NationStates Jolt Archive

Anya Hand frowned slightly as she woke up. She could feel the heat of the sun on her body. It took her a moment to remember where she was. It took another to realize just how badly burnt she was. Her skin ached everywhere it touched the hot sand. She must have been out on the beach much longer than she’d originally planned. She had been expecting a call from her husband. In part, at least, that was why she’d let herself fall asleep in the first place.

Anya frowned as she sat up. It hurt to move. She wasn’t worried about the pain. It was hardly the first time she’d had sunburn. It was unpleasant but it was a fact of like in Gandara’s tropical climate. She was more worried about her husband. It took her only a moment to locate her cellular phone and select him on her contacts list. “Come on, Xenophon. Pick up.” Xenophon Hagiorgiu (like most Gandaran woman, Anya had kept her name) was in the Civil Defense Force. Anya worried incessantly. Xenophon always told her she didn’t need to but as fighting in Abt had intensified Anya had become more and more worried that the Sons of the Reformation might cross the border to the south as well as the west.

It took far too long but Xenophon did eventually answer. “Anya, thank God you’re alright.”

Anya frowned slightly at his words. “Why wouldn’t I be alright, honey?”

“You … you haven’t heard?” Xenophon asked slowly. “The Sons of the Reformation have launched an attack on Juliet. Shots were fired at the Governor-General’s motorcade. There were bombings at a few pubs and at some financial and business offices. They bombed the parking deck under the Jay-Palmer building. I’m so glad you were on vacation.”

Jay-Palmer was the insurance firm where Anya worked. It was her dream job and, by any standard, she was doing quite well for herself. It was a wealthy enough business but that wasn’t why it would have been targeted. Anya could think of half a dozen corporations based in Juliet which were substantially richer and more powerful. What set Jay-Palmer apart was much more superficial, the building itself. The Jay-Palmer building was one of the most distinctive parts of the Juliet skyline. Men and women who she worked with everyday had been murdered because of how the skyline looked! “What are the casualties like?” she finally asked.

“Fairly small scale as far as this sort of thing goes. We’re estimating less than two hundred killed, maybe about a thousand wounded.” Xenophon commented. “But that’s not the point. This is the first time there’s been a real attack on our soil since that political ‘solution’ over in Marlund.”

“It’s not small scale to the families of the victims.” Anya reminded him sharply.

“I know.” Xenophon said. “But I need to keep some distance to do my job. Look, I really need to go. There’s a lot of work for us to do here. Try to keep safe. I’ll probably see you late tonight.”

The name “Jaeger” could signify different things in different countries. In Abt, Jaegers were commandos with the Abt Republic Army, an elite light infantry force whose task was to patrol the vast un-inhabited rainforests of the Republic and ensure the respect of Republican Law and Order throughout the territory of the Republic. All this sounded nice in theory, but in practical terms the Jaegers were dropped off by the Air Force in small groups in some points of the jungle and then would spend weeks or months acting totally autonomously from the rest of the world.

And weeks in a potentially hostile jungle was not the brightest of occupations, either. The soldiers had to ensure that their sub-armour suits were hermetic to avoid little spiders crawling in and neutralizing soldiers with neurotoxins, or mosquitoes driving troops crazy with the need to scratch their itching limbs, or simply to avoid having to dry their suits after getting out of a river.

Added to that, the soldiers also had to investigate potential Sons of Reformation activity. Initial expectations that the group was just a bunch of rag-tag lightly armed terrorists quickly changed to a whole different reality: a massive, well organized military organization with units operating all over Sahor, as well as some portions of Western Ambara. After all, if even the inhabitants of Jagiella had to organize an own armed force to fend them off, the situation was fairly serious.

The Abt Republic Defence forces and their mercenary allies from the Silver Lances, Jokers and Black Widow FMCs led a relentless fight against the protestant fundamentalists. The efficiency of the battle was also important internationally, as the Republic had to show that it was a viable and strong state, capable of rooting out extremist elements within its borders. Asking help from Confederate Danaan forces was out of the question for the Republic’s authorities, as it would pretty much mean that Abt failed as a sovereign state. Remarkably, the services of Taraskovyan Free Mercenary Corps were only welcome, as these were paid for by Republic’s sympathizers back in the Grand Duchy and were entirely politically apathetic, concentrating on the task at hand: killing fundie prodies.

* * *

Southern Abt

The 9th Jaegers Squadron, consisting of fifteen operatives and led by Captain Ruslan Dalnin, was embarked upon a dropship from the Pelican Squadron of the Air Force, which was specialized in transport duties. The Abt Republic Air Force was small enough for its various Air Squadrons to still bear names instead of numeral identifications, but the Air Force did its job perfectly well.

“Captain Dalnin, fifteen minutes to drop,” the pilot’s voice was heard in the passenger deck of the dropship, where soldiers were readjusting their ammunition, weapons and equipment.

“Understood.”

Suddenly, the aircraft made an abrupt turn to the right, which caused several jaegers to lose hold of various items in their hands. Thankfully, they were attached to their seats, so no man was hurled at each other. It was simply because the dropship had to do a sudden evasive maneuver, a point defense turret dispatching of a missile that exploded next to the aircraft’s hull. The escort gunships immediately began to pound the origin of the SAM as the dropship proceeded to drop its soldiers off at a certain distance.

It first fired a rocket at a spot in the forest, breaking down trees and clearing out a drop zone. Of course, it was not the most eco-friendly way of proceeding, but the ARDF could not allow itself to be ecologist just now. Then hatches opened, ropes fell down and soldiers repelled down in seconds, before starting off on an immediate hunt for Sons of the Reformation guerillas.

Southern Abt

"Missed the Slavic sons of bitches!" Balduin Siegbert cursed as he watched the dropship eliminate the missile in midair. He moved swiftly to secure the mobile missile platform as the driver of the truck it was mounted on lurched forward, heading towards a deep ditch the men had rendered accessible to vehicles. A few others rushed to help him. Men were expendable. This sort of equipment was not. It was the one element which allowed them to keep up illusions regarding their own power. They were, however, running out of it and they had no current supplier. They had no military presence anywhere outside of Abt anymore, although they still had terrorist cells in other locations. If they didn't stop the Abt Republic Defense Forces, the Sons were through.

A man fell into a heap next to Balduin as fire from the dropship poured down on the area. He didn't bother looking. He knew the man was dead. He was used to this sort of thing. He didn't look at the other three who went down in the next few seconds either. They were with God now. It could just as easily have been him. The good news, however, was that the missile platform had been saved to use another day, albeit barely. With a sigh of relief, Balduin crawled under a tree and waited for the enemy fire to subside.

Juliet, Gandara

Member of Parliament Dawn Capel was chatting amiably with fellow MP Hank Lakeman on the House steps. Hank had only recently discovered that his wife Victoria was pregnant and he had been in quite a good mood ever since. “So what do you think you’ll name him or her?” Dawn was asking.

“I’m not sure.” Hank said. “I want to go with Beatrice if it’s a girl and Michael if it’s a boy. I have to talk with Vicki about it though. There’s still plenty of time.”

“Ever the party loyalist, aye?” Dawn asked a little playfully but only a little. Both of them took the Green Party and the Constitutional Left Caucus very seriously.

“I guess you could say that.” Hank confessed. “You might as well know, Vicki thinks Dawn might be a good name if it’s a girl. After a ‘dear friend of the family’ to use her expression.”

“Really?” Dawn asked, a little startled. “I’d rather thought Victoria might resent me and the rest of your parliamentary colleagues for keeping you away from your family so frequently.”

“And be jealous that I work with such an attractive woman?” Hank asked. Dawn blushed and looked away but said nothing so he continued. “Vicki’s not that sort of lady. She knows my work is important and she understands why I do it and what exactly I do. She likes you quite a bit. Thinks you’re one of the better MPs.”

“That’s awfully sweet of…” Dawn started but she didn’t get a chance to finish. Sirens started blaring nearby. The two MPs could hear an explosion in the distance and gunfire,

One of the guards came down from the top of the stairs, waving down Dawn and Hank. “Excuse me, sir, ma’am, we’re going to need you to step back inside until further notice. There’s been an attack in Juliet.”

“An attack?” Dawn asked, more than a little startled.

“Probably the Sons of the Reformation, ma’am.” the guard said. “We don’t have all the details yet and we haven’t caught the people who did it. What we do know is that three simultaneous bombings have gone off as well as some sporadic shootings and an attack on the Governor-General’s motorcade. We don’t know the casualties or the status of the GG. We’re going to need to secure this area tight until we get the all clear, even though it’s unlikely either of you are in immediate danger.

Southern Abt

The 9th Jaegers was now on the ground, the fifteen operatives taking cover behind particularly large trees and advancing on the origin of the missile attack, advancing carefully. The two escort gunships kept pounding the area in random spots, wherever their thermal sights revealed a difference in temperature which suggested something of 36-37 degrees Celcius was there.

The dropship, in the meantime, sped off back to base. It had already sent a report to the Air Force on the missile attack and now a reinforcements unit was scrambled. The nearest was a parachutist company of Black Widow mercenaries, and these were quickly assigned to the operation.

Eliminating the “heavy” weapons capacities of the Sons of the Reformation was prioritary. Of course, the terrorists could still run around with MANPADs, but at least the absence of platform-launched missiles would ensure a safe high-altitude civilian and military traffic.

“Team Three, we got a double one, double one!” an operative spoke into his comms device, sending the message to the rest of his Squadron. The code meant that the operative and his fire-team had come under fire and were returning fire.

“Team Two, reinforce Team Three. Team Four, secure the right flank. Team One, with me,” Captain Dalnin gave out the orders.

The Jaegers were often far better outfitted than their opponents. They had an older version of Taraskovyan combat armours, which consisted of a protective under suit (which provided NBC protection, as well as kept the troops dry when immerged into water) and an armoured over layer (a special artificial alloy was used, providing a rather light material that still was sufficiently resistant). When in water, the air contained beneath the under suit would help the troops keep afloat (current TNDF armours had special inflatable buoys integrated into the suits, but the ARDF did not have those). The helmet contained an air-purification and isolation system, which allowed the troops to breathe in poisoned air conditions, as well as breathing beneath water (albeit it was highly recommended as eventually the water would get through, and the soldier would then have water beneath his under suit – a problem fixed in latest TNDF gear).

The standard armament of a Jaeger while on operations in a jungle included an assault rifle, chambered for highly piercing flechettes that pierced through wood, concrete and flesh with deadly efficienly. It is obvious that since a single flechette could pierce through several bodies at the same time, such weapons were used in places were the risk of civilian “collateral damage” was “minimal”, like a jungle with snakes and stuff. In addition to that, each soldier had several grenades. All in all, the equipment was very light (each Jaeger, after all, had to carry with him quite a few provisions as it was not always possible to hunt and make a fire to cook) compared to an average infantryman.

The helmets were capable of providing the viewer with a digitalized overview of the terrain, picking out the targets and assisting in aiming. Additionally, a “mask” could be put on the visor to provide for night, thermal and other interesting vision modes. And even in the Abt Republic Army, with its limited funds, every soldier had such a mask to go with his helmet. All in all, the Jaegers could see their opponents at night, at day and could proceed with eliminating then rapidly and efficiently.

“Combatants of the Reformation!” a voice thundered out from the sky as one of the gunships began playing the standard propaganda tape. “You have no reasons to fight your Christian brothers. You have no reasons to risk your lives. Abt is not your enemy, Abt is your friend. Sons of the Reformation, lay down your arms and return to a peaceful life. You have no reasons to fight us.”

The two gunships stopped their pounding, keeping the patrols over the engagement zone, as an authoritative manly voice kept thundering from above. Since the Sons were quite anti-feminist, using the soft and luring female voice was judged as the least intelligent of solutions.

“Abt is not your enemy, Abt is your friend. Sons of the Reformation, lay down your arms and return to a peaceful life. You have no reasons to fight us.”

Southern Abt

Most of the Sons of the Reformation, by contrast, had on the sort of clothes a civilian might wear for outdoor activities. They wore trousers, hiking boots and light long-sleeved t-shirts. They were armed with rifles and small arms. Still, they weren't listening to the manly voice. They hid in the jungle and waited for the fight.

Juliet, capital of the Commonwealth of Gandara

By the end of the week the Governor General of Gandara, Elizabeth Crane, had already passed away from her injuries sustained in the terrorist bombing. While she was to be given a full state funeral, it would largely be something of an internal affair, as Ms Crane was a Member (and not Confederal-level) official. One notable person from abroad who did attend, however, was Xirniumite foreign minister Eléanor Sabëlinà. Her very public presence sent a strong message, one of solidarity with the Confederated Peoples and of opposition towards terrorism. After the ceremony and all of the formalities were concluded, and immediately following the end of the funeral proper, Eléanor found herself walking next to Premier Beatrice Doyle.

It wasn’t usually in the countess’ nature to speak at funerals, at least not when she could avoid it. Eléanor always felt that, no matter what condolences she might offer to the bereaved, her words tended to offer cold comfort, even going so far as to sound patronising and affected. The noblewoman had never learnt how to deal properly with loss herself, and was thus quite ill-equipped to help others deal with theirs.

‘Premier Doyle… words cannot express my sincerest sorrow at your nation’s great loss,’ murmured the countess as she glided silently beside the Gandaran, her exceedingly pleasant lilt appropriately subdued with a touch of dour solemnity.

Eléanor touched unconsciously at her insubstantial black veil (made of an open-meshed netting and affixed to her small, pretty hat) with a slender gloved hand. Even when dressed for a funeral, the Xirniumite noblewoman appeared the very meaning of glamour, her extremely dark, blood red lipstick going attractively well with very expensive, highly polished jet and diamond jewellery and an elegant flowing dress, cut from the finest black cashmere fabric, trimmed with exquisite silk crape and with a long figure-hugging skirt that flared slightly at the hemline.

‘You have my deepest sympathies,’ added the countess with a shine in her chestnut brown eyes.

‘Thank you, Your Excellency,’ Ms Doyle said. ‘I had just been starting to think that this sort of thing was done with.’

Eléanor felt a little awkward at this but hid her thoughts behind a compassionate countenance. ‘I’m certain that the people of Gandara will find the courage and strength within them to see through these trying times,’ she replied, hoping that her sentiment did not sound too trite.

‘It is just so frustrating that the actual bases are out of our reach,’ Beatrice commented.

‘Oh, you have a fairly good idea where the terrorists are, then?’ asked the foreign minister, raising a thin eyebrow.

‘Southern and western Abt,’ the premier said.

‘Ah,’ replied Countess Sabëlinà, almost as though she had expected something more. ‘I am given to understand that the Abt Government has been rather cool so far with respect to the idea of international security cooperation on this issue,’ indicated Eléanor.

‘I wouldn't really know,’ Ms Doyle said. ‘Effective coordination of the various Member forces and the Confederal Government is problematic enough.’

‘Yes, of course,’ replied Eléanor softly.

‘It has just become so senseless at this point. There is no longer any serious question of the Sons of the Reformation setting up the sort of society they want anywhere in Ambara,’ the premier continued.

‘Violence is always senseless,’ intoned the foreign minister. ‘But I somewhat doubt that the prospect of fulfilling any tangible goals is what really drives these Protestant terrorists. For them the battlefield is ideological, and it is this that drives such monstrous behaviour.’

‘I wouldn't describe them as Protestants,’ Beatrice said, perhaps a tad sharply.

‘No, you’re probably right,’ mused Eléanor conversationally, apparently not noticing the change in the Gandaran’s tone. ‘I suppose that label is rather unhelpful.’

‘Sometimes I see just ordinary people, a gay couple holding hands, an African-Ambaran family, a couple of immanently ordinary teenagers coming out of the local synagogue, and I can't help but wonder where all these ordinary people would have been under the old Marlund regime these people want to bring back. It’s almost staggering at times,’ the premier said.

‘But it does give one a strong sense of what it is that you seek to defend,’ replied Eléanor. ‘Tolerance, and diversity, and acceptance, and harmony. Of course, I should not like to abstract the West’s struggle with terrorism. I think it does a grave disservice to those who have been killed if we frame what is occurring as an ideological conflict, a dichotomy of different perspectives; between, say, extremism and freedom. It is enough to condemn terrorists merely that they are murderers and criminals.’

‘You’re completely right,’ Ms Doyle said simply.

‘What I mean to say is,’ Countess Sabëlinà continued to try to explain, ‘I see only a tragically murdered woman. And that in and of itself is monstrous.’

‘And several score other murdered men and women,’ Beatrice noted.

Eléanor sighed sadly in agreement.

‘Thank you for coming, Your Excellency. It means a great deal to us,’ Ms Doyle added.

The Xirniumite removed her perfumed glove and squeezed the Ganadaran woman’s hand understandingly. It was such a personal gesture, such a human gesture, conveying genuine warm and friendliness through close, intimate contact. ‘Not at all. It was… the least that I could do,’ she said, acutely aware of the triteness of this response.

Southern Abt

Engaging in a stationary fight against the highly mobile Abt Republic Defence Force was not the best course of action and the Sons of the Reformation would have surely known that. Because while the small Jaeger Squadron kept the enemy pinned down at a location, reinforcements greater in numbers were speeding through the air.

Same was the case here. As the 9th Squadron spread out and surrounded the enemy, laying down suppressive fire to prevent the hostile combatants from changing position, an entire company of parachutists from the Black Widow Free Mercenary Corps was being ferried through the airs. In less than an hour, gunships cleared out drop zones and men in combat armour repelled down.

The Black Widows were known to be the exact definition of a Taraskovyan warrior: ruthless, stubborn, cunning. Their arm patch (a silver spider web on a black circle, overlaid with a blood-red hourglass) never spelled anything good for their foes. And such was the case in the present situation. Having unloaded the light infantry by repelling, followed the heavier grenadiers, machine gunners and their additional equipment, the dropships flew off to patrol at a certain distance.

In the Taraskovyan military and, thus, fighting formations based on it (such as many FMCs), Grenadiers were specialized infantry troops armed with multi-purpose grenade launchers and carrying a backpack with additional ammunition. A rifleman was always attached to a grenadier, to offer fire cover and carry around additional ammunition. What was the ammunition? Explosive rockets, incendiary rockets, even a smoke screen rocket per Grenadier to allow for a tactical retreat. All in all: big bada boom.

Add to all that the gunships that were hovering above and pounding the ground in defined locations, any unsupported armed group pinned down by such a relatively small, but well organized and supported force, would have no chance of survival. Unless they pulled out before the reinforcements arrived, leaving behind a suicide cover that would fight to the end to offer a semblance of continued enemy presence to the Abtian troops.

* * *

Presidential Palace, Belgorod, Abt Republic

President Kelberath, in his capacity as Commander in Chief of the Abt Republic Defence Force, and his General Staff were busy debating the best plan of action to eradicate the threat posed by the Sons of the Reformation once and for all. For two years already, the ARDF has been battling the protestand fundamentalists and inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Many areas were cleared of enemy presence, yet others remained.

The vast mountain ranges in western Abt offered a marvelous hideout to the enemy, who was more knowledgeable of the area than Abtian forces. The “Marlund-Gandara Triangle” was of great concern as mountains there were the tallest and the enemy was the most numerous. Yet, any large scale offensive into the area would mean great casualties on the side of the ARDF and the military was, thus, reluctant to engage there just yet.

The preferred course of action was to wipe out enemy presence in other, more reachable areas of Southern Abt, before closing the enemy off in the Triangle. Then, the Marlundian and Ganradan forces would be contacted to establish a firm screen on their side of the border and push the enemy out of the Triangle and on to the fire of allied forces.

However, any operation on an important scale would require important human resources, namely involving the entirety of the Abt Republic Army and of the Abt Republic Air Force, as well as of the allied mercenary units under the Republic’s command.

In the meanwhile, the ARDF special operations units would also try to seek out and terminate the leadership of the Sons. For this purpose, the Confederate intelligence services were contacted, with requests for all available information on the persons in question. If one managed to cut off the snake’s head, it would disorganize the rest for a period of time pending the regrowth of a new head. And in the meanwhile, the ARDF would launch its onslaught.

Southern Abt

It was unclear how many, if any, of the Sons of the Reformation had escaped. They had definitely managed to get their heavier equipment further back into the jungle, away from the current confrontation. They always knew to use the big stuff and then run away with it. Otherwise, it would have been lost long ago. Whatever the case, the men who were left began their desperate fight in earnest now, rifles, pistols and a few scattered automatic weapons opening on the arriving Abtian troops.

Department of Justice

Information was sent to the Abtian authorities on the SoR leadership upon their request. The list included about a dozen men, some of whom were believed to be in hiding in the Confederated Peoples, others of whom were in exile and a couple of whom were now in prison. Only one major leader was believed to be in Abt at present, Rev. Otto Warner. Warner was an older man, sincere in his extremist beliefs and willing to undergo personal hardship. He was educated and experienced but his age was beginning to tell and it was generally believed that he would remain in the rear areas, not personally participating in the fighting or other especially arduous tasks. He was believed to move around frequently and to have a number of established aliases from a variety of nations, all of whom he possessed appropriate false documentation for. The Abtians were also, of course, sent a wide variety of images of Warner to more easily recognize him.

Interior Security Agency, Abt Republic

The ISA, organization responsible with undertaking domestic counter-intelligence and other important security tasks, was the one charged with tracking down Reverend Otto Warner. In it research, it could count on a professional logistics base as well as on the extremely efficient ARDF Jaeger squadrons.

However, tracking only one of the numerous leaders was considered by the Republic’s leadership as slightly futile. Indeed, the ISA would hunt Warner down and neutralise him without any regards to human rights or republican democracy. But what about the rest of the leadership?

The Secret Intelligence Service, organization charged with foreign espionage and intelligence gathering, was not fully happy with the fact that the leadership of the Sons of the Reformation was out of reach. As such, a polite and very confidential query was sent to the highest Confederate authorities on whether they would mind if the SIS and their Confederate counterparts undertook “search and terminate” missions in Confederate territory.

* * *
Southern Abt

The small group of terrorists that remained behind was terminated very rapidly by the Jaegers, due to superior firepower and military training and aptitude. In an hour, reinforcements arrived in the form of a whole company of parachutist soldiers from the Black Widow Free Mercenary Corps. This would form the initial search party. Later on, other units would be dropped around, extending the search perimeter.

What for? It was very quickly established that the missile that nearly downed an ARDF dropship was a big one. After all, the drop ship’s hull was damaged by the distant explosion. Initially deemed harmless, aggravations ensued in the minutes following the foiled attack, so that the aircraft had to return to base to undergo a full check up.

It was not a simple man-portable air-defense system, it was something more serious. It was a vehicle-launched system which was sure to have a much higher range and operational altitude than a simple MANPADS. As such, it could present a threat to civilian traffic. To make a long story short: it had to be terminated before an aircraft with hundreds of civilians on board was.

Thermal scans were enacted very quickly, but then again once cooled down and immobile, the vehicle would be hard to pick up. Metal detectors were also used, the big airborne ones mounted on reconnaissance gunships. The airspace several hundred kilometers around the attack zone was interdicted to civilian flight, just in case.

* * *

Vladiles, Central Abt

The city of Vladiles was a busy hive of construction. It was also chosen as one of the rally points for the ARDF units soon to be involved in the offensive against the Sons of the Reformation.

But the local command did not have such information. What it had for information was a rather credible explanation of reinforcing the area and establishing a firm presence with superior firepower to discourage any SoR attacks. And when a dozen main battle tanks establish themselves in an area, and that with accompanying mechanized infantry, it is bound to establish a feeling of firm military presence.

The “Tiger” Armoured Battalion, one of the four such units within the ARDF, was taking up position in Central Abt around Vladiles. “Lion” was busy establishing itself further south, on the river Lisa (as it was known in Abt, at least) separating Abt from Gandara. “Panther” and “Leopard” were setting up shop more towards the western mountain range.

And where the battalions established themselves, trees fell down, the jungle vanished and gave place to well sealed off military bases that could easily withstand any attack by a lightly armed force.

Department of Defense, Office of Military Intelligence

The polite and confidential query was politely and confidentially answered in the negative. The ISA was also asked politely to stop saying Confederate instead of Confederal, which Lanerians in particular found a bit distasteful for historical reasons.

Wittenberg, Marlund

Officers of the Marlund Air Civil Defense Force were dressed in civilian clothing, moving through the city as though they were tourists or business travelers. They tried to stay inconspicuous while also remaining near the edge of town, within quick reach of the large farm where the helicopters were hidden.

Pizan, Gandara

Pizan possessed a small commercial airfield. One hangar had been rented discretely by the Gandaran Air Civil Defense Force and loaded with helicopters. The troops were mostly staying near the airfield, wearing only civilian clothes when they went out on the town every now and again.

Ambaran Rainforest

Life was much less comfortable for the Army Defense Force troops stationed in the jungles. They were living more or less rough, only lightly backed up by discrete elements of armor and vehicular support. There was to be no noticeable movement of men and women or vehicles. They were essentially only waiting for the Abtians to act.

Southern and Western Abt

The public move of forces was done with an idea in mind: to force the Sons of the Reformation to group together or even flee the country. Indeed, it was not very probably that each and every member of the organization was a die hard fanatic ready to charge tanks with bayonets. Some would try to flee, maybe surrender to the brotherly Marlundians just not to get caught up in the teeth of the aggressive Slavs who fix an ultimatum, wait until it runs out, and then go in and take little to no prisoners.

In preparation of the offensive, a tight cordon was created, involving various sorts of ground troops, from mechanized infantry to mobile Jaeger squadrons. Aircraft patrolled the skies, scanning and searching the ground, locating enemy positions, pin pointing bombing coordinates.

And then it began, with a muscular bombing campaign on SoR positions and suspected hideouts. The ground force would remain in retreat for a moment, letting the Air Force do its part of the job. Nobody expected to defeat the terrorists with simple airstrikes, but these had to inflict their deal of psychological damage, as well as cut logistic routes and make the enemy feel uncomfortable at least.

If anything, they tried to surrender in Gandara. Sons of the Reformation members who tried to surrender to troops from Marlund had a bad habit of being "accidentally" shot before the troops involved became aware that they were trying to surrender. However, not all that many did try to surrender for the simple reason that most of the less fanatical members had already been weeded out by the political solution in Marlund last year, accepting amnesty for all acts which would not constitute a war crime if committed by an ordinary solider in time of war in exchange for turning in their arms, taking an oath of loyalty and returning to civil life.

The SoR were damaged by the first Abtian assault from the air. Their supply routes were disrupted, much of their equipment was destroyed, many of their operatives were killed and their forces were forced to concentrate more and more in the southwestern corner of the country. All was going according to plan but there remained a significant terrorist force armed and ready that could only be driven out by a ground assault.

Since a ground assault had to be given, a ground assault was given. With the ever vigilant air cover and support, ground elements moved forward in hops. Long range artillery would clear out zones deemed as “dangerous”, the armour and infantry would move in, mop up, secure the territory. The artillery would move over and start again. Of course, it took time, but the ARDF did not receive any timetables to stick to and, as such, had the luxury of time.

The hilly grounds before the mountain ranges were occupied quite easily. Then came the fight in the mountains. Usually, mountain combat was treated as nightmare by military planners, but not by those that hailed from Taraskovya. In fact, a Taraskovyan general would rather fight in mountains than on the plains. For in the plains, if he has to attack, all of his tanks and troops are out in the open. If he has to defend, yet again, they are out in the open.

But within narrow mountain valleys possibilities for both assault and defence were endless. The Abtians did not know that corner of their own country well. In fact, they didn’t know it at all. As such, the plans had to be made according to satellite imagery.

Back in Taraskovya, the TNDF mountain units had long since used bettle-like vehicles that could literally scale mountains and crawl their way to pretty much anywhere. These "walkers" allowed the TNDF to deploy heavy armour literally in the middle of an enemy encampment, coming in from a completely unexpected direction. In Abt, the ARDF did not have the funds, nor expertise to maintain such machines. As such, they went in the classic way.

Mobile infantry units, such as jaegers and parachutists, would be dropped at strategic heights and peaks. Heavier infantry would progress along the slopes and the heavy armour down through the valleys. The three vectors would move in a manner to cover each other and subdue any enemy resistance with superior firepower.

And, of course, never ever move anywhere without superior air support.

The Sons fought hard but they eventually were routed. They were slain in large numbers before the superiority of the Taraskovyan forces. Those who escaped were moving, as planned, towards the border where they found themselves surprised by heavy Confederal fire. Within the hour, the Confederal air cover was also on the scene, trapping the Sons between three forces, both vastly superior to their own. Perhaps a few escaped. Many more were killed. After six hours of heavy fighting, the pathetic remnant of the Sons crossed the border to surrender in Gandara, where they had reason to expect the most humane treatment. Granted, for nearly all of them, it would be humane treatment in the context of life imprisonment.

And then Abt rejoiced, for losses were minimal, victory was total. And there parties throughout the Republic and many people got drunk and a few people woke up at police stations or local People's Militia headquarters after a good night sleep and one helluva hangover.