more powerful ship. He’s intelligent, so he’s running because he knows he can’t outfight us so he’s waiting for us to give up the chase most likely, which we obviously can’t do. One commander, no matter how good, cannot make a victory if presented with the wrong situation. When we catch him he’s finished.”

“We’ll see…”

The latest development would get the attention of all of the officers within the weapons room, however. In this case, because there was an update to their enemy’s position. “The enemy group is reversing their position and heading back towards Alca!” reported on of the crew members, watching the radar feed which was being transmitted from the helicopter that was in the air watching the situation, a Sea Owl styled design that was based on one of the RNA’s prior inventions… Now that the RNA was a shell of itself, however, most of their technology had become ‘open source’ so to speak.

“A strange choice.” Ashla murmured to herself. “They come out to meet us and then turn back? Inform the captain of their course change and that they might be using themselves as bait to draw us into the range of anti-ship missiles from another source we haven’t spotted yet. Our mission hasn’t changed. That enemy group needs to be eliminated.”

“Aye,” the crew member said, saying something to the communications officer who radioed the bridge quickly with the updated information - although there was a chance the bridge already had it. It was a strange situation for sure.

The peace would be disturbed further by the next news, however. “There’s Sn-37 fighters taking off from Alca!” reported one of the other crew, watching a similar screen. “With… Well, presumably attack loadouts… Headed in this direction, the helicopter is picking up six of them so far. We’ve only got minutes before they end up here, in range to hit us.”

The Zemalyan built Sn-37 Strike Fighter

“Like I said, bait.” Ashla chuckled. “Ready the SEA-100s, fire as soon as they come into range, six missiles.”

“Aye…”

And so, with the group of Almirezian Air Force strike fighters roaring towards them, giving them only minutes to get ready before the engagement began for real, the crew prepared to lock on and fire as soon as their targets were in range. Although, the task at hand was easier said than done. “They’re dropping in altitude as they approach… Making it hard to get a lock on radar even if we know they’re coming,” the crew member reported.

“Keep trying, switch to the SEA-55 once they’re in range and prepare the Wasps and Scorpions.” Ashla commanded. She wasn’t about to let this attack get through if she had any weapons that would allow her to say otherwise.

They would manage to get the lock once again once the strike fighters were closer to the vessel, and from there, it didn’t take long before missiles roared out of the VLS cells located on the deck, towards the front of the ship. What had been a clear day was interrupted by smoke clouding around the deck and the bridge and everywhere else as the six missiles shot forth in the direction of the enemy, which wasn’t deterred by them and continued straight ahead…

However, the luck seemed to be on the side of the missiles this time rather than the pilots, with the strike fighters breaking and making evasive moves once they were closer to the Omen itself but finding it impossible to lose the locks. The missiles pursued them. Chased them, didn’t let up or lose the lock, and they would eventually catch up with most of their targets…

There were a number of explosions in the sky as the largest engagement between Almirez and its imperial rivals in quite some time played out, five of the Almirezian fighters crashing down beneath the water when everything was said and done, not having fired their payloads. There was, however, one fighter that had survived the onslaught and outpiloted the missile that had been on the six of his own plane, with a combination of electronic warfare, sharp handling, and chaff… And that fighter was now looping around and firing off all four of the anti ship missiles that each fighter had been carrying as a payload.

“Four vampires… Incoming,” reported one of the crew members, watching as new contacts appeared on the radar screen and the fighter who had fired them made a hard turn away from the vessel while popping flares and accelerating, aiming to get out of the area quickly.

“Deploy decoy rockets.” Ashla stated calmly, seemingly not the least bit unsettled by the incoming missiles. “And ready the CIWS.” Four missiles should be enough to be easily dealt with by the Omen’s active countermeasures.

“On it…”

Soon enough, there would be more shots fired off in an effort to deal with the ongoing attack on them. The decoys would do a good enough job to get two of the rapidly moving missiles away from them, but there was a bit of a problem… And well, that was the fact that there were still two incoming that hadn’t been thrown off track, having found a good enough lock. Which left Ashla with a quick decision to make on what their next move was… After all, they might only get one or two more moves in this little duel of theirs.

Two missiles left, but Ashla thought she still had enough left in her arsenal two missiles wouldn’t be an issue. She still had the Omen’s CIWS batteries, plus the ship’s Scorpions even if there were only two of the latter. “Open fire with the CWIS and the Scorpions.” Ashla stated.

The rotating cannons took aim at the two missiles at the same time that the Scorpion missiles streaked out of their launchers and fired off towards the opposing targets. However, none of the missiles fired would hit the mark, both targets continuing onwards… One of the anti ship missiles came dangerously close but instead of making impact with the hull it ran out of energy and crashed into the water, short, causing a massive explosion of water which would soar in the air, nearly reaching a height higher than the ship itself… And the sudden burst of water would also make it harder to see the trajectory of the second anti ship missile, which shot through the wave and had better luck, passing through a field of CIWS fire safely and slamming into the hull of the vessel.

It was safe to say the impact was felt throughout the Omen, the entire vessel swaying with the hit as their current speed caused them to list off to the side slightly, as steering was added to compensate and pull them back in the other direction. Crew members were thrown off their feet… Smoke billowed out of the spot on the side of the hull which had been hit. The lights flickered for a moment, even, before recovering… Although it would take longer for the crew to recover, both from the actual impact and from the shock of the situation and the fact that the enemy had played them perfectly and lured them into this trap which had resulted in a successful strike.

Ashla fell forwards, catching herself on the edge of a console before staggering back to her feet. Damage control wasn’t her area of expertise; she didn’t need to know how much damage they’d taken, only that they weren’t all dead. “Status report, I need to know what the enemy group is doing and if we have more planes incoming.” Ashla barked out, pushing herself back up to her feet. She couldn’t do anything about the damage they’d taken, but she could do something about any follow-up attacks.

“Not picking anything up just yet…” Nevan said through gritted teeth, climbing up from the ground and looking at one of the console screens that had been abandoned by a crew member that was still on the ground. The impact had been a violent one, after all - no one was dead in this department but they probably had some minor injuries at the least, that might affect their combat effectiveness.

Someone else would speak up, however, with something intriguing, holding the phone in hand. “There’s contact from the Captain again!” the crewman spoke, in a hurried tone.

“Put him through.” Ashla sighed, mentally ready for whatever was about to be sent her way.

The phone would be handed over quickly, and with it, there came new orders. “We’re not just going to let them get off with this… We’re not moving right now but we’re not just going to sit here like sitting ducks, the Banlow is going to be here soonish, and the ground forces coming in by air, but until that happens… You have orders to wipe the air base off the map. You should be able to get the location based on the radar pattern of where those strike fighters came from,” Saunders ordered…

They were equipped for ground strikes, of course. That was one of the primary reasons they were on this mission in the first place - the formidable Gladius missile, a creation of the Republic of North Aurelia that like many other things had fallen into their hands and had even been improved upon, was made just for that purpose. And they would likely end up putting it to good use soon.

“Roger that, and with pleasure.” Ashla said, handing the phone back. “Get me the position at which those fighters first registered on our radar and prepare the Gladius missiles. We may have shot down all bar one of those fighters, but that one isn’t going to find a home to return to.”

“Preparing to fire as soon as possible…” said one of the members of the crew, getting the coordinates of the hidden jungle airbase where the attack had come from and putting them into the targeting system… Eventually, there would be a siren on the deck. The familiar one that came before the VLS cells were about to open up and release hell on the enemy. Missiles rose up from their storage compartments, the deck now filled with the sight and the smell of smoke as they streaked higher into the sky, turning to accelerate towards the enemy coastline. Eventually, they’d get further inland and reach their targets. It didn’t seem like the jungle airstrip was defended with air defenses after all. However, for now, they had some… Down time.

Like many inventions of the Republic of North Aurelia, the Gladius missile has ended up in the service of a number of other nations these days.

Down time didn’t mean Ashla was leaving, even as the quiet and relative calm returned to the Omen. “We’re dead in the water so stay on alert, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a second attack wave to finish us off or the group we were chasing turns back tries to.” Ashla declared, crossing her arms. Even wounded as she was, the Omen still had a great deal of fight left in her if someone thought she’d be easy prey.

“We shouldn’t have ended up hit in the first place…” said Nevan, taking a step back from patrolling the room and seeing what kind of level they were operating at after the strike. Fortunately, it hadn’t been them that had taken the actual impact… But they had still felt it. “Any problems we face from here on our are because we… Well, because someone underestimated Araya before. And now they have the initiative…”

“He used himself as bait to lure us into a trap.” Ashla waved dismissively. “In case you didn’t notice, we swatted five of six planes and three of four missiles out of the sky, but you do only need one to get through in the end. Personally, I think you’re overestimating him, but given what happened when I underestimated him I’ll keep a weary caution. Overestimating someone’s capabilities is almost as bad as underestimating them if you begin to think they’re invincible.”

“Overestimating? Only took them one wave of attacks to get through… I’d say they did pretty good considering the defenses… And it’s only possible because we’re this close to land, something that only happened because we’re chasing after the enemy,” Nevan stated with a slight sigh. “But that’s the Captain’s decision. Point is, though… The response from this department sure underestimated the opponent, too. And look where we ended up from that.”

“True.” Ashla conceded. “We were maneuvered into an unfavourable situation, but the fact remains that the Omen is still operational and afloat, if dead in the water. Still a failure, given we failed to catch the enemy group and are dead in the water, but if this Araya was the savant you make him out to be we wouldn’t be afloat despite being hit. Not sure if that’s due to lack of resources and need to improvise or not, however.” Ashla scratched at her chin as she thought. “A second wave of planes close behind the first, his group turning to give battle simultaneously with the attack wave, if he’d had one or two of those ancient hunter-killers… No, he could have finished us off, if he’d had the available resources and managed to coordinate them correctly. No doubt we’ll be seeing more of him in the near future.”

“They hardly have subs in the first place… A lot of the danger comes from their air force which hopefully will be grounded in this area for a bit thanks to taking out the airstrip although if we’re sitting here long enough we might be vulnerable to attack from Alca itself. If you want to know why I rate the enemy highly… Consider the fact that our campaign is probably done before we’ve even gotten in range to hit the harbor,” Nevan continued, watching one of the radar screens.

“Tactical victory. He’s pulled this off once, so naturally we’ll be warier next time. It’s if he pulls it off again we need to start worrying, once is a fluke or luck, twice is a coincidence, and I don’t believe in coincidences in war.” Ashla said, crossing her arms. “We’ll see what he’s made of when he has more available to play with.”

“Fair enough…” Nevan said. Although it didn’t seem like her words were really believed by the Lieutenant, who took a more cynical view of the situation. But some people just couldn’t be convinced. Maybe not until Ashla had more experiences like this herself and realized that her overconfidence was going to be a problem.

It wasn’t long before their cruise missiles hit the intended spot, and one of their crew members reported the hits. “Strikes confirmed… The enemy hangar, runway, and some of their aircraft should be destroyed with that… I believe the runway has been rendered inoperable,” the crewman said. They wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked again from this base now, it seemed.

But as for any other bases… That still had to be determined. “I’m seeing nothing coming from the coast on the radar datalink so far…” Nevan stated, letting out a deep breath. “So it seems we’re stuck waiting for the other ship…”

“Which, in retrospect, we should have most likely done.” Ashla said. “As it stands, once we’re back into running order we’ll likely be ordered back to Kael for repairs and to evaluate the damage. That we’re still afloat, if immobile, hopefully means it’s relatively minor.”

“Relatively…”

Still an unsatisfying outcome. But one they were stuck with for now. They would have additional cover when a Banlow class destroyer joined them soon… Until then, they would miss out on what they had come here for. Which wouldn’t look good for them, and it especially didn’t look good that there would inevitably be images of Kael’s monster of a CGBN listing with smoke pouring out of the side. Partly due to the mistakes of the one who had been in charge of its defense.

Higher command would have some questions when they reached port, that was for sure. Even if they had survived and dealt a blow back.

by **Forest State** » Sat Jan 11, 2020 7:59 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 3
“KNIGHTS OF THE SKY”

The mercenary market in Talam is traditionally a large one - there’s always a number of states or non state actors looking for more firepower… Some of the most prestigious are mercenary pilots, taking to the skies in their own aircraft and fighting for profit rather than for any flag. One such company is Warhawk Defense, which is quietly preparing for it’s next deployment out east, to the divided nation of Kuristan. Kuristan, formerly an unstable democracy, has been split in two by civil war for years - anticommunist powers such as Alamannia and Albion have supported the western half of the country, which is still ruled by its sitting President, while the Zemalyan Federation of Socialist Republics has backed the invasion of the west by the communist east. With the western faction having been backed into a corner by the on again off again war, some have speculated that mercenaries could appear on the front soon as a way of evening out the score…

FlyDaernel™ Airield, Warhawk Defense Regional HQ
Daernel City, Daernel Province, Federation of Kael
January 25th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

FlyDaernel Airfield was, as one might expect, one of the airports within Daernel, the capital of the Federation of Kael. That wasn’t to say that it was anything like Daernel International, the massive airport with a number of runways and routes coming in from both the east and the west, acting as a gateway between the two and taking many of the business that had once gone to the Republic of North Aurelia back during better days for the continent. But the place was somewhat state of the art in its own right. There was only one runway, but it was surrounded with all of the facilities that one might expect from such a place, with repair facilities sitting across from a control tower which itself wasn’t far from a hangar containing a number of high tech and expensive planes…

The name may have sounded like the name of some sponsored airport, but it was rather a military airfield operated by one specific group: Warhawk Defense. The branding around it was simply a way to get more cash to spend on the operations here - it wasn’t cheap running a wing of air mercenaries. Pilots expected to be paid, planes themselves weren’t cheap, missiles and bullets cost more than the average person would realize, and all of the planes had to undergo repair and maintenance frequently to stay in the sky… Some might say it was a bit soulless to slap the corporate logo of an airline on the gate outside and in a number of places at the airfield, but it was just one way of covering that. Because not every company had unlimited resources to dip into, even if all of them were aiming to get to the point where spending on excesses was no problem…

Still, this company had carved out a place for themselves. Taking jobs around the world had put enough in their pockets to spend on facilities like this one, and within the facility, any visitors would find rows of aircraft which were able to compete with any of the ones that might be found in a national military. And they had fought like a national military much of the time. They’d carried out air strikes over South Aurelia and they’d fought in warlord conflicts in the Orient, they’d been around the world and back and for that, Warhawk could say they were one of the better off companies in this field… It helped that, in this culture, mercenaries were seen as an honorable thing. A path to self improvement and improving one’s position. There were no shortage of people that wanted to become ‘knights of the sky.’ If anything, there was a shortage of viable companies instead…

Which meant that the Pitchfork Squadron that operated out of this base was lucky to be in the position that they were in right now. Mostly, that position at the moment involved preparing for a future deployment that the rumor mill said could be in Aunora - eaastern Aunora, in specific, in the border zone where the west met the ZFSR… The nation of Kuristan had been split east and west by a conflict of both competing influences, and some said that the west was looking to bring in mercenaries not to win, but to just survive. Could those mercenaries be from Warhawk? That was undetermined, but some within the company would say so.

Training flights out of FlyDaernel Airfield are a regular happening…

The news about Kuristan was the subject that was currently being talked about on one of the televisions, as some of the pilots of Pitchfork Squadron waited in a side room for the ground crew to finish preparing their fighters. It took time in the sky to stay sharp, after all… Especially if they were going to head to a deployment overseas in the coming days or weeks, like some said.

“The East Kuristan SR has announced renewed plans of an offensive across the Kostori river, and into West Kuristani territory… According to East Kuristani state media, these plans will be a complete effort involving the nation’s ground forces, air forces, and paramilitary units working in sync to push for the unification of the country by the end of 2049. Allies of the Republic of Kuristan, such as the Kingdom of Albion, are expected to step up their support to prevent the western nation from falling into becoming a ZFSR client state…”

“What do you think?” said Flight Commander Jock McLean, looking up at the screen and gesturing to it as the newscaster continued to speak about the situation in the eastern country. “Could be the next deployment… And a challenging one at that. Not ‘cause of the Kuristan SR… Because of their allies, and the fact that most of the planes we see there probably won’t be theirs… It’ll be more advanced ones flying in from the ZFSR.”

“Could be, could not be.” Guinevere shrugged dismissively from where she was lazily sprawled over a couch. “Depends if someone’s willing to foot our paychecks for the West or not, but you’re probably right on it being a mess if we do go over. ‘Volunteer’ pilots in good planes are a pain, but not every enemy can be some warlord’s flock of barely operational not-quite warbirds. Hopefully it’ll pay well if we do go over.”

“The money might be coming from Albion… Not one of the typical sources. Doesn’t seem like it, but this is a bigger deal than just some smaller regional conflict,” McLean stated as the newscaster continued. “No, it’s an east versus west conflict. Whether the eastern storm that’s coming is enough to tip it in their favor permanently… I guess we’ll either see soon or we’ll be on the ground over there ourselves while it happens.”

“They do have to, y’know, win first.” Guinevere pointed out. “Not much of a storm if the KSR gets two miles over the border then gets stopped in their tracks.”

“They’ve been winning so far, haven’t they? They have the western backed side backed up behind the Kostori river… And they haven’t been able to break out from that river since they ended up back there,” McLean said, raising an eyebrow. “As far as I know… It’s the Republic of Kuristan that’s in desperation mode, not the Kuristan SR.”

“Winning so far’s the important thing there.” Guinevere said. “Doesn’t mean they’re gonna keep winning. Sure, momentum’s important, but fuck knows how good their logistics is at keeping it up. But guess we’ll see ‘bout all that in the near-ish future.”

“We’ll see,” said McLean, pausing and turning when the door to the room opened up and someone else stepped in, in this case, their ‘Business Officer,’ Lucas Domhnail. As a corporate squadron, they of course had some people around them responsible for making sure that the business side of things ran smoothly, sometimes to the annoyance of the pilots. It had been said that they had commissars, too, just like a socialist squadron - theirs were just from the HR department rather than some political ministry. Although right now, it was more likely Lucas was here to tell them something important than to get on them about some company policy.

“There’s something soon that might be of interest to you two,” stated Domhnail, looking between both McLean and Guinevere, the casual suit that he wore contrasting heavily with the flight suits that the two pilots were wearing. Then again, they were in completely different professions. Made sense that they looked the part. “There’s a plane coming in from Diamenia… You know, one of those places down south, kind of what you’d expect from South Aurelia… Authoritarianism, narco-state, and all that. Apparently this pilot is a defector from the Diamenian Air Force. And they asked to land here, which the higher ups approved… So you can expect to see cops and KIB around here soon and all that, but if you’re lucky you’ll get a look at this landing first.”

“Well that’s not something you get every day.” Guinevere said as she leapt up to her feet, for once actually eager over something their squad’s resident corporate suit had said. Just because she’d grown up around the corporate world didn’t mean she liked it, just that she knew why they did the things they did. Which was normally complaining at them about company policy and them not following it.

“Anything beyond they’re a defector?” She asked, starting to move towards the door. She didn’t exactly want cops and the KIB crawling all over their turf, but sometimes you just had to deal. And the spooks weren’t that bad. Some of the time. One of her best friends was in the KIB so she couldn’t say they were all bad, just mostly. “Like, you don’t expect them to request to land here of all places, but eh. Oh, uh, ETA on landing?”

“Don’t know a whole lot but we are one of the only groups like this that completely owns our own airfield. Might have something to do with it. And if what I heard from the higher ups is correct…” said Lucas, as they started walking out of the hangar complex and towards the runway which was located not far from it. “We might be dealing with someone looking for work, too. I mean, getting into the country is one thing. But staying here and not just getting deported, that might be harder. I have the feeling we’re being asked to take someone in so to speak… Would make staying around without getting kicked out easier, because you know… We can get someone working papers.”

Lucas paused, looking to the sky once they were outside and standing on the apron near the runway. “Supposedly the pilot is from the 153 Squadron… One of the elite ones in Diamenia. They’ve got the most modern and up to date stuff in the Diamenian Air Force, not every squadron can say the same.”

“Makes sense for them to land here then, private property means the plane can stay on our runway, working for us as you said means not getting kicked out with nowhere to go, plus good pay.” Guinevere responded, crossing her arms and standing next to Lucas, eyes trained on the sky even if she’d hear the plane before she saw it. “Diamenians are gonna be pissed but fuck ‘em, they’re not gonna do anything.”

McLean looked to the sky, spotting a pair of floodlights approaching and cutting through the familiar Daernel fog… Seemed that this defector was being escorted by one of the F/A-20M Specter fighters that made up the backbone of a number of squadrons within the Imperial Armed Forces Air Force. While on the other hand, once the defector’s plane came into view, it was somewhat easy to see that it was a modern Zemalyan produced Sn-51 Archer C fighter, painted in the blues of the Diamenian Air Force and the blacks of 153 Squadron, both colors contrasting with each other and coming into better view while the plane started its descent.

“That would be the plane, I think,” said McLean, pointing out both the Diamenian fighter and the escort that was flying somewhat close to it.

“Nice ride.” Guinevere let out a low whistle at the sight of the plane; she could appreciate a good plane when she saw one, doubly so since the corporate side in her view liked to cheap out on their own planes some of the time. “Wouldn’t mind having a go if we get to keep the thing.”

“The KIB might want to send it back to keep things good with Diamenia against Almirez,” stated Lucas, shrugging. “But… There’s a chance. Then again, that thing is Zemalyan made… Not like the Aurelian models we have. You wouldn’t be able to use half the missiles we have with a Sirnov jet like that one.”

“I just want to fly the thing, not use it in combat.” Guinevere scowled as she looked up at Lucas. “Not every day you get one of those literally landing on the runway. I want to see how it handles compared to our usual fare for curiosity's sake.”

“Fair enough,” said Lucas, as the Sn-51 touched down, the flaps fully extended and the airbrake popping up once the plane was on the ground to start cutting the speed… Wasn’t long before it was slowing down, eventually rolling to a stop, the black and blue camouflage pattern now more visible as well as the markings which displayed the squadron, and the roundel of the air force that the plane belonged to. Well, the one that it had belonged to before getting taken all the way out here. And then… The canopy would open up once the plane had come to a stop on the runway, the pilot starting to climb out of the hulking aircraft before dropping down to the ground, face still covered by a flight helmet.

“Yo.” Guinevere gave a lazy wave towards the pilot as they climbed out of their plane, slowly starting to make her way across the runway. Wouldn’t hurt to make a good first impression on what might be her flight’s newest member given they’d been down a pilot. They weren’t the only flight who used this airbase, just the ones currently living there while off-contract.

The Diamenian pilot approached slowly - and when the flight helmet was removed, Guinevere and the others would see a female face and a full head of hair that had been hidden beneath the helmet which hadn’t shown anything. That, and a face that was somewhat exhausted after making the trip, which itself had been from a long way out. Bahia Clara, the capital of Diamenia and the place where the squadron was based, wasn’t exactly close to Kael. Although, it wasn’t very long before a few dark SUVs of the KIB would show up on the tarmac seemingly out of nowhere, presumably having arrived after being alerted earlier about what would happen.

The doors to the SUVs opened up and out emerged a number of agents wearing light tactical gear - it wasn’t the heaviest loadout they could have chosen, but they were armed nonetheless, and they had a few guns pointed at the pilot that had just emerged from the cockpit of the Sn-51. “It seems Diamenia isn’t exactly regarded with trust by the authorities…” remarked Lucas, watching from a safe enough distance. “A little too much proximity with Almirez…”

Former 153 Squadron pilot Francis Madrazo

“Bit of deserved paranoia never hurt anyone, I suppose…” Guinevere said as she reluctantly stopped, not willing to get in the way of the KIB. That was just being stupid.

It seemed they wouldn’t get too long around the new pilot before she ended up taken away by the KIB at the rate at which things were going, with one of the agents fixing a pair of handcuffs to the pilot’s wrists, but that didn’t stop the eyes of that pilot from roaming towards the Warhawk ones which were standing by the runway and watching the ordeal… Her eyes would meet Guinevere’s, the look in them something of a pleading one. After all, there was often little telling what would happen to someone that was dragged off into an SUV by the KIB… And it definitely wasn’t the preferable outcome for someone that had risked enough just getting here.

Guinevere paused, just thinking for a moment. Crossing the KIB was… Far from the smartest decision anyone had ever made in Kael, and she’d know given she had friends from her hometown who’d joined it and she got occasional non-classified stories from them on the rare chances they’d gotten to meet up given their respective lines of work.

On the other, well… She wasn’t the type of person to just stand back when things like this happened. There was a reason she hadn’t joined the KIB, and that was because there was a bit too much of a strong moral center to her. Even if it made her do things like what she was about to consider doing, things which she knew were probably just a little bit stupid but she couldn’t not do.

“I thought she was a defector, not a spy? Since when did Kael arrest defectors?” She called out, more in protest than in challenge. If the KIB wanted to shove over this there was nothing she could do, but at the very least it made her feel slightly better, voicing her protests.

“This defector happens to be coming from a regional hot zone,” one of the agents stated, looking to Guinevere. Although, the protest seemed to slow things down at least, getting a couple of the agents to start talking, perhaps going over whether or not they were meant to make the arrest here… This wasn’t the kind of thing that anyone was particularly experienced with, after all.

“She’s a defector in an Sn-51.” Guinevere pointed out. “If the Diamenians are starting to sacrifice their best planes to get a single spy into Kael, well, that makes no damn sense. You guys have a modern Zemalyan fighter jet, I figured you’d be more excited to get your hands on that than its pilot. Not like she’ll know all that much, she just flies planes like me, she won’t know any of the higher level stuff you want to know.”

There was some pause - the procedure for something like this wasn’t entirely laid out, and so, after a brief conversation, one of the agents took out a radio. “Look, the protocol isn’t entirely clear on this, so I’ll have to make a call back to the office about it…” the agent said… Which left the others to mill around, not taking any further action just yet, as the pilot stood there with her hands handcuffed still. The only thing the other pilots could do was wait…

But they didn’t have to wait forever, as a decision came somewhat soon from the office the KIB agents had come from. The agent looked back to the others. “The defector can go for now… But she has to file the appropriate paperwork in the next twenty four hours, or this will be considered an illegal entry into the country,” the agent continued, putting away the radio and gesturing for one of the others to unlock the handcuffs. “So since you advocated for this… You can consider yourself responsible for making sure the right process is followed.”

Guinevere said nothing, simply nodding. Paperwork wouldn’t be that hard to deal with, it was just a matter of knowing what went where as she glanced down at her wristwatch, making a note of the time. If they said twenty four hours, she had exactly twenty four hours, and she was not about to get herself snatched for wrong paperwork.

The pilot started making her way over once she had been released by the KIB agents… And McLean raised an eyebrow at the action on Guinevere’s part. “Nice job showing up the KIB for no real reason…” McLean said, looking between the pilot and the agents behind her. “What exactly made you think that was a good idea, again?”

“I didn’t think it was a good idea.” Guinevere said, letting out a relieved breath. “But worst that could happen is they tell me to shut the hell up and keep going, plus there’s a good reason I come from spook central and I’m friends with a bunch yet I’m not a spook. Call it a bit too much of a conscience.”

“You literally shoot at other people for money,” McLean remarked sharply - and that was kind of true. They were further removed from their targets as mercenary pilots but they were still mercenaries at the end of the day. “Might want to reconsider that bit.”

“It’s more a thing for injustice, if they’re on the other end of the missile that’s their fault, they chose to put themselves there.” Guinevere shrugged. “Perfectly fair. Shit like that, not exactly.”

“You’re a decent person, Cathain… Then again, like I said, you might want to work on that if you want to do well in this field,” McLean stated, folding his arms and turning his attention to the defector as she made her approach from the runway. McLean slapped Guinevere on the shoulder before taking a step back himself. “And try not to get too attached to your new friend over here. We don’t know what’s going to happen… Or what the intentions are here.”

“Yeah, but defectors tend to be the driven or otherwise interesting types. Takes a hell of a lot to give up everything you’ve ever known to fly to the other side.” Guinevere said, watching the defector approach. “And don’t think I can’t be both a decent person and do well, I can keep the battlefield and here separate.”

“We will see…”

McLean stepped away to head back to the hangar, and Guinevere would find herself face to face with the defector that she had seen before from a distance. A bit more nervous up close, and the tiredness from the trip was more apparent, but she had survived at least, and now she was on the ground… And hadn’t been dragged away by the KIB for some kind of interrogation. “T-Thanks for that b-back there,” the defector spoke. “I k-know that was probably h-hard and a l-lot to ask of you…”

“You didn’t exactly ask, and I’m not exactly the biggest fan of spooks in the first place.” Guinevere gave a dismissive wave, as if it was nothing. “But you’re welcome, whoever you are.”

“F-Francis… Madrazo,” the pilot said, still sounding nervous, her voice contrasting with the guts it must have took to fly across South Aurelia in a stolen fighter before landing in Kael. Not to mention getting the fighter off the ground in the first place. It must have taken quite the effort… But on the ground, this pilot was a bit timid to say the least, and spoke like someone that at worst was on the verge of being a emotional wreck.

“Well, welcome to Kael Francis.” Guinevere said, smiling. “I’m Guinevere, you can call me that or Cathain if it’s a bit of a mouthful. The big guy is McLean. Anyways, let’s, uh, go find you somewhere to stay and get that paperwork sorted before it’s a problem, yeah? You’ll probably feel better off the runway.”

“Er, yeah… Makes sense,” said Francis, following after Guinevere while their Business Officer, Lucas, watched in the background. McLean had made a valid point about not getting attached - they didn’t know what would happen in the future. But this did seem like the kind of thing that didn’t just happen for no reason… After all, there were plenty of airfields to land at and this happened to be the one that received the landing from their defector.

Maybe, this was actually the start of something… They lacked one pilot and needed to fill the spot before their next deployment, after all.

by **Lunas Legion** » Mon Jan 13, 2020 8:40 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 4
“JUNGLE HUNTING PART 1”

War is heating up between two sides vying for influence in South Aurelia… The imperialistic axis of the Federation of Kael and the Alamanian Kaiserreich, and the nativist Southern Wind Alliance. The former is preparing an effort to free the crew of the merchant ship recently impounded by Almirez, but few realized at the time that the naval action was only a first move… And that the real strike would come in the form of an all out blitz by Southern Wind to try to take back full influence over their continent in a fell swoop.

Northern Theater Command Center, Republic of Almirez Army
20km south of Alca, Republic of Almirez
January 27th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

There was a fight coming soon - just about everyone knew it, from the soldiers of the Southern Wind Alliance between the USAS and the Republic of Almirez, to their likely opponents: the Aunoran settlers in and around South Aurelia, who had clashed with the locals in some ways for ages… But those clashes didn’t tend to go hot. The expectation was usually that things were going to die down. But it was hard to argue that at least one side didn’t have the intention for a full war based on the events that had happened only days ago. That was to say, the events that had seen the Kaelic missile cruiser KNS Omen struck by an anti-ship missile fired from an Almirezian plane, in a naval confrontation where destroyer Commander Zacarias Araya had gotten the better of the larger, but solo, vessel.

That wasn’t the kind of thing that could just be forgotten about after a few days, nor was it the kind of thing that could be backed down from. There had to be a response - if only because a lack of one would make the world think that the Federation of Kael couldn’t respond to one of their prized cruisers getting hit like this by an enemy which had provided plenty of provocation over the past years. This incident could serve as the straw that would break the camel’s back.

One move that not everyone expected, however, was Almirez and their South Aurelian Soviet allies taking the initiative and making moves to remove the foreign presence from their continent before a proper response could form. The move at sea had been the first one… But it was the first of many. And these moves were set to happen within a short time span of each other, while the KNS Victorious carrier battlegroup was still en route from the Kaelic mainland. There would be a war, that was for sure… But if they could move before the other side, they could potentially tip the scales for the conflict in a way that Kael and Alamania wouldn’t be able to flip back so easily. Both sides knew there was always a chance of something like this happening… Most didn’t believe that Southern Wind would do it right now.

“The 23rd Armored, 25th Infantry, 17th Airborne, and 27th Armored Brigades are currently in the Union of South Aurelian Soviets, massed on the border with Alamanian South Aurelia… However, the analysts predict that it would take four days to push the defenders to the coast, thanks to their technological advantage and the local garrison. Additionally, the enemy has prepared for such a situation since the naval battle with Kael…” said one of the Generals within the Northern Theater Command Center - which in this case was being used to coordinate movements across the southern and northern fronts of this conflict that was about to break out. And thanks to Southern Wind, it seemed the southern theater would be in another country entirely - Almirez didn’t share a border with either the Alamanians or the Castanans, but the South Aurelian Soviets did. And so, the war would have to go through their territory, creating some interesting logistics challenges.

Standing by one of the main windows, overlooking the beach and the sea beyond - one of the places a future battle would likely take place - was Neizan Vela, the one who was acting as the effective leader of the Army right now as the highest ranking officer within it. Vela reported directly to the President, and the General didn’t intend to head back to the capital, Camina, with a bad report. Victory was necessary… Even if the numbers that the other General was giving weren’t the most optimal for that. But giving it everything and hoping for better than expected results… That might be a better option than giving up now and potentially getting replaced for failing at the job. “There will be a carrier group in South Aurelia by four days… An enemy one,” stated Vela. “I don’t think we can spare that much time…”

“On the northern coast, not the southern one,” one of the other members of the staff pointed out. “With Alamanian South Aurelia and New Castana being on the southern coast, we may be able to solidify control of that area before an opposing fleet can head around the continent and set up there. Especially if our own fleet deters them enough to head around the long way rather than going around our own coast.”

“But fighting a conflict on two fronts…” muttered Vela, weighing the options while pacing back and forth, eyes eventually turning to a map that was unfurled on the middle of one of the main tables being used for planning. “If we don’t control the entire south by the time the fleet gets here… We’re going to have to deal with two battles instead of one.”

“We’ve already gone too far to turn back. We went past that point as soon as we hit the Omen with an anti-ship missile…” said one of the other members of the staff, with an exasperated sigh.

“Should have sunk it,” someone spoke up. They had landed a hit but all they had done was take the vessel out of the fight temporarily. Not permanently, and they had still suffered a number of losses when the still active cruiser fired off Gladius cruise missiles to destroy the base the attack had originated from.

“Alright, have we heard back from the South Aurelian Soviets and their general staff?” asked Vela, straightening and looking to the rest of the officers assembled in the room. Maybe their allies would be able to help them out here. “Being the larger country between the two of us and considering these colonies are on their border and not ours, surely they can up their commitments to this plan given the unexpected speed of the Kaelic fleet’s deployment…”

One of the others simply shook his head.

“Nothing from their upper command yet. We did agree, however, that their area of focus would be on New Castana while our focus would be on Alamanian South Aurelia… The smaller of the two colonies.”

“That was before we learned that the Kaelic fleet was already on the way,” Vela stated plainly, wiping some sweat from his brow before turning and starting to walk out of the main room within the command center. “Continue with the plan to have our forces in the South Aurelian Soviets cross the border when the plan hits zero hour… We’ll go ahead with it because we have little options. For now… I’m headed to talk to our Zemalyan advisors to see if further help is out of the question or not.”

“Yes, sir…” said one of the other soldiers by the door, saluting as Vela exited the command center. Victory wasn’t so sure here, based on the circumstances. But they would be damned if they didn’t give it their best attempt.

Zero hour. The moment when the Southern Wind Alliance would make their joint move against the colonial forces on the continent. It became even clearer to both sides once the buildup on the border became more and more clear from the Alamanian side - the garrison there wasn’t the largest but it had been reinforced thanks to recent tensions… Though the main goal for those soldiers would be to hold out for further reinforcements, not to win. It wasn’t hard for anyone from that side of the border with a pair of binoculars to stare across the border and see the large troop movements happening not far over on the other side.

And then… It sort of just happened. A specific message was translated to the forces massed on the border… Shortly afterwards, it wasn’t much longer before there were forces swarming for the border, Zemalyan produced and some more effective native produced armor designs rushing the somewhat weak defenses as the Alamanian garrison fell back to attempt to stop the attackers at a better defended line which was further behind. But such a line had been set up hastily. It didn’t take long for the Southern Wind force to reach it, but that wasn’t to say that they were just going to knock it right over and continue on into the valuable cities they were making a push for.

No, the other side wasn’t the largest, but they were well drilled and well armed… It made sense for them to be trained this way, considering everyone had known a possibility like this could happen. Maybe they hadn’t thought it would happen soon, but knowing it could was enough to make preparations for it, and the Alamanian military was already somewhat prepared for the amount of armor they would potentially have to deal with.

“Aim… Fire!” was the shout from one of the Alamanian officers just behind the defensive line, which was located on higher ground than the border itself. It was from here that they had watched the troop movements from a distance and since the jungle around this area had been cleared, they also had clean shots at the enemy with their guided weaponry… It was also fairly easy for air based units to spot what they were attacking.

The Almirezian Army began to move in at zero hour…

FWOOSH!

Missiles fired off one after another on the order of the officer, coming from the tripod mounted ATGMs that were positioned strategically around the road. Keeping the enemy from getting up the hill and down this road was the main goal of these forces, for now at least… Ultimately, they were meant to hold off the invasion until further help came. They couldn’t win themselves, but they could maybe prevent the key cities from falling while the full force of the Alamanian military crossed the Aurelian ocean. Or at least as much as they could spare with the red menace that was glaring over their shoulder - the same side that was aligned with Southern Wind, in name because of national liberation and in practice because it was a way of striking at their rivals through targeting their colonial possessions.

BANG!

While a couple of the rounds would miss, the majority of them hit their mark, a number of explosions happening at the same time - disabling some of the enemy vehicles and blocking the road in the places where they had once stood. The infantry that hadn’t been hit, of course, continued rushing around the wrecks but many of them would simply be targeted as soon as they popped out from the smoke clouds that had formed in the wake of the explosions. The Alamanians were holding them decently… For now. The influence of numbers couldn’t be understated, and even as Almirezian soldiers fell in their tracks on the main road as they were caught by machine gun and semi-automatic rifle fire, others took alternate routes and went around the danger. It was hard targeting all of them.

“Give me red smoke right there!” shouted one of the other Alamanian officers, gesturing to a specific spot further away from them, on the road. One of the grenadiers complied, loading a smoke round into the underbarrel grenade launcher and dropping to one knee, firing the thing like a mortar and watching as red smoke poured out and into the sky at the spot which had been selected. “JTAC, tell the helo to come back around and hit the spot where the smoke is!”

The forward observer complied, reaching for the phone attached to the radio backpack of another soldier while starting to relay the instructions that the officer had given. It wasn’t long, only another minute or two, before the AunoraCopter attack helicopter was coming around for a pass with the enemy in view and a target now marked, unguided rockets being launched into the Almirezian position and doing further damage to the road, in addition to wiping out the group of infantry attempting to push from that direction. It also freed up the machine guns and rifles to take aim at the soldiers who were rushing from… Alternate directions.

“How long are we going to hold out here, you think?” one of the Alamanians found himself asking while ducking behind the cover of sandbags and reloading while the onslaught continued, even given the loss of the center column. Some of the thinner jungle trees were brushed out of the way as another armored vehicle crashed through, this one taking a route around the main road to avoid the wreckage.

“As long as we can hold it…” replied one of the other soldiers, ducking low to avoid the new spray of machine gun fire that came from the old tank. There were plenty of those in the opposing force… Enough that a few helicopter runs wouldn’t make much of a difference or not in whether or not they saw them in the field. It simply meant they would have a bit of relief before another one showed up, and they wouldn’t be overwhelmed by a Almirezian armor swarm… Although, the tactic itself was decidedly Zemalyan, it just so happened that the Zemalyans were one of the multiple supplies of Almirez and their main foreign advisors.

“Maintain pressure!” shouted the officer in the area. Right… They were Alamanians, to spend the entire battle hiding, even if the odds were against them, would be a disgrace. And the last thing anyone wanted to do was to disgrace the country. Still, if they were going to hold here, they would need more than machine guns and rifle fire and their anti-tank posts which were still crewed by just infantry. They didn’t have armor of their own, hadn’t had time to get it set up before the attack… Yet. It would be arriving eventually.

It was only seconds after the order was given, however, that things started to explode - trees splintered and collapsed under their weight and dirt and rocks were thrown up into the air, the explosions each illuminated by a quick flash that verified that these were indeed explosive rounds. Rocket artillery. They were getting hit from further back in an attempt to uproot them from their position, and they would have to do something about that if they wanted to hold here… The second salvo would only be more accurate than the first, after all.

“Goddamn it! Get an estimate of how quick the strike fighters can get that artillery out… Wherever they’re firing it from!” shouted one of the junior officers, and a radioman quickly went to work with contacting the headquarters behind the front and asking for the air support that they needed. Meanwhile, one of the soldiers who worked with artillery ran back towards a table with computers set up, moving to calculate the position the artillery had fired from.

“I have the rough battery position!” that artilleryman shouted, running out of the tent and back to the sandbag-surrounded foxhole where the junior officer and the radioman were pressed close to the ground.

“Let’s do something with it, then…” the officer replied, silently hoping the jets would get here before more accurate salvos could be fired at them. The rocket artillery packed quite a punch, after all… It seemed the Almirezian Army had leaned more from their Zemalyan advisors than the Alamanians had thought at first.

News had broken out in the rest of the country and around the world for that matter about the sudden attack by the Southern Wind Alliance… The USAS pushing into New Castana and Almirez doing the same with Alamanian South Aurelia. What few expected, however, was combat to break out soon in the city of Alca. Of course, Alca was rather strategically important to the goals of Southern Wind. Not only did it have a major military port for Almirez, one of the largest ports within the alliance combined, but it was the place where the conflict had started in some ways. Mainly, because it was the port where the Almirezian Navy had impounded a Alamanian merchant ship and arrested the crew, prompting Kaelic military action to attempt a rescue of their ally’s countrymen and kicking off the conflict as a whole in a way.

It was believed that the planned military action had failed… There had been a brief engagement with the KNS Omen and the ship had been stopped in its tracks and had been forced to turn around to head for friendly port and undergo repairs thanks to the damages it had sustained. The KNS Victorious battlegroup wasn’t even at the front yet, and some time would pass to allow for battle progress before they did reach the spot.

However, there was one thing that the Southern Wind Alliance hadn’t accounted for, and that was some of the most mobile and dangerous forces within the Kaelic arsenal. And one could be forgiven for not accounting for them, because it was hard to tell if they were even seeing active use at the moment. These were, of course, the very cutting edged mechanized cavalry units that had been created, which took advantage of hulking combat suits to bring the firepower of a tank and the kind of movement ability one would expect from a helicopter. They could change the game if they were used right, but the technology wasn’t exactly mainstream. Both the Republic of North Aurelia and the ZFSR had started development on their projects in the area long ago, but with the RNA breaking up, the projects had been continued at a much slower pace by its weaker successors… Some of the work, however, had fallen into the hands of other rising powers who continued the projects themselves to varying effects.

One of those nations had been Kael, and the result had been the GNM-15 Comet combat suit, twenty two feet tall and capable of wielding an arsenal of weapons which brought all the firepower someone would expect from heavy armor. It was also capable of extreme mobility thanks to the jump jets on its back… Using those was both exhilarating for the pilot and terrifying for the enemy, of course. It didn’t take much effort to get behind the enemy line, after all, when using those jets. As if the sight of the massive mech flying didn’t scare the enemy enough on its own.

The wildcard up the sleeve of the Federation of Kael right now was the C-80 Titan dropship which was roaring over enemy territory right now, under escort from a group of F/A-20M fighters but potentially not needing much in the way of support. It was flying fairly high up… And it hadn’t been attacked just yet. Although, the dropship itself wasn’t the main weapon… No, that was the payload. Four ‘drop pods’ which would soon be ejected from the aircraft, before opening up to reveal their true payload, one combat suit within each. The pilots would be able to use their jets to get to the ground from there, or a parachute if those failed.

And the high altitude drop would put them not far from the city of Alca, where their precision strike would, if all went well, free the Alamanian prisoners while a second team prepared to extract them by boat. Of course, for the latter part of the plan to work, the mech force would have to take the pressure off of the special forces, who’d be arriving at the beach by RHIB… And it was important they weren’t simply met with fire from the enemy, which meant the enemy needed to be taken out there. But that was getting ahead of themselves.

It wouldn’t be long before the darkness within their combat suits turned to light, and their sensors gave them a view of the outside and their surroundings - which would be the sky and the clouds based on their current position and where they’d be dropping from. They were going jungle hunting, but the mission began in the sky… With dropping outside of the enemy’s air defense grid and outside of civilization, and working their way back in towards the city of Alca, where their objective was.

Was one hell of a way for the 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade to receive their first wartime mission. Then again… Everyone had known World War Aurelia was coming. They just didn’t know it would be right now.

“Radio check…” said Royce, from the darkness of her combat suit and pod, the only noise before she had said anything belonging to the roar of the engines of the massive dropship, and the wind rushing outside of it. “Everyone can hear me, right? We’re going to need to work together on this…”

“I hear you.” Harper’s voice was clear and calm, even if she found the experience a more than slightly alien one, hearing the whistle of the wind outside her mech’s pod and the slowly fading roar of their dropship’s engine.

“Drop is happening in under ten minutes,” Royce reminded the others, as they grew closer to the site… And the other two members of the platoon would confirm their radios were working.

“Check,” said Kieran Teague, the number three member of the platoon. The working radios would also be confirmed immediately afterwards by the final member, Slaine McQueen.

“Loud and clear.”

Does the color of the sky mean anything special to you?

“Then I think we’re ready,” said Royce as they continued on towards their destination. “What do you say, everyone? You wanna live forever?”

“Would be nice, but also damn boring.” Harper said, an eager grin on her face, any previous nervousness gone or at least not showing in her voice over the radio.

Once they were over the drop point, they would be able to hear the mechanical sound of the doors of the transport opening up, each of the metal pods sliding out of the back and into the sky, where they started their rapid descent downwards… Of course, the pod was only a vehicle to get them in the sky, not the one that they would use for the actual landing. The darkness within the cockpit was quickly replaced by light, as they continued their descent downwards and the metal outer layer broke away to allow the vehicles inside to go free… And from there, they would be able to use their jump jets to get to the ground.

Although, despite dropping over an area that wasn’t covered by SAM sites that could hit them, their descent was still something that could be spotted from the ground and it drew the attention of some of the manual flak guns on the ground. Not radar guided but still dangerous under the right circumstances, and the bright tracers gave a good indication of where the fire was coming from. “I think we have our first target,” said Royce as they continued their descent, her jets roaring to life as she took control of her fall and prepared to point her combat suit in the direction of the tracer fire.

“Don’t see them yet.” Harper said, jump jets flaring as she re-oriented her own mech in the direction of the tracer fire.

“Follow the bullets…” said Royce, shifting her own path of descent further before accelerating and picking up speed - she’d have to slow down before the landing, but she did want to avoid moving too slowly and getting hit. At the same time, she fired off a three round burst towards the ground, not aiming to hit anything but aiming to force the enemy to reconsider and think about getting out of the path of the explosive rounds of her rifle. The BR-126 Assault Gun was quite the impressive weapon, capable of hitting with the power of an explosive autocannon while being shrunken down and fit into the hands of one of the combat suits in rifle form.

“Drop behind me, squad… We’re going for that clearing over there. And then we hunt down the sons of bitches shooting at us right now and continue with the objectives,” Royce ordered as they grew closer to the ground, not having been hit by the tracer fire yet. So far, so good. But if the enemy was in this area, they still needed to take them out.

“Roger.” Harper nodded, adjusting her mech’s descent slightly so she was headed to land a short distance behind Royce’s while remaining within the clearing. They’d been lucky so far, but she didn’t like trusting to luck since it always run out sooner rather than later.

They’d touch the ground hard but gracefully with the help of the jump jets, Royce’s combat suit in the front with the other three trailing behind in a rough column formation. They were in a clearing… But surrounding them was jungle. Not that they couldn’t see a bit over the trees, of course. The height helped with that, although it did make it somewhat easier for anyone to see them coming. Shifting her own body within the combat suit to move the body of the suit, Royce pointed out over the horizon of the tree line, before starting forward, trees being crushed under the weight of the combat suit which was pushing through them. “Now… I think most of that tracer fire was coming from this direction…” she said, looking back to the others while continuing on her way, clearing a path in a way for the three who were trailing after her.

The jungles here aren’t a kind place…

“Self-propelled or towed?” Harper asked as she leaned forwards slightly, her mech starting forwards, the ground crunching beneath its tread. Self-propelled would be easier to find, bigger, bulkier, while a towed battery would likely have just abandoned its pieces and scattered into the jungle. Neither really would stand much of a chance against a mech squadron in Harper’s view, even if they could damage them.

“No clue, impossible to tell all the details from how far up we are… I’d guess self propelled from the rate of fire, though. Didn’t see any flak explosions in the sky,” said Royce, continuing to push the trees out of the way while they made their way to the target. “But we might be outnumbered in this fight. So if you have any suggestions you want to make on the strategy here, now is the right time to do it.”

“Well, we don’t know entirely where they are, while they saw where we landed and know which direction we’ll be coming from and these things aren’t exactly subtle. I say two of us go straight at roughly where they were firing from, other two break off, come in from another angle once the first two engage. They’re not designed to fight mechs and they know it so they’ll probably be preparing to run but they can still damage us if we do something stupid.” Harper said, her mech following after Royce’s, leaving impressions in the dirt. She wasn’t sure whether it was poor luck they’d dropped in next to an enemy AA battery, or if there was something deeper going on here.

“Teague, McQueen, you’re in the second group…” Royce commanded, continuing before they were set to reach another clearing. “I think this is the spot…” she settled eventually, raising her rifle and taking a deep breath before she had the combat suit move forwards, breaking the tree line and making the first aggressive move on their opponent.

“Nerney, you’re on me,” she stated, raising up the rifle further to take aim as she took a quick count of the enemies in the surrounding area, five self propelled anti aircraft guns which had been camping around the area and waiting to encounter enemy air power. That wasn’t the encounter they ended up with, however, as the combat suits came crashing through the jungle instead, a hard opponent even for the rapid firing AA guns which were built with a design that used an IFV chassis… An IFV, however, was still dwarfed by the large combat suits.

Taking aim at the first one, Royce squeezed the trigger of the massive assault gun, three bright muzzle flashes appearing in the afternoon air as explosive shells were sent towards the vehicle at high speed, two of them striking the ground around the hostile vehicle but one of them tearing directly through the inside of it and doing damage purely as a projectile… But the explosives would ensure that nothing survived, as if the round itself entering the vehicle hadn’t done enough damage. Still, there happened to be four others to deal with before they could say it was safe.

Harper’s own colossal weapon rose up slowly, mech shifting up into a firing position as she took aim at the most distant of the SPAAGs, two shots screaming out of her own assault gun as she opened up, trusting that the other group would come in from another direction and catch their enemy off guard or, even better, cut off their line of retreat. Her shots would just end up kicking up dirt, however, both of them hitting around the target but going down as near misses… Unlucky this time.

They did have some help, though, as there were still two other members of the platoon. Taking the attention of the enemy were Teague and McQueen, who didn’t just come from another angle but came from another direction entirely, using their jump jets to lift themselves over the tree line before aiming to drop down behind the enemy… Well, in the case of Teague, his combat suit came down on top of one of the anti aircraft IFVs, crushing the chassis underfoot and certainly scoring a crew kill in the process. There was no time to talk about the impressive kill, though, with the remaining enemies in the area.

As McQueen came down, she fired off three more shots, but they simply exploded into one of the trees that was slightly high of the mark that she was actually looking for, doing no damage… The missed attacks on the part of the 105th gave the opponent some time to fire back, and there were still three of their vehicles left. One of the turrets opened fire, bright flashes lighting up the sky as it took aim upwards and shot its rapid fire rounds towards McQueen, none of them hitting however as the shots were placed off target and the nimble mech began moving out of the way as soon as aim was taken. McQueen would respond quickly, though… Extending the foot of the combat suit, she kicked through the side of the vehicle and sheared the armor right off, flipping the vehicle over in the process and dooming the crew to an unknown fate.

“Two to go…” she announced over the radio, a slightly devious smirk on her face within the cockpit. Wasn’t a bad way to pick up a kill in the first wartime assignment they’d received… And one of their first assignments as a unit in general, wartime or otherwise.

But the other two would take their shots, also. McQueen was targeted again by one such vehicle that was further out, but the shots ended up mostly missing in a wide spray with some of them deflecting off the outer armor. “You’re not going to get a second chance…” she muttered, swinging around to see who had shot. The last vehicle of the group, on the other hand, took aim at her back but didn’t have much more luck than the other one did at hitting accurately and getting through the armor… Perhaps because the mere presence of the combat suits was enough to spook the crews.

“Leave some for the rest of us.” Harper said playfully, turning her attention to the closest of the two vehicles and opening up with her assault gun, not wanting to waste the time getting close. There was better luck for her this time as both rounds hit their mark and caused a fireball once the ammunition cache of the enemy vehicle was ignited, the explosive round doing the trick for getting that done. There was still one vehicle left, though, and Royce herself decided that it was time to get back in the action. She took one step as a running start before lifting slightly in the air with her jump jets, aiming downwards in the process to fire a burst towards that last vehicle…

One round managed to connect, piercing through the roof of the IFV chassis and disabling the vehicle for a moment before a plume of smoke turned into fire, signaling that it wouldn’t be going anywhere. “That’s the last of them,” she announced over the radio channel as she dropped down, pulling back from the controls for a moment to tap at the touchscreen which would display the map of the area that they’d downloaded before embarking on this operation. “We can’t celebrate yet, though… The enemy is going to know we’re here by now and we have to free those prisoners in Alca,” she said, moving back to the controls. “Which according to the map, is to the north of here.”

“Guess we better get moving then.” Harper said, allowing herself a brief moment of relaxation, just motionless inside her mech. “They might move them or something now they know we’re here.”

“Any time we spend here that isn’t necessary… Is too much time,” nodded Royce, pushing forward and leading the group once again as they took up the column formation behind her. They would have to be careful that they didn’t run into more trouble, of course. The anti aircraft team would have reported what was happening in to some kind of higher command, and there was a high chance there were more units on the way to deal with them. Nothing they couldn’t handle.

It helped sometimes, however, to talk about something else and distract from the monumental challenge they were facing. “So… Is this how you all saw your first combat going?” Royce asked, raising an eyebrow while keeping the pace of her combat suit up from the front of the column.

“Not really sure what I expected.” Harper admitted. “But it was quick and we didn’t even get scratches on our paintwork much, so I can’t really object. Just felt… Too quick, if you know what I mean. Expected it to go on longer.”

“Well, that’s what happens when the enemy is shit… It’ll be harder when we end up against tanks or something,” said Teague, following in the third spot in the formation, behind Harper but ahead of Slaine.

“Speak for yourselves, I seemed to get their attention and had all the fire on me,” McQueen grumbled from the last spot, as they blazed their way through the jungle and went north, in the direction of Alca.

“And fighting is kind of a fast thing in general,” remarked Royce. “I’ve been in enough street fights to know that they aren’t… The kinda slow motion shit you see in movies.”

“Not really objecting, if it’s quick then less chance for you to fuck up and die.” Harper said, shrugging inside her mech. “Just kinda surprising for me.”

“Well, we’ll get a chance to see if it stays this way soon… Because I don’t think this is the last of the contact that we’re going to run into,” Royce said in a true statement while continuing to push through the jungle at the front of the group. The truth was, they could get outnumbered and overwhelmed out here… Wasn’t out of the bounds of possibility especially with their unit being an experimental one - they had no idea if there would be problems with their combat suits. Things had gone well so far, however. They just had to keep up the performance while going into the heart of enemy preparations on the northern front of this new conflict…

by **Lunas Legion** » Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:09 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 5
“JUNGLE HUNTING PART 2”

Conflict in South Aurelia has kicked off with the Republic of Almirez and the Union of South Aurelian Soviets invading their southern enemies, but the quick insertion of the 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade of the Federation of Kael has proved a challenge for Almirezian forces around Alca to deal with… After eliminating an anti-aircraft section, this inserted group is now en route to free the Alamanian prisoners captured from the merchant vessel that was impounded days ago.

Northern Theater Command Center, Republic of Almirez Army
Alca Metropolitan Area, Republic of Almirez
January 27th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

The trek through the jungle continued once the AA section had been eliminated, and from here, they were only a little bit out from the location they had originally been heading to in the first place. Still, there was reason to be careful. Such large and dangerous machines would draw attention on the battlefield and they would certainly be marked as a threat - there had been plenty of time for the AA crews to radio their higher ups and inform them they weren’t just facing any ordinary threat but… An experimental one that wasn’t expected to be seen around these parts just yet.

All the more reason to pick up the pace and keep going towards Alca, and the military base and prison that the city held.

Royce remained in the front of the group, her rifle still raised slightly in the hands of her GNM-15 “Comet” combat suit, while she kept listening to the radio communications. Not that there was a ton coming through that was relevant to them - they were the spearhead that was the first on the ground, not any other units. Nothing would be alerting them of what was ahead, because they were the ones who would have to discover that. There was AWACS on patrol further north, outside of Almirezian territory, but only so much relevant info to them could be gained from that.

Sure was a lot of pressure for a first mission, but not everyone was thrown right into a war right away - since they’d been handed the task, Royce was determined not to mess it up. They wouldn’t fail because of her leadership of the new platoon, which had been quickly thrust into the fires of conflict… Then again, they also hadn’t expected this conflict to break out, not this soon. When they were putting the unit together, they probably hadn’t imagined there would be such a sudden need to deploy it.

Crossing into another clearing, Royce stopped in her tracks, hearing the sound of approaching engines. “It sounds like there’s something coming this way… Not entirely sure yet what it is, though,” she said, taking a deep breath and focusing - it maybe sounded like it was coming from the sky, but there were no planes in sight, and they would likely hear those louder and be able to see them coming from further out.

“Missile?” Harper asked, stopping a short-distance behind Royce, reflexively moving her mech’s rifle up into a firing position. “More likely to be a helicopter though from what little I can hear.”

“Wouldn’t it fuckin’ sound different if it was a missile? And we would see it by now,” said Royce, turning around to see if there was anything behind her before shifting once again, the large combat suit moving swiftly despite the size. “Skies are clear right now and I don’t see any contrails and shit, I don’t think it’s that…”

Which left a couple of different options, one of them being that they were under attack from a helicopter, or multiple ones. “Guess it’s helis, then,” said Teague, looking up and seeing if anything was about to come over the treeline just ahead of them. It helped that they were high enough up to see over it, but there was still a chance for something to jump out at them and ambush them - they didn’t have perfect vision of the trees.

“Something might be incoming,” Royce said, before giving a gesture forward and quickly moving towards the edge of the clearing. “Start heading through the trees… Whatever it is, we’ll have more cover than if we’re stuck out here in the open.”

“Roger.” Harper said, nodding inside her mech and turning, her mech stomping away towards the edge of the clearing. She’d figured it wasn’t a missile as soon as there hadn’t been an explosion or a cloud of smoke and dirt soon after she’d said it, which meant it was almost certainly helis as Teague had said. Not something mechs couldn’t fight, but not ideal either in her view.

Soon enough, as if responding to the group of four breaking away from the clearing and into the jungle once again, shapes emerged over the tree line slightly off to the west, but oriented towards the platoon and sizing them up. “Helicopters…” Royce said quickly, not taking too much time on the callout… She needed to put more attention into using her gun, not communicating. Likely, the helicopters already had sight on them with IR, which meant an attack could be coming… Soon.

Helicopters operate under the Republic of Almirez Army Aviation Wing

“Keep moving, it’ll make it harder for them to get off a clean shot, especially with the jungle,” Royce continued, following her own instructions as the four vehicles grew closer, each of them loaded with two racks full of various missiles, presumably IR or laser guided.

“Not too keen on stopping.” Harper shot back, branches crunching as her mech tore its way through the jungle. Four helicopters vs four mechs was too fair of a fight for her liking, even with the advantage of the jungle as limited concealment.

“Incoming…” Royce muttered, as one of the attack helicopters fired off a pair of missiles towards Teague, who was moving through the trees and attempting to stay behind cover but was still somewhat exposed, just like all of them were. Was hard to hide inside of a 22 foot tall combat suit, after all. The combat suit, however, was nimble - and Teague was able to shift low and to the side, causing the missiles to explode into the trees rather than hitting the combat suit itself.

“Close call,” he muttered over the radio. But, they didn’t have peace for long, as a second helicopter fired, the shots going for McQueen this time but ending up off the mark and hitting far away - it seemed this attack had been a hail of unguided rockets rather than a missile which tracked its target.

“Why the fuck’s it always me today?” McQueen asked in exasperation, from the number of attacks that had been directed towards her maybe, but continued with the rest of them.

Royce, however, wasn’t satisfied to just sit back and take the attacks. She aimed her rifle into the sky and fired off a four shot burst, but all of the shots went wide of the mark, her deflection shooting not accurate enough to hit any of the now moving helicopters which were pursuing them. More shots went up in the air, though, when McQueen took aim at the one that had fired at her - this time, the shots hit their mark and the vehicle was ripped apart by the explosive shells, spinning out of control before the helicopter burst into flames entirely and broke apart. They still had three to deal with, though.

“Just your unlucky day, I guess.” Harper said in response to McQueen as her mech turned, shifting her rifle around slightly and settling back into an aiming position as she drew up a shot on one of the remaining helicopters, firing off two shots before quickly turning her focus back to moving away from the helicopters. One of the issues of a one-person mech was, well, the need to multitask.

Once again the shells hit their mark and the second closest helicopter went down, crashing into the trees just off in the distance and sending up a blast of fire as well as metal shrapnel which rained down on the surrounding area. Still, there were two left, and they were now the ones on the attack - another missile fired off towards Teague, this one hitting but not getting through the tough armor of the combat suit, which was designed to be resistant to a number of things. The other helicopter next to it also began firing, taking aim at the same target, but another quick movement sent the missile off track and into the trees where it simply caused wood to splinter and explode outwards while missing the intended target.

It was Teague’s turn to shoot back this time, but a three round burst didn’t hit the mark, leaving Royce to also give it her best attempt once more, hitting the cockpit and causing a pretty quick and spontaneous explosion, destroying the helicopter while she kept moving rapidly. McQueen took aim at the last one in the group, but a quick dodge from the vehicle in the form of a turn and change of acceleration kept her short stream of five shells from hitting, and keeping it alive for now.

Harper let out a vague sound of irritation to herself as her mech stopped once again for the briefest of moments, rifle already raised up into a firing position from where she’d left it earlier, only a few small adjustments necessary as she aimed, the rifle shifting around ever so slightly before it roared as she fired off a three round burst at the sole remaining helicopter.

The last helicopter was down soon enough as Harper’s shots hit the tail rotor and caused it to spin out of control and crash into the trees not far from where one of the other ones had gone down… Which meant the threat was probably done for now. Though, it gave them more motivation to get to where they needed to be. Last thing they wanted was getting caught out by the enemy like this a second time.

“Everyone good?” asked Royce, stopping only for a moment, just so she could check her bearings and make sure they were headed in the right direction. “Lot of firepower thrown around by those things…”

“Good here.” Harper said, relaxing noticeably within her mech, slumping down with a long breath. “Guess the AA guns must’ve radioed our drop location in.”

“Still fine despite being the target of the day…” muttered McQueen, following from the position in the back she had taken up for the entire time.

“Still good here, too,” said Teague, who had been targeted and even hit but was still just fine. “Armor did the job against the missile so I guess I’ll have to thank the engineers when we get back.”

“It is designed to handle whatever the enemy might throw at it,” said Royce while she pushed through the jungle in the front of the group once again. “Although, it’ll be nice to not come that close again, hopefully.”

“It’s what happens when we’re some of the first ones on the ground…”

That was the truth. They had little support here, they’d simply accomplish their goal and get out, there was no room for anything extra. They were getting closer to that goal, however, as they crossed out of the jungle and ended up in the suburbs of Alca, causing Royce to stop and look at the map once again to see just how far from the military complex they were. “We’re not far out…” she announced over the comms channel. “But some of the biggest resistance should be around here.”

“Well that’s just brilliant.” Harper grumbled. “I’m assuming that means tanks and AT infantry most likely.”

“When we get closer to the military complex, yes,” said Royce, considering their options. “We can head there on foot… Or we can pick up the speed and use the jets to get past some of these buildings. Either way, we’re going to be under fire once we get there.”

“I say we go for speed, less chance of reinforcements showing up the faster we are and they know we’re coming.” Harper said, idily glancing down at her mech’s ammo count. Hopefully enough to get her through to the extraction, at 66 shots.

“Agreed…”

Switching her attention to triggering the jet engines that were on the back of the combat suit, Royce flipped a couple of switches and pushed the throttle forward after unlocking it, causing smoke to fill the air on the ground as she rose off the ground, McQueen and Teague following closely behind - surely, the sight of the three flying combat suits would be intimidating to anyone on the enemy side who saw them like this, but it also marked them out as a target and ensured the enemy would know exactly where they were coming from once they ended up closer to the frontline they would soon be fighting on. Or more accurately, the frontline they would soon be opening.

Even in training, Harper had found the jumpjets… Odd to use, following a moment behind Royce and the others as her own mech soared skywards, having taken a second longer with her mech’s engine ignition. It wasn’t really flying, more… Falling with some control over it. Still, it gave a good view over the city, if she’d had the time to appreciate it before she turned her attention back to the matter at hand and the fighting yet to come.

The group as a whole would move rapidly towards their destination once they were in the air, not flying straight there but going high up into the sky to clear a number of buildings each time and then taking off again, moving quickly to avoid drawing the attention of enemy units which might be able to fire on them - there probably weren’t too many, but there was always the threat of the other side having some kind of self propelled guns in the area. Like the ones they had just eliminated previously.

They were now heading towards the military complex, and as they came down towards the ground, a slight massing of soldiers and a few armored vehicles was visible further down the road they were about to land on. “Hostiles up ahead,” called out Royce, although she suspected they would already have noticed on their own without her needing to point anything out. “Next jump, we’re going to drop hard in front of ‘em and unload, we’ll clear this road and keep moving…”

“Roger that.” Harper said, engines flaring again the moment her mech hit the groundd and she jumped skywards again, a trail of smoke and fire behind her mech as her engines briefly lit up as she adjusted her position in midair, mentally plotting out her mech’s descent so she wouldn’t drop herself into the line of fire of the others when she landed.

Some of the armor of the Republic of Almirez Army.

They were approaching a pair of main battle tanks and a number of soldiers, but mixed in with those regular soldiers who couldn’t hurt them, there were also some soldiers with stronger anti-tank guided weapons. Perhaps a bit more dangerous to them - there were three or so of these AT teams mixed in with the rest of the soldiers with the distinction not necessarily being immediately apparent between them and the regular ones.

“There’s also AT up there… Be careful,” Royce said through gritted teeth as she landed and started moving immediately, firing off a shell into one of the smaller groups of soldiers that was gathered around an anti-tank gun, the explosive properties of the shell doing the job in taking the group out immediately. They still had a couple left to deal with, however, and the tanks.

Harper started her own mech as soon as she hit the ground, not wasting any time in moving off towards the side, aiming her rifle squarely at one of the tanks and firing off a four-round burst, not wanting to take any chances with the enemy armoured vehicles they were facing. A tank vs a mech was too fair a fight for her liking.

Two of the shells hit and tore through the front armor of the vehicle, producing an explosion that would also hit some of the soldiers around the tank. There was one left, though, and the gun was pointed towards Harper - soon enough, smoke filled the air as well as a bright muzzle flash and a loud bang as the counterattack started, a tank round being propelled in her direction but not actually hitting her, instead flying for some distance and exploding behind, where it did no damage.

“Bit close there, eh.” Harper said, seemingly not that perturbed by the tank shell skimming by her mech as she shifted her mech’s aim over to the sole remaining tank, firing off two shots towards it but not wasting any time, trying to reorient her aim towards the remaining AT teams and not waiting for a confirmation of the tank kill.

The second shell hit the mark too, producing a similar effect, but they had the infantry teams to worry about and there was something of a surge forward as the second tank was destroyed… Not that most of the soldiers could do anything. But some of them did have guided weapons - two missiles spiraled forwards towards Royce as the one in the lead of the group but one of them went off the mark. The second one, though, slammed into the body of her combat suit, but the smoke would clear soon to reveal that despite the scorching of the armor, it had held against this and the enemy had been unsuccessful in dealing a crippling blow.

Royce shot back, opening up with five shots which were sprayed into the general area of the enemy, relying on splash damage to do the job for her in taking out two of the AT teams that were still left. Only one of the shells was able to take something out but she could have sworn she saw it send three soldiers flying, destroying their anti tank post in the process, and causing some of the others to run in retreat now that they were clearly losing and didn’t have the support of armor or even a full anti-tank section. “Another close call…” she muttered under her breath. The missile had almost been strong enough to get through her armor, after all.

“Close calls are better than actual calls.” Harper chimed in, surveying the scene of the two smoking wrecks and the strewn mess of body parts, corpses and the occasional piece of twisted metal or sandbag. “But yeah, that looked like a nasty hit.”

“Let’s not let it happen again,” Royce said calmly. She wasn’t exactly panicked… Some of the others had been hit and now she had just joined the club and proved that the armor could hold up to it. She moved back from the controls and looked at the map once again, determining where they were in relation to the military camp before announcing it to the others. “I think we can get to the target destination in one more jump. After me, everyone. And then, expect resistance once we get on the ground.”

She triggered the jump jets once again, going high into the sky and heading north towards their target location, and watching for what was on the ground there… A number of buildings, sure, but there were also some armored vehicles on the ground which could potentially prove dangerous, and more soldiers, and even a couple of AA guns that might make their landing decidedly interesting. Then again… Challenge was just expected for the finale of this operation, where they had a chance to get what they were actually looking for.

Harper fired her mech’s jump jets seconds after Royce’s, hurling her mech skywards again, engines briefly lighting up as she aimed to slam her mech down atop one of the AA guns. The sooner everything in there was dead, the less chances they had of dying stupidly on their first mission.

Her little move worked and the weight of the combat suit came down on the top of the turret and crushed the entire vehicle underfoot, but it wasn’t the only enemy vehicle in the area, and an alarm started sounding… Well, it had probably sounded as soon as they had been spotted approaching from the sky. That alarm was drawing more troops towards their location as Royce landed behind Harper and Teague and McQueen came down around them.

Further down the road they had landed on within the military complex, which itself was made of multiple sections including heavy fortifications and suburban housing, the latter being closer to what they had landed in the middle of, there were three armored vehicles rolling towards them. Not like the tanks they had faced before but rather armored fighting vehicles which might have been carrying soldiers - or more likely in this case, were covering soldiers with their large main guns.

“Three AFVs, front!” barked Royce, raising her rifle to shoot a three round burst at the lead vehicle in the little convoy, one of her three shots hitting the mark and sending the vehicle up in flames as the other two continued towards them, their autocannons spraying forwards as they suppressed the area around the group of combat suit users but didn’t land any hits just yet.

“Not sure what chance these idiots think they have…” Harper mumbled to herself as her mech turned, rifle moving before shooting two shots at the lead one of the pair of remaining APCs, rather relaxed with the situation given how their previous engagements had gone.

Her shots hit the mark, a second vehicle bursting into flames and stopping in its tracks, although the last one in the group fired back at her with its own 30mm shells, two of them heading towards her and nearly hitting - but the agile combat suit wasn’t the largest target and even as the AFV came into range to hit them, the attack wasn’t a success. McQueen took aim at the last one, the impact disabling the last vehicle out.

“We move on foot now,” Royce said quickly, gesturing with the combat suit for the others to follow her closely. They weren’t far from the actual building they were looking for, the one where prisoners were being held. At least, according to military intelligence… If that was wrong, they would have a much larger and harder search on their hands. “And then we get out of here before they fully mobilize…”

“Are the prisoners going to run on foot or what?” Harper asked, moving to follow after Royce. Mechs weren’t APCs, they weren’t supposed to carry any more than just their pilot. “Since that’s a really bad plan.”

“We can clear a path…” said Royce. “No way to land something like a Titan right now but we aren’t that far from where the recovery team is showing up on the beach, I believe they’ll be able to meet halfway once the prisoners are on the run,” she added in explanation, continuing while staying on the lookout for any more hostiles as they approached.

“Roger that.” Harper said, going quiet and satisfied with the answer she’d been given. She still didn’t think it was the best plan in the world, but it was better than leaving their targets behind.

Royce kept on the move, and they showed up outside of the building where the prisoners were suspected to be held, one of the larger administrative ones where the Military Police had a distinct section that was marked apart from the rest of it. “McQueen! You’re on finding our targets and getting them out of there. Everyone else… Cover McQueen’s approach.”

There were, of course, defenses that had been set up when it became apparent there was an attack going on. The building was somewhat tall, taller than their mechs even, and on the lengthy set of steps leading to the large front entrance, some soldiers had set up a pair of large assault guns which were pointed towards the intruders. As Royce spoke, one of them just happened to go off, sending a large blast of smoke into the air and coming close to hitting Teague but instead falling short and exploding the concrete in front of him, showing the power of the round.

“We don’t want to get hit with one of those…” muttered Royce.

“Looks more like an arty piece than a tank.” Harper said to herself as she aimed her rifle at the leftmost of the pair of assault guns, firing off three shots towards it. It was a tank, albeit a turretless one, but that didn’t make it any less dangerous.

Harper’s shell hit the mark, metal and dust exploding outwards with the destruction of one of the assault guns, but there was still one left - Teague took aim and fired, that shot hitting too and the vehicle being destroyed, but their enemy was determined to throw more at them as McQueen made the approach to the building and prepared to break through the outer wall, which was made from stone, using her powerful combat suit… The opposition this time came from the rooftop.

“Ambush…” warned Royce, as a couple of missiles were fired off towards Harper from the flat rooftop, where a couple of infantryman revealed themselves at the edge of it, guided missile launchers in hand as one of the missiles veered off course and into the ground but one of them stayed on track and was rapidly heading towards Royce - at the same time that a similar pop up attack targeted McQueen herself, going wide and exploring in the air instead to create a puff of dark smoke.

“Wonder when they’ll get the memo not to fuck with us.” Harper sighed, mech leaning back awkwardly as she aimed her gun up at the rooftop at a steep angle, firing two shots up at the no doubt reloading soldiers manning the missile launchers. It was an awkward angle, but unlike a tank a mech could make the shot.

The impact of the shells exploded part of the ledge, dropping one of the two soldiers off of it if the explosion hadn’t done enough damage - they wouldn’t have to worry about that soldier, who was falling over twenty feet… The other one had managed to not fall due to backing away further from the ledge, but stood up at the edge once again, which was now more exposed and the stone shattered from the previous impact, and launched a second missile towards Harper, which went over her shoulder, before moving back behind cover.

Royce took aim at the other gunner which had targeted McQueen, that shot also hitting and sending up smoke, but she was sure from the falling debris that she had taken out the gunner… Although some of the debris happened to fall directly on McQueen, who would likely complain later despite it only scratching the armor. McQueen had managed to break through the wall which meant they were almost done here, but they still had to hold for a little bit longer.

They were striking near an important base, after all. Opposition was only expected.

“Another goddamn helicopter!” Royce pointed out as something appeared in the horizon and grew closer, approaching to get in range with them while aiming at them with infrared and attempting to get a lock. Before they would be in good range to fire back with their heavy rifles, the helicopter fired off a succession of three anti-tank missiles, shifting on an angle to fire from the side at McQueen while she tried to enter the building - but this just resulted in the missiles failing to track and instead hitting the building that the helicopter was aiming to protect. The pilot shifted, targeting Teague instead and firing off another three while staying just at a far enough range to prevent the mechs from being effective, all three of them on target and striking directly around Teague… But surprisingly, some movement from his combat suit was enough to throw them off, seemingly, leaving Teague unscathed.

“That thing still has a few missiles left,” Royce pointed out. “But it’s too far out to deal with like this… Someone’s going to have to get a better angle, maybe heading up to the roof using the jets or something.”

“I’ll distract it if nothing else.” Harper said as she gunned her mech’s engines, crouching down before throwing itself upwards, slamming down onto the roof of the building, briefly sweeping over the mess of debris before turning away from the roof back towards the offending helicopter, firing a single shot off towards it to get its attention, she didn’t think she’d hit at this range.

The shot did indeed fall short thanks to the range but it also kept the helicopter at range. Unfortunately, Harper presenting herself like this gave it a chance to fire off the last three missiles that it was holding, all of them locked on her since she had made such a clear target out of herself - and it was only a fairly narrow miss, all of them hitting the area where she was positioned just like they had for Teague a moment ago, the tracking falling just short in the end. The helicopter still had a cannon, however, and she’d also have to deal with a blast from that, ten rounds being fired off in rapid succession and seven of them on target at first to hit her, all of them meeting the same fate as the missiles however, partly due to the range the helicopter was firing from.

Well, that was kind-of awkward, both of them just uselessly shooting at one another. Harper fired back regardless with two more shots, just waiting for the helicopter to move closer or run out of missiles, either was acceptable; she was a distraction while the others got the prisoner out.

More shots, more misses… But it seemed the helicopter had less chance of missing than she did considering the higher speed autocannon could fire from further back, and there was a second burst which lit the sky up with white smoke, but once again didn’t hit accurately and rather ate up chunks of the roof that she was standing on rather than hitting her armor. The others could have fired… But none of them really had the right range to do it without going into the air - which was the task Harper had taken up.

“Well, let’s get a bit closer, shall we?” Harper smirked, leaning forwards. Sure, she could distract it, but why distract something you could just blow up? It was just a matter of getting in range, and, well, driving it off would work just as well as a distraction. Her jump jets flared as she launched herself off the roof towards the enemy helicopter, aiming to land on another, closer roof that hopefully could hold her mech, or if the roof couldn’t the next few floors down might. It’d be cover if nothing else.

The helicopter tracked her movements - and it had no more missiles but it did have guns and rockets, taking aim at the roof she had just landed on as soon as she was there and firing off six rockets, much of the spread hitting her this time as only a couple of them fell short of the mark. Which… Had enough explosive power to break through the armored layer, activating various warning and firefighting systems as the actual internals of the combat suit were damaged in a number of areas from head to toe and the pilot chamber was damaged by the front of the mech starting to cave in, the front console in this chamber smashed to pieces by the sudden compressing of the container. As for the legs of the combat suit, those would give out soon after due to structural damage, sending the entire thing collapsing backwards as communications were cut with the rest of the team.

The first combat suit kill scored by the Republic of Almirez in World War Aurelia.

Harper wasn’t sure how long she’d been out for as she woke to red emergency lights and everything hurting. She pushed herself up regardless, quickly noting the obliterated console, bulges and cracks in the mech’s armour. Shit. She turned around in the faint red light, searching more by feel than sight as she hunted for her mech’s power cutter, something she’d hoped to never have to use. Having to cut your way out of a mech normally meant something very bad had happened, like now. She found it after a few moments of fumbling around, grasping it tightly in one hand as it briefly sparked to life, checking it still worked before pulling herself. She started to feel along the remains of her mech, stopping when she reached what she thought might’ve been the hatch, giving it an experimental shove. Nothing. Cutting it was then.

Turning her head to the side so as not to look at the blindingly bright light directly, gently starting to move the cutter across the metal, occasionally switching it off to check her progress by the line of searing red metal as she traced a circle. Minutes passed, too long for her liking until she could finally kick a circle of metal out as she emerged into daylight, holding a hand up above her head as her eyes adjusted. Hopefully she could catch up to the rest of her team, although on foot and with the delay from cutting herself free that… Wasn’t likely.

The battle, however, was still raging and had already moved on as the rest of the team was further down, breaking through the enemy defenses to make a path for the prisoners to move through the jungle and towards the beach where the extraction team was set to pick them up. It seemed that… She had been left behind amid the chaos, in the middle of an enemy camp in enemy territory, in a rather important city that was controlled by them. Not the best situation. But also not one that her team could exactly afford to turn around and get her out of, considering the large number of forces they were fighting at this very moment.

Harper took a deep breath, centering herself. Alright. Okay. She couldn’t catch up, and she refused to be the first Kaelic PoW of the war. She stuffed her power cutter into one of her uniform’s pockets. Step one, get the fuck away from here, and strip the uniform after finding a change of clothes or at least make it less obviously a uniform. Step two… Well, she’d do step one first, no point in planning ahead if she got caught. She turned back into her mech, emerging a few moments later with a handgun and a map, not that the map would be much use without a compass, but it was better than nothing.

Turning away from her mech, she headed off at a quick jog into the city, aiming to put distance between herself and her mech, discarding her jacket and helmet, leaving herself in just a vest top and khakis. Better than being obviously military, but she’d want something to replace her khakis with completely sooner rather than later. She’d need to decide if it was safer hiding out in the city, trying to make her way back to friendly lines… Or some other option if she could come up with something. If she didn’t get caught of course.

by **Forest State** » Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:42 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 6
“URBAN JUNGLE”

War rages on between the imperial axis in South Aurelia and the nativist Southern Wind Alliance, and with an alliance forming officially between the Federation of Kael and the Kaiserreich of Alamania, the Ranhalt Accords, it’s sure to only grow more intense… As a counter-invasion is mounted on the northern coast of Almirez, the 105th Mechanized Infantry Brigade prepares for an urban assault to seize the surrounded city from enemy hands.

Fort MacEntire, 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade Headquarters
10km northwest of Daernel, Federation of Kael
January 31st, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Few would have predicted it earlier in the year, but war was now raging across South Aurelia. It had happened just like that, really - the anti-imperialist Southern Wind Alliance had seized a few too many ships and made a few too many oversteps, and their underestimation of the imperial will to fight had resulted in a response which triggered the all out invasion of Alamanian South Aurelia and New Castana - a conflict that the Federation of Kael had been drawn fully into by a complex web of alliances… They weren’t an imperial nation in South Aurelia yet, not at this point anyway, but they profited off of their presence there for sure. They weren’t an Aunoran nation in geography, but they were in ethnicity and origin - and therefore they were the natural enemy of Southern Wind.

The 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade had been one of the first to fight in this conflict, being responsible for the rescue of the Alamanian sailors that had been captured by the Republic of Almirez. Since then, the Alamanian carrier group had shown up and the Kaelic navy had pitched its support for it, a battle beginning off the coast of Alca as air forces brought in soldiers for an attack on the ground. The combined force from the South Aurelian Soviets and Almirez was pushing into Alamanian South Aurelia… But Almirez itself was losing ground on its northern coast to the opposing alliance.

Which was what it was now - an alliance. The Ceannasai had flown out to Alamania and made the deal with the Kaiser, bringing the interests of the two countries together formerly… It was a mad world these days, and good allies were needed to last long against threats like these. Turns out the Kaiserreich and Kael were more fitting for each other than anyone would have thought at the beginning of the year.

How that would translate into action… Royce Mahon wasn’t sure yet. She did know this, though - the conflict they were fighting now was one of domination. The winner, either imperial or nativist, would dominate the continent. She could only hope that the spoken of winner was her nation and its allies rather than the ones that had kicked things off in an effort to kick them and their interests out.

She stood straight, moving from the position of leaning against the hangar. She was waiting for someone right now… The transfer, in fact, that was supposed to be here so they could continue filling their mission requirements even after losing a member that was surely good as dead right now after ejecting in the middle of an enemy base. That stayed with her… But it wasn’t as if Royce had never seen someone die before. She was able to get over it. The streets, at times, were a good preparation for the difficulties one might face in life…

Ciar had always found it distinctly odd to move units. You met people, you got to know them well, then all of a sudden you were told you were being reassigned to another unit and to report to such and such at when and where. Her walk was slightly off as she finally approached the mech hangar for the unit she’d been assigned to, not quite limping but definitely favouring one leg over the other as she approached in silence.

“Staff Sergeant,” Royce called out to her to get her attention, stepping further away from the hangar wall and unstuffing her hands from her pockets, gesturing towards the hangar itself before pressing a button on the wall - it caused the large doors to start sliding open, slowly but surely, to allow them inside soon enough. “You’re looking for me.”

“You’re the lieutenant then.” Ciar said, giving a small nod of acknowledgement towards Royce as she approached. She wasn’t someone who spoke much, tending to keep her thoughts to herself. “Here to show me the hardware?”

GNM-15 “Comet” Combat Suit

“Here to show you the plans for tonight… And the hardware is here, too,” Royce acknowledged with a nod as she started towards the open gap between the two hangar doors. “I assume that… This is your first time being in a role like platoon sergeant. Y’know. Promotion and transfer and all that.”

“Yea.” Ciar nodded. “Mechs are new-ish, but I didn’t think I’d get jumped up the ladder this quickly. Guess war makes everything quicker, huh.”

“I haven’t been in command of this unit for very long, either. I finally ended up in combat and we had mixed results - succeeded in freeing the prisoners which is something you probably heard about on the news. And also managed to lose one person, the last platoon sergeant to be in the same position that you’re in right now,” Royce mused. As they continued on their way, they could see mechanics and ground crew working on the massive battlesuits that they would eventually wear into combat. For now, though, they were all practically tied down and restrained with scaffolding to make it possible to work on them easily.

“So,” Royce added, her eyes traveling between these different sights, and the people who were carrying around ammunition and such, or pulling carts full of it - the hangar was really alive in a way, and they were just one small part of it all. “Are you afraid perhaps to start working with me?”

“You’re dropping me into a corpse’s position, I’d be lying if I wasn’t… Apprehensive.” Ciar said, crossing her arms. “But afraid, no. It’s not like you’re cursed to get all your staff sergeants killed or some dumb superstitious shit. They got cocky or unlucky or stupid or a mix. Death happens in war.” Ciar gave a small shrug. “So yea, apprehensive, but not afraid.”

“I learned something important from someone before. Actually, from a place you might not expect, a scammer in Daernel that I knew growing up. I learned that death isn’t something that you can afford to worry about on the battlefield, and that you’re more likely to die from worrying about it than from whatever danger is in front of you. You’re capable of a lot… But not if you hold yourself back with fear,” Royce continued, finally stopping her walk when they had reached the mechs they were using, looking up and inspecting hers as the crew worked on it and prepared it for the night. “It was also fear that made my previous platoon sergeant hold back, leading to her eventual demise when the less fearful enemy struck back.”

Royce paused, giving some time for this to sink in. “I suppose that’s the reason the first thing I’m telling you right now is to be fearless out there. This isn’t the kind of opponent that gives second chances if you aren’t.”

“You have to have something to be scared of first.” Ciar said, looking up at the scaffolding around the mechs, tracing it with her eyes as she thought. “The only things I fear are all back here. Things I have but don’t want to lose, but they’re not things I fear losing me.”

“Trust your instincts… Trust your platoon. And don’t back down in fear and I’m sure you’ll do better than the last one in your position did,” Royce concluded simply, her voice hanging for a moment before she continued. “It may sound like heavy advice to give someone early on. But I’m sure she wished she knew that back during our first battle too… Was too late by then, and it’s stayed with me.”

“Sometimes you just have to drop this on someone.” Ciar shrugged. “But you said you were going to show me the plans for tonight?”

Royce was silent, walking further over to her own station within the hangar and going through some papers that she had placed down at one of the desks not far from the mech itself. She opened a folder, handing it to Ciar to look over the contents. “Aerial insertion as usual. Night fighting equipment will be used… Though we’re not carrying anything with us and using the internal gear instead, in night mode. The OPFOR is the same as last time and so is the front - the city of Alca. Kaelic Rangers and Marines have pushed into the city along with Alamanian forces, while much of the Almirezian military is tied up with Southern Wind activities further south. They underestimated how willing we would be to go to bat for the Alamanians, and didn’t expect a joint attack on their own territory in response. Long range bombing has already weakened much of their air defense grid and infantry movements supported by armor on the ground has led to the surrounding of Alca… Now, we get to make a trip to the heart of enemy fortification there and break it down for good.”

“Tip of the spear in an encircled cityfight then.” Ciar said. “Could be nasty business depending on what’s left encircled in the city and they’ll fight to the bitter end since they know they can’t retreat.”

“Tanks… Infantry. I’ve heard that there’s some kind of Zemalyan operatives helping out the Almirezians… But I don’t think even their communist advisers are going to be able to save them. Not with what we’re throwing at them. However, there’s still enough things that present dangers. Getting hit with a tank shell the wrong way can still present problems,” Royce replied. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Depends how they set themselves up. If they dig themselves in properly, strategic demolition to block streets, overlapping fields of tank fire into chokepoints… But that’s why we’re the spearhead then isn’t it?” The faintest hint of a smile crept onto Ciar’s face, the first actual sign of emotion she’d showed. “Bit hard to create a defence line against something with the mobility of mechs.”

“Expect to move through the land and the air but don’t underestimate the effect the environment might have on the fighting… We’re going to be in a city and I don’t expect jumping through buildings to be easier than moving around in the open jungle,” Royce said, nodding - but it was a reluctant nod, considering what she had just said. They had to contend with more than just the opposing armor.

“Yea, it’ll be a bitter slog at best.” Ciar gave a reluctant nod. “Armour at least we’ll be more mobile than, but infantry AT teams… Those might be a problem if they’re any good and know how to use the environment. ‘Least they won’t have much in the way of air support most likely.”

“They may, they may not… Depends on how the battle in the sky is going. Hope that they’re overwhelmed at the time that we drop - which should be part of the plan, but the battle is an unpredictable thing,” stated Royce. “The Almirezian Air Force is a dangerous one when it comes to striking targets on the ground. Regardless… It’s not the main factor in this.”

She paused slightly, stepping away from her station. “So get your rest… It’s going to be past midnight at the time we touch down in enemy territory, but we’re not going to have much time at all to relax once we’re there.”

“Yea, I’ll go get what sleep I can. Last thing anyone in combat needs is to be trying not to collapse from tiredness.” Ciar nodded, turning away. “See you in a few hours or so.” Ciar added as she started to walk out of the hangar, making her way back towards their barracks block. Some things didn’t change much, and where you slept was one of them.

It wasn’t long relatively before they were in the air, the Titan transportation aircraft taking them all the way from the Kaelic mainland towards Almirez, and eventually, into enemy territory while a flight of fighters covered their push into the area. Of course, they were somewhat safer than usual as they moved at high altitude and at night, but there was always a risk… Right now, the only sounds were of the jet engines and of the slight rattlings of the pods within the back of the aircraft. That changed soon enough.

“I’ve been notified that launch is soon,” Royce said over the comms channel to the others. “Check your maps now and then be prepared to make the slide out shortly… The pilots aren’t going to wait up a single minute late for this. If any of you are unprepared… It’s going to affect us.”

“Roger.” Ciar said simply, checking her maps on one of the secondary screens in her mech before double-checking her mech’s systems, making sure everything was in order. It never hurt to be safe when you were about to be tossed out of a plane to make absolutely sure.

The time for checks wasn’t a very long one and the lights within the back of the aircraft eventually turned red in warning, alerting everyone within that they were soon going to drop. Of course, there was no one that was actually able to see the lights - the pods were sealed until they were in the air. Slowly, the doors of the massive vehicle slid open in the back, and the locks on the rail system were released one by one, allowing Royce and then Ciar and then the other two members of the platoon to drop, this time descending into the night air where they wouldn’t even be able to see the ground beneath them once the pods broke, at least without switching to NV mode. They were lucky to be using some of the most advanced tech that was available… Paratroopers conducting an airborne assault in earlier days wouldn’t have the same means that they did.

They fell and fell, and then each of the pods split open, letting them free… Which meant the last leg of the flight down was all on them and the thrusters that were on the back of each GNM-15 “Comet” combat suit. There was, however, a bit more pressure on them this time when it came to landing… Mainly because of the fact that they wouldn’t have a very good view of the landing area before they actually touched down on the ground.

It was a surreal experience for Ciar. Knowing you were falling, but not really seeing it, with nothing but darkness and the rare light in the besieged city below as any form of indicator that they were falling, along with the descending altimeter on one of the screens. Landing in darkness, even with night vision technology was always going to be a spotty affair, but she had the map all but memorized as her mech’s engines briefly sparking into brilliant, blinding light in the darkness as she corrected and slowed her descent. The altimeter was ticking down at a good pace, not too slow, not too fast that she’d die on impact.

“First Platoon landed safely…” Royce announced over the operations radio channel. The environment, however, wasn’t an example of the usual empty landing zone which was just trees or a clearing or something like that. No, they had dropped in the middle of Alca, one of the strongholds of the enemy, and even if that enemy was being pushed back, that didn’t change that there were four of them and a number of opposing units in the area from the second they hit the ground.

The sights of downtown Alca

“Contact…”

They had been spotted on their way down and Royce made the callout as soon as she detected the first enemy tank using infrared vision - as it turned out, there was already a group coming to meet them, turning from a major highway onto the narrow street that they were on right now… Not that there was any traffic on the highway, considering the siege. Only one tank showed itself originally, but as it advanced, it became clear that it wasn’t the only one turning the corner to face the group of mechs that had just shown up… Royce decided to take a shot.

She stared through the scope with her rifle raised in the air towards the first opponent, and squeezed the trigger - But her three shots struck the area around rather than hitting the target itself, pavement exploding around the tank and leaving some hard to pass craters but not doing damage to the enemy vehicle itself.

Ciar’s mech had slammed into the ground a short distance behind Royce’s, having hit her planned drop location almost dead on. Her mech turned, the flick of a switch transitioning the screens to infrared vision as she aimed her rifle at the clearly visible thermal profile of the tank, taking a single step sideways for a slightly better angle on the vehicle before opening fire with three shots towards the tank.

Her shot hit the mark - all of the shells hit and the explosion lit up the night sky and made it possible for a brief moment to see clearly, before the sky was lit up more by the fire which erupted afterwards from the carcass of the tank, flickering orange as the metal burned in the night. The fire also made it possible to see the wave of two other tanks that were coming from behind, attempting to use the now killed tank as cover for their own move against the mechs… One that was potentially fatal for themselves if they couldn’t get the mechs out quickly.

There was a loud boom as the lead tank of this formation fired back for the first time, putting them under fire finally, with the shell flying accurately towards Ciar… Didn’t hit, though, and it ended up going wide and sending up even more smoke as it slammed into a civilian building, collapsing the face of it in the dark behind them while the battle raged on without stop. In urban combat, no one was particularly safe… Not even those that were just riding out the action in apartments and waiting for it to blow over.

“Return fire!” said Royce… But that wouldn’t happen until the second tank had already fired its main gun, targeting Royce herself as the lead figure in the formation. She had moved just in time as soon as the gun was pointed towards her, another civilian building struck as she pushed the limits of the suit’s acceleration to get away just before the shot had been rocketed through the place where she was formerly standing… Close call. But not the closest she’d had.

The squad did go along with her order… MacQueen and Teague stepped up to shoot, MacQueen destroying the first of the tanks with one shot but Teague not having the same luck after firing three shots that just couldn’t hit the mark no matter what.

Ciar, seeing that the last of the currently visible tanks was still operational, turned her mech sharply, rifle quickly tracking and firing off two shots at the remaining tank, mech already starting to move after she’d fired. There wasn’t any reason to stay in the same place for long. She hit the mark, the opposing tank obliterated in a ball of fire, leaving three burning wrecks there and no more enemies in the immediate area it seemed.

It was now that they could get an idea of what kind of a place they were in, since they weren’t being shot at - they weren’t the tallest thing in the area for once, but rather, the buildings were, and they were right next to a highway which was often busy but today was empty… It ran through the city, and the lack of people on it showed how dire the situation was. But still, despite this dire situation, it was clear that Alca was important to the opposing force just because of how it was developed economically.

“Let’s start moving…” said Royce, looking at her map as she continued on her way in the lead. “We should run into some barricades but making a bee line for the downtown center and the largest resistance is the best path to get this done and wrapped up with by a decent time.”

“We could just go over or around the barricades if they’re not too heavily defended.” Ciar suggested, mech starting to stomp after Royce’s as they headed deeper into the city. “Depends if you feel comfortable leaving enemy forces on our line of retreat.”

“They will be defended… With artillery and infantry and whatever else they have around here. It’s not going to be safe to just ignore them but we should run into a couple at most,” Royce explained over the radio.

She kept going after explaining, keeping up a good pace, although it was hard to check for threats with the night vision gear… Easy to confuse things that weren’t actually enemies for enemies, and sometimes easy to miss the ones that were actual threats. It was better than nothing, however, and all of their opponents didn’t even have the same capability, only some of the ones with more modern gear. She could bet most of the infantry didn’t have night fighting gear.

“Through them it is then.” Ciar didn’t seem that annoyed by the prospect of having to punch through any barricades, even if she had suggested bypassing them as she followed after Royce’s mech, matching the quick pace as they made their way through the city.

The first of those barricades was of course along one of the main avenues and was an artillery battery set up in the middle of it, probably one of the ones used to fire back on the forces that were shelling the city - so far, that counter fire hadn’t had much success… But that wasn’t the only thing there. There was also an infantry team, with about three anti-tank launchers between them spread out over a decent enough area that they’d take multiple shots to eliminate, and resting behind the line were a pair of tanks apparently protecting the artillery.

“Artillery isn’t going to be that much of a threat to us from this range if we stay on the move… Focus on the infantry and tanks,” Royce said, gesturing for her platoon to move into action.

“Roger.” Ciar said, engines briefly flaring as she launched her mech skywards into an arc, aiming to slam down atop one of the tanks behind the barricade; it was a bit difficult to track a target in flight, and if it worked it’d put her in a prime position to take down the remaining tank in short order. The move was a success, the weight of her mech coming down on the top of the tank and crushing it without much chance of an escape from the crew… While the rest of the squad moved in for the rest of the threats.

Royce aimed at one of the three anti-tank crews, firing off two shells which hit the mark and sent shrapnel and dust through the rest of the nearest infantry formation after obliterating all three members of the anti-tank team… But there were still a couple more to worry about, one of which was targeted by MacQueen with three shots of her own, two of which hit the mark and quickly thinned out the infantry further before Teague took aim at the last section of infantry in the hopes of wiping out the group… His shots struck the mark, the quick advance of the mechs having wiped out all of the soldiers on foot on this side of the barricade.

The only thing they were left with was one more tank as well as the artillery, but the crew of the tank had other ideas than just going down without a fight. A shot was fired back at close range at Ciar, the round hitting the leg and penetrating the armor there but not quite doing enough to actually seriously hurt the mech… Wasn’t a great angle for that, and the power of the cannon wasn’t strong enough as well.

“Really?” Ciar said simply as she glared down at the offending tank, levelling her rifle at it and firing off two shots at it. There were a few blinking lights, minor damage to one of her mech’s legs, but not enough to critically unbalance it or cause it to topple over. She’d still need to get it looked at after the mission though.

Both of the shots hit - and the flames that followed told the platoon that the job had been done well enough. The only thing left was the artillery, although that wasn’t to say that there wasn’t a challenge there in its own right… It could still hurt them under the right circumstances. The guns behind the enemy line fired off from closer than they normally would, the first one targeting Ciar and missing wide only to see the round crash into a building’s window… The second one, though, actually put a round on target, and it would collide with the combat suit, but the armor this time was enough to deal with it by itself with no evasion needed… There were still two artillery pieces set up, though, and they fired off their own shots - one missed MacQueen, while the other one targeted the closest mech again which happened to belong to Ciar, placing a round on the torso plate but not penetrating.

“Let’s wipe them out before they’re a problem…” said Royce, bringing her combat suit close to the nearest one and firing one round from close range… But when that didn’t work, she slammed the foot of the mech against it to break it in half.

“I’ll give them credit for not running.” Ciar grumbled, slightly rattled from feeling the impacts of the artillery shells against her mech, even if they weren’t designed to take out mechs; it was still more of a chance to die with every impact, and she’d gotten lucky so far. She turned her mech, firing three shots at the single remaining artillery piece, advancing towards it as she did so; she wasn’t going to give the crew time to reload.

The rounds missed the mark, however, perhaps due to the difficulties of aiming in the dark… Which gave a bit more time for the crew to fire back on their own, a doomed shot which also flew wide and ended up hitting a building rather than the mech, not doing any damage other than making a loud noise… Behind Ciar, Royce moved up and took aim, her shots hitting the mark this time and taking the group out fully.

“Any damages? If not, we’re going to keep moving straight away before reinforcements show up…” Royce remarked. “Don’t want to get hit with air support again.”

“Took a few hits but nothing crippling or critical.” Ciar reported. “It’ll need to be looked at once we’re back at base, but the mech can keep going.”

“We’ll keep moving in that case,” said Royce, and they did just that, advancing through the city while looking around and seeing the destruction through the lens of their night vision, buildings with smoke plumes from artillery barrages earlier as well as places where the roads had been destroyed by the long range bombing campaign that was being conducted by the Kaelic air forces, in support of the ground assault.

“Roger.” Ciar said simply, content to move off in silence as they headed deeper into the city, more focused on watching for ambushes than the destruction around them as they advanced.

They would soon get an interesting message, however, as they made their way to the city center itself, the buildings getting taller as they moved along, and the destruction getting more apparent thanks to the saturation of attacks in this area. “…Be on the lookout for Zemalyan mechanized cavalry operating in this area, according to reports from military intelligence…”

“Didn’t think they had mechanized cavalry of their own,” muttered Royce over the comms channel as they received the word from the higher ups. “Although, surely taking that out would be enough to break their effort.”

“We have to take it out first.” Cier said. Zemalyans were another matter altogether compared to the Almarezians they’d faced so far, and you didn’t send your worst out to foreign countries as expeditionary troops. “Suppose we just keep an eye out for it.”

They were approaching the downtown skyline itself and they could see some recognizable sites - the football stadium here, some of the buildings that were used in local government, some shopping centers which were known around the country… Royce pointed out the specific spot where they were likely to find what they were looking for - the largest concentration of enemy forces. “Supposedly, that stadium is being used right now by the military as the headquarters of their communication, since we took out the actual military base outside the city… From the tanks I can see in the distance, I’m inclined to think the reports are right.”

“So how are we gonna handle this?” Cier asked. “Since it’s probably gonna be fortified and if the Zemalyans are anywhere they’ll either be there or close enough to respond.”

“We can go over the top…” Royce said as a possible suggestion. “And hit them as hard as we can behind their lines. If there are Zemalyans there, we might be able to catch them off guard. If not, I doubt there’s anything that we won’t be able to handle.”

Alca Municipal Stadium, one of the largest in South Aurelia

“Seems workable. If we can get inside the stadium they won’t be able to bring APCs or tanks to bear on us, we can cripple them before they can get a response together.” Cier nodded in agreement.

Without saying another word, Royce took a slight running start and activated the jump jets, soaring high in the sky and giving their position away in the process - the clock was ticking now and they wouldn’t have all that long to get inside the stadium and take out the enemy formation in there before they had more units bearing down on them… So she didn’t take any time that wasn’t necessary, only flying as high as she needed to clear the wall before aiming her rifle downwards and spraying five shells once the encampment became clear… There was, indeed, an enemy camp in here. Complete with tents, parked vehicles, and everything. Wasn’t like the stadium was needed for its original use at a time like this, so it made sense. But its time as an encampment would likely come to an end, as the explosive shells rocked the tents and rocked the ground too, before Royce came crashing down and landed on the wreckage of one, her rifle quickly swinging into position as she looked for threats.

“It looks like there is a Zemalyan combat suit in here… That hasn’t even gotten off the erector yet,” Royce pointed out, gesturing to the far end of the arena where a scaffolding setup like the one that they used back home was set up - it had been placed on the track that went around the field somewhat awkwardly, but it fit, but it was indeed what the intelligence reports said… A battlesuit unlike their own, painted in red where theirs was white, and marked with the symbols of an enemy nation.

Of course, there were other things to think about too… Like the platoon of tanks that was sitting still for now, but had drivers rushing to them to get them set up to fight. Likely, they wouldn’t have enough time with the mechs having just landed…

“Worry about any enemy mechs later.” Cier said as her mech slammed into the ground, mech rising up as she scanned the area, firing off three shots against the currently immobile tanks, figuring dealing with them first before their crews could get them into fighting condition would be the best course of action. They had to do as much damage in the chaos and panic before resistance started to organise.

Royce fired her gun around the same time and both of them would find hits, the night sky lit up once again with explosions - which would just show as flashes of white heat for them, given the fact that they were viewing things through the green tinted lens of night vision… There were still a couple of tanks left, but the rear members of the platoon pulled forward and took their own shots, both of them hitting successfully too to take out the platoon…

Didn’t take long for Royce to direct her gun towards the rest of the structures, firing five rounds in a somewhat random direction, taking out tents and radio towers and whatever else was there, including personnel who were scurrying between the different locations within the encampment but finding that their efforts were in vain and the stronger mechanized force was able to tear right through them.

“Helicopter taking off…” reported Teague.

But that helicopter would soon end up under fire from half of them as Teague’s own single shot missed but the one round fired by MacQueen hit, twisted steel and helicopter parts descending as the thing split into multiple pieces and crashed down, jet fuel leaking and setting fire to the nearby tents.

“I believe the enemy is in a full retreat right now,” Royce said, watching the destruction that they were bringing about on the enemy and then shifting the sensors of her mech back to the strange Zemalyan combat suit that was still positioned peacefully in its erector, not having been hit by any of the previous action. “As for what to do about this…”

She didn’t exactly have an answer yet, though, considering they had never run into one of these and didn’t even know it existed.

“Keep the thing intact if we can, I’m sure there’s a bunch of guys in lab coats just waiting to dismantle it if we capture it.” Cier said, turning to look back at the inactive mech. “Odd, though, that I don’t think I’ve seen anyone trying to get to the thing to pilot it.”

“Don’t think there’s enough time to get something like that up and running… As for keeping it intact, I’ll have to see what command says about that, I don’t know if they can get a team in here to bring it back… But then again, with the damage that we’ve dealt, the assault on the city should be good to begin in the next day or so,” Royce remarked, unsure. “Much of their command structure should be gone, if not the General in charge of this region.”

“Guess we’ll have to see how the rest of the army fares.” Cier said, looking out over the remains of the camp on the stadium’s field. “But yea, we’ll see what command says on what to do with it. It being alone like this is… Odd.”

“We’ll see…” Royce said, her eyes shifting as she watched the fires in the stadium. This conflict was certainly growing bigger, that was for sure - she wouldn’t have thought months ago that she would end up fighting in a crucial battle for Alca, but here she was anyway. But with foreign sides getting involved such as the ZFSR… Things could only get bigger from here.

She just hoped she and her unit would be ready for it.

by **Forest State** » Wed Feb 12, 2020 10:30 am

February 10 2049

▍BREAKING: PREMIER TAO PHANG ANNOUNCES LIBERATION OF SOUTHERN SHENGOU
▍Shengouese People’s Army Has Crossed The Demilitarized Zone, Prepares For Full Offensive

CHANGYAN, UNION OF COMMUNIST SHENGOUESE REPUBLICS --- Many in the nation today expressed surprise or adulation as the Shengouese People’s Army crossed the demilitarized zone with Southern Shengou and the self-claimed ‘National Republic of Shengou,’ for the first time since the Fifth Reunification Crisis fifteen years prior. The liberation effort is assisted by the SPA’s comrades from the Zemalyan Air Forces and the Zemalyan Navy, which were spotted in the skies and in the waters assisting against the ‘National Democratic’ occupier to the south. Zemalyan strategic bombers sent reactionary forces packing from the border, while the Zemalyan aircraft carrier Admiral Piotr Gorelov joined the First Fleet in striking terror into the enemy navy.

Paramount Leader of the Union of Communist Shengouese Republics Tao Phang addressed the people in a nationally broadcasted speech at 9:00 AM sharp this morning, from the Liberation Square in Changyan. This is what the nation’s leader had to say -

“It has been over six decades since our struggle to liberate Shengou from the forces of reactionaries and oligarchs began. We have spent our blood, sweat and tears in this most important and righteous of struggles, and all of us have lost someone to the conflict. I once promised you that I would finally end this conflict that has subjected millions to needless suffering under the iron jackboot of the reactionary oligarchs, and today, I intend to set about fulfilling that promise, and ensuring all those who gave their lives for our revolution did not do so in vain.”

The address of the people was met with resounding applause and support, with many citizens expressing support and gratitude for the brave Shengouese People’s Army soldiers immediately following the address. Citizens spoken to by the Zenshi News Service described their reactions to the revitalized liberation campaign as “joyous,” “excited,” and “thankful.” Many expressed their personal satisfaction with the tenure of Premier Phang as Paramount Leader, stating that the liberation of Southern Shengou would be just another accomplishment on a long list for the former People’S Army Brigadier General, who once served in the conflict himself.

The increased liberation effort comes at a time when world tensions are at a high - imperialist nations around the world are banding together to prevent people’s liberation efforts at this time, making reunification with the capitalist and imperialist Southern Shengou a matter of the utmost importance. The brunt of the effort is currently handled by the 23rd, 40th, and 41st Group Army, though Army officials have informed Zenshi that further units will join the fighting as the situation advances.

Be sure to check the Zenshi News Agency as the only official source for news releases from the Snengouese People’s Army and reports from the front, as well as updates directly from the Shengouese Communist Party!

OTHER STORIES

Hangqumao Province Reporting Highest Steel Output In 3 Years
Zemalyan Aircraft Carrier Joins SPAN First Fleet
Communist Party Bans Southern Shengouese Espionage App
Imperialist Enemies Form Ranhalt Accords Alliance

by **Forest State** » Fri Feb 14, 2020 5:02 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 7
“DETACHMENT E”

As global tensions escalate, the KIB has assigned a Special Combat Groups task force to the situation in Shengou - while a peculiar skirmish happens in southern Feria.

National Intelligence Complex
Bandon, Federation of Kael
February 15th, 2049

It was safe to say that world tensions were at about the highest they had been in… Decades, perhaps. That wasn’t to say there hadn’t been conflicts in the past, even big ones. However, at the current point in time, the formation of a new alliance and the actions of the Zemalyan Federation of Socialist Republics and its allies within the similarly ideological Karagrad System were pushing the situation into a war that looked more and more global. Before, there had been loose alignments, alliances that weren’t entirely formal, and proxy wars…

Today, however, there were two sides. The Karagrad System, and the Ranhalt Accords - the latter being formed out of Kael, the Alamanian Kaiserreich, the Kingdom of Albion, and the Kingdom of Castana. All of them imperial powers, or aspiring to be, and at the very least all of them possessing foreign influence which the Karagrad System took offense to. And on the other side, the ZFSR, the Republic of Almirez and the South Aurelian Soviets, the Union of Shengouese Communist Republics, the East Kuristan Socialist Republic, and others… Natural enemies ideologically, and from a pragmatic standpoint, the top competitors to the Aunoran old world when it came to dominance in the developing sectors.

The fight had been building up - the sudden war of imperialism versus anti-imperialism which had broken out in South Aurelia was simply the first shot, and the formation of the Ranhalt Accords a confirmation that it couldn’t be avoided. Now, it was too late to turn back.

Perhaps the most major step had been taken. Soon, the war to reunify the most populous country on Talam would resume, and it was clear to both insiders and outsiders that the war wasn’t just one of pragmatism and control of government but a clash between two ideologies that had hated each other since one’s inception - communism and ‘National Democracy’ as it was called… The latter being quite the unusual creation, appearing in the southern half of Shengou following the fall of the preceding Ren Empire, and advocating for a democratic system where the ruling party would rule like the emperors of old. It had some roots in the Republic of North Aurelia’s democracy of older days… But in execution, it was closer to what the Republic was now, after it had become a place where might made right and where the military was central to the strength and running of the nation rather than its bureaucracy.

The ZFSR, which bordered the northern part of Shengou, had been unable to let that stand. They had backed the rise of communism - not just socialism but legitimate red blooded communism - in the post-collapse nation and kicked off the Shengouese Civil War. That had been seventy years in the past. Despite the fighting stopping, even for long periods at a time with the most recent ceasefire having happened fifteen years in the past, the problem remained unresolved.

Until now, maybe. While the imperial powers in the west were busy with a new South Aurelian conflict, it seemed the USCR believed they could make a move of their own, pouring over the border into the National Democratic controlled south, in hopes that the western ideal of containment would falter under the pressure of having to fight on two fronts. What they maybe didn’t expect, however, was western efforts in other ways than the obvious ones.

“Have a look at this,” said the man sitting across from Kaelic Intelligence Bureau agent Kyran Carey, turning his tablet around and setting it down on the wooden desk between them - the screen glowed notably in the surroundings, which wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t the brightest in here, but there was something oddly fitting about the KIB working in the shadows. In this case it was the literal sense, but in the metaphorical sense, most of their most important actions were taken outside of the public eye. Right now, the Bureau was working overtime so to speak. While Kael itself wasn’t threatened yet, business interests and personal interests fully required them to take this fight with the Southern Wind - and the larger Karagrad System as a whole, otherwise known as the large framework that Southern Wind had been formed from.

Kyran reached out, pressing play before settling back to his resting position, rather casual about the meeting despite the good chance that him, and his unit would be deployed again. Because they weren’t exactly the kind of intelligence types that hung around at an office, but rather part of the Special Combat Groups, the ones who did much of the dirty work and operated informally, covering over their successes and hiding the very nature of their operations until they were already over - sometimes for longer. It wasn’t a famous job, and surprise deployments like the one that was likely coming here happened at times, but it was worthwhile from a few perspectives. Outside of being able to say that the SCOG operators were one of the nation’s first lines of defense, as well as one of the first lines for their allies, the pay was more than enough to make up for the challenges too.

And everyone in this country was just trying to move up, weren’t they? Some did it by making a killing in business, some did it by killing enemies overseas. Kyran fell into the latter group.

The footage started to roll after Kyran clicked the play button, and it displayed sights that would be familiar from the newsreels of the past day or so - tanks and soldiers charging across the demilitarized zone in Shengou, with the footage in this case recorded from a stationary post as soldiers rushed out to defend the border… However, the spot that was recording would end up being hit by an artillery shell and that part of the video ended early, switching instead to drone footage of the scene from above, which allowed the viewer to take in the absolute magnitude of the fight going on around the DMZ… Barbed wire was being bypassed, mines exploding, warplanes clashed overhead and struck targets on the ground with deadly accuracy.

It was the kind of war that was expected between two nations with first world military technology and power. Two large and heavily industrialized nations at that.

“Footage from the Shengou DMZ?” Kyran questioned, though looking at the footage made it somewhat obvious with no need for questions just what was happening. There was only one situation right now that was at this scale, and it was the one that was happening in Shengou.

“Affirmative. The situation around there is about what you would expect. Obviously, this is a problem for us… While the conflict in South Aurelia is taking up much of our attention, the Karagrad System has been making aggressive inroads into other areas. First their push into Aunora with an increased offensive in West Kuristan, and now an invasion by the USCR into the National Republic of Shengou… We can’t send much in the way of actual forces at the moment, but the orders from the top are to interfere in other ways. There’s a strong interest in this for us to not allow the enemy to spread while we’re tied up by a southern conflict,” the man across from the table, Doran O’Hannegan, said.

Doran was, like Kyran, a veteran of this - though his time was still before Kyran’s, as evidenced by the fact that Kyran was active in the field and Doran was in the office instead. And Kyran happened to be used to the process already… Coming in, getting the rundown on the situation, and coming out with a new task. This time, however, there was an extra step. Something else important to note.

“Situation’s going to be a bit different for you this time. You can already tell, I’m sure, that we’re intending to intervene indirectly through SCOG action in Shengou, in both our allied nation and the invading one to subvert the invasion attempt. But you’re getting a more formal team this time. Special Combat Group Nine Detachment E… Echo. Comes with more resources. More responsibility too, but… I’m sure you can handle it, agent,” Doran said, sliding across a folder full of documents to Kyran. “Check out the assignment further. It’s the same kind of stuff you’ve done at a smaller scale. This time, the stakes are higher.”

“You can assemble your own team,” Doran added, spinning slightly in the chair. “But you’ll have to make it quick. Situation is already developing, just like the one down south. You will be working with one person of interest in specific, though - Xiaodan Yue, part of the local intelligence community in the NRS, has parents that fled the USCR. Knows her way around both countries from what I’ve heard and currently involved in asymmetrical warfare against the invader. You’ll make contact with Yue once you’re on the ground… Who else you’re looking to work with is your discretion. Just sent me a completed list of personnel soon and I’ll see what I can do about it.”

It was certainly a big change - going from leading to informal teams to a formal one like this was a major step, and well, Kyran had never been involved in something as important as this conflict regardless. Not only was it a larger assignment, but the stakes happened to be higher than they’d ever been in the past for the agent.

“Aye,” Kyran said, standing up and taking the folder. “Never had something like this to do but you already know me… Bit too competitive to fail now that you’ve got the pressure on,” he added. “I’ll do my best. Hope the gods decide to favor me, though…”

And with that, he turned to step out of the mid sized wood furnished office, and into a fluorescent lit corridor, one where the plain surroundings could make one forget that this entire facility was located, in typical KIB fashion, within the impenetrable walls of an actual mountain. The impressive engineering wasn’t something to think about right now. No, Kyran had a lot on his mind and a lot on his hands. First and foremost was putting together the group that would head to Shengou and attempt to aid in the effort to slow down the Karagrad System’s onslaught.

The Free State of Feria, the northern border of the Federation of Kael, was perhaps hell on Talam. No, both it and its eastern neighbor, the Republic of North Aurelia, were competing for that title. Maybe they both were, really. At one point they had been the same country, a unified Republic of North Aurelia which had stretched from the east coast to the west and had been a major player on the global stage, able to compete with the ZFSR and able to enforce interests of its own while driving military development forward - but the country had broken not from external threats, but within.

Vast differences in culture and even in the environment in different parts of the country had created a disunified atmosphere around it for the longest time, and under pressure, the nation had split. No more singular Republic of North Aurelia - there was the RNA, no longer a power like in the old days… The Free State of Feria, on its western flank, engaged in a nationalistic border conflict with what it considered its former overlord that had kept down their Ferian and Etorian culture… And the United States of Western Aurelia, a more advanced and developed nation that was now far removed from its roots and where it had come from, instead adopting its own culture around innovation and avoiding the trends of the crowd. To the north? The associated territories of Norica had become a bigger player than the nation that had formerly overshadowed them, their hypercapitalist and business driven nation clashing with the RNA at sea for oil.

Feria on the other hand, had oil and it had plenty of it, but it didn’t seem to make the common person richer… Especially in the south, towards the Kaelic border, and also out in the east where cities had been devastated by conflict with the RNA. Sure, they called it a border war. But at one point, the RNA had been the premier power in the region, maybe the world. When two parts of the former RNA slugged it out on the battlefield, it meant a lot of heavy metal getting thrown around. The average person didn’t have a ton… But the two nationalistic governments that both claimed their nation was the sole legitimate one in the former RNA still had funds and powerful arsenals, and often used them.

Officially, there was no war, but when there were thousands dead from border skirmishes and when cities had been hit with rocket barrages and armored charges, it was hard to make the argument that this was just a low intensity conflict over territorial disputes. It hadn’t sparked into a hot war, but it was anything but low intensity, and it was absolutely a war - one that controlled the people, too. Both countries were democracies… But there were some issues that just couldn’t be compromised on. Each person within these countries had a side, the RNA or Feria, and it as determined by where one was born - little sympathy existed for anti-war protesters and the like. While candidates disagreed on some things, the one thing that all of them did agree on was nationalism in favor of their own nation against the rival.

All of this made for ideal conditions for raiding, near the southern border with Kael. The Bangor Syndicate was the largest criminal group in Kael, but they were more a problem for other countries these days than they were for the Kaelic government that they lived under - Feria in specific, considering the proximity between the two and the the kind of land that could be found around the southern border… There wasn’t a major city until Salva, and the authorities were spread out over a large amount of farmland and mining lands. The Bangor Syndicate happened to be opportunists. They seized resources for the open market, brought back guns for their own use or to sell overseas in countries with stricter arms controls than their own, and captured people for the Kaelic and Castanan institutions of slavery, bringing the captured back to those countries or to the third world with looser rules on the matter.

Sometimes, raids by the Bangor Syndicate into the apocalyptic landscape that was the deserts of southern Feria resulted in bringing back all of the above.

The convoy of trucks headed down the dirt road some distance north from that border right now, despite their heavily armored nature and the machine guns that were on top of the two lead ones, weren’t military - but rather, part of the Federal Police, agents of the government who often patrolled these areas and kept them from turning into anarchy. Complete anarchy, anyway. There was seemingly always at least some anarchy here, it could just be limited to the best of the abilities of the authorities. And it seemed that these trucks, painted with the symbols of the Federal Police but colored in a more military style desert tan, had run into one of these ambushes.

FWOOSH!

Their armor was good, but it wasn’t good enough to take out a modern anti-tank guided missile. Someone had quickly emerged from behind a large rock within the sand covered valley pass and fired, the missile spiraling through the air a bit wildly at first before the control surfaces made it more accurate as it went along, eventually slamming right into the engine block and detonating the vehicle with a resounding sound - the crew was no more, the convoy was stopped, and they weren’t getting around this road block so easily. And they didn’t benefit now from being not as heavily armed as the military. While anyone would be in a bad spot here, the Ferian government agents especially were, as they only had a limited amount of military grade weapons.

Someone emerged from the hatch at the top of the second vehicle to reach the machine gun, but a bullet quickly hit the agent through the helmet as the forces of the Syndicate made themselves seen, jumping out from the shrubbery, from behind other rock formations, and even a few from the tops of the side of the valley, firing down on an unsuspecting enemy… The fight might as well have been happening from as close range as possible these days, which only added to the overwhelming factors.

And any of the officers that believed they were the superior side simply because they had more official training would find out just how wrong they were, as bodies began to drop on the road thanks to the fully automatic fire from the military weapons of their opponents, as the Syndicate swarmed them - the second vehicle attempted pulling away, but was swiftly gunned down by a cartel member with a marksman rifle who fired one shot through the windshield, hitting the driver and stopping the vehicle in its tracks.

The Ferian side was soon overwhelmed, the survivors mostly putting their guns down as the Syndicate swept through… One man in particular was rather relaxed as he strode from behind the Syndicate position, a pistol in hand and held in the air, ready to aim and fire at a moment of notice. The ones on the other side wouldn’t know it of course, but they were facing Bran ‘Madcat’ Kearney, one of the top names within this specific region of Feria.

Stopping in his tracks upon reaching the scene of the surrender, a grin crossed the face of the cowboy hat wearing and pistol toting gangster, who gestured to the rest of his own men. “Round up the ones who surrendered. The Bangor Syndicate is merciful… And hey, I’m sure they’ll enjoy finding new homes in our country or in Castana. Or maybe perhaps Mirez,” Kearney stated, pistol still ready despite the enemy being unarmed at this point. Never hurt to be too prepared. “Search the vehicles, too… Don’t feel like waiting to know how much in gear we’ve earned.”

He took a step away, looking to the captured prisoners one more time as a dust cloud blew up within the valley, making quite a bit of noise so Kearney had to shout his next words. “Don’t look so down! I’m sure some will find plenty of value in a Ferian Federal Police officer…” Kearney continued, chuckling. “But if you want to look at it glass half empty… That’s up to you.”

With that, he turned back towards the south, the direction they had come from in the first place, rather satisfied with the way the Syndicate had handled the attack against what many others would consider a ‘superior’ foe. Quick, decisive, and deadly. They’d brought back a fair amount of profit seemingly, too…

Was just a matter now of seeing who was in the market for what they had.

by **Lunas Legion** » Sat Feb 15, 2020 5:06 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 8
“SECOND CHANCES”

After capture by the Bangor Cartel in a cross border raid, one agent of the Federal Police of Feria is given a second chance to avoid a more hopeless fate in servitude - service to the Kaelic Intelligence Bureau.

Bangor Syndicate Ranch
Bangor, Federation of Kael
February 17th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Aella was someone who always preferred to look on the bright side of life, but even so the only one she could see to her current circumstances was that she wasn’t dead. She wasn’t entirely sure why she wasn’t dead, instead sat on bare concrete in a crude cell with just a bucket and a dirty mattress, but she’d learned not to ponder questions like that too deeply.

They often led to wrong answers.

Still, she was alive and… Waiting, for something. The room wasn’t particularly well lit and she couldn’t see the sun, so she had no idea how long she’d been in here. But better alive than dead like most of her former Ferian Federal Police colleagues were from what little she’d seen of the attack’s aftermath. The place was well guarded, too, the cartel running itself more like a small military… And this place might as well have been a military prison with none of the benefits given to prisoners, at least for those who were kept here. The ranch wasn’t bad… But only for someone that was on the side of the owners, the cartel, not the ones who found themselves here as slaves after meeting a poor fate on the road in southern Feria.

It seemed that a couple of those armed guards were entering the holding area right now, both of them with rifles in hand and the lower halves of their faces covered by bandanas with intricate designs in a very dark blue contrasted with smaller highlights of white mixed in. The rifles too were about standard fare for the cartel, about similar to the ones that the military used, though the ones around here were a bit less standardized with more modifications and adjustments, which was of course fitting based on where they came from.

There was someone else accompanying them, however, who had a different appearance - the most notable thing was that the black-haired man wasn’t wearing militant style fatigues like the cartel members did, or any kind of camouflage or drab for that matter, but rather a more casual style which seemed presentable enough despite… Not quite having a military appearance. A spook outfit perhaps. The man seemed like someone from intelligence, or from somewhere else along those lines, but where exactly wasn’t clear. Or if that theory was even right. There were, after all, no identifying logos or anything of that sort on the man’s clothes.

“So this is the one…” the man in the middle said, looking around at the different cages within the room before settling eyes on the one in specific that Aella was in - though most of the others were unoccupied. It wasn’t like there were too many survivors within the group of Ferian government agents that had been ambushed on the road the other day. Other still had been moved to other locations, leaving Aella here with those who were left.

“Good looks, right? You can see why the price is high,” stated one of the cartel members, gesturing towards Aella as the man started forward to have a closer look, intentions unclear.

“Important, perhaps… But not most important,” the man stated plainly, looking down at her and then turning back to the others. “What’s it about her that made the KIB say she’s worth looking at? You guys have brought in Federal Police people before.”

“This one is distinguished…” said the other cartel member. “Have a look at the documents on that table over there. And the rank. You’re not dealing with a run of the mill street cop here.”

“I don’t think anyone in the Federal Police is that,” the man said with a slight roll of the eyes, before reaching for a phone from his pocket. “I have a call to make… To see if this is worth it,” he added, punching in a number before raising up the phone, seaking hurriedly into it. “Hello? Yeah… I’m at this ranch that you told me about right now… This agent really worth bringing in…? Cartel guy says she’s distinguished, just taking a look sends other signals though… Alright. Hopefully, your judgement’s right on this one…”

He hung up the call, stepping back and turning slightly. “I’ll make the deal,” he stated. “So have her brought out.”

The cartel members, nodding, moved for the cage… With one of them unlocking it and the other one leveling his rifle towards the sole occupant while gesturing in the direction that the other gunman was now moving. “No funny business,” the guard reminded - there were no bounds or chains at the moment, but the threat of the guns was enough to force reconsidering any attempts at causing trouble now that the door was open.

Aella said nothing, nodding as she got up to her feet, brushing herself down momentarily before walking out of her cell, moving to follow after the second gunman. She wasn’t stupid enough to try anything funny, not after what she’d been listening into. If the KIB of all organisations was interested in her and a deal had been done, that was her ticket out of here to somewhere hopefully not quite as bad.

The surroundings outside of the room housing the cell were a bit better, as expected - regular hallways, windows, and few would be able to tell this was a highly defended cartel base just from looking at the way it was set up. This was the route that the cartel gunmen led Aella through, before they passed through the front door and into the light for the first time in a couple of days… Outside, there was a pickup truck in the driveway and the man from earlier was standing there.

“I suppose this is good enough,” he said, handing over the last of multiple bundles of cash before turning his attention to Aella, after one of the cartel members gave her a push in the back to send her in his direction.

“And I guess you’re wondering what the hell this is about,” he continued, judging that she would have little knowledge of the situation. Few people would - only the cartel, the man, and the ones who had sent him in this direction with this information tip.

“Curious, yes, stupid enough to stick my neck out and ask directly, no.” Aella said, her voice level. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was dealing with yet, and that meant keeping her head down with a metaphorical ear to the ground at the same time. Assumptions were for idiots.

“The name’s Kyran… Kyran Carey, of the Kaelic Intelligence Bureau. The fact of the matter is, my organization and my unit in specific are no stranger to carrying out irregular and informal operations in a number of locales around this region and around the world in general. Sometimes, those operations require irregular personnel, too. I’ve been told to put a group of people together for an upcoming operation…” started the man, explaining calmly. “I’ve also been told that there’s a distinguished Ferian agent on the market after being captured by the Bangor Syndicate… Funny how things happen around the Ferian border. Point is, that agent is you.”

“As a foreign agent, you can play different roles that might be harder for someone from our country… At least for the kind of work that we have in front of us. As a slave, you’re also a member of the squad that can take risks that more valuable members can’t. The kind of person that’s also useful on an operation like the one coming up. You can reject the offer, of course, and our merchants here can hand back the cash and you can go back to where you were before… But I have a feeling that isn’t an outcome you would be happy with,” Kyran continued, laying out the details and letting Aella decipher it all for herself. “Maybe you can even make something of yourself if you go this route. Attempt a betrayal, of course, and you’ll quickly find yourself dead… There’s multiple ways to ensure that.”

“All I’ve got to say is she can’t have been that distinguished if she got herself captured by a cartel in an ambush.” Aella said, her voice taking on a slightly dark tone. “And it’s not like either option is an ideal choice, but your option has more in its favour than going back there to whatever fate.” It was the cold arithmetic of survival, risk evaluated up against everything else. Morality didn’t figure into it. “Although I get the distinct feeling this team of yours is sounding suspiciously like a suicide mission, but I’ll take my chances regardless.”

“If you think you have enough worth to justify not being sent on such a mission, it’s up to you to prove that,” Kyran said plainly. “Considering you fought for a government which put itself into its own mess, few will have sympathy for you on this front,” he added, taking a step forward towards her and pulling out an object, which he would move to fasten around her neck before taking a step back.

“And this collar can do one of two things… Shock, or explode entirely. Attempt a betrayal and the latter will happen,” he informed her, before stepping back towards the truck. “Everything is clear, then?”

“Crystal.” Aella said, tapping the weight around her neck. “And a paycheck is a paycheck, it may be an absolute shitshow of a state but they paid well enough, and at the end of the day that’s what matters.” She wasn’t some idealist who’d die for some idea, there was no place for that kind of person in Feria anymore.

“We move out soon, then,” Kyran stated, turning around and opening up the pickup truck, climbing in the driver’s side while the passenger side remained unlocked for Aella. “Destination, the far east. Be thankful for getting a second chance here… Not everyone who fails does.”

“I’m more thankful I’m not dead right now.” Aella shrugged, moving around and climbing into the passenger side, the door shutting with a clunk. “But same difference from my view.”

by **Forest State** » Wed Feb 19, 2020 7:54 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 9
“RED STORM”

While more well known conflicts heat up elsewhere, the ZFSR and its allies wage a proxy war against the western empires in the former Zemalyan territory of Kuristan… After deploying to the area, the air mercenaries of Warhawk Defense are finally called on to halt an East Kuristani strike on facilities deep within the Ranhalt Accords backed Republic of Kuristan.

30 km from the Kostori river
Republic of Kuristan
February 25th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Sometimes a river was more than just a natural line… Rivers could form the border between countries and could alter history as they divided different sides between each other, marking the boundaries for battles or representing lines that were hard to pass, natural defenses of sorts. The Kostori river was filling that role, in eastern Aunora, perhaps on the border of what would be considered the ‘east’ by most of the world… Off in the distance, the Zemalyan Federation of Socialist Republics loomed large, and with it the massive expanse that made up their territory, but further west on the edge of Aunora there was a country divided, a former territory of these easterners, which was now split between being influenced by either side… The anti-communist nations of the west, or the easterners looking to reassert their reign here through proxy rather than outright takeover.

The Kostori river was the boundary between each of the sides.

It was also the site that Pitchfork Squadron was racing to rapidly, a sense of urgency in their flight of four F-39SR Super Redtails as they drew closer and closer to the location where the Karagrad System and the East Kuristani SR in specific had made good on their promise… The promise had been to come across the river and begin the campaign to ‘liberate’ the rest of the country. The rest of the country that they claimed was simply a puppet of the Ranalt Accords thanks to the Alamannian and Albionish support for the Republic of Kuristan… It was true somewhat, of course, that it was a state kept in power by the west - they flew western fighters and manned western air defense systems and fired western guns - but that didn’t mean the people that were holding out here after bloody fighting to secure the nation’s freedom preferred the alternative that was eastern rule…

If that was the case, they wouldn’t have kept up so much resistance on the western half of the river in the first place, and would have likely rolled over to the Zemalyan attempts to influence the Kuristani Civil War in their favor. There was no one in the Republic of Kuristan, seemingly, that so readily embraced an eastern identity.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “Contacts showing up on radar as expected… Heads up, boys and girls.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “BONITA”] [PLT I.] LUPE CUEVAS - “Ten Sirnov fighters and a bunch of bombers behind ‘em? Hmm, reds meant business after all…”

-] [RoKAF] [F-12 GHOSTDOG] [MAJ.] MAKARIAN FEDEROV - “23 Squadron will handle the majority of the attack… Direct your attention to the planes around the bombers. These bombers and their escorts are the most dangerous.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “Affirmative. Bonita, on me. Arrow, Runaway, break off and approach from the right side.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Breaking…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “Roger, breaking.”

Guinevere could see the contacts clearly on her radar as her aircraft broke off rightwards from the rest of her squadron, eyes watching the radar. They shouldn’t be much of a problem, as long as none of them did anything too stupid and luck didn’t tilt in the enemy’s favour.

Francis trailed not far after her, seemingly more confident in the sky than she was on the ground as she moved the plane sharply, bringing it onto a path to flank the opposing bomber group from the side once they came up on it… Their mission here was a rather important one. Mess up, and the opposition would be able to get through to attack using cruise missiles, which was the real purpose of these bombers at the moment rather than striking with conventional unguided munitions. They could expect damage to the aircraft stores, the runways, and other military targets within the border city of Shavikor if they didn’t do their job. Damages which would make further attack easier.

So it was safe to say they had good reason to avoid messing up here.

The Kuristani F-12 Ghostdog fighters around them broke off to handle the less concerning threats, leaving Pitchfork Squadron’s planes relatively isolated to handle the Sn-51 Archer B planes that were escorting the group of four bombers. While there were four bombers, there were six escorts for the squadron to take out, based on the couple more contacts that popped onto their radar screens as they made their run up to the enemy.

Three of them headed on the route that Francis and Guinevere were flying on.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Orders on how to take this one? All enemy fighters are in my range now…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “Quick and bloody, fire at will. Sooner they’re down sooner we can splash the bombers.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Affirmative.”

Francis looked down to the radar screen, moving the indicator and looking for a lock - which she was able to acquire, the tone and the symbology change on the HUD indicating that she was ready to shoot at will… Which she did, targeting the closest of the Archers and firing off one of the long range AA-20M Arrow missiles that the Super Redtail was carrying.

The missile streaked off through the air, the contrail visible from the cockpit, and the enemy fighter moved to evade, pulling into a high turn… But hadn’t moved quickly enough as the Arrow missile slammed into the underside and broke the jet into multiple pieces, a quick ball of fire replaced by smoke and raining metal as Francis continued on her way and the amount of fighters faced by the right side pair of her and Guinevere was cut down to two.

Guinevere was looking for her own missile lock, eyes flicking down to the radar screen as she tracked the indicator across it. The indicator changed, blinking, signalling she had a lock and she didn’t waste any time, firing one of her plane’s AA-20Ms towards her target. She watched the missile roar off into the distance, out of sight but the target she’d locked onto remained there on the radar, the missile missing for whatever reason.

The enemy she’d just shot a missile at didn’t waste any time in firing back a missile of its own in response, Guinevere banking her plane hard to the right as the missile screamed towards her, her plane’s missile lock indicator blinking in panic as she turned her aircraft downwards into a dive, flares streaking out behind her plane as the missile shot harmlessly overhead.

While this battle happened, Francis was still moving on the offensive after downing one fighter, and angled the nose of her own Super Redtail to face the one that had just fired on Guinevere, taking advantage of that enemy peeling away to avoid a potential counterattack… However, the escape wouldn’t happen fast enough to stifle the pursuit from Francis, who was able to get a quick lock and fired off a shot accurately, the Scimitar missile chasing the target in a desperate race before that fighter pulled the nose up and went vertical, popping flares all the while and losing the missile in a turn while Francis kept the nose of the fighter pointed at it… A second Scimitar was fired not long after, as if the enemy fighter pilot hadn’t been shaken up enough by the three missiles that had already pursued his aircraft.

This one arced with the turning fighter and seemed to be on the right path to hit, but once again the other fighter did an aerobatic move and rolled away from the missile before the point of impact, safely turning to move back towards the opposing formation which was rapidly getting closer with the air mercenaries.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Perhaps it is out of my place to say this… But converge on me. The only way we tear through these last two and the bombers is sticking close and overwhelming them.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “Better plan than anything I was coming up with, coming around.”

Francis pushed the throttle forward to gain speed while coming at the lead fighter in the enemy formation in a dive, heart lurching in the process… She didn’t exactly have combat experience after all although in general, these dangerous flights were nothing new to her as someone that had been in an elite squadron in Diamenia. She picked up a lock on the lead fighter and only pulled up when she had already launched the missile, taking a sharp and sudden turn to get out of harm’s way immediately while Guinevere came in right behind her, to look for the second shot if she could manage to find it.

Guinevere flicked her eyes back down to her radar screen, more focused on it this time as she looked for a missile lock again. Hopefully the missile actually hit this time once she had lock. She would find the lock and fire off the missile, but the evasion of the enemy plane brought the missile off target quickly… At the same time that the plane’s flares distracted the one from Francis while the second fighter popped out from the peripherals and fired once again at Guinevere before pulling into an aggressive climbing turn. Neither side wanted to hang around the other for too long in this one, it seemed.

Guinevere let out a muffled curse as she turned her plane hard sideways before jerking it upwards, watching the missile spiral past her as she turned her plane back around, heading to re-engage.

But as the mutual attack failed and the two Warhawk pilots were split up, Francis was chasing after the original fighter that the two of them had went for, and aimed to finally put it away by shooting two missiles, placing one a bit earlier and then firing off the later one after that one was already in its flight. The goal, of course, was to force the opposing fighter to run into the one that was moving late and a bit ahead while avoiding the one behind… They were both on target, but she watched as the first exploded in mid air and the other one sailed past the target, probably distracted by electronic countermeasures… She had an idea, though.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “If you can keep the other one off my ass… I have an idea.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “I’ll do my best but today is not my fuckin’ day with the missiles it seems.”

She hardly waited for a response before she was already picking up speed and pursuing the wide turning fighter which she’d had trouble with downing. Two missiles hadn’t been enough to do the trick, but if she could get close enough… She believed she could get behind the other fighter and possibly get the finish with her guns now that they were fighting within close range of each other, but the other pilot jerked to one side before breaking to the other and threw off her pattern - the massive aircraft she was in didn’t help her case, whereas a smaller one may have been able to avoid this trap.

“Fuck…” she muttered under her breath, fighting for position with the other fighter in a rough back and forth where the Sirnov tried to get her to give up a good position and she tried the same after defending, followed by the Sirnov having another go which she narrowly turned out of before bleeding off speed and letting herself loop around behind the Sirnov and shoot, something that was avoided using a vertical climb which she followed the Zemalyan aircraft into. She couldn’t keep up the position advantage however and found herself bleeding too much speed, leaving her further from the target once the climb ended. She’d have to fight to get that position back…

However, she couldn’t get the speed back up soon enough to prevent the Sirnov from taking her six, leaving her as the one defending this time as the Sirnov sprayed its cannon, a miss by some margin as she moved aggressively to prevent herself from getting hit, going into a similar climb as the one the enemy had and pulling the nose of her jet back to bleed speed. But the fighter from hell was still on her tail, she believed, even after she had bled off some speed. “Son of a bitch…”

Breathing deeply, she successfully defended as the missile indicator in the cockpit lit up again and told her that it was a good time to send some flares out, thanks to the missile.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “We need to put everything into getting this fighter out…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “Hang in there, I’ll see if I can get behind him but there’s still the other one to worry about.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - Do your best… I might be able to get them out in one swoop.”

Guinevere didn’t respond, more focused on trying to get back into the fight and looking for a missile lock on the plane that was pursuing Francis, not that she’d had much luck with the missiles so far. The indicator, however, didn’t change, being unable to acquire a proper lock and prompting Guinevere to let out a muffled curse. It really wasn’t her day. She turned away, watching the second fighter come worryingly close on her radar, forcing her to abandon her position on the other fighter.

The distraction however had been enough for Francis to break free into a sharp turn, which allowed her to circle around in a wide arc - she would have asked for a smaller and more agile plane if she knew the fight was going to be like this - and target the one that was pursuing Guinevere, determined to have a better hit rate this time… She put two missiles on target once again, but found them ineffective a second time, before she picked up speed and gained position towards the opponent rear, spraying and missing in a wide arc and fighting to maintain the spot she was in.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Stay on the other fighter… I’ve pushed this one off you… And go straight for the bombers if you have to.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “You sure you can handle these two by yourself? They’re being right bastards about not dying.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “We’re not going to have a base to fly back into if these things get their cruise missiles off…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “True. Keep these fucks off me, I’ll go for the bombers and come back once they’re downed.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “I won’t let anything get through…”

Guinevere turned her plane away from the dogfight, trusting that Francis could handle herself if she said she could and fully aware that the longer they spent trying to deal with the enemy fighters, the better chance the bombers had of actually getting into range. It didn’t matter if they downed the fighters if the bombers were able to get through. Now she just had to catch up to the Dru-112 bombers and get them in range of her missiles.

It didn’t take long for her to get in range, her F-39R was faster than the bombers and without a fighter on her tail she didn’t have anything distracting her. She hummed quietly to herself in the silence, watching as her lock indicator flashed and a missile streaked out, the indicator locking on to the second bomber in quick succession as she fired off a second missile swiftly followed by a third, barely having time to blink in between locks as a fourth missile streaked away from her plane. Radar blips vanished, one, then a second, then a third, the fourth stubbornly remaining up, the massive, ponderous plane having managed to evade her missiles as she sped after the fourth bomber, looking for another lock on it. She wasn’t going to let it get away.

It didn’t take long for her to have the final bomber once again in missile lock as she fired another missile at it, watching it streak away in nervous silence. Maybe her luck with missiles had come back full circle? A few seconds passed as she watched the final radar contact blink out of existence as she brought her plane back around, engines flaring as she headed back to help Francis finish off those two pain-in-the-ass fighters if she hadn’t done so already.

But Francis on the other hand wasn’t even offensive right now and was simply focused on defending her own position as she had both fighters trying to get on her tail and chasing now that she was the main target, at least until after she caught sight of Guinevere and adjusted her plan, bleeding speed and turning as she let both fighters overshoot, and then turning back into fly roughly behind them while firing one more Scimitar at about the same time which completely changed the odds of the fight as it accelerated into the pair of enemy fighters and exploded, breaking one of the opposing fighters into pieces in the process… And leaving them with a two on one where they had the dominant position.

Well, it seemed Francis had been able to hang on long enough for her to get back, that it hadn’t taken her too long to down the bombers likely being a major help in that. Still, if the remaining fighter was any good as it had been earlier, even a two-on-one might be trouble, Guinevere mused as she hunted for a missile lock on the sole remaining fighter as she closed in.

Her lock indicator blinked and she loosed another missile towards the enemy fighter, turning away as she did so, but it seemed her luck with missiles had returned back to haunt her as she watched the enemy fighter’s radar blip remain on the screen, grinding her teeth together in irritation.

Francis had also acquired a lock and fired off one more missile of her own, only to find that the enemy’s evasion was already putting it off target and she had lost the lock soon after, the missile doing the same and continuing on a straight path before self destructing while Francis kept her pursuit up on the actual trajectory of the opposing fighter… At least, she was.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “All fighters RTB… We’ve gotten the job done right now, let’s not hang around the border and get into extra fights because of it.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN - “Roger that, returning to base.”

Francis didn’t say anything but she did quickly break from the fight while she still had the advantage… She joined the rest of the squadron in their formation as well as the Republic of Kuristan Air Force planes that were fighting with them and had survived the encounter, as they turned around from their current position and sped towards the other side of the Kostori river… The side that was still free and that they had been contracted to protect. Seemed like it would be around for at least the next time the East Kuristan Air Force attempted something like this… Though how many times it survived another day remained to be seen.

Following the operation, many of the members of Pitchfork Squadron and their Kuristani allies found themselves within the West Kuristani city of Rysiki, which happened to be where they were staying. They had flown out of the military base earlier but this would be a time for them to head into the city proper… Which of course, since they were a mercenary outfit that had just completed an operation successfully, meant that there would be a fair amount of drinking. They’d ended up so far at one of the suburban bars not far from the base, the one that was called the Freedom Fighter appropriately named considering the situation the country was in… And some time into this trip out to the bar, Francis found herself roaming from her original spot and searching for the pilot she had flown with directly during this last outing.

Guinevere was sat by herself, not at the bar itself but close enough that it wasn’t difficult to get to, a nearly empty glass of some brightly coloured drink sitting on the table in front of her, more focused on peering disdainfully down at her drink than at her surroundings.

She would soon find herself approached however by someone that was hard to ignore, Francis - partly because Francis happened to tower over her in terms of height… She sat down, not speaking up right away but managing it in due time. “S-So… I hadn’t talked to you since the mission so I just wanted to t-thank you for helping me back there… Probably bailed me out a time or two, r-really.”

“It’s nothing really, but you’re welcome.” Guinevere said with a small shrug. “You kept the fighters off me long enough I could break off to go and down the bombers, so as far as I’m concerned you don’t really need to say thanks but it’s appreciated.”

“Yeah but… Kinda feel like I still owe you considering I wouldn’t be around here if it wasn’t for you,” Francis stated plainly, shrugging as she looked Guinevere over.

“I guess, but… I’m not exactly the kind of person who wants for much, y’know?” Guinevere said, leaning back in her chair.

“I could give you my check from the mission or something… I dunno,” shrugged Francis, considering her options and shaking her own drink up slightly in her hand before sipping at it ever so slightly, cautious as ever in her movements even in a place like this and with some alcohol inside her too at this point.

“You earned that check as much as I did, it’d be just unfair for you to give any of it to me.” Guinevere shook her head. “That and I’m kinda blanking what to spend mine on, I don’t need more money to figure out where it’s going.”

“Right…” said Francis, an awkward silence falling over the table. She wasn’t the kind of person to start conversation and she seemed slightly disappointed about being turned down and such, although the look that was written on her face for now wasn’t entirely obvious when it came to showing what she was thinking to anyone that didn’t already have experience with her. “If you need anything, then… I still owe you, you know.”

“Yea, I’ll keep it in mind.” Guinevere said, nodding. “Don’t worry yourself over it, I’m not just going to demand something randomly, if there’s something I want that you can help with I’ll ask. I just don’t feel like you really owe me, y’know?”

“Just sayin’ that I do,” Francis muttered with a slight shrug, unsure of what to say from here… She had made her point that she felt like she did owe something, but it was hard to convince someone when they calculated these kinds of things differently, coming to a different conclusion. “Maybe it’s just the kind of person I am.”

“Maybe.” Guinevere said, sipping at her own drink, her face scrunching up in disgust. “If you want to start, buy me a different drink, this one’s absolutely vile.”

“I’ll do anything you want,” Francis said, smiling slightly at the fact that she at least had something to do now to make herself feel better about her situation. “Just tell me what you want me to get…”

“Vodka and lemon, I have no idea what actually went in this brightly-colored abomination-” She tapped the rim of her glass. “But it’s so vile I’ll keep it simple from now on. No more fancy-named mysterious cocktails.”

Francis nodded, standing up a moment later, and she disappeared across the building to where the drinks were actually served and where some of the more social members of the squadron were hanging out… Before coming back not too long afterwards, setting the glass of vodka down in front of Guinevere. “Hopefully this is better?”

Guinevere picked up the glass and drank deeply before setting it back down, nodding slightly. “Much, thanks. Had to wash the taste away.”

“Is there… Anything else I can do for you?” Francis asked simply, her own drink set down, and herself not really that focused on anything that she herself was up to right now. No, her focus was more on Guinevere for whatever the reason.

“Just keep me company for now, drinking’s much better with company than alone.” Guinevere said, sipping at her own drink. “Also, uh, so you can probably stop me doing anything too stupid when I inevitably drink too much.”

“Oh,” Francis nodded in acknowledgement, before chuckling slightly. “Well, I’ll do my best to not let you dance on any tables or something… Unless you want to do it and you’re also able to tell me how many fingers I’m holding up… And um… S-Since we’re hanging out for a bit, is there anything you wanted to know about me or something? I know I don’t always talk a lot.”

“Drunk me is a force of nature and, apparently, is surprisingly good at dancing, just let her do it for a bit and make sure she doesn’t fall on her face.” Guinevere said, smiling. “I mean, I wouldn’t even know where to start on that. Like, how the hell does someone like you end up defecting? If you don’t mind me prodding.”

“Well… It’s kind of a long story,” Francis said, her face scrunching up as she considered it and ordered the events - and thought about just how much she wanted to say. “But… G-Guess you could say I ended up with squadmates from hell. And well, I knew I would end up with enemies but I had enough of them already for things that I can’t really c-control… So I had to get out. But when you’re valuable to the Air Force it’s not easy to just get out of it, you know? Even if I felt like it was either getting out or giving up on everything.”

“You did get out of it though, and now you’re here on a completely different continent drinking with me.” Guinevere said, smiling. “Didn’t mean to bring up unpleasant memories though so sorry ‘bout that. I kinda got lucky since, well, mercs get that freedom with squads, part of why I’m here and not in the IAFAF. Pays better too plus you get to see more shit.”

“It’s a far cry from the Diamenian Air Force, yeah… And can’t complain about seeing action instead of testing shit. Sometimes… You just wanna be more than a glorified beta tester,” admitted Francis. “But it did teach me some different skills, I suppose. I’ve learned a lot of things from a lot of places, really. I bet you’d hardly believe me if I told you I could look at any drug off the street and break down what chemicals are in it and reproduce it if I had the right stuff. But Diamenia… It teaches you a lot.”

“I’ve never been a science person, so I’ll take your word for it.” Guinevere shrugged, taking another sip of her drink before swirling it around in the glass. “And I guess it did, but you’re here now. No need to dwell on the past or whatever. I know I never do much.”

“Do you want to dwell on something else?” Francis asked, shrugging, not really minding either way - she had embraced the past, after all. To ignore it completely would be to lose the identity that had been shaped by her experiences and tempered by hardship on her part. “Something like… Dancing? Or trying those drugs I mentioned?”

“I’m not quite drunk enough for dancing quite yet. I might be the queen of lightweights but just one vodka won’t do that much to me.” Guinevere laughed. “And depends what you’ve got. Getting high sounds… Kinda nice.”

“Technically I don’t have anything right now… I can get just about anything. I’ve got the know-how to do it,” Francis said, replying with a slight smirk, rarely confident for her. Then again, she did apparently have experience with this field, so it made sense that she believed in herself and her abilities when it came to this.

“Surprise me then.” Guinevere said, grinning lightly. “Suppose we can have a little race, eh? You go out, find whatever the surprise is and get back, and we’ll see what state of drunk and disorderly I’m in when you get back.”

“Well, now that you’ve challenged me, I kind of have to do my best,” Francis chuckled, getting up and moving about to do as she said she would and find something good for them… She had a number of different options on her mind, but for now she remained focus and narrowed it down to what she would likely be able to find around here in Kuristan. Though, she doubted the task would be hard for her. She did know her way around this world after all, and it was one of the few things she could say she was genuinely good with.

It was a bit of time before Francis came back but she did intend to make good on her promise, finding Guinevere’s table once again after she had been gone and leaning down, resting her hands against it. “Well, I might have ventured out a bit on the strong side of things…” she said, chuckling. “There’s uhhh… Coke. And that new more experimental thing out of Shengou, Black Dragon. It’ll uhh… Knock you out if you mess up. But I’ve heard good things…”

“That sounds like a ‘ell of a wild ride. Gimme.” Guinevere said, grinning viciously, her speech slightly slurred from the semi-circle of glasses of varying sizes arrayed out in front of her. She wasn’t completely drunk yet, but she was a good ways down the road to being it.

“This shit is strong, you know…” Francis muttered, taking out what seemed like a small sheet of paper and placing it on the table after looking from side to side. “You’re supposed to peel the sticky part off and put it on your skin,” she informed, watching Guinevere carefully. “Like I said though, I dunno if this is too much for you or not. You might meet God or something.”

“I risk dying for a job, risking it juuust a little off the job is no biggie.” Guinevere grinned, leaning forwards and picking up the pad, resting it on one hand while peeling off the cover. “Well, here goes…” She said, peering down at the exposed pad before slapping it hard onto her forearm, wincing slightly.

A second passed. Two. Three. “I… Don’t feel…” She began, her voice slurring into sounds that were impossible to understand, her vision starting to swim and spin and haze before the world went dark and she keeled over forwards, head slapping against the table, out cold.

It was an awkward moment of course for Francis, who had just warned Guinevere about the fact that this very thing might happen, but at least… At least she was there to do something about it rather than just leaving her. She had said something about feeling like she owed her. A start for paying her back would be to at least pay and carry her back out and back to the base to recover… She’d gotten her into this spot after all.

“Come on…” Francis muttered under her breath, lifting her squadronmate up. It would take some time to get her into a car and back to base but well, sometimes that was just the way things went…

Everything was… Odd. She didn’t really know how to put it as she pushed herself up. It wasn’t a hangover, it was… Close to it? Her head pounded from pain and her vision was a bit hazy and everything was too bright-

She rolled over, burying her face into her pillow to avoid the too-bright light, mumbling incoherently into her pillow, shuffling around awkwardly.

“You feeling alright?” asked Francis - she had passed up on the chance to get high herself, instead looking after Guinevere in case she needed anything… And now that she was awake, she was quickly by the bedside to see if she was doing alright. “I tried to warn you but uh… You kind of passed out immediately as soon as the drug took effect. I think the dose was too much for you.”

“Duh…” Guinevere mumbled out, turning her head sideways on her pillow with her eyes still clamped shut. “I feel like I’ve been run over by a marching band and I can hear them echoing in my skull…”

“You… Need anything? Water? Painkillers?” asked Francis, standing straight now but still looking down at her friend, her eyebrows furrowed in concern. “You uhhh… You did kind of hit your head against the table, so. I’d be surprised if it didn’t still hurt right now.”

“Yeah, gimme a drink an’ painkillers.” Guinevere gave a small, weak nod. “Sit on m’ back or somethin’ when you’re back, feel like I’m gonna float off or some shit…”

“You’re probably still high,” Francis observed, stepping away and moving to another corner of the room where she had already gotten some of the things she was pretty sure would have been needed… One was a glass of water, but she also grabbed a couple of painkilling pills as requested, bringing them over and handing them to Guinevere along with the glass.

“You’re the best... “ Guinevere mumbled out, an arm weakly reaching out to grab the glass of water before she brought it back to her mouth, sipping gently at it before she set it back down. Reluctantly, she sat up, grabbing the painkillers with one hand and popping them into her mouth, washing them down with more of the water.

“Still feel like shite but thanks…” She mumbled out, shutting her eyes again as she sat there, resting a hand on her forehead.

“You should get some rest,” Francis advised. Not that she was an expert on this kind of thing, or a doctor, but she had seen enough in her past to know that Guinevere wasn’t going to be much use like this and that she was best off getting to sleep or at least getting rest. “You’re not going to be able to do much of anything like you are right now.”

“Yea…” Guinevere nodded weakly. “Thanks though.”

“I guess I’ll head back to my own room…” Francis said, slightly disappointed that the night had been ended pretty early thanks to Guinevere passing out and her having to watch over her. Though, she didn’t regret the latter part. “If you need anything… You already have my number.”

“Not like I’m going anywhere, but you can stick around if you want.” Guinevere said, shifting back down so she was lying on her bed. “Although I should probs just, well, sleep this off.”

“I’ll leave you to it…” said Francis, lingering for a moment, perhaps wishing to stay longer, before deciding on what was ultimately the best… And starting out of the room. Hopefully, all of this would be over with and it would be back to normal soon enough.

by **Lunas Legion** » Sat Mar 07, 2020 10:13 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 9
“GATE CRASHING”

As the war in South Aurelia heats up, conflict has broken out across Aunora - and a KIB team from Special Combat Group Nine, known by the callsign Detachment E, has been dispatched to Shengou to aid the Ranhalt Accords aligned National Republic of Shengou against their ongoing communist invasion… From behind enemy lines.

Taikou Border Crossing
NRS-UCSR Border
March 3rd, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

When wars didn’t stay in one place, they could spill over… And in this case, this conflict between the Ranhalt Accords and the Karagrad System was rapidly becoming a world war. First, the conflict in South Aurelia between imperialism and the nativist forces had begun, throwing Kael and Alamannia into a full scale military alliance as they fought to defend their business interests and their imperial possessions alike against the Karagrad System aligned nations of the South Aurelian Soviets and the Republic of Almirez… Now, the war would affect hundreds of millions more as one of the key members of the Karagrad System, the Union of Communist Shengouese Republics, aimed to take advantage of the global disruption as a chance to reunify Shengou into one nation.

It had caused the sides to shift again as the powerful National Republic of Shengou became aligned with the Ranhalt Accords, and the conflict had also directly brought a team of foreigners right here, to the Taikou Border Crossing between the NRS and the UCSR… Or at least what had been the border crossing at one point. The USCR held the entire area after they had pushed over the border and taken control of the surroundings, and the border was closed for the reason of how there was a war. But not all civilians that managed to make it down here were being stopped - it was said to be possible to get through still with the help of a bribe, and the small team that had been assembled by the Kaelic Intelligence Bureau under the callsign ‘Detachment E,’ a part of Special Combat Group Nine, needed to get through right now…

Maintaining the independence of the National Republic was important for the Ranhalt Accords globally. It wasn’t immediately their problem, but they would be at a severe detriment to allow a unified communist Shengou, and the economy of the National Republic helped to support those of the imperial powers in trade deals that would likely only get more favorable with their assistance in this conflict. On the other hand, if the entire country became communist… It would be quite a lot of wasted potential profit, and a lot of existing profits wiped out with an economic shift that would surely be inevitable.

The war in Shengou has already begun…

The reach of the KIB was supposedly infinite, at least if you asked the organization themselves… They were about to find out if that reach could also extend behind enemy lines in Red Shengou, too.

The van, which was driven by team leader Kyran Carey, slowed down as it approached the site of the former border crossing, finding that all the infrastructure was still there… The walls, the gate, and the booth where the guards inhabited. The guards themselves were also there notably, all of them armed with the basic but still effective rifles that were often used by the less than well funded armies of the communist northern Shengouese state.

“Have your pistol ready…” Kyran said, glancing over at the member of the team who was in the passenger seat, the former Federal officer from Feria, who now found herself as a slave of a black operation program of Kael. An asset that wouldn’t as quickly be linked to them, and was… A bit more disposable than some of the others. “Because they’re packing heat down there.”

“Don’t suppose I could’ve gotten something a little… Bigger.” Aella said, only partially in complaint as she reached down and drew her pistol from her hip holster, leaning forwards slightly to look at the guards ahead. “But I can make do.”

“You want to try walking around with a rifle around here?” Kyran mused as he accelerated the van slightly, pulling up to the gate where they were approached by the soldiers fairly quickly… And they were demanding papers and the like, in the language which neither Kyran nor Aella understood - but this wasn’t the time to rely on their translator in the back of the vehicle. “You know, Xiaodan said there’d be a reward from the militia for disrupting the border…” he added, referring to their contact on the other side of the border, Xiaodan Yue, the Republican Shengouese intelligence operative who was working with a capitalist cell behind enemy lines at the moment.

Rolling the window down, Kyran acted like he was about to hand them the papers they wanted, before firing off a quick burst of three rounds through the open window and shredding the thin flak jacket that the communist soldier wore, dropping him dead immediately as the others took note, going into panicked or defensive positions and looking for their weapons if they weren’t already holding them. “Your move, Aella… Think fast.”

“Way to leave me hanging.” Aella rolled her eyes, pistol emerging from where she’d hidden it beneath her leg as she shoved open the car door, jumping out and taking a moment to aim before firing off two shots at another of the guards, catching him squarely in the chest and sending him crumpling to the ground. She heard the sound of the van’s rear doors being kicked open as their team’s translator and third member came around the side, her own pistol up and ready as she surveyed the scene in front of her with an unimpressed look.

She’d find another Shengouese soldier running directly towards her - the bright green uniform making it impossible to misunderstand that this was one of the USCR’s men… And a Zemalyan produced rifle was aimed her way, as a couple others began to pour out of the guardhouse itself, a bit more armored up, and perhaps wondering just what was going on… “Time to pop out,” Kyran said, pistol in hand as he jumped out of the van and took aim across the hood before ducking low to use it as cover, 7.62 rounds racking the side of the vehicle once the soldiers coming out the guardhouse on the right hand side began firing, their muzzles flashing and making their position hard to miss.

“Did we really have to pick a fight with an entire squad…” Aella grumbled, not stepping out from the admittedly limited cover offered by the van’s door as she lined up another shot on one of the oncoming guards before firing off two more shots, Asia dropping down into a kneeling position, taking a moment to aim before firing off another shot. Wasn’t like they had a supply line to get more ammo from out here.

The soldier running towards Asia was stopped in his tracks before he could set for a shot by a bullet passing through the flak jacket, while two of the guards coming out of the guardhouse were wiped out by Aella’s shot followed by Kyran waiting for a short break in the fire before popping up and vaulting over the hood of the vehicle, coming to a stop on the other side and firing one handedly into the opponent’s position… It didn’t seem like there was anyone else here at the moment. “Looks like that’s the last of them… Come on,” Kyran said, waiving to the others and walking towards the guardhouse itself.

“Could’ve at least said we were going to try fighting a guardhouse…” Aella muttered as she slid her pistol back into its holster, the adrenaline gradually fading away as she moved up towards the guardhouse, Asia remaining silent as she followed behind her but her stance nonchalant, as if she hadn’t just been in a brief if bloody firefight.

“There was a bounty on it…” pointed out Kyran as they stepped inside the building itself - Kyran was the first one in, pushing the door open and pointing the pistol forward in case there was anyone inside, but that wasn’t actually the case. “Fortunately, they didn’t see what was in the back… USCR will still be in the dark about that.”

As for what was in the back, it was something for Xiaodan - a crate that contained, amid some explosives which could be used for varying uses, a few MANPADS systems which had been allocated towards the support of the militia. Combined with ambush tactics, they could do quite a bit of damage with this… And take out quite an important figure if they were careful enough with how they used it.

Entering the guardhouse, Kyran looked around and saw what was expected. The same communist gear, not the greatest, but it was better than nothing. “If you do want anything bigger than a pistol… This stuff blends in better,” Kyran stated, gesturing towards the weapons and taking one of the assault rifles. “Could be useful down the line to bring… Grab it if you desire.”

“I figure that they’ll be useful given they use the same type of ammo that we’re going to see a lot of.” Aella said, moving over to a rack of rifles, tapping her fingers over them as she inspected them briefly before removing one, hefting it and checking its weight. “Not the best, but it’s better than nothing at all.” She added, picking up a second rifle and holding it under her other shoulder. “Don’t think there’s much else in here of any use.”

“Not a fan of big guns, so I’ll pass.” Asia said, shaking her head and turning to head back out towards the van.

“We’ll continue on our way before reinforcements show up,” said Kyran, returning to the van along with the others and accelerating before any more soldiers could show up from another location - there was a good chance that at least one person had gotten a radio transmission off, after all. Only thing they could do at this point was get out of the way before reinforcements showed up to investigate. “Of course, they might just find themselves ambushed by the militia… From what I know, the people here aren’t the biggest fans of the KS being in power…”

They were faced again with a winding dirt road in front of them and jungles on the sides, a fair distance between them and the next city. There was a good reason they had picked this crossing and not some of the others - it was removed from more reinforcements too, because of the location. It did mean the road ahead was a bit lonely, however… A far cry from the chaos they were set to experience in the cities soon enough as they aided the militia in going urban.

by **Forest State** » Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:12 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 10
“BIG GAME HUNTING”

The Northern Shengou Liberation Front is a militia group backed by the Ranhalt Accords and the National Republic of Shengou, fighting behind communist lines to weaken their rule from within - after the arrival of the KIB’s Detachment E in a village which is favorable to the movement, plans soon begin to make strong moves to destabilize the ruling party, starting with the lower level provincial communist parties…

Northern Shengouese Liberation Front Safehouse
Xibu, Yoshang Province, Union of Shengouese Communist Republics
March 5th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

The trip from the border crossing to the village would reveal the scars that the war was already leaving - burnt out tanks and armored vehicles could be seen along the roadside on the way there, the result of Republican Shengouese air strikes heading across the border and taking out advancing forces as they attacked… Hadn’t been enough to prevent the communist surge in this area from seizing the stated objectives, however. If they didn’t change anything, and sow chaos like they were looking to, they could expect the surge to continue producing the expected results as laid out by the Shengouese Communist Party. The goal of this covert operation of the KIB and the native rebel movement within communist Shengou, the Northern Shengouese Liberation Front, was aimed at throwing off those plans…

The van arrived safely at the village and the specific safehouse where they were supposed to meet their contact, and there had already been signs that this village was under the control of the militia - it wasn’t too obvious, but more of an armed presence could be seen here. Men walking about with rifles, albeit slightly older and less advanced ones than those carried by the official military. And papers with messages pinned to some of the walls, informing citizens about the militia itself… Recruiting, specifically.

There was no mistake to be made about it. They were in the right place.

“Weird looks will fade when they know we aren’t with the reds,” Kyran said, climbing out of the van after parking it along the dirt main road, having come to the central administrative building - which wasn’t in the greatest condition considering how this place was relatively remote and didn’t get a lot of funding from the government. However, it had been converted from a communist party building to a rebel one, the National Republic flag draped over the balcony on the first floor.

“This is the place, by the way…” he added, gesturing to the building. “Might not be the prettiest but get used to it, it’s where we’re planning shit until this movement spreads to some more… Relevant locations.”

“Not exactly sure about the whole draping the flag over the balcony thing.” Asia said dryly, looking over the building. “I thought we were supposed to be trying to be a little bit subtle rather than literally hanging out we’re the enemy to the communists while on their turf. Or, well, what was their turf.”

The village of Xibu…

Aella said nothing, content to stand as she was with her hands behind her back, eyes alert and watching the surrounding village.

“They’re already kicked out of this place for the most part, the area’s considered a pocket of resistance by Republican forces,” Kyran said, walking to approach the building. “It’s hard to hide that there’s a rebellion here after taking down the local communist party branch, anyway… Not that this one was getting that much attention. Seems like it was just this office.”

They wouldn’t have to head into the building because they would find themselves approached as the doors opened, a small group emerging from the worn down concrete structure who looked a little more official than most of the guerilla fighters in the area. Rather than civilian clothes, they had olive green fatigues that looked like they had been taken from some foreign surplus supply, and their rifles were right at their sides… They didn’t have any markings on their outfits, however. But a couple of them did have helmets, which were likely stolen from military supplies around here.

“Ah, so you’re the team of westerners that we’ve been awaiting…” said the woman at the head of the group, able to speak to them in Albionish but talking with a heavy Shengouese accent. “I’m Xiaodan… And those around me are my allies in arms. I assume you’ve brought the equipment.”

“In the back of the van,” said Kyran, walking around and opening the back, revealing the weapons crates that were there - the MANPADS ones being the most important.

“Excellent,” Xiaodan said, opening one of the crates to check the goods inside, lifting up a heavy MANPADS launcher without trouble - she was fairly athletic, her arms showing definition from working out and her figure slim while still being muscular. “This is just what we need, yes. Also, you already know who we are… But you are KIB, yes?”

“You could say that,” Kyran replied, before introducing his own group. “The name’s Kyran. And the other two are my partner and my translator. I believe there will be more of us operating in this area… But first, someone has to lay the groundwork,” he added, before gesturing to the others to introduce themselves.

“I’m Aella.” Aella said simply, more focused on the surrounding area and watching the group that had come out of the building. She didn’t figure she needed a proper introduction.

“Asia, the translator.” Asia said in Shengouese, her accent not heavy but most certainly noticeable to a native of Shengou. She hadn’t learned it here, after all, she’d learned it in a migrant community in Kael.

The Shengouese from Asia made Xiaodan raise an eyebrow, and she took specific interest in her and walked a couple steps closer, looking her over. “Are you from my country, or…?” she asked curiously - referring of course to the National Republic of Shengou, the place that was currently fighting red Shengou and the reason why this militia existed in the first place.

“Migrants to Kael, two generations back.” Asia said, shaking her head. “Never said which side of the country they were from.”

“Ah… Suppose with all the turmoil back then, looking for Kaelic riches was the better option…” Xiaodan mused, pausing as she looked between the members of the group and then looked back to Asia. “I’m interested to know what it’s like for someone like you down there. Maybe when things aren’t intense, we can sit down for a drink or two…”

“I wouldn’t mind.” Asia nodded, smiling. “I’ve never actually had a chance to visit Shengou, so all I’ve ever had to go off about it are what you can find on the Internet and the stories of my grandparents. Just a shame it’s like this when I did finally get to come here.”

“The government in the north is desperate… Have to prove to the people that they can rule, have to prove to the world that they’re more than just another Zemalyan puppet state. So it’s the rest of us - and all the northerners under their boot - that get to suffer,” Xiaodan said as she turned and started walking towards the building, followed by the others and the KIB team. “But not everyone up here is on board with it… Screw enough people with corrupt party officials at the lower levels, and you get villages like this. Only in the northern propaganda did the people care about the party getting removed.”

She entered the building itself, and when they followed, they’d see that much of the things had been cleared out and the main room had been converted into an area which had some things related to planning - in this case maps and photographs laid out on a table, as a television set that was probably a couple decades old played the news in the background on a low volume, the picture quality a bit faded after all this time.

“Fortunately, a lot of us also care enough to strike back,” Xiaodan continued, stopping and looking down at the maps. “It’s actually why we need the anti-air equipment, other than taking down the attack helis that we’ve seen in these skies… You know what else it’s useful for? Taking out VIPs. The latest operation we’re planning is all about that. The rebellion? It will begin in Yoshang province, that is, right here, with the local party head going down.”

She pointed to the map, making a gesture with her finger to show the route they would take. “The regional capital is Nianyang, a city which isn’t up there with the megacities of some parts of the north but it is relevant enough that if unrest started there, the Communist Party would have a hard time containing it. Outside of Nianyang is the international airport named for the city… We intend on sending a team along this path, to set up on this hill which is relatively close to the pair of runways. Many times, the planes even climb over this hill to get to altitude… Thanks to inside word, we know that one of these planes taking off from this airport is very likely to be flying the provincial party chairman, Ye Lou. And if we can manage to us this anti air system for an ambush and take that private jet down… I believe it’s enough to throw Yoshang into a chaos that the reds won’t easily recover from.”

“It’s a sound enough plan, at least on paper.” Aella said, crossing her arms. “The hard parts will be getting the AA team in and out of there in the first place, and identifying which plane the target is on. We’ll only get one shot at this after all, so we need to make sure we get the right plane.”

“We’re aware of the type of jet and the time that it will be leaving… But yes, getting in and getting into position without spooking the target and without running into delays or anything else that might cause things to go off plan could be a problem,” Xiaodan pondered, still looking at the map. “Lou will be flying out to Changyan soon enough for meetings with the central government, but if we want to get in position to take the shot… We’ll have to head out of the city itself, through the jungle, and then through a village not far from the airport that’s around the same place the hill is… Lot of the people there profit off tourism from the airport, so the place isn’t empty most of the time.”

“I don’t suppose it’d be possible to move everything during the night, set everything up then while it’s quieter?” Aella asked, frowning. “We don’t want to give ourselves away after all before we’ve done what we set out to do.”

“It’s around a populated area, the longer we’re around there… The more risk there is,” Xiaodan pointed out, sighing slightly. “Of course, there’s risk getting there during the day, but with the rebel movements gaining some momentum thanks to the war, the military isn’t entirely inactive at the moment when it comes to patrols and the like.”

“True, it’s just a matter of trade-offs,” Aella said. “If there’s a place that we could hide after we’ve moved everything at night I’d say that’s the better option in my view at least, but if there isn’t we want to have everything in position for the shortest time possible while also allowing for time to actually get into position and set up. I’m not the leader of the team though, so…” She turned to look towards Kyran. “I’ll defer to whatever Kyran’s opinion on this is.”

“I think that coming in during the night would add more risks… Entering and exiting two times, once to set up and another time to complete the mission. Unless there’s a second team sent in to set up, perhaps… Poses some problems if that team happens to fail their task,” Kyran pointed out.

“And the area is going to be secured, so there’s always a chance of the first team failing,” Xiaodan added, a hand on her chin as she paced slightly, trying to figure the situation out.

“In which case going in only once during the day is the best option, unless the night team remains with the equipment until it’s used.” Asia mused. “But I don’t know if that would be possible depending on where it’d be hidden. And even then, it still has to be moved from wherever we’re hiding it to the firing location.”

“Getting there just before the flight is set to take off has the risk of missing it, but I think overall it has the less chances of the op getting blown early,” Kyran stated. “If this area is actually populated, there’s not going to be many places to hide things that aren’t at risk of getting run into by military patrols around the city and the village.”

“There’s patrols indeed,” confirmed Xiaodan. “I suppose it’s settled, then. Since we’ve come to a decision, we can move ahead with the operation… In due time. The flight isn’t for three more days, meaning there’s some time to rest before all of this begins. I think you’ve all had a long journey, after all.”

“Resting sounds nice.” Aella said, nodding gratefully. “I’ll want to have a look at a few maps, get some idea of the route we’re taking in and out, but I’ll be much better at it if I have a nap first or something.”

“The intel we have is set out here… Feel free to take a look at it,” Xiaodan said, taking a step away from the table. “As for anyone that wants to sit down, you can follow me to the area where we have housing prepared.”

“I’ll take a look later.” Aella said, moving to follow after Xiaodan, Asia hesitating briefly before stepping after them both.

“Guess we’ll find out in three days how good of a plan this is,” Kyran said, following after the other team members after they had come to the resolution that they were looking for, having decided their plan. Now, they could focus on the harder part… Executing it.

It didn’t take long for the time to pass, the first day that they had arrived turning into three days spent in Xibu… And now, they had departed for Nianyang just like they had planned, switching out the van which had been used before for an off road four by four which was used by the militia forces. They wouldn’t be able to ride the whole way there, however. As they reached the outskirts of the city where they would head off into the jungle, using a trail which they were approaching now, the vehicle stopped long enough to let the team members off - Xiaodan, two members of her militia, and the group of KIB agents who were set to come along themselves using the rifles recovered from the previous attack on the government forces.

“Alright, this is the start of the trail… Less likely to run into military patrols out here but it’s not impossible,” said Xiaodan as she stepped out and gestured with her own weapon towards the start of the path. “Let’s get moving, last thing we want is to run into trouble because some civilians saw us at the side of the road with weapons,” she added… One of her men, of course, was also carrying one of the anti-air launchers on his back with a large bag, which was fairly obvious looking.

The jungles of the Yoshang Province.

“How long should it take us to get into position from here?” Asia asked as she climbed out of the van, hand resting by her pistol’s holster. She was a translator, not a proper field agent, so she didn’t carry a rifle like Aella did who climbed out after her, a rifle gripped tightly in her hands as she looked around.

“Not the longest walk but it’s not the quickest either, we’re taking an unconventional route in this case because anything else that takes us towards the airport is going to bring us too close to the city,” Xiaodan replied, starting off at a good pace and brushing branches out of her way before they entered a more clear section of trail than the head… The head of the trail was decently covered up, but the actual path was more open, probably used before for evading the military. Maybe even before the war had broken out again.

“And you don’t want to go into the city like this…” she added, as Kyran and the others followed after her closely behind. “Remember, the people are rewarded for snitching. Don’t think that they won’t get the military on your ass if they see you like this.”

“Makes sense.” Aella said, walking down the trail. “I’ll take long and safe over quicker but watched by potential informants. Besides, we’ve got plenty of time.”

“This the first time in the jungle for you all?” Xiaodan asked with a raised eyebrow. “For most of us, it’s what we’re already used to… A natural weapon against the regime. It’s hard for them to get a handle on the movement when their patrols disappear without a trace…”

“Wouldn’t be the first time, but haven’t been anywhere like this before… Or in an actual war like this one. Can’t speak for them, though,” Kyran said in response, continuing behind Xiaodan. Fact of the matter was, the KIB was quite active in South Aurelia. It just hadn’t become as apparent as it was until the war between the Ranhalt Accords and the South Aurelian nativist movement broke out.

“Normally I spend most of my time in a nice air-conditioned office doing translation of SIGINT in Shengouese.” Asia admitted. “So yes, first time in the jungles.”

“Also my first time, but I’m ex-Border Patrol, so dealing with anything unpleasant isn’t unusual to me.” Aella said. “Just more used to deserts.”

“Ex Border Patrol in another country, perhaps,” Kyran remarked, reaching to yank back slightly on the collar on Aella’s neck, reminding her of her status as the one Ferian on the otherwise Kaelic and Shengouese squad - and as a slave to the KIB, paying off the debt of having fought for the rival nation in the past.

“Can you not remind me this thing exists?” Aella said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve gotten used to having it around my neck but really. It gets uncomfortable after a while.”

“It could be worse… You could be in Bangor’s hands, still,” Kyran pointed out - which was the truth. The KIB at least paid for the work done and had decent conditions. It was a far cry from the Bangor Syndicate which had originally taken Aella in before the KIB’s deal and simply kept their own captures in the bare minimum of conditions.

“Also true.” Aella conceded. “Still all a bit theatrical for my tastes at least, but I’ll deal.”

“What, do you think it lacks a purpose?” Kyran questioned as Xiaodan looked back on the conversation with slight amusement - it wasn’t that hard for her to figure out the meaning behind the conversation, it wasn’t as if the Aurelian trend for slavery was an unknown aspect of the continent’s culture. Though the arguments were still there about whether those who ended up in that position as a result of Aurelia’s instability and many conflicts were better off as they were, or simply dead or left to ruined cities…

“I’m saying you can get the same effects with slightly less obvious stuff than sticking a collar around my neck.” Aella said. “But ultimately you’re the people in charge, so collar it is.”

“I could press the shock button for questioning it… But I believe that may be too much of a distraction to the task at hand,” Kyran stated - seemingly a bit annoyed at the Ferian, but not willing to do much in the way of taking action since they could still get into a fight at any moment if they had the bad luck of running into the military… Or people that reported them to the military.

Aella said nothing, deciding not to press her luck any further, not when the threat of the collar shocking her had been already mentioned. She wasn’t stupid, but she may have pressed just a bit too much given her circumstances.

Kyran said nothing either as they kept moving down the trail, nearing the spot where they would turn and head for the village itself, outside of Nianyang - and then for the hill towards the edge of it where they’d have a view of the runways… However, Xiaodan made it clear that she heard something coming. “Into the trees…” she said, and she was the first to move, ducking along the side of the road and lowering herself to the layer of shrubbery on the jungle floor - it wasn’t comfortable being down here with the plants and sharp sticks and the like, but the important thing was not being seen or heard… Because she knew that she had definitely heard something coming further down the road, from the rustling of branches.

Aella crouched down slightly before slipping off the trail into the jungle’s undergrowth, staying low and silent while Asia followed after Xiaodan on the other side of the trail from Aella, dropping down onto her stomach in the undergrowth, watching in silence with nervous breathing.

The noise was indeed from the military which was marching through the area at the time, but they weren’t paying enough attention to the patrol to look closely at the area next to the roads… They passed without incident and the group of rebels and agents managed to remain quiet enough to avoid detection as they eventually ended up out of view and perhaps more importantly, out of earshot.

“Alright, we can move again…” Xiaodan said, pushing herself up along with her two men, while Kyran raised himself off the ground and started after her. That had been a minor scare, but now that they were about to pass into the village, there was a chance they would end up with more of a scare than the one they’d experienced just now…

“Guess we got lucky…” Aella said as she got up and started following after the others, Asia moving after her in a slightly spooked silence.

The actual entrance to the village wasn’t anything major - unlike the actual city, there was no gate or any other formal entering place that would be hard for a group like them to head in without getting attention. They did have to move quickly however and look to avoid the main path, instead cutting through yards and the like to avoid being seen with their weapons and strange bag, as they made their way towards the final part of the trail, the overlooking spot at the village’s edge. The last bit of walking that they needed to complete, actually…

They nearly came into the view of some civilians but they managed to move quickly and carefully enough to not fall into the trap of getting seen and reported to the military - or the police, either one could be equally threatening depending on the circumstances. They did however make it through the area without getting stopped, bringing them to one final section of dirt road where they were able to set the bag down while moving to look at the view - the overlooking angle on the airport was as impressive as predicted.

Nianyang Ninth of October International Airport

“That’s the airport alright… Nianyang International. Or rather, Nianyang Ninth of October International, because of the date when the communist party took over the city,” Xiadan said, waving the others to check it out beside her. She looked down at her phone briefly, to get the time. “Still ten minutes to spare, be glad we didn’t run into trouble on the way.”

“That’s why we gave ourselves the extra time.” Asia said, moving to kneel down as she looked out from the hill over the flat expanse of the airport. It was a good view, she wouldn’t have called it impressive, but it was nice. “Might as well set ourselves up.”

Xiaodan gave a gesture to one of her men, who started unpacking the anti-aircraft weapon and getting ready to move into position to take the shot… While Kyran paced slightly before moving over to where Aella was standing, and resuming the previous conversation now that they were out of the immediate danger area for getting into a fight or getting discovered by civilians… Probably, anyway.

“You know, I don’t want to hear any complaints about this KIB job that you chose, especially knowing full and well that you live better than I did for the longest time,” Kyran pointed out, grabbing the collar once again. “And I’m sure a lot of those people in the border towns that were on the other side from you would feel the same damn way about it…”

“Still trying to adjust to the circumstances.” Aella said, shutting her eyes in thought. “Fuck knows that it’s better than Feria in some ways, not having to watch my back constantly for some corrupt- Wait, fuck that, we were all corrupt to some degree or another, so there’s no real point in saying that. Any other officer just shooting me in the back or while I slept or some gang getting pissed with me for whatever and taking me out. Sure, it was a pile of shit, but…” Aella shrugged. “I guess it comes down to that old freedom or having nice shit debate.”

“I didn’t have shit when I ended up in the KIB… Was that or factory shit. Or something else blue collar,” Kyran stated flatly. “You on the other hand didn’t even have to do anything… You just had to agree to a deal, which you did. I might not take kindly to it if you switch it up now and tell me everything in that deal isn’t good enough now…”

“Not complaining about the deal itself, more about the…” Aella paused, searching for the right word. “Like, particulars I guess? They’re not really problems, they’re, like… I guess you could call it professional pride or something, it’s just not how I’d handle it if ends were swapped, but I can deal. It could be a lot fucking worse after all.”

“Didn’t say the same thing when that particular was mentioned before,” Kyran countered, before taking a step away to move back to the others and look at the scene below them - the government plane, a mid sized private jet which was clearly identified by the markings of the USCR, was on the runway and was preparing for takeoff… And Xiaodan and her team were watching closely, waiting carefully for the moment when that takeoff would actually happen. By the time it did, the heat from the engines would definitely be enough to guide the missile.

“Only a minute or two now…” Xiaodan announced, watching with a small pair of binoculars.

Aella said nothing, tapping her foot impatiently against the ground as she watched specks move around on the distant airport runway, Asia letting out a disinterested yawn but likewise watching, although far less intently.

AAM-26 Venator MANPADS.

The plane would start the run down the runway, and before long it had reached off the ground and the landing gear was being retracted - at which point it was almost time to take the shot… Xiaodan had already confirmed that the target was actually on the plane, and all they had to do was wait to get the lock. Which happened when the plane wasn’t far in the air, the screeching tone alerting the militia soldier that was holding the launcher to pull the trigger… Seconds later, smoke shot around the area and a round was being flung at high speed towards the plane once it had cleared, closing the distance quickly… They weren’t that far off from where the plane was, after all.

And the missile wouldn’t miss from that range, either, not against the slow moving private jet which couldn’t pull the same moves to get away from it that a fighter or even an agile helicopter could, and a jet that didn’t even have flares to release and throw off the trail of the target… It was only a matter of when the missile would hit, not if.

BOOM!

“Target downed…” Xiaodan said calmly, although she had to contain herself to keep from outright celebrating the fact that they had completed their goal… No, she kept her voice calmer for now, standing up and gesturing for her men to move on. “No time to stand around and watch them panic on the ground, everyone could see where the launch was from… They’re going to be on our ass real soon.”

“Which is reason to get out of here,” said Kyran, rifle raised as the plane crashed to the ground in the background, lighting up in a secondary explosion following the first one which had taken out one of the two engines in the back, which had been the cause of the sudden spiral and crash of the vehicle. “We’ll be able to admire our work when the news comes out… After half the province is probably on lockdown…”
“There’ll be a few minutes of chaos so we should use them wisely.” Asia said as she stood up. “Let’s get going.” Aella stood up in silence, nodding as she slipped her rifle off from where she had it slung over her shoulder. They didn’t want to get in a gunfight while exfiltrating, but if they did they had to be ready for it.

They had a chance to get out through the same way that they had arrived, but they would have to go through the process of ducking the authorities a second time also… Xiaodan was once again at the head of the group and they left the launcher where it was rather than bringing the bulky object with them - it would remove the evidence but make it harder for them to actually get out, considering how hard it was to hide within a bag that didn’t immediately look suspicious. Especially with the security forces on alert soon enough…

As they descended through the jungle and down the hill, they would find that the village already had the military mobilizing, albeit in small numbers - they probably didn’t even know what was happening yet, but they would have received some kind of alert from the ground at the airport that something was going on and that the surrounding area was going into lockdown mode. “Soldiers…” muttered Xiaodan - she moved to the side of the road and went for the trees and bushes once again, ducking low and attempting to avoid their gaze as they ran by along the main road, a squad heading for the front of the village. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like they were headed yet towards the offshoot road the team was headed down, after going there to get to the hill.

Nianyang on lockdown…

“Hopefully they just all fuck off…” Asia said, having slid into the undergrowth by the side of the trail, Aella a short distance behind her. They could probably win a firefight, but getting out without a firefight would be by far the better option.

“They’re headed for the front gate and that’s where our ride is going to be,” Kyran pointed out. “But we might be able to get the jump on them before others show up.”

They didn’t have time to make hard plans, they had to keep moving, which Xiaodan and the others did as they ran for the exit, Xiaodan looking down at her phone once again to check the time before hurriedly stuffing it back in her pocket. “We’re a couple minutes out from the time when the car is supposed to get here…”

“Better we get the jump on them then.” Aella said, eyes quickly glancing over her rifle as she ran. “Last thing we need is the car showing up with a bunch of soldiers still milling around there.”

“Rifles out,” Xiaodan said, stopping when they were behind the group of soldiers that were now working on locking down the entrance area at the front of the village, waiting for the rest of the group to join her before she made her presence known to everyone by lining up the ironsight of the Shengouese military issue Type 44 rifle and opening up with a burst of five shots at the closest of the five soldiers… Drilling the soldier with four shots through the body and breaking the thin flak jacket that the soldier happened to be equipped with. Wasn’t much help against multiple hits like this, considering the cheap material and construction of the equipment.

Kyran took the second shot, firing the same number of bullets while walking up directly behind Xiaodan and aiming at the NCO in charge of the group - once again, the multiple body shots was enough to take down the target in the brief moments before the rest of the other side was able to take note and shoot back, cutting the group to three in an instant.

Aella’s rifle jerked upwards, quickly resighting her rifle with practiced ease as the soldier she’d been lined up on dropped to the ground, firing a three round burst from her rifle at one of the remaining soldiers while Asia fired two shots from her pistol at one of the other soldiers still left standing. Aella managed to hit with a pair of shots to take out a third soldier but the onslaught of success ended there as Asia missed her pistol shots, the soldiers turning around at about that time and taking note of the attack… The two of them that were left, anyway.

Backing up and looking for cover around the wooden buildings that were around the general area, but not finding it just yet, the soldiers fired as they retreated - the first one missing and not hitting anywhere near any of the team members with a three round burst while the second placed a three round burst into one of the two militia soldiers that they had come with, penetrating with no problem… The armor the militia was wearing wasn’t exactly the same quality as military body armor, after all. It was more a thin layer that aided with stopping shrapnel, not enough to save a life against a weapon like this.

“Damn it…” said Xiaodan as one of her men went down, visibly shaken by the incident, as the soldier continued to backpedal and took cover behind a wooden fence… But it wasn’t worth much as far as cover was concerned, and Xiaodan set her rifle sights on the surviving soldier that had fired the shot, putting her second burst of shots through the thin layer of wood and putting a number of holes into the body of the communist soldier in the process.

Four down, one remaining…

Asia lined up her pistol on the sole remaining soldier, firing two more rounds. She’d probably need to pick up a replacement from a dead soldier after this, given they didn’t exactly have a supply route and finding replacement rounds for a foreign pistol like hers here might be difficult. Asia’s shots hit the mark but pistol rounds weren’t always enough to kill when they were fired in small numbers. In this case, they certainly weren’t, as the soldier remained up, albeit slowed down by the injury and in less of a position to fight… So Kyran raised his rifle and fired once again, sending two rounds this time in an attempt to finish the fight, hitting with both shots to put the enemy down for good.

“That’s a reason to pick up a rifle next time,” Kyran reminded Asia, before getting on the move again as an SUV approached the entrance of the village. “And I think that’s our ride…”

The vehicle was rugged enough to handle the dirt roads they’d have to travel to avoid going through Nianyang itself - which was going to be under lockdown by the time they reached it. Hopefully, they could reach the SUV and get going before the reinforcements showed up for the soldiers they’d just taken out…

“I never learned how to shoot with rifles…” Asia said in reply, not stopping to continue the conversation and instead sprinting in the direction of the approaching SUV, Aella following after her. Sticking around wasn’t a good idea after all.

Kyran climbed into the back of the SUV followed by Xiaodan and the others, and the SUV driver was quickly turning around before the doors were even completely closed, before accelerating to tear down the dirt road ahead before more soldiers could show up… Of course, there was a chance they might run into more later, but there was good reason they intended to take an alternate route that would take them through the backroads rather than the city…

“I believe the mission is complete,” Xiaodan said once they were far enough away that they could be sure they wouldn’t get hit with surprise gunshots. She allowed herself to let out a sigh of relief. “And we can finally turn on the news and relax a bit…”

“More than a bit, that’s the first actual firefight I’ve been in.” Asia said, slumping back where she was sitting with her eyes shut, pistol laying across her lap, breathing deeply.

They’d continue down the dirt roads like this without further trouble, Xiaodan turning the radio on in the passenger seat and listening to the news in Shengouese as it was announced that there had just been an attack at the airport… The details weren’t being released yet. But eventually, they almost certainly would be - it was impossible to hide something like this for long, especially when the flaming wreck of the plane was still on the runway and there were thousands of civilians at that same airport with phones which could record.

Now, as chaos was about to set in, they could move to further sow the seeds of rebellion in the Yoshang province, which could be the starting point… Of something greater.

by **Lunas Legion** » Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:50 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 11
“RUMORS”

The conflict between East and West Kuristan has died down for now, but following a period of downtime, the mercenary fighters of Warhawk Defense have once again been tasked with an important operation behind enemy lines to cripple the numerically superior advance of Karagrad System forces for a time… All the while, rumors beign to spread about one mysterious pilot.

Shavikor National Airbase
Shavikor, Republic of Kuristan
March 10th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Weeks ago, some would have said that the Republic of Kuristan was dead, that it would fall to the legions of ZSFR backed proxy soldiers headed over the Kostori river into western territory… And towards western Aunora itself, in an invasion of an irrelevant country that at the moment was in the spotlight for being the gateway into the occidental world. Today, however, the situation was somewhat more stable… Not to say that it was good, but the aerial war in the skies slowing down the advance on the ground meant the Karagrad System’s advances hadn’t worked out as planned. For now, East Kuristan had been stonewalled to the east of Shavikor, and the situation on the ground and in the sky around this area would likely decide whether the onslaught continued or the western backed faction pushed back and regained lost ground.

Part of the more recent success of the Republic of Kuristan had to do with the arrival of Warhawk Defense on their soil, and Pitchfork Squadron, foreign mercenaries from Kael who were paid for by the Ranhalt Accords - and brought equipment to match their status as a first world squadron. This top tier equipment, and their skilled pilots more importantly, had been able to help in stalling the offensive before it could push further into their territory…

And as things wound down around the frontline and both sides prepared for their next moves, the members of Pitchfork had clearly earned their rest time as even they took some time off from all of it, heading into the city to shop or staying back at the base housing and just relaxing, or even taking a bit of time to work with the engineering team on fine tuning aspects of the planes themselves… Regardless of what they were doing at the moment, it was a nice downtime. It was, after all, a break from the raging war that didn’t yet have a clear winner as both east and west pumped more resources into either side.

Guinevere wasn’t one of the latter type. As much as she enjoyed flying, and liked to consider herself quite good at it, the engineering side of things was, quite simply, beyond her. She trusted their support staff to keep the planes in a ‘good enough’ state, and that was enough for her. So, instead, she’d found herself a relatively quiet and out of the way corner of the base, and relaxed away from all of the chaos and commotion by watching a film on her phone.

It wasn’t very good, but she had a can of beer by her side, half-empty, and it wasn’t somewhere where most people would bother her, so it was fine by her.

Except, her peace wouldn’t last forever as she found herself approached by another member of the squadron, albeit one that didn’t work directly with her considering her position in the other flight, which ran separately during missions… Lyke Rasmus was her name, and she was from Norica - the ultra-rich northern end of North Aurelia which lived in luxury compared to the Republic of North Aurelia and its breakaway states. It was a mystery why she was even a mercenary, coming from a wealthy background back there…

Once again, she was inseparable from the device in her hand, a fairly sophisticated phone.

SNAP!

The sound that would alert Guinevere to her presence would be that of a picture being taken, as Lyke made her way up to her, the usual devious smirk on her face. “That’s going in the collection,” she said, stopping when she’d reached the other pilot. “Jeez, what are you doing sitting here all by yourself? You really live like this?”

“Maybe I just wanted a little bit of quiet and, well, y’know, not getting added to your mysterious collection?” Guinevere said with an exasperated look on her face, rolling her eyes. “Granted the film I have is… Surprisingly shite given what I’d heard of it, but still. Not everyone is a people person all of the time.”

Lyke Rasmus, internet queen…

“Oh come on, I’m sure seeing me has brightened your day at least a little,” Lyke said, pacing in front of Guinevere impatiently. “Say, you’re watching a movie right now, not even doing anything interesting like… Man, I don’t know… Maybe… Looking at the drama forums or something?”

“Drama isn’t really my thing most of the time.” Guinevere shrugged. “Like, unless I actually know the people, I just can’t get into it unless it’s someone doing something really fuckin’ dumb that I can laugh at. Some shit happening I don’t know about?”

“I’m actually not just here to bless you with my presence, but because I wanted to talk to you about that… Y’know, I’m a good squadronmate most of the time,” Lyke stated, smirking before her pacing suddenly stopped, and she turned directly in front of Guinevere, looking down on her. “Guess you don’t know the stories about that friend of yours, eh? You know which one I’m talking about. The Diamenian. Francis, to be specific…”

“I’ve heard a few, but if Francis doesn’t want to talk about it I’m not about to try invading her privacy.” Guinevere said, rubbing her shoulders. “What’s the newest one about or whatever in particular that’s sparked you to come to me, hm?”

“Wouldn’t be a good squadronmate if I didn’t give you a warning, and well… There’s a few pilots from 153 Squadron back in Bahia Clara that are on the image board these days. Gave some shocking news, actually,” Lyke continued, leaning slightly closer and lowering her voice as if she was saying something scandalous. “Said that this ‘her’ you’re talking about is actually a guy. Why you think she ended up a 153 reject and had to come running here? I mean, I know it sounds like a stretch, but come on, what Diamenian chick do you even know that sounds like that? I think it explains it perfectly…”

“And you actually believe this shit?” Guinevere rolled her eyes, leaning forwards. “Francis’ squadron, from what I know, fuckin’ hated her guts. Wouldn’t put it past them to put shit like this out about her just to make her feel like absolute dog shite and discredit everything she says.”

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t hate someone that lied to you and deceived you? I mean… Love me or hate me, at least I’m honest. How are you going to go to war with someone when you can’t even trust ‘em on what they are?” Lyke questioned. “I’ll say it again, have you ever heard a chick that sounds like Francis?”

“No, but I don’t exactly get to speak to many Diamenians either, so…” Guinevere said, falling into silence for a moment. “I can’t say it’s not just the accent or whatever or some medical condition or whatever.”

“Really? Who are you going to trust? The people that are from the same place that she is, or well… Her, considering how weird she acts half the time… Are you lonely or something? You can do better than that, and if you’re just hanging out with her for desperation or something, I can help with that, for the right price,” Lyke said, going into a sales pitch - rather typical for someone from the hypercapitalist country that she had been born and raised in. “I can give you a makeover and have all the eyes around this base on you, or I can offer help more… Directly, in a number of ways. But if you want me, I’m a pricey mistress. I mean, you’d get a discount for being in my squadron and all, but I’ve got something that all my fifty K followers want…”

Guinevere was silent, giving Lyke a flat look. “I’m fairly sure that you can’t just buy friendship, Lyke.” Guinevere said eventually. “Like, I already said that her squadron hates her guts so why the flying fuck would I trust whatever they’re saying anymore than some other random fucker on the Internet that I don’t know? That you’re offering help is appreciated, but, well, I don’t really need everyone staring at me all the damn time. Not all of us are people people.”

“I wasn’t selling friendship,” said Lyke, kneeling down next to Guinevere and leaning into her ear, uncomfortably close. “Was under the impression that you hung around Francis for other reasons… That’s what the rumor mill thinks too, by the way. You know, if you don’t pay attention to it, you miss it when you end up coming up in it… But that’s besides the point. I’m just saying I don’t know if Francis herself is the most trustworthy person. I mean, even assuming she’s not lying, do you even know the reason they hate her? Surely she did something to have a problem with the whole squadron and not just one or two people. A squadron is like… A lotta pilots and a big fuckin’ number of people. You could say she had to be… Infamous, where she’s from. Or… Do you believe she’s some angel that hasn’t done anything wrong, and every other pilot is just against her for no reason?”

“I think she pissed off some popular and or high ranking person by being herself when she joined and that’s just how everything went.” Guinevere said, crossing her arms. “I’ve spent more time around her than you have, sure she might’ve done something but she’s quiet as fuck most of the time, she doesn’t strike me as the type to actively offend someone so I think she just rubbed someone the wrong way or whatever and being herself it all went to shit from there.”

“But most people don’t give a shit about stuff like that enough to hate someone… How much do you even keep up with the pilots that aren’t in your flight? Like me or Liam? You don’t… Feel anything that strongly for us since we don’t work around each other all the time, right? If she had just pissed off some officer that made her life hell because of it, sure, maybe you can say she didn’t do anything wrong… But we’re talking about pissin’ off her squadron enough to defect. Come on. This kinda thing just doesn’t happen over little shit,” Lyke insisted, before edging closer, placing her hands on Guinevere’s shoulders and leaning towards her neck, close enough that her breath could easily be felt on it. “You’re just blinded by hormones because you didn’t get enough attention in high school… Well, that’s my amateur psychologist diagnosis anyway, and I’m offering you the ‘treatment…’”

“Maybe I just didn’t like what high school was offering up my way.” Guinevere said, leaning back away from Lyke and her too-close breath. “I don’t really get why this is any of your business really either, it’s not like she’s caused us any problems now is it? And as much as the offer is appreciated, I’ll pass this time.”

“Stupid girl,” Lyke muttered, not happy about the rejection as she remained where she was, not making further moves but pressing with her questions. “And what’s going to happen when she gets exposed for lying to the rest of the squadron? For maybe lying to the KIB agent that’s handling the immigration thing? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be around when the guys in black vans get pissed off. And I know I don’t want to fly with a serial liar.”

“She’s saved me at least twice up there.” Guinevere said, uncrossing her arms and leaning forwards slightly. “It isn’t lying if it’s not relevant to… This.” She gave a gesture around her. “She knows what’s important, I trust her enough not to lie if it’d put the rest of us on the line.”

“If she’d lie about the most basic of things, she’d lie about anything. And if she is telling the truth about actually being a ‘she,’ I’ll take my .45 caliber pistol and shoot myself in the head. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no chance…” said Lyke, pushing off of the wall and standing up, somewhat disappointed sounding… Not flat out angry, but she definitely didn’t sound happy with the way the talk had went. “You’re just too drunk on love to see. I’m sure when the KIB kicks her door down for lying on her paperwork, you’re still going to find a way to deny it.”

“And I trust her enough not to have lied on that.” Guinevere said, not moving from where she was. “I guess we’ll just have to see who was right about what whenever it happens, although who knows how long we’ll be out here anyways.”

Lyke seemed angry for a moment… More than a moment, really, but she fought and kept herself under control, though her fist was slightly shaking from her current mood. “You little… Fine. Fine… You can trust her, I don’t think most of the rest of us do. Well, trust him I should say. And when there’s trouble for this, you’re going to wish you had accepted by help back when I offered it… I might not be feeling as humble and gracious then.”

“Like I said, we’ll see eventually.” Guinevere said. “Maybe you are right, in which case I guess I’m going to be fucked over by it all, but at least then you’ll get to have the last laugh over it all. But maybe you’re not.”

“I am… And you’re going to be part of the problem when someone gets shot down because of chemistry problems and not working together properly. Might even be you,” Lyke replied, before turning on her heel, starting to leave but stopping for a moment longer. “Then again, I don’t know why I even talked to you… You clearly just like her and think she’s better than me of all people despite everything I’ve done that she hasn’t…”

Guinevere said nothing, just shrugging in response. She didn’t feel like talking anymore right now, and honestly, she didn’t actually have anything else to say. She wasn’t entirely sure what Lyke had been expecting after showing up and immediately badmouthing someone she considered a friend, really.

Despite the period of rest, the next day, it was back to action, with the briefing informing the pilots that they had a very important task on this day… Just as important as the mission over the river where they had stopped the eastern advance. It had warranted some hours of briefing and much of the early day had been spent by the ground crews setting up the heavy armaments that were going to be used, but by now, that was wrapping up and the pilots were making their way to the hangars and the planes… For the interdiction strike ahead.

Supposedly, taking out the coal power plant deep into enemy territory near Tapan, the enemy capital, would cripple the opposing side on the civilian front for some time until they could get power running again in the capital metropolitan area. However, it was also an attempt at a quick strike into the most heavily defended enemy area, which meant there was a good chance in running into fiercer resistance than they had faced at the river in the previous fight.

Because of this task, their dark-painted F-39 Super Redtails had been outfitted with loadouts of both air to air and air to ground weaponry - there was an escort of electronic warfare aircraft set to fly ahead of them, but other than that, they would have to protect themselves against any threats that came from the sky, while still hitting back at SAMs when needed and saving enough for the primary target of the power facility.

No one had said, after all, that it was an easy assignment.

Guinevere was breathing heavily as she sprinted across the tarmac, the organised chaos of a mission launch easily fading into the background as she approached her own F-39. She paused for a moment by the ladder, taking the time to rest herself from the sprint, before she slowly started up the ladder, her breathing returning to normal as she slid into the cockpit, going through the start-up procedures by well-practiced rote.

Though, before she could close the canopy, she would find someone else near the plane - Francis. “Hey, Guinevere…” she said, looking up at the tall height of the cockpit, voice shaking slightly - was hard to even hear her over the sound of the starting engines. “Make sure you get back in one piece from all this, I was thinking there’s a place I wanted to check out with you when we get back…”

“Yeah, I’ll make it back, don’t worry!” Guinevere shouted back over the whining roar of her jet’s engines, waving down at Francis. “Just look after yourself, yeah?”

“I’ll do my best,” Francis said, smiling slightly, still a little nervous in her demeanor. “So you’re… Uh, down to go out tonight, then? I was kind of scared to ask, but we’re about to take off now, so…”

“Once I make it back, yeah, just hope it doesn’t go the way last time we went out anywhere.” Guinevere laughed. “I do not need to end up out cold again.”

“Er, yeah… Won’t be trying that again. Maybe we’ll actually get to talk more this time…” Francis said, before giving a wave and heading to the plane behind Guinevere’s which was her own - she climbed inside, closing the canopy and going through the startup process, which was somewhat lengthy… But they had time. Once she was done flipping all the right switches and pressing the right buttons for the right amount of time, she was ready, and most of the others were also.

As the flight leader, Jock McLean led them forward outside of the hangar and onto one of the two runways of the large airbase, the largest in this part of the country… Funnily enough, it was here, closer to the frontlines, rather than in the capital. It made sense, in a way. It would only take a short flight from this base to end up in the opponent’s territory, and it would only take a little while after that to get into the capital metropolitan area which they were striking.

It was just part of the fast and desperate nature of the war which had torn the two sides of this country apart by the east and western halves, the river dividing the two…

McLean and Lupe were the first to head down the runway, and then it was Guinevere’s turn for the takeoff roll, as the other two safely ended up in the sky, going gears up pretty quickly. Behind her, was Francis. They’d be joined afterwards by the second flight, but for now, it was her own turn to head down that final stretch of asphalt that would take her into the sky with the others.

Guinevere taxied her plane out onto the runway, seeming relatively relaxed as she turned her plane, lining it up on the runway. She heard her engine’s roar intensify, building up into a shrill whine as her plane shot forwards down the runway, the hangars and buildings blurring before she soared skywards, turning her plane slightly to join the rest of her flight.

Francis was the next one into the sky, going to full afterburners for the takeoff and then dropping the throttle to cruise once they were in the air… And now, they were on the way to the East Kuristani Socialist Republic, just across the river. Of course, they weren’t exactly flying high at the moment, but rather flying low in an attempt to stay away from the known radar sites, or at least fly at the edges of their radar range instead of through the center of it.

The surroundings were once again rather scenic and peaceful as they made their way across the border, villages and some smaller urban areas visible and no opposition showing up on the radar at this point - they did have to be detected to get attacked, after all, and it would take some time for the enemy forces to scramble… Takeoffs didn’t happen instantly and weapons had to be loaded and adjusted and such to send additional planes that weren’t already waiting by the runway.

As they moved through East Kuristani territory while flying relatively low, they could see forests and hills, which at some point might be part of a future battlefield and military buildup but for now were rather untouched, the sights different from some of the more urban areas that various members of the squadrons came from. For Francis, at least, it was very different from Bahia Clara. Rather than the sea and the beaches and the concrete jungle after all, the places around here seemed defined by the various shades of green that made up the environment.

A bit more natural, perhaps. And a bit surprising that this was the site of the most vicious civil conflict in western Aunora. The only real war going on, really…

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “Some view, isn’t it…? Funny, this place was shelled by the Republic’s military not that long ago… And it had East Kuristani tanks rolling through it. Seems like nature already bounced back.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “She always finds a way. Does make it a hell of a thing to clean up all the leftover unexploded ordnance.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Tell me about it… Back in Diamenia, you can still find remnants of the past clashes with the Soviet. I suppose sometimes it’s cool - finding a wreck of an old Zemalyan tank that made its way to South Aurelia’s wars… Other times, not so much…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “Not exactly cool to step on a landmine I imagine.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “I’ve known a few people it’s happened to…”

Of course, the more some things changed, the more they stayed the same - many of those Zemalyan tanks that could be seen in East Kuristan were the same ones that could be found in another one of the ZFSR’s proxies, the South Aurelian Soviet - though one could argue that the latter was less of a proxy than the former, and more of a faction that could stand on its own somewhat. And right now, both conflicts were raging, though Diamenia wasn’t involved for now in the clashes happening across South Aurelia.

Despite this country being smaller, the war going on here was almost just as important… The Karagrad System pushing into Aunora wouldn’t be ideal for most of the nations there.

As they kept going, the atmosphere became a bit more tense when they approached the known radar sites where they would likely end up detected for the leg of their journey that would take them towards the opposing capital itself. Their radar warning receivers alerted them that they were being watched by these radar systems, which were likely connected with the air defense system around here - also Zemalyan provided, like everything else in the East Kuristani military.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “Alright, boys and girls… Looks like it’s about to get dangerous. Picking up mud spikes…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “Joy. Good luck everyone.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “BARONESS”] [PLT. II] LYKE RASMUS - “Got no worries… It’s just some hawk bait.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “Hawk bait maybe, but there might just be a lot of it…”

Francis looked down at her own cockpit screens as they moved deeper into enemy territory, and the tone of the radar receiver changed - she was no longer just being locked up by ground radars, but by fighters which were apparently taking off from the airbase in Tapan and were being vectored towards their location by ground control as they made their way right towards them… They’d run into a fight soon enough, even if the Eastern military wasn’t advanced enough to have its own early warning aircraft like the west had operating across the border.

“Here we go…” she muttered under her breath, as five contacts appeared on the radar - their type was, currently, unknown, but judging by their attack paths and where they were right now, there was little chance that just civilian aircraft were popping up on the radar at the moment.

Guinevere looked down at her radar screen, eyes narrowing in concern. They weren’t loaded up for air-to-air combat, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have any air-to-air missiles on them, just less than they otherwise would. Hopefully their current loadout was enough, although if any of them were as good as the pilots her and Francis had tangled with last time, they might have a bit of a problem.

As their radars returned more information about the contacts, they could see that they weren’t facing Archer Bs this time but rather the smaller and more agile Tsukanov 48 multirole fighter… Otherwise known as the Tsu-48, one of the fighters which was the most recognizable of the Zemalyan lineup and seen across the world in a number of countries, both Karagrad System members and not. It was hard to tell if these were the more modern upgraded models or not, but regardless of if they were or not, they would be something of a challenge for the heavier and larger F-39s which were designed for both strike and air to air combat.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “COWBOY”] [FLT CMDR.] JOCK MCLEAN - “Pitchfork… Let’s hit ‘em first. Looks like a flight of five Tsu-48s, let’s punch ‘em in the fuckin’ mouth and keep moving with the mission.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Already getting on that… They’re closing into missile range right about now.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “I see them, engaging with missiles.”

Guinevere turned her attention away from her comms back to her plane, the incoming Tsu-48s just coming into range of their missiles as she started seeking a lock on the lead one. After a few tense seconds, the indicator changed, indicating a successful lock and the missile screamed away from her jet, watching the radar screen as it streaked into the distance.

A few, silent seconds passed but nothing changed, whether by luck or skill the missile spiralling harmlessly off into the sky, missing the incoming enemy fighters.

Neither Francis nor Jock had much luck either as both of them chased after the fighters that were coming at them head on, firing off missiles before the merge when the opponent’s fighters zoomed past them at chilling distance, close enough that they could feel their own planes rattle slightly with the passes… Maybe in hindsight, it would have been better to use guns, though there would have been a fear of collision there thanks to the close distance of the pass. Either way, it was too close for missiles - and both of the shots they’d fired missed despite getting good locks, the other fighters trying to move for position on them as the mercenaries pushed their own airfames as much as they could and tried to out turn them… Not the kind of fight they wanted to get in.

Lupe, on the other hand, didn’t get a lock at all as the enemy fighter went past too quickly - perhaps they should have gotten their shots off earlier and they would have avoided this, but they were set up for more flexible fighting rather than with the goal of hitting from range. If they were ambushed, they didn’t want to end up unable to fire back effectively…

Francis managed to get behind the opponent that she’d come so close to hitting before, with the help of some careful flying, and she couldn’t get a lock right away… As the F-39 tangled with the Tsu-48, however, she found herself getting used to the movements of the small but agile aircraft that she was chasing, and predicted the next position it would be in successfully, even after it attempted to get away… She flipped her own plane upside down to pursue, pulling down hard on the stick while the tone indicated that she had a shot lined up. Before she knew it, the projectile streaked out from under her wing as she fired away, hitting the wing and shearing it off the opponent aircraft, sending it spiraling into the ground for a fiery explosion.

Guinevere likewise managed to bring her plane along in a sharp loop, the G-forces pushing her down into her seat while she brought her plane back around, attempting to line up a second lock on the plane she was now pursuing. The indicator changed and the tiny beep indicated she had a lock and she didn’t hesitate before firing a second missile, barely a second passing before she saw the explosion in the distance and the plane she’d been pursuing winked out of existence on the radar screen.

One of the Tsu-48s had gotten behind Jock who hadn’t come out of the merge as lucky as Francis, but it was hard to stay on the tail of the squadron leader… The opposing fighter had to do its best to stay behind despite the twists and turns which took them through the scenic forested area and slightly away from the others, but when the missile was finally fired by the East Kuristani fighter, McLean was able to evade it with a sharp turn to the side before reversing the position using his superior piloting skill, getting the jump on the enemy as he lost speed and aiming to lock on… But this time, it was the mercenary that struggled to stay on the target. That fight would continue as the others continued fighting around it, Lupe on the other hand being in a better spot but not being able to hit with the first shot he’d fired - it ended up going wide and didn’t come that close to hitting the actual mark.

One of the other fighters took the opportunity to break off and go after Guinevere, her eyes worriedly watching the radar before her missile lock indicator started to whine, indicating an incoming missile. Guinevere swore under her breath, going into a dive and dropping flares behind her as she did so in an attempt to evade the missile which it did, watching the missile streak wildly past her as it went after one of the flares instead.

Not being engaged at the moment, Francis came in at speed and took aim at the enemy fighter while it was distracted, firing off one more missile of her own as she crashed in on the engagement from above and took the pilot of the Tsu-48 by surprise, watching the thing explode when it pulled up to avoid the source of the warning tone… And running straight into the missile which she had fired from above, which was arcing downwards.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “You really need to take better care of yourself…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “I try my best, but sometimes my best isn’t good enough but that’s what I have you to make up for. Thanks though.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Would you say I’m a guardian angel of sorts?”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “I suppose you are, given this is… What, the third time you’ve saved me from being missile chow?”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “BARONESS”] [PLT. II] LYKE RASMUS - “Hey, you two lovebirds shut the fuck up and get back to work, the rest of us are fighting for our lives out here!”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “Fiiiiiine…”

McLean wasn’t doing the greatest at the moment and had been unable to get the other enemy pilot off his tail, instead ending up fighting desperately to not get hit as a missile streaked after him, fired from a dominant position on his six which he’d been unable to shake off… And then the missile hit the plane, the engines catching fire and flaming out before the pilot shortly hit the eject button, knowing that the damage was going to be too great to overcome and fly back. Besides, even if the plane didn’t go down immediately, it would be a target for the more agile opponents who likely wouldn’t just let it slip away… No, they would be on it.

And so, the challenge now wasn’t flying away but safely landing and getting back after dropping near the villages at the edge of the enemy’s capital region. Not the best place for an enemy pilot to drop, and it wasn’t a fate that anyone actually wanted when they were the squadron leader… Ejecting over enemy territory just seemed like a bit of a lowly outcome for someone of the status.

Lupe was also being pursued but was a bit more lucky than McLean had been, managing to dodge the missile with the help of careful moves on the controls and use of chaff to confuse the radar - and neither fighter could get position on the other, eventually breaking from each other… Two opponents left and neither of them were engaged now, leaving them for Francis and Guinevere perhaps.

Francis took on one of these challengers - and it would be a mistake on the part of the other plane to engage, as Francis locked on as the plane approached her, firing and then peeling off to avoid any missiles which were headed her way… As she turned around, however, her opponent didn’t turn quickly enough with her and the Tsu-48 exploded into a ball of fire with the missile impact, the superior skill of the Diamenian showing in this case as she simply turned to see how the fight Guinevere was in was going.

The other plane streaked in behind Guinevere, her attempts to outmaneuver it coming to nothing as the plane remained firmly behind her, but her lock-on indicator was relaxingly silent for a few long seconds, her attempts to outmaneuver the enemy pilot seemingly frustrating their attempts to get a lock on her. Her lock-on indicator whined for the briefest of moments, jerking her upwards in response as the missile shot harmlessly beneath her as she came around, aiming to move on the final remaining enemy fighter’s tail.

Francis would get to the enemy before Guinevere could, however, coming in from the side and taking the shot before watching as the missile came closer and closer before dropping the contact on the radar screen… Another success. She’d downed another member of the enemy group which was a fairly satisfying accomplishment - though she was somewhat worried Guinevere hadn’t been able to do it herself.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “You just keep getting yourself into these spots, don’t you?”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “I think I’m just getting unlucky, but at least I have my guardian angel looking out for me. I hope McLean gets out alright…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “BONITA”] [PLT I.] LUPE CUEVAS - “Maybe if you guys focused on something other than each other…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “We had a few problems of our own to deal with then but regardless, we do have a mission to finish. We can’t do anything about McLean right now, as much as I hate it.”

They had to continue even without the leader of their flight, and by now, they were within the metropolitan area and they were headed for the power plant that was the target. But of course, to get within range, they would have to fly over the air defenses which were set up around the city. Some of the strongest in the country at that, but they benefited from how they were somewhat outdated - which was why they hadn’t been fired on as soon as they were within the metro area during the previous battle.

The power plant itself could already be seen in the distance however, smoke rising out of the large stacks which set it apart from the rest of the industrial area that it was in - much of the east of the country was industrial and Tapan was no exception, the city having a distinct socialist flavor already even though historically the city was a part of the Republic of Kuristan… It hadn’t taken long for the distinct style of the Zemalyan backers to the east to take over within the city. The power plant, though, was one of the buildings that dominated the skyline… Just as notable as any of the other high rises or military buildings in Tapan that were marked with notable facades and red stars and banners.

Before they could take it out, though, they had to pass through the air defense network, a number of mobile launchers in the streets, and their radars would already alert them of being spiked by the ground radars which were feeding info to those very launchers…

Out of the frying pan and into the fire it was. Guinevere sighed, flicking switches and switching to her plane’s anti-radiation missiles, firing off both of them in quick succession. No point in saving them when they might down the enemy’s radar for their exit, and the missiles would find their own targets. There were four major radars within the area… And all of them were within range of the missiles - and as Guinevere fired her own missiles, the launchers would fire their own to counter them, both of them being destroyed as Francis took aim and fired her own… It tended to be hard to take out these sites, after all. Francis, however, was able to destroy two of them as her missiles beat those of the air defense systems, hitting the radar trucks which were set up to monitor the skies. They would take out some of the network like that, but some of it was still up.

The next to fire was Lupe, but both of the missiles Lupe had fired would also end up being intercepted by a narrow margin. They wouldn’t be able to take the network out entirely, it seemed, but they had some room to make a run in on the power plant before they were fired on… Most likely.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Guess it’s time to hit the site now… And then get the hell out.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “Don’t feel like sticking around funnily enough.”

They finally had the shot in front of them for what they had been waiting for the entire time… And now that they were approaching the site, they could use their targeting pods to mark where they were going to strike. Francis adjusted the controls within her own cockpit and aimed the laser, pointing it at the main building of the power plant - there were multiple ones, but if they hit there, it would take a longer time to get the place running once again… Which was the goal that they were aiming for.

After Francis had found the lock, she released both of the bombs and sent them propelling towards the target, aiming for the spot which she had lased in the first place… One of the bombs hit the mark while the other missed, but being 2,000 pounds each, it only took one to do significant damage to the building, a massive plume of smoke rising into the air after the first of the impacts, a brief flash of fire as the ordinance exploded followed by darker smoke drifting into the air as the dust began to clear slowly from the first of the impacts.

Guinevere came in behind her, likewise hunting for a target with her targeting pods at one of the other buildings of the power plant, having been given a thorough briefing on the power plant and where the most important targets were prior to the mission. It barely took a second for her lasers to line up, marking the target for her bombs as she released them, the building she’d targeted exploding in a cloud of dust and smoke as both bombs impacted it as her plane shot overhead.

Lupe was the last one to release the ordinance, since McLean wasn’t here to strike with the two bombs that his own aircraft had carried, but it seemed like having two more attacks would be overkill at this point… One of the two released by Lupe struck one of the control centers, another layer of dust rising up as the planes started turning on their egress route to head out of the area of operations and back towards the other side of the river.

However, the SAM operators had other ideas, and the warning receivers within the Redtails lit up one more time with a warning about the incoming attacks… One of the two SAM sites began firing at Francis, streaks of smoke rising into the air as the pilot picked up speed - a little bit risky considering they were on the way back and needed their fuel - and popped chaff to confuse the radar seekers… Of course, this was combined with evasive moves, as Francis accelerated towards the outer edge of the site’s range and passed through safely, while another one set its sights on another target.

The second one, a battery of three older Zemalyan launchers, took aim at Lupe and open fired, sending multiple missiles into the evening sky once again as the pink-haired pilot moved into a lower flying position and attempted to avoid them, streaking over the tree tops at low altitude while some of the missiles impacted the trees instead of hitting the plane… The last plane in their group would escape without being fired on as the battle continued in the background, with the other planes taking part in the operation taking their own egress routes - it helped that the electronic warfare support had suppressed the air defense systems partly, resulting in only the couple of sites at the end getting clean shots on them.

Data Viewer v7.15 - Communications Channel PITCHFORK

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “Looks like we fuckin’ survived, just have to make it out of here at this point…”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “ARROW”] [PLT. II.] GUINEVERE CATHAIN- “We made it in, we can make it out.”

-] [WARHAWK] [F-39SR SUPER REDTAIL “RUNAWAY”] [PLT I.] FRANCIS MADRAZO - “I’ll look forward to tonight.”

The path out was more peaceful than the path in, the other side not having been prepared to respond to a quick strike like the one that had happened - they couldn’t get more fighters up in time to deal with it, and before long, the mercenary squadron was about done crossing back into their own territory and was approaching the military airbase where they had taken off from, the feeling around the group and the squadron in general somewhat good… Even if they had lost their highest ranking pilot. Whether McLean made it back or not still remained to be seen - but there was one plane that wasn’t with them now as all three of them came in for a safe landing followed by the rest of the planes that had taken part in the operation.

After they had returned to the hangars, Francis was climbing out of her plane and quickly making her way over to where Guinevere’s was, a little bit eager to talk to her after the intense battle and the multiple times which she had ended up intervening in it in her favor… Too many times in her opinion, as it made her wonder what would happen if she was too far away.

“That was… A tough fight out there, huh?”

“I’m still in a bit of shock over it all…” Guinevere admitted as she climbed out of her own fighter’s cockpit. “Too damn many close calls for my liking and McLean is probably dead or worse…”

“You need to put yourself in less bad spots… I know it’s combat, but still, I’m not always going to be able to come over from whatever I’m doing and help…” Francis pointed out, placing a hand on Guinevere’s shoulder.

“I know, I know.” Guinevere said, shoulders slumping. “Sometimes I just end up in bad spots I guess. But thanks for saving my ass.”

Francis was going to say something else, but the pair soon found themselves approached by someone from the corporate side of the operation, Lucas Domhnail, the one that typically acted as the link between Pitchfork and corporate… A manager of sorts, who could be hands off most of the time but was rather specific when something required his attention. “Francis, congrats on the mission result, but since there’s some things going around right now you’re going to have to come have a talk with some of the… Management people. It’s never good when you have the KIB calling and asking for records, you know,” Lucas said. “We’d rather like to deliver results on that quickly, before… Problems arise.”

“Er…” Francis said, looking between the corporate figure who had just appeared, and Guinevere. “Guess I won’t be able to get changed and head out straight away… I can still try for tonight, if I’m able… I hope…”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Guinevere said, smiling and patting Francis on the shoulder. “See you then.”

SNAP!

The scene of Francis walking away with the corporate suit was of course photographed by none other than Lyke, who was standing there in the hangar after getting out of her own aircraft, still wearing her helmet which displayed the Norican colors of red and gold as well as some bursts of color that were more distinct to her own personality and personal style - they were styled as messy splashes of paint, which just seemed fitting for her, really. “Jeez, is that your buddy getting dragged away by corporate? Maybe there’s some truth to what I said, Guinevere…”

“Maybe, maybe not, we’ll find out soon enough.” Guinevere said, turning away from Lyke and instead starting to walk out of the hangar, not in the mood to deal with this right now.

by **Forest State** » Mon Mar 16, 2020 12:00 pm

by **Lunas Legion** » Wed Mar 18, 2020 11:48 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 12
“MORAY”

The naval battle between the Ranhalt Accords nations of Kael and Alamania and the Karagrad System and their allies has become a major part of the so-called World War Aurelia, which itself began with an Alamanian merchant ship being seized and the KNS Omen intervening and taking damage - and as ground warfare spreads through South Aurelia, the KNS Moray and a squadron of ships has been deployed to fight the invasion effort of Ranhalt Accords colonies in South Aurelia by the Union of South Aurelian Soviets and the Republic of Almirez... A task which will be taxing on both the crew and the Maritime Intelligence Office personnel deployed with them.

En Route to the Bay of New Castana
South Aurelian Ocean
March 12th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

The war on the ground in South Aurelia was where much of the attention of the public was going… The narrative was there and there were plenty of stories of the old world imperial powers and the new world nativist powers clashing against each other in the easten part of the continent, and both the Ranhalt Accords invasion of Almirez and the Almirezian-South Aurelian Soviet invasion of Alamanian South Aurelia and New Castana had produced a number of stories of battles on the ground already, with tanks and planes and infantry clashing in ways they hadn’t in years… It was a major crisis, breaking a period without such incidents.

But the war at sea was just as important, if not more.

The conflict had started, after all, with the Southern Wind Alliance seizing a merchant ship… The Federation of Kael had been drawn in fully when one of its flagships, the KNS Omen, had been damaged in the Battle of the Alca Coast against the Republic of Almirez. And the multinational force that was in Almirez, having taken the city of Alca with the Kaelic mechanized cavalry combat suit units playing no small part in taking the location, had arrived at first by sea before air reinforcements became possible.

Whoever won the sea would have a large advantage in the rest of the war, especially with both sides depending on transporting men and supplies, and sometimes direct firepower in the form of vessels which could strike targets on land, across continents. It was the Kaelic intention, for that reason, to win the sea for the Ranhalt Accords alliance they were a part of, as the rising power in this region… The others had their own power, yes, but the battle for the waters around South Aurelia was a distinctly Kaelic problem. It was a bit more pressing to them when it was their backyard rather than a faraway land. South Aurelia was not an ocean away, but simply one sea away, and that sea was not only important for trade but it was rich in oil, a place where multiple sides had business interests.

As such, the Imperial Armed Forces Navy, better known as the Kaelic Navy, had been one of the most active when it came to this new war… The carriers KNS Victorious and KNS Empire were active around the northern coast where they were aiding the multinational force against the Republic of Almirez Navy, which despite its status as less than a superpower, had been able to avoid a decisive battle and continue making trouble for the attacking force.

That wasn’t to say the fight on the north side of the continent was the only one going on. The south was where the enemy had actually struck out on their own - the union of South Aurelian Soviets had put together an army with Almirez and invaded both the colonies of Alamanian South Aurelia and New Castana… They said they were reclaiming them for their rightful owners. The establishments in both of those places disagreed, and the Ranhalt Accords was making plans to keep them from being overrun… But before the Alamanian 2nd Marine Group could deploy, Southern Wind had to be held off.

The task fell partly on the squadron that had been dispatched for a special assignment, one directed at keeping New Castana under the Ranhalt Accords’ control until foreign forces could arrive to liberate it fully while the South Aurelian Soviets were presented with a two front war.

The group was led by the KNS Moroy, one of the Archer class stealth destroyers, as well as the conventional destroyers KNS Stoneridge and KNS Palisade, both of which were the Hoplite class that was designed based on improvements from an older class of the RNA Navy. When the RNA had broken apart, after all, many of its breakaway states ended up leaking substantial information and blueprints in their infancy, their security poor in the chaotic years which followed the Aurelian Civil War. All of the vessels were capable in their own right, giving them a good justification to come out here all alone rather than attached to, say, a carrier group…

Of course, regardless of how capable the three ships were, the Maritime Intelligence Office still had their hands full - they were headed into an area being overrun by the enemy, and that came with a number of threats. The intelligence department on the Moray was currently being occupied partly by the staff from the MIO that were accompanying the mission, and as they neared the bay, it was as busy as ever. It only took one or two mistakes to have an incident such as the one that had led to the Omen being sent back into port for repairs, and it was the MIO which was partly tasked with looking ahead and seeing things like that before they could happen in reality.

“We’re headed for the danger area for submarines,” said the highest ranking MIO officer within the room, Nazaire Pascal - born in Daernel, but descended from a former colony of the old world power of Feronia, the States of Aures. As someone with South Aurelian blood himself, it was perhaps odd to see Pascal as an officer in the Kaelic navy, but he had at least proved himself competent despite some eccentricities. “Petty Officer Bryn, get to that console over there… Take a look at it. They’ve got the helos up further ahead of us, take a look at what they’re reporting.”

Of course, there were more eccentricities around here than just an officer of Auresian descent - the Moray was a ship with a reputation, known somewhat for its unruly crew. It was said to be an international incident waiting to happen, and even when it wasn’t presented with a situation where one could be started, it was often noted that female crew members had a tendency to end up pregnant while on this ship… Discipline wasn’t a Kaelic quality, but that was especially notable here much of the time… Which just meant the chances that there would be fireworks of some kind before they headed home were that much higher.

Kylee Bryn nodded, drifting away from the console she’d been peering over which showed the ship’s own sonar to the other panel, sitting down in front of it and scanning the screen. She might’ve been new at the job, this posting aboard the Moray was her first, but she knew what she was doing. Or she hoped she did. Ahead of them, the helicopters had apparently picked up something irregular - or rather, the sonobuoys dropped by the helicopters had picked it up. It wasn’t entirely possible to tell what was there just from that, but submarines were one of the distinct possibilities, and the ship administration would have to be aware of it…

“The helis are picking up something, not entirely sure what just from what I’m seeing here, but it’s possible that it’s an enemy submarine.” Kylee reported, still watching the console. You didn’t take chances with irregularities, not where submarines were concerned. They only needed one torpedo hit and your ship was going to the bottom.

“Relaying that information…” said Nazaire, picking up the phone near his own console to send the information to the other people that needed it.

At the same time, one of the others came over, in this case Petty Officer Third Class Dallas Hallissey - lower ranked than Kylee but more experienced and with less of a family name advantage helping her in the Navy. Not having that advantage didn’t mean she wasn’t capable, however. “You sure on everything you’re seeing?” she asked, positioning herself behind Kylee… Her figure was a bit more athletic and imposing, and that was only intensified because of Kylee’s small height. “Wouldn’t want the rookie making mistakes out here…” she added, placing hands on the back of her shoulders as if to show off the height disparity.

“Quite sure.” Kylee said, pointing at the console and turning to look up at Dallas. She was used to everyone being taller than her, so it wasn’t something she really found that intimidating. “You can take a look yourself if you want, two pairs of eyes is always better than one.” She continued, shuffling backwards slightly to give Dallas a better look.

“Ah…” said Dallas, taking a look at the screen. “So the rookie did manage to find something after all… Maybe I should stop harassing her and let her do her job,” she mused, speaking of Kylee as if she wasn’t right there.

“Didn’t know her job was to do more than being under Pascal’s desk…” one of the other officers said - the crew around here weren’t afraid to be crude, that was a well established fact. And given her blonde hair and nice features, Kylee was practically marked to get some attention from a lot of them.

“Exactly,” Dallas replied, taking a closer look at the info from the sonar as she spoke, trying to see if she could spot anything different that Kylee had missed. “Hey, Kylee, why don’t you ever visit my quarters? I’m too much of a filthy commoner for you or something?”

“Uh…” Kylee blushed, not exactly used to this kind of attention nor exactly happy to be the subject of the conversation in the first place. Her mind ground to a halt, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t offend Dallas, that wouldn’t draw further attention her way, didn’t open her up to some other crude comment and failing miserably, instead turning her attention back to her console, still blushing heavily.

“What are you going to do, eh? Order me to shut up?” Dallas continued, hinting at the rank disparity between the two of them. The fact that she was the older and more experienced one who had already been on the job for a longer time but was lower ranked than Kylee, who had the advantage of her family being a mildly relevant clan with a lot of wealth and a few business ties. She grabbed the back of her collar, pushing her into the console… “I asked a question…”

“And I don’t have an answer…” Kylee said, squirming slightly. “I, um, don’t remember you ever asking…”

“Petty Officer Hallissey… There’s more important things to work on than getting on the rookie,” Nazaire interjected, causing Dallas to release her colleague, taking a step back in slight annoyance as she still kept her eyes set on Kylee but returned to her own station which was next to the one Kylee was at.

“I was still paying attention,” Dallas said to justify her actions and her distraction from the main task, turning to the Lieutenant and giving a nod.

“Lame…” one of the others said. “Should have shown some action.”

Kylee said nothing, simply brushing herself down and turning her attention back to her station, still blushing heavily and obviously rather flustered and embarrassed as she tried to focus back on her actual job.

Except, by now she pretty much had the attention of most of the people in the room, and it was low hanging fruit now to take little swipes at her. “Hey, Kylee…” one of the others said, looking her way. “You know the reason this ship was kind of famous a while ago?”

“No, but I have the feeling that I both don’t want to know, and you’re going to tell me anyways.” Kylee said, still more focused on her console than anything around her.

“The crew here led the Navy in pregnancies,” the sailor informed, indeed telling her even though she had little interest in finding out. “Why don’t you come over here and help break the record?”

“I’m both busy and not interested I’m afraid.” Kylee said, blushing even more as she stared intently at her console, trying to blot out the world around her. She hadn’t signed up for this…

“But everyone says you aren’t too busy for the Lieutenant,” someone else pointed out - most of the room was effectively against her in this case, it seemed. Or at least, even if they didn’t care that much, they found it too amusing to shut up about her rather than continuing to wind her up.

“Just because everyone says something doesn’t make it true.” Kylee insisted in protest, crossing her arms.

“Sounds like something someone with something to hide would say…”

“Looks like we are facing an enemy sub,” said Dallas, reporting in an update from her own station as the information being reported by the helicopters became more clear. “Zemalyan made most likely, the usual diesel type sub… Kylee, get your ass over here and tell me what you see from this. As far as class, and such. I’m not great at this part…”

“‘Kay.” Kylee said, standing up and stepping over to stand next to Dallas, leaning over to peer down at her console and resisting the urge to comment about needing the rookie’s help. She didn’t need to make anyone actually angry at her, least of all someone like Dallas who she’d have to work with for who knew how long.

Seemed they were dealing with a couple of Project 65 class submarines, definitely produced by the ZFSR and almost certainly in the service of the Union of South Aurelian Soviets, which was not only invading this area but had the inventory to match, compared to the more modern Almirezian military… They had more ZFSR surplus equipment compared to Almirez, and this fit the mold of those typical designs which they had in service. It wasn’t anywhere near a new model, though, which made it somewhat easy to detect, and a somewhat alright challenge for a rookie intelligence officer to spot with the available info.

“Project 65s from the look of things.” Kylee said, looking up from the console at Dallas. “Pretty much relics at this point in time really, we’re doing the poor crew on those things a favour by putting them out of their misery.”

“They’ve probably been refitted since they were sent out originally, don’t underestimate ‘em,” said Nazaire, pacing slightly behind his own spot near the front of the room. “Guess they’re headed this way… Hmmm. I’ll tell weapons they should get a couple torpedoes on the location, the helicopters should be able to do that part themselves… They’re ahead of us for a reason.”

And so, Nazaire began alerting the ship crew of the threat ahead while Dallas seemed intent on getting on Kylee about whatever she could. “You know, you never answered my question from earlier,” she said, grabbing the back of her collar again.

“I said I didn’t have an answer, didn’t I?” Kylee said, blushing again.

The situation outside, meanwhile, was still developing… As the two naval helicopters locked onto the position where the submarines were reported based on their sonar data and fired the lightweight torpedoes they mounted for situations such as these. Both of these torpedoes hit the water in the correct area with a splash before they traveled and headed for their targets… The pursuit would take some time, of course, considering the large distances that were at play in naval combat rather than ground combat.

But they both did hit the mark eventually, the destruction of the two targets happening quietly for the group of ships which continued advancing some distance away, before the subs had even had a chance to strike at them. “Operations department is reporting two kills…” Nazaire said calmly. The voice of someone who wasn’t a first timer, and could treat an event like this as if it were a normal occurrence, despite being very much a bigger deal for some of the members of the crew who were less experienced.

“The path to the Bay of New Castana then, it’s roughly clear?” asked Dallas, releasing Kylee’s collar and looking towards the Lieutenant.

“Most likely, but we should be on the watch for more submarines. Still… There shouldn’t have been more than two operating in this specific area. I think the path is in the clear,” Nazaire stated calmly.

“Right, then…” Dallas replied, turning her attention back to Kylee. “Guess you still don’t intend to visit my quarters…”

“You make it sound like me being reluctant to is such a bad thing…” Kylee said, slipping back down into her seat but looking towards Dallas rather than back at her station, more comfortable now the submarines had been dealt with. “I barely know you but I also get the feeling that you’re going to keep asking me until I do.”

“You’re stuck with a bunch of people that you don’t know that well on the same boat for who knows how long until we end up posted to somewhere on land again, you make do,” Dallas said simply, imposing herself with her larger height once again and placing a hand on the console behind Kylee. “I’m simply a blunt and honest person.”

“And if I do once, you won’t bother me again?” Kylee asked.

“I make few promises,” Dallas said, leaning in slightly closer and otherwise remaining silent, leaving most of the pressure on Kyleein the conversation.

“Few doesn’t mean none.” Kylee said, crossing her arms. “Once, and you don’t ask about it again.”

“Or what, Petty Officer Bryn? You’ll order me to stop? Have me court martialed?” Dallas pressed, a look of slight anger flashing across her face. “I’ll have you know I worked my ass off to get where I am… I’m not from Bandon like you are, I don’t have any connections to intel. Don’t have a big name family that can get me ahead. I didn’t get any help passing through training and I sure as hell didn’t get to start off at Petty Officer First Class… So maybe, considering the differences between us, you can bear a little more talk… You can’t have everything the easy way, and I don’t plan on shutting up because of some officer who never worked a day in her life to get to where she is right now… Not all of us have parents who could push us through. Some of our parents, you know, are the ones that built ships like these.”

“I wasn’t going to do anything like that, Dallas.” Kylee said, slumping slightly. “I’m many things, but I’m not enough of an asshole as to do something like order you to stop or anything. So I can learn to put up with your talking, I guess I’m just not used to it like I’m not used to a lot of things about this ship being the resident rookie.”

“Have it your way…” Dallas said, stepping away from Kylee, practically seething but not saying much to indicate her true anger and feelings in the moment. It could mainly be deduced by looking at her body language and posturing. “I won’t say anything, Petty Officer… Since apparently, you’re too good for everyone else around here.”

“I’m not good with stuff like this, Dallas.” Kylee sighed. “You pretty much said it yourself about my family, I’m… Well, sheltered is a bit of an understatement. I’ve never had to deal with stuff like this before and we’re going to be stuck together for however long. Once our watch is over, I’ll come by your quarters if you still want me to, and then you can say whatever you want to to my face, Petty Officer or not.”

“Might be better if I just shut my mouth, apparently… You have the higher rank, you seem to know how you feel, so I’ll leave getting used to this ship up to you,” Dallas stated, her tone… Retrained, like she was trying to bring herself to speak as calmly as possible. “For better or worse…”
“You don’t have to shut your mouth, Dallas.” Kylee said. “I think you made it quite clear how you feel about the rank difference earlier, and you know more about this ship than I do. Probably know more about this whole damn job than I do, even if I’m better at little bits at it. I was being serious when I asked if you still wanted me to come down later, although it’s more of an apology on my end. I’m just… Not exactly comfortable talking about stuff like that.”

“Fine… But maybe we should keep our distance outside of working,” Dallas stated, after falling silent for a moment and then settling on a conclusion, even if it wasn’t one she was entirely happy with. “Since you seem to be making it entirely clear that you aren’t comfortable with the same things as I am…”

“If you’re fine with it.” Kylee nodded. “I’ll… Probably get used to it after I get to know you more, I get the feeling I’ll have to get used to it all sooner or later. Just give me time to, okay? I’ve said I’m new to all this countless times, that’s the case for, well, all of this.”

Her colleague was silent, turning back to her own station and looking to the console in front of her, though it was less because she had work to do and more because she was looking to get away from the conversation, her frustration turned silent as she looked away and refocused herself, not willing to continue speaking.

Kylee likewise turned back to her station, not wanting to continue the conversation if Dallas felt the same way even if she felt bad about how it had gone.

As they continued on, there was not much else in the way of eventful things, with the threat of the submarines being eliminated and the helicopters not picking up any new threats as they continued towards the Bay of New Castana… A destination which they would arrive at on time, bringing them even closer to the frontlines of the war and the location where they were set to intervene at both sea and land to preserve the colony long enough for it to be liberated from the invaders by the forces that were set to arrive here… Eventually.

For now, they were just beginning with the strikes and naval engagements that would precede that arrival…

by **Forest State** » Thu Mar 19, 2020 11:32 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 13
“UNDER SIEGE”

The city of Gloritz is caught in a deadly siege as the Union of South Aurelian Soviets attempt to take the Alamanian colony in South Aurelia before imperial forces can arrive to counterattack. Within this city, two people are presented with a tense situation, and a need to escape…

Inner Gloritz
Gloritz, Alamanian South Aurelia
March 15th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Gloritz… One of the largest cities in the colony of Alamanian South Aurelia, and a place that right now, was caught in the crossfire. From the north, the joint force of the Union of Aurelian Soviets and the Republic of Almirez was sweeping in, and in the skies, Dru-112 bombers had been running continual air raids and wearing down on the resolve of the defenders… And anyone else who happened to be caught in the city.

These colonial cities after all, were centers of business. There were foreign workers that were here from their home country, business owners, merchants handling the movement of goods between this place and the homeland and rest of the world, and even private soldiers handling the security in the brave new world that was South Aurelia, a place where the imperial powers didn’t place their main forces in a significant capacity… Something they were perhaps regretting now as the colony became overwhelmed by the Southern Wind Alliance, in a bad position until forces arrived from the Aunoran continent to push back against the sudden and unexpected invasion.

And some of the people there, during the Siege of Gloritz, in a place where they weren’t supposed to be, happened to be journalists. Sometimes, covering the buildup and tensions around a conflict could result in not getting out in time and ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time when the conflict actually did break out… The crew at Nox Media were finding that out firsthand. The relatively low budget outlet based in Limonte, in the north of the Etorian Republic, happened to have its key reporters thousands of miles away from home right now, right in the middle of the conflict, and heading home… Wasn’t an option. Just getting to the airport was a challenge after the siege had started, and even that assumed that they would actually be able to get a flight out.

Fact of the matter was, the last plane that was able to take them out of here had already left, most likely. Anything else was just at risk to end up shot down by South Aurelian Soviet forces enforcing the no fly zone over the area, albeit with their outdated aircraft. But it only took one IR guided missile to take down a jetliner. It wasn’t as if they were trying to get out of here with a fighter.

The situation was less than ideal and left the pair of journalists who were armed with nothing other than cameras, microphones, and other things that wouldn’t be useful in a combat zone, holed up within one building while they waited for the entire thing to blow over… But as the siege continued, it became apparent that this one wasn’t going to get pushed away, and they wouldn’t have a chance to slip out as the attack stalled. This was the time when the city would actually end up in the hands of the enemy, and they were unlucky enough to be here for it…

“This is Renzo Maestri here with Elis Nankova, and we’re currently stuck within the upper floor of this former cafe… It’s since been abandoned by the original owners after it was heavily damaged by a nearby bomb dropped from one of the Soviet air strikes. However, it’s one of the few places that we were able to find to stay during the South Aurelian Soviet advance into the area and their siege of Gloritz…” the leader of the team, and the company for that matter, said into one of those cameras, while looking out onto the street for hints of what was going on outside. “But the talk, and everything that we can see, backs up the idea that their next advance is beginning… We’re going to have to move soon, to avoid running into trouble.”

The invading side wouldn’t exactly be sympathetic to a media outlet which was from what was considered an enemy country, after all. And the Etorian Republic was firmly on the side of the old world powers, and the coverage of the Karagrad System from there was less than favorable. In a conflict like this, far away from the more developed world, ‘rights’ for the press were a luxury and not a given.

Renzo lowered the camera, turning to his employee. “Get your things ready… Don’t think we’re going to be able to stay here any longer.”

“I don’t want to be here any longer…” Elis grumbled, shifting the bulky microphone she was holding back into a slightly more comfortable position on her shoulder while grabbing her rucksack with her other hand, slinging it up onto her other shoulder. “But where the fuck are we even gonna go now?”

“Somewhere towards the outer city… And in the other direction from the armored column that’s supposed to break through about now,” Renzo said simply, picking up his own backpack and putting the small camera away carefully before throwing it over his shoulder and starting towards the stairwell. “Maybe we can scavenge for a little and find an actual weapon, too…”

“Do you even know how to use a gun?” Elis asked, following after Renzo towards the stairwell. “I know I don’t, so…”

“Do you want to be the one out on the street without a gun, though?” Renzo pointed out, sighing slightly while they headed down into the first floor - what had once been a decent looking area was now covered in battle damage with dust coating the walls and a gaping hole in the side of the building, glass displays and windows shattered on the ground while the remnants of tables and chairs lay on their backs and sides. “The less skilled person with one is still better off than the one who doesn’t have one…”

“I guess…” Elis said, carefully picking her way across the glass-strewn first floor, crunching under her boots. “Still think we’ll just end up shooting ourselves or something, but it’s better than nothing at all. If we find one.”

“Finding it’s probably the hardest part,” Renzo said as they stepped out onto the street, which itself was somewhat busy… As busy as it could be considering the current circumstances and the fact that most of the city was either vacated or staying indoors or at air raid shelters at this point. Not that staying indoors always guaranteed safety. The threat from the skies couldn’t be understated. “So, you have any bright ideas about where to head from here? Other than getting the hell out of downtown before there’s tanks rolling down the street?” Renzo added, as an armored vehicle sped by… Presumably part of the garrison, headed to go put up a fight.

“Fuck knows.” Elis shrugged. “There’s a reason I’m a journalist with you and not someone else. I don’t think the border with Granadine is that far if we make it out of the city, but we have to get out of the city without dying or whatever first, so… I guess maybe that’s an option? Beats trying to hide out behind enemy lines or get back to the Alamanians.”

“As if Granadine is going to be much happier to see anyone coming over from here…” Renzo pointed out, looking at the scene in the street - there weren’t many people out, though there was the occasional vehicle. “They’re almost siding with the Soviets… They just happen to be the ones that fell under the Qusuyu boot instead of the Zemalyan one after Castana pulled back.”

“Still better than an active warzone. Probably.” Elis said. “It’s that or trying to go south, through who knows how much enemy territory, and then trying to cross an active warzone. It’s just different flavours of fucked.”

“You can find some of the soldiers that are pulling back from this area and trying to head out of the siege… Maybe if you offer yourself, they’ll be a bit more willing to help this time,” Renzo pointed out, rubbing Elis’ shoulder slightly. As an independent CEO who answered to no one else in the company, there wasn’t exactly much to keep Renzo from being the picture of a stereotypical sleazy boss… “This isn’t the time to have morals, you know.”

“I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to work for the simple fact that we have to find soldiers in the first place who aren’t dead, dying or running the fuck away.” Elis said, resisting the urge to slap Renzo’s hand off her shoulder through practice. She wasn’t the best journalist by several margins, so she had to take what she could get, and unfortunately that was Renzo and his company. Even if calling it a company was being generous. “Or that don’t shoot on sight.”

“We’ve seen enough trucks headed by… Just saw one going by right now. Albeit, to the other side than the one that we’re looking for,” Renzo said, the hand not moving. “Could it just be that you’re reluctant to do everything possible to get out of here in one piece?”

“It’s a last resort.” Elis said, scowling. “And they have to actually, y’know, stop in the first place. Let’s just see if we can’t get out of here without that.”

“Fair enough… But we only have so much time to work with,” Renzo said, stepping away from her and looking down at his phone for directions before starting to head south. “The place is going to be crawling with more Soviets than Karagrad itself at the current rate… Don’t want to be there when the floodgate opens.”

The part of the city that they were headed through would have been a nice vacation spot if it wasn’t for the war - the high rises common to other places weren’t here, but rather, the city was more of an older style one, many elements of the oldest days of the colony having been preserved in the architecture and the design style. It had sustained its share of battle damages, however… White buildings had changed colors from the dust kicked up by large explosions, and some buildings were simply gone or half knocked down by the air raids and the artillery which had aimed to weed out Alamanian positions in the area.

Renzo took the camera out once again, capturing the area for their viewers that would, hopefully, get to see the footage eventually once they were able to get to an internet connection again and upload it. “As you can see, the air and artillery strikes on this city have damaged it greatly already, and soon enough the tanks will be rolling in also…” Renzo said, moving the camera slowly from one side of the street to the other. “The Alamanian forces stationed here have already begun their withdrawal, at least, the ones that are still able to have done so…”

As he spoke however, they would both be able to hear something from the sky - not for long, but it was the sound of whistling of sorts, an approaching object… And then, some distance away from them…

Battle damage in the city of Gloritz…

BOOM!

Another one of those air strikes they’d heard about landed, hitting a building on the same block that they were standing on right now - apparently one which was close enough to a military target to end up in the potential danger zone for one of the two thousand pound bombs that were being dropped. The South Aurelian Soviets weren’t known for their precision… Their tech was mostly of the outdated sort, and paying for laser guided munitions was just too much of an expense compared to producing more dumb bombs en masse and taking the higher rate of collateral damage.

“Fuck…” was the first thing Renzo muttered. Shortly before the second explosion. BOOM! Another building collapsed into dust, and fittingly, the area itself was about to be covered in dust as the cloud rapidly expanded towards them, radiating out from the impact site. Or in this case, impact sites, as multiple areas around them were struck - at the same time as they were being disoriented that way, of course, they would also end up disoriented through sound… The blasts from this range were enough to dizzy someone a bit from making their ears ring.

“Shite…” Elis swore, hands pressed firmly up against her ears and standing up on shaky legs, her ears still ringing from the explosions. “Fuck wherever we’re going after this, let’s just get outta the city first, yeah?”

“Let’s just think about getting out of the district…” said Renzo, not even able to see clearly yet thanks to the layer of dust that coated the general surroundings, filling the air still as it hadn’t yet susided. “These bastards don’t just travel in twos, we’re going to hear at least a few cells of bombers pass before they’re done… It’s a good time to get to shelter.”

“Guess we better start looking for a basement then…” Elis said, looking around, waving a hand in front of her face to try and clear some of the dust away from her eyes. “Hell, I’d take a manhole cover and a fuckin’ sewer at this point…”

“Office over there might have a basement, it’s not out the danger area though…” Renzo said, pointing to a building on the corner and starting towards it, checking out the outside. “Locked…” That was the case with most of the buildings around here at this point, but it didn’t mean it was impossible to enter. However, it appeared after one attempt that the glass was too thick to get rid of with a simple kick, meaning getting through the doorway wouldn’t be so easy. “Can’t get in, you can try if you want…”

“I’m not exactly stronger than you, but I can give it a shot.” Elis said, looking around briefly before walking over and picking up a dislodged piece of rubble, briefly testing its weight in her hands before throwing it at the glass. This would work rather than the last attempt, causing the glass pane in the doorway to shatter and spread across the ground, allowing both of them to very carefully climb inside the building.

The place had apparently been owned by some kind of communications company, but with the current state of things, there was obviously no one present and no one working. The building had remained untouched by the bombing raids however, which gave it a very different look than the other places they had been in recently… More of a ghostly look than the look of a flat out destroyed building. Like all the people had simply disappeared in the blink of an eye somehow.

Looking for a basement, Renzo moved further inside and looked towards the stairwell, gesturing at it. “Looks like it does go down another level,” he stated. Shortly before there was another loud boom outside, indicating the air raid wasn’t over yet. “And from the sound of that, we probably need it.”

“Yeah.” Elis nodded, not wasting any time and heading down the stairwell quickly, not wanting to chance a bomb striking the building they were in.

Heading deeper into the structure as they went into the basement, they wouldn’t find a lot of things but there were some servers and the like down here… Not much to indicate people had been here, but then again, this wasn’t the kind of place where many people would turn up during regular times. “I wonder if this place has internet…” muttered Renzo, stepping inside and taking off his backpack, setting it down on one of the tables within the basement and placing the laptop on it from inside the backpack. “Take a look around, see if there’s a password.”

“I’m not seeing anything.” Elis shook her head, walking up and down the aisles between the servers, looking for anything written down. “Guess they weren’t lazy enough to write down their passwords or whatever.”

Starting up the laptop, Renzo let out a slight sigh. “Guess I’ll have a look around and see if we’re missing anything,” he said, standing up and heading in the direction of the servers, before stopping and pointing out a specific spot. “You have to look closer. It’s right there, on the wall behind you with a bunch of other notes.”

“Huh.” Elis shrugged, turning and peering up at the mass of notes. “Kinda glazed over looking at all of that.” She said, walking over and pulling a note off the wall and handing it to Renzo. “Not sure if the internet will still be accessible, might be down to just dial-up if the phone lines are still up.”

“Yeah well, most of the infrastructure around here is probably in Ainhelm, so we’ll see if it’s still up since they didn’t hit that place yet,” Renzo said, walking back and signing into the computer, attempting to connect. “Seems like it’s working… For now.”

He typed at the computer, plugging the camera in and starting the process of getting some of their footage up while they were able to do so. The air raid footage would likely spread quickly, but they had to get it online before that could happen, obviously, and internet couldn’t be taken for granted during a dramatic siege like the one they were stuck in. “Air raid footage is uploading as we speak.”

With that, Renzo started back towards his colleague, hands moving to her hips. “And since we’re going to be stuck down here for a bit waiting for everything to blow over and waiting for things to upload…” he said. “Might as well be the time to have a little bit of fun…”

“Urgh, really? Now?” Elis rolled her eyes. “We’re in a server room, in a basement in the middle of a warzone and that is where your mind goes to?”

“A server room underground just means less risk of a tank rolling up in the middle of it or something like that,” Renzo pointed out, before letting out a slight sigh. “But you know, I forgot for a moment that you’re from a communist country yourself… They don’t make people that know how to have any fun over there, I think. I suppose I can’t just blame you.”

“Fun is the enemy of the collective, comrade.” Elis said, keeping a straight face and putting on a rather bad Zelmayan accent. “But seriously, it’s a shithole. Even putting up with you is better than there. I think.”

“Order of business once we get out of here, find someone with a better sense of fun,” said Renzo, taking a step away, pacing back towards where the laptop was uploading, before adding to his remark with a bit of bluntness. “Because if I had to go back and hire you again, I sure as hell wouldn’t do it for your journalism skills…”

“Fuck knows I wouldn’t hire me because of my skills.” Elis chuckled. “Just a bit uncomfortable with all the shit happening around at the moment, I’ll make it up to you when there’s a mattress available.”

“And who the fuck knows when that’s going to be…” muttered Renzo, sitting down in front of the laptop. “Might as well be asking for a mattress and a decent night of sleep in a zombie apocalypse with the way this siege is going.”

“I don’t think it’ll be a siege for that much longer given the troop movements and airstikes we’ve been seeing.” Elis said, hopping onto an empty box. “I’m no military expert but I wouldn’t give the Alamanians a week if I was being the most generous person in the world.”

“Yeah… And then I don’t think you’ll be in a bed at that point unless it belongs to a Soviet officer. You are a traitor to the revolution according to them, after all,” Renzo scoffed. “If you don’t end up with that bad end so to speak, we’re probably on the run when the city falls, and there’s no guarantees of being around civilization. Right now, civilization just means we’re in the other side’s next target…”

“I think they’d just shoot me or something, can’t have me bringing my traitorous ways back to good communists.” Elis shrugged. “How long is that upload of yours gonna take anyways, given it might be our epitaph?”

“It’s high quality footage, it’s not exactly instant… Combine that with the internet not being the fastest here in the farthest flung corner of Alamania,” Renzo said. “And as for running into the Soviets, just ask any of the villages they ran through on the way to Gloritz… Their potential for cruelty may just surprise you.”

“Yeah… Better to not get captured in the first place.” Elis said, looking down at her hands, tapping her knee, falling silent. She didn’t really have much else to say or feel like talking, looking back up at the ceiling of the basement. She didn’t want to be sitting here, when every second she was waiting here could be an extra second of time to get out of this warzone.

“I’ll hope that I manage to get out of here instead of dying before I find your replacement,” Renzo mused bitterly, looking at the upload progress and drumming fingers against the table. “Because damn it, if everything I’ve put into this company is just going to end up with situations like this, I’d rather experience it with either a decent journalist or someone worth being around… Somehow, you are neither.”

“I mean, you’re the one who took us here, so don’t blame me for not being ideal company when I have to stay put while people who would put a bullet in me at best get closer every second.” Elis shrugged. “Fuck knows I don’t give myself good odds of getting out of here in one piece, so at least you don’t have to fire me or whatever.”

“I brought you here because I was under the false impression that if someone like myself could become a moderate success, anyone would be able to put in the hard work and not be a complete fucking failure… And then you proved that wrong,” Renzo said, the upload finishing in the meantime. Renzo shut the laptop and placed it in the bag, standing up, clearly annoyed and ready to leave just as much as Elis was.

“Story of my life right there I guess.” Elis said, hopping off the box. “Let’s go and try not to die too stupidly.”

“Fine…” Renzo said - clearly willing to get rid of her, but not quite having the right chance to do so, and annoyed that they had to be together for any longer than this, but also not in too much of a position to do something about the distaste that was growing by the minute. Though… That didn’t stop him from questioning it as they headed up the stairwell. “You know, if you know that too, why are you even still here? There’s nothing stopping you from looking for your own way out of here.”

“Because two people have a better chance of getting out of this shithole than one.” Elis said, looking over her shoulder as she headed back up the stairwell. “I’m not a complete and utter moron, even if we both know I’m probably the shittiest journalist ever to end up as a war reporter.”

“You’re hardly justifying what I’m paying you, either,” Renzo fired back, emerging at the upper floor and starting towards the doorway they had broken into when they entered the building. “Who says we have to wait until we get back to Limonte for you to get fired?”

“I mean, you could fire me now but what difference does it make?” Elis shrugged, slowly slipping through the remains of the door out into the street, looking up at the sky and hoping another bombing run wasn’t inbound. “Right now I’m more concerned about not dying than basically anything else.”

“Call it spite,” Renzo said, coming to a stop now that they were on the street once again, the air raid having ended for now - the signs of new battle damage to the city were visible on this block, like they were on most. “I’m not paying someone that doesn’t bring any skills and is going to bitch about their comfort zone when neither of us get to be comfortable right now… You’re in a war zone, act like it. I doubt the civilians around here have just stopped their life because of the siege. You don’t even see them trying to get out of here, do you? Not really, because it’s dangerous, so most of them are getting used to the very thing you were bitching about only a little bit earlier, having to live and sleep in a war zone.”

“Maybe I should go it alone.” Elis said, crossing her arms, turning away. “At least then I can go be a fucking failure without you and your comments and probably die but honestly, I’ve resigned myself to that at this point, if it happens it fucking happens. If you want to go it alone, go a-fucking-head.” She gave a wide gesture down the street. “And I’ll consider myself fired. See if either of us get out of here alive.”

“Fine… But if you’re going to do that, you can hand back your gear and everything in your wallet, since I’ve paid for all of it anyway,” Renzo snapped back, entirely fine with splitting ways and getting it over with at this point.

“Make me.” Elis said, throwing her bulky microphone onto the floor and breaking into a sprint down the street, not about to give Renzo an inch if she had another option.

Her former employer wasn’t intending on giving up without at least putting in some effort to stop her and get the things back - as she started sprinting, Renzo picked up one of the pieces of rubble and hurled it… Accurately, in her direction, headed on a course to hit her in the back while she wasn’t looking. And the rubble was decently heavy at that, though not too much to fly through the air.

Pain flared in the back of Elis’ head as the rock struck her and she went sprawling to the ground, and then everything went dark.

As she dropped, Renzo moved over and took everything that she had - the cash in her wallet, which about entirely came from her salaries with the company, and her bag that had the gear - before leaving her there… It remained to be seen how long it was before the enemy showed up, but when she did wake up, she would have little to use to get out of this place other than the clothes on her back.

With that being said, that did leave the other member of the former duo without another person to aid in getting to safety. Then again, however, Elis wasn’t exactly valuable when it came to getting out… So taking the things, Renzo started off, looking down at his phone and checking the time. There was only so much of it before tanks would be rolling through these streets after all.

by **Lunas Legion** » Fri Mar 20, 2020 8:36 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 14
“ACE FIGHTERS PT. 1”

As global threats mount, air superiority is one of the most important factors in deciding a war - and the ambitious Kaelic Ace Fighter Program, or ACEPRO, aims to deliver dominance in the sky using technology that hasn’t been seen in action before, with the help of corporate developments and testing by mercenary fighters…

Norwell-Kelleher Corporate Headquarters
Rosaria, Republic of North Aurelia
March 14th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Oftentimes, the lines between the military and business could be blurred. Some military items took billions of dollars to produce, and were better off made by the private sector rather than the government due to their complexity and cost - aircraft were perhaps the pinnacle of that complex along with shipbuilding, they could dominate the battlefield but they also were expensive to operate and more expensive to build. Which was why the companies that were deep into this field tended to be large, powerful, and have extensive connections with the government.

In this case, the company Norwell-Kelleher had ties with two different governments, with Norwell being the half that had been based here in Rosaria, the largest megacity of the Republic of North Aurelia and a holdout of Castanan culture in the new world, and Kelleher being the other half that had acquired Norwell years back to bring them under the Kaelic grasp - the Kelleher Corporation was, of course, made up of the holdings of the Kelleher family back in Kael, and more specifically the Galnoy region that had its own large city and was known for military production of all kinds, from guns to advanced aircraft.

The F/A-30 ‘Puca’ fighter by Norwell-Kelleher.

And they were potentially about to close one of their most profitable deals yet - one that was worth even more than the program for the F/A-30 Puca and the F/A-31 Hydra, thet two variants of a Norwell-Kelleher design which were in service as the most advanced fighters in the Kaelic Air Force and Navy respectively…

They were similar enough, with just some differences for their role, the Hydra having folding wings and a heavier landing gear among other alterations that would allow it to take off from a carrier and carry out whatever role was needed for naval operations. Both planes were engineering wonders, with a sleek and stealthy design and internal weapons bay, but the alternative option to use a heavier bomb rack which was able to be mounted and removed at will, giving pilots the option between stealth and a more aggressive loadout… And yet, the deal that was happening now eclipsed both of them, both in project scope and in the quality of the engineering.

Though, business wasn’t always an utterly professional affair, even if the language was often formal and the corporations often urged ‘best practices’ to be used. Sometimes, personal pleasure blended into the meetings and arrangements, and it was possible to get distracted from the task at hand.

“I suppose we should get back to the deal,” Norwell-Kelleher representative Sophie Hahn said, pulling her clothes back on properly as she pulled herself up from the couch, her words sounding breathless as she panted from… Recent exertion.

Fact of the matter was, the dealmaker that had been sent on behalf of the Kaelic government, and therefore the Kaelic military, was more of a casanova than she could have expected or anticipated… And under her charm, it hadn’t taken long for things to get off topic from the subject of the meeting, their efforts to stay focused not aided by the fact that Sophie had considered it a good idea to bring alcohol to the meeting. They had already gotten most of the details out of the way in previous planning, after all. In a competition between NK, Airm Daernel, and Gnothas Mearn, all of them giants in the defense industry, the NK bid had come out on top due to its ambition and the way they’d proven they could make things work… They already had a significant amount of their project in a showable state.

Now, they just had to close the deal for seventy five billion dollars of imperial funding. Something which had only been slightly delayed by the charisma of the casanova negotiator that the Kaelic government and the Heavenly Part in specific had sent to close the deal.

“I suppose, it is what we’re meant to be here doing.” Keriana said as she adjusted her skirt, standing up and brushing herself down, quickly fixing her appearance with practiced ease. “Not that this wasn’t the most pleasant of diversions.”

“I do think it was worth the time…” said Sophie, blushing slightly as she turned her eyes back towards the table where they had laid out the contract - or rather, the large mass of papers that made it up. It wasn’t just one… That would be a bit too simple for a deal this big. “So, seventy five billion in funding… I assume it’s acceptable. You can look through the papers, it pretty much says that. You give us that, and we continue our R&D for the Ace Fighter Program.”

“It’s acceptable, I’ll skim through the papers briefly for formality’s sake, but all the actual details should have long since been worked out obviously.” Keriana said, walking back over to the table and sitting down gracefully. She was no expert on aircraft procurement, she was here simply to sign off on the deal. Everything else would have been gone through with a fine tooth comb by people with far more knowledge in the field and far more time on their hands than she did. “I suppose there’s simply the matter of signing off on this mass of paperwork left.”

Sophie produced a pen, moving over to hand it to Keriana. “Yes, I think that is the only thing left right now. And that will bring the long negotiations to a close… The next step is just taking some pictures with the press about it.”

“Ah, showing it off to the cameras.” Keriana rolled her eyes as she took the pen, pulling pieces of paper towards her one by one and scribbling down her signature on them. “Never saw why the media gets so interested in everything other than to pick holes in it.” She continued to sign, eventually stopping. “I do believe that’s everything signed properly, unless I missed a piece of errant paperwork somewhere.”

“Yes, that’s it,” Sophie said after looking everything over, smiling slightly. “I’ll alert the upper management immediately. I think this whole thing went quite well, if you ask me…”

“Surprisingly smoothly, from what I’ve heard about some procurements.” Keriana nodded, smiling back.

They indeed had made a lot of progress within a relatively short period of time on the ACEPRO program, as it was known internally, even if right now, the only information that was public about it was the name and that it involved procuring advanced new equipment for the military - both the Air Force and the Navy in this case, during a time when they were both working together for something. And apparently, the program was important enough to award such a large contract to the not entirely Kaelic Norwell-Kelleher, which still had its headquarters in a foreign country even after the Kelleher takeover of the company…

“Regardless, I suppose now the only thing we can really do is wait on the higher-ups to tell us what to do, although I should probably inform my government that the deal has been signed.” Keriana said, standing up smoothly. “Wouldn’t want to be getting panicked-sounding phone calls since someone forgot to forward things upwards into the bureaucracy.”

“In the meantime, I’ll fix my clothes a bit more since you… Ruffled them a bit,” Sophie said, taking a step away, leaving Keriana there next to the table where the papers were - in addition to a model of one of the dark colored F/A-31 Hydra planes, apparently one of the ones that were due for upgrades with the ACEPRO program. Or rather, new developments were meant to come from the Hydra program, as well as the F/A-30, the sister plane of the dark painted naval variant. Whatever the case, the entire program would soon be in the spotlight a bit more. As much as it could be considering the classified status.

While business deals happened in Rosaria, conflicts were still going on across the world, and in Kuristan, Warhawk Defense was still continually on edge due to the assignment they had taken up - protecting the country from the incoming invasion from East Kuristan and the Karagrad System. However, Pitchfork Squadron wasn’t exactly at full strength, considering one of their members had been taken away by the KIB. One of the ones that at this point had become an essential member. At least, that was the truth until the point when the KIB finally stopped at the Shavikor airbase one more time, accompanied by the person they had originally taken away… Francis.

It was as if she hadn’t been taken away, as she was left outside of the very same hangar where the KIB agents had picked her up in the first place, the SUV speeding off, and Francis wearing the same undershirt that she’d been wearing when she departed. Except, it had been days at this point, making it somewhat odd that she was standing here at the same place, wearing the same thing, like no time had passed since that day, the main difference being the time of day and the fact that the hangar no longer had the hustle and bustle of an operation day with ground crew swarming around to get the planes ready to surge out again if the need called for it.

Still… She was home. Or at the closest thing she had to a home these days, anyway.

“Francis Madrazo, what do you think you’re doing standing there like the colossal idiot you are?” Guinevere’s shout echoed out of the largely empty hangar, having been looking over her plane in one of the infrequent times that she bothered to check it over herself rather than leaving it to their engineers. She hopped down from where she’d been peering over her plane’s wing, hands on her hips as she stormed across the tarmac towards Francis.

“What? I only just got back…” Francis said, hands in her pockets as she stood there, looking around and taking the scene in for a moment before she started in Guinevere’s direction, figuring if she was free she might as well get into the base instead of standing there like Guinevere said.

“I noticed, and I’m currently debating whether you deserve a hug for making it back somehow, or me screaming in your face, as difficult as that is, for being stupid enough to lie to the KIB or whatever they took you away for.” Guinevere said, hands locked against her hips as she made her way over, a rather confused expression somewhere between relief and rage on her face. “I thought you were going to end up in some blacksite prison somewhere and I’d never see you again…”

“I didn’t think it was going to be that deep…” Francis admitted, her own voice relatively quiet. “And I was in a KIB blacksite, apparently they have those in Kuristan. I was in there with enemy POWs and stuff… Surprised someone when I said I was just in there for lying on documents… But how’d you even know what happened? I didn’t even know why I was getting arrested when it happened.”

“Lyke said something about you probably lying to the KIB before we went out on the power plant mission, I said you wouldn’t, so I kinda assumed it was probably going to be that.” Guinevere said, slumping. “Guess she was right about it after all…”

“About…?” Francis flushed, standing there awkwardly, a slight bit of sweat dripping down her face, obviously uncomfortable with the situation she’d suddenly been thrown into.

“I think we both know what you probably lied about, Francis.” Guinevere said, looking up at Francis. “But I’m not going to make you come out and say it since I’m sure you had a very, very, very good reason for trying to slip something past the KIB. It’d have been my neck on the line too, you know, since I was the one responsible for getting you to fill out all that paperwork in the first place.”

Francis could have given an elaborate reply trying to find some way to justify herself… But she didn’t bother. “I was desperate and I didn’t think it would be a big deal to them. I assumed it was just… Background info, so to speak. I guess if you know, you don’t want to talk to me anymore, which… Is fine, I’m the one that fucked it up, so maybe I should just go back to Diamenia and make it not anyone’s problem anymore…”
“I’m more mad about you trying to slip anything past the KIB than you not telling me because unlike the former, I’m damn sure you had a good reason for the latter.” Guinevere said, crossing her arms. “I don’t want to have to worry about you like that again, so you aren’t going anywhere if I have any say in the matter whatsoever. Besides, I’m on a squadron with Lupe, so… Not a big deal really.”

“I don’t know if my reasons were good enough… I don’t know if you would just say that it’s stupid, that I’m the one wrong for deceiving you, that… That I should get lost because of it… That’s why I’m thinking about just running away, just leaving all of this entirely… I fucked up in Diamenia, fucked up over here, I don’t think I can do anything but that,” Francis said, whatever toughness she had melting away as tears welled in her eyes. “It’s not going to help you to have me around any longer…”

“Francis, you’ve saved my life… Like, at least three times by this point.” Guinevere said, looking up at her. “As far as I’m concerned, I trust you enough that your reasons, no matter how fucking flimsy they might be to you, they’re good enough for me, but I also trusted you not to be stupid enough to do something like lying to the KIB. It’s frustrating for me but if I know one thing, it’s that I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d rather have up there so you aren’t going anywhere. Okay?”

“Alright…” Francis said quietly, lowering her head, not exactly protesting against anything that Guinevere was saying - even if she didn’t put as much faith in herself as Guinevere did in this case.

“Anyways, come on. Your room hasn’t changed much, well, at all.” Guinevere said, reaching out to take Francis’ hand. “And if you want to vent to myself, or just explain yourself or whatever you feel like doing, better we do it in private than out here on the tarmac. Okay?”

Francis nodded silently, moving to follow Guinevere through the halls and corridors of the base, heading in the direction of her room. However, they would find themselves stopped soon enough by their corporate liaison, who apparently had some news that was important enough to traverse the hallways to find them out here. “Guinevere,” said Lucas, giving a wave to her. “Need to see you in one of the meeting rooms. You’re one of the ones that’s qualified for some new corporate activities… There’s some career advancement chances, and rockstar pay attached to it.”

“I’ll see you in a bit, yeah? Work calls.” Guinevere gave a wave to Francis, staring to follow after Lucas. “What exactly do you have for me?” She asked, obviously curious. It wasn’t every day corporate came out to find you.

“You’ll have to wait and see. But if you’ll come with me…” Lucas said, leading her not that far away towards one of the conference rooms within the base. When the doors were opened, there were already some other pilots there… Not all of them from Guinevere’s flight. Well actually, she was the only one there out of the three that were active in her flight now that Francis had come back. The others were from the other flights, but Lyke was there notably.

“Within this room… Is a representative from our newest sponsor. That is, Norwell-Kelleher,” Lucas said, stepping to the side after entering and allowing Guinevere to enter also.

Ahead of them, on the other side of the room, there was someone that had a relatively notable aura - a face that had a couple of notable scars, the appearance of someone that was… Experienced around this business, in general and not just because of the obvious battle history, and an appearance that didn’t entirely seem Kaelic. Then again, the company they were dealing with wasn’t entirely Kaelic either, being based in the Republic of North Aurelia.

“With us today is Lorenz Reiher, one of the most accomplished ones to step into a cockpit in the RNA and one of the heroes of the Aurelian wars that have raged ever since the breakup of the original RNA fifty years ago… You may know him as an accomplished pilot of the RNA’s own next generation fighter programs, as ill fated as those have been, and as the man to sink a Western Aurelian aircraft carrier in the naval battle that occured between the two countries ten years prior to now,” Lucas said. “Additionally, after retirement from the North Aurelian Air Force, Lorenz has become a part of the latest program being worked on by Norwell-Kelleher…”
Guinevere said nothing, listening in silence. Reiher wasn’t exactly a legend, but he was fairly well known. It wasn’t everyone who managed to sink an entire aircraft carrier and then live to tell of it in the first place, but it did raise the question of why he was here in the first place, and about their newest sponsor.

“I see the latest member of the room has arrived…” Reiher said from the front. “You’re likely wondering what this is about. The fact of the matter is, this is a matter with a number of red tape restrictions around it, but some exciting opportunities for those who take the plunge into it… Specifically, this has to do with the Ace Fighter Program of the Kaelic military, which is being developed by the company that I represent today. The goal, of course, is creating more effective pilots through the use of technology - and Kuristan is the perfect testbed for this technology thanks to the already ongoing air conflict happening right here, involving some Kaelic fighters.”

“Your flight data indicates that you’re a candidate for this program. Should you sign on with the program, you would also find yourself in a more advanced fighter, or rather, the one that the program is working with for these future upgrades, the F/A-30 Puca. This would be provided by the company… As well as all of the equipment for the program,” Reiher continued, looking to Guinevere. “But opting in is a commitment of its own, the research here isn’t of the simple flight data gathering kind…”

“Then what is it of, or is that classified or something?” Guinevere asked, leaning forwards. Getting a top of the line plane was nothing to sneeze at, but that would depend what the price for it was.

“Classified, and you’ll have to come down to the corporate labs back out west to get everything set up. The technology needs to be… Customized per pilot. This isn’t the kind of thing that’s one size fits all,” Reiher informed her. “It’ll be a trip to Rosaria, and aside from that, the tech you’re using is experimental in general. Not of the directly dangerous type so to speak, but you’re not dealing with a finished product so to speak, keep that in mind…”

“How much time will we have to think this over?” Gunievere asked, tapping her fingers on her knee. Dealing with classified, experimental technology that needed to be customised per individual pilot sounded… Fishy, to say the least, with whatever it was meant to do.

“Your decision is preferred soon,” Reiher stated. “There is a plane to Rosaria leaving from Rysiki tomorrow, after all…”

“Yeah, don’t pussy around,” Lyke added, speaking for the first time… Though she had been giving Guinevere a look that could kill since she walked in, not happy about how the last encounter between the two of them had went. “Maybe you’ll take more advantage of this offer than you did with mine.”

“You’ll have mine by the end of the day at the latest.” Guinevere said, pointedly ignoring Lyke just like she’d been ignoring her look at her since she’d walked into the room. It wasn’t stupid to be wary when whatever she was getting into was classified to the point that they didn’t know exactly why they were doing… Whatever they’d be doing in Rosaria. Even if the combination of simple curiosity, and the offer of a new plane sorely tempted her to say yes.

“Fair enough… You’ll have to see your squadron manager about it when you finish with making your decision,” said Reiher. “Either way, if you do say yes, you’ll learn the full details after the plane lands.”

“I’m assuming we’re done here then, yeah?” Guinevere asked, still mulling over it all in her head. At least she had time to consider it, and she’d learn the full details if she did accept. Not quite that classified then, just need to know basis.

“If your decision is to wait, then yes, consider yourself dismissed,” said Lucas, from the back of the room behind where Guinevere was.

“Yeah, like I said you’ll hear back from me by the end of the day, I’m leaning yes but I just need time to mull it all over. How long would we be in Rosalia for?” Guinevere asked, standing up. She didn’t want to leave her squadron with just Francis and Lupe for too long, even if she trusted they could handle themselves.

“The trip shouldn’t last more than a couple of days,” Reiher informed her. “But there’s some things that can only be done back at the lab in Rosaria rather than at the base here, which is why it’s needed.”

“That’s fine then. As said, I’ll almost certainly accept, but I just want an hour or two to think things over.” Guinevere nodded, turning to leave. It was too good of an offer to refuse, really, but that was what made her wary of it in the first place.

The doors were opened once again, and she would have her chance to leave, but as she did so she would find that she wasn’t the only one heading out of the room and as a matter of fact, she had someone tailing after, her - Lyke, to be specific. “I spoke to you, you know,” she said, her tone frustrated after being ignored previously in the meeting, her voice coming from further down the hallway after Guinevere had left and started back down it.

“I didn’t really feel like talking while you were trying to murder me with your eyes.” Gunievere said, stopping and turning around to look back down the hallway towards Lyke. “I will say that you were absolutely right on Francis, and at the bare minimum I owe you one hell of an apology over that at some point.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve tried being friendly but if you wanna keep bein’ a bitch there might be consequences,” Lyke warned ominously, folding her arms as she stood there and watched Guinevere towards the other end of the hall, her face angry - something that wasn’t all that common for her, considering she usually had a more relaxed demeanor about her.

“I was being a bitch since you were accusing someone I consider a friend of all sorts of bullshit with no hard proof beyond rumours and shit on the internet.” Guinevere said, sighing. “Of course I’m going to take Francis’ word over that, even if in hindsight you were absolutely right about… Basically everything, as far as I can tell, and I admit it.”

“Be very careful, Guinevere…” Lyke said simply, her hands balled up at her sides as fists. “You don’t wanna play me like a joke! You had your chance, I tried to be friends, tried to be nice… But if you’re still going to give me the cold shoulder, it’s fuck you.”

“I’m not treating you like a joke, Lyke…” Guinevere said, crossing her arms. “I fucked up and was too blinded by Francis being my friend to even so much as consider what you were saying to be anything other than people being people and just heaping shit onto her, and I admit that, fucking hell I know most of it’s true through insinuation since she got back less than half an hour ago, I just… Don’t know what you want from me, really.”

“I don’t know… I thought you were kind of cool. That maybe we could be something if you didn’t spend your time hanging out with some girl that can hardly talk that almost got you in trouble for lying to the KIB…” Lyke said, her hands shaking at her side slightly. “I… Offered you things, too, and you just turned that down also…”

“You offered me things basically right after insulting Francis, Lyke, so I wasn’t exactly in the mood to accept anything then. Hell, even right now I’m not sure whether I should be happy she’s back and alive and not been tortured in a KIB blacksite or absolutely livid with her for being enough of a fucking moron to try lying to the KIB.” Guinevere groaned, running her hands through her hair. “I just don’t really know what to think, Lyke. About you, about Francis… If you said I was a hormonal mess back then right now I’m a fucking emotional hurricane of… Everything.”

“So you’re admitting I was right about that part, too,” Lyke said through gritted teeth, pausing as she flexed and unflexed her hands, eyes still cast towards Guinevere. “Not like I ever had a chance, anyway, I guess…”

“I said you were right about basically everything, didn’t I?” Guinevere said, sighing. “But right now I really don’t know what to think about either of you given the nice mess I’ve been dumped into, sure you insulted Francis, but you were also right which counts for a hell of a lot, and given Francis was stupid enough to try lying to the fucking KIB and almost took me down with her I… I’m just a fucking mess, Lyke. I don’t know what the fuck I want or what I’m doing.”

“And you thought avoiding me was going to help that?” questioned Lyke, folding her arms, not entirely sure what to say herself… Or rather, how much to hold back her apparent anger.

“Hey, it deals with it and kicks the can down the road…” Guinevere shrugged. “I figured if I just keep kicking it’ll go far enough but no that hasn’t worked, as kinda expected. Now instead of getting to handle you and Francis separately, it’s all dumped on me at once, so great job with that, me. You should’ve figured out by now that I’m not exactly the picture of grace under pressure when it comes to people.”

“Fine…” said Lyke, turning slightly and getting ready to walk away. “Figure it the fuck out if that’s what you have to do… I don’t have high expectations, from what I’ve seen so far…”

“Just makes it easier to live up to them then.” Guinevere said. “Maybe a few days in Rosaria away from Francis might help where I can focus on whatever this mystery shit is.”

“See to it that it does…” said Lyke, disappearing down the hallway and leaving Guinevere there - and it wasn’t entirely clear if the ominous statements or threats she’d made before still applied, even after the ‘resolution’ they had came to, that didn’t really solve anything but only made the problems more apparent.

Guinevere didn’t see any point in sticking around, turning to head back to her own room. She still had a lot to deal with, but hopefully it would be easier to deal with one part of it at a time.

by **Durmatagno** » Sun Mar 22, 2020 7:17 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 15
“INTO THE JUNGLE”

As the conflict with Almirez and the Southern Wind Alliance as a whole continues, the services of the Naval Special Operations Command of the Kaelic Navy are more in demand... 1. Commando has been deployed to South Aurelia, and its notable Diamond Company has been sent to the southern end of the continent with the goal of halting the offensive into Alamanian South Aurelia before the regional capital is overrun by the combined Southern Wind force. The first step in this operation is taking out one of the top Soviet generals in the area, from behind enemy lines - a tough task for any unit, special forces included. A victory in this operation, however, will buy time for the Alamanian 2nd Marine Group to deploy in Ainhelm along with the 1st Surface Group, which may just help to turn the tide of the war in the south…

Assault Ship KNS Fortune
South Aurelian Ocean
March 16th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Durmatagno

With the conflict in South Aurelia drawing on, more and more became necessary to gain an advantage on the other side… What had started as a battle on the northeastern coasts had turned into a fight on both the northern and southern sides of the continent, and what had manifested originally as the Republic of Almirez cutting off shipping to the southern colonial nations had turned quickly into a full on invasion of those nations, with the aid of the South Aurelian Soviets. Now, an equally strong response was needed…

Of course, the Bandon class assault ship KNS Fortune and the pair of destroyers accompanying it on this journey across the high seas were a strong enough response on their own, at least for now before the real military force showed up in this area, a force that would be larger and would allow for a real push back against the enemy. ON board this assault ship, there were the people that would help hold out and set up for that… The skeleton crew that had to set up before the full one could arrive, so to speak. Which wasn’t to say they didn’t pack a lot of firepower on their own. The Archer and Hoplite class destroyers still had enough ways to hurt someone, and the assault ship was filled with enough personnel to put up a decent fight, even without mentioning the F/A-19 jump jets that could be deployed from the flat top.

Some of those personnel on board were even part of the Naval Special Operations Command, or more specifically, one of the elite field units of that formation, 1. Commando… And of those unit members who were embarked, many of them were from Diamond Company, one that had an assignment of its own soon enough. As soon as they were within range of the shore, they were set to begin, and their mission was just as crucial to the success of the operations here as any strikes carried out long distance by the naval group.

Junior Lieutenant Destra Faolain, a woman who seemed low ranking for her infamous last name despite being in the lead of the 2. Platoon, pondered those tasks as she moved through the halls of the ship, used to the swaying of it with the waves by now and having no problem heading to where she wanted to go as they traversed the choppy waters. Then again, considering her training as part of the Commandos, she supposed it was natural that she wasn’t bothered by it. They were fighters on land, but they had still been trained well enough to be one with the water… If they had to dive, it would be no problem. And of course, living and working on a ship when they weren’t on land was no problem either. Deployments from ones like this were the norm.

Reaching her destination, she stepped inside the meeting room that for once was filled with personnel - her personnel. She had a briefing to give, after all, as they were gathered here together for the first time since they had embarked on this trip on board the KNS Fortune. First, though, her eyes scanned the room. They did have a different face or two here since the last time they had been sent out. Bureaucracy sometimes brought with it these kinds of changes, but for better or worse they had yet to find out…

Iris studied the woman that stepped into the room, her own commander, Jr. Lt. Destra. Iris was new to the team, recently transferred, and she hadn’t had time to really talk to anyone else just yet. She wasn’t sure what kind of commander stood before her, or what the rest of the team was like for that matter, but hoped to find out without it exploding in her face. Tensions being bad within a team had a tendency to explode during high stress situations, like a combat zone. She cracked some of her fingers idly while she waited, not looking to really attract attention to herself just yet.

Of course, there were mixed reactions to seeing the commanding officer walk in, for her name already preceded her… ‘Faolain,’ her name tag on her uniform read. The name of perhaps the most established of the Kaelic clans, the one that had been largely behind the move to unify the country in the first place. And ever since then, they had still been going strong. In politics, in the corporate world… And from the looks of how they had a number of officers in the ranks of the military, that area too. Destra just happened to be another one of them in a position like this, but that wasn’t to say most of the soldiers here had met someone from that clan.

It was quite possible to be slightly… Star struck.

“As you know, our mission here in South Aurelia has to do with the invasion being conducted by the Republic of Almirez and the Union of South Aurelian Soviets - otherwise known as the Southern Wind Alliance, a faction related to the Karagrad System but not entirely the same thing. While the Karagrad System has wider goals, the SWA is a nativist movement… Their states goals are the reclamation of all of South Aurelia from Aunorans, which has resulted in their invasion of New Castana and Alamanian South Aurelia. Due to our alliances and due to our own business interests in the area which would be expelled under a Southern Wind dominated South Aurelia, we cannot let this happen, obviously,” Destra started… Going through a rundown of what they likely knew.

“That means coming in conflict with a couple sides that have more numbers on the ground than us right now, and an enemy supported by hostile powers at that. It’s not going to be easy, and the Alamanian colony in South Aurelia is already being mostly overrun, with the capital city, Ainhelm, being in sight. The other side has a lot of tanks, planes, and men, even if the equipment is older… We can’t match them in that until a landing can happen and strength can be built up from a safe spot. That’s the reason we’re the first ones in, instead,” she continued.

“Strike the enemy behind their own lines, disrupt their operations, and hold them where they are until the Alamanian 2nd Marine Group arrives from overseas to turn the tide here. That’s our objective, everyone. The methods for that may vary based on the assignment… Know that anything we do, however, will be targeted at the most important goal - limiting their ability to continue with this invasion. Furthermore, we’ll have some slightly different personnel working with us on this. I believe my own Squad A is receiving a transfer… You may introduce yourself.”

“Ensign Iris Nic Garmhaic reporting for duty, hopefully I integrate well into the group.”

Iris’s own family was nowhere near as prestigious as the Faolain, though they had little competition to begin with. If one saw the various clans as a pyramid, hers was somewhere around the top middle, most of it’s money tied up in civilian manufacturing, namely bikes, car parts, those sorts of things. Recently it’d been seeing a push to get more members in the military to try and increase it’s influence and standing, but things were slow, especially with many of the clans members too young or too old to sign up. Iris was one of only five or maybe six if her cousin had gotten in. She was more interested in their assignment than her introduction, as working behind enemy lines was always a risk affair, no matter how experienced or well trained the group.

“Our first assignment is targeting General Edgar Crespo,” Destra informed the group. “Otherwise known as the man in charge of the South Aurelian Soviet force making thep push towards Ainhelm. We believe, however, that the less advanced nature of this military and their less careful procedure will give us a chance to strike up the chain of command and deal a blow to their advance. Crespo so far has racked up several victories, albeit against only the forces that the locals could throw together at the last minute… His death would cut off the chain of command in addition to being a morale defeat for the other side.”

She paused, thinking back to the file which had listed the specifics. “Insertion is with a low flying helicopter, same as exfil. After landing in the jungle, we have to meet up with some of the local militia, before they bring us through the rest of the jungle path until we reach a spot which is down the road from the main camp the enemy is using for this part of the invasion. We know the rough time when Crespo is expected to leave via convoy… Which puts the matter in our hands, in an ambush attack.”

“Doubt their security will be very tight, they’re used to dealing with local militia, and as you said won several victories. Still going to be annoying, even light security in a convoy includes machineguns unless they’re really, really stupid.”

Iris of course didn’t know specifics, but she knew tactics to some extent. Even lightly armed military convoys still had armed soldiers, at least one machine gun maybe more, and something semi-armored for anyone important to be in. If they were so ignorant as to not even have that, she dreaded to think of how badly prepared the militia had been. Considering their equipment and needing a proper foot hold to load forces up at, she’d hazard a guess that that weren’t that incompetent, but she’d been surprised before.

“We’re expecting a BBR convoy,” Destra said. “But there’s ways around dealing with the more dangerous parts directly. Mining the road is an option, and we should have the element of surprise unless something goes very wrong… Those vehicles can be destroyed in one hit by an ATGM, and we’re bringing multiple of them. Enough to have them at a standstill within the first seconds of our attack.”

“So rapid attack with as little chance for retaliation as possible?”

“That’s the general idea. Rapid strike, and then moving on deeper into the jungle, where the evac point is located. There’s little intent to hang around and have a fight with the other side.”

“Alright.”

Iris said with a nod, what little possible concern she had mollified. It wasn’t the weakest convoy detail, but it wasn’t the strongest either. Personally she’d advocate mining the roads anyway, and using the launchers to halt the convoy, that way the next time a group came in or out of that camp they’d be in for a surprise and have to move more cautiously for there on out, but if it wasn’t the plan it wasn’t the plan.

“We’re departing in a couple of day’s time once we’re closer to the coast and able to head there via helicopter… Until that point when we look at everything again in further detail, you can all consider yourselves dismissed,” Destra concluded, watching as the squad assembled in front of her started to stand up and get ready to head out.

Iris stood up and stretched, looking at the other squad members and matching names to faces best she could, not wanting to forget them in the field. She was in command if Destra went down or couldn’t go on the mission for some reason. She’d also need to review information on the squad members to make sure that if it ever came down to her, she’d use them in a decent way, beyond simply what they’re role in the squad dictated for them.

Destra’s eyes lingered on the Ensign that was going to serve as her second in command, but she didn’t say anything more, simply turning and leaving the room through the side entrance which she had come in through originally… There were still preparations to make, even if the rest of the squad didn’t need to see them just yet as they’d get briefed again before the assignment. She was a bit unsure herself, having no experience with this person that she had to work with, but she supposed part of her training had been in being adaptable, after all… This was really a time when that skill was needed.

The time passed and they eventually did find themselves closer to the shore, and with that, on a cloudy afternoon here in the South Aurelian Ocean, they were ready for their assignment they had learned about a couple of days prior. The sole UH-75 helicopter was waiting for them on the deck, though it wasn’t a usual one but rather one of the special forces variants that was further equipped for flying in low, evading enemy detection, and getting out safely… It had been proven plenty of times in the past, and today, the quiet insertion would be key to their plans. Leading the group up onto the flat top of the assault ship, of course, was Destra.

The wind factor couldn’t be underestimated as they stepped out, but like everything else, it was something they trained for… And she wasn’t swayed at all, even as the wind whipped against her face and body, not helped by the fact that the ship was moving at thirty knots at the moment. They had still been trained for these conditions, however, and it wasn’t her first time walking across the deck of a moving assault ship while the helicopter waited further ahead… Destra stopped, gesturing in the direction of the UH-75, waiting for the rest of the unit to move to board it through the open doors so they could head off in time.

Iris moved towards the helicopter without hesitation, eager to prove she deserved her rank and position. While she moved, she turned her eyes to the sky, enjoying the view for a moment before it was obscured by spinning blades, and then the interior of the copter. She wasted no time getting strapped in, and checked her equipment one last time, giving her something to do while she waited for everyone to get on board.

As the unit boarded the helicopter, the final preparations were made before the vehicle lifted off the deck of the assault ship and turned into the direction of the shoreline, the nose tipping down as the helicopter accelerated and began the journey to the shore. Not the quickest one but not the longest either - they were within range for the dropoff and pickup by helicopter but they were still a decent distance off the coast, not getting closer to aid in making it harder to attack from the land. The enemy had taken enough of the territory to place weapons in the colony if they desired, after all… It was mainly only Ainhelm and some parts of the southern countryside that hadn’t been taken yet.

The trip was of course undertaken at a quick speed, and a low level of flying. They didn’t need to get picked up by radar when they were heading into the sector that was controlled by the South Aurelian Soviets - and would likely already have their air defense radars located within it… There was still some risk presented by forces located on the ground, however.

As they moved over land, they would pass over the city of Ainhelm itself and head further north to where the attacking army was actually located, entering an area that was more jungle than rural. It was only then, after they had completed the trip and were approaching an area that was enough of a clearing in the middle of this to fit the helicopter, that they descended, the doors being pulled open seconds before the helicopter was hovering off the ground.

“Not making a long stop here, let’s get a move on!” Destra encouraged her unit, jumping out and dropping about a foot to the ground as the helicopter hovered over the zone where they were disembarking, the rest of the unit quickly moving into action also as they were ushered out, and into the unfamiliar - or perhaps familiar, depending on experience level - jungles of South Aurelia.

Iris moved out without hesitation or complaint, she’d seen plenty of action even if the jungles of South Aurelia were new to her. She knew hesitation and disregarding orders could get you killed, or worse, get your team killed. She wasn’t going to be the one to cause that, not if she could help it. She smiled a little to herself, while she generally wasn’t a big fan of killing, there was a certain thrill to testing ones skill against anothers, and this was going to be a rapid strike operation, one slip up would ruin everything for the entire team.

The trail ahead of them was already fairly laid out - they had to follow the road until they would reach logging village where they were set to meet the militia that roamed these parts, previously for the purpose of civil defense and bolstering the garrison, and now tied to a fight for survival that came with the invasion… It was safe to say the militia was outmatched in many ways, but they did have the advantage of knowing the land, which would help the Kaelic forces that were coming in right now to support them. Destra led the way down that trail - but she kept her eyes open for anything dangerous ahead. “Don’t think we’re out of the woods just because they haven’t shown up yet… Getting patrols this far out isn’t out of the question.”

“Got it.”

Iris said simply, keeping her eyes peeled. Unfortunately jungles were still new to her, and training was very different from the field, and it was unlikely that she’d spot anything on her first excursion. Not without experience in the jungles first, though it was certainly possible. She bit the inside of her cheek, the pressure all to familiar, and helping keep her centered, she was more nervous than normal as this was her first mission with this group.

They were able to continue for some time through the jungle before they ran into anything that could be trouble. However, that wasn’t to say that there wasn’t anything in the jungle that was hostile to them…

When they did find it, though, they were the ones getting the jump rather than the ones falling to an ambush. “Can hear the sounds of one of those enemy patrols approaching…” Destra said, her voice low - she gestured to the jungle on either side of them. It was a good hiding spot, due to the density of it, and the fact that any soldiers on patrol would likely pay more attention to what was ahead of them than anything that seemingly blended in with these trees. “Hold right here, and let’s move out of the main road…”

Iris nodded, not risking speaking anymore and moved into the underbrush, crouching low to reduce her profile. SHe had her rifle ready, but took care to make sure it didn’t glint in the light. If they had to engage, she’d be ready, if they just bypassed them to move into the main target, she’d be ready. She was hoping for this mission to go off without any issues, but plans never survive contact with the enemy, so she knew it was an empty hope.

The patrol indeed wasn’t paying attention to their surroundings, moving through the trail without looking too closely at the jungle ahead, a conversation happening in the Castanan language that seemed to take precedent over looking from side to side and spotting what was hiding in the trees and bushes… The commandos, of course, were able to get a good look at their opponent. At the cheap body armor they wore, mainly protecting the chest but not a lot else, in contrast to the ACOS body armor worn by the commandos, which covered the entire body and was made from the latest of composite and synthetic materials. Their opponents, in contrast, were also protected by simply metal helmets, more a metal bowl than anything.

They could have wiped the patrol out with a surprise attack, but that would disrupt their plan to show up at the opponent’s base without them having an idea that there was trouble in the area. If a fight happened, it happened, but they didn’t need to look for one. Not right now, anyway. There was, so to speak, a time for everything.

“Clear,” said Destra, stepping back onto the main path after enough time had went by that they could be sure about the lack of an enemy presence. She waved the team forward once again, and by now, they were hardly far from the logging village that they were headed towards.

The jungle became less dense as they approached, some of the trees cut and machinery lying around in some open areas as they grew closer to the location and entered the spots that had been designated as logging fields - at least under the old government. All of the industry in the country right now hung in the balance. If the South Aurelian Soviets swept in, it would be nationalized, and the fate of the company operating here remained to be seen. However, the actual workers had long since fled this place due to the conflict beginning, and as they walked in, they were greeted with the sight of empty cabins and an almost ghastly looking main road…

It mainly seemed creepy due to the combination of being in the middle of the jungle, having no one around, and the way it looked like the buildings had been abandoned quickly, some of them still having doors hanging wide open.

“We’re here,” Destra said.

“I don’t see anyone…” said Petty Officer First Class Eileen Mac Caba, the third highest ranking one in the group, though she was the leader of the first squad while Destra was rather the leader at the platoon level, with Iris as her second in command.

“I doubt they would come out without any caution. We could be the enemy for what they know,” Destra remarked, holding up a hand to gesture for her team to stop. “Let’s wait a moment. See if we see anything.”

As that moment passed, their contacts did emerge from a milhouse on the site, realizing that they were dealing with the commandos they were waiting for rather than the South Aurelian Soviet forces which had probably moved through this place earlier. They weren’t dressed in any formal uniform, nor were they exactly heavily armed, with rather basic assault rifles serving as their weaponry, but what was important was their knowledge and their ability to show the best path to where the enemy assault was from.

“Welcome to New Alamania…” one of those figures said, as the two groups recognized one another, weapons lowered. “And one of the last holdouts against the reds moving in from the north. Suppose you’re all here to help with that problem.”

Iris nodded, though kept quiet, as she presumed that Destra, as the commander, would want to take charge of actually talking to them. Instead she kept her eyes peeled to make sure no one unexpected or unwanted showed up to interrupt this little meeting. She didn’t like the jungle much so far, she preferred gentle rolling hills with sparse trees and rolling flora, not this thick greenery that hid riches and dangers alike. She turned her attention back to the conversation at hand, not wanting to get distracted on a mission.

“We’re ready to move out and deal with the discussed target as soon as we have the supplies,” Destra said with a nod to the militia fighter that had spoken, walking further into the camp.

The militia fighter gestured towards the milhouse and walked inside, moving to drag something out - a decent sized crate, likely storing weapons or some other kind of contraband. “Raketenpanzerbüchse 41 anti-tank launchers… Otherwise known as the RPB 41. Can take one of those BBRs out easily in one hit, and it’s a danger to anything larger that we might run into, also. Less accurate than your AT-12, I believe, but smaller and easier to use in an ambush.”

The size was the reason they hadn’t brought the AT-12 ATGM with them onto this mission. The local weaponry was already well suited to the job. “This will work,” said Destra, picking up one of the launchers from inside the crate, the somewhat heavy weapon not straining her. “Ryden! You have a launcher now.”

She was calling over Ryden Diaz, the peculiar Diamenian born rifleman who also operated their anti-tank weapons on operations when they were using them. The other commando soon came over and threw the weapon over his shoulder by the strap, also reaching into the second crate that had been brought out and picking up the required ammunition. “Ready to roll, I believe.”

Destra turned back to the militia leader. “Have your men take the other two,” she said, before she waved to her own group to come forward. “We’re moving again in a couple minutes, the longer we delay, the more chances we have of not getting to where we need to be in time.”

With that she was walking to the other end of the logging camp, and they would be joined by three more allies, in this case members of the militia rather than the professional commandos that most of the group was made of.

Iris was already ready to go before Destra said anything, but she wasn’t going to rush the rest of the group, they seemed to know how to handle themselves. Instead she spent some time sizing up the militia, and sighed internally. If this was the best this area could muster, no wonder they needed these commandos on the missions. Iris wondered if they’d be sending anyone in to train this militia better, give them a fighting chance with ambush tactics instead of the stiff breeze they’d provided so far.

They did know the terrain however, and it became apparent as the group moved off the main road and went down a path that was less traveled, with the trees hugging them closer than they had before. It was fortunate that the ACOS body armor didn’t leave skin exposed, or they would have likely ended up with scrapes just from moving through the terrain. Then again, that was the advantage in it. They could count on these routes being unguarded because the other side saw them as too inconvenient to patrol or otherwise do anything about.

And there were signs they were getting closer to the base. Helicopters flew overhead, but in the dense vegetation, they missed them… Sometimes, there was the sound of a patrol happening on a nearby road, but not this one in specific, which seemed to cut directly through Soviet territory but didn’t alert the forces here of their presence. They were also headed uphill… Seemingly important to the task they were working on right now, which was an ambush where a height advantage would help them in the opening phases.

After this last period of walking, they were at the spot. “Alright, everyone… We have an overlooking view of the road right here,” Destra said, after they had turned off of the thick jungle trail and approached a more open spot located on the left side of the road running out of the base. “This is where Crespo’s convoy is expected to come. “Down, until my mark… And then the first wave of attacks should happen at one time. Let’s not give them much of a chance to reply.”

“Got it.”

Iris acknowledged as she moved into position, smiling again now that they were much closer to the actual engagement than they had been before. She bit the inside of her cheek again, this time drawing blood, reminding herself not to get lost in the thrill and to just focus on doing a good job. After a moment she let go of her cheek, believing that the taste of blood in her mouth would be enough for now.

The waiting period wasn’t instant - they did have to wait for the time when the convoy would actually depart, but after an all terrain truck sped down the road, they had some indication that the part of the convoy that they were actually looking for was coming soon behind it… And Destra readied her own weapon, keeping a careful eye on the road ahead and the spot where the convoy would be.

They didn’t need to wait forever. Eventually, it did show itself.

Three BBR transports, no infantry yet… But of course, as an enclosed transport, the infantry would be contained inside. They wouldn’t have to deal with them until they had already attacked the vehicles. “Squad! Now!” Destra alerted them that it was the moment to fire, and suddenly, the peaceful jungle scene was turned into something much more violent.

Ryden was the first to shoot, pulling the trigger on the Alamanian produced anti-tank weapon and watching as the unguided rocket flew towards its mark, hitting the transport that they were targeting primarily… The middle one that had the highest chance of containing the General they were looking for. It caught fire from the explosion and impact, but they couldn’t be sure yet that everyone inside was actually dead. They did have two attacks left, however, and both of the militia soldiers who had the same weapon fired - with a fifty-fifty success rate, one of which was the BBR swiveling the autocannon around to face them… And this type had enough gun movement to hit them even when they were on the hill. “Scratch that…” she said, watching the turret turn and quickly altering the plan. “Move to my left side and down the hill, might as well get onto the road and give the back BBR some more… Obstructions.”

Fact of the matter was, the two burning wrecks did make for good cover, and they were supposed to make sure that their target was dead, anyway. As they started to move, however… BANG, BANG, BANG! The BBR began firing on their position as the infantry moved out of the back, the sustained fire notably hitting the spot where Eileen was, obscuring the fate of the third in command as the impact against the jungle ground sent a plume of dirt into the air, the other soldier no longer running along with the rest of the squad.

Iris kept moving, she wasn’t a trained medic and putting another officer right where shots had just landed seemed like a horrible idea. Maire would have to cover that angle, in the meantime they were going to try and get behind cover. Iris kept her rifle raised, ready to shoot any targets as they made themselves apparent, but so far all it was was smoking wrecks. They’d need to pry the things open to confirm kills, but they needed the last one out of the picture to do that.

As they took up their formation on the road, the infantry that had just climbed out of the rear vehicle were doing the same… Seemed to be about six soldiers, though the exchange of fire stopped because both sides couldn’t exactly see each other between the smoke on the battlefield and the two wrecked vehicles. Destra was the first one to get an idea of where the enemy actually was even beyond these smokescreens, and gave a gesture for her squad to move down the road. “Move along the right side of the convoy and we’ll have them by surprise I think… They’re behind the other BBR, looking left.”

“Roger.”

Was all Iris said before she got moving, following Destra’s instructions, though as she moved she took as good a look as she was going to get to make sure the intel was accurate. If it was wrong she could let Destra know, probably phrase it as the enemy changing their plan to avoid making it seem like Destra had made a mistake. Depended on the situation really, she was mostly just making sure she wasn’t walking into an ambush of her own.

They crept forwards carefully… Until the point where the commandos were directly behind the vehicle that the Soviet soldiers were turning around. Destra was the first one to open up shooting, placing a burst of three rounds in the back of the nearest of the soldiers, the corpsman Maire Cinneidigh taking the next shot… In close quarters, they weren’t about to have the machine gunner and designated marksman push up with the rest of the group, but Maire was successful in her own shots as one of the bullets hit and dropped the opponent from behind, cutting the number to four before the enemy could even react. At this point, they were also close enough that the BBR didn’t have enough gun depression to physically be able to fire at them…

Iris took her shot next, and all three of her rounds caught her target in the back, dropping them quickly. She smirked, though she knew they’d probably lost a member in this mission, she couldn’t help but enjoy the thrill of conflict. Not hurting people, she was always very clear about that, no, it was the thrill of the struggle, skill on skill, that got her excited.

But Destra, on the other hand, seemed to at least take pleasure in the destruction of the enemy… Especially after they had already lost someone on this mission - she hadn’t had the time to stop and see, thanks to being under fire, but she knew from the fact that Eileen wasn’t with them right now, and hadn’t been seen since they had rushed down the hill to take the fight to the enemy. She watched closely as hostiles continued to fall, the latest two shots taken by the sniper Sibeal MacFarlane, who went to her pistol in these close quarters rather than abandoning the fight entirely due to her choice in weapons.

Though, Destra looked up and spotted a chance, and it was entirely separate from what they were doing now, and firing on a disoriented opponent from behind… She’d spotted two of the Alamanian militia, back up on the hill and in firing position once again now that the forces on the ground were tied up. All they had to do was get out of the way and they could hopefully finish off the convoy. “Pull back,” Destra ordered, as the opponent gained its bearings and prepared for a counter attack. “There’s going to be a blast here soon…”

“Moving.”

Iris pulled back after taking one final shot at the soldiers still standing, really she’d been pulling the trigger then Destra had given the order. Two rounds hit, but Iris didn’t process it, she was moving back to clear the area of fire, giving them the shot they needed to get the BBR. Iris couldn’t say she wasn’t glad to see the enemies dropping, the chances of their squad member surviving the autocannon shot was pretty low. Even if she survived, it’d be months before she was fit for field duty.

Shortly after they had cleared out of the blast area, both of the RPB shots impacted the BBR, sending the final vehicle up in flames before it exploded more violently, an ammunition cookoff triggering thanks to the sudden explosions, as the magazine as detonated… There were, of course, no survivors. “Clear!” Destra said, after looking down the road and spotting that there were no more vehicles on the way. Not yet, anyway.

She turned back towards the wreck of the middle vehicle, moving up with the rest of the squad towards the back and moving for the hatch, pulling open at the door and looking at what was inside. “Bodies, alright,” she said, gesturing for the others to take a look - the bodies within were, of course, burnt, but they could still make out some details even with that fact. “That ain’t the combat uniform the Soviets use. These are officers, like we expected.”

Destra was the one to climb into the back, looking for some kind of identification. “Iris, call the helo back to the exfil point… While I look for something on this body. Face isn’t enough to ID in this case.”

“Got it.”

Iris turned away from what Destra was doing to watch the smoke from the ammo cookoff as she called for extraction. Iris liked the smoke, it was always fun to watch smoke, one of the best parts of battle was the smoke and dust. Not during the battle obviously, afterwards, it was fun to watch the way it billowed and shifted in the wind.

Destra would emerge from the back of the BBR holding an identification card, one that was also burnt to an extent but was still marked with the symbolism of the South Aurelian Soviets and was still in one piece. “Found what we need… We did hit the right person. General Edgar Crespo… Now no more, and not in any position to lead an advance on Ainhelm.”

She paused, jumping down back to the dirt road. “Big victory… At a cost.”

She was moving back in the direction of the hill, presumably to check on the fate of their one squad member that hadn’t made it down with the others, although when she did make it to the scene she knew that her fears were confirmed - it hadn’t been a weapon that was survivable, even with the enhanced body armor compared to a regular soldier. She could see where the armor had been torn, and the messy scene where her colleague lay. The round had been, after all, quite a large one in comparison to a regular rifle or machine gun round… 30mm to be specific.

Pausing at the site of her friend’s death, Destra reached down underneath the armor to grab the tags, holding them up for a moment before closing her fist around them and turning back. “Petty Officer Mac Caba is down,” she announced, picking the lighter body up without much problem and throwing it over her shoulder, as she waved for the others to come back in the direction of the exfil point further south.

Iris frowned at the body, she hated anytime her team or any team close to hers had casualties. Now it was a member of a team that seemed like it’d been together for awhile, she didn’t have any connection to the girl, but the rest of the team would. She’d need to stay out of the way after the mission was over for a bit, give them time to deal with it without her. For now she started moving towards the exfil, no point in lingering after their objective had been completed.

The exfiltration point was another clearing which was closer to the location of the base, and their helicopter was there shortly after they arrived - but despite the success, Destra was still completely silent as she climbed on board, setting the body down inside while the rest of the group boarded the helicopter, the doors closing behind them once they were all on and the vehicle lifting off the ground and turning back in the direction they had come shortly after… They’d successfully evaded the response from the Union of South Aurelian Soviets, and from here, they just had to complete the trip back to the assault ship.

With that being said, it didn’t feel all that much like a victory to Destra…

by **Forest State** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:53 am

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 16
“PROTOTYPES”

The city of Alca has turned from a stronghold of the Republic of Almirez to the staging ground of the Ranhalt Accords invasion into the country - and from there, the 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade is set to receive its next assignment, one of the utmost importance for security across the region.

Firebase Hotel 3
Almirez Occupation Zone
March 16th, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Alca was an interesting case - the port had been brought to a standstill after the city had been taken by forces from the Ranhalt Accords, and trade wasn’t moving in and out of the formerly busy and prosperous place. Humanitarian supplies such as food and medicine and the like came in at a slow rate from the outside, but even these were often held up, checked for smuggled shipments of weapons and other things of the sort, creating a restless populace but also one that for the most part stayed inside… The occupation wasn’t on the best terms with the ones being occupied, which could be said to be the main factor behind it. There had been a fair share of looting, there had been fires in the city after it was captured, there had been reports of further violence…

And then the city eventually settled into a calm, the streets empty and many businesses closed thanks to the invasion and the subsequent occupation, a curfew installed for civilians and the streets mostly populated by military vehicles on patrol or delivering things to the frontline which was at this point far beyond the city itself, after forces had been funneled in and sent to the fight with the remaining Almirezian forces. The 105th Mechanized Cavalry Brigade found this ghost town to be their new home, as their unit was moved from Daernel to a base set up near the Alca airport, where they could be quickly deployed via aircraft to the front when they had assignments.

They had received a lot of assignments in the past weeks - everything from doing recon through rough terrain to sniping enemy armored vehicles with their heavy assault guns. They were some of the more active units on the front, though today, they supposedly didn’t have anything to do as the offensive paused for a couple days to organize, regroup, and continue to make the push towards some of the other major cities of the country such as the capital city, Camina.

Which left them with the options of hanging around the firebase or heading into the ghost town, at this point.

“I don’t suppose you have a proposal of your own…” Lieutenant Royce Mahon said to her platoon sergeant, Ciar Ailin. “That’s better than sitting here and watching the supply trucks go by,” she continued. The firebase did have plenty of supply runs… They were responsible partly for keeping the push to Camina supplied, after all.

“If I had anything, I’d have said, wouldn’t I?” Ciar said, turning her attention away from the trucks rumbling by to Royce. “It’s a ghost town out there so there’s nothing to do, and there’s nothing to do here at the firebase so it’s a nice boiling pot of extreme boredom or a fire also of extreme boredom.”

“Suppose you’re right about that,” shrugged Royce, still looking forward. “Other than talking, I guess… I mean, all the sorties have happened so far haven’t told me much about who you are, other than my squadmate.”

“Not exactly much room to talk when there’s shells and missiles flying all over the place.” Ciar shrugged. “I’ve never been that good at talking about myself, being the third of four sisters does that to you so I kinda always got forgotten like that, and its not like I’ve gotten to see that much out of you either really.”

“I ran the streets in Daernel for a bit and then I ended up in the military… Not sure how interesting that is or how much being around here has straightened me out. But… Aside from apparently having an aptitude for this job in specific, I can at least say that the money is legit now,” Royce said with a shrug. “I don’t care where it comes from, but the feds think otherwise, y’know. But I do miss stuff like being able to punch an idiot in the mouth when they say idiot things.”

“It’s always fun to replace someone’s stupid words with your fist.” Ciar nodded. “Didn’t get to do it much, but I had my fair share of family fights, even if it’s not exactly running all around the streets of Daernel. Pretty comfy by comparison, really.”

“I had a handgun at fourteen… Knew how to use it, too. Got into fights even earlier than that. Learned eventually that at the end of the day it’s the gun that’s going to save you and not the fighting, too,” Royce mused. “Not that close to my family, either. Just a waste of talent to them, really… And I have another talent that they said I wasted, since they thought I should have went into politics and shit… Like I would ever let someone stuff me in a suit and make me read stuff off a paper. Not my career path.”

“I got lucky, being the third of four, I got to do whatever the fuck I wanted.” Ciar said, leaning back and resting on her elbows. “We were pretty close, fought a few times because some of them are… Really fucking stupid at best, but I miss ‘em anyways. Not sure what they’re all doing though, since we kinda all drifted apart and went off to do our own things.”

“Me, I’ve always had this… Gift. If you want to call it that,” said Royce, looking down at her hand, flexing it, letting her voice linger before she continued. “But I tend to use it sparingly, I’m not entirely sure about everything with how it works, and I know there might be some consequences attached with using it. It’s not exactly… Well, a regular talent,” she added, speaking of something rather mysterious, but giving little idea of what it actually was.

“Well, if you’ve got something, I’d run off laughing into the distance with it and keep using it. Whatever your mysterious talent is since you’re being really, really vague.” Ciar shrugged. “Maybe that’s just because I like to test limits though. Always have.”

Royce closed her eyes for a moment, deciding that she should demonstrate… And then she opened her eyes again, glancing to the side to her squadmate, the expression on her face not having changed. “You’re… Thinking about taking your shirt off right now. You feel an urge,” she said in prediction, judging that the effects of her little move would apply right now. She was pretty sure that she had been successful in the psychic attempt at influence.

Ciar blinked, slightly confused as she pulled her shirt almost completely off before stopping, a very confused look quickly forming on her face.

“Uh… What the actual fuck was that?” She asked, hurriedly pulling her shirt back on.

“It’s this thing that I’ve been able to do for a long time…” Royce said as if it wasn’t that crazy that she was able to do it, shrugging and looking down at her hands again. “And like I said… It’s why my family thought I would be better fitted for politics or something. But, I only ever used it for more low profile things.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s how you get shot or something so it’s probably for the best that you didn’t go into politics.” Ciar said dryly. “Or you’d have been dragged off to some science blacksite to be chopped up into little pieces so they could see how it all works.”

“Do you feel differently knowing what I’m able to do? About… Me, I guess?” Royce questioned, looking up and looking at her squadmate this time, raising an eyebrow as she looked her over curiously.

“Not really, it’s kinda cool, kinda creepy at the same time.” Ciar shrugged. “Just don’t, like make me do anything stupid or whatever with it? Please?”

“I guess you would consider what I just did to be kinda stupid,” Royce asked. “I mean, it only seems like that because I told you about it, of course… It would have seemed like your own idea, otherwise. So I don’t know if it’s right or not to use it. It’s not like you wouldn’t have thought you came up with it yourself.”

“Mhm.” Ciar said noncommittally. “But, like, spontaneous thoughts out of nowhere will probably make people go ‘why the hell did I do that’, won’t they? It’d be like if you used your power to have a paper pusher shred a bunch of important documents, it’d be too out of nowhere for them not to think it’s odd, right?”

“I suppose they would, but then again, not everyone even believes in this kind of stuff… I’m sure you could find a conspiracy theory or two on Slam about things like this, but there’s a difference between that and regular people thinking something like this is up… But I’m not sure,” Royce stated. “Would you have imagined it if I never told you?”

“Probably not.” Ciar admitted. “But people can pick up when something’s odd or not what they’d normally do. Could always find some poor test subject to try it out on?” Ciar suggested with a joking smile.

“You want to volunteer?” Royce proposed, though she had no idea if the offer would be accepted or not.

“I’m not volunteering, I know it exists so it kinda nulls the point.” Ciar shook her head. “I’d immediately chalk anything remotely alien up to you doing stuff, the whole point is to figure out if people think it’s their own thought or something odd when they don’t know you can do stuff like that.”

“Right… I’ll think about it,” Royce said, standing up. “Guess I’ll be able to talk to you about it again in the next few days. ‘Till then, I think I’ll head to see what maintenance is doing with my combat suit… And we have that meeting with milint that we have to get to in a bit, don’t forget it.”

“Fucking spooks…” Ciar grumbled, nodding. “Yeah, I won’t forget. Might have some people for you to test stuff out on, might not, might be a while before they’re like around though if you’re still up for it.”

“We’ll see,” Royce said before moving off, hands in her pockets as she contemplated the entire situation and considered just how much she wanted to show this ability of hers… And whether or not it was a good idea to show it off in the first place, even to someone she imagined she trusted. She didn’t know how this was going to turn out for her, after all.

Later that day, they did indeed have a meeting with military intelligence coming up, or rather, the Army’s branch in specific. Each of the branches of the military did have their own milint organizations after all, and in this case, the Army one had some matter to talk to them about… Just what that was remained unclear. Regardless, they had to head deep into the complex the firebase was built around, which wasn’t something that they did often, ending up at one of the top floors of the main prefabricated building where they had an overlooking view from the windows at the edge of the room, of the airport nearby and the firebase itself, as well as some of the surrounding city.

Their hosts entered the room shortly behind them, closing the door once they were inside as the entire group moved for the table in the middle of the room which had some intel papers on it. Following behind Royce and Ciar were, of course, the other members of their platoon also, since it seemed they were the ones that would have to deal with whatever they were being called in for - likely to hear about some kind of classified mission they had to go on soon enough.

“You’ve been brought here today because of a new threat on the battlefield,” said the army officer that was at the head of the milint group, as the pilots sat down. “Multiple new threats, actually. The former is something that your unit should already be familiar with… While in the field during the Battle of Alca, you encountered what we now know as a prototype for the MK308 combat suit produced by the Zemalyans. This combat suit was recovered by our side, and the technology behind it is currently being analyzed by our scientists… However, there are more prototypes of this model in service based on satellite recon done above South Aurelia. Despite being Zemalyan built and operated, these units have already made their way to South Aurelia and are serving with the Southern Wind forces as attached units.”

The officer paused to let the information sink in. “The more important thing in this case, however, is what these units are guarding… Satellite recon has also revealed the presence of multiple mobile ballistic missile bases in the Republic of Almirez, located in the northwest of the country - some of them near Itare and some of them in the rural countryside. An operation, of course, is needed to wipe these sites out because of the threat they present to the invasion force and the mainland… Their missiles are, apparently, provided by the Zemalyans also. At the least, we know that the erectors are produced there. These sites are also, based on our recon work, guarded by the MK308 prototypes… Based on this, it’s presumed that an attack from our own mechanized cavalry is expected.”

“An operation is planned for the coming week that will wipe out the ballistic missile sites within the span of a couple hours through air strikes, missile strikes from the sea, and operations on the ground for the hard to reach ones. Your responsibility will be taking out one of these sites within the Itare metropolitan area. Behind enemy lines, in an urban environment, potentially facing against enemy combat suits… You should prepare accordingly,” the officer concluded.

Ciar nodded, evaluating the information in silence. They had been expecting to fight enemy mechs sooner or later, and in this case that would be sooner… And behind enemy lines, no less. If this went wrong, it could go really rather badly wrong, but such was the life of mechanised cavalry.

“One question.” She eventually said. “If they’re expecting an assault from our mechanised cavalry, why are we giving them exactly what they expect and have anticipated for?” Ciar asked. She felt it was a valid enough concern.

“Lack of better options in this case… Some of the ballistic missile sites are located out in the open and can be taken out with air and missile strikes. Some of them, on the other hand…” said the officer, pausing. “Are harder to get at. If one erector is allowed to escape this operation without being destroyed, it could cause a great deal of trouble down the line.”

“I see.” Ciar nodded. It was never good to be the tool of last resort under any circumstances, but when you had a job to do you did your best to do it well despite the adverse circumstances. It was no different here. “That’s all from me.”

“I don’t have anything to say other than how I’ll do the job the best I can,” said Royce, nodding along.

“You’ll get more detailed files about what you’re up against and the specs that were revealed from the prototype you captured, once it’s closer to the time of the operation. Consider all of the time until then to be preparation without any lesser missions to get in the way,” the officer informed them… “And I believe there’s someone else that wants to speak with the group of you.”

The officer stepped away, the door opening as another group of figures emerged in the room - seemed to be KIB or Capital Guard types, although the person in the middle of the group didn’t seem to be one of them, but rather was a woman wearing a dark maroon cloak over top of a similarly dark dress, contrasting with her slightly lighter brown hair, and her oddly colored eyes.

Her face was rather recognizable even though they were seeing her for the first time - it seemed they were looking at the most powerful person in Kael, the Ceannasai herself, otherwise known as the tribal leader who was the only one in the country on top of the clans. The position was more powerful than that of any others, even the Oireachtas Chieftain, which was the Prime Minister equivalent.

“I’ve been meaning to find the platoon that split the Almirezian defenses at Alca,” Maura Tsaoir said, looking over the room and settling on the table with the pilots at it. “I think the four of you have more than earned the Fortune’s Cross award for your actions during the Almirez campaign, especially with your unit’s pivotal role in the push to Camina in the recent weeks.”

“It’s an honour, although we were just doing our jobs.” Ciar said, not entirely sure how to react; it wasn’t every day that probably the most powerful person in your entire country showed up to give you an award with exactly zero prior warning about it.

“I’ve just done my best,” Royce nodded similarly, as Tsaoir came over and set four medals down in front of them, each one of them displaying a stylized cross - many had earned that award but that wasn’t to say it was easy to get, it tended to go to those who showed great skill or bravery in battle.

“Thought it was just a day’s work,” Slaine added. “Didn’t think I’d get a cross for it or anything.”

“That day of work helped result in the current frontline… The battle of Alca was the start of pushing the enemy back, of course,” Tsaoir pointed out. “Keep the work up… I’m sure you’ll end up in the Battle of Camina in no time.”

“We will.” Ciar said simply, nodding. She hadn’t become a soldier to win medals, even if the recognition was nice to have.

“And I may have something else for you and your unit soon enough,” Tsaoir continued, standing at the head of the table and looking over it. “A specific assignment that needs highly qualified personnel. I’ll be in touch in due time…”

“We’d be honoured.” Ciar said. “And of course. Get back to us once everything on whatever you need us for is finalised.”

“I will,” said Tsaoir, before she turned to go… All in all, it was a strange encounter, and it remained to be seen what was actually in store for them, but apparently it was something big if it needed the actual leader of the country to announce it.

Then again, ever since they had entered this unit, they had already been on the bleeding edge of both the world of technology and the military…

by **Lunas Legion** » Mon Mar 23, 2020 1:30 pm

IMPERIAL DAWN
SEASON 1 - EPISODE 17
“BLOOD ON THE RIVER”

The Kuristani Civil War has come to a new phase - with the support of ZFSR paratroopers, the East Kuristani People's Army has begun its armored and mechanized assault across the northern banks of the Kostori River, attempting to break down resistance from West Kuristan once again. After the attack was predicted by Alamanian and Albionish military intelligence, the defending side is prepared to mobilize quickly to fight for the independence of the country as the push to the capital, Rysiki, begins. The 72nd Guards Tank Brigade has been deployed to counter the push, placing them directly in the line of fire…

Garipov National Army Base
Kazvar, Republic of Kuristan
March 23rd, 2049
Collaborative post between Forest State and Lunas Legion

Alarms… That was the main sound at the moment, at this hour in the evening at the Garipov National Army base in Kazvar, part of the Republic of Kuristan - the base was, in particular, located near the border with the East Kuristani Socialist Republic… Or the state that represented the latest effort of the Zemalyans to conquer this place. Kuristan had been split from Zemalya ever since the Zemalyan Empire was defeated by Aunoran powers in the Intercontinental War, as it was know, and they hadn’t been happy about the former territory being taken away… After all, Kuristan was the gateway into Aunora, along with Lentania. If either of those states fell, Zemalya would share a border with Alamania, starting old tensions up once again.

Which was perhaps the reason why they supported their socialist proxy state in East Kuristan as much as they did - if they could de facto take control of Kuristan through putting the East in power across the entire country, their old ambitions would be one step away from being realized again.

And yet, even though everyone knew this… Not everyone knew that their next assault was going to come today, or that it would involve ZFSR paratroopers supporting an armored push from East Kuristan, or that the men and women of the 72nd Guards Tank Brigade would have to wake up at this time and respond to the crisis… But just like the rumors had said, they were indeed charging over the Kostori river, aiming for a different result than the previous stalled offensive which had shown the same goal. They’d known the attack was coming, and the units had been on alert, but it was a bit earlier than expected.

Still, it was a chance to get things over with.

“Get it moving, platoon…” said Lieutenant Firuza Idrisova, rolling out of her bunk bed within the base - West Kuristan wasn’t exactly rich enough to have every officer in their own room, at least not in this city which wasn’t one of the most major ones in the country - while still in her underwear, knowing that the alarm could only mean one thing… Imminent attack from the enemy. And she knew both from the tone and deep down that this wasn’t just an air raid alarm. No, this was something they would all have to respond to, not just the SAM operators and fighter pilots, even if those two groups would play a key role.

“Ow…” The alarms and shouting were met by irritated, half-asleep grumbling from Zinara Arslan, Firuza’s reluctant bunkmate. She shoved herself out of bed, staggering to her feet and still seemingly half asleep as she rubbed at her eyes, slowly starting to move into life.

“Look alive, the alarm can only mean the easterners are coming across the border again… Unless I’ve memorized the tones wrong, and from the way everyone else is reacting, I don’t think I have,” warned Firuza, as another member of their platoon, the last of the commanders, Gusel Salimova, climbed down from her own bunk and moved for her clothes around the same time as Firuza, pulling on an undershirt and shorts before finding the jumpsuit that was worn by tank crew members and rushing to put that on also.

“They can’t kill me if I’m already the walking dead…” Zinara mumbled as she pulled on her uniform in poorly-coordinated haste, barely paying any attention and just pulling it on as quickly as she could while Aida Dinova hopped down off her own bunk, seemingly not having bothered changing to sleep given the forewarning of the attack.

“72nd Tank Brigade personnel, please report to stations…” the latest of the announcements over the base intercom system said, informing them that they indeed needed to head down to where the tanks were located.

“I’m sure the adrenaline will do enough to wake you up regardless,” Firuza said, slapping Zinara on the back before she started towards the door, having pulled her own uniform on as well as her boots, fully preparing herself for the likely rapid deployment that was going to come soon enough.

“Hopefully.” Zinara said as she pulled her boots on, following after Firuza towards the door, Aida following behind and much more awake than Zinara was.

As they moved through the busy corridors of the building, they could see some various sights which weren’t that encouraging, namely panicking personnel trying to get to the right stations, and people talking about their preparations and whether or not they were up to par. They would keep moving through the building regardless however until they came to the hardened shelter where their tanks were located… Specifically, the Pz 11 tanks that had been sent in from Alamania, in an effort to stop the advance of Zemalya into Aunora. The tanks were more advanced than what the other side had, but they were likely going to be outnumbered by the inferior Zemalyan produced models…

When the commanders arrived, they of course had a little bit of time to assemble with their individual crews as those also showed up, and the tanks were soon getting up and running. “Everyone inside,” Firuza said to the other commanders, waving for them to head back to the tanks. “I’ve been told we’re going to get on the road and we’ll get the information about where we’re headed once we’re already en route… No time for a formal briefing.”

“Really caught us off guard…” Aida said, breaking into a sprint as she bounded up the side of her own tank, sliding down into the commander’s hatch while Zinara did the same, although at a slower, more sleepy pace as she pulled her commander’s hatch down, yawning loudly.

Firuza was the next one to start climbing into the tank, though it didn’t take long for all of them to make it inside, and for the crew on the ground outside to pull the doors open to the hardened garage building - and then, the tanks would exit in a procession in the order of the ranking of their commander. Firuza, and then Zinara and Aida, and then Gusel taking up the rear. As they moved to get on the road, they would indeed hear an announcement over the radio directed at their platoon specifically.

“East Kuristani forces are currently moving across the river… Your platoon has orders to procede to the farmlands beyond the northeast sector of the city and fight off the advance. Intelligence from the air indicates another platoon or two of East Kuristani tanks coming towards that direction from the newly established river crossing… The longer it takes you to reach the site, the more forces may come across the river…” they were informed ominously.

“Better get a move on.” Aida said, looking out of her tank with a focused expression. “We need to put that crossing out of action ASAP.”

The alarms could be heard in the background as they moved through the city and continued towards the farmlands and countryside where the actual attack was coming from, although the situation wasn’t peaceful just because they were getting away from urban life… There were explosions in the distance in places where the battle had already begun, and it seemed the source of them wasn’t from tank fire. “Cruise missiles…” said Firuza, narrowing her eyes. “Might be from East Kuristan, might be from the Zemalyan fleet that’s hanging off the coast, either way, not good news for us…”

They turned off of the main road and were cutting through a field of wheat. It would be a scenic picture if it wasn’t for the circumstances - the blue of the sky and the yellow of the wheat contrasted each other about perfectly, but admiring it couldn’t be done through the cameras and viewports of a tank like the ones they were using now, much less in this situation.

“Start looking around,” Firuza informed the entire unit. “Depending on how quickly they’re moving, they may or may not already be in this sector.”

“Roger.” Aida said, starting to switch through vision modes as she hunted for enemy tanks, Zinara doing likewise from her own tank, slower and more carefully than she would normally to try and combat her half-asleep state, still not completely awake yet.

They wouldn’t actually locate the enemy, however… In these fields, with the treeline ahead of them, it was apparently hard to get a good idea of where they actually were. At least until the position of the first tank was given away by the thunderous boom of the main gun firing, the enemy targeting Zinara’s tank with the first shot of the engagement… The shot, however, would bury itself in the dirt in front of the tank, the spray of mud only serving to alert the crew rather than do damage.

“Five hundred meters, front!” Firuza called out, looking at the camera screen as she picked up the threat after switching to IR mode. “In the treeline there, I see at least one enemy tank… The one that fired.”

If there were more, they hadn’t moved up yet… “Pull onto the road, we’ll see if we can flank them,” she continued, ordering her driver to accelerate and for the others to join her in that formation, her assumption that there was more than one tank in the area. They didn’t just operate alone normally.

“Roger, follow her up onto the road.” Zinara ordered, waking up and not sounding as tired as she felt as her tank accelerated, Aida’s following after them both.

Firuza’s tank took the first shot at the opponent in the trees, as she led the formation forward… If she missed, they would be able to shoot again rather quickly, but there wasn’t a need, the first shot hit the mark, however it didn’t destroy the tank despite doing some damage… No, it hurt the armor but the tank was otherwise still functioning, turning and tracking them with its turret as they moved along the road. “Concentrate fire on that one target… Let’s get it out before the others move into position.”

“Focusing fire.” Zinara barked out the order as her tank’s turret traversed, sighting itself on the target and firing, Aida’s tank’s own gun following soon after with a shell of its own.

The shell hit once again, and this time did a bit more damage to the already hit enemy vehicle, causing smoke to rise from the site of the impact even if it hadn’t destroyed the vehicle altogether, and it would likely negatively impact the performance of the tank based on the extent of the damage… One more hit and the crew would probably have to bail out of it, though, it obviously wasn’t the only one in the woods. The next shot also hit the mark, battering the vehicle further, a fire breaking out from the damage done to it despite there being no catastrophic explosion. “Enemy appears disabled…” Firuza announced over radio, continuing to drive as they turned back towards the field after passing the tree line, not having spotted the next set of tanks… Or rather, the rest of this platoon.

“Let’s go find the rest of this formation.” Aida said, her own tank starting to lumber forwards after Firuza’s, Zirana’s tank between the two of them as they turned back.

Beyond the field there was another field of grain, pretty typical for the surroundings they were in, where it was one of the top crops - and out of it came the next two tanks of the formation, firing off their main guns and taking the initiative in the fight, targeting Zinara both times. One of the shells would fly behind and hit one of the trees, splitting the wood, but another one hit the actual tank itself, the round deflecting off the armor fortunately for the crew inside. “And that’s our next targets…” Firuza said, ordering her crew to aim and fire another round of their own.

With a bang, the main gun let off another shot and sent it towards the front tank, damaging the armor somewhat but not penetrating the crew inside just yet. Gusel’s tank pulled out from behind Firuza’s however and she attempted to add to the assault with an order to fire on the same target, this attack striking critically and causing the tank to ignite completely before a secondary explosion destroyed whatever was left of the burning shell.

“Good work…” muttered Firuza. But they still had work to do, with the other tank in relatively close range by now.

Aida’s tank’s turret tracked away from the smoking wreck of the first tank, sighting up on the second before the man gun roared, shooting through the gap between Firuza and Zinara’s tanks while Zinara’s lurched forwards, its own gun roaring as it fired. The first of the shots missed the mark, the second one was more accurate, the hit wounding the opposing tank enough that it was about halfway to being destroyed by the time the damage set in, a plume of smoke starting to rise from the engine… The enemy could still fire back, however, and it did, this round hitting Gusel’s tank and doing a decent amount of damage but not enough to disable it or keep it out of the fight.

“Damn it…” Gusel muttered over the radio, ordering her crew to fire back, the tank rolling back slightly as the main gun fired once more, the crew hoping for another critical hit - which they would achieve, exploding the other tank violently like the first one, and sending some debris far into the sky after flames shot through the top hatch. “It seems we have a knack for this,” Gusel added, her voice perfectly calm despite the dramatic finish to the fight.

“That’s a platoon wiped out…” Firuza said. “The one that they told us they had spotted from the air. I suppose we should keep going and disrupt that bridge laying.”

“If there’s nothing between us and the bridge, yes.” Aida said as her tank started forwards once again, Zinara’s moving in behind it and following after.

From here, they could actually continue down the main road without further interruption, no more alerts from the radio telling them about forces that had been spotted nearby. But they could hear planes above, and if they popped the hatch, they would be able to see planes above with their own eyes… Various Zemalyan made fighters and strike fighters going up against West Kuristani Ghostdogs and other western sent fighters, given to their Air Force in the hopes of mitigating the air threat that was sweeping in at this very moment.

Even they weren’t immune from the air threat, it seemed.

“Strafing attack!” announced Firuza, as an Sn-37 fighter streaked towards them, flying low enough that the only purpose of the flight could be for an attack run that was targeted at them. “Going to need evasive moves now!”

Of course, in heavy tanks, they didn’t have as many moves to evade as some lighter units did… The only thing they could do was attempt to move off the line of the attack and force a miss from the swooping strike aircraft.

“Off the road!” Zinara yelled, her driver slamming the tank sideways and barreling off the road into the fields beside the road, Aida’s tank doing the same on the opposite side, crunching through rows of wheat as they attempted to get out of the strafing run. The other two tanks in the formation weren’t as lucky when it came to getting out of the way in time, and the Sn-37 released a pair of missiles before pulling up and accelerating on the egress away from the run, the missiles exploding as they hit near their mark…

Firuza’s tank took some damage but would otherwise be able to keep going as the missile exploded on the road ahead of it, but on the other hand, the last member of the unit wouldn’t be able to keep going at this rate. Gusel’s tank was on fire, forcing the crew to bail out of it, after it had been pushed to just about the limit when it came to what it could take. “One tank disabled… I can keep going over here,” Firuza announced over radio, popping the hatch as the convoy came to a complete stop, looking back at Gusel and her crew. “They’re not going anywhere at this point…”

“We still have a mission to finish.” Aida said. “All good here.”

“Same.” Zinara said. “They can hole up, we’ll pick them up on the return, or they can ride along with us on the outside.”

“Into the middle of another battle? We’re expecting resistance when we run into the combat engineers,” said Firuza, pondering the situation. “Suppose they can find somewhere to stay until this all wraps up… And we can keep moving.”

She slid back into the tank, closing the hatch behind her. They didn’t exactly want to leave without one of their crews, but the mission was rather time urgent, and if they didn’t complete it, they’d have to deal with more enemies later when more points of crossing were established. “Alright, let’s get moving down this road again…”

“Before another plane shows up…” Aida said, her tank turning and climbing back onto the road, Zinara’s tank doing the same before following after Firuza’s, their column one tank shorter than it had been a few minutes earlier.

The column was quick to start moving once again, and after passing through some moe scenic wheat fields and forests, they arrived at the actual banks of the river - where downhill and about five hundred meters out, there were two more tanks, and on the other side of the river itself there were a pair of bridgelaying vehicles set out, preparing to create their next crossing… “Targets acquired… Handle the tanks first,” Firuza ordered. The tanks were the ones that could strike them, after all.

“Roger.” Aida said. “I’ll take the left, you take the right Zinara.” Her tank’s turret tracked, aiming at the one she’d said she’d be shooting at before its gun roared as she opened fire, Zinara’s tank roaring in answer a few seconds later as she also shot at the other tank.

Both of their shots hit and both of their shots left marks on the opponent’s armor, and Firuza wouldn’t pass up on the chance to order her own attack, targeting the first one to be damaged, hitting the tank a bit more catastrophically after it had been weakened by the first attack… However, without a fourth member, they didn’t have anyone to follow up with immediately going for the last target, which left some time for that tank to fire back at the formation, sending a shot at Aida’s tank that would rock the crew inside due to the direct hit but was still absorbed by armor.

“Last one…” Firuza muttered… Once this one was out, the bridge laying crew wouldn’t have much in the way of protection.

Zinara’s tank fired again while Aida’s crew steadied themselves, turning and aiming before also firing at the final remaining tank, not taking the chance of Zinara’s shot failing to take it out. Zinara’s shot, however, sailed over the enemy tank, kicking up a large splash of water as it plunged into the river while Aida’s shot stuck the enemy tank, but didn’t manage to take it out, leaving a sizable dent in the side of its hull. The last shot for the convoy of West Kuristani tanks was taken by Firuza’s tank, which fired again and struck badly enough to set the remaining tank on fire, disabling it… Leaving the pair of bridgelayers undefended on the other side of the river.

“We’ll get to try out some ranged shooting… Hopefully you guys have been paying attention in training,” Firuza said, her tank accelerating as they moved up to the bank of the river, her gunner zeroing the sights and taking aim before she ordered to fire, the first of the shots not actually hitting either of the vehicles, splashing into the water because of the range.

“Looks like yours weren’t.” Aida joked as her own gunner lined up his shot on the bridgelaying vehicles across the river as they came up to the bank before firing, Zinara yawning as her own tank came up beside Aida’s and took its own speculative shot across the river. This shot would actually hit, destroying the lighter vehicle in one shot, while the shot fired by Aida also hit the mark, both of the vehicles taken out within the span of a couple of seconds… Finishing the engagement and for now cutting this point off as a spot where the ZFSR and East Kuristan could send forces across.

“Mission accomplished…” said Firuza. “That’s one attack repelled.”

There were, of course, many more happening… But if the radio was to be believed, they were doing quite well with handling it.

“The East Kuristani attack across the river is being actively repelled and the enemy has broken down in several parts of the front… The 72nd Guards Tank Brigade, 73rd Guards Tank Brigade, 80th Tank Brigade, and 303rd Infantry Brigade have been assigned to push one of these weak points and attack the growing gap… Please proceed immediately to your new assignments… For freedom! For Kuristan!”

It seemed there was never rest for those who were tasked with the frontline battle…

IMPERIAL DAWN [PMTPunk / Closed / IC]

IMPERIAL DAWN [PMTPunk / Closed / IC]

Who is online