An Encircled Force [Closed|regional|PMT]

[Pillowlandia]

An Encircled Force

---

Twenty million men. Each ordered by their commander-in-chief, the elected President of The Democratic Commonwealth government. All on the order of a single piece of legislation which ordered their lives placed on the line to show the governments disapproval of a treaty made between two sovereign states.

Now, they lay with their stomachs empty. Their munitions, all fifteen rounds they were issued, spent. Canteens empty. All the while a well equipped, and more importantly well fed, army only a fifth the size of their own sits and surrounds their feeble position. Each passing hour leaves more casualties piling up from hunger, thirst, and the Pillowlandians artillery.

With a new Commander-in-chief in the form of the newly elected president from Landinium in power the long odds faced by the slipshod force in the desert have gotten ever so slightly better. New territory claimed to give the fledgling regional army a new home and training ground encompassing mass sections of the Middle East. As a daring airdrop of supplies to sustain the massive ground force is plotted in secret, and mobilizations of some states as war comes closer to their doorstep a new chance of hope has been given to an entrapped army.
Only question remains,

Is it too late to save an encircled force?

[Duckzchwhitz]

SUEZ NAVAL BASE, SUEZ

The air was lively, as massive construction was underway. It had only been weeks since the Suez Canal had fallen to the Duckzchwhitzian forces, yet since then the massive fortification of the canal entrances had began, AWACS had been flying over the coast nonstop, with litoral forces laying in wait for the inevitable attackers. Long range railgun artillery was being installed as quickly as possible with SAMS and long range radar systems swathing the area, not leaving the slightest anomaly to chance, and the entrance was being watched from the Mediterranean by a horde of ships, gliding across the coast in search of targets.

The Duckzchwhitzian specialty was in it’s industrial power, and said power had began morphing what used to be a backwater nation into a powerhouse for the war machine.

Soon, the construction of the first major project by the Entente. The new age was near, whether they succeeded or not. Change was coming.

APPROACHING THE COAST OF ISRAEL, 28th FLEET

The second phase of operation Hellfire had begun, with forces gathering to invade the remnants of Noobia Cliff’s as well as the Oil enriched Saudi territory that lie south of it. Landing forces, about 13 million soldiers of the Army, and Paratrooper corps had been deployed, not a large number by any means, yet it was enough to take on the already weakened nation that lie before it…

Vice Admiral Cho, stood before the newly assembled joint fleet, made up of newly manufactured submarines and ships, all equipped with the new CC hulls. As they approached Ashdod, it was apparent that the ships resembled Pillowlandian vessels in shape and paint, as both nations had possessed similar models in the past due to frequent arms and research deals.

Luckily the Pillowlandians had provided the gift of their official Naval standard to the fleet, for all the enemy knew, these were Pillowlandian vessels approaching the coast, and preparing to bombard the regional army, which was currently stranded in the Saudi deserts.

“Prepare to sortie, weapons free!” Cho ordered.

“Yes sir!”

Overhead, the triangular transport planes straight from Cairo soared over, their sleek CC hulls blotting out the sky as the cut through the air, each carrying hundreds of troops, tanks and supplies to invade the entire Middle east.

It was time for the Entente to stop playing shadow games and step out into the world.

THE RED SEA, 16TH, 17TH, 19TH, 22ND, FLEETS

The fleets had mobilized immediately after confirming Vice Admiral Cho's green light, immediately launching their sea to land assault of the Saudi territories, their target, the regional army. This was the perfect opportunity to remove them from the equation as a threat once and for all, and demonstrate the power of the allies of Pillowlandia.

The five fleets split up, two holding dominance of the Red Sea, while the other three went to assist Pillowlandian Naval forces in the western Indian Ocean

Mobile armor and troops landed upon the shore, being carried off to the battlefront that lay many miles away through the Middle Eastern deserts.

The regional army thought they held the cards, yet they did not realize we were anything but bluffers.

[Landinium]

Fort Sligo,
Dubai 22:04 PM local time

Legions of third generation C-19 Globemaster III transport aircraft sat wing to wing in large formations waiting to taxi to the colossal runway in Fort Sligo, on the outskirts of Dubai. The astonishing scene was mirrored across four airports in the immediate vicinity of Dubai, including Dubai International Airport. The mission was simple it seemed, but the scale of the mission, if successfully executed, would prove to be unprecedented. Sixty million tonnes of water was no easy feat, and to think several of these would have to be carried out over the next few days. Four airgroups would rendezvous just southeast of Comeristanian airspace where they would form a united front crossing into Cratoan airspace from the south.

150 Kilometers southwest of Comeristan,
Omaha Airgroup,
Globemaster 16
Indian Ocean

Flight Lieutenant Jacob Stevenson was second in command of the Omaha Airgroup which had just lifted off from Fort Cobh just outside Dubai. He had been a pilot for the last seven years, and although this is exactly the type of action he had been looking for when he joined the Landini National Airforce, he was sick to his stomach. The receiver kicked in: "instructing airgroups Omaha, Juno, Gold and Sword to begin amalgamation, over". Stevenson gradually tilted the controls right and, as to mirror, the entire squadron within range banked hard right. Stevenson had to admit that, the sight was quite mesmerizing. Just out of the corner of his eye he could see two of the far more agile twenty five sixth generation Avro Vulcans guarding Omaha, banking hard right. It was common knowledge that the F-22 were a late, and a reluctant, addition to the rescue effort. Rumours had it that Landini High Command, now heavily involved in the rescue mission were incredibly reluctant to risk the loss of the pride of the Landini airforce. Pity they had no such reservations about us Stevenson thought to himself. He himself was flying one of the empty aircraft, the ones carrying nothing, acting like duds, in the case of enemy attack.

[The League of Eastern Orthodox Knights]

Constanta, The League of Eastern Orthodox Knights
Admiral Kaiser looks at the mess of ships, loading up with munitions and supplies.
They are being shipped off to the Israeli waters to assist in the rescue of the encircled force. Operation Sea Burial is underway. The Admiral is not pleased. The order came from the office of Saint George earlier this morning. Operation Sea Burial was, in the eyes of Admiral Kaiser, a suicide mission. While the TLEOK navy was large and advanced, they were no match for the Pillowlandian forces and their allies. A young captain walk up to the Admiral.

"Admiral, the fleet is nearly ready."

"I have a bad feeling about this. The Pillowlandian forces are extremely dangerous. We can't take them alone."

"Admiral, we're not alone. Other nations from across the region are gathering their forces to combat the Pillowlandians."

"It won't be enough. There simply isn't enough man-power."

"Sir have hope. If we play our cards right we can save the Regional Military!" The Admiral looked at the young captain.

"What's your name Captain."

"Anders, Bjorn Anders sir."

"Well Captain Anders, keep the fleet afloat. Don't take any risks. Just bring those men home."

"Aye Admiral. I best be getting back to my ship."

"Yes, you are dismissed."

Israeli Water
Captain Anders looked across the empty ocean. He knew that they were near the enemy lines, and was preparing himself mentally for the battle that was about to ensue. The mission was simple. Punch a hole in the Pillowlandian blockade, extract the regional army, and get the hell out of there. He looked over to his lieutenant.

"What's the status on air support Lieutenant?"

"They are en route, they should be in strike range within the hour."

"Very good lieutenant. What about the allied forces. What is their position."

"We aren't sure sir. We haven't received any transmissions."

"Well, keep trying. We need everything in position before we can commence the operation."

Captain Anders look back at the empty ocean. He knew that 20 million lives hung in the balance.

[The New Soviet-Republics]

The Black Sea, CVBG I

Being limited to only mode of access to the ocean allowed the NSSR navy to become pretty bulky. And now they were finally being called to action. After being refit with Pilliowlandian Naval assets, the navy was eager to put their new tech to the test. The navy had been put in high alert and moved out to blockage entry and exit from the Black Sea.

In order to accomplish this task two carrier groups were assigned to blockade the Dardanelles. The Carrier Battle Groups both consisted of one carrier, a escort squadron of 3 destroyers, 2 guided missile cruisers, one nuclear submarine and a logistics ship. CVBG I would sail ahead of CVBG II and proceed south sticking to Turkey while CVBG II would set sail straight across the black sea. Due to required stealth on their mission, the two groups maintained radio silence and made sure that their EM signature was as minuscule as possible without compromising their defense.

Sochi, The NSSR

The mission had heavy requirements on stealth and the rest of navy made sure that that would be possible. While the two carrier battle groups sailed out, the navy was busy setting up a massive defense network along the Caucasus and nearby Crimea. This large scale naval movement wouldn't be ignored by the rest of the world and offered a distraction to the real play. The airbase in Sochi was busy as aircraft moved in and out, setting up a network of sonobuoys across the Black Sea, while AWACS took off, ensuring no anomaly would disrupt the navy's movement.

The Sea of Asov, 1st Fleet, 3rd Fleet

Admiral Akira of the 1st Fleet looked out at the fleet. It was marvelous. The 1st and 3rd Fleets consisted of almost a third of the active NSSR Navy. They were assigned to set up a SAM picket across the Sea of Asov and make sure nothing got across. They were close enough to NSSR ground assets to provide support and vice versa and still provide effective AA across the region.

"How are our supplies?" asked Akira.

"We're in range of convoys from the shore. But even without them, we should be able to operate for a long time."

"Good. I suspect that that is what we are going to require for some time."

"Sir?"

"Don't worry about it. Anyway, tell all ships to control their emissions. Relay that immediately."

"Yes sir."

[Pillowlandia]

Technical Officer Raúl
ONI Section 4
[Redacted] Sat Data Facility, [redacted], Pillowlandia

---

His section was a normally quiet one, tasked with monitoring various smuggling and piracy base of operations in the greater Mediterranean and MIddle East regions. Yet, the whole business with the regional army had caused the normally sleepy station which interpreted the data from the horde of reconnaissance satellites operated by the Commonwealth’s Naval Intelligence Office.

So now the sleepy office had been torn apart to accommodate a further dozen desks, and had at least a dozen different armed guards in various places in the building. Yet, surges were a part of life in Section 4 and thus Raúl simply continued to do his job. That job today was to add a human touch to what the various sensors had compiled after multiple passes over several of the Eastern Orthodox military logistical hubs. The data matched what had been seen from other nations, especially those which were key CiSCO members. A logistical pickup with indicated either massive supplies being moved or a precursor to mobilization. That and the massive transfer of logistical capacity to the Middle East was another solid intelligence indicator of preparations for an increased operations tempo.

Raúl looked over the data quickly, though ensuring that he did his job well, as he marked important indicators and highlighted points of interest in the imaging and thermal results. With his touch added he exported the data to a report format, attached the raw data to the backend of it and flagged the packet as complete. Now he stood, walked to the break room where he would take his lunch and then continue analysing data from the Middle East.

HSM Guardian
49th Naval Task Force
120km From Dubi

---

¨Commodore, new orders from HIGHCOM. We are being directed to begin missile strike against the Dubai International airport. Target saturation up to you, orders are to knock the runways out of commision for at least a few weeks. Make heavy cargo no go, medium cargo poor idea.¨

Very well, upload relevant sat imaging from ONI to the CIC. XO you have the helm, I’ll be in the CIC.¨


The CIC aboard the destroyer was dark, unlike many naval ships before it, and filled with modular stations for every function. The modernity of the room matched the ship's exterior, built in the style of a stealthy low RCS hull that was only now beginning to really reach true adoption by large and small navies across the globe.

¨Bring images up on the main, load extended range munitions on the main guns and prime tubes forty-one through seventy. ¨

¨Aye, loading extended range munitions and spinning up tubes forty-one through seventy.”

With that the crew inside the modestly sized CIC began preparing the ship to fire its munitions. Alongside it the two other destroyers began the same, while the groups six frigates remained silent with their eyes on the sky and ears below the sea. The forward five inch naval guns on the destroyers unshackled themselves as their stealthy gun barrel covers slid away and they rose before turning towards Dubai with their barrels elevating to nearly 45 degrees.

Below the guns, the mechanical loader pulled advanced gun rounds from the magazine and loaded it into the breech with powder. The round itself held a twenty-four pound airburst explosive. Using multiple round simultaneous impact launch vectors the squadron would be able to land forty shells on target at the same time.

¨What about fuel depots and electrical grids?¨

¨We have target data for the cities main plants, there will be secondary hardened systems but not enough to maintain full daytime load. As for fuel depots ONI was nice enough to provide mission data profiles for the missiles.”

¨Very well. Set three missiles, HE warhead for the Burj Khalifa. Let us show them what happens they try to build a tower to the heavens.”

¨Aye, multiple round simultaneous impact forty shells over runways, five missile salvos against primary power plants and fuel depots, and three against the heretical tower. Squadron awaiting order to fire.¨

¨Fire.¨ And with that the four five inch guns spread across the two destroyers began an elaborately timed bombardment, using physics to land the shells at identical times to each to each other, while sending the missiles in to hit moments after the initial shells detonated above the international airports runways. When the airburst detonated above the elaborately engineered runways built to handle modern aviation they would rain down tiny bomblets which would tear apart the flat surfaces into unusable messes, and any planes caught below it would wind up with their skin shredded (with a high chance of their engines being caught too). The strike would firmly disable the largest of the airports for months, firmly placing the entire facility out of reach for high end strategic airlifters which required well maintained and long runways.

OPERATION:VALIANT SABER
8th QRF Field Army
Crato Operations Center

---

The sheer manpower being deployed was massive, among the largest mobilizations the Commonwealth had seen since its formation. With four million mixed active and reserve forces already called up to deal with the regional army, many had expected that they would be home home as fast as protocol would allow for troops to demobilize. Yet now there was a massive order going out. As obvious from orbit the logistical hubs of the Army were in full swing as equipment kept in ready status was rolled out, assigned to a division and shipped to the front via a variety of massive high end strategic lifters, rail, and roll on/off ships making runs across the Red Sea. The general state of war had nearly dried up all commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Suez, both causing a massive spike in traffic around, the already busy, Cape Hope and leaving the entire body of water clear for military operations.

Yet for all of the obvious and observable movement of material and men across africa which was occurring, below the surface a slower train of supplies was being shifted north. Unmarked warehouses, with no feature of note, had gone from empty to full parking lots for armor, light vehicles, and artillery. These warehouses, though no less than a dozen, were the loading ways for highly classified high speed cargo rail. For every division of tanks moved above, a brigade was moved below. It was much lower volume, but it was unobservable to satellite. Letting regional army be off on the gathering armies for at least a little while longer. For deception was key.

But now, the 8th QRF Field Army had assembled, in the same fields and temporary bases scattered across Crato which had assembled the force to defend against the regional army and which had housed the occupying force. The 8th Field Army was two million men strong, with nearly two thousand heavy armor units attached alongside twice that in self propelled field guns. It would begin a rapid advance across the desert to form a general skirmish line, supported by its own integrated air units and the ever present Royal Commonwealth Air Force.

OPERATION:IMPENDING RELIEF
19th Army Corps
Suez Canal

---

The 19th Army Corps was a mechanized infantry group, 80,000 men from four divisions and attached logistics, artillery, and an army air arm. They had moved by rail up to the north, and into the protection of the Duckzchwhitzian lines. They would cross the Suez and begin marching to reinforce the troops attempting to take the Israeli port.

WIth them they carried an abnormal amount of basic supplies. These were intended for the regional army, that is if the stubborn force ever surrendered. Even with no supplies, and purposefully equipped with equipment that had been phased out over a century ago they remained in resistance, shaken and hungry but resistant.


HMS Enlightenment
91st Mediterranean Task Force
100 miles West of Lebanon

---

Gazing upon the storm clouds gathering. He knew that at least one hostile carrier group was sailing to engage in a struggle to send one of them to Davy Jones locker. Yet, today he had no intention of allowing the majestic ships of the 91st to be the ones sent below the waves.

The recon drones remained searching, yet he hesitated to deploy any of his hard assets further out to search. If the drones found the enemy first he would have the upper hand. If the enemy saw the drones first, he would still get at least a rough bearing upon them. All that was occurring now was a game of chicken. There was only one question,

Who was bluffing?

[Bergcornopolis]

Boston, Masschusetts
" I Bergan Conner will serve and uphold the Constitution of the TDC and protect the region from threats both foreign and domestic and faithfully execute the office of the Presidency to the best of my ability so help me God," Bergan said before he walked into the Regional Presidential Office. The office had been locked for weeks and now right before the election, Landinium stepped down. Bergan walked towards the desk and sat down looking at the laws and data briefings that are piled on the desk. Within the first 20 minutes, most of the propositions that were passed in the senate were signed off. Then Bergan turned to the piles of the security briefings. "Get me the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense I want to discuss the current situation in the middle east real quick." It took 34.6 minutes for the two members to get to the situation room. The President turned on the data table. The table lit up with the regional map and military knowledge held in the databases. Bergan zoomed in on the Middle East area. "I want to reinforce our forces in Isreal, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. They will all receive more forces and more food and equipment. They will serve as our center for anti-terrorism. I want that to be clear..." He uttered as he handed the military orders to the Secretary of Defense.
"But sir, what about West Brookland and the Crato collapse?" asked the Secretary of State.
"That will be determined later. But for now, we need to be helping our regional military."
"Um, sir?" asked the Secretary of defense. "Your executive order says more troops then we have in our reserves."
"That's because earlier this morning my Legislature drafted that population to give to the regional military until further notice. Now let's get to work." The President walked out of the room leaving the door open.

Dubai, United Arab Emerites
5 Eagles flew overhead before landing and unloading their reinforcements and supplies. The UAE would not leave the regional control due to weaknesses. Not today at least.

[Pillowlandia]

Operation Valiant Saber
8th QRF Field Army
Crato Operations Center

---

The desert was known to be sterile, a bleak plot of nothingness stretching into more nothingness. Yet, despite the amount of nothingness the desert was filled with something. That something was the formerly twenty million strong army of the region. Disease, starvation, combat, and the harsh desert had taken more than their fair share of casualties in recent days and weeks.

Yet, even as they starved the men in the pitiful excuses for trenches remained resolute in their resistance. Just several hundred meters away from the lines sat another force, warm and well fed. The contrast was in every aspect as they sat, alert yet relaxed. Their own armor nearly invulnerable to any of the arms straight out of antiquity which were the forces of the regional army.

Yet, this was getting tiring. The logistical requirements of supporting this encirclement were enormous even as their foe sat withering to death. Now, that many a man sat dead and corpses rotted in the desert air they would surrender. Maybe not, but this would be their final chance. If they didn’t surrender then they would be removed from the earth, only their memories left.

So, the large PA system, mounted onto trucks and positioned to carry over their entire position blared to life once again. “This is your final chance to surrender! Lay down your arms or perish!”, the messaged looped. And looped. And looped. Until sunrise it would cover the desert air in its final message, even as the artillery prepared for a final bombardment should they not give themselves up.

Directory
Commonwealth Office of Naval Intelligence
Pillowgrad

---

The room was empty, save a central column that had a gap in the middle. As the door slid open and the four men entered it came to life with a soft blue glow. A strategic tactical map of the arabian peninsula began slowly spinning in the air as they approached.

“If we deploy it then we definitely have the needed logistical capacity to properly support them. Especially when we factor in allied logistical capacity.”

“What of the older editions? It would be good to justify the investment, even as simply a show of force.”

“No, the artillery is already more than enough to provide fire support. We’ll keep them at the Northwestern facility in storage. But on the matter of those we are sending… how many?”

“At least a dozen, we need to be able to cycle them. We only have so many.”

“They’re fairly close to invulnerable to most weapons.”

“Close doesn’t cut it, we’ll send a dozen and their needed crews. They will spearhead the advance against Dubai and Israel as a whole.”

1st Mechanized assault Division
Citadel Military Intelligence Range
Redacted, Pillowlandia

---

The elevator moved with an eerie silence upwards from the buried bunker. Even as it reached the surface the elevator was still residing inside a building. The platform held a dozen mechs, among the latest design. The idea of mechs in warfare had been realized decades ago, used in designs for mobile artillery platforms. When it had been deemed too expensive to maintain mechs for artillery use compared to self propelled guns they had been shelved.

Gleaming in the harsh LED lighting of the warehouse were mechs,standing at the height of twenty-two meters they were as tall as a fifth generation jet was long. Their hull was a dull black, being made of compressed carbon and steel alloys, but that had been painted over with a desert camo. Their size made for little impact on the battlefield, except to overhead observers. Hiding them from drones and satellites would be key in the protection of their existence.

Resting silently on the tracks was a long train, empty flatbeds ready to carry them to their destination. It took several hours to load the entire division and their supplies but as soon as they did the train accelerated out of the station, heading for the front and the fighting to ensue soon.

[Comeristan]

The overall government had appeared to be taking the policy of "All bark and no bite" in regards to the ongoing conflict between Pillowlandia and the RA, apart from choice words from the SecDef and threats of action no direct action had been taken, however that had all changed following the unwarranted attacks on multiple countries where RA units resided. Forced by necessity multiple multiple nations including the remaining RA units took a stand in the affected area's, ready to ward off any and all attacks that were thrust against them. While more nations were likely to show up.

Now the government was threatening direct military and legal action against the imperialist Pillowlandians, threatening to have their land cut dramatically and their military numbers decimated should they continue their outright treasonous actions. The Secretary of Defence for the DC had given a de-facto list of demands, and while more demands were expected in the future, this is all the Pillowlandians were given at this time.

1. Allow all encircled surviving RA forces who partook in the failed "Crato Liberation Act" To evacuate peacefully from the battlefield and back to their respective countries. If this is done so, the remaining Pillowlandian forces partaking in said encirclement will not be affected.

2. Immediately Cease, desist and withdraw all the Pillowlandian Military units currently involved in the invasion of various countries including but not limited to: Israel, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

These were clearly not the full list of demands that Pillowlandia could expect however these were the most direct and necessary demands for the current time. If Pillowlandia does not comply, their land will be siezed and their military numbers decimated.

[Comeristan]

Forced by necessity, the nations of Comeristan, The Greater Rhine, Montiguria, Bergcornopolis and The League of Eastern Orthodox Knights, along with financial aid from Nordeloupe. Created a de-facto Military Coalition in the wake of the ever-increasing Pillowlandian aggression. With Pillowlandia already having moved 10'000 troops into Israel and more expected to enter the Arabian Theatre in a matter of days the combined land, air and sea forces of the respective nations were immediately dispatched to liberate currently held locations and defend the remaining area's from imminent attack.

Pooling their resources together and with monetary assistance the Coalition had begun to equip the remaining members of the Regional Army with adequate body armour, munitions, weaponry and above all, food and training. The nation's forces quickly swamped into area's including but not limited to: UAE, Saudi-Arabia and Israel to defend the area's from the imperialist aggression. Borders were closed and heavily defended with land and air defences. The sea's and peninsula's were awakened with thousands of ships bearing a variety of different flags and insignia's. Millions upon Millions of heavily armed, well trained and well-disciplined military units were dispatched into the areas while EOK and Puncakes Coordinated Air-Force assets and moved them into their respective positions, ready to strike. Within hours, Israel was flooded with troops and only time would tell how the conflict in Israel would turn out. Across the Arabian Theatre the RG propped up Forward Operations Base's at all key locations, and each country awoke their respective war machine's to begin coordinating communications, transport networks and defence.

With the Arabian Theatre heavily defended and the conflict in Israel beginning, time would tell how each faction would fare. If the Coalition's plan went as they hoped then Pillowlandia would not set foot on their claimed soil.

[New Velonia]

The Democratic Commonwealth Affairs Wing, Presidential Mansion in Alasia, New Velonia

Speaking to a crowded room full of reporters and cameras, President Anthony starts his press address with no delay.

"We will be submitting more troops to fight along with the Regional army to fight the terrorists in Africa and around the world. They will be put under the control of the commander-in-chief and Secretary of Defense of the Democratic Commonwealth, but after the War on Terror is over, they will be put back in our control. These brave men, women, genderqueer and trans-species individuals will bravely fight for global peace and prosperity for all nations. Are there any questions?"

"Mr.President, this is Dan Chiang of Montreal Weekly. Abut how many will be deployed with the Regional Military?"

"Well, my joint department of War is looking into that and they have given me an estimate of about 1,000,000 soldiers. This may sound like a little, compared to our past donations, and that is because we will have to give 25 million troops in the near future, due to Regional law. Any more? Yes?"

"President Anthony, this is Mary Basoille of Nouvelles du Québec, I would like to know what will happen to the millions of men we submitted before?
S'il vous plaît?"

"They will be kept under the control of the Region indefinately." Any more que-"

A Secret Service agent whsipers into the President's ear

"That's all the time I have. Thank you all very much."

[Pillowlandia]

1st Mechanized assault Division
Combat Operations Center A
Encircled Army Force

---

¨Listen up, we got word down from HIGHCOM. ONI has signed off on the op as well so we got a green light. Now here is the plan, we march in on the mechs and begin cleaning the area. No quarter. Now I know you have some reservations about such a feeble foe, but orders are orders. Plus, despite their current conditions they remain enemy combatants. They are desperate, and desperate men do stupid things. Command has given us the day to clear them out, but given the current situation I have requested rolling front of artillery so we can save some ammo while we’re in there. We don’t have ammo for twenty million men so we’ll do what we can. The rest will be mopped up by artillery and whatever chems we got laying around. Questions?¨


“Aye sir, what if they try to surrender?”

“We’ll inform them by raising a red flag before the assault. We follow our rules of combat, not theirs. So, suit up and prep to get in there. We’ll have a few sections of infantry and three IFVs follow us in just to make this a proper live fire test. Now go get your mecha ready. We’re feet up in two hours.”

72nd Marine Division
Hendrix Naval Station
Comeristan

---

“Commandant, Comeristanian officials are at the gate. They’re demanding entry and closure of the base sir.” Began the young aide, his uniform still rather neat for having run the message across the entire installation.

Commandant Oisín gazed out of his office, which had a view across much of the base. ¨Well, I suppose we ought to let them and offer some tea? Now listen closely. Begin contingency plan H1N2C. Quietly. Get the families and service personal to the destroyers. It’ll be cramped but we should be able to shove everyone onto the boats. Get the planes in the air, save what you can destroy what you can’t. Get the division to combat positions. Leave nothing for the local savages.” With that he nodded to the aide as he went to his desk.

Quickly reaching around he pulled his service pistol from the drawer and pulled out the single box which connected to his monitor and the network. Tucking it into his dress coat he opened up his vault and lit the documents inside on fire. With the most sensitive of documents removed he could only hope that there remained enough time to get the rest of it out.

Overhead the two fighter squadrons and lone transport squadron stationed in the base began a rapid scramble. The fighters simply bolted, under fueled, and under armed from the rapid scramble. With the fighters gone the transports hurriedly loaded the equally rapidly disassembled computers and mainframes from the bases network.

Even as the most sensitive portions of the base were spirited away, ostensibly as the personal complying with the demands of abandoning the base, charges were being laid across the hardened hangars and facilities.

Simultaneously the twenty thousand men of the 72nd division quietly prepared themselves to move. The armor and vehicles fueled quickly as the men collected ammunition.

On the docks the four destroyers docked simply stopped their refueling process, and cleared themselves for combat as they loaded the various personnel from the base.

Now though, Commandant Oísin walked into the formal room where officers were received. ¨Field Commander Shalim-El-Rahib, I must say what a… pleasant surprise your visitation is. To what matter do you make yourself known? Now, can I get you tea, or perhaps some coffee as is more traditional to your people.” The emphasis on the word ‘your’ spilled forth the commandants dislike, if but for a moment, of the Comeristanian. With that he briefly glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. He just had to delay.

HMS Timeless
Intrepid-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine
[redacted] Patrol sector, Rhinish Patrol Grid

---

The submarine was admittedly among the older hulls in the Royal Commonwealth Navy, built at the turn of the century to counter the threats of the 21st century. As such, she had long ago been stripped of her nuclear weapons, those having been put aboard the newer Venerable-Class, and seeing as her hull was well maintained and her reactor still fueled for decades to come had been overhauled into a stealthy platform to deliver AShMs and cruise missiles. Like the boomer fleet the guided missile sub force maintained a constant near total patrol range to cover potential conflicts.

They were the first strike before the nukes flew. As the sub sailed below the Atlantic Ocean, her crew well outfitted and ready for instructions those orders come. ¨Captain, fire command from SUBCOMLANT.¨

¨Is the message authentic?¨


¨Yes captain, XO and weapons concur. We have authentic message to engage targets. Target profile alpha strike. Target list downloaded, location Greater Rhine.”


¨Time to launch, ten minutes.¨

With that the sub moved into action, the preparation to launch lesser than it would be if it were a nuclear strike but nonetheless care was taken to ensure launch occurred by the book. The Intrepid-Class had carried thirty SBLMs in its nuclear service. Now though, it carried two-hundred-and-ten mixed hypersonic land attack cruise missiles along with a handful of equally fast AShMs. Though with only ten AShMs the dragons share of firepower was focused for land attack.

As the sub reached launch depth from its normal deep slumber the pressure hatches along the hull above the missile tubes pulled open, exposing the pressure hatches to the sea. Deep in the sub the pressurized mechanisms pumped steam in the chamber below the missile built up pressure, just minutes later the calm on the surface of the sea broke, a continuous line of missiles streamed up. Punching through the sea on a column of pressurized steam they hung in the air for a moment before their first stage booster kicked on, lifting them up in the air and sending them speeding towards the Greater Rhine Nation.

Their target was simple, yet complex in nature. Each missile was conducting a tactical strike upon key transit infrastructure of the Rhinish navy and airforce, moving to the goal of ensuring that they were unable to transport any large quantity of men internationally. Yet this also played into the growing grand strategy of the war. By, comparatively, inflicting lesser casualties upon their closest South American ally by stopping them from sending many troops instead of massive amounts of men and material then relations could be better maintained. Plus, it keeped over a hundred million men out of the picture for at least a few weeks to months.

GC-302
Government Hanger A-1
Moscou International Airport

---

The government section of the airport, used as storage for large government planes when not in military facilities and acquired in part by government investment in the airports expansions over the years, was home to only a handful of planes and personal.

One such plane was GC-302, a series three governmental continuity platform. Built on a modified body of a Denel Aviation 932 long haul plane it was equipped with four fuel efficient engines and built to function as a faraday cage. Inside was a fully functional command room staffed by the Commonwealth Joint Emergency Response Agency (CJERA) and a general officer of the Commonwealth´s air force. The bottom half of the body was painted a dull sky blue, and the upper half was a matte grey with the seal of the Armed Republic´s Executive branch emblazoned upon the tail.

Now though as the hanger door opened, the fuel lines were disconnected and the plane began taxiing out onto the runway, before lifting into the air onto a circular path inside the nation's airspace. It was quickly joined by a pair of A-18T fighters, providing a highly effective defense despite their position inside the nation. It would remain airborne as one of many contingency centers of government and direct forces within the Army, Air Force, and Navy.


ALV-222 ´Fortuity´
CJERA
Pillowgrad Air Force Facility

---

Much as planes across the Commonwealth were being launched to provide continuity of government, the ALV fleet, air light vehicle, too was being deployed. Using modern engineering and design they were heavy lifting lighter than air vehicles which held a flight deck and cavernous cargo space. Their primary role was to carry large cargo loads long distance in low threat environment.

The two-hundred series however was a specialized subset of the vehicles. Built with the same flight deck and cargo space, they carried a integrated command and control center along with stocks of various supplies that would be needed in an emergency alongside a sizeable security complement. It’s flight deck was placed centerline, requiring a pilot to be able to hand off control to the ship in order for it to account safely, beyond levels of human error, for changes in the environmental state. This automated landing system had the added benefit of allowing helicopters and VTOLs to land and launch up to being inside a tropical storm. It also limited the deck to either four V-11 Wasps or a half dozen normal heavy lift helicopters.

101st Marine Brigade
8th Division.Reinforced
Ashdod, Israel

---

The tactical airlift of ten thousand men and their equipment had been a daring move, but one that succeeded. For now the port of Ashdod remained encircled, though by a massively lesser force, and many quick and dirty strikes on the edge of the city were probing their defenses.

Though they numbered only two brigades of now, an entire corps was being moved to reinforce their position within the day. What happened until would be a mystery.

HMS Lughs Light
49th Naval Task Force
Indian Ocean

---

The hull of the Lugh cut through the waves, which had risen in the past hours as a storm developed, as she steamed towards Comeristan. At a distance of nearly 2,000km the fleet would need to cut its distance in half before it could begin deploying strike craft against the belligerent state. Their haste prompted by a call from the lone division protecting the Commonwealth Comeristanian Naval Station.

Despite that, the twin carriers of the 49th and their cohort carried onwards to prepare an aerial strike deep inside Comeristanian territory as a reminder of one thing.

The Pilowlandian Commonwealth had been awoken, and it was angry.

[Comeristan]

Regional Army Remnants
Encircled Force

The time was upon them. What little shred of morale remained among the forces was destroyed when the final communication came through from Command. With no clear way of paving through the Pillowlandian Defences and with conflict sprouting up in other nations that took precedence there was simply no way of saving the entrenched forces. With "Heartfelt" condolences the troops were told that they were on their own, and that no support was possible. They had also been told that surrender was futile as the Pillowlandian's had made clear during negotiations their plans of "No Quarter". With that said, Command wished the entrenched forces good luck and permanently shut down communications with the entrenched forces. Sealing their fate.

For weeks now, the entrenched forces had anticipated such an event and had taken many different ways of spending their final days alive. Some had written goodbye letters for their friends and families, others had taken their own lives, refusing to allow themselves to die from war or disease, others had tried to find ways of strapping bombs to themselves to take as many with them as they could, while others had simply decided to have fun. Dance, sing and fuck to try and forget about their own hardships and inevitable demise. 'Gallows Humour' was the only form of escapism left in the fields.

Many troops had resorted to digging escape tunnels that were left incomplete, now these underground "mud bunkers" were the only hope for a small amount of troops. Doing their best to hide these tunnels with leaves, wood and mud. Many took this time to climb down into their holes, hiding and waiting. Wondering if they would live to see the sun once more. However, other's did not, not seeing the point and instead accepting their "so-called fate".

One such soldier was Private Marcus Doena. He was one of the youngest soldiers in the Regional Army at only 17 years old, however in his time in the encirclement he had seen enough war to last him a lifetime, after numerous failed suicide attempts in the compound he sat in the mud, looking in the distance to see line after line of Pillowlandian troops, circling the horizon. As he looked on, he saw hundreds of red flags begin to hoist themselves up into the air, signalling that the end was coming. Panic spread around him as some soldiers fell down and wept, others grabbed whatever they could find to fight with, others ran as a rout formed around him, but Marcus didn't move. He simply sat there, watching. No sooner had it began was it about to end, as hundreds of artillery strikes launched up into the air and arched downwards, heading straight for him.

Marcus smiled, and closed his eyes. Before everything went white...


Hendrix Naval Station
Comeristan

Rahib had been quite apprehensive about going through with the plan, however, he was aware that if there was one thing that the Pillowlandian's were good at. It was being sneaky fucks. Having served his country well, he realised that if he was going to die it might as well be in a blaze of glory. So he did as he was told, he swallowed the three devices, put on the fake ribbon on his chest which concealed a tiny camera and set off for his likely final mission. Not far away, hundreds of tanks, artillery, helicopters, fighters and thousands of soldiers lay in wait, ready to strike. While naval units stood on standby in their waters, ready to move in if need be. There would be no negotiations today, considering how "well" the previous ones had gone. No, today would be about ultimate destruction, the second anything began. it would end.

Rahib was searched and led into the room where he met Commandant Oisín. Giving him a formal handshake they sat down at the small table where some tea was set out. Rahib was never much a fan of tea but today he took it willingly, knowing that this would be his last chance. After some pleaseantries, Rahib abruptly cut off the Commandant. Speaking up

"Commendant Oisin, Do you take me for a fool? This is a naval base in our Sovereign territory, we can see when a few fucking planes and transports begin to take off. Are you this idiotic?"

Before the Commandant could respond, Rahib cut him off, taking another sip of his tea, he spoke.

"I suppose you are, but we are not, I did not come here to negotiate per say, i came to say goodbye".

With that, Rahib dove at the Commandant, screaming "Now" as loud as he can for his spy camera to pick up. As he did so, Rahib detonated in a large explosion that consumed him and the Commandant in flame. And this was taken as a cue for the Comeristan war machine to wake up and fight. The units moved in, long range artillery strikes blasted both Sulfur Mustard and HE mortars directly into the compound, while other mortars targeted the base's many land and air defences. while a mixture of guided and unguided SAM's launched towards the transports and planes currently taking off. Hundreds of MBT's, transports and IFV's rolled towards the base while heavily armed and very angry troops engaged the base's infantry personnel. Knowing that the sea was defended by a Pillowlandian carrier group with anti-air capabilities there was no real use for aircraft with it there. So to combat it, Comeristan dispatched it's own Naval units to attack and distract the sea-based craft nearby the naval base. Submarines armed with Hull-breaching torpedoes and communication jamming equipment was also used to attack the troops.

If all else failed, Comeristan was willing to use Tactical Nuclear Weapons to destroy the base. Arming it, the nuclear teams far away kept their ears to the radio, waiting for their GO Codes. Should they ever hear them.


Offshore
Greater Rhine.

The submarine attack had come as a surprise but it's not as if they were not prepared for a sea-born attack. As the missiles flew the countries ABM systems and Missile Defence systems spurred into action. Quickly shooting their own payloads to intercept and destroy the missiles. The launch had been rushed due to the surprise attack and stopping all the missiles was impossible due to their collective speed and the amount that had been launched. So Greater Rhine had taken a large battering from the attack. The Missile Defence System managed to stop around 31% of the Pillowlandian payload. And now that the attack had occurred. Naval interceptor units were dispatched with anti-submarine capabilities, while Naval Air Fleets launched bomber and fighter craft with anti-submarine ordinance to eliminate this attacker. This defending force would not allow the attacker to escape.

From now on, the ABM and Missile Defence Systems would remain online, and Naval defence activity around their land would increase tenfold.

Operation Liberation
Israel

The Pillowlandian forces had moved into Israel and the Combined forces of the Coalition refused to allow any Pillowlandian's to step onto Middle-Eastern Land. Deciding to strike with speed and overwhelming numbers the Coalition sent around 150 - 200 thousand troops - mainly mechanised - to invade Israel and attack the remaining Pillowlandian presence. Total domination was expected in this attack, even if the Pillowlandian's sent in reinforcements the large numbers of the invading force would hunker down in their built defences to both act as a detterant and an actual effective defence. As soon as the troops were within range they striked. Attacking with all they had to eliminate any threat. Even as this happened, logistical and engineering sub-teams set about constructing infrastructure in the region, communications, FOB's and outposts to cement their control in the area.

As the troops neared the Pillowlandians location, the use of EMP's and signal jammers was used against the Pillowlandian's to scramble their own communications between each other and their commanders. Until communications could be brought back online the Pillowlandian's would need to communicate verbally, making effective coordination a nightmare. EMP's also dealt a heavy blow to the Pillowlandian's technology such as weaponry lock-on systems and electronics. Heavy shelling was used in the attack as MBT's and IV's rampaged towards the Pillowlandian defences. A large air detail consisting of Bombers, fighter jets and an abundance of helicopter units. Each section was split into groups with each part attacking a certain key infrastructural detail of the Pillowlandian defences to maximise their effectiveness.

Regional Army
United Arab Emirates.

The regional army set about committing to building their infrastructure across the UAE, with ample funds and the Coalition feeding them a continuous line of materials and supplies various FOB's, outposts and transport networks began to prop up around the country. Communications was made global around the country as all civillian communication was halted or siezed for military use. The borders were closed up tightly with air and ground defensive systems, and the shore and subsequent sea surrounding the UAE Became dotted with hundreds of ships and aircraft defending the shoreline from any attack.

These actions were replicated throughout the middle-east, while Saudi-Arabia had it's major town's and cities effectively closed down. The Coalition continued to build, Making an iron defence in anticipation of an attack. With ABM, Missile Defence Systems, near universal communications, intelligence services, air patrols and satellite imagery, the Coalition was almost guaranteed to see any movement thousands of kilometres before it actually arrived at their doorstep.

[Pillowlandia]

1st Mechanized Assault Division
Combat Operations Center A
Encircled Army Force

---

The space was crammed with much more equipment than meant for a field tent, the area having been turned into more of an impromptu base as the force held its multi-week siege. Now though, the tent was being packed away. The area which the twenty million men of the Regional Army was a blackened stain upon the sand which stretched across the landscape.

Not all was bad though, as the lines broke themselves down the last convoy of survivors departed. They had spent several days combing the area for anyone who had survived the bombardment, and despite the thought that it was futile effort there were a surprising number of souls whom had survived the rain of artillery shells to the face. In total nearly thirty thousand men had been found alive amongst the muck. Many more had been found and put out of their misery, their wounds far too severe for them to be transported back to the Commonwealth.

Yet for those they were able to save, the stockpiles of morphine and other medicines prepared for them were quickly broken into. Those who were lucid were often bawling, from relief at being removed from the siege or because they had been taken prisoner no one could tell.

While the last of the new prisoners of war were carrier away, first to hospitals and then to detainment centers, the army began reorganizing itself for maneuver. It would take a little over two days to organize the massive force for an organized advance in any direction. Until then, they simply sat in place as the massive temporary camp which had sprung up was just as quickly taken down by Logistics Corps personal.

72nd Marine Division
Hendrix Naval Station
Comeristan

---

“Contact! On your seven, two hundred meters!” shouted an rifleman, his identity obscured behind his gasmask. The only thing keeping him from being shot by his own squadmates was the common uniform, even as it was obscured by the ever present low hanging cloud of gas.

The gas didn’t change anything though. They could see the rifle flashes through the smoke. The Comeristanian forces had tried to mount rushes at the hastily prepared defences and failed. The was no man's land between them and the base, piled high with corpses. Yet despite this they were slowly advancing. What little guns and artillery the Pillowlandians had were destroyed early on, counter-battery fire having caught up with them.

Without heavy fire support, and the area being rife with heavy anti-air systems meant that they were pretty much alone. The first two days they had the support of a destroyer and two frigates lobbing shells from long range. Now though, the destroyer was at the bottom of the sea along with one of her escorts, the other captured.

Each wave from the enemy saw more of the ragged defenders fall silent, magazines run dry, and crys for medical help crowd the airwaves. Ragged breathing characterized the noises a soldier made in the time they spent outside fighting. Running to man a line here, there, and another over there. Each step a step closer to total fatigue.

In the buried and hardened bunkers of the base was a massive makeshift hospital, where over half of the twenty-thousand man division lay. Many had IV drips into them, more recently wounded didn’t, the supply of IVs far smaller than their demand. The armory wore no better, as the massive ammunition stocks lay depleted and the surfaced armories too far away to be of use.

A single room was all the now acting Commandant Jacob Hendrix II had to use, all the other space in the tunnels used to treat the ever growing number of wounded and dying. “Sir, if we don’t reinforce the northern flank it’ll fall in the next wave. Same with line C2, and D1. The next relief wave is still trying to find bullets to fill a spare mag. Rations are also completely gone sir, and generator fuel is scraping the barrel. Literally.”

With a defeated sigh Jacob glanced up, his eyes scanning the scattered maps as he visualized the battle roaring above him. I will never surrender the members of my command, he began to think back to the day he received his first command, while they still have the means to resist. The memory brought a single tear to his eye, the only disruption to his otherwise stoic expression and a break into the facade of a commander. He lacked the means to resist, and every passing minute he lacked them even further.

“Private, burn everything. I want this place sanitized. And send for a runner, prepare to raise the colors. We’re surrendering.”

“Sir, we’ve still got bullets!”

“What will we do, have a young man die just to kill one more of that horde of barbarians? No, we have resisted as long as our situation has allowed. Raise the colors and sanitize this facility.”

“Sir, the men won’t let them take you. You’re too important to morale.”

“I don’t care what I am, their lives are more important. In anycase, my family is large enough to ensure the business carries on without me.”

With that he left the room, walking the crowded hospital until he arrived at the tiny space that he had been given to rest. With a final glance he withdrew his service lighter. Taking all the document in the area and piling them together he opened the lighter and struck it. With a simple touch they began to give off light.


Turning his back he picked his gasmask and two filters off the table. Drawing the rough partition closed behind him he moved to the entrance. It was guarded by several men, each armed with only the mag in their rifle. He returned their salute and pulled the mask over his head, quickly inserted the filters and walked outside. As he passed the hasty divider which kept the gas out he was met by his private. “Is it done?”, he simply nodded at his superior as he offered the flag to him.

And so Jacob quickly hoisted it into the air. The Pillowlandian flag on top, flipped upside down in a sign of distress. Below it flapped a lone white sheet, a signal for parley. With that, he handed it to another soldier who had appeared and the party of three began to cross the no man’s land.

[Comeristan]

Following the surrender of the 72nd Marine division at the ruins of the Hendrix Naval Station the Comer troops proceeded to move into the compound to secure the area and process their Prisoners of War. Some of the Pillowlandian remnants - particularly in the underground tunnels - had attempted to fight back, but with very little ammo and energy left most either surrendered or were killed. The most heavily injured of the lot were sent to military hospitals for treatment. Those with none, minor to moderate wounds were escorted to waiting drop ships or land-based convoys and sent off into the horizon for parts unknown.

The Comeristan Government quickly realised that such actions were not just going to be ignored by Pillowlandia, so they had to move fast to get their defences to a immaculate condition. Within hours of their victory the entire country was in the process of being locked down. Curfews were in effect, the national guard patrolled the streets, all AA, land based and sea-based defences including all installations were on high alert, the borders were closed and security increased tenfold.

Even the countries nuclear arsenal was put into an amber-state...

The country was as defended as it could possibly be from attacks. But would it be enough to stay off a much larger foe?

[Bergcornopolis]

Rome, Bergcornopolis
The situation room was bustling with defense and intelligence leaders, the Pillowlandian Emperor was on the line waiting for the meeting to start. Emperor Conner burst into the room with the utmost anger and frustration over a new report about being unable to serve as the delegate to the UEH. "Alright, let us begin. Mr. Novaki why have you and Mr. Martis called me here?"
"Sir, we have called you here today because after reviewing our satellite footage earlier this morning we can be drawn to the conclusion that the Comerstani government has carried out an attack against a Pillowlandian military base..."
"Ok, that is a regional war I've been told to stop my 'imperialistic' waging of war..." Interrupted the Emperor
"Sir I don't mean to be rude but I must interject and finish giving you the complete briefing." Interjected Secretary Martis " Earlier today Comerstani military force attacked a Pillowlandian base in Salalah, Oman. The Pillowlandian's had heavy causalities and had a large sum of men taken as POW. That is why the Pillowlandian Emperor is on the line..."
Line Unmuted
"Hello Mr. Conner, What these men say is true," says Aaron Johgs as the line becomes active
"And with these pieces of information, we can determine that Comerstan is willing to wage a full-scale war against the entire Entente. They have already attacked Pillowlandia. Who is next? The NSSR? Duck? The Greater Rhine? Ourselves?"
"So, what do you want me to do?" replied Emperor Conner.
"Well, the Pillowlandians are staging a counter-attack at REDACTED I believe that we can supply assistance in air, land, and naval forces," said General Huckaby
"Well, then General Huckaby you will lead our portion of the Naval invasion with the assistance of Fleet Admiral Bolan, while general LeSol and Bonkrav lead our attack in the area of REDACTED.
"That would work nicely and then REDACTED..." said Emperor Johgs
"Well then it's decided we will REDACTED." closed Emperor Conner jesturing to REDACTED on the map.
"Here is the Executive Order your majesty..." said Secretary Sager
Emperor Conner signs the Executive order. "Well, then may the lord guide us to victory."

[Pillowlandia]

HMS Fortuitous
Orbital Over Comeristan
82nd Marine Drop Platoon (Recon)

---

The ship was cramped, despite its massive size. And now, as it made a high speed maneuver over Comeristan from a distance of 400km in space. Despite the speed and urgency of their mission the men of the 82nd Platoon moved with grace. The area was lacking in a floor, catwalks connecting each of the drop pods and their hatch. It only took a few moments, the men having already stowed their gear and done their needed checks.

The bay held twenty-five pods, and twenty two men were dropping in. Along with them would be three cargo pods, carrying additional supplies for extended operations behind enemy lines. The bay took several minutes to depressurize, before finally the bay doors opened. They dropped quickly, precise burns from their thrusters moving them into a spaced drop formation with them was joined by a section of debris jettisoned with them which broke apart as a form of chaff.

They descended rapidly, trying to hide the individual pods among the chaff. Afterall, they couldn’t hide the drop but they sure could try and break up the signal. Their drop site was in northern Comeristan, well away from most of civilization.

As the pods made contact with the ground the men began to stir, each bracing against the shock which was absorbed by both their pod and armor. Seconds later the doors flew off, explosive bolts carrying the metal door away. With that the men grabbed their weapons, some had SMGs and others rifles.

¨First Squad, secure the LZ and engage anyone that strays too close. Second Squad, secure the supplies. I want an eye in the sky yesterday.” First Lieutenant Makim Culpor barked into his radio, or rather the microphone that lead to his compact radio. He scanned the horizon, sweeping for enemies around him. The platoon had landed all in a half mile radius of the target, which was accurate enough for their purposes.

With the immediate area secure Makim turned around and reached into his pod, in the storage area next to his seat was his rucksack. Filled with ammo, supplies, housing, plus a whole assortment of other goodies he slipped it on over his matte black armor. The only thing that shined was the IR reflective shoulder section that was embossed into the armor. The crest of the nation shined just bright enough on an IR scope to distinguish the team as one.

With the pod evacuated, he opened a panel in the lower right side of his seat. Inside was a small but powerful charge, with a deft hand he punched in a single pin number. With the timer set he started the trek to the rest of his Platoon. It was only a few minutes without powered armor, and with it took even less time. In just over forty seconds he was besides the primary cargo pod, already being scrambled over to prepare it for transport.

“How long until it’s ready?” Makim asked, even as he knew by simply looking it over. While he waited the moment it would take for a response he pulled up his integrated HUD, satellite imaging had gotten wind of two Comeristanian patrols, each equipped with two vehicles. As he reviewed the data he was pulled from his thoughts.

“We’re good to go, it’ll be slow getting it anywhere by hand though. If we managed to get some wheels we could just tow it.”, the young combat engineer said. His rifle was on the ground, and beside it a foldable tool roll. Makim simply smirked inside his visor before turning to address the loosely assembled Second Squad.

“Squad, pushing the intel to your HUD now. We’re in need of some wheels, and the Comeristanians are just so happy to provide. Last sat pass showed them making camp for the night, so we're going to hit fast, and quietly. Section A, around their left. Section B, you hit their right. Section C is on me, we’re going to cover them from distance. I want to make sure we do this cleanly.”

The only acknowledgement was the list of green lights that lit up next to the squad roster in his HUD. Then with a swift hand signal the group moved off, increasing its spacing as they moved at a brisk jog in the night time desert. The moon that night was but a sliver, yet the ground was bathed in soft light in the absence of any light pollution. They covered ground quickly, their armor providing a boost to their speed and endurance. Despite this, when the teams were all in position all the members were ever so slightly out of breath.

With the teams in position, Makim lay prone. Next to him lay a spotter, himself wielding a DMR, who gazed out with rangefinders. While he marked ranges, Makim worked the bolt of his sniper. The XM500 rested on its bipod as he finished loading the magazine with the heavy .50 caliber rounds. With a final glance he slid the magazine home and made the gun ready to fire. “I make the wind about 10 kilometers a hour?” He finally spoke, while he removed the visor from his helmet.

Despite the advantages of a digital fire control system offered, he had always prefered to do it the old fashioned way. His way had worked for him in the past, earning him top marks in all of the Commonwealth's shooting academies’. It had certainly worked in the field too, he mused as he recalled his days spent hunting down those who wished harm to the Holy Family.

All while his mind drifted in thought, his hands worked the scope. Adjusting for wind, distance, and time he made short work of his preparations. Without a word to the two other teams waiting on him he drew in a deep breath. As he began to exhale, several seconds later his finger tightened. The first shot rang out, the bullet embedding itself deep into head of the first guard standing watch. As the soundwave from the round rolled over the small camp the second round hit its mark.

Now, with the remaining eight men brought to their feet by the sounds of high powered rifles they moved quickly to exit their temporary lodgings. Their attempts were as futile as they were poor. The army regulars, as accustomed to poorly trained irregulars and drug runners, were little more than ants than the giants that attacked. Both physically and mentally, for the men of the 82nd Platoon were made three or five inches taller by their own armor and helmets.

The fighting was swift and decisive, the surprised Comeristanian forces unable to get their bearings as they stepped into a maelstrom of bullets that each hit its mark. Within moments the unmistakable sounds of guns filling the air ceased as abruptly as they had began. “Check the bodies. Find the radios, and get those vehicles ready for travel. I’ll be there in five.” Makim hissed over the radio, beginning to back away his rifle into the case which he had pulled it from. Pulling the bipod off and placing in the case alongside the magazine he held the rifle, stripped of all but its most base components, in the air vertically. May the Sun look down upon those I strike with mercy, for I have not., praying under his breath for several moments he exhaled the breath he had been holding and finished packing the sniper. Now secured to his pack, he recovered his visor, snapping it into place and waiting a moment for it to power up, and his more compact assault rifle before setting off to the now captured vehicles.

~~~~~~~~~

Now in possession of two jeeps, and having removed the decently discrete trackers, two of the heavy supply pods had been rigged to them. Ready to tow all but the last pod a second team was sent to capture the two further vehicles they would need. That team was again lead by Makim, a man who was quite the hands on commander, as they moved the slow convoy a short distance from the drop site. Securing the men and personal he selected his team. This time only Section A would be coming. The last engagement had show to be a waste of resources. So they would use less.

With the sun slowly coming around to begin its ascent into the day the team moved. It would be a much cruder assault. Afterall, they lacked the time to make it as structured. Arriving just a short distance from the temporary camp (which by now was well into the task of packing away its things), they spread out. Forming a loose semicircle, a shape which would act to imply there was another semicircle to complete their force, the moved into position around the patrol. “GO.GO.GO.” uttered Makim, his voice having drained of emotion as he exited his cover to open up.

His team did likewise, breaking cover as they sprinted into fresh cover. Each move was provided cover fire from another of their rifles spewing bullets to suppress the enemy. One down. Two down. Three down. Makim counted each body falling, adding an extra burst to ensure they remained that way, all while his blank face remained hidden behind his visor.

A sudden explosion knocked him back, as he landed heavy on his side all he could feel was an unhealthy crunch in his ribs. A stray RPG had landed three meters away, missing its intended target of the jeep that was now providing covering fire to the attackers. However it was close enough to toss him aside.

Moments later a second burst took down the stray Comeristanian, and Makim was being helped up. Around him the battle had died down, with the Pillowlandians now ensuring the downed soldiers stayed down. While that happened the vehicles were secured, their trackers quickly removed while the team radioed in to advance to the muster point. Equipped with vehicles, and their own equipment they were about to raise trouble in the north.

HMS Translucent
81st Subsurface Combat Team
Northeast Indian Ocean

---

The sub sliced through the icy waves on the hunt, its prey not a machine of war but courier of information. The world was powered by fibre, and fibre crisscrossed the globe's oceans. Continent to continent, publicly owned to privately owned, new to old. Exabytes of data crossed the cables daily, serving the billions upon billions of people living on the planet.

That information was used for other things too, carrying the data of governments and their activities, both common and illicit, as bytes of encrypted data along the sea. This information fed the fabric of modern civilization, facilitated the advanced technologies of the 2060s in their use. As a result, the two submarine cables which lead into Comeristan were points of vast interest to the Pillowlandians, afterall they carried the bulk of internet traffic to the state. This made them powerful. This made them vital. This made them vulnerable.

HMS Translucent was among a specialized few, even among the massive Royal Commonwealth silent service. Built in secret (the sort of secrecy which was uncommon in the Pillowlandian navy, for they were a highly secretive bunch to start) she was longer than her most obvious counterpart, the Elusive-Class SSN, and an experienced eye could tell right away that she was different from any other sub, even if the couldn’t tell you off the bat.

The difference was threefold. Firstly, her longer length allowed an astoundingly massive mission cargo bay, allowing her to carry mission equipment in excess of twenty tons. Further, the mission bay was oriented downwards to allow cargo to be dropped instead of lifted out. Alongside it the sub was crammed with sensitive and advanced electronics for the gathering of intelligence on the seafloor. Lastly, she had additional maneuvering thrusters which allowed her to keep precise station… such as over a submarine cable.

It was now that she was doing the same thing, the ComeristanOne Line was directly below the sub. Now the sub used external cameras to examine how precise their charts were, and once satisfied began to sink closer to the seafloor. With a nod the large doors of the mission bay opened, three divers coming out alongside a simple machine. They were at a regenerative node, where the signal was amplified on its long journey across the inky blackness of the deep sea.

The machinery was specially modified, typically used to get into the cable in order to tap it and then seal it to ensure it didn’t fail, to cut the cable and seal only one side. The other side, leading from the Comeristanian ground station to the main cable, would be left open to the sea and thus be quickly and totally ruined.

The act took only minutes, the effort of an experienced group of technicians that ensured that the cable was truly destroyed. After that they stowed the machinery and reboarded the sub, with the mission bay hatch closed behind them. Simultaneously to the cutting of the ComeristanOne line her sister sub the HMS Opaque performed the same mission to the ComeristanTwo Line, leaving the nation with no access to submarine cable communications.

The dastardly deed done the sub swiftly rose from the cable and departed, their task in the upcoming brawl complete.

HMS Prime Meridian
Home-Class Arsenal Ship
Independent Patrol

The HMS Prime Meridian was a bleak ship, despite her large bulk. A member of the Home-Class she was a floating reservoir of missiles. In her particular case she was fitted to strike targets that dared to attack her home nation. With a massive arsenal of one thousand VLS cells she held a massive amount of firepower. Despite this she had her drawbacks, the massive size made her vulnerable and slow. Thus her class was typically used as floating blocks of air defense interceptors, but she carried a special cargo.

The 1M1T-23, a last generation long endurance cruise missile. Despite it being last generation it would still be a more than capable foe to the Comeristanian air defense grid. The missile traveled at just under mach 1, and were guided by a built in coordinate system. While this lacked the flexibility and speed of newer systems it was more than sufficient for the current target.

Meanwhile the deck of the Prime meridian was empty, as was normal due to her extraordinarily small crew of just forty, while her small superstructure jutted from the deck alongside the single quadpack grid of short range SAMs that stood as the ships only built in defense. Alongside her sailed two older Espada-Class guided missile frigates, past their prime but still highly effective coastal defense and patrol craft, of the Pillowlandian Coastal Guard.

Together they sailed well away from the areas typically patrolled in defense of the homeland, placing themselves directly in range of both ground stations. With final approval from CENTCOM, and the coordinates programmed into the missiles the small group of ships finally began their mission.

Commander Uzoma Heber, walked onto the bridge of the Prime Meridian with a clipboard in hand. He had already instructed the CIC to fire when ready. He simply wanted the view of his bridge, even though it was scarcely more than a cramped steering house (arsenal ships were built to carry missiles and all which they needed, nothing more and nothing less).

He looked out at the horizon as smoke began spilling onto the ocean, and the missiles flew up and into the air one by one. In total one hundred and twenty missiles were launched, sixty arching for the southernmost ground station while the other half raced to the northern ground station. In all likelihood a vast majority of the second group would get shot down, but it would only take a single good hit to disable the station.

4th Cavalry Division
1st Field Army (Adhoc)
Yemen

---

The division was quite the sight, despite having been on deployment for weeks already they were operating at still near peak readiness. Though, a fair chunk of that time had been spent sitting as they waited out the Regional Army.

Now though, they were on the move again. The first wave of operations would be easy, crush any and all resistance from the limited troops inside Crato so that the front could be properly established for the deeper push into Comeristan which would be needed to win the war.

As of now though the 1st Armored Brigade was moving ahead with the 1st Cavalry unit to begin the process of recapturing the former Cratoan capital of Ocsidam. Supporting them would be two Brigades of Mechanized Rifle Divisions. Their arrival would be hastened by pre positioned supply depots guarded by rear guard forces and readily available naval gunfire and close air support.

The punishment was beginning.

[New Velonia]

Comeristan International Airport, Comeristan

Under the darkness of the night, two Comeristan Commercial Jets lifted off, each carrying their fair share of Velonian tourists out of the locked down country.

This came after long communications between The Democratic Commonwealth of New Velonia and Comeristan.

Back in the homeland of New Velonia, eager parents await the arrival of their children, men and women await their husbands and wives, and children are staying up late to see their moms and dads come home.

One flight, carrying 332 passengers, is going straight to Alasia, New Velonia, and the other flight, carrying 200 passengers, is flying to Boston, then to Alasia.

[Comeristan]

Around 10 miles north of the town of Ya-Tan
Northern Comeristan

The pods that had landed were quickly swamped by military personnel who immediately set up a cordon to prevent curious locals from prying their eyes to the strange metallic objects. Those who had arrived before the army were either detained or led away into silence. The pods were either air-lifted away or studied on the spot under military tents.

It was clear what that pods were and their purpose. Being military drop-pods to transport infantry troops to a given location. It was also clear what they were transporting, considering that the had landed deep within Comer territory, It could be little more than a specialist military force. The only piece of information that was slightly uncertain was "Who did it?". But it didn't take a genius to realise that the Pillowlandian's were almost definitely responsible.

FOB 'Midnight'
Central outpost for Comeristan Anti-Insurgency Matters
Somewhere in Northern Comeristan

FOB Midnight was a large military base, surrounded by dunes and limestone cliff-faces. It's location kept it relatively safe from the elements and fairly well hidden from all angles. This Forward Operations Base acted as the central hub for Comeristan's Anti-Insurgency activities in the deserts, Since it was assumed that the Pillowlandian SF would be travelling through or near the desert itself Midnight was called to investigate. Now acting under the direct supervision and scrutiny of the Glorious Leader himself.

FOB Midnight handled all major counter-insurgency affairs in the region, coordinating the standard conscripts with fellow outposts and FOB's. So when a blip occurred, it was quickly noticed.

A serious blip was noticed not long after the pod's initial impact. The issue was quickly brought to a General's attention by a young, tech-savvy soldier working at a desk in front of a large computer terminal.

"Sir. The trackers on multiple vehicles have gone offline about... 38 seconds ago... I've checked twice, to make sure it's not a simple glitch. I believe this is the real thing this time."

A Wearing a beret and standard military fatigues, walks towards the desk, his eyes scanning the various readouts.

"Where is this?" He simply says.

The young soldier quickly taps on the keyboards at his disposal, bringing up some logistical readouts and a bright, multicoloured map of the entire Northern Comeristan Desert. Separated by dotted and solid lines.

"Uh... Sector 4... In Zone 12... Coordinates X2918:3491 Y01827:3913... Vehicles belonged to Squad Gamma-23. Acting Squad Leader is Sergeant Ashim Kel-Ladim of the 14th Rifle Platoon."

"Did you try contacting them?"

"Not yet sir"

"Do that, Now"

The young soldier puts on a headset, plugging the jack into a socket as he brings up some more windows, opening up a large window showing a fluctuating radio wave and a bunch of random numbers and letters. The soldier begins to speak into it.

"Gamma-23 this is Overlord, reporting multiple track losses in your Zone. Requesting Immediate Sitrep and location. How-Copy? Over."

After some time, responses start to come in. The background noise from the radio indicates that the speakers are in a moving vehicle.

"Midnight, this is Gamma-23. We've got mechanical problems, skirmish with insurgents damaged long range and drive."
"Copy that Gamma-23, Do you have any casualties to report? Over".
"Three dead and four wounded, medical supplies largely depleted. Working on resolving mechanical issues."
"Copy Gamma, Do you require assistance? over"
"Negative at this time, we'll manage to limp home. Will update if required."
"Copy, Do not continue objectives with damaged trackers. RTB and report to your superior, out"
"Copy".

The Soldier takes off his headset, looking at the General.

"They ran into contact, Three dead, four wounded. They're commencing RTB. No assistance needed at this time."

"Make Contact with their home base, and send out an air-unit to act in their place until a permanent replacement is drafted."

"Yes Sir".

Just as the General begins to walk away, the soldier pipes up again.

"Uh... Sir? We've had another blip loss"

"You've got to be..."

"Olympia Radar Facility
Southern Comeristan

The facility was already in uproar and chaos, as little more than 30 seconds ago a medium ranges barrage of missiles was confirmed to be coming inland from the sea, directly towards the facility, AA fire had managed to take out 3/4's of the missiles, but the remaining ones were coming in hot, destined to hit.

As the facility was hit by the missiles, the barrage destroyed 24 of the 30 long-range satellite dishes on the station, caused immense damage and killed or severely injured every individual on the surface. Those underground, in the main facility. Managed to survive the impact, as the blast doors stopped the fire wave from washing into the tunnels. However, it didn't stop the almighty shock wave that rocked the bedrock, causing the facility to be plunged into complete darkness.

Seconds later, the facility was illuminated in a red, eery light as the backup generators came online. a robotic male voice boomed over the loudspeakers in an emotionless, staccato fashion.

<:: EMERGENCY. MULTIPLE RANGED EXPLOSIVE IMPACTS DETECTED IN TOPSIDE SECTOR 14. ABSOLUTE DAMAGE REPORTED. SATELLITE ARRAY - UNSTABLE. ANTENNA GROUPS - OFFLINE. POWER INTEGRITY AT 23 PERCENT. COMMENCING SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE. ALL PERSONNEL, COMMENCE IMMEDIATE EVACUATION. ::>

One by one, military facilities began to lose connection to the Comeristanian Sattelite grid, plunging them into chaos. While civillian settlements lost use of their internet and communications. Causing mass confusion.

Comer-Yemen Border

Within hours of these events occuring. And with reports of violence in Yemen, Comeristan quickly bolstered their air, land and sea defences around their eastern border. Anticipating deadly action soon.

(I'm sorry Pillow, but i'm pressed for time and i didnt want to keep you waiting any longer. i hope this suffices.)

[Pillowlandia]

HMS Vanguard
91st Destroyer Squadron
Red Sea

---

The destroyer was much like the several hundred of it’s sisters. Long and slender hull which gave her the profile needed for high speed movement to keep up with the fleet carriers of the fleet. Her superstructure was multifaceted, each side carrying a embedded ASEA radar, powerful creations that provided a 3-D volume search and tracking capacity for hundreds of miles. The Vanguard sailed in formation, right alongside another of her sister ships, the HMS Deus Vult, and an anti-submarine frigate. With the Red Sea a safe bastion, both sides guarded by fleets of the Entente, the Vanguard sailed with her radar at full power, providing detailed returns of all things in the airspace. Birds, and boats, and planes all sat on the displays of the ship's CIC.

Each blip was planned, known, and accounted for. The pair of jet fighters passing with their IFF set to passive two hundred kilometers west, the cargo ships detected on the surface search radar, and the birds noted. So, in this well scheduled and kept bubble when an unscheduled craft entered it, and a second close behind a calm panic descended upon the CIC.

When the Vanguard detected it on its active radar, it quickly phoned the Deus Vult which sailed a quarter kilometer away, with its arrays set to passive. Both quickly agreed that the pair of jets were indeed unscheduled and their returns indicated Comeristanian F-35 craft on an rapid approach vector.

In just moments the approval was granted, after all they had standing engagement orders upon enemy aircraft. Two minutes after detecting the craft four VLS cells on the Vanguard flew open, launching two long range SAMs towards the planes. They accelerated quickly, reaching mach 3 a minute into their flight. Seconds later the first two missiles slammed into the lead jet, demolishing it with the scatter warheads. The second plane fared little better, breaking up into little more than fragments. Two civilian airliners had been brought down, and the world would be none the wiser until they missed their planned, and undisclosed to the Pillowlandians, arrival times.

General Finley Fannon
Department of Offensive Operations
Office of Naval intelligence, Pillowgrad

---

The building was, as with all major Naval Intelligence offices, flawlessly organized and built with expensive but highly functional materials. The marble lobby, inset with the sprawling organizations crest, was coated to maintain its extravagant style. People would move in groups of three or four, often grasping folios and talking in low voices as they entered or exited the building.

It was these circumstances which led the general into the building, watched the entire way as he exited the Ministry of Armed Affairs and walked the twenty blocks by the cameras of ONI. The guards, equipped with rifles and plates of compressed carbon, watched the movements of everyone.

Despite the unnerving amount of scrutiny cast upon him, and any person in the capital and much of the country for that matter, Finley remained unperturbed. He had after all been an analyst deep in the machine before he transferred to the Royal Army.

After passing through the multiple annexes of security he finally entered the room which was coordinating the massive stream of intelligence for the Comeristan Campaign. The space was cavernous, hordes of analysts combing through sensor feeds with the assistance of computer algorithms, all whilst officers consulted each other as they compiled reports to be sent further up and then redistributed to the front.

It was those officers that the General had come to speak about, as he walked briskly towards them. The low light reflected off his stars, an uncommon sight in the darkness of the intelligence sectors. “The latest dispatches for the Third kek-Comeristan border region. Include operation dawn star.”

The cluster of officers only glanced up briefly, before doing a double take when they noticed both the man's rank and his army uniform. “General Fannon? What are you doing down here?”

“I do believe that I’ve already stated what I’m down here for, and I’m sure that an intelligence officer doesn’t need orders to be repeated. Now, I don’t have all day.” He tartly returned, taking the next several moments of silence to look over each of the three men before him.

The impasse broke as a junior officer approached with a folder, having overheard the start of the bureaucratic battle.”The latest from operation dawn star Sirs.”, he said quietly. Almost quiet enough to blend into the near silence of the cavernous room.

With a knowing smirk now that he had won, Finley tapped the brim of his hat and drew the lightweight cloak around him. “I’ve got a meeting and I best be off. Good day.”

The meeting was less a meeting and more the General redirecting considerable assets. The previously rapidly deployed airborne forces would be redeployed to the north, via the Third Kekistan border with Comeristan. It would be a massive airlift effort, moving multiple divisions to support a fresh offensive. Alas, with the Comeristans cut off from their own extended intelligence gathering apparatus it would have the needed window to muster.

This plan would rely heavily upon the less than stable regime of the Third Kek, an idea which made the Pillowlandians quite uneasy. In anycase, a reasonable mix of money and force would convince them to assist as required to ensure that logistics remained an option. Now only the special force team dropped in needed to do its job…

First Lieutenant Makim Culpor
82nd Marine Drop Platoon (Recon)
Northern Comeristan

---

His breathing was rapid and shallow, laboured and desperate. The torso of his power armour lay discarded next to him, and his underlayer shrugged, painfully, off. Despite the cover of the vehicles roof the vehicle remained sweltering, and sweat ran down Makim’s bare torso. The squad medic was examining him, slowed by the rough going in the desert sands, in search of any further injuries.

“How far are we from that outpost?”, Makim half yelled to the front of the vehicle. He regretted it instantly, wincing at the exertion against his wounded ribs. “And how much longer before you get me bandaged up Ximo?”

Corpsman Adrián Ximo Aguado, affectionately called Ximo by his comrades, simply flicked his eyes upwards momentarily. “Medicine takes time, and effort. Luckily I’m putting forth effort, time comes when it cares to. Now, quit your complaining and let me wrap up. You’ve got a bad case of whining and bruised ribs.”

The convoy of vehicles continued on in silence for several minutes, Ximo wrapping Makim’s ribs tightly, and applying a small cooling pack. With a simple nod he was complete, and Makim slowly pulled the skin tight underlay back on. The heat was intense and the suits could only fight back against it so much despite their cooling mechanisms. Makim grunted as he fit his torso section back into place and reinitialized the full armor system. He was in pain, but he had suffered worse.
The sun was to the team's back, beating down on the vehicles and their towed cargo. As they approached the forward base which the vehicles had originated from they slowed to a stop. The entire unit dismounted, and took time to unhook a cargo pod from the second set of vehicles.

The plan was simple, a team would remain and guard the vehicles from any one who tried to approach. Be it civilian, soldier, or insurgent. The urgency of the mission made it key that they remain obscured and vague. With the security of the vehicles ensured, the bulk of the forces would advance slowly and stealthily towards the base on foot. Once they reached position two of the vehicles would advance as a distraction. Of course, no plan survives contact with the enemy intact.