The Situation in Al-Khalifiya (TG Interest, IC)

[Gebeta]

FOB

Mission Brief Room

Since the initial deployments, the Marines had received a load of tech. The particular piece they all stared at now was a TACD, a tactical display. The map showed a computer image of a village.

"This, is some village. its name alludes my speaking abilities, as I don't speak what ever language its named." Captain Yarlaern said. It was a joke, to lighten the seriousness of the issue at hand.

"To the meat and taters of this shit stew, you will be air lifted to the village with food and supplies. We will set up a distribution center for this load, as well as work on taking the hearts and minds of the town.
I have opted to fly there because we have no trucks that can carry the load we need, and via VTOL, we can move faster. An advance team will be sent forth before you to asses the situation if you are a go or no go. That time is up in 3 hours. So get some rest and relaxation, clean your gear and load up for 6 days of independent operations. Rember the people here don't want us, but they sure as hell don't want the insurgents. This will be our first independent operation since the initial deployments. You have access to air support if needed."



The Team had been walking for a few days now. It was easier to move unseen that way.
The town in question was in sight. They had arrived a few hours ago, and set up a recon post.
"Look, i see nothing to raise the alarm. Then again, the insurgents arnt exactly overt about deployments." Sgt Halls said. The desert was silent, the sand cool under his body from hours of laying there. Though, that was all that was cool. He took out his Kbar and dug two holes in front of him, just big enough for his arm to lay in, while keeping his weapon in his hand. With his other hand, he covered his arm in cooler sand. Figured he would alternate arms in sand every now and then. His radio clicked

"This is Cole, i got eyes on some foot mobiles. Say north part of the village. They don't seem hostile, but they are heading out of the village." Cole said. The team had split up, three teams of 2 each. It weakened them, but allowed the forces to cover more ground. Above them, beyond what any one could see was a drone, keeping a eye on them.

"We got two hours left to secure a go or no go. So far we haven't gotten anything concrete yet. I say we move to the town and recon it like that. We have fellow forces on stand by if we get ambushed." Sgt Vixe pitched in.

"Yea, but the QRF isnt what the name suggest. It will be 30 min flight to us. We took a few days because we cleared the road out to the town from the FOB for ground forces. The drone has 2 ATGM but the insurgents have been more and more testing of that."


The recon team had to do more. Not that they were scared, but they were cautious. If they got hit, it would be a fight, that they could win, but 30 min till exfil was a lot of time for something to go wrong.

"Lets go and get mark 1 intel. Move fast but carefully. We head to the Village leader, see how he reacts to us.

[Vangaziland]

Camp Juniper was little more than an old parking lot, walled off by sandbags. The soldiers converted the attached building into barracks and office space. The structure used to be a modern grocery store.

The store changed locations once the conflict started. Now a market had sprung up 200 meters down the road.

Juniper was located in the Northern Grasslands, in the suburbs of several urban areas. While most of Al-Khalifiya was rural, this part of the country had a big city feel. Replacing the large store with a more traditional market was good for the farmers, but less convenient for the city dwellers.

Several towers had been constructed, watching from two sides of the small compound. There were also soldiers posted on the roof of the building, in another improvised tower.

On this dark night, lit by a crescent moon, four vehicles made their way down the road towards Camp Juniper. The soldiers on guard recognized their light pattern. They were MOWAG Piranhas, 8x8 armored personnel carriers.

They slowed down and approached the gate, engines roaring as the vehicles came to a stop. The radio call transmitted on speakers throughout the facility.

"Junie Six, this is Halfway Six. Entering checkpoint.. Up on troops and toys."

That was the company commander of the infantry MOWAG unit announcing his arrival and sending up the status report.

"Halfway Six, this is Halfway Six November. Roger."

The Commander's NCO on duty radioed back an acknowledgement. There was an older sergeant in a radio room, taking notes and plotting the new unit's arrival on a paper map. The vehicles were tracked on the digital GPS map as well, showing as blue icons on a screen attached to the radio.

The silence was interrupted by a crack. A muzzle flash could be seen in the window of one of the taller buildings in the distance.

Several soldiers called it up over different channels. The staccato burst of a 240B shattered the quiet atmosphere of the night as the MOWAGs entered the gate. One of the armored vehicles had posted up. Its 50 caliber machine gun lined up with the opposing window.

There was silence. Maybe the hidden rifleman had moved on. After a lull from the M240, another burst of fire scattered along the walls of the grocery store barracks. It looked like the gunner was taking potshots at the convoy with a semi-automatic rifle... The remnants of the Red Wind have been using 5.56 ammo, snuck in overland through the Great Desert by a supplier sympathetic to their cause against the Vangazi. These rifles were used in longer range situations because 5.56 was more accurate. The goal was also to wound and take soldiers out of the fight, as opposed to closer ranged 7.62 fights.

A forward observer called up a rotary asset over the battalion fires net. One of the Army's AH-1Z SuperCobras was on its way.

The Piranha let loose with its .50 cal. A sergeant sat at the control of the Remote Weapons Station (RWS). There was a big screen next to a joystick with crosshairs locked onto the window. The screen vibrated from the recoil. It was pinpoint accurate.

Tracers flew into the window. That was the last of the incoming fire. A siren started going off. A computerized female voice came over the loudspeakers. "Incoming, incoming, incoming." Several soldiers moved to a bunker.

A row of port a potty toilets suddenly went up in smoke, followed by a sound that was more of a concussive thump than a boom. The warning system went quiet, guided by equipment located on the roof and in more secure locations. It seemed like that was the only indirect fire. The Fire Support Team was already working up the coordinates for a retaliatory mortar strike. Computers could back trace the firing point.

The fire came from a road. The observers held off on any strike. Most likely the culprit was a mortar system located on a truck. Tonight nobody was injured by this strike. Similar attacks have cost many Vangazi their lives on Camp Juniper.

The base was exposed to these sort of strikes. A bigger attack could come any day. The helicopter arrived on scene and was pushed to the area of the mortar launch.

Nobody was in sight. The Vannish radios were alive with chatter. The crew from the three MOWAGs had mostly made their way into the barracks, except a few people watching their "trucks".

It was tense. But the TTP of the Red Wind led most to believe this was all they had for tonight.

The soldiers watched, maybe 40 minutes later, as an ambulance pulled up to that building in the distance. One of the soldiers on guard cursed and yelled about how the locals were coming to save the enemy. The truth was the enemy was killed by the MOWAG HMG. The ambulance was there because one of the tower's M240B blasts went astray and struck a civilian man in the shoulder. He ran out the window to look when he heard the shots fired, even in a nearby apartment.

It would have been better for him to duck for cover. Ambulance staff quickly made it to the apartment and began stabilizing the man.

The Vannish Army would not find out about this, until the following day when reports were filed and phone calls were made. The hospital bill would be paid for by the Vannish Government. They also learned that an enemy combatant was identified as neutralized and taken into custody for a proper burial.

New portable toilets were shipped and delivered within 12 hours. A testament to the Khalifiyan bathroom industry.

[Military Democracy of Birtonia]

Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 562nd Infantry Regiment
Knight-Captain Chris Freemon
FOB April

MID-ROTATION

The block was now full of officers and a handful of NCO's, most being Birtonian but some were Vannish officers as well, since the two nations shared the Forward Operating Base now. Lighting finally switched from the red warning to a cool white light, further illuminating the room as the map pulsed and showed a red line leading from the FOB, it continued straight down the MSR of the valley and branched off into a small tribal village at the base of a hill. A large red triangle bloomed above the village, and several smaller triangles appeared throughout the route provided.

"Gentlemen, this is the village of Ladheke, as you are aware we've suspected this one of being the twats who mortar us every night. New intel has confirmed this theory with several layers of proof," said Knight-Captain Freemon as images appeared on the concrete wall behind him, "Coalition drones took these pictures last night, thermal imaging shows three men in a small field next to the village, our own satellites confirm, and our scouts have been watching for five days".

Several more images flickered on, showing likely targets and the mortar system itself, along with another image of the town, with labels and suggested entry points highlighted on the buildings and walls. Each of the men studied the images intently, waiting for the commander to continue on his briefing.

"So we're going in, just before dawn so get some sleep. I'm taking two platoons and holding one on QRF, Vangazi, you gentlemen are more than welcome to participate" said Chris as he finished up his brief, making note towards the Vannish soldiers in the room. He continued to outline the situation, going through the Op Order in full and handing a copy to the platoon leaders and NCO's in the room for each of them to study and disseminate to their respective units. As quickly as they gathered the entire group departed, almost as if of one mind, tied together by their service, the men returned to their respective AO's and began telling their troops about the upcoming mission. As the moon further rose in the sky, FOB April continued with its busy work.

Soldiers went to and fro, carrying weapons, ammo, fuel, and various other supplies from the store rooms to either the barracks or motor pool. Pre combat checks and inspections were being done now and would be repeated before the Birtonians stepped off in the morning, as the OP was set for 0400 hours, giving the men enough time to be well rested. Weapons were cleaned and crew served weapons were calibrated, vehicles were given final services and once overs by drivers and mechanics both.

[Sha Mobutia]

REPUBLIC DAILY POST SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Following a recent spike of strikes against Sha Mobutian shipping lanes, the government announced a new development about the situation. Numerous military SIGINT, HUMINT, and ELINT assets have been spending the last several months investigating the cause behind an unnatural rise in piracy along major lanes of Sha Mobutian-flagged commerce from a variety of known piracy cells. While at first seeming like it was pure coincidence or perhaps something beyond what we could understand or discover. But just this morning Stonehall staff requested an emergency press conference with major new outlets throughout the country in which President Maikel Cruyssen announced to the nation that tight-lipped operations were under way for the last several months that have lead to new discoveries in the investigation.

"It has always been said that all Freeman is entitled to life, liberty, and security. And we have been face with an enemy who sought to take these things from us in recent days." He said, addressing the press, "For many months now we've been forced to do nothing but hope for answers. But that has changed. This enemy of ours now has a face. A name. And the Federalist Republic will now show they and their ilk that we will not stand idly by while they endanger the lives of the innocent en masse without consequence. This enemy, this Red Wind, already has a coalition of nations standing against them and now we pledge ourselves to that goal. So long as the Red Wind and its supporters stand, no Freeman can be guaranteed their basic rights, and so long as that may be the Federalist Republic will fight against them at every possible turn."

While Stonehall has not declassified all findings of recent investigations, they have released certain non-critical files. Various assets of government and military HUMINT, ELINT, and SIGINT teams have spent many long hours pouring over financial records and tracing lines of communication. They've uncovered several shell companies that were being used to provide a plethora of funding, weaponry, and recruits to various pirate and terrorist cells with known anti-FRSM affiliations. To follow these further back, a spokesman said, leads any investigator to the same source: the Red Wind insurgency of Al-Khalifiya. This isn't going to be a conventional war, the spokesman also said, but rather it will be an asymmetrical engagement across a number of fields to include both special operations and more conventional military assets.

Pictured, Left: Infantry of the 14th Infantry Brigade perform pre-deployment exercises.
Pictured, Right: Commandos of the SSR practice Systema drills.

---

• 1st Special Service Regiment | Three Battalion, 1st Operations Group
  
  • Commandos: 53
  • Support Personnel: 30
  • Total Personnel: 73
• 1st Special Service Regiment | Three Battalion, 4th Operations Group
  
  • Commandos: 53
  • Support Personnel: 30
  • Total Personnel: 73

• 2nd Infantry Division | 14th Infantry Brigade
  
  • Total Personnel: 4200
  
  2nd Infantry Division | 22nd Infantry Brigade
  
  • Total Personnel: 3000

• 4th Air Division | 104th Rotor Group
  
  • 14x RH-31 'Mandau' Attack Helicopters (Ka-52)
    
    • Crew: 28
    • Ground Personnel: 113
  • 14x AH-12 'Crocodile' Attack Helicopters (Mi-24)
    
    • Crew: 42
    • Ground Personnel: 113
  • 10x UH-17 'Parrot' Transport Helicopters (Mi-8)
    
    • Crew: 30
    • Ground Personnel: 81
  • 10x UH-23 'Pantheon' Heavy-Lift Helicopters (Mi-26)
    
    • Crew: 50
    • Ground Personnel: 81
• 4th Air Division | 102nd Offensive Group
  
  • 28x O-15 'Knight' Direct-Attack Fighters (Su-25)
    
    • Crew: 28
    • Ground Personnel: 225
  • 14x A-19 'Hawk' Multi-role Fighters (MiG-29)
    
    • Crew: 14
    • Ground Personnel: 113
• 4th Air Division | 133rd Support Group
  
  • 4x EW-40 'Sentry' AEW Support |Aircraft (Beriev A-50M)
    
    • Crew: 60
    • Ground Personnel: 49
  • 6x EW-13 'Patrolman' ECW Support Aircraft (An-26REP)
    
    • Crew: 42
    • Ground Personnel: 73
  • 8x C-20 'Scout' Reconnaissance Aircraft (An-30B)
    
    • Crew: 56
    • Ground Personnel: 65

[The United Remnants of America]

Captain Tony Childress, 3rd Sentinel Battalion

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Sector G, Al-Khalifiya

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28/4/2017 - 09:15

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Forward Operating Base Wilderness had been completely evacuated of any Remnant personnel and equipment. It had been turned over to the Vangazi forces to do with as they pleased. The administration and special services personnel had been some of the first to leave, as they were the smallest units. The medical battalion, logistics battalion, supply battalion, and engineering battalion were all next to go. They'd been moved more or less unimpeded to the ports to board the seven-ship flotilla that had been in the ports ever since the operation started some seven months ago. Even the VTOLs and their flight crews had been moved off along with the ships, the flight crews hadn't been held up.

The 3rd Sentinel Battalion, however, had been "escorted" to the ports. Ever since the operation four months ago that had taken place somehwere in Sector E, the Vangazi investigation had been scouring the sands for evidence of who had wiped out a small village and killed twenty-three unarmed civilians. The Vangazi investigation had finally discovered that it was soldiers of the URA that had committed these acts, what they considered war crimes. Due to this, the Vangazi government immediately requested the removal of all Remnant assets from Al-Khalifiya.

All support personnel were quickly ordered out of the country, however the 3rd Battalion had been treated differently. Since they were the combat unit, it was assumed that Sentinels had participated in the attack. That meant Vangazi soldiers had "assisted" the Sentinels in moving to the port. While the investigation had stopped at determining blame for the "Christmas Massacre," as it had come to be known, the Vangazi were pushing for punishment. That had meant that for the last week, the command of the 3rd Sentinel Battalion had had to interview every other Sentinel in the battalion for their statements and stories. As their stories were matched and the personnel were cleared, they were filtered out of the country, squad by squad.

It actually didn't take the lieutenant in charge of Anna company to determine that it had most likely been the survivors of the first Red Wind combat action that had committed the acts, but there was no hard proof for it. While no one else outside the squad could corroborate Bravo Patrol's story, and the flight logs indicated an aircraft had been out during the time of the Christmas Massacre, there were no eyewitnesses, and there was no available satellite imagery of the area at the time.

Captain Tony Childress was currently standing at a dozen Sentinels. Most of them were Bravo Patrol, but there was also Anna Company's CO, as well as a few others that could be held responsible. The Vangazi were looking for internal punishment, but Childress grit his teeth whenever the topic came up. Admitting this happened looked back on his future career. Hell, standing next to these most-likely guilty souls and being in command of them had probably already set his advancement back a few years at least. Rumor had it that once they got back, 3rd Battalion was going to be on a shit list as it was. Not for killing off a village, but for getting caught and creating an international debacle.

Childress stared at the CO of Bravo Patrol, Devon Lewis. "No one outside your patrol remembers seeing you on base. Flight logs show the VTOL you were patrolling on was out during the incident, but the crew has stated no knowledge of the operation. Your patrol requisitioned ammunition for pistols and rifles, as well as flashbangs from the armory the next day." Childress paused and looked to his right, at the helicopter waiting a hundred meters away to carry them all offshore to the awaiting amphibious assault ship before looking back, "Right here, right now, between you and me. Was it you?"

Devon Lewis' face didn't change as he stood still as a statue. Off to their left, a squad of Vangazi troops were waiting, their rifles in hand, eyes on the unofficial Remnant prisoners. As the last Remnants in Al-Khalifiya, the Vangazi were itching to finally be rid of these dangers to their cause in the country. The Christmas Massacre had supposedly caused an uptick in Red Wind action, and Vangaziland directly blamed the URA, further necessitating the removal of Remnant forces.

Devon finally replied after a moment of silence, "Captain Childress, I have no idea what you are referring to, sir."

Childress nodded and sighed, looking down at his dust-covered boots. It was the answer he'd expected, and he knew that the tribunal hearing that Devon would have when they got home would get much less the same statement. Childress knew nothing major would happen to these men and women who'd killed in cold blood. The tribunal would just be show, and after a couple months, everyone in the URA would forget and go on about their lives. These people would be quietly reprimanded and Childress would be forced to assign them to some shit duty somewhere while the entire battalion was officially punished and taken out of the operational rotation for a period of time. There would be no court martial, there would be no imprisonment.

These men and women, murderers in Childress' eyes, would walk free. Childress saw it in Lewis' eyes, that resolute stare of a patriot. The man really thought he had done the right thing. Childress let out yet another sigh, something he'd been doing a lot lately, and turned towards the helicopter that had been waiting for the last Remnent boots to step off the land of Al-Khalifiya.

"Come on, move out. Let's get out of here and go home."

[New Hayesalia]

HOFSTEDDER AIRBASE, AL-KHALIFIYAH

The New Hayesalian flag flew along others as soldiers marched to and fro at this airport, under the watchful guard of Vannish soldiers. New Hayesalian officers had moved into this conference room, and they were of all services - every branch except the Royal Montmarian Guard was represented, including the grey-uniformed Netforce. The tone of the meeting wasn't sombre, but it was one of a buzzing frustration. It was like a hum, a dull feeling of the two-dozen officers with the Hayesalian Sun on their sleeves that they'd been shifted into a duty. A change of command had taken place. Marine Commander Marius' performance had been exceptional in how he had moved his troops rapidly across this nation, and without a New Hayesalian fatality. This of course was aided by the limited amount of combat missions they'd been engaged in - a female special forces officer had been rapidly evacuated after shrapnel wounding and a broken leg from an IED she'd stood on, the blast deflected by the heavy-duty resistant BFR assault boots. This was a new phase of the operation however, and the New Hayesalian Army's Major General Gregory Somotoyev had been deployed along with elements of the 45th Combat Arms Brigade and their supporting elements. More New Hayesalian tanks, helicopters, and heavy-duty Namer-Leo armoured personnel carriers had been flown in on the gargantuan C-65 Aurora cargo planes to this airbase, which was in turn heavily guarded by the New Hayesalian Marines who had now been here some weeks. The Navy maintained an active counter-piracy patrol offshore, but they would be downsized and replaced by the 64th Ajax Action Group soon, the smaller aircraft carrier more appropriate for the mission and providing some extra Marines for duties on land.

"Until now," the Major General began, "our forces have been dedicated to engaging local personnel, particularly through the FEAT being embedded with allied units, and our engineers building and rebuilding local transport. Things have hanged. This surge is a direct request of our international partners. And there's ONE reason our troops are going to be at increased risk."

He pointed to the flag of the URA.

"Now there's no direct guilty verdict from the NH Government as yet but there's a reason I don't have any Vannish in here. You're all aware that some of the nations who have operated here have not done so to the ethical levels we expect. That's not acceptable. We aren't the URA. Our mission will be to provide combat service support to our Vannish allies. Outside of this base, our soldiers will be managing duties that won't put troops on the sharp end of a bullet."

The Major General opened, of course, a slideshow, pointing out the size of the influx of New Hayesalians.

The only thing now was for the Vannish to give the final confirmation of postings, as more C-65s loaded with hundreds of NH infantryman began descent checklists.

[Sha Mobutia]

--- 1ST ANTI-PIRACY TASK FORCE (APTF)

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Operation Black Adder | Task Force Headquarters, Sector F - Fire Valley, Al-Khalifiya

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Brigadier General Sofea anak Ameer | Overall Task Force Commander

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Not over a month ago, where Firebase 'Odin' now stood had been nothing but a stretch of desert and scrub wedged between a pair of closely packed mountain ranges. Then the first Sha Mobutian engineers had arrived to start digging trenches and support structures. Infantrymen assembled fortifications made out of sandbags and simple wood paneling to provide shade from the sun and perhaps some defense against chance enemy fire, while mortar teams dug out pits from which to base themselves. Then a strip of land was cleared out just large enough to support some of the FRAF's smaller long-range cargo transports to make taking supplies from the port or major established airports that much easier.

And in such a shot time they'd expanded and partially paved that first strip, and had laid the ground-work for another. An H-barrier perimeter served as a majority of the defensive line save for some stretches of fence lined with razor-wire, and the Firebase was quickly growing to be home to several hundred men and women. If she thought about it, Brigadier General Ameer was willing to bet that not twelve hours went by when a helicopter wasn't spooling up or coming in, or a flight of fast-movers weren't leaving to sweep the small portion of the valley that they'd so recently claimed responsibility of to relieve Vaanish forces in the region of some work. Even drones were sent up to sweep the stretches of land between Firebase 'Odin' and where FOB 'Freyja' was being established.

"Ladies and gentlemen." She cleared her throat and looked over the plotter table to see the eyes of all of her subordinate unit commanders looking at her, standing in the center of the Firebase's headquarters building, "What we are about to do is historic for the Sha Mobutian military. We are about to deploy in our first aggressive action in foreign lands in years. The Vannish command over the country have granted us the privilege of taking over this portion of the valley to base our operations further south from here into Fire Valley. They are seeking to draw down their military forces in the region but they are smart enough to know that the enemy, the Red Wind, aren't just done yet. Especially not after certain events have recently been made known to me."

Nods and affirmative grunts followed as she looked over each of the officers present, "The 14th has been given the privilege of spearheading this operation. Of setting up our lines and marking our turf. When we came in here it was telling the local populace that we'd keep them safe from danger, and it was telling the local troops that they weren't fighting alone. Now I'm not going to shame myself by failing to deliver on that. You are dismissed for now to your commands. Get me initial action plans sent up to my headquarters by the end of the day for the brigade. The Air Force is already dropping munitions and we need to hit the ground running if we intend to capitalize on their work. Now fall out and get to it."

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Operation Black Adder | Somewhere over Sector F - Fire Valley, Al-Khalifiya

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Captain Kai Aarens, Flight Leader | 4th Air Division, 102nd Offensive Group

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"Ugly 1, Whiskey Sour."

The Captain keyed his radio as his eyes scanned the rising slopes of the mountains to either side of him, "This is Ugly 1 Actual: send it."

"Ugly 1, are you cleared for tasking at this time, over?"

"Affirmative. Ugly 1, times two frames cleared for tasking."

"Copy that, Ugly 1. Stand by for fire mission."

Years of experience at the stick of his 'Knight' meant that Captain Aarens already had a wrist-mounted notepad and an erasable marker ready to go before the forward observer on the other end of the radio had even started on his lines. The exchange for the fire mission was brief and quick: a starting point was given, an ingress and egress angle, requested munitions, a target description, and so on. The Captain was quick to repeat it back and have it confirmed before he once more turned his full attention to flying his bird closer to the designated starting point.

He keyed his radio to his wingman, "Okay, Clown, we're about three minutes out from the IP.."

His wingman, 1st Lieutenant Roelina Valentijn, was quick to respond, "Affirm, actual. How do you want to do this run?"

He thought on it a moment, "I'll lead in. You loiter top-side and watch for muzzles and exhaust. Schwack 'em as you see 'em."

With a slow and pleased-sounding drawl, "Sounds good, Goalie. You have the lead."

Within a few minutes, even at their current altitude the target became visible. A plateau on the eastern slope of the valley, approximately halfway up. It had a rather commanding view over a trio of villages at the midway point down the valley and surveillance and recon had suggested the enemy was using it as a possible OP to spot out coalition patrols in the region. Dipping a few hundred meters lower meant that he could see the off-colored tarp near what looked to be a pair of tall radio antenna. And a few seconds later he had a positive tone that his craft had locked onto the laser designator's signal. The Air Force Captain began to angle himself in towards it along the designated approach while in the decline to lose altitude for his drop.

Over the JTAC's frequency he quickly keyed his radio, "Ugly 1-1, guns guns guns."

The whole frame of his plane rattled as he fired off a quick burst. Another flick of a switch and a pair of KAB-500KR 500kg bombs sailed free from his craft.

And then he had a tone blaring in his ears.

"I HAVE A LOCK ON ME!" Adrenaline shot through his veins as not a whole second later the tone changed.

A missile was in the air. He jammed to deploy flares and quickly banked hard and left, down into the valley. As the tone persisted and the missile passed the flares he hoped to lose it flying low over the heat and terrain of the desert sand. G-forces pressed him hard into his seat and his plane was protesting being thrown into such a sudden and hard turn towards the earth. At perhaps a hundred meters above the ground he managed to level out and increase his throttle to start gaining speed. He was low enough that he could make out the details of those three villages that he came blazing between.

The tone was still there. The missile was still on him and drawing close. He was going to -

A blast. Behind him. The Captain rocked his 'Knight' just enough to see into his blind-spot and witness the pillar of smoke and sound where the missile had landed.

He could breath easier.

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Operation Black Adder | Somewhere in Sector F - Fire Valley, Al-Khalifiya

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Captain Hasse Roersma, Detachment Bravo | Operations Group Bravo, Three Battalion

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Several hundred meters up-slope of the string of blasts, Captain Hasse Roersma clicked off the laser. Two rising pillars of smoke came from where the 'Knights' had struck: one dropping 1000kg of high explosives onto the target, and the other raking a stretch of roughly eighty meters where an AA team she and her team hadn't spotted had been hiding apparently. She lazily chewed at the long since flavorless gum she'd picked from her MRE and scanned the area as smoke cleared. Bodies. Debris. The radio was most certainly trashed as what was left of those two focusing antennas was scattered about the valley now.

She lowered the designator and looked to either side of her. Eleven other men and women with painted faces and multi-cam uniforms hugged against the slope: blending in among the rocks and sand as they waited for dust to clear. Three days they'd been waiting in this little OP of their own. Three days they'd watched the enemy move about oblivious that they were being watched. A cursory glance in her pack told her she had another three or four days of relatively comfortable eating if she rationed it right. With a sigh she resumed scanning the valley to check up on other potential target sites they'd spotted while one of her commo specialists radioed back a BDA to the flyboys overhead.

[Vangaziland]

A few dozen miles south of FOB April, not far from the city-state's main river, lied a small camp. It was known as Camp Hearthstone. It was secured by Bavat company, named after a First Nation's tribe from the landmass west of Vangaziland.

This was part of the 10th Airborne Cavalry's sector, as they currently ran Vannish operations in the Fire Valley. On the camp were 17 of their BMD-4M airborne fighting vehicles, 4 for each line company and 5 in headquarters. Among the HQ element was a command variant, an artillery observation variant and a Medical Evacuation Vehicle.

There was a motor pool, several rows of CHU two person huts, which have only recently been built, and several structures. There were blast walls, sandbags and HESCO barriers a plenty. There were also five towers, including one behind the central gate.

But there was more to Camp Hearthstone. In a large, concrete building, lived over 80 volunteers with the Order of The Purple Cross. These people came from all over the world, but most were Vangazi. There were doctors, teachers, engineers and scientists. Their goal was to work with the tribes of the Fire Valley.

The local community had appreciated the aid workers. The population seemed to be warming up to them and the professional cavalrymen who escorted them around.

Just such an operation was happening now. It was first sunlight, and 2nd platoon was taking a team of medical staff and educators into a local village. It was a typical routine mission, something they've done many times before.

Four BMD-4M vehicles escorted one MOWAG DURO IIIP gun truck on the route from Hearthstone to a large house they'd converted into a medical station and a school.

The sun was getting higher in the sky as the team rolled into the village area. The normal early morning crowd of farmers, truck drivers and beggars was missing. It was eerily quiet.

The platoon sergeant called up the lack of normal traffic to the HQ NCO manning the company's radio back at the Camp. Notes were taken and would be given to the CO, who was awake early for this mission.

Overlooking the village was one of the many ridges that form one of the many gullies in this part of the Fire Valley. Three of the vehicles moved to the edges of the valley, to set up a cordon. One vic rolled with the DURO IIIP gun truck, pushing through the village towards the aid station. Two of the squads dismounted before the vehicles drove off to their sector. The other vehicle drove to the far side and held in reserve.

Now paratroopers marched towards the building from two different directions.

The BMD and the gun truck made it to their objective. It was so quiet and still. The door opened and the aid workers stepped out. There were 6 of them, dressed in purple, civilian helmets and body armor. The BMD took a position on a slight hill, looking down on the building.

The silence was interrupted with a crack, then two staccato bursts.

"Sniper", one paratrooper shouted. "Dishka", yelled another. The soldiers moved to cover. Several were already prone and returning fire.

A young private yelled out, swearing. It caught the attention of the others. The aid workers were down. The machine gun fire was not stopping, punching with 6 round burst after 6 round burst.

The gun truck fired back with its RWS-aimed M2 .50 cal. The BMD maneuvered around and rolled towards cover in a different direction, hoping to line in partially behind a concrete hut. As it moved, it fired with it's coaxial .50 cal.

The swearing private got the attention of the squad leader. Through the heavy gunfire exchange that continued, it became clear that all the aid workers had been killed in the initial wave of sniper and DShK fire. The squad leader called for the third vehicle, which held the medic.

It came roaring through the narrow trails, sand and brown grass to get to the scene. Meanwhile, the DShK 12.7 mm HMG had stopped firing. There were at least 3 snipers though.

They had solid cover behind some tall boulders, moving from stone to stone, barely exposing themselves. The original DShK gunman was neutralized. The gun truck was still firing towards it, not sure if the system itself was hit.

A sniper shot rang out and the platoon sergeant who made the call on his handheld MBITR radio was taken out of the fight. He dropped to the ground and didn't move.

This was outside of the norm for this peaceful village.

The other squads moved to tactical areas, facing out towards the ridge. It wasn't long before they started engaging. Meanwhile the reserve BMD was approaching the casualties. The medic would have his work cut out. The DURO's RWS M2 was scanning. They could see the bodies move between the boulders.

The BMD-4M fired its 100mm cannon. It was reloaded after about 5 seconds. It fired again and again into the boulders. Several cracked and shattered under impact.

They were getting caught, several enemy were downed. But there seemed to be a lot of people up there. The amount of fire was increasing.

A voice shouted, "Remnants!". An older man sprinted from around a corner. The rear guard and a soldier watching from a second floor window watched him. As he reached into his pocket, they fired towards him. He pulled out what looked like a black handle and they aimed at him, others had turned. In the 3 seconds it took for about 4 or 5 soldiers to drop him, he had pressed a button. His body exploded.

There was a large fireball, that spread. Then came the secondary explosion. There must have been a gas line underneath him, because the street popped and ripped up with a loud concussive blast. The 6x6 gun truck sank into the collapsed ground. It tried to move, but it was stuck.

The weapon stations all kept fire on the ridge, now from 3 vehicles. The other two held their sector, bracing for a counterattack.

Two 100mm cannons were now firing on the ridge. They also fired their coaxial HMGs.

The DShK started back up again. Now it was aiming towards a two story house one of the squads commandeered.

It was an ugly situation. The forward observer was calling for fast movers. Two A-10s were inbound. The female artilleryman used a LRF, a compass and her map to work up an accurate target grid. She filled in the CAS 9-line call, taking a washable marker and writing on a laminated call sheet.

The DURO finally managed to break free, rolling as the RWS and HMG rotated, tracking the ridge. Now a rifle went off towards the other side of town. One of the far units was being engaged. Things were not looking good. The platoon leader called for another platoon (QRF) to come and reinforce.

They were also escorting the MEV.

One BMD-4M rocked under the pressure of its firing cannon. The DShK exploded, taking the gunner and melting the weapon. Pieces could be seen flying into the air.

It was an ugly situation. The group moved, communicated and brought several casualties into the structure and out of the line of fire.

The A-10s arrived on scene soon. Things really quieted down then. They came right in with a gun run lined up to strafe behind that row of boulders. The enemy force was neutralized, meaning some got away, but half a dozen aid workers were killed. Vangaziland also lost several good soldiers.

The enemy on the far side broke contact once the air support arrived.

The Vannish Army did not take casualties lightly. The loss of the aid staff was really not going to look good in the reports.

Another A-10 gun run strafed a second position on the hill, shown when a sniper took a potshot at the gun truck.

The sounds of gunfire was deafening. Now it was coming from the village up into that hill. The platoon leader, had spoken to Battalion Fires and received clearance for an MLRS mission.

It was on stand by as the A-10s had a bit longer on station. Their powerful camera pods zoomed in on the area. They did not see any movement or heat signatures. The ridge was deemed clear. Of course the weapons systems would watch it.

The third squad had fallen in and watched the rear of the battle formation. The green light was given to send in the air ambulances. The first one on the way was a Khalifiyan MI-17 Hip. A Vannish Blackhawk was also on the way.

All 6 aid workers were mortally wounded. The DShK was zeroed for that exact range. The center mass burst ripped through them. Two Vannish soldiers were lost. Two others were walking wounded, ambulatory.

One fire team had been trying to help with a triage. They already started treating the wounded.

This was going to be a long day. The convoy was on its way, the A-10s left the scene and the MOWAG might be needing a tow. This was far from resolved.

A shot went off from a nearby one story home. Fire was exchanged. One squad moved towards that house. They sprinted and lined up outside the door, ready for a breach.

They moved in, after kicking the door down. Inside, another gunman stepped from around a corner. The Vangazi shot him, but he fired back, hitting another Vangazi in the neck multiple times.

They tried to give aid to their wounded countrymen, but it was too late. The Vannish paratroopers took one more KIA. As the enemy was dying, he moaned, "Remnants... Remnants." He didn't have any other words.

Within the next few hours, the casualties were evacuated and a squad cleared the ridge behind the boulders. After the Intel was gathered, the BMD's fired their 100mm guns until the boulders were razed.

Among the Intel gathered from the enemy's bodies was a revised Red Wind manifesto. It cited the events of the Christmas Day Massacre as causus belli for a new offensive. The Red Wind, once proved to be uncoordinated and poorly motivated, now had a new rally cry. They finally found the evidence they needed to convince the average Khalifiyan to turn against the foreigners.

And the only nation they blamed for the event was Vangaziland. This was the first incident where humanitarian aid workers were directly targeted. Flags would be flying at half staff across the Vannish Empire.

[Sha Mobutia]

--- 1ST ANTI-PIRACY TASK FORCE (1ST APTF)

---

Operation Black Adder | Somewhere south of FOB April, Sector F - Fire Valley, Al-Khalifiya

---

Corporal Haziq anak Aiman, 1st Platoon, Delta Company | 2nd Infantry Division, 14th Infantry Brigade

---

The Corporal had to yell over the roar of gunfire, "Where are they?!"

Further down the ditch he heard a squadmate yell back, "What?!"

Corporal Alman craned his neck to peer over his cover before ducking back down, "I said: where the fuck are they?!"

The Private further down the line moved to scramble down the ditch towards him. Bullets came ripping overhead as the men of 1st Platoon, 2nd squad tried to turn themselves into the smallest targets possible. Of course that was easier said than done when they had gone from walking past a collapsed length of road to taking fire from seemingly every possible direction in the span a few seconds. They'd been walking the four-vehicle convoy in closer to the village as per standard SOP before the first shot had cracked overhead and winged one of their squad's grenadiers across his helmet.

"I think they're -" A rocket came screaming overhead and both men ducked low as it exploded behind them, "RIDGE-LINE! 300 METERS!" The other soldier motioned with a single arm in the direction he was indicating - a field of small rucks and crater-marks. When he gave it a hard look the Corporal could finally make out the muzzle flashes and dark figures in the early morning light. With a proper target now, he shouldered his rifle, and started cracking off one round after the other in a rapid-fire fashion.

Of course they hadn't been operating alone and they hadn't been stopped from getting the word out about what was happening.

Their squad leader had managed to pass up word of what was happening before he'd been put down by a round to the throat and needed the medic. The problem was that the help that was coming up was having to be careful on their approach because the enemy had started throwing out RPG shots like cheap candy and the Lieutenant wasn't keen to lose one of his ATV-95-Hs. But they soon began to draw up close enough that their remote-operated KORD machineguns could start putting out fire.

When word of what had happened to those Vannish aid workers had reached the Sha Mobutian forces in the theater, they didn't take kindly to the thought of pirate-financing terrorists killing more innocent civilians. They'd almost immediately assembled the forces necessary to conduct a raid into the air to try and spoil or rebuff any potential follow-up attacks heading north to Vannish positions. That had quickly led to the first shots being fired and now inside of twenty minutes the whole of the valley around the village was lit up with tracers going both ways.

The Corporal keyed his radio, "Jester 1, this is Jester 2!"

"Send it, 2!" He could hear the same gunfire echoing over the other squad-leader's radio.

"We've got base of fire and our actual is down! Can you pop smoke and move up?!" The Corporal then turned back to firing a quartet of shots at a figure that popped up from one of the shell holes - just in time to take those four shots to his chest and fall right back down into his cover.

The reply was almost instant, "Negative, 2. We're not doing any better than you right now! Actual is calling in for Thor!"

Haziq swore and didn't waste time replying as he dropped his magazine and set to reloading. He looked over at the others further down the ditch, "No relief, boys! But nut up and hold tight, apparently the LT is calling big guns!"

He heard the confirmations shouted by some of his men and the fireteam leaders were quick to key in on the radio to try and speak over the sound of hell all around them. Haziq shifted to laying on his back as flat as he could beneath the ridge of the ditch to try and scan across the valley. Somewhere across the street and further off-road he'd heard that 3rd squad had posted up to start firing at contacts he could see further up the slope. And 4th squad was keeping back with their heavy machineguns and AT just in case enemy vics came rolling up.

And then the LT came over the radio, "All squads this is 6, priority traffic. Fire package cleared. Hunker down."

He sounded incredibly calm for a man who had just called in the sort of hate that sat around waiting at Firebase Odin.

Haziq keyed his squad-level radio to avoid needing to shot so much over the gunfire across 40 meters of ditch where his squad was taking cover, "Hunker down boys, Thor just got let off the leash!"

It would be forty seconds before those shells came down.

Haziq was already a father. He had a young daughter and he knew that some day she would watch a war movie. She'd look at him and ask if artillery shells really made that sort of screaming sound when they came down. What did they really sound like?

As Haziq hunkered down under showering pillars of dirt and debris, he remembered that a lot of the gun-bunnies loved to put half-francs on the nose of the shells. It distorted the air in flight passing overhead just before the blast.

It sounded like Hell was screaming.

[New Hayesalia]

FIRE SUPPORT BASE SAMNALA, NORTHERN SECTOR E

One of many multinational bases, this one had been planned by the Remnant soldiers and recently taken up by the New Hayesalian Army. They'd been quick to deploy combat engineers to build the structure, hesco walls and reinforced concrete covers (backed by the New Hayesalian's own Barracuda small arms protective walls) providing accommodation for an infantry platoon and two mortar sections, drawn from Fox Company of the 30th Light Infantry Battalion and Baker Battery of the 27th Mortar Artillery. The combined force was 25 combat-ready infantrymen, who conducted short-range patrols and perimeter security, and 15 mortar men, who had brought with them a total of four Pseudonaja armoured vehicles armed with the SPEAR mortar system, a computer-aided 120 mm mortar system that would provide support 24/7 for the various patrols through the northern part of this section, out to a range of 7 kilometres. While the larger artillery and tank sections were still around the place, as was overwhelming air cover, these small mortar stations spread across the country could offer a hugely accurate, immediate-service, and last-mile lifesaver for New Hayesalian, Mobutian, and Vannish troopers.

The platoon commander, and firebase commander with his ten reinforced members, was Lieutenant John le Vele, assisted by the ever-smoking Sergeant Greg Hubin. Corporal Keith Mullin was the battery's highest ranked member, with the responsibility to maintain and command the four guns to his name. The mortars required a smaller crew - in fact, only a gunner and an assistant loader were needed to keep them operational, with the Corporal able to provide them targets over the open infrastructure of his 9LANDs Battle Management System.

In the burning heat of the mid-morning, a call for fire had come in. Infantrymen, their Ripper Mk3s and machine guns at the ready and scanning over the valley and mountains they overlooked, kept security while others rested in the heat or went about other duties. He'd listened to the radio net along with the infantry platoon's signaller, whom he worked with for calls for fire, noting the rising numbers of attacks on aid workers and Vannish forces, and the attack on Sha Mobutian forces.

The New Hayesalians had not often been targeted. They were seen as a support force, and much more likely to induct a surge of troops to commit to combat operations to secure the new democratic government than the Vannish. The New Hayesalians had, for this reason, raised their red and blue flag high over the firebase, with the flag of the Shire of Samnala - a pale yellow one with a central triangle of gold and green - flying just underneath.

The duty gun, with two mortarmen, was primed with a variety of munitions quickly to hand. It's two operators sat drinking mixed juice from ration packs in the shade of the vehicle, looking out over the valley ahead. It was a beautiful area, but not where one would necessarily want to go hiking.

A call came to the 'fire direction centre' where the two enlisted men quickly snapped on to write notes, passing orders for the non-firing parties to clear out and getting the two mortarmen to climb aboard and ready munitions. The call for fire was organised by a Vannish unit facing a small squad, just on the other side of the hill, and the New Hayesalians would have them already ranged and ready to be dialled in. The signalman took notes as the team leader tapped away at a Toughbook, logging the order.

"... fire for effect, grid 44546676, group of ten enemy infantry, precision fire, high trajectory, high explosive fragmentation projectile, fire when ready, over!"

The mortar crew prepared six shells, as a second mortar crew rushed to another vehicle in the diamond formation, rolling ready to carry on firing and bringing some more shells to bear. The first was passed up to the gunner as the mission was confirmed, and the signalman responded "... time of flight two-five seconds, over."

The first mortar dropped into the tube, an almighty doof and bang propelling it skywards at a huge speed, sending the heavy bomb over the ridgeline to the east to meet an infantry squad harassing Vannish infantry. Another shell, followed by yet more, pounded away, with the suspension of the protected mobility vehicle - already used to the huge weight - shifted under the recoil effect. The automated firing system was working well, and as the first mortar came to explode in the dirt of the Fire Valley, the last shell was prepared.

The mortar fell. The explosion occurred and as expected the mortar burst forth from it - it's rear fins spewing flecks of flame and hot metal. Like lava falling, the mortar had failed, and the charge was still burnning as it impotently rushed from the mortar, thunking dully on the cab on the Pseudonaja and bursting flame.

"RUN!" called a Private, gripping the top of his helmet and sprinting away, aiming to take up a position of cover behind one of the hesco barriers. The signalman and mortar section commander took cover similarly, and the call was repeated by a marksman in a watch position who had seen it happen. The mortar was still live - it could detonate with a lot of force at any moment. The call to take cover was left, and the signalman made the quickest of jolts to grab his radio set to call command for an EOD team. The mortar was on top of the armoured vehicle it's tube was mounted on, so it's detonation could blow fragments in every direction and knock down any New Hayesalian standing in the way.

A call was put out for any EOD team to report to Firebase Samnala to disable the active mortar shell.

[New Gazi]

News of Prince Fritjof Vang's speech at an international gala where he effectively brought the Khalifiyan campaign to a halt, hit the shores of New Gazi quickly. Prime Minister Malcolm Ibori gave a speech as it was early in the morning after the time zone change from Vangaziland's evening celebration.

He mentioned that he had already been in talks of bringing the troops home.

"Local units have already resumed responsibility for our sector. Our soldiers are preparing for the drive to the ports. By June 4th, all Gazilian forces will have relocated closer to the coast. The first troop ships headed to the city state will be leaving by the close of business hours today."

The ships were for their equipment. The first flights would be sooner, although Ibori did not mention them.

"Our forces have stood by our Vangazi brothers. But we must be careful to not overcommit to this city state of Al-Khalifiya. They have a capable military. We have removed most of their corruption and increased their discipline". Ibori stood behind a podium under the morning's African sun.

Ibori also had praise for the Vannish military.

"The last thing we need is for this to become a ten year war. That is a high drain on allied nations, many who could spend that financing elsewhere. So the Vangazi are sending us all home."

The last few weeks have seen an uptick in violence. Some Vannish generals feel the time to leave the theater is not now. Others agree with the withdrawl and hint that the conflict will become a more technical war fought by intelligence agencies.

The Gazilians had an important sector in the capital where they utilized their Mbombe apcs and MRAPs. The district was hit hard in the wake of the anti alliance protests aimed against the accused war crimes.

A Gazilian was severely injured when hit with a sling shot rock in the face. The person in the hatch next to him fired on the military aged male who launched the hazardous projectile.

This led to increased protests against the Gazilians in that community and forced the Khalifiyan Army to assume the sector from the Gazilians who had been rejected by the community.

That day, video surfaced that showed Khalifiyans running up to the Mbombe 6x6 vehicles and hitting them with their shoes. The vehicles were in a convoy leaving the town for the last time, headed towards the coast.

It was an unceremonious end to a long deployment. The backlash against the alliance had really swollen in the capital.

Vannish AH-66 Comanche Helicopters and AH-1Y Cobras patrolled certain routes in place of ground convoys keeping watch for late night supply line movement.

The four Gazilian fighters are still on the combat air patrol rotation and will be until the last Gazilian has signed into holding at the Port. They were the first to arrive and start patrols. They want to also be the last out. Days before the withdrawal began, a flight of two Gripen provided support to an Mbombe unit that was taking HMG fire.

An embedded Gazilian reporter broadcast the footage to the evening news across the African nation. The Gazilian people have become weary of the conflict in the past few months, after things started affecting households.

"It's time to put an end to this", Prince Vang told reporters at his private party. "It's just time to bring everyone home."

The rude behavior of the Vangazi brass hit the news in New Gazi. They were against the decision and felt Fritjof should not have crossed the proverbial line of making a decision. The Prince returned from a year long deployment, just months ago.

Ibori has made several statements defending Fritjof's invocation of the Imperial Royal Right of Just Cause. That was the technicality the Prince used to bring an end to the campaign.

The main body is set to completely phase out by late July or early August with minor forces left behind as advisors, mostly from Vangaziland.

[New Gazi]

Gazilian Unconventional Forces Terminate #1 Target After 2 Years

In the late spring of 2015, a terror cell launched a massive, coordinated attack on Vangaziland's railroads during commuter hours. The attack was followed up soon after with a bombing in New Hayesalia, targeting a Vannish diplomat in a crowded area. Vangaziland and her allies spun up into a war. The regime translated into English as 'The Red Wind' was declared a dangerous entity.

The initial air war began in July 2015. New Gazi joined later in March 2015. They operated out of Camp Lion, North in the Capital Province. One of the battalion's worked in the province near Port Khalifiya with the Vannish Marines.

There were also special forces assets which may have been based at one of the Coalition FOBs. Team 211 was named after the Hausa word for hurricane or typhoon. Guguwa-8, Team 211 was New Gazi's premier unconventional forces unit.

Late on the night of New Gazi's 2-3 loss to Super-Llamaland, Team 211 participated in a raid on a 5 story building along with coalition Tier 1 assets. Details are sparse and classified. A few things were released. Some of the teams infiltrated on the ground. This made some analysts think local transports may have been used to sneak forces in undercover.

In 1975, an earlier form of New Gazi commando unit traveled deep behind enemy lines simply by sneaking a semi-trailer across the border. A similar strategy may have been used to avoid Red Wind guards in other buildings or on hills in the neighborhood.

It also came out that some witnesses saw a helicopter in the area but said it, "sounded quiet" or that it had a "weird silhouette". This was most likely one of Vangaziland's stealth helicopters. New Gazi doesn't have such advanced technology, but they do have well trained soldiers.

The commandos inserting from the roof used ropes to breach the windows, that were open and glassless in the Middle Eastern style. It was a quick descent stopped by a break. With the night vision, any hostiles could be identified. It was a late night assault. With the fairly loose rules of engagement in Al-Khalifiya, it is implied that many of these soldiers may have been taken out while sleeping or at least dazed.

Evidence for this came when released photos showed silenced submachine guns being used. When questioned, Gazilian Brigadier General Kwame Akoyo said, "This is not a daycare. In the tier one world, it is not pretty. It is not glorious. This is serious business. This is not a game, but a move to help usher stability into a nation. We will do what we have to."

Reports were released that a Vannish Special Forces One operative lost his life in the operation. Flags flew at half mast across Vangaziland. New Gazi joined in the mourning. The Vangazi took major reports on casualties very seriously. They are currently days away from fully signing away the former conscript segment of their armed forces. 18 months of military service were mandatory for men and women between the ages of 18-24.

The people were connected to the military. The people of New Gazi are as well, but in different ways. By that token, President Malcom Ibori was one of the first major allies to pull their forces from Al-Khalifiya. That helped draw the wave that led to a somewhat surprise announcement from the Prince Of Vangaziland announcing that conventional coalition units would be out of the country by autumn.

Since the last conventional Gazilian forces had withdrawn weeks ago, the recent operation shows there may still be an unconventional deployment helping the new Khalifiyan government stand its ground.

There is a tie to New Gazi's left winger. Staff Sergeant Gulliver Diya is Uffe Diya's older brother. The connection was pointed out after leaked photos of a Gazilian training exercise were posted on a controversial website. Operatives were supposed to have their identities classified. Some knew him from college sports, as he chose to take his athletic talent into the military. The site later posted papers showing Gulliver passed some of the later courses in a UF selection program, in a partial record that was "discovered".

It's not clear if SSG Diya took part in the raid to kill the terrorist known as Brother Abbzan. The Gazilian Unconventional Forces community is small. There is a good chance that a promising soldier and strong athlete could make it to the most elite Team, being 211, seeing as how he had been known to be in the community. He was most likely on that mission, with news of his brother's game possibly on his mind.



The soldiers in black are from New Gazi. The middle soldier is believed to be from Vangaziland.

[Gebeta]

SH70 Hornet On Patrol

The Transport Gunship moved swiftly through the valley it was taking cover in. Staying low but not so low that an RPG would kill her.
"Wardog 5 moving to the second waypoint. Looking for TOOS." Pilot Rarley Higgens said.

The S70 dropped quickly as the pilot came to a area that was known for traffic from hostile elements. He looked throuhg the scope, searching first for any allied strobes then for any other movement. Nothing.

The pilot yawed the bird to the left, making sure to keep low and hidden as much as possible. Never stay in one place for long. While many aircraft were being rotated out of the field for Hard Kill systems, this airframe was not on the list yet.

This move allowed him to see beyond a hill that obscured movement futher back behind it.

He switched to the nose cam and zoomed in on his helmet. He saw that it was a man with a donkey. Quiet loaded one too. Too far to tell what it was, Higgens though for a moment.
Shit would look bad if a Gunship blew away a grandpa taking food to his grandkids with 25mm rounds. Would also look bad if that grandpa was able to plant IEDS and blow a patrol away. One of the reasons why Gebetan Patrols had gone to rotors. It had its dangers too but those were countered by flares or fast flying and quick mark ones.


Back home many people didn't realize the issue many front line troops faced like this. Sure, there was clean and cut enemy forces, who wore uniforms, but there was also these. The Grandpa, the kid, the mom, the dad and his child. In some places, you had no clear cut kill. Worse, you sometimes got fired at by forces hiding in a crowd of people, to panicked to think that if they move away the hostiles can be killed.

The pilot chose to risk it. He did carry a squad of Marines that could check on him. They carried 4 cases of water. Given as a sorry for thinking you are an innie.

Higgens looked back and yelled out "Lock and load, dropping you off. Link to the gunship cam to see the target."