NationStates Jolt Archive

The Kingdom of Forgotten Warriors

In Earth II, North Germania, a Layartebian ally, has invaded and attacked Belarus. As an ally I have sent a significant force presence to assist him. Additionally, in the process I set up a small military base in the Kaliningrad Oblast. Here is the story of Kaliningrad!

Lastly, before you read please do not pass any judgement that this will be a pathetic post. If you must have a reference, please go to to the list below and you will see the abilities of me to tell a story. I am a writer.
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Legend

All text in red type is top secret classified. It is unknown to the normal reader and even anyone else other than those present in the text. All are loyal to the government so please none of that, "We had spies" nonsense because I'm going to ignore it.

Italic text is text that is speech. It is italic to differentiate from normal text.

Italic underlined text is thought.

Small, green text is documents, communications, etc.

Bold, small, green text in quote form is used to mean something that isn't in the document.

Small, dark red test is documents, communicatiosn, etc. that is top secret classified. It is considered the same as red text.

Blue text is just a minor announcement.

Bold, blue text is a service announcement meant in OOC form
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Notes

This will be updated on an irregular basis. Pictures may be included with horrible images of death but I will try to keep away from that and keep it PG-13. If there is ever something that violates NS rules (and no nothing illegal will be had here) please inform me and I'll take care of it. An example is in Part II (of the Layartebian Chronicles) with the test subjects. I could not find any images on the internet of what it would look like to be exposed to something like Ebola and even if I did they would be horrible images so in the interest of stomachs and decency I have just put in a small comment. Swearing will be curbed and if anything you will see the first letter and asteriks at least so you know the word they are saying. If you are offended don't read! Simple as that. Lastly, in the area of sexual explicity, I will NOT deviate away from PG-13 (1980s PG-13, not 2004 PG-13 which is almost soft core porn). I understand the number of minors here and will certainly, without a shadow of a doubt, respect that.
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Other Role-Playing Stories

Isla del Enfermo (Earth II) (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=398102)
Sehnsucht für das Glück (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=386920)
The Knight of Dark Chaos (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=384906)
The Layartebian Chronicles (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=384916)

Table of Contents


Part I: Inside Kaliningrad (Page 1)
Part II: Territory of Chaos
Part III: A Secret Society
Part IV: A New Testing Ground
Part V: A Warrior Foretold
Part VI: Funeral Pyre (Page 2)
Part VII: Mistaken Foes
Part VIII: Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Part IX: The Impact of Failed Resolve
Part X: This Land is Our Land...
Part XI: The Tradegy of Lunino
Part XII: When the Music Stops
Part XIII: Oxidizer
Part XIV: Slaughter House I
Part XV: Slaughter House II
Part XVI: Slaughter House III
Part XVII: Slaughter House IV (Page 3)
Part XVIII: Devil 505
Part XIX: The Final Battle Part I: Midnight Flurries
Part XX: The Final Battle Part II: Lost Prophets
Part XXI: Defeat


Map of Kaliningrad
http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningradmap.jpg

Characters


Delaney, Colonel Jack: Leader of Force Falcon Team One.
Karkoi, Vladimir: Former Prime Minister of Kaliningrad Oblast and leader of the Kaliningrad People's Party (KPeP).
Malforn, Major Mark: Leader of one of the many convoys sent throughout the country. Often in the midst of danger.
Markiv, Alexi: Leader of the Kaliningrad Protectorate Party (KPP).
Polenin, Mikhail: Fighter for Kaliningrad Warriors. Colonel in the KWS militia.
Rustof, Viktor: Prime Minister of Kaliningrad Oblast and leader of the Kaliningrad People's Party (KPeP). Successor to Vladimir Karkoi.
Zurov, Pyotr: Leader of the Kaliningrad Warriors. Former Spetsnaz for Russian army.

Organizations


Force Falcon: The most elite and top secret Black Ops unit in the Imperial Layartebian Military. This unit and its members do not exist.
Kaliningrad National Assembly (KNA): Lower house of parliament of Kaliningrad. There are 377 seats, all elected by district.
Kaliningrad People's Party (KPeP): Far left, almost socialist party of Kaliningrad that supports peace and tranquility. It severes opposses a military of any kind and has ruled Kaliningrad for the past thirty-eight years.
Kaliningrad Protectorate Party (KPP): Far right, almost a fascist party of Kaliningrad that supports isolation, a very strong military, and severely opposses the leftist government.
Kaliningrad Senate (KNS): Upper house of parliament in Kaliningrad. There are 44 seats, all elected by region with 4 senators per region.
Kaliningrad Warriors (KWS): Faction fighting the Layartebian military presence. Mercenary group with questionable ties.

Part I: Inside Kaliningrad

Under Siege: Inside the Kaliningrad Oblast
By Michelle Dornby

It was a surprise when I was given this assignment. The Empire of Layarteb, a fierce and powerful state has never allowed any press coverage during a military operation, let alone one without bounds. Therefore it is my duty, as a journalist, to report upon the events that I have seen and witnessed.

Prior to the invasion of Belarus by the North Germanian and Layartebian militaries, the Kaliningrad Oblast was a peaceful place. It's population of 968,000 lived in peace, harmony, and autonomy. They were an independent nation, lacking a military. Their parliament never faced a controversial bill that surpassed more than environmental regulations.

However, sixteen weeks prior to the outbreak of war, the parliament faced the scariest bill in their entire history. This bill called for the involvement in operations against Belarus. However, the bill was not for direct involvement but rather indirect involvement that proposed allowing the Empire of Layarteb to base military forces inside Kaliningrad in support of operations. "We were under significant pressure from the Layartebian government to pass this bill." Prime Minister Vladimir Karkoi said in an interview. "It was the most controversial bill we've ever faced and unfortunately we were largely powerless to act."

The bill reluctantly passed with 271 - 90, the entirity of the Prime Minister's party, the Kaliningrad People's Party, voting for the bill. There were 16 absences.

It was only two weeks after the bill passed that the first Layartebian units landed on Kaliningrad's coast. A week prior to the invasion, the Layartebian buildup was complete and it included over 400,000 soldiers, close to 1,000 assault helicopters, well over 3,000 vehicles, and a mini air force.

The Layartebian military commander, an unnamed general, became the defacto leader of Kaliningrad, turning parliament into a powerless, molten jelly. Karkoi was forced to comply with all of the general's orders.

Since the invasion, martial law has been declared over Kaliningrad and at least 10,000 civilians have up and vanished. Security is tight and information is hardly valid whenever we can scrounge it. However, we believe that they are being held at various internment camps set up around the country by the Layartebian military, which has a significant construction and engineering unit in Kaliningrad.

Though the Layartebian government has announced that it has no plans to remain in Kaliningrad after the war ends, it appears that the Layartebian military has been setting up permanent structures and a permanent base of operations.

Only the future will tell for Kaliningrad but it is most unfortunate that these situations have occurred.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/ArmyBase.jpg
A Layartebian army base

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/p4.jpg
Kaliningrad City Hall

Part II: Territory of Chaos

It was the morning after the invasion had begun. The City Hall Parliament Building was buzzing with activity. The parliamentary councilmen and councilwomen had been up all night, burning over legislation to expel the Layartebian military presence. However, they had, thus far, been largely unsuccessful. The Kaliningrad Protectorate Party, having ninety seats in the wanted immediate and full withdrawal. The Nationalist Party, on the other hand, while it wanted the Layartebian military out, it did not want to go about such, as they put it, "brash" measures. By 8:00 A.M., the situation in the capital city of Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad, grew tirelessly dangerous.

Outside City Hall, at least two hundred thousand of Kaliningrad's citizens were in the streets protesting. Carrying picket signs, shouting chants, and holding hands, the massive crowd pushed through the city, clogging the streets and causing a general raucous. Kaliningrad police forces were immediately dispatched to the areas of the largest amount of people but they were powerless and had little will to do anything.

By 9:15 A.M., Layartebian army units previously stationed for the possibility of an offensive against Belarus in support of North Germania arrived. Tanks, IFVs, and APCs were part of the army units. That was when things grew ugly. Protestors, who had wound up in different groups, began to grow rowdy. By 9:24 A.M. the first windows were broken. Protestors acted first by throwing any heavy objects through any nearest window.

Immediately recognizing a dangerous situation, Layartebian army units began to group up for riot formation. By 10:00 A.M., Kaliningrad was the site of the largest riot seen in the country's history. Immediately, the response to the full blown riot was to use water cannons but they were ineffective against the massive crowd, which appeared to have nearly doubled in the time the rioting started but had, in actuality, diminished in size but had grown more isolated over scattered. At 10:29 A.M., the first tear gas canisters were launched, a total of eighty-four would be fired that day into the massive crowds of people. It would have limited effectiveness. Fires, overturned cars, damaged property, and assaults continued throughout the evening until about 5:39 P.M. when the riot seemed to be under full control.

Initial estimates put property damage in excess of $29 million. Injuries numbered some 18,000 with at least 400 soldiers requiring medical attention. Unfortunately, during the course of the riot, 18 people were killed, all protestors. The use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons had worked its way back to City Hall. It was at 9:29 P.M. that Karkoi issued a decree that demanded all Layartebian presence in Kaliningrad be removed within ten days or else Kaliningrad would appeal to the international community.

Inside the Emperor's office, the decree was read over the conference phone. What the hell is going on here! The Emperor immediately called in his Joint Chiefs and several ministers. "Gentlemen, there is no doubt in my mind that you have not heard the decree issued by Karkoi. My question is, what are we going to do. We cannot withdraw our forces from here at all! Nor can we abandon our future plans for Kaliningrad, which do certainly include military options."

"Sir, there is option six hundred and fifty."

"Six fifty is a last ditch attempt minister. I'm not ready to overthrown an entire government that is harmless."

"Sir, if I may," the Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke up. "Sir, perhaps if we make them some concession, perhaps money?"

"Money is an option. I grant the Joint Chiefs are for six fifty?" They all nodded in approval. "I thought so. Okay let's convene again in a few hours. I'm going to phone Karkoi and inquire as to the possibility of concessions." The Emperor's office was emptied and he immediately picked up the phone to dial Karkoi's private office line. "Prime Minister. Yes it is. I understand. Yes I did. Perhaps. I would like to propose a counter-offer. Yes. Four billion. Understood. Prime Minister it is of the most importance that we be allowed to remain until this war is over. Yes. It was necessary. Order is my priority." The Emperor gradually raised his voice, along with the Prime Minister. They were in a heated argument by the time the phone conversation ended. "Yes I am aware. Of course it was not my intention. I did not give the order. I most certainly did not. YOU HAD A GODDAMN RIOT PRIME MINISTER. And if they stormed City Hall? No. Do not even try. I will not. No. Consider your decree invalid. I can. Prime Minister...Prime Minister..." That son-of-a-bitch hung up on me! The Emperor immediately called back the advisory council.

Upon his office being flooded again, the Emperor stood immediately. "Our friend Karkoi has demanded that the decree stand. We are at a complete stand-off. Money was not accepted. Therefore, it is my priority to issue six fifty. That is all I have to say. Are there any objections?" A transcript of the phone conversation was on the table. The room was silence. "Very well. Let it be done. General. You have my permission to send in Force Falcon to complete the task. Team One sir."

The General of the Special Forces nodded and immediately he picked up his cell phone and dialed a number. "Operation Swordfish is a go. Deploy immediately." In anticipation of the Emperor's plan, the General had readied Force Falcon Team One to go in. They were awaiting the go command, ready at the nearest airport in a C-17A Globemaster III. It had taken off an hour prior to the General's order but that was not disclosed. It would refuel over the Atlantic Ocean and once more over the North Sea, making top speed the entire way. It would not land though. Force Falcon Team One would be HALO'ing out of the aircraft over Kaliningrad two kliks south of the capital city, where they would split into two groups. One would head to a building across the street from City Hall and the other across the street from Karkoi's residence, a fourteen story apartment complex for the richest of rich in Kaliningrad.

The C-17 was over the drop point just before sunrise, local time. They used the cover of the morning night to get into position in the two buildings, something which they managed within minutes of landing. COL. Delaney went to the building across from the residence of Karkoi with his team. His second in command went to the other location. The waiting was next, the long waiting.

At 1:29 P.M. that day, after hours of waiting, Karkoi finally emerged from his residence. COL. Delaney had been waiting, his rifle perched in a hole created from the riot. 30MM fire from IFVs had blasted several holes in the buildings throughout Kaliningrad, especially this one, where a large group of rioters had been. He had been staring down the sights of his Mk.12 Mod 0 sniper rifle all day long. With a suppressor fitted and twenty rounds of match ammunition, he had finally seen the opportunity. Karkoi was waiting outside for his car, which had been late because of "technical problems." This included the burning of the battery cable by Force Falcon, made to appear as if the battery cable had come in contact with the engine, a minor problem. He had the safety unlocked and his sights zeroed.

When Karkoi stopped, COL. Delaney put the center of the cross hairs on Karkoi's face. Karkoi was roughly five hundred meters away, perfect for the weapon. With this new ammunition, he had a range of six hundred meters and a muzzle velocity of twenty-nine hundred feet per second. It was his moment to shine. COL. Delaney pulled the trigger once, then again, and then again, three bullets into Karkoi's head. Through his scope, COL. Delaney could see the fruits of his work. Karkoi was head, three bullets into his head that would be his demise. Immediately, Force Falcon Team One grouped back to their pickup zone, which was fourteen kliks west of the capital city. There, a UH-60L took them back to the main army headquarters as complete and utter chaos ravished Kaliningrad again.

Im picking holes here but the Nationalist Party should be right wing. The Nationalist Party should swap its values with the Protectorate Party. The Nationalists would glorify in military service not be socialists. Nationalism is the antithesis of Socialism.

Im picking holes here but the Nationalist Party should be right wing. The Nationalist Party should swap its values with the Protectorate Party. The Nationalists would glorify in military service not be socialists. Nationalism is the antithesis of Socialism.

Well I didn't want to use Socialist and I was tired so I just through in National, don't know how it became Nationalist but like I said, I was tired. I was actually going to call it the People's party but my damn internet got fooey so I just left it.

OOC: Nice job, Layarteb. Real nice writing, just like your old stories. But you do realize that people will figure out it's not just a coincidence when a leader issues something not in favor of Layarteb and then he is assassinated. People will connect this with the Layartebian government/military, unless you put down a REALLY good cover story. I would have gone for a seemingly natural or accidental death, but eh, to all their own. I can't wait to see what you come up with for a cover for the government. Keep up the good writing.

-Binthor

OOC: Nice job, Layarteb. Real nice writing, just like your old stories. But you do realize that people will figure out it's not just a coincidence when a leader issues something not in favor of Layarteb and then he is assassinated. People will connect this with the Layartebian government/military, unless you put down a REALLY good cover story. I would have gone for a seemingly natural or accidental death, but eh, to all their own. I can't wait to see what you come up with for a cover for the government. Keep up the good writing.

-Binthor

Chapter III shall answer what you have stated. Oh it's going to be beyond chaotic.

Part III: A Secret Society

News of the assassination of the Prime Minister filled the airwaves in the captive state only twenty minutes after he was pronounced dead. While the Layartebian military controlled a vast part of Kaliningrad, they did not control the media sector...yet. Throughout the day, coverage would be given to the assassination and the possibilities of who, why, and how. But the answer was obvious. In a special session of City Hall, the acting Prime Minister, Viktor Ruskoi had stated the obvious. "It is my belief and I do not doubt the severity nor the gravity of the claim I shall post. I do not doubt that you feel this way as well. Two days ago, my predecessor ordered all Layartebian military forces OUT of Kaliningrad in ten days. Today, he lies dead. This is no coincidence. The why has been answered. The who has been answered though I do not know the specifics but it is certainly the doings of Layarteb. Lastly the how is simple. Three bullets to the face, to ensure a kill. There is no doubt that this was done by a highly trained sniper, definitely special forces. But, we cannot be one hundred percent sure enough to make this claim public. But I ask all of you just to ponder. Who else could it have been?" The National Assembly chattered with mutterings. The session continued for another four hours and upon the conclusion, the decree that all Layartebian forces withdraw was remanded. Fear gripped the National Assembly and the nation.

After leaving City Hall, Alexi Markiv, the leader of the Kaliningrad Protectorate Party, entered his limo with caution. While a strong man, he was gripped by this element of fear. If the Empire of Layarteb could assassinate the leader of the country, then he was significantly easier to knock off. But he had plans this evening. "Maria," his driver looked back, "I will not be returning home tonight. Rather shall we head to Talpaki and I would like us to remain inconspicuous."

"Yes sir. It will take some time. Traffic is heavy and the route is loaded with checkpoints."

"I would like us to find an all terrain vehicle and stray from the road."

"Sir?"

"Maria. It is of the utmost importance that I get to Talpaki unnoticed, unseen, and unheard. Understood?"

"Yes sir. I can acquire a vehicle fourteen miles outside of the city, away from the checkpoints."

"Very well. I put my faith in you and God. Neither of you have let me down and I don't expect either of you to begin now."

"Thank you sir." She closed the window and the limo accelerated. Maria had been driving Alexi since he first became active in politicians. A devout Russian Orthodox, she too believed in the faith of God, just like Alexi, who prayed before every meal, before he slept, and always before a vote.

The sun set some half way to Talpaki, deep in the countryside, away from the Layartebian military presence, far away. Alexi was meeting an old friend of his, from their days in the Russian army. Alexi had been a commando in Russia's elite Spetsnaz, way before it was colonized from afar. Both of them were distinguished soldiers but rather than continue the way of the sword, Alexi went the way of the vote. He had risen to party leader inside of eighteen months, not too shabby for a thirty-two year old killer turned politician. Unfortunately, his party was one of disorganization. The public did not approve of their militaristic, nationalistic, or anti-left ways, especially their desire to stray away from social welfare, particularly unemployment, which was in the high 20s. Their most recent campaign slogan had been, "Let us free Kaliningrad from the free-loaders." Over 80% of the country turned out to vote and they scraped ninety seats in the National Assembly and only four seats in the Senate. However, in the history of Kaliningrad, that was their best yet. They hoped that the public would see the err in the ways of the People's Party, "What a bunch of sissies," Alexi called them. He hoped that in the next election, if there was one, that the Protectorate Party would win a majority and be able to eject Layarteb and finally end the downward motion that the country was in.

Just after 2:10 A.M., after a three hour nap, Alexi was startled to the screeching sounds of tires. "What, who when?" He jumped up. "Maria what happened?"

"Sir, Talpaki is over the next hill. Sir where will I be doing?"

Alexi snapped to and looked out the window. "Maria, do you see that lone light down there to the left?"

"Yes sir." Alexi pulled out a pair of binoculars with night vision. He scanned the forest and smiled as a bright reflection dawned into his binoculars.

"About forty feet from that light to the left is where I shall be going. We want to go in quiet and slow and when we arrive, remain in the car with the car running but turn off the headlights."

"Yes sir. Where..."

"Whatever happens in the next twenty minutes never happened. You did not drive me here, you did not rent this vehicle, and you did not see anything that is about to happen? As far as you are concerned, I was not feeling well and you took me to my mother's home. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Let's go. We haven't got all night." Maria turned the steering wheel and slid down the hill-slope, quietly and slowly. When she got to the location, she turned off the headlights and put the car in park. The engine was quiet, thankfully. "Remain here. If I am not back in ten minutes, something is wrong. Underneath your seat is a weapon. I know you know how to use it. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"I will be back." Alexi got out of the car and buttoned up his jacket, feeling for his own pistol in the process. It was a Makarov PMM. It held twelve 9x18mm improved rounds and he was an expect at putting each one where he wanted it to be. Underneath Maria's jacket was a Fabrique Nationale Five-seveN. It was loaded with twenty 5.7x28mm SS190 rounds, mini-rifle rounds, excellent for penetrating kevlar. Maria was also highly skilled with it and she carried three clips. But underneath the seat was a much better weapon, a PP-19 Bizon. It was a submachine gun with a folding stock, in this case folded to fit underneath the seat. It carried a clip of forty-five 7.62x25mm Tokarev bullets and underneath the seat was another three clips. An effective range of one hundred to two hundred meters meant she could engage anyone at a relatively close distance but it also meant she didn't need to resort to a semi-automatic pistol. The Bizon was automatic and had a rate of fire of up to seven hundred rounds per minute, definitely well needed. On the front of it was a flashlight and it had one purpose, other than lighting up the dark, and that was to blind night vision goggles.

Alexi disappeared into the night and in the distance, Maria could make out a few shadows. "Gentlemen, it is good of you to meet with me on such dire notice. You have no doubt heard of the assassination. Things must change. Layarteb must not be allowed to remain here unchecked. I served with Pyotr in the Spetsnaz and I know of his capability. That is why I have come to you for help."

"Who are you?" One of the eight men asked.

"That is of no consequence. I am here to request your help. I need you gentlemen to wage guerilla warfare on the Layartebian military here. I want you to make them wish they never came here. All of the gloves are off, I will deny any knowledge of this and I will not address what happens. You gentlemen are on your own, mercenaries at this point."

"And mercs get paid!" Another asked with a temper and an attitude.

"Which is why I am here. I have here," he pulled something out of his jacket, "I have here one hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars to be divided equally amongst yourselves. This is only a down payment. More will come in response to what you gentlemen do. I need to see your work before I can shell out anymore money."

"And you want us to raise holy hell for the Layartebians?" The first asked.

"More than holy hell. Your duty will be to make them wish they never came here and leave!"

"Very well." Pyotr spoke up. "Your bidding shall be done sir. In the name of country..."

"In the name of liberty..."

"In the name of God..."

"In the name of right..."

"In the name of Kaliningrad!" Pyotr and Alexi finished their ending and Alexi returned to the vehicle, with two minutes to spare.

"Maria. Shall we go home?"

"Sir I've been waiting eight minutes for that."

"Very well." When they returned home, the sun was up and so were they, still. Alexi climbed into his bed and shook his wife. "Honey. I'm sorry." She smiled at him and went back to sleep. What is it that I have ushered upon this country? May God forgive me, my sins, and the sins of those who are about to do my bidding. May the Lord see me as a warrior against Satan and an instrument of his own will. Alexi drifted to sleep some eight seconds later, waking up at 2:18 P.M. when his wife nearly threw him out of bed, screaming.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/64501.jpg

"Alexi. Alexi. Wake up!" She shouted as she turned on the television. He stirred and looked up at the image.

"We take you now, live, to the Layartebian checkpoint. Oksana, what can you tell us?" The studio anchorman said as an image of fire and chaos dawned the screen.

"All that we know is the following. Some eight minutes ago, a car passing through a checkpoint near Talpaki has exploded and severely damaged the checkpoint, killing eight Layartebian soldiers and injuring some eleven more. Details are sketchy on who could have done this but it is, without a doubt, a deliberate act. Back to you."

"There you have it. A car bomb has been detonated at a Layartebian checkpoint near Talpaki. Casualties include eight dead and eleven wounded. More..." Alexi turned off the television with his remote. May God forgive me. He climbed out of bed and struggled to the bathroom.

"I probably should be at City Hall right now."

"Honey, where were you last night?"

"I visited my mother. I was feeling ill."

"Ill?"

"Yes. This situation with Layarteb has me nervous. Today, with this, I am scared."

"Very well."

If neccesary the Principality of Gintonpar has a peacekeeping intervention force of 50,000 infantry, 50 RAH-66 Comanches and 40 Merkava IV tanks, however you would probably be mostly interested in the logistical support we can provide with the 350 Five Ton Supply trucks and the 150 Armored Medical Evacuation Vehicles that we have to aid your situation, along with the supply runs our 60 C-141 Starlifters can provide. We would be glad to intervene to support the interests of Layarteb. While we do not formally approve of your actions in handling the situation, we do feel that we need a testing ground for our newly revamped Intervention Force. As operations in our occupation of the Mexican provinces draw to a close, we feel we could also help out with your situation for the price of a few radar listening stations once the situation in Kaningrad is resolved.

We await your answer, but the offer is there.

Deepest Thanks
The Principality of Gintonpar

Part IV: A New Testing Ground

The Imperial Layarteb Military Command had just approved the newest vehicle to enter service, the M2010A1 Bushmaster Infantry Mobile Vehicle (IMV). It would be produced in as many versions as the M2008A1 Dingo APV and the M998 HMMWV were. However, the primary units going to be used were the basic versions, the troop carriers and the ambulances. The vehicle would get its combat debut in Kaliningrad, a total of 200 of the new examples being sent over immediately.

The M2010A1 was new and armored, something that was sought. The M2010A1s protection included against 12.7MM ball and 7.62MM ball ammunition, making the M2HB an obsolete weapon against it. Additionally, it provided protection against anti-material mines as well as rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). Fully NBC protected, it could hold a total of nine soldiers, including two crew members (one to drive, one to operate the weapon).

Weighing in at 16.53 tons, the 23.03 foot long x 8.69 foot high x 8.20 foot wide vehicle cleared the ground with 1.54 feet to spare. It's 300HP turbo charged Caterpillar 3126 ATAAC 6 cylinder engine was diesel fueled and gave the vehicle a range of 621.37 miles with a fuel capacity of 101.7 gallons. 6.10 miles per gallon was good for something of this size. Additionally, the vehicle had a top speed of 75 miles per hour and could climb a 60° vertical slope or traverse a 30° side slope. It had a payload capacity of 8,200 lb., plenty of weight for what it would be used for. Additionally, it was loaded with a single M31 Heavy Machine Gun, a new weapon. The M31 was a 15.5 x 115mm HMG with a range of up to 1.8 km for aircraft, 2.4 km for vehicles, and 3.0 km maximum. A muzzle velocity of 5,600 feet per second allowed the bullet to penetrate 10mm of steel at a range of 1.8 km and it could attain an altitude of 6,000 feet to shoot down aircraft. With a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, the M31 was a fine weapon and weighed only 140 lb. It had a barrel length of 59.05 inches and a full length of 84.65 inches. However, it's fire and feed mechanism were unique. It had a selective fire of semi-automatic, five round burst, or fully automatic and it had a dual feed mechanism. Two two-hundred and fifty round boxes were carried on either side. It was a fine weapon and it would also make its combat debut in Kaliningrad. The M2010A1 carried five hundred rounds ready and two thousand stowed, in eight boxes. Additionally, it had a side compartment that held a single Stinger launcher with three rounds and it had a smoke grenade system with up to twenty-four smoke grenade rounds. With a price tag of some $1.5M, there was a question as to if it was worth it. However, the Imperial Layartebian Military planned to develop 6,680 examples, the first two hundred being the initial testing. If all went well, the remaining ones would be produced.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/bushmaster.jpg
M2010A1 in testing.

The first two hundred were delivered by ship and had just arrived in the port of Yantarnyy on board ten merchant vessels. They were offloaded throughout the afternoon, along with their crew members, who had gone in with their vehicles, two men per vehicle.

Over the past three days, since the first checkpoint car bombing, the countryside had been rocked with explosions almost hourly. Using mortar and artillery shells, the insurgents in Kaliningrad sought reprisal for their former Prime Minister, who had been buried only hours before the first vehicles arrived. During the six hours it took to offload all of the vehicles, six car bombings and two mortar attacks had taken place in the area around Talpaki. Eleven soldiers had died and another sixty-four wounded. Two checkpoints were completely out of commission. The situation was immediately looking grim and security around the most vital military bases, particularly the air bases and the army bases, was doubled. This was going to be a long winter...

If neccesary the Principality of Gintonpar has a peacekeeping intervention force of 50,000 infantry, 50 RAH-66 Comanches and 40 Merkava IV tanks, however you would probably be mostly interested in the logistical support we can provide with the 350 Five Ton Supply trucks and the 150 Armored Medical Evacuation Vehicles that we have to aid your situation, along with the supply runs our 60 C-141 Starlifters can provide. We would be glad to intervene to support the interests of Layarteb. While we do not formally approve of your actions in handling the situation, we do feel that we need a testing ground for our newly revamped Intervention Force. As operations in our occupation of the Mexican provinces draw to a close, we feel we could also help out with your situation for the price of a few radar listening stations once the situation in Kaningrad is resolved.

We await your answer, but the offer is there.

Deepest Thanks
The Principality of Gintonpar

Please see the other thread the North Germanian Lays Eyes Upon Europe for your answer.

Part V: A Warrior Foretold

"Sir, we have new orders from command." The radioman from Team One said. They were inside an abandoned house outside of Kaliningrad, waiting for orders. The house looked as if it had been through a few wars, holes in the walls, a partially caved in roof, and half the floor missing. They were in the basement, strategically positioned so as not to draw any attention. It was nighttime, 10:30 P.M. The eight men were awaiting orders. The assassination of the Prime Minister had been their last course of action. Since then, they had remained elusive.

"What does command say captain?"

"Sir we are to proceed immediately to Svetlyy. We have a priority target, a colonel for the resistance. Our orders include the elimination of all those inside the house."

"Very well. Let's get a move on. A patrol is scheduled through here in four minutes. It will consist of," he checked his pad, "it will consist of a pair of M2010A1 Bushmasters and a pair M2008A1 Dingos. Both the Bushmasters are armed with M31s and the Dingos have Ma Duce fifties. I figure that we can hitch a ride but you know the deal gentlemen."

"Yes sir." They were in unison. The team tidied up inside of one minute and were outside, hidden within another ninety seconds, definitely in time for the patrol. As the patrol came into view, the colonel nodded to the radioman, who immediately picked up the microphone.

"Patrol approaching abandoned house stop immediately. Mine threat is severe." Immediately, the patrol stopped.

"Who are you, where are you, and where are the mines?"

"We are members of the 8th Engineering Unit. We're out here in by the home. Could we bum a ride?"

"The mines?"

"We need more equipment. This was just a scout mission."

"Very well. Take the lead Bushmaster."

"Yes sir. Who am I speaking to?"

"You'll find out when you get here. Out."

The colonel looked around at the men hiding. "Cover story gentlemen. Move out, slowly."

The team stood from their concealed location and traversed around the side of the house, avoiding getting caught in the headlights and becoming blinded. COL. Delaney got to the truck side and knocked on the passenger door. "Colonel Delaney sir." The window lowered and a major stared down at him.

"Major Malforn sir. Climb in the back, we're empty."

"Yes major." The team went around the back and opened the door, climbing in and locking it behind them. The convoy still didn't move. "Take a right around the house and go fifty meters before returning to the road."

"Yes sir. Move out." The lead vehicle, the Bushmaster began to move as the others followed. The gunner on the top scanned around with his machine gun. The M31 HMG stuck out over the side of the truck as he traversed around. He had his night vision goggles on and scanned the ground, looking for the mines.

"Sir I don't see any mines." It echoed through the cabin on the radio.

"They're out there son. Trust me."

"Yes sir." The gunner returned to his job.

"Where are you going major?"

"We're going to Primorsk for debriefing."

"Very well. We're getting off at Svetlyy, mind if we tag along?"

"Colonel I'd be delighted. The stretch of road between here and there is brutal. We've lost a patrol already along that stretch. We're not going to get lost ourselves. It's good that you boys are here, there are mines on the way. And you're another eight guns, that's what I need."

"We'll fight if we have to. Just make sure that gunner of yours stays on track. With that beast of a weapon he can help us out more than we can help you out."

"Yes sir."

COL. Delaney looked back to his men and nodded. "Gentlemen. Sleep." The ride was a few hours, especially moving at fifty miles per hour, the safest speed for them to go in light of the dangers. It also allowed them to have significant range. The convoy kept onward, heading west.

But things were about to grow very dangerous, very fast. Somewhere between Kaliningrad and Svetlyy, an RPG came out of no where and smashed into the side of the Bushmaster. The truck shook from the blast and skidded sideways a few feet. The blast was felt and it echoed in the cabin, waking everyone up immediately. The roof gunner immediately began firing as the cyclic rate of six hundred rounds per minute began to slice through the shack the RPG came from. The other three vehicles immediately joined in the firing as more RPGs came from the other side of the road. "Men, combat!" COL. Delaney shouted. Immediately the firing from the roof stopped and the soldier's lifeless body fell into the cabin. "Get the MG!" COL. Delaney shouted to one of the men. The rest of the men immediately opened the back door a crack and dropped out a smoke grenade. They followed shortly after and took up defensive positions around the area, on the ground, and were immediately engaged by some fifty to sixty insurgent soldiers. They killed with precision, taking out three RPG'ers before any of them could pop off a shot. The few men scattered across the four vehicles did their best with the weapons they had, mostly M30s and M60E3 machine guns. They were firing feverishly but not accurately. The Force Falcon member on the roof was already reloading, having wasted both shacks and two vehicles on their way, definitely loaded with explosives.

Two more RPGs came flying across the battlefield, both direct hits on a Dingo but barely did much damage, the armor paying off. The firefight only lasted twenty minutes but it ended with two casualties, one being the roof gunner and the other being a Dingo driver. Both bodies would be taken back to Primorsk and sent home for proper burial. When the convoy finally began to move again, they had collected a dozen or so maps, ID cards, and countless other materials that would help out against the insurgency.

"Colonel. You aren't Engineers are you?" The major asked, reloading his rifle.

"We most certainly are."

"You fight like those ghosts I've heard about, the ones who come and go and never leave a single shell casing behind."

"I've heard those stories too. No we're not them. We've been doing this for a long time. We did a tour of duty in Venezuela. You have to learn really fast down there or else you're going to be had, very fast."

"Venezuela? I've heard stories. It's brutal down there."

"You have no idea."

"The things I've seen here aren't much better I don't imagine."

"It's tame..."

"That was tame?"

"That was tame."

"Yes sir." They were quiet for the remainder of the journey. When the team got off at Svetlyy, they thanked the major for the ride, who thanked them for the assistance. Now it was time to find their target.

"Get on the radio to command and get us where we're going."

"Yes sir." The radioman toyed with the dials. "Falcon in position, awaiting orders."

"Falcon go code bravo?"

"Negative, charlie."

"Roger. GPS location is." The radioman recorded the coordinates and gave them to COL. Delaney.

"Very well. Let's move out, it looks like its about four kliks due north from here. In the city center. Any intelligence on the city?"

"It's dangerous sir."

"Dangerous as in rebel presence?"

"Dangerous as in we have NO presence sir."

"Very well. It'll be light soon, we need to get this done immediately. We'll go around the long way though, to avoid the city center"

"Yes sir." The team moved out quickly and along the way encountered two rebel patrols, both of which they were forced to dispatch and then hide the bodies. It was not difficult but it was exposure and they didn't need that. Finally, as the sun was full on the horizon, they came onto the target. It was a small house, a nice house, sitting just on the outskirts of the main city center but definitely in a neighborhood that was populated. COL. Delaney motioned for silence and tapped his suppressor. Anything more than a whisper was not allowed here. They split into two teams, one hit the front and the other hit the back. Flashbangs were used first and then they pounced, quietly and quickly, shutting the doors behind them.

They slammed through doors and checked every room, nobody being around. Finally, as they came to the second floor they found their target, huddled in a room, scared. It was a man and a woman, the man holding a rifle, protecting the woman. COL. Delaney motioned to his men to hold fast. The two men looked at each other but as the man was about to pulled the trigger, he caught a three round burst to his head and so did the woman. Both dead, it came next for the ultimate message, setting the house on fire. Using gasoline they found in the basement, they torched the house and vacated the area quickly, failing to be seen by anyone except those who were dead. They had become the villains...

Part VI: Funeral Pyre

Mikhail Polenin heard of the fire during a briefing with his brother, Pyotr Zurov. They were in Ushakovo, south of Svetlyy, not very far. Mikhail and his cousin, Pyotr, both immediately left to get to the city. A car was waiting for them and they would be there in less than half an hour. Pyotr was the leader of the insurgency and Mikhail was his closest cousin. They grew up together in the same house. The fire had been in Mikhail's house and that was all he was told. The gory details would have to be found by his own eyes.

Thirty-two minutes was all it took for them to get there, the house still in flames, the citizens unable to control the inferno.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/fire8.jpg

"Where is my wife!" Mikhail immediately screamed, those standing around, including insurgent members, were completely speechless. "Where is she!" There still wasn't any answer. Pyotr put his hand on Mikhail's back. "She can't be."

"Mikhail. She is dead. So is your brother, Dimitri." He patted him on the shoulder again and embraced him. "There was nothing they could do. Spotters said they saw a Layartebian patrol stop and drop off soldiers, eight of them, but they didn't say anything more. Although there are seven men missing. This was meant as a message to us, to scare us and shake us loose. They will fail. Retribution will be had Mikhail. I give you my word."

"When we find who it is, I want to pull the trigger." The tears in his eyes turned to fire as he pondered the death of those who were responsible.

The fire burned into the night, those around unable to put it out with the hoses and buckets they had. It was a disaster for them but it only took out one house, the house of Mikhail Polenin, taking his wife and brother also.

In the city of Primorsk, news of the fire and the killing rang through the army barracks. Major Malforn sat with his men, listening and putting two and two together. Engineers my ass. They were special forces. He didn't speak much more of it but he was certain that it was the eight men who he dropped off that were responsible. He wanted to get to the bottom of it before he said anything. Having connections with the personnel office, he immediately went to it and asked a sergeant to look up all information on one Colonel Jack Delaney. Two hours later, no information was found, the man simply did not exist. Those were the ghosts. He immediately returned to the barracks and gathered his men together. But this time, their convoy had increased in size. It now consisted of the two Bushmasters and the two Dingos but additionally took a pair of M1126 Stryker ICVs, four M2A3 Bradleys, and a pair of M1B1 Abrams IIs. In the twelve vehicles were a total of sixty-eight infantry personnel and the respective crews of all the vehicles. The convoy was to head to Svetlyy and secure order as well as annihilate any rebel presence.

The vehicles moved quickly to the town, air support deemed unnecessary. But they were going into the lion's den, with more than two hundred lions. Intelligence showed rebel presence to number about forty, in actuality, it numbered four hundred with enough equipment to turn the town into a death trap, exactly what they did.

Still staring at the burned house, Mikhail and Pyotr saw a messenger running towards them, faster than they had ever seen a person run. "Pyotr. They are coming. From Primorsk." He struggled to breathe. "Tanks, infantry vehicles." He kept sucking down the air but it not doing any good. "A good number of them sir."

"Calm down. Calm down. Rest a minute. Dimitri get over here." Pyotr yelled across the yard to a soldier standing with another group of soldiers. He ran over immediately and saluted. "Dimitri. The Layartebians are coming with a patrol. Get every man you can with a gun and get them out into that building over there. We have two hours before they get here! MOVE IT!" Pyotr looked over at Mikhail. "Now is your chance to be a hero, a man, and a warrior. Come with me!" They ran away from the house and into the building that Pyotr had pointed to. That was the fixed command center for their operations and they had countless intelligence documents and briefs in there. Men assigned to clean up the place were already working, hiding the documents in case they lost this fight. But three documents remained: the map of the city, a list of all weapons in the city, and a list of all soldiers in the city. Pyotr began to draw up plans, plans that would be aimed at destroying the approaching convoy.

Throughout the two hours, soldiers placed explosives in the roadways aimed at burrowing ditches and holes, to trap the convoy. RPGs and heavy machine guns, mostly 7.62mm but a few 12.7mm weapons, as well as weapons caches were placed at various points along the city center, where they hoped to draw the convoy in. Fifteen minutes from the time the convoy was set to arrive, Pyotr brought his troops together. "Men. You have done a fine job placing the traps, explosives, ammunition, and weapons. We have rehearsed this before and carried this out in Talpaki. We're going to do the same here. The goal is to draw the convoy down this main road. They have tanks with them so we have to knock those out first. It won't be easy but we've laid enough explosives on the ground to create a trap that will cause the tank to fall into the hole front first, same with the rear hole and the others that we plan on adding. Using RPGs we'll then slaughter the convoy and its soldiers. If we can knock out the heavy weapons of the vehicles and those that operate them, we have a chance. Men this will be dangerous. But this is retribution for their crimes...for their occupation...for their torch job...FREEDOM!" The men screamed the term "FREEDOM!" as loud as they could. Then, they dispersed to the various points around the city center.

The convoy approached slowly, coming up the city center as planned, as was the usual tactic of the Layartebians. Inside the buildings around, the high vantage points, the soldiers waited cautiously, their weapons off SAFE. Each one of them wanted a piece of the Layartebians, especially the officers.

It happened about three quarters of the way into the city center. Seventeen simultaneous explosions underneath the convoy crippled every vehicle and put both tanks into the ground, barrel first. The firefight instantly began as soldiers from the buildings unleashed their weapons, RPGs, and heavy machine guns. The soldiers on top of the vehicles aimed their 15.5mm and 12.7mm machine guns, taking out chunks of the buildings around them. The Bradleys, sandwiched, trained their 25mm cannons on the buildings and windows as well, as RPGs streaked across the sky into the vehicles. Next, the soldiers dismounted, taking up defensive positions around the convoys, using their grenades and anti-tank rockets to take out sections of the buildings around them, where they were taking fire from.

Layartebian infantrymen dropped like flies but so did the rebels. The Bradleys and Bushmasters had superior firepower and were putting more ammunition into the windows than was coming out. But they didn't survive for long. After taking countless RPG hits, well over ten per vehicles, they were soon reduced to smoldering wrecks, just like the tanks had become.

It didn't take much long after that for the fighting to stop. The rebels had been victorious in killing all but six soldiers from the Layartebian convoy, all of which were wounded. However, the rebels themselves lost over two hundred soldiers, mostly from the heavy weapons of the Bradley and the Bushmasters. But they claimed victory and they had been victorious. Cheering erupted throughout the city as the prisoners were taken in a convoy and brought north, to another rebel city, one without any Layartebian influence, the city of Gur'yevsk. It was the second home of the rebel insurgency and it would take a division to clean out the city.

Now came the retribution. A message was dispatched to the Layartebian command in Kaliningrad. The names of the six soldiers and the outcome of the battle was given. However, no rebels died in this outcome. The Layartebian command had to react immediately but they did not know how to act, especially since they were taken to one of the capitals of the resistance. All hell was breaking loose and they were not in the advantageous position this time.

Part VII: Mistaken Foes

COL. Delaney and his team were coming into Primorsk when their orders came through. The radioman immediately ran to the front of the group and immediately, they took cover in a bush. "Delaney here over."

"Colonel. You have new orders."

"Go."

"Friendly convoy assaulted in Svetlyy. Convoy lost. Six survivors, now in the hands of insurgent forces. Last known position to be Gur'yevsk."

"Roger."

"Enemy forces number in the hundreds. Rescue operation required."

"Roger."

"Helicopter support and aerial support available."

"Roger. Me and my team needs ammunition though."

"Yes sir. Report in to Primorsk and rearm."

"Roger."

"Further orders await. Out." COL. Delaney gave back the microphone and the team began to move again, making a quicker pace to Primorsk. Upon arrival, they rearmed and gathered more supplies. The attack would be a night attack and the orders were clear. A Black Hawk would drop them two kliks from the edge of the city. They would then get into position and assault the building where the POWs were being held. Black Hawks, Little Birds, and Apaches would be available during the entire assault. A ground convoy was not in order as it was too dangerous for one to be sitting around on the ground for too long. Force Falcon and the six prisoners would get out via Black Hawk. A total of fourteen people meant two Black Hawks but eight were coming. The more the better, they could provide cover with their 7.62MM Gatling-guns.

The Black Hawk took off at 1900, way after the sun had gone down. It flew low and fast, staying above the tree tops and fast enough so as to not present a target. This particular one would not be part of the assault, as that wasn't scheduled to come until 0000, well after Force Falcon would be in position. The flight was a mere thirty minutes and the helicopter hovered two feet off the ground at the drop zone. The eight men jumped off in a matter of seconds and the helicopter was gone before anyone knew it was there.

The men were equipped with a variety of weapons including but not limited to the M30A1 Assault Rifle, the M4A2 Carbine, the M21 rifle, the MP5SD5 submachine gun, and a variety of explosives and grenades. All of their weapons were suppressed or silenced and they would be making as little noise as possible. They moved quickly and kept low, very low. The thick brush around the drop zone and the ingress helped them well. There were few sentries and what sentries were around they easily avoided. It took only twenty minutes for them to get from the drop zone to the edge of the city. They had four hours and ten minutes to get into position and ready for the assault. They were lucky, the target building was on the edge of the city.

It was situated in a corner almost, making it much easier to defend, for the insurgents that was. However, across the street from it, situated on an angle as well, was another building. About two hundred meters before they came into the target building, COL. Delaney ordered everyone to stop and take a knee. "Gentlemen," he whispered loud enough for them to hear but soft enough to not be heard much further away, "we're coming up to the building now. You two, set up a sniper post in that building across the street." He pointed to the building. "You'll have to clear it first, silent and quick. Make the bodies vanish. You three are going into the building from the roof, get up there from the back, it's windowless. That drainage pope looks sturdy. One at a time. You two, with me. We're going in the side, over there. The hostages are believed to be on the second floor, there is no basement. Team A are we, Team B go to the roof, Team C are snipers. We're all going to sweep that other building right now. That is building Bravo, the target building is Alpha. Questions?" As usual nobody answered. "Let's get it done men!"

They immediately took a low stance and shot across the field to behind another building, directly across from Bravo. Together, they shot through the small courtyard and into the rear entrance of Bravo, immediately putting down two insurgents. The bodies were, for the time being, left. They continued through the first floor, moving from room to room, taking down another three insurgents before heading to the second of three floors. The second floor was empty but the third floor was home to eight insurgents, all of whom died before they ever knew what happened to them. Once the building was clear, it was 2148, two hours and twelve minutes to go. The bodies were taken to the basement, where the incinerator was. They were tossed behind the large contraption and hidden from view. It would take more than turning on the light to see the bodies. Rags and clothes were used to wipe away the blood and where there was still a noticeable spot, they moved a rug or a piece of furniture.

At 2345, Teams A and B moved to their positions and the radioman reported that the helicopters were ten minutes out, they would be five minutes early. Team B ascended the drainage pipe, definitely sturdy enough for one man at a time. At 2355, the drone of the helicopters could be heard overhead and the assault began. Team A began first, using a flashbang in the main window to subdue those inside. On the roof, Team B used a flashbang down the main hatch to stun those in the immediate entrance. Both teams pounced hard.

Without remorse, Team A shot six insurgents in the first room of the first floor and Team B a total of eleven. There were a total of two rooms on the first floor and three on the fourth. Both teams slammed the two floors, in total getting seventeen insurgents on the first floor and eighteen on the third. Then, Team B moved down another floor, hitting the third, which was home to six rooms and thirteen insurgents. Team A progressed to the second, home to eleven rooms, two of which would be housing the prisoners. They were joined by Team B and together the six men slammed the second floor, killing forty-six insurgents.

Outside, throughout the eighteen minutes it took Teams A and B to secure building Alpha and get to the prisoners, Team C had waxed a total of thirty-six insurgents making their way into the building and another sixty-two out in the streets, firing at the helicopters overhead. Overall, there were four AH-64D Apache Longbows, eight UH-60L Black Hawks, and six AH-1J Little Birds making their assault on the city. The Apaches were each loaded with their thirty millimeter cannon and five hundred rounds, four Stinger missiles, eight Hellfire missiles, and two nineteen round Hydra rocket pods. The Black Hawks carried a pair of GAU-2 Miniguns with fifteen hundred rounds a piece and inside the main cabin was a sniper and a spotter. The Little Birds, on the other hand, were armed with a pair of GAU-2 Miniguns with fifteen hundred rounds a piece and a pair of seven round Hydra rocket pods. MANPADs and RPGs lifted off from the street in more frequency than it seemed did bullets. However, the pilots overhead kept at five hundred feet and kept their infrared jammers on, dropping flares periodically. All of the aircraft were fitted with extra flare pods for the mission.

On the second floor, Team B secured the stairwell, shooting eight insurgents who had managed to escape the wrath of the helicopters overhead and Team C. COL. Delaney took the twelve gauge shotgun from one of the other members and eradicated the two door locks leading the prisoner holding rooms. "Let's go. Move! Move!" COL. Delaney shouted into the two rooms. Major Malforn looked up from his darkened corner.

"Colonel?"

"Major get you men up and move now. We have to get out of here." Explosions outside shook the building as a pair of rockets slammed into the ground in front of the building, stopping, in its tracks, a vehicle with a fifty caliber machine gun. "We have sixty seconds to get out of this building and I mean sixty!"

"Yes sir." The six prisoners all leapt to their feet and followed the six Force Falcon members to the first floor. Using a pound of C4, they blew a hole in the rear wall and exited the building, heading out three hundred meters, as fast as they could, into the foliage.

The radioman immediately called down the helicopters. He also called Team C to the pick up zone. Both of those men double timed it out of their nest and across the street, under heavy fire, but remained unscathed. When all eight Force Falcon members and the six prisoners were present, two of the UH-60s landed. COL. Delaney ordered four of his men to go with three prisoners in one and the other four and the other three prisoners went in the other Black Hawk. By 0024, they were up and out of there, flying back to Primorsk with the whole helicopter group. Two of the Little Birds had taken small arms fire and were experiencing some stability problems but could still fly. The Apaches were unscathed and one of the Black Hawks had one of its tires damaged severely but nothing that couldn't still be landed.

On the way back, Major Malforn sat quietly, thanking his rescuers. "Colonel. Now do you want to tell me who you are with? I know it isn't a mine engineering unit."

"Major. I am afraid that I cannot disclose that information."

"You gentlemen are the ghosts."

"Ghosts can't be seen. You and I see each other very well major."

"Colonel. Might I be frank?"

"There is no need for rank at this moment. Speak as you wish."

"Thank you Colonel. I have heard rumors about you gentlemen, about what you do and about what you have done. It is an honor."

"The pleasure is all mine. It's the least we could do for the ride."

"Perhaps. But we still owe you. Could I buy you a drink when we get back?"

"If we happen to run into each other again consider your offer valid."

"If we?"

"Major, I'm not going to Primorsk."

"Where?"

"That's classified."

"Very well Colonel." The rest of the ride was made in silence, only another fifteen minutes and they were down in Primorsk. With no Layartebian casualties for the operation, it was a stern success and it sent a clear message to the insurgency. They would not be able to hold prisoners for very long nor would they be able to get away with what they had pulled. Aircraft were already inbound to make a significant assault on the city of Gur'yevsk. The striking force would consist of four A-10A Thunderbolt IIs, two AC-130U Spookys, six F-16C Falcons, eight F-15E Strike Eagles, and four F-111M Aardvarks. Their goal was to strike at least two dozen buildings and targets that were insurgent controlled, one being a primary base of operations. It wouldn't be long before smoke and fire rose above the city of Gur'yevsk.

Part VIII: Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Mikhail and Pyotr stood outside their headquarters on the side of Hill 1497. They were far from the fighting, from the action, from the Layartebian military. Since the rescue operation in Gur'yevsk, they had been forced to relocate. Lucky for them they already had an alternate position set up and ready to go. It was hidden on top of Hill 1497, some two hundred and forty-six miles northeast of Talpaki. From there, they could command their forces located in every major city and town within Kaliningrad. It was disguised as a civilian weather station and had already been checked by the Layartebians, before the insurgency moved there. Pyotr and Mikhail were at a loss of what to do next. Car bombings and kidnappings weren't getting them anywhere, the military always seemed to fire back just one degree higher than they had.

They couldn't take on the Layartebian military full force or else they would be slaughtered. The guerilla tactics had, thus far, worked only to anger them more than hurt them. They had intelligence showing three possible offensives against the cities of Talpaki, Znamensk, and Chernyakhovsk inside of the next week. It was credible and they planned to take them on, somehow.

The retaliation bombing of Gur'yevsk had done significant damage. Over half of their hideouts were completely destroyed. Of the other half, at least two thirds were severely damaged, and the rest were unfazed. Over two thousand fighters had been killed along with some nine hundred civilians. The Layartebian aircraft struck hard and with precision. It would only be a matter of time before they made their way to Talpaki, the largest and most dug-in city throughout all of Kaliningrad. The insurgency population there numbered at least ninety percent of the city and they had more weapons there than anywhere else. That was their Alamo and they had to defend it at all costs. A full strike on it by Layartebian aircraft and ground forces would mean a pyrrhic victory for whoever the winner was.

But things were looking up, to a minor degree. In response to the leveling of Gur'yevsk, rebel fighters had doubled nearly overnight. Those that were wary of the insurgency were finally convinced, Layarteb was the bad guy! In Polessk, there were now eight hundred fighters and enough arms to keep them satisfied for months. In Ozerki, there were significant numbers as well but very few arms, enough to go around and that was about it.

Mikhail and Pyotr returned to the briefing center and looked over the plans for the assault on Talpaki. They planned on winning that fight, regardless of what they lost, as long as it wasn't the city...

But high above the sky, over Ozerki, a Layartebian RQ-1 Predator silently flew. It was monitoring the situation down below. Intelligence reported a significant number of arms entering the city only hours earlier and the RQ-1 on patrol over Kaliningrad was moved to the southeast. It had already confirmed the arms but was now monitoring the details as to what was going where and to who. This operation called for clandestine measures. The introduction of arms here meant that the insurgency was growing and that wasn't a good thing. Another heavy bombing would only increase numbers. They had to do something else.

That "else" had arrived only six days earlier on board a C-17A Globemaster III. Aside from medical and ammunition supplies, on board the C-17 were ten fifty-five gallon drums, sealed and painted yellow. That meant they contained hazardous chemicals and would not be touched until they got where they were going, one of the three secret military bases outside of Kaliningrad. The ten were dispersed amongst the three bases and placed in cold storage.

At base number 57, one of the three secret military installations, three of the barrels had been delivered. This was also the home to Force Falcon Team One. A strange coincidence? Certainly not. Team One sat in the briefing room, listening with shock. "Gentlemen, as you know, the insurgency has grown. We're at a difficult point. Ozerki, previously uninhabited by insurgents, has just received a major arms supply and its citizens are joining the enemy. We cannot, obviously, carpet bomb the city as that will just add to their numbers. However, we must offset the balance they are trying to create here. We had ordered five hundred and fifty gallons of agent CAF only two weeks ago for an offensive on Talpaki but we're going to scrap those plans and think of something else, something more harmful to the insurgency. The ten drums are dispersed between the three installations. This is one of them."

"Sir. We're going to use CAF on Ozerki aren't we?"

"I'm glad we put you in charge Colonel. Yes we are. Unfortunately it has to be done to send a clear and concise message to the insurgency. You and your team will be dropped there in under six hours. Your mission is to deploy four canisters into the water supply and leave immediately." The General put up a slid on the overhead projection.

Cerebral Acute Fever

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Cerebral Acute Fever (CAF) is a man-made virus, engineered by the biological weapons program of the Empire of Layarteb. It is the most deadly virus known to man, worse than Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Ebola has a mortality rate of 50% - 90% whereas CAF has a mortality rate of 98% - 100%.

The CAF virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or semen of infected persons as well as through ingestion and inhalation. The virus is engineered to be the perfect biological weapon. The virus lies dormant until it enters the bloodstream of a living creature. It then actives from the warmth and proteins in the blood. It has an incubation period of 6 - 12 hours.

Initial symptoms are a high grade fever over 104°F (40°C), violent vomiting, diarrhea. These symptoms begin once the virus becomes activated. At approximately 4 - 6 hours after activation (A+240 - A+300) much worse symptoms appear. By now the virus has completely spread throughout the entire body and attacks every internal organ, vein, artery, etc. It takes approximately 18 - 20 hours for this process to be complete, at which case the host dies. Kidney and liver failures result immediately and the organs become mucus, liquefied by the virus. The brain and heart are last to go and usually the person dies from internal bleeding and excessive shock before this stage occurs at approximately 16 - 18 hours after activation. At that time, the brain and heart become attacked and the host experiences hallucinations as well as searing chest pain, which feels like a heart attack.

However, the virus cannot live without its host and within 2 - 6 hours after the host dies, so does the virus. It can be transmitted by any animal as none have a defense against the virus. Vaccines are developed and do work but are kept top secret as well as the virus. In testing, pain factors were so severe that subjects often went unconscious or endured seizures and other rapid bodily movements such as twitching.

CAF can be delivered any number of ways. Aerosols and powder are most effective either in the air or in the water supply. Contamination will cease after 72 - 96 hours, after which the virus will die, regardless of if it has a host or not. Lethal dose is 100 spores, roughly one hundred times stronger than Anthrax. Generally, infection is meant to appear as food poisoning though it rapidly develops into more.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Layartebian%20Chronicles/cafvirus.jpg

In testing of CAF the following results were shown. :: the pictures were just too graphic to look at ::

Testing subjects were males ages 18 - 79. They were all prisoners for life, eventually slated for execution of life in prison for crimes ranging from child abduction to terrorism. These test subjects were infected with CAF through food, drink, air, and direct contact. All produced symptoms within 6 - 8 hours. All were dead before hour 15 of activation. Bodies were no longer contagious after 79 hours. Disposal was undertaken by incinerator and those who administered test and disposal did not show signs of infection after 36 hours.

Vaccine testing subjects were also males ages 18 - 63. They were all prisoners for life and administered the vaccine through injection. After being introduced to CAF through food, drink, air, and direct contact none of them showed symptoms other than a severe headache and a mild fever, approximately 100.0°F - 101.8°F. Vaccine was successful.

"Gentlemen, you know how messed up this stuff is. I don't need to talk about the implications of it nor do I need to talk about the methods. You have had experience with it. I do not wish to slaughter this many lives in such a horrific way but it is the only option. Dismissed." Team One stood and saluted and then began to outfit for their operation.

A military UH-60L dropped them five kliks from the city only six hours later. It was 0200 and they had until 0400 to conduct their operation. Ozerki was fed by a single water treatment plant that was under civilian control. Team One had studied the plans well and knew exactly where they were going to drop the virus. They would have to remain as undetected as possible throughout the entirety of the operation.

As they crept towards the plant, in total darkness, they monitored the human presence around the plant. There were security personnel and technicians running around but nothing to warrant shooting at. They would have to get into the far building, where the water was sent into seven different mains to feed the city. All they would have to do would be to drop the canisters into the air release valve. It was far though and they would have to cross through two inhabited buildings to get there.

At 0245, they came to the start point of their operation. COL. Delaney split them in half and had one half go to the generator immediately to cut the power for the duration of the operation. At 0252, the power went off and COL. Delaney and his three other men moved into the first building and through the shadows as people ran around frantic to figure out why the power had gone out. They would have roughly twenty-eight minutes from the time the power went out to get to the building and back out before it came back on. The entire generator would have to be re-energized, which took thirty minutes.

For them, the first building was a cinch. The second came up next and as they came through it they ran the risk of being spotted twice by a guard who almost ran into them. However, they were skilled enough to avoid him even in that situation. At 0301, they reached the target building and go to the air release value. Immediately, they began their work, dropping the four canisters into the main system before it split. The canisters were pressure driven and could push the virus against the pressure gradient, which is why they used the air release valve. By 0307, they were done and on their way back. They crossed back through the two buildings, experts now at the layout and went quickly, unseen. At 0327, the power went back on, just as they had regrouped outside of the complex. It was a success and they returned to the extraction point where they took another UH-60L back home.

Seven hours later, those inside Ozerki began to develop a fever. Many also complained about vomiting and diarrhea. Many of them had also immediately gone to the hospital, which could not handle the flood of victims. Their only treatment, for the time being, was water, to counteract the dehydration from the symptoms, unknowing as to what the water contained. The symptoms only worsened...

OOC: Those rebels are in deep sh*t...

This thread is becoming one of my favourite threads. Real good stories man. Keep up the good work :D

OOC: Those rebels are in deep sh*t...

This thread is becoming one of my favourite threads. Real good stories man. Keep up the good work :D

The insanity has yet to begin.

Part IX: The Impact of Failed Resolve

News spread through the civilian population, through the military population, and through the insurgency that Ozerki had been virtually wiped out inside of thirty-six hours. The pathogen had yet to be identified and a Layartebian Biological Response Team, (QRBF-2) had isolated and quarantined the entire town. All-in-all, there were a total of twenty-two hundred deaths in Ozerki, all from the same pathogen. The insurgency was already spreading leaflets that the Layartebian military had unleashed a biological weapon on Ozerki. While it was true, they had no backing. The pathogen could have come from anywhere, after all it was in the water supply, probably a filter failure, which was what the Layartebian military was saying.

The sun rose that next morning over the horizon of Kaliningrad to gunshots and explosions. Two checkpoints had been attacked on the road between Talpaki and Chernyakhovsk. Aside from those, a Black Hawk helicopter had been downed near Kaliningrad by a shoulder launched surface-to-air missile, probably an SA-18 Grouse. A rescue operation had rescued the crew and luckily, nobody was killed, just injured. But the real craziness was about to be unleashed.

The insurgency had an assault planned on an ammunition depot thirty-two miles to the south of Polessk. The ammunition depot was well guarded by two hundred Layartebian soldiers and was home to a small amount of armor and artillery but it was the least defended of all of the depots across the country. The insurgency planned a full assault with mortars, RPGs, heavy machine guns, and vehicles with six hundred men. They were going during sun-up, coming in from the east to keep the sun to their back.

The force they were attacking with consisted of four HMMWVs, six M813A1 5-ton trucks, and a pair of BMP-3s that they had received from an outside source. They moved throughout most of the night into position and had spent most of the night burrowing in the BMPs to provide a fixed but unseen position. When the morning sun rose and shielding them from the prying eyes of the Layartebian watchmen, the mortars were lit off.

They had six M259 81mm mortars, eighty-nine pounds a piece. With a 5.7 km range and a rate of fire between twenty-five and thirty rounds per minute, they were deadly, very deadly. They were placed a full three kilometers from the depot and the operators zeroed in the depot right away. The first salvo consisted of three high explosive mortars and three smoke mortars. They all landed at the same time, causing chaos inside the ammunition depot. The BMP-3s came firing next. The BMP-3s were sitting 2.7 km away and unleashed next, firing a round each into the center of the depot. The salvo was following by another barrage of mortars.

Throughout the depot, the alarms rang out and defensive positions were manned as mortars and 100mm shells fell downward. Unfortunately, for the Layartebians, they had no idea where the shots were coming from. The sun was obscuring their view to the east and they did not notice anything on the horizon to the other directions. They could only guesstimate. But this was only phase one of the insurgent plan.

Phase two was about to begin. From out of no where, small arms fire poured into the depot from all around, four hundred men had surrounded the depot and were firing feverishly into the depot. The elevated machine gun nests took the heaviest fire and thus were able to return fire right away. Enemy positions around the depot began to come unmasked and were met with 12.7mm and 15.5mm machine gun fire from six machine gun nests around the depot. Enemy snipers, however, were doing a good job keeping the heads of those operating the machine guns down.

The six snipers inside the ammunition depot were on the job right away. Enemy soldiers were pushing their way into the depot through the thick grass, using it for cover. Those inside the base that had a position, immediately began to return fire seeing the movement. The four M2007 Scorpions, two tank destroyer variants and two infantry fighting vehicles variants, were immediately manned. The IFV variants was equipped with a single M242E Bushmaster II 30mm chain gun with 200 rounds, an M2HB 12.7mm heavy machine gun with 2,000 rounds, a TOW launcher with 12 rounds, 12 smoke grenades, and 8 Stinger missiles stowed for MANPAD use. The TD variant didn't have the M242E but it had a M68A1E4 105mm cannon with forty-eight rounds. The four armored units took off to the east, three men in each tank destroyer and fourteen in each IFV. Using a TV sensor with glare reduction, they were able to see where the fire was coming from and it wasn't looking pretty. As they approached, the BMP-3s trained their guns and fired.

Still out of range for their 105mm cannons, the two tank destroyers immediately shot a pair of smoke grenades towards the incoming fire and turned on their infrared sights, something they knew these BMP-3s didn't have. At max range, 1.8 km, they each fired off a shell towards the BMP-3s, both making a direct hit but not doing full damage. They closed, the mortars going off around them as well as the small arms fire. The two IFV Scorpions had dismounted their twenty-two troops and were now coming around with their 30mm chain guns and 12.7mm heavy machine guns.

The soldiers that left the rear of the IFVs were all equipped with the new M30A1 Assault Rifle, a 5.56mm replacement of the M4. They were unleashing havoc on the enemy soldiers and working their way to the mortars in order to stop them. Using LAWs, 40mm grenades, hand grenades, and their assault rifles they pounced their way to the three mortar batteries, each with two mortars.

The tank destroyers continued to fire. They only had forty-eight rounds a piece and though they were concentrating on the BMP-3s, they were in dire need of firing off their 12.7mm machine guns. Finally, at a range of 1 km, they both fired again and this time scored direct, penetrating hits, sending both of the BMP-3s into flames. It was then that the HMMWVs and trucks came into view. "Fire at will!" echoed over the radio and they unleashed. The vehicles were obliterated before they knew what hit them.

Back at the depot, the fighting was not an advantage for the Layartebian forces. The insurgents had penetrated the depot and were providing significant fire to the Layartebian forces, fighting much closer now. However, they were taking on the Layartebian military in a set-piece battle, something their leader had always warned against. But they were succeeding, limitedly. Their vehicles were destroyed and it wasn't long before their mortar teams were slaughtered by the 30mm cannons of the IFVs.

For another twenty-eight minutes, the fighting at the depot continued at a constant pace. Those who had not made it into the depot came under fire from the four armored units and the infantry dismounts on the IFVs. The six hundred insurgents attacking the depot had been reduced to a mere forty-seven after an hour of fighting but they had taken sixty-seven Layartebians with them, including two HMMWVs and a M813A1. After an hour and a half of fighting, of which the last twenty minutes were stalemate, the insurgents surrendered, all thirty-two of them.

Now began the interrogation process, something that the insurgents weren't planning on. It was a brutal and long lasting process with some of the most secretive measures employed. Cooperation brought resolve and only honest cooperation. A polygraph system usually allowed the interrogators to see if their subjects were spilling the truth or anything they wanted, in order to get out of the interrogation process. It usually began with sleep deprivation but continued into loud music and the use of electricity. The goal was maximum amount of pain or discomfort, a lot of noise coupled with heat, the two most annoying factors to any human being, and the realm of uncertainty. The Layartebian Black Ops who usually did the interrogation were professionals at the task...

Part X: This Land is Our Land...

The past week had seen more insurgent activity than ever. Thus far, two hundred Layartebian soldiers were dead and at least seven hundred were injured. It seemed that the resources of the insurgents was near limitless. Back in Layarteb, the Emperor had sent a call to both Aequatio and North Germania, requesting that the borders be sealed. Thus far, only North Germania had responded and to the positive. Where the insurgents were getting their supplies from was a vast unknown to the Layartebian military and intelligence analysts. Kaliningrad had had no military and was a social welfare state, anything violent being outlawed. This definitely included weapons and considering the technology of the insurgents, particularly their small arms and mortars, they were definitely being supplied from afar.

The Emperor received the latest tallies over his morning coffee. "What in the hell? He immediately paged the Joint Chiefs, the Minister of Intelligent, the Minister of Forum Affairs, and several other of his cabinet members. It took roughly an hour for all of the Ministers and the Joint Chiefs to assemble in the Emperors office, a meeting which he wasted no time beginning. "Gentlemen. Have you read the latest briefs from Kaliningrad? The situation is grim. We have two hundred and eleven dead soldiers and another six hundred and eighty-two in the hospital right now. I have asked both Aequatio and North Germania to seal the borders but thus far I have only received a reply from North Germania. This leaves us in a pickle. Where are they getting these supplies from men!" He slammed his fist down on the table and it echoed in the silent board room. "Men, this is not a situation to toy with. We're not winning any ground here. We're not doing anything but breeding more insurgents."

"Sir. We did not plan for this." The General of the Army answered.

"Obviously General. I want to know what we plan to do about this."

"Sir, if I may." The Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke up. "Gentlemen, we did develop a contingency plan for the Venezuela situation. But since that is a province it was vastly different. We already control it and therefore this contingency plan won't hold any weight. Unless of course we control Kaliningrad in such a way."

"I'm listening Minister."

"Well sir. Aside from completely stomping out the resistance and encircling them, we need people on our side, informers and spies. We can only do that if we have direct control. Additionally, we can make it so horrific for them to be insurgents that they'll lose morale. How we do that is not my department. Lastly sir, we need to remove their funding. They're getting funding from somewhere. How else would they be getting their weapons?"

"Well it's a horrible plan. But it's all we have at the moment. Very well. Initiate Plan Arkite."

"Yes sir." The room emptied. Simultaneously, across the world in Kaliningrad, the Layarteb military stormed the former House of the Soviets, a massive and impending structure in the middle of the city of Kaliningrad.

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Inside of thirty-six hours, the building was under the full control of the Layartebian government. Parliament was immediately dissolved and a police state declared. Martial law went into effect and it was made public that the insurgency was illegal and anyone caught conspiring with them would be considered an enemy of the state. All enemies of the state were severely punished, often horrifically.

On the evening of December 17, the changes were completed, a ninety-six hour ordeal. All insurgent captives were placed through a new round of interrogation but none of them cracked. Those who were considered less vital numbered sixteen. As part of the new laws and punishments, they were sentenced to execution. However, they wouldn't be hanged or shot or electrocuted. They would be crucified in the middle of the city of Kaliningrad, in Kaliningrad Square, publicly. Hundreds would show up and spit at the insurgents, others would spit on the soldiers, others would just observe and walk away. It was tragic for the history of Kaliningrad but it had to be done, unfortunately. Over the course of the week another seventy-two insurgents would be put to death, many by crucifixion. The bodies were left there, lining the road to Kaliningrad. Sometimes, families came and took the bodies away but that was a minority. It was a message to the insurgency, a clear message. The sight was disgusting to the normal eye but to those of the insurgency it was fuel to their fire, all of them burning with rage inside. What impact it would have on recruitment was not foreseeable yet.

The attacks continued though, the body toll rising on both sides. Two simultaneous attacks inside Talpaki by Layartebian aircraft did destroy three suspected weapons caches but the success of the Layartebian military was very limited. In a speech shortly after, the Emperor announced that Kaliningrad was part of the Empire of Layarteb and this it was their land. He concluded, "This land is our land and we shalt stay here..."

Part XI: The Tradegy of Lunino

The morning fog rolled off the Baltic Sea like smoke. It was December 19, two days after Kaliningrad was declared a Layartebian possession. Six days shy of Christmas it was supposed to be a happy time in the country but it was all but. Explosions rocked cities, towns, and highways nearly every hour. Gunfire and mortar fire came from both sides as offensive and defensive operations by the Layartebian military and the insurgency heightened. The scores of dead piled up in the streets and the towns, their bodies often being hastily buried. The crucifixes lined the roads to Kaliningrad and throughout the city, their rotting bodies being pecked at by birds and insects. Dogs stood at the base of each crucifix and barked upwards, hungry and thirsty. Families still came and took the bodies away, some ashamed, some enraged.

The combined death toll soared above two thousand, most of them being insurgents and civilians. Nearly three hundred Layartebian soldiers were dead. The fierce fighting in the past two days brought some eighty-two deaths, most of them along the road between Kaliningrad and Talpaki. Patrols were sent out in double force, ordered to shoot on sight of anyone or anything that appeared hostile. The ambushes that the insurgency were setting up needed to be quelled, they were, by far, the most effective tactic. The vehicles had sustained well, the Dingos and Bushmasters holding up well against RPGs, mines, and small arms fire. The overwhelming majority of them were still able to move under their own power and return to base after sustained repeated attacks from small arms, RPGs, and mines. The Bushmasters, being the most heavily armored of the two, had performed beyond expectations. Dingos were doing well, much better than the HMMWVs would have performed. They were still in limited use, mostly where it wasn't very dangerous, but even so, the Up-Armored HMMWVs weren't nearly as good as the Dingos or Bushmasters. Most of the vehicle losses were HMMWVs.

M1B1 Abrams II and M2006A1 Emperor main battle tanks had performed phenomenally, taking more fire than anyone had ever imagined for them. None had been lost yet and even those lost in the ambush at Svetlyy were recovered and repaired as well as the rest of the vehicles. Word came through that a new weapon was being brought in, an advanced M163 unit. Called the M163A3 EADS, it was armed with a 25mm five-barrel Gatling gun, rather than a 20mm Gatling gun. It was meant for anti-aircraft use but its powerful gun could rip through most enemy vehicles and certainly structures. It would be used in ambush situations, being able to put a high volume of fire in a very short amount of time into structures housing machine guns and RPGs. It would be a monster to the resistance. Additionally, M110A3 Howitzers were being brought in, these being 203mm artillery guns that had a range of 17 kilometers on standard shells and up to 30 on extended range shells. These massive shells each weighed some 200 lb. and were optimized for blast and fragmentation, perfect for dropping into cities and towns where an ambush was taking place. Additionally, chemical and biological shells were capable, even nuclear, granted setting off any of those in the middle of friendly forces was not a wise option. Lastly, there were the new M2011 Scout vehicles. Scout variants and tank-destroyer variants were being brought in, the former armed with the M31 15.5 x 115mm heavy machine gun and the latter being armed with a 105mm main gun. They were armored well, specifically designed to take the beatings that the Bushmasters were taking. Additionally, they had a top speed of some 92 mph, making them the fastest vehicles in the military and definitely the most essential, being scouts. They also carried a nine man detachment for the A1 Scout versions. In the A2 Tank Destroyer, the space was used up by shells.

There had still been no response from the government of Aequatio, meaning that things along the border there would remain open. It drew suspicion. Could the insurgency be getting their supplies through Aequatio? It was an uncertainty that needed to be answered immediately. Thus far a significant amount of the enemy forces were largely unchecked, especially along the border.

Force Falcon had been some of the most successful units though. They had yet to fail a mission and had inflicted a significant amount of damage to the enemy, especially around Talpaki, where they had continued their operations. On the 19th, they were set to ambush a supply convoy, delivering arms and ammunition to the insurgency. They had mines and Claymores set up, most of the mines were from the insurgency. Their last attack had netted them a significant amount of ammunition and supplies, including some two dozen land mines, which were now spread out along the road between Talpaki and Zhavoronkovo, concentrated on one area. The seven vehicle convoy consisted mainly of Zil 6x6 trucks but did have two BMP-1 IFVs with them. The mines would take care of those two vehicles first, one at the front of the convoy and the other in the back. Using pull wires they would set off the first two mines themselves, thereby triggering the others and enveloping the convoy in a cloud of destruction.

The convoy rolled through at 0930, just as it should have. The eight men were spread out, four on each side of the road, hidden in the brush, weapons at the ready. Colonel Delaney would be the one to set off the mines and then he would immediately begin firing. At 0932, the first two mines detonated, the convoy fitting into the trap perfectly. Like clockwork the other eight went off, exploding underneath all of the vehicles, turning them into Swiss cheese. After the mines went off and the dust settled, men poured out of the trucks, most of them wounded. They immediately began firing into the grass, failing to hit a single thing.

It was then that Force Falcon opened fired. The eight of them, using well placed shots, took down each and every man in a matter of seconds. Their weapons were all equipped with suppressors, hiding the sounds and certainly hiding the muzzle flashes. None of the insurgent fighters knew where they were taking the fire from but they were not standing by idly. They took cover behind anything they could but it wasn't helping. Grenades from Force Falcon and shots from their M203s took out their hiding spots with utter precision. In minutes it was over and what was left of the ammunition supplies were blown up with C4. Upon radioing in the results of their mission, they received new orders, to investigate an arms cache in Lunino. They would go with a convoy headed that way, consisting of two M2006A1 Emperor tanks, four Bushmasters, four Dingos, and three Scorpion IFVs. Between the thirteen vehicles and now the eight men from Force Falcon, there were one hundred and eighteen men, armed to the teeth and leading the convoy was Major Malforn, his Bushmaster empty except for him, the driver, and the gunner. The combined firepower of the convoy and the air power that was available, which consisted of two AH-94A Stalkers, was enough to level Lunino two times over.

As the convoy came through, the wreckage of the convoy smoked and hazed over the road. "Colonel. What'd I tell you about making messes." Major Malforn said as he lowered the window as his Bushmaster came alongside the eight men.

"Major. I imagine you're our ride?"

"Yes sir. Back is open."

"Thank you." The eight men climbed into the rear of the Bushmaster and the convoy was off again, heading at a speed of forty miles per hour northeast, towards Lunino. Two units of regular infantry had already cleared the road and no resistance was expected between there and Lunino. There were no mines and no hiding spots. A pair of A-10A Thunderbolt IIs were in the air as well, ready to strafe any resistance they might encounter along the road to Lunino. "So Major. Out of the hospital I see?"

"Yes Colonel. I take it this won't be any easy mission."

"Not if we're along."

"Very well. That's why I've got plenty of ammunition on board this convoy."

"You had better." They approached Lunino a few hours later, overcast keeping the A-10s below 10,000 feet, making them vulnerable to MANPAD fire. A half mile from the town, the convoy stopped at the request of Colonel Delaney. "Major, stop here. We'll go ahead and scout. Just give us some cover. Do you have any smoke grenades?"

"Two sir, here. Good luck."

"Thank you. Drop them out of the window and we'll go in and get low."

"Yes sir." Seconds later the smoke engulfed the convoy and the eight men were out of the back in a flash, heading low and fast towards the town. It was quiet, a slight haze, probably from a fire or two but nothing obscure. The pilots reported no activity on the ground and multiple passes revealed no return fire whatsoever. The AH-94s kept around 4,000 feet, buzzing overhead as well, getting a better view but not a terribly good one from the haze of the smoke.

Colonel Delaney and his men approached quickly from the southeast and upon nearing the small village, stopped and looked around. It seemed empty. They made their way into the first house they saw, it was empty. They made their way across the street to another one, getting the same findings. "Major, the town appears empty. Clear to approach."

"Yes sir." The convoy began moving again, coming towards the village from the south.

Inside the fourth house, Colonel Delaney stopped his men and ordered them to form up. "Men, something is amiss here. I don't think this place is empty at all. This looks like a trap, a very good trap. I want..." But, before he could utter another word, a hail of gunfire erupted from the village along with mortars and RPGs, all going straight at the convoy. The radio erupted with chatter, all from the convoy. They were shouting firing directions and orders. Two RPGs screamed down the road into the front of the Emperor tank, both bouncing off as if they were rocks. The strong armor of the tank protected those inside from everything being sent their way. Immediately though, they returned fire and a 120mm shell slammed into a house, turning it into a smoldering pile of wood and bricks, those inside slaughtered from the single shell. "Move out. Fire at will men. You know the drill!" Colonel Delaney and his men flooded out of the house and across the street, more bullets landing around them than raindrops if it were pouring.

They returned fire as well, taking out a countless number of insurgents in windows and in doors. "Whiskey two come in. This is Falcon One."

"Yes sir. Whiskey two on station." The A-10s circled overhead, dropping flares as MANPADs lifted up from the ground and streaked towards them at Mach 2. "Sir we're taking a lot of fire from the ground. We're going to be out of flares at this rate."

"I know. I know. Hang in there. I want you to come in with those 82s you have and put them on the houses to the east of the demolished structure. Copy?"

"Roger that we got them."

"Let them have it."

"Yes sir." The A-10s screamed downward, both armed with four MK-82 500 lb. bombs each. They would each drop two.

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The houses were leveled, completely. Two more MANPADs streaked up at the A-10s as they banked and dropped more flares. The Stalker attack helicopters swept fourth next, using their 30mm guns and rockets to take out insurgents moving across the streets and between houses. The convoy was under the most fire but they were firing back at an immense rate. The infantry they carried had dismounted and were converging on the town from all directions, firing at anything that moved. The 15.5 x 115mm heavy machine guns on the Bushmasters tore holes in brick and walls, leaving structures with holes large enough to climb in and out of. It helped the infantry as they launched off their 40mm grenades and fired their LAWs and AT4s.

Colonel Delaney and his team had been forced into one of the houses near the MK-82 strike and were not getting very far. "Eyes up! We've got incoming." A group of six insurgents came running towards the house but they didn't get very far. They were all put down in the middle of the street by a single 2.75" rocket fired from one of the A-10s. "Whiskey two report status over."

"Sir we've got, between us, seventeen rockets, twelve hundred rounds of 30 mike mike, four Sidewinders, and three Mavericks. Fuel is okay. Damage is minimal."

"Very well. What's available?"

"Sir we have another pair of A-10s coming in with incendiary bombs sir."

"Roger that. ETA?"

"Whiskey three and four will be on station in sixteen minutes sir."

"Sixteen minutes! We're not going to be alive in six minutes. Tell them to expedite NOW!"

"Yes sir."

"We need support fire on structure seventy-two sir."

"The large apartment complex type thing with the antennae on the roof sir?"

"Yes. Make it bleed!"

"You got it." The A-10s came back in, using the three Mavericks they had left on the structure, making nearly every window shatter and blow out from the explosions. The convoy fired as well, each of the M2006s putting a shell into the building as well. The convoy was taking heavy fire still, the Scorpions using their 30mm chain guns to demolish structures and machine gun nests.

Fighting continued with insurgent forces moving from structure to structure, each of the structures being destroyed systematically by the convoy and the aircraft. The Stalker attack helicopters had done well. Their rockets and Hellfire missiles had taken out a significant number of structures thus far and they had wasted a good portion of enemy insurgents in the streets. Every time they moved to a new house it was destroyed by tank fire or aircraft fire. It made it easy for the Layartebian military as the number of structures were getting less and less. F-15Es that were in the area wandered on station and dropped their 1,000 lb. GBU-16 laser guided bombs onto structures as well, using their 20mm cannons against others. But they had not remained on station for long. MANPADs had damaged one and the other was low on fuel to begin with.

The battle raged on, minutes turning into a half hour. The town was being leveled one by one and the insurgents were dying by the dozen. Thus far only two Layartebian soldiers were killed but twenty-four were wounded. Colonel Delaney and his team had moved six times already, taking out three RPG spots, six machine gun nests, and four command posts. They checked every structure they entered for both insurgents and ammunition. Two of them carried AR-47s on their back. They were modified rifles made to use ammunition from AK-47s, the primary weapon of the insurgency. However, the insurgency also had a good amount of M16s and CAR-15s, loaded with 5.56 x 45mm ammunition, standard for the M4 Carbine and the M30 Assault Rifle. It was 1500 when the two A-10s arrived with their incendiary bombs. Each of them was carrying four 500 lb. bombs, two 1,000 lb. bombs, and two 2.75" rocket pods. They used their 30mm gun and rocket pods first, while the infantry and the convoy backed out of the town. Force Falcon moved back as well, taking heavy fire as they did so.

It only took ten more minutes for the Layartebian military to pull back far enough. They continued to take fire from some twenty-two structures remaining, most of which were small, dismal homes. The insurgents thought they had won. They kept firing, harder and faster than before. That was when the end came. The two A-10s came down from 15,000 feet, hidden in the cloud cover. They came down at -15° and kept on their brakes so they would have sufficient velocity to pull up and in time. At 8,000 feet they dropped their bombs, all of them, and immediately went to full power and closed their air brakes. As the bombs fell and the A-10s banked upwards, sixteen MANPADs lifted off but the A-10s were dropping flares, tons of them, and none of the MANPADs could keep a lock on the two jets, especially not after the bombs hit. The explosion was so large, so loud, and so hot that the infantry and convoy felt it from over a half mile away. The fire engulfed the entire town and with it, all the insurgents that were still alive.

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The fighting stopped immediately and the convoy ceased taking fire instantly. The 3,000°F fire from the thermite in the bombs melted the steel throughout the village and vaporized what insurgents were left. The entire town was demolished, wiped off the map. As the A-10s came around for a BDA pass, they dropped more flares but nothing came up at them, nor would anything. The town was dead, completely. The convoy didn't stick around and headed back to base, silence throughout the vehicles. They had lost six men and a total of forty-six were wounded, though only two of them seriously. The dead were aboard, being taken back for proper burial.

Clean up crews came to the town eight hours later and began counting bodies. They were unable to make an accurate count, given the heat of the fire. Initial reports from those fighting estimated at least two thousand enemy insurgents killed at the time of the fire bombing. However, the cleanup crews estimated between two thousand and thirty-two hundred. It was a massacre. Further known it would be called The Tragedy of Lunino.

Part XII: When the Music Stops

Christmas came and went, a dismal and dark chapter in the history of Kaliningrad. Fighting did not waver on the 25th. Insurgent attacks on a pair of barracks cost the lives of eighteen soldiers and injured another sixteen. However, they were failures as all of the insurgents were either captured or killed. The ruthlessness of the war had hit home on Christmas Eve when two Kaliningrad insurgents were captured trying to sneak into Layarteb with at least a dozen small arms. The coast guard picked up their ship before it could enter the harbor. It was no minor operation anymore. This was a full blown war and people were dying, lots of them, every day. Colonel Delaney and his men were situated near the town of Mozyr' on Christmas Day. None of them celebrated but that didn't mean they had to relax a little. They were hiding in an abandoned house inside the village. Whilst the place was crawling with insurgents, they were on a reconnaissance mission. They were there to observe and report, not engage.

It was at 0200 on the 26th that the helicopter landed six kliks outside of town. They boarded and flew back to Kaliningrad where they returned to their makeshift base of operations, underground, two kliks outside of the city. The intelligence they gathered on Mozyr' would help a future offensive set to be launched on the 1st of January, the new year. But until then, they had business to take care of.

No more than ten minutes inside the bunker, they were called to briefing. It was urgent. Immediately they reported, as good soldiers. "Colonel. It's good of you to grace us with your presence. It's been some time now since you and your boys have been here."

"Yes sir." Colonel Delaney and his soldiers saluted the general. "What's so urgent that my men and I can't take a hot shower?"

"Colonel, we have accurate and real-time intelligence of the whereabouts of a colonel in the insurgency. His name is Mikhail Polenin. I think you should remember, you killed his wife and torched his house."

"Yes sir."

"Well we have him located and we know that he'll be there for at least another twenty-two hours. This gives us plenty of time to act. However, we're not going to sit around and let this slip. You and your men will insert seven kliks west of Znamensk. From there ingress to a house here." He pointed to a spot on the overhead. The map man made the appropriate marks. "We expect at least twenty to thirty insurgents in the target house, including our mark. You are to apprehend him, the others are non-important. Extraction will be via Black Hawk."

"Yes sir." Colonel Delaney said as he made some notes.

"Good luck Colonel. Dismissed." The men stood and saluted. They immediately dispatched to the supply room and refreshed what they had. They replaced the batteries in their night vision goggles, in their flashlights, cleaned the optics on their weapons, and refilled their canteens. Next it was off to the armory. Each of them loaded up on flash grenades, smoke grenades, and ammunition. The attack would be made silenced and fast. The M67 Fragmentation Grenades would be used only if necessary. The reliance went to the flashbang grenades. Between the eight of them they carried three M4A2 Carbines, three M30A1 Assault Rifles, an M249 SAW, and an M21 Sniper Rifle. That was their primary armament. As far as secondary went, they all carried MP5SD6s. Lastly, they were down to their pistols, which between them were four MK.23 SOCOMs, three SIG P229s, and one USP. Each of them carried one M67 Fragmentation grenade, three M84 Flashbang grenades, and two M18 Smoke grenades. The ones who carried the M30A1s carried with them two hundred and ten rounds of ammunition in seven clips, one being in the weapon. Those who carried the M4A2s carried the same amount as well. The sniper with the M21 had a total of one hundred and forty rounds in seven clips. Lastly, the soldier operating the M249 carried with him a two hundred round box loaded and another two on him, giving him six hundred rounds of ammunition. For their MP5SD5s, they each carried four double magazines, giving them eight total with two hundred and forty rounds each. Additionally, they each carried ten feet of primer cord in a spool as well as two breeching charges, which were modified plastic explosive with a three second fuse, enough to blast open a door lock. One of the members also carried three Claymores with him and though they would probably not be used, it was always good to have them.

The UH-60L was waiting for them on the tarmac as the sun set. It took off with a full crew, two pilots and two crew chiefs, one of which was operating the GAU-2 Minigun. The helicopter kept low and fast, one hundred and forty miles per hour a mere sixty feet off the deck. The pilots were professionals at this and each of them had significant flying time in situations just as this.

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Drop in came after the sun had set. Completely concealed by the darkness, they immediately began their move towards the target house, deep inside the suburbs of Znamensk. They hustled and moved fast, the winter cold surrounding them. It hadn't snowed yet but it wasn't above 10°F and now that the sun was down, it would get colder. They were dressed for the cold though and knew how to handle it. They got to the target structure at 2102, three minutes ahead of schedule. Around the corner from the structure, hiding in a little area of thick shrubs, Colonel Delaney ordered them to stop. "Alright men, we're covering three exits. There is the front door here," he pointed to a spot on a detailed map. "There is the side door here. And lastly there is the garage door here." Each entrance faced a different direction. "You two cover the front door, you two the side, and you two the garage door. Me and him will go into the house ourselves. Silenced weapons only, head shots at first, if not two in the chest one in the head. Let's get this done men. Anyone that comes out dies. Watch windows, only take out the floors we are on. We're going through this fast and quiet, we don't need to tell anyone what's coming ahead of time." The men responded that they understood and the operation began.

Colonel Delaney and another of his team members brought up their MP5SD6s and entered the side door. They would hit the basement first. Immediately inside of the door there was a door and a set of stairs to the right. They descended those steps and ahead was another door. A quick check inside revealed nothing but a laundry room. There there sat three doors, two metal and one wood. They choose the middle one first, it led to the boiler. Then came time for the other two doors. Colonel Delaney took one and his team member took the other. They kicked in the doors simultaneously and pounced. Colonel Delaney walked into the living room and his teammate, into a bedroom. They were both empty and they led to the kitchen, which had the bathroom in it. It was also empty and there wasn't any signs that anyone was home. As they came back to the stairs, to the door that led to the first floor they heard footsteps and noises. Colonel Delaney motioned for a flashbang and said a single word over the radio. "Dakota." That was their code to cut the power. Inside of two seconds, the entire block was out of power and commotion swept throughout the target house.

They kicked in the door and threw in the flash grenade. It bounced in the kitchen and landed between the kitchen and the living room before it went off. It got everyone inside of the two rooms. They came in next, firing single shots into the heads of those who were screaming and crawling around on the ground. Luckily, the ceilings were well built and the sound was obscured. They shot six people in the kitchen, two of them women holding AK-47s. The other four people were men, unarmed but still present. In the living room they shot three more men, two holding Uzis. They progressed into the three bedrooms and fired away, taking down another seven people, one of which was a teenager. They were all men. "First floor clear. Progressing to the second." They moved up the stairs slowly and quietly to the second floor. At the top of the steps was a hallway with two doors on either end and a small little set of steps leading to the third floor. Colonel Delaney took one and his teammate took the other. They both used flash grenades and pounced hard. Colonel Delaney entered another living room, empty but the two bathrooms along the hallway weren't. He shoot two more men. Then they moved into the living room and into the kitchen, empty as well. His teammate went into a bedroom and killed two women and three men, sitting around smoking marijuana. Then he moved into another bedroom and shot three women and one man. He wound up in the living room with Colonel Delaney. "Second floor clear, moving to the third." They went to the door and kicked it in. Bullets came raining down onto them but they got out of the way in time. They switched from semiautomatic to three-round burst and switched magazines, despite having plenty of bullets in the other magazine.

Colonel Delaney threw up a flash bang and blinded the three men in the main hall at the top of the steps. They each took three rounds to the neck and face, putting them on the ground. At the top of the stairs was a hallway with one door to the left, one straight ahead, and three to the right. They moved straight first and went into a living room with six men and three women, all of whom were shot dead immediately. Then they moved to the right, down the hall to the single door and busted in but it was empty, including the two vast closets. They further progressed down the hall to the three doors. The middle was a closet and the one on the left led to the kitchen. It was empty. However, the one on the right led to a bathroom. A woman and a child cowered in the bathtub but Colonel Delaney refused to pass them by and shot both of them dead blank in the face. Their mark was not in the house. Nobody had tried to escape and the garage was clear. Where could they be? Colonel Delaney thought as they stood in the third floor hallway. But, he looked up to see a door to the attic. He pulled down the string and immediately met gunfire. His teammate threw up a flashbang and they both moved up the makeshift steps, shooting one man and leaving the other be. They disarmed him though, he being the mark. "Let's go!" Colonel Delaney said in Russian. "Up, move, now!"

"I speak English." He looked up, standing with his hands raised. "Now what do you propose?"

"You are Mikhail Polenin?"

"I am. You should probably just kill me now rather than wait."

"Very well." The Colonel motioned to his teammate to shoot him. His teammate raised a weapon and fired, putting a tranquilizer dart into the chest of Mikhail. He fell down immediately, the toxin hitting him faster than his nerves could travel. "Let's restrain him and get out of here." He picked up the radio and pushed the talk button, "Mission accomplished. We have the mark. Call in the helicopters."

"Yes sir."[/i] Both the Colonel and his teammate restrained Mikhail with a plastic tie-wrap. Then they carried him down and out of the attic, out of the third floor, and outside where his team was assembled in the bushes. They were six kliks from the extraction zone and they had to move fast. With Mikhail unconscious they had to carry him so one of the members threw him over his shoulder and they began to move, double timing it to the extraction point, through the dense suburban town.

It was 0100 when they got to the extraction zone with the helicopters twenty minutes out. There were four of them, two Apache gunships and two Black Hawks. Half of Force Falcon would go into one Black Hawk and the other half into the other Black Hawk. The men took cover in the dense brush and waited as the helicopters came inbound.

The two Black Hawks landed and the eight men split up, the prisoner going with Colonel Delaney in the lead Black Hawk. Less than sixty seconds later, the helicopters were on their way home again, flying at 5,000 feet and 120 miles per hour. It was a short flight, twenty minutes. About four minutes into the flight, Mikhail awoke, groggy and surprised that he was still alive. "Where am I going?"

"Some place safe."

"You are the ghosts I have heard about? The rumors of you have swept our troops?"

"Ghosts don't exist."

"What do you think you'll accomplish here? You may have won here and there and consider it a victory but nothing will change...nothing except the number of those who die before that comes."

"It depends on what you hope to accomplish."

"Your government sits in utter stupidity. You know that you'll never take over this place?"

"Our objectives are not what you preach them to be?"

"Your objectives! You crucify our people! You burn our villages! You kill our wives! You slaughter our children!"

"What has happened to you, you have brought upon yourselves."

"Ourselves? What gave your military the right to come into my home. Kill my wife. Kill my brother. And then burn it to the ground!"

"Did you get my message."

"You are responsible?"

"I am." In an instant, Mikhail attempted to lunge across the cabin but was caught short by his safety harness. He slammed onto the ground, face first.

"I will, before this war is over, kill you!"

"You should not promise what you threaten."

"It's a guarantee." The helicopters landed in Kaliningrad and the prisoner was offloaded, taken to the Force Falcon base, where he would be interrogated thoroughly.

Part XIII: Oxidizer

"Sir, Colonel. The new M33s arrived sir." A soldier ran down the hall after Colonel Delaney, deep underground in the Force Falcon base of operations. "Colonel!" Colonel Delaney was reading over a memo and not paying attention, more or less, just guiding himself. He wasn't paying any attention until the soldier finally caught up to him. "Sir, Colonel." Colonel Delaney turned around and saluted the soldier. "Sir, Colonel. The new M33s arrived. You said you wanted to be notified."

"Yes I did. Good work Corporal. Where are they?"

"Coming into bay 3 sir."

"Thank you." They saluted and Colonel Delaney immediately turned and headed towards bay 3. He came in just in time as the M813A1 was backing in, loaded with six crates of the new M33 pistol and another eleven of ammunition. "Specialist. Is that the..." The Specialist saluted and Colonel Delaney followed. "Are those the M33s?"

"Yes sir. I take it you would like one?"

"Certainly would. What caliber again?" The truck parked and a forklift moved to the back of it to unload the crates.

"Forty S&W and Forty-Five ACP sir."

"Forty S&W huh? I'll have to try that one."

"First crate coming off sir. Once we get them logged in you can have the first one. The firing range is open so I'll give you a few magazines as well sir."

"Thank you Specialist." The Colonel saluted and the Specialist returned. He then watched as the forklift offloaded each crate with care and placed them onto pallet jacks where awaiting workers carried the to the receiving office, which was just outside of the bay. It took nearly an hour but all weapons and ammunition were accounted for. "Now how about that weapon Specialist?"

"Very well sir. Take the M33A3, it's a forty S&W. Sixteen round magazine. How does ten sound?"

"Works for me. Thank you." Colonel Delaney immediately shot off to the firing range, the weapon holstered and the magazines in his pockets so as to not arouse suspicion. When he got to the firing range he found that only one other slot was occupied, by his second in command, Mark Wilkins, a lieutenant colonel. They saluted. "I got one of those new M33s."

"Really? I wonder how it is?"

"Me too. I'm about to try it out." He withdrew it from the holster. "Good weight, all black. Double action. Single or three round burst. Sixteen round mag. Forty S&W. Looks like about nine and a half inches long. Pretty good weight actually here feel it." He handed the pistol over and LTC. Wilkins held it and shook it a little. He handed it back, nodding in agreement. "Probably comes out at thirteen hundred feet per second. Figure the standard hundred and fifty meter effective range. Now for the fun part." He slapped in the magazine and hit the slide release. He unlocked the trigger guard and disengaged the rear safety. He held it up, right hand on the right side of the pistol and his left hand cupped around his right. He looked down the sights and stared down at the target, some fifty meters away. He put the sight just below the Bulls-eye and fired. A single round let out of the chamber at thirteen hundred and fifty feet per second and spiraled through the air, impacting the target at the Bulls-eye. The recoil was manageable and the barrel had risen an inch off target. Colonel Delaney put the sight back on target and fired again. He did that throughout the entire magazine and watched as the slide kicked out that the magazine was empty.

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He hit the return button for the target and it came back to him. "Not bad. Sixteen for sixteen."

"Not bad sir. That's a new record."

"Indeed. Let's see what burst is like?"

"Definitely sir." He put his earplugs back in and replaced the target paper. It returned back out to fifty meters and he slapped in another magazine, switched the fire selector to burst, and resighted it. He sighted it still further down from the Bulls-eye and squeezed the trigger. Three rounds exited the barrel and flew towards the target, the recoil being significantly more but still manageable. He pulled the trigger five more times, the last time only one bullet coming out. It worked perfectly. He hit the return button again and looked at the target. "Two in the chest, one in the head. Perfect ride up."

"Indeed sir. Mind if I get a try?"

"Certainly, here." He handed off the pistol and two magazines. They continued that way until they had used up all ten magazines. Colonel Delaney reholstered the pistol and went down to the receiving docks. He saluted the Specialist and went into his office. "Perfect weapon if I must say so. Do I return these to you?" He put the empty magazines and the pistol on the desk.

"No sir, they're yours now. The armory will be able to take those empty magazines from you and refill them. Your team is already allotted their share of pistols so just be sure to tell the armory chief that you are not in need of yours or else our counts will be off."

"Thank you Specialist. Have a good day." Colonel Delaney immediately went to the armory and went up to the window. The Corporal saluted and he returned.

"How may I help you sir? The new M33s are in."

"Roger that. I snagged one from the docks. Mark me off as having one. Here's the pistol for the serial number adjustment."

"Thank you sir." He took the pistol and punched in some numbers on the computer and changed the serial codes for the issues. Then he handed it back. "What is it that you are looking for?"

"Well I've got some empty magazines to turn in. Other than that, what toys do you have for this?"

"Laser sight, silencer, and a flashlight."

"Give me one of each. I'm not fond of the laser sights or the flashlights but you never know when it'll come in handy."

"Indeed sir. Ten magazines?"

"A little fun."

"Roger that. Here are five to replace those, what you usually take correct sir?"

"Five it is. One for the load, four for the belt."

"Roger that. Any other ammunition?"

"My M30A2 could use a new barrel and I could use some magazines."

"Roger that. Let me check into that." He left the window and headed to one of the many shelves inside the armory. He returned four minutes later with a barrel and seven magazines. "How is seven sir?"

"Fine by me."

"Very well. Let me just catalog this."

"Take your time."

"Says here you aren't due for another barrel change for some fifteen thousand rounds?"

"I know."

"Sir you know the rules."

"I do."

"I need a reason then sir. I'm sorry."

"I like to have fresh tools."

"That one didn't work the last time sir. You know I can't."

"Very well. Just give me the magazines then."

"Yes sir. Anything else?"

"What other toys do you have in there that I haven't played with yet?"

"Not much sir. Just some breeching charges."

"That'll be it then. Have a good day Corporal."

"You too sir." They saluted and Colonel Delaney left with the magazines and the pistol. He went to his quarters and placed the magazines neatly in his drawer, right by his M30A2. It was equipped with a 203MM grenade launcher, an M68 Aimpoint Scope, a suppressor, and he had a laser sight and flashlight for it but neither were fitted, though they would be placed on the side rails. He placed a fresh magazine into the M33A3 and reholstered it. But before he could sit down and pencil in his journal, his phone rang. "Colonel Delaney. Yes sir. Of course. Fabulous. Room 2? Immediately sir." Just when I get a chance to sit down... He left his office and made a bee-line for detention room 2. Three men were inside the well lit room, one of them being the prisoner, Mikhail Polenin. Included in the other two men was the operations commander of Force Falcon, a two star, major general. The other was just the interrogator. "Ahh Colonel. So nice of you to join us." The two guards at the door had let him in and locked the door behind him. "It seems that Mr. Polenin has outlived his usefulness."

"And of his confessions?" Colonel Delaney asked. The interrogator knew to keep quiet and only to speak when addressed.

"He has revealed good information. Why don't you repeat it Mr. Polenin."

"Rot in hell." The interrogator moved across the room quickly with his hand raised. "Fine. Not again. Not again. There is a meeting today in Kaliningrad. In the Hotel Aviant, room 623. It's to discuss a massive plan of action against Primorsk. I was supposed to attend but I do not know of the details of the meeting."

"What time is this meeting Mr. Polenin?"

"Twenty-three hundred."

"Very well. Colonel, do you have anything to ask of him?"

"One question sir."

"Very well."

Colonel Delaney stared into the eyes of the man whose wife and brother he had murdered. He looked with cold and heartless eyes. He stared into the soul of a man who had lost everything and had nothing left to lose. "I'm sorry for hell what happened to your wife and brother. I pulled that trigger and I started the fire. There isn't a regret I have. My wife and son were taken from me way back when by a psychotic maniac who I beat to death with my own hands. If we were to unrestrain you I have no doubt you would do the same yourself."

"I would tear your eyes out."

"Very well. Major General, what are we to do with this prisoner?"

"He's of no use to us. We could kill him or we could ship him back to Layarteb. He could live the remainder of his natural life in a detention camp."

Colonel Delaney withdrew his pistol and unlocked the safeties. "What do you want Mr. Polenin?"

"A cigarette and the vision of my wife."

"Very well. Give him a cigarette." The interrogator placed one in his mouth and lit it. Mikhail took two deep puffs and began to pray in Russian. "Sir?"

"Let him finish." The Major General left the room and the interrogator followed. Colonel Delaney took a step back to avoid the blood splatter and Mikhail kneeled and faced the wall.

"May God have mercy on your soul Colonel Delaney. You need it more than I do."

"I have no soul..." He pulled the trigger and the bullet spiraled through the back of Mikhail's head and down, through his brain, and out of his face, just below his nose, blowing out a massive hole. It then slammed into the concrete wall and became lodged, a splatter of blood and brain matter all over the wall and the floor. I have no soul... Colonel Delaney exited the room and walked back to his quarters. He hadn't got a single speck of blood or brain matter on him. He had done well. At 1600, he attended a briefing for the raid that would net the meeting in the hotel. Surveillance was already set up in the hotel and the room was being watched closely from multiple points. The plan was read and reread in the briefing room. At 1800, the briefing ended and they headed out to the armory, to each load up on what they needed. Colonel Delaney had everything he needed in his quarters and returned there.

He would go out with his MP5A6. It had the folding butt stock and he would carry with him four dual-mount clips. This was really eight clips, bundled in four pairs of two to allow for quick reloading. Each clip held thirty 9 x 19mm rounds, sixty at the ready with the dual mounts. He had the flashlight mounted and didn't want to use it but it was entirely possible that he would need it. He would also carry his new M33A3. He had the five magazines that he was given, one of which had only fifteen rounds in it, that one being the one in the pistol. He also would take his Seal Knife 2000. His grenade load out would consist of three M84 Flashbangs, two M67 Fragmentations, and one M83 Smoke Grenade. The other members of his team would take a similar load out, some taking the P90 or the UMP over the MP5. Since none of them had previous experience with the new M33, none of them took it but rather took their own pistols, which was, for this case, the Mk.23 SOCOM pistol. They were all taking silencers for this mission and some had flashlights and laser sights mounted. Colonel Delaney mounted the laser sight on his M33A3.

They traveled to the hotel via Bushmaster, Major Malforn being their personal escorts now as he was already aware of their presence. They pulled up to the building across the street, a known Layartebian military command post. This made the meeting even more significant. The insurgency thought it was important enough to hold in the safest location, just underneath the nose of the Layartebian military. Force Falcon deboarded the Bushmaster and went into the command post but immediately made a beeline for the basement, heading underneath the street via a VIP escape route. This hotel was frequented by Parliamentary Ministers, when Parliament was still around. Using a service elevator, they headed up to the sixth floor and at 2320, when they were sure that everyone was present, moved from their location in one of the VIP suites and to room 623. They walked quickly and quietly, crouched, weapons shouldered. A few people were walking around and they were told to immediately get into their rooms.

Room 623 was a VIP suite but with no alternative exit sans the second door. Four men would take one door and four men would take the other door. Surveillance put two roaming guards outside the room, each armed with submachine guns. As they came around the corner and were just one turn away from the hallway to Room 623, power in the hallway was cut and only in the hallway. Colonel Delaney rounded the corner with his pistol drawn, laser sight off, night vision goggles on. He popped off two shots, each into the neck of each of the two roaming guards, killing both of them silently and without resistance. They fell to the floor with a thump and were dragged into the surveillance room.

Now it came time for the assault. Inside the room, none of the eighteen men knew what was going on outside. There were ten bodyguards, all armed with submachine guns. The other eight men were all priority targets, four of them being commanders for the insurgency. The other four were operations lieutenants, still high up on the food chain. They were all armed as well, with pistols and would have to be taken alive. Doctors were waiting in the surveillance room with medical kits to treat bullet wounds. The plan of action, if they would not surrender, was to shoot them in the shoulder to put them on the ground. The eight men split into two teams and each covered a door. A small breaching charge of C4 was placed on the frame, right by the door knob. It would blow the locking mechanism clean off. They would throw an M84 in immediately after.

The charges were set and the fuses placed. An electronic detonator would blow them both at the same time. The countdown began. "Five...Four...Three...Two..." LTC. Wilkins pushed the button and the charges blew, shattering the locking mechanisms and echoing throughout the entire sixth floor and room 623, sending its eighteen men in a frenzy. M84 Flash Grenades followed, two per door. Then the men pounced and pounced hard. With his MP5A6 shouldered, Colonel Delaney tagged two of the body guards with six rounds total, two in the chest and one in the head. The other three men in the initial room were all priority targets, whom were writhing on the floor in pain from the flash. They were reaching for their pistols but were given swift kicks to keep them down.

At the other door, the four men killed six bodyguards. There were three priority targets there. Each of the two teams split into two more teams, two men staying with the priority targets and the other two to explore the suite further. There were another three rooms remaining, the kitchen, the bathroom, and a dinning room. There were still two more bodyguards and two more priority targets to go. The four men moved in, one group in the dining room and another into the kitchen. They tagged another bodyguard and located another priority target in the kitchen, hiding behind the refrigerator. There was only one room left, the bathroom. They used an M84 to stun them and it did well, both of them hiding in the bathtub. The bodyguard went first, taking three rounds to the head from Colonel Delaney.

The mission was over and a success. Of the eight priority targets only two had to be shot and they were given immediate medical attention. When they were okay to be moved, they were taken, along with the other six men, to the Force Falcon bunker outside of Kaliningrad. A cleanup crew came and swept the room from floor to ceiling, making it completely habitable again. It appeared, when they were done at 0800 the next morning, as if nothing had ever occupied the room. The cleaning job was much better than that of the hotel maids.

Im picking holes here but the Nationalist Party should be right wing. The Nationalist Party should swap its values with the Protectorate Party. The Nationalists would glorify in military service not be socialists. Nationalism is the antithesis of Socialism.

Not necessarily. My nation's socialist and communist parties are somewhat nationalistic. Socialism is simply national ownership of things. Nationalism, according to Merriam Webster online: "loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups"

The word nationalism has often been misused, when the correct term is often jingoism.


Anyway, nice writing, Layarteb.

Not necessarily. My nation's socialist and communist parties are somewhat nationalistic. Socialism is simply national ownership of things. Nationalism, according to Merriam Webster online: "loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups"

The word nationalism has often been misused, when the correct term is often jingoism.


Anyway, nice writing, Layarteb.

Thank you. No he has somewhat of a point. Nationalists are generally rightist in practice. But it's okay because it's the People's Party now.

Part XIV: Slaughter House I

Baltiysk was a quiet city on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It was home to some 22,000 people. It was the only, year-round ice free port along the coastline of the Baltic Sea that was under Russian control at one point in time. It was not known to have any insurgent presence until recently. The fire bombing of Lunino was reported to have raised insurgent sentiment throughout the entirety of the country. It was reported that some 200 to 2,000 insurgent fighters were based in Baltiysk, including two weapons caches both with enough weaponry for 500 fighters. It had to be neutralized immediately and with force.

Plans were drawn up for the assault, both of the weapons caches being neutralized in the assault, which would require the dual use of air and land equipment. An AC-130H Spectre would be placed on station to assist in the assault along with a pair of A-10A Thunderbolt IIs. AH-64D Apache Longbow, AH-6J Littlebird, and UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters would make up the helicopter contingency. On the ground, there would be elements of the first regiment. They were planning on going into the city with some two hundred soldiers, fully supported by armor and vehicles.

The force would be assembled in Primorsk and then assault the city just after sunset. Assembly would begin before noon, ready to move by 1400. Dusk would be around 1645, with it completely dark by 1800. It was a short drive to the southwest and they would be there in minutes.

It began at 1145, 200 men loading up on ammunition and supplies, receiving their orders from their superiors. In total, they were going in with 20 M1116 HMMWV Up-Armored vehicles, 8 M2A3 Bradley IFVs, 6 M2006A1 Emperor MBTs, 20 M2008A1 Dingo APVs, 16 M2010A1 Bushmaster IMVs, 8 M2011A1 Scouts, 4 M2011A2 Scout TDs, 9 M1126 Stryker ICVs, and 24 M813A1 5-ton trucks. They had plenty of room in the convoy and were not filled to max. The 200 men were all part of the 1st Infantry Corps, 2nd Division, 7th Brigade, 1st Battalion, 3rd Company. They had seen extensive fighting in Kaliningrad during the initial stages of the insurgency and were all combat proven.

For air support, there would be six AH-64D Apache Longbows, each armed with 800 30MM rounds, eight AGM-114M Hellfire II missiles, four FIM-92J Stinger missiles, and thirty-eight Hydra rockets. Additionally, there would be eleven AH-6J Littlebirds, armed with two GAU-2 Miniguns, each loaded with 1,500 rounds, and fourteen Hydra rockets. The sixteen UH-60L Black Hawks would be armed with a pair of GAU-2 Miniguns. But the helicopters would not just be providing fire support. Inside ten of the sixteen Black Hawks were eighty Delta Force soldiers, members of the 1st Special Forces Unit. They were elite and would be leading the assault, half of them going to one weapons cache and the other half to the other. They would also be there to capture some suspected colonels in the resistance, information gathered from the interrogation of the enemy prisoners taken on the 29th from Hotel Aviant.

The goal was to be in and out by the morning of January 1. It was a new year and this new year would be one with a different resolve, to completely stamp out and squash the resistance. The two hundred and eighty men were ready by 1555, right on time. The sun was low on the horizon and it was obvious that it was getting dark, very dark, and very fast. At 1700, the convoy began to move out, the helicopters following. The AC-130H was airborne as well, on its way to the city along with the two A-10As. The AC-130Hs were armed with two 20MM guns, one 40MM gun, and one 105MM howitzer. It could put its deadly armament onto targets from high up in the sky, away from the threat of enemy air defenses. The two A-10As were armed with eleven hundred and eighty 30MM rounds each, four MK-82 Slick bombs, four AGM-65G Maverick missiles, and six Hydra rocket pods, each with nineteen rockets. They would come screaming in from twenty thousand feet and dive on their targets, dropping their bombs and unleashing unholy fire on any insurgent positions within the city.

The convoy and the helicopters charged through the night air. It was cold, 26°F with a strong twenty mile per hour wind gust. That made the temperature 12.1°F. It was frigid, almost too cold to fight but war knew no limits, especially not temperature. They reached the edge of the city inside of forty-five minutes and entered as the helicopters and the AC-130 arrived on station. The helicopters swept through the city and dropped in the Delta soldiers at two points, each a mere three blocks away from the weapon's cache. They moved in fast, forty men per target, all highly trained, the most advanced of all the Special Forces units and the most highly trained. They were a strike team and this was their specialty.

The men pounded hard, sweeping into the two caches at the same time and meeting little resistance. But to them little resistance included heavy machine guns. They stormed the two buildings from all angles, pushing from room to room, hallway to hallway, and courtyard to courtyard, shooting anyone who stood in their way.

Within twenty minutes both weapons caches were overcome and marked for destruction. Flying high above the city were a pair of F-111M Aardvark bombers, each with four two thousand pound GPS guided bombs, GBU-24E/B Paveway IIIs. The Delta Operators transmitted the coordinates and immediately moved out of the target buildings, moving, at minimum, one half mile away. They had to move fast and as the firefight in the city intensified, it became increasingly difficult. The convoy, on the other hand, was already in the city, on route to capture the enemy colonels. They were encountering heavy resistance. It seemed that every loon in the city with a gun or grenade was throughout the route, shooting at them.

The 15.5mm machine guns of the transports tore holes in the structures large enough for people to comfortably crawl in and out of. With these holes, they tore limbs and torsos from the fighters. But what they couldn't see were the roadblocks being constructed, some forty two of them. Rebel forces had, upon hearing of the Layartebian convoy, placed primer cord and other explosives around telephone and power poles and homes. Three quarters of all the exit routes were blocked with rubble, trapping the convoy inside the city. The other quarter were being worked on as the fighting intensified.

Within ten minutes, the Delta Operatives moved safely away from the structures, still unscathed except for minor flesh wounds. The two F-111s were notified and each let loose a single bomb, one per target. Falling from an altitude of 26,000 feet, the bombs took roughly a minute to hit the target, a minute of waiting. But when they hit, they created explosions big enough to shatter every window for a mile radius and then some. Both hit at the same time and now the main objectives were complete. What they didn't know though was that the enemy forces had distributed weapons throughout the city in light of this battle.

At the main compound, where the seven colonels and others were meeting, machine gun nests and snipers took pop shots at the approaching convoy. The tanks in the convoy were, for the most part, using their machine guns against targets rather than their main guns, except on buildings that were particularly stingy. For the most part the M2011s and Bradleys were doing the majority of the hurting with their automatic cannons and small bore tank guns.

Things boiled exponentially. Each minute put more enemy fighters on the rooftops and on the streets. The convoy moved by inches, taking heavy fire, the HMMWVs beginning to weaken. As the brutal onslaught continued, the Delta Operatives moved from their position of force against the two caches and began moving towards to the next target objective. It was less than a mile from where they were but they were taking heavy fire, forced to move quickly and in small groups, stopping frequently to return fire. it would take them a very long time but the convoy would have to either wait for them or pick them up.

Finally, when the convoy reached the target building it was some twenty minutes behind schedule. Luckily, for them, the marks were still in the building. The troops dismounted and stormed the compound. Additionally, many stayed with the convoy and protected it as it fanned out around the compound, surrounding it. Soldiers would be responsible for keeping dreaded RPGs away from the vehicles as each one could do serious damage to any one of the vehicles if used in excess. Those manning the turrets would be also tasked with the same duty. Many of them were operating 12.7mm M2HB machine guns while others had the MK-19 Grenade Launcher and the rest had the 15.5mm M31 machine gun. Either way, their impressive firepower decimated whatever it was trained on. And then came the bad news...

Part XV: Slaughter House II

What had changed since this war started? Nothing. The only thing that was different now were the numbers of those dead on both sides of the conflict. It was a disaster for the Layartebian military thus far and all the signs pointed to Baltiysk as another lost battle. The most battles the ILM lost, the more men died, the more damage done, and the more angry the population grew.

The convoy had the compound surrounded and there was no in or out for enemy insurgents. Some eighty men from the convoy were inside, shooting away and moving from room to room. The number of dead insurgents thus far severely outnumbered the dead Layartebians, which was, to the moment, still zero. The Deltas moving towards the compound seemed to be taking losses but they were still just flesh wounds. Inside the compound, the insurgents were too confused to mount any strong defense and mostly wound up shooting each other.

Overhead, the helicopters and the AC-130 took out tactical positions that the insurgents were using. The real problem came from the road blocks. They would have to be cleared somehow. The night was dark and cold. Each minute that bore on seemed like a minute that was unnecessary. But fuel was of the essence and the AC-130 couldn't stay up all night long.

Gunfire echoed through the compound, which was more or less a mansion with six courtyards, a swimming pool, three levels, and nearly sixty rooms. There were at least three hundred insurgents in the place and with the eighty Layartebian soldiers storming it, the bodies piled up. Wounds were taken on both sides but still none fatal for the Layartebian soldiers.

As the convoy beat up the compound and slaughtered those in surrounding buildings, the Deltas gained more ground. They were spread out, all eighty of them, for six blocks but they were only eight away from the compound, moving in groups of four to eight from structure to structure, clearing them, returning fire, and then continuing on their way. They were all armed with either M8 LARs or M30A1 Assault Rifles. They carried hundreds of rounds, using a dual feed, one hundred round drum more than a standard thirty-round clip. Space was of the essence for them in their packs but they were experts at maximizing space.

As they fired from structure to structure, taking down insurgents by the dozens as they fired from rooftops or windows, the gunfire from the convoy became louder and louder. The deep, brutal sounds of the M2HBs and M31s were the loudest. The loud slams of the larger caliber weapons on the armored units was a dull roar as well, with the hum of each engine echoing throughout the city streets. The two Delta groups had their own orders for when it came time to siege the compound. Of each group of forty, half would maintain perimeter support and the other half would attack the compound. They were supposed to be there already but unfortunately were being held up by heavy resistance that seemed to last for an eternity. It appeared that for every insurgent they killed another forty appeared in his or her place. And each individual they had to killed seemed to be tougher than the last and it grew exponentially.

Finally, after twenty minutes of moving from structure to structure, something that should have taken four minutes at the most, they were at the compound and ready to go. They split off and provided perimeter security and hit the compound, just nine minutes after the convoy had arrived. The soldiers inside made progress but not enough. The special forces operatives would have to assist them and make it go quicker. They struck from the east and from the south, the regular soldiers having gone in from the north and from the west. The plans were committed to and it was as if the operation would go well. But that was when grief struck.

Only two minutes after the Deltas slammed the compound, a grenade went off near a group of three Layartebian soldiers, killing two and critically injuring the other one. Shrapnel had pierced an artery and he was bleeding fast. Along with the two KIAs, he too was brought out, Sergeant Fillmore. Three HMMWVs would be immediately sent back to base with the two KIAs, Sergeant Fillmore, and any other severe injuries that took the soldiers out of the fight. The task now was to get out of the city alive. A pair of AH-6J Littlebirds would escort them out and the A-10s, using their MK-82 bombs, cleared out a few of the roadblocks.

As the three HMMWVs barreled through the city, taking fire from every direction and every angle, the two AH-6Js unleashed unholy hell onto any insurgent who was exposed. The M2HBs each HMMWV were used heavily, pouring 12.7mm fire into every opening that they could. Getting out of the city took five minutes, another ten left on Sergeant Fillmore's clock. The HMMWVs exited the city, the gunners tired and weary from the hundreds of rounds they fired into just about everything around them. But Fillmore didn't make it. He died on route, the bleeding to severe to stop.

Back at the compound, insurgent forces dropped faster, the Delta operatives taking them down without mercy. The soldiers sped up their pace as well, news of the three KIAs sweeping through the ranks. Morale was instantly lowered but not enough to cease fighting. The soldiers fought harder, avenging the deaths of their three fallen brothers. And then it happened...

Part XVI: Slaughter House III

The mortars just slammed down. Best guesstimates were that they were 60mm, probably fired from a few blocks away. The 60mm mortars that the insurgents possessed were good between 75 meters and 2.5 kilometers. They could be anywhere within that radius. They were probably being fired out of windows and they made no sound as they came crashing down. Immediately turning the roof and a courtyard into smokey rubble. Two soldiers were immediately killed and another six were injured severely. Frantic radio calls to the pilots of the Apache Longbows and the Spectre called for them to help find the mortar location. Using FLIR, both the Apaches and the Spectre gunship scanned the city, to no avail, wherever they were they doing a good job of hiding it. They came in groups of four, slamming into the compound and the surrounding area.

"We got a possible visual. Three hundred meters to the east, upper window. Smoke." One of the Delta teams reported over the main channel. "Smoke now." Seconds later, the mortars slammed into the compound again, the fifth salvo, the bodies just piling up.

"Roger that Kilo 22. We've got visual. Standby." An Apache came screaming in at over a hundred miles per hour. It had a full complement of Hellfires still remaining and about half of its rockets. The Apache painted the laser on the window and from nine hundred meters away, firing a Hellfire. The missile lifted off and climbed rapidly, moving at a speed of Mach 1.3. It stabilized about six hundred feet off the ground and shot forward for a second or two. Then it went into a 45° dive and slammed right into the window, its blast fragmentation warhead turning the entire top floor and that room into an inferno. A sixth salvo of mortars landed but not a seventh. "Target destroyed. Advise further action over."

"Roger that. That you Apache 2."

"Not a problem."

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The night was fully set in. Inside the compound, the last elements of resistance were being stomped out and all of the prisoners were ready. They would load onto the vehicles next and get out of the city. They would be moving with two less HMMWVs as they were destroyed by RPGs but it was not a problem, they had enough room. But the city was still a twisted wreck, the amount of roadblocks piling up massively.

It was 2200 when the convoy began moving, heading out of the city, fully loaded with dead, wounded, living, and the prisoners will more room still for other people. The tanks had finally begun to use their main cannons, firing into buildings and windows that they were taking fire from. It was almost as if they were in the middle of a hurricane but instead of rain it was bullets crashing down. They ranged from 5.56mm to 7.62mm to 12.7mm. The larger rounds were fired mostly from fixed window positions that were easy to take out with fire from the IFVs and APCs.

By 2300, they were still in the city, mostly driving in circles, trying to avoid roadblocks. They were too large to knock out with bombs or gunfire from the aircraft and helicopters above but they had no other choice but to find some without that much density so they could take it out from the air.

By 2330, they still hadn't found any. The A-10s were low on fuel and had to return to base, the Apaches running low on fuel. Without air support, they would be sitting ducks. Relief Apaches were coming in but there would be a sixteen minute area of no coverage between the two flights. The Spectre had refueled in air but was running low on ammunition, with less than a quarter of its load still remaining. Another one was on the way but it wouldn't arrive for some thirty minutes, flying from the east. But by 2345, another aspect of the mission came in, a much different aspect.

A man-portable SAM tagged one of the Apaches and brought it down hard in the middle of the city. It was still loaded with two Hellfires, all four Stingers, and about two hundred rounds of 30mm ammunition. The convoy would have to turn back and rescue the pilots, as well as destroy the Apache. The roadblocks were adding up though, slowly pinning the convoy into a small area of town. A team of Deltas would disembark and go to the crash site on foot, to secure it as the convoy came. Forty of them dismounted and headed at full speed to the west, where the chopper was down some nine hundred meters away from their position. The enemy fire throughout the city had doubled in a mere sixty seconds.

The Delta team moved as they had in the previous hours, structure to structure, in small groups. Ammunition held on the convoy was enough to resupply them for some time, enough to get to the crash site. It went down in a park, surrounded by trees and structures, not the best tactical position. From the sky, the Spectre crew reported that the Apache was on its side and they would remain on station to protect it but was running low on ammunition.

"JOC. The bird is on its side. We're not seeing much movement. No fire."

"Roger that. Protect from the air. We're sending the convoy in with Littlebird support. Direct the Apaches in."

"Roger that. Recommend those A-10s get here fast!"

"ETA four minutes."

"That's not going to be good enough, tell them to expedite." The 105mm howitzer on the Spectre let loose one of its remaining ten rounds, putting it straight into the window of one of the surrounding buildings. Its 40mm was dry and they had another six hundred rounds of 20mm left. The Littlebirds coming in, supporting the convoy, were low on ammunition and fuel as well, using their 7.62mm Miniguns and their 2.75" rockets to slam the roadways. The IFVs, APCs, and MBTs with the convoy opened up as well, using their machine guns and main guns to slaughter the structures, leaving nothing but debris and smoke. The convoy was moving through the streets at thirty to forty miles per hour. Speed was life...

Part XVII: Slaughter House IV

It was 0200, things hadn't improved. The Delta Team got to the crashed Apache but it was pounded by enemy mortar fire and small arms fire. The convoy had taken a severe beating and was barely running anymore. The forty Deltas who had gone to the crash site were only twenty-six now and the two pilots were injured badly, one was unable to walk. They were all hunkered down in a structure some fifty meters from the crash, a structure that was not sound, that was falling apart from the plethora of bullets and mortar rounds. Two more groups from the convoy detached and were scattered around the city, another sixty men in total.

It was getting late and the convoy was running dangerously low on fuel, enough for another hour of driving or a return to the base. They had to make a call and it was done, the call to return back to base. A pair of A-10s came screaming in, dropping eight MK-82 bombs on a single series of roadblocks, enough to clear a path out of the city. The eighty-six men trapped in the city would have to wait it out until the morning, if they survived. Supplies would be dropped in over night from UH-60L Black Hawks and AH-6J Littlebirds would attempt to keep them covered but it wasn't easy. They were scattered across seventeen structures, many of them injured, many dying from their wounds.

Medical supplies and ammunition were the most important of the drops, these made under the most cover. A-10s and AH-64s would come screaming in, lighting up everything that flashed and moved. Then the UH-60Ls would drop the supplies and another wave of AH-64s, A-10s, and AH-6s came in to provide cover. They did that two dozen times by morning, no Layartebian soldier taking a single injury during the time period. Air cover was brutal. The AC-130 overhead kept the enemy forces down, far down.

As the dawn emerged, central command began to organize where everyone was scattered. The fighting intensified as the sun came up, keep those unable to move pinned where they were. Brave insurgents would try to rush the positions but most wound up getting no where fast, dying by quick and simple shots from both the aircraft and the soldiers. It was estimated that by 0600, a grand total of ten thousand rounds had been expended by Layartebian ground forces alone, let alone from the aircraft, helicopters, and enemy forces.

A-10s and AH-64s were doing the most work, slaughtering those rushing and those in exposed view. The FLIR units on both types of aircraft allowed them to spot enemy forces through the smoke and through the dust. A fresh convoy was coming in as well, on its way from the base in Primorsk. The convoy included the same vehicles as before but instead of HMMWVs, they took more Scorpion IFVs and another two Emperor MBTs. The convoy would come into the city firing madly, making stops at each of the seventeen locations, under heavy fire. A second AC-130 would be used for the rescue operation and the two A-10s were relieved by two more, the four AH-64s by four more, and the ten AH-6s by ten more. All-in-all, there were some twenty-four aircraft operating over Baltiysk, eighty men on the ground, and another two hundred on the convoy.

The convoy entered the city at 0630 and made its way to the first stop, it would progress along the route for the remainder of the day, smoke being used to shield the convoy from being seen. Smoke rockets were used by aircraft and smoke grenades fired from the tanks and vehicles. By 0830 though, they had only gone to three of the stops, picking up more wounded and incapacitated than alive and able.

Slowly but surely they moved onward, pushing deeper through the city. By 1300, they had hit all seventeen spots, picked up all of the people, living and dead, and were once again on their way out of the city. But once again, the roadblocks were set up, this time stronger than last. The A-10s and AC-130s pounded them as the convoy slowly moved out of the city, taking fire from all directions. It wasn't until 1500 that they got out of the city. By 1545, they were back at base. Later that night many would die from their wounds. Of the four hundred and eighty men on the ground, eighty-six were dead and one hundred and seventy-nine were injured. The two pilots of the Apache that crashed also died. Best estimates for the number of insurgents dead were between five thousand and eighty-two hundred, far more than they dished out. The mission was a success for the Layartebian military but it showed that they were not invincible. Whatever battle was next wouldn't be so decisive!

Part XVIII: Devil 505

The two F-16C Falcon Block 50 flight took off at 0745 for a routine patrol mission near Slavsk in the northern portion of Kaliningrad. Recent intelligence put a pair of T-80UM Main Battle Tanks in the sector there along with some forty infantry men. The two F-16Cs were each loaded with two AIM-120C-7 AMRAAMs, two AIM-9X Sidewinders, two GBU-16/B Paveway IIs, two 370 gallon fuel tanks, and a single ALQ-131 Block II ECM pod along with the full load of five hundred and fifteen 20mm rounds. They were to fly level at angels 18 to the target where an RQ-1 would be used to vector them into position. The RQ-1 would use its FLIR and laser designator to locate the tanks and guide the 1,000 pound, laser-guided, Paveway II bombs.

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The F-16s took off from Kaliningrad Airfield and climbed to 18,000 feet, moving at five hundred knots. The air to air missiles were merely out of habit and just incase some invading nation decided to fly aircraft over Kaliningrad. The four bombs would be the primary weapons here. The two of them were flying straight and level in no time, heading towards the target area. The radio chatter between them was minimal. It wasn't very far and moving at five hundred knots would put them over the target in no time. They'd even have plenty of loiter time and if worst came to worst, a KC-10A Extender could be vectored in to refuel them. The pair of them only had fourteen thousand pounds of internal fuel and the KC-10A carried three hundred and fifty-six thousand pounds, enough for plenty of refuels.

As they flew towards the target area, the pilots left it on autopilot and relaxed, the clouds underneath and over them making the sky a lonely place. The sun was setting in the east and they had their sun-visors down due to the brightness of it. At 18,000 feet, they were hard targets for the enemy. The RQ-1 orbiting the target area was up at 27,000 feet, moving at a mere one hundred knots, flying a box pattern, identifying targets and relaying them back to the command center in Kaliningrad. It was unarmed, its sensors being its only tool against the enemy.

Ten minutes before the F-16s were to arrive on target, the operations commander from the command center contacted him. "Devil flight, Devil flight. This is JOC. Come in over?"

"JOC this is Devil Flight leader. Over."

"Sir. We've got the technicals. Two of them. Report status. Over."

"Still one thousand in the externals, full load, no threats. Over."

"Roger that. Grid square six-d. Point four-zero-niner. Over."

"Roger that we got that square. ETA eight minutes over."

"Targets in group of some twenty-six infantry. Armament unknown. Over."

"Roger that. Guidance? Over."

"Predator will guide you down sir. Over."

"Roger that. I'll give the okay when you are over the target. Out." The F-16 pilots smartened up and while they kept their aircraft on autopilot, they were prepared fully to drop their bombs. While they were flying they set the mode on their bombs to slave, meaning that they would be guided by a different source than the releasing aircraft. When they were only twenty-six miles out, they began to set their bomb parameters. First they turned on their air to ground radars and armed the weapons.

"Devil Flight this is Predator. Over."

"Got ya Predator. Weapons hot and ready. Over."

"Drop the bombs at eight miles. Predator will guide one per time. Over."

"Roger that. Pickle. Over the target. GBU away!" The lead F-16C banked hard to the left as the other one followed. The single, thousand pound bomb sprung fins and took a 45° down path to the target. The laser-beam reflecting from the T-80UM from the Predator was what guided the bomb and its four hundred and fifty-four pound warhead. The bomb descended quickly, reaching its terminal velocity and sniping down onto the tank. A few feet above the tank its warhead detonated, completely demolishing the tank and killing half of those around it. It also alerted those who survived and were near the other tank.

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"Devil Flight that's a good hit. Come around for strike two. Same procedure. Over."

"Roger that, turning inbound, one minute to drop. Over."

"Very well. FLIR is tracking the technical on the move. Infantrymen scattered. Over."

"Roger that. Pickle. GBU away!" The second F-16C dropped one of its bombs and it also descended to 45° as it dropped the seven miles to the target. The results were much of the same. Only this time, the turret was blown completely off.

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"Devil Flight good hit. Targets destroyed. Return to base. Over."

"Roger that. Returning to base. Out." They turned back to the southwest as they began their journey back to the base. But at that moment, things became very difficult for them. A pair of missiles streaked up towards them and they didn't even know it. Their on board computer was dropping flares automatically and they took off with sixty total, having twenty-two remaining. One of the missiles tagged the rear stabilizer of the lead F-16. Inside of an instant, shrapnel cut and sliced through the engine, immediately destroying it. Warning bells went off in the cockpit as the second missile went amiss towards a flare. A single message read across the MFD, Turbine Failure. It was no more than four seconds later when the pilot finally was able to react. "S*** I'm hit. I've got a turbine failure. Yeah I'm going in."

"This is Devil Flight mayday mayday. Grid square six-d. Seventeen miles bearing 200 of previous target. Lead is going down. Looks like a MANPAD hit. Smoke from the rear. Request assistance immediately. Over."

"Devil Flight this is JOC. Is there a chute? Over."

"Not yet. Lead is getting lower. Request permission to descend with lead. Over."

"Denied. Stay up at angels twenty. Over."

"Roger that. I see a bail out. Lead is roughly at six thousand. Wait I see a chute. Over."

"State position over."

"Previous, twenty miles bearing 200 of previous target, grid six-d. Over."

"Roger that we've got you. Will await contact of pilot. Return to base. Out." The second F-16 pilot shook his head and turned off his radar. He could see the chute descend into the foliage down below and he knew his lead pilot well. He would be fine on the ground. Another missile streaked up at him but self-destructed around fourteen thousand feet, some two miles from the aircraft.

What the hell have we gotten into here! He thought to himself as he banked his F-16 back towards home. He couldn't see anymore but the chute had landed and in the worst possible place, just sixteen meters from a camouflaged infantry meeting.

"Goddamn trees! I swear this is what the second time I've done this. You'd think I learned the first time!" The pilot let go of his chute and landed on the ground after a two meter fall. It hurt and he sprained his ankle but it was better than being stuck in a tree. "Well that kills hiding my chute. Now where the hell am I." He pulled out his map and looked at it. He picked up his radio seconds later and reported his position. "This is Devil 505 ground. I'm at marker six-four-eight-niner. My ankle feels weird and I'm not sure where I am." JOC responded with orders. He would traverse south for ten kilometers to the extraction zone, where a pair of UH-60L Black Hawks would be there to pick him up. He'd never make it.

As he put his map away and set his bearings, he drew his pistol, an M33A2. He began to walk immediately, as fast as he could, walking off the mild sprain. He got maybe a kilometer before gunfire echoed around him. It immediately sent him into a frenzy and he began to walk faster, nearly running. It was a matter of seconds later when bullets crashed around him. "S***! S***!" He yelled as he looked around. He had no visual at all and kept on the move. "JOC this is Devil 505 ground. I'm under fire. Request assistance immediately. Over."

"Unable to comply. Escape and evade. Out." Inside the JOC, everything was insane. The rescue mission was being planned and the Black Hawks were already in the air. They were being escorted by a pair of AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters with enough firepower to slaughter a small army. Unfortunately, the pilot wouldn't get more than another half kilometer.

A 7.62 x 39mm round fired from an AK-47, ripped through his leg. It didn't hit any vital arteries but immediately put him onto the ground. He had his pistol raised and at the ready. Two infantrymen came over the hill to his rear and he could hear them talking, apparently they weren't the top of the pile. The insurgents approached slowly but loudly and when the pilot knew they were close enough, he laid down and looked back. He fired off three rounds at each person, killing both of them with shots to the lungs and the heart. If it was only them that he would face. Those two were, essentially reconnaissance, for a larger group of insurgents behind a small hill. There were sixteen of them approaching, all armed with AK-47s and AK-74Ms. They could tear him to shreds inside of a few seconds.

As he peaked back at the squad coming across the hill. There were two squads in total and he had killed two men of one of the squads. The other two squads were back at the mobile base. Together they were a full platoon, most of them locals armed with old weaponry that was not top of the line, not anything fit to fight the Layartebian military with. He took a few more pop shots but didn't do anything significant. He was forced to stop shooting, being surrounded of course by the sixteen enemy soldiers. "You guys seen my jeep?" He mocked them, then taking a kick to the face. "Guess not." They kicked his pistol away and began shouting at him in the native tongue. "English. English!" He pulled out a card and showed it to them. In English it said, "I am a Layartebian Soldier. I am to be returned unharmed to my country. We protect our own!" The soldiers laughed, reading the side that was in their language. They muttered something and finally one of them spoke English.

"Get up."

"Well I would but my leg hurts."

"Get up!"

"I CAN'T!!!"

"GET UP!!!" They grabbed him and pulled him up. "MOVE!" As they carried him towards the camouflaged little base camp, they kept speaking in the native language, a dialect of Russian. The pilot remained quiet, not throwing any of his sarcastic remarks up just yet. When they got to the camouflage base camp, the platoon commander overlooked him.

They continued to speak Kaliningradian. As the pilot took note of the maps and of the markings on the map he could see that they were preparing for something, something quite deadly in the area. There was a Layartebian outpost just sixteen miles away with a light detachment of soldiers, armor, and artillery. Finally, the commander spoke, "You are pilot?"

"I am pilot."

"What is your mission? Reconnaissance?"

"No."

"What was your mission?"

"None."

"None? What your mission?"

"I HAD NO MISSION ASSHOLE!" The commander smacked him with his rifle for yelling.

"You come with us. Shoot video."

"I shoot you."

"Video now!" Underneath the camouflage they had a stolen HMMWV and two 5-ton trucks, obviously from an ambushed patrol. It was time for them to move out and inside of ten minutes, the entire area looked as if nobody had touched it. They made their way back to Slavsk. A large mansion would serve as their basing. It was listed as a civilian target mainly because a prominent civilian lived there, a Parliamentary minister. Therefore, it wasn't on the watch list. The three vehicles parked in the lustrous garage and the pilot was dragged out, restrained, and brought into a room in the basement, a room that looked like it belonged in a third world shanty rather than a multimillion dollar mansion.

They had a makeshift room that they would use for the video shoot and they stuck the pilot in a chair, tied down, and set up the camera. "You read script!"

"Yeah."

"Answer my questions."

"Yeah."

"Name?"

"Captain R.J. Hacken."

"Unit?"

"I'm with the Slavask Fighter Squadron. Four-two-six-eight-eight-eight-one-six-nine."

"Your mission?"

"I had no mission."

"You bomb our tanks?"

"I bomb no tanks."

"You lie."

"What plane you fly?"

"F-16 Falcon Block 50 Serial ID two-two-two-six-six-four-one-dash-eighty."

"Good that is that!!" He shut off the camera, unbeknownst that the pilot had, using code, given out his position and an alert that something big was about to go down at Slavask. The tape would arrive in the hands of the Layartebian military within six hours and thereby seal the fate of those who captured and shot him down.

Back in JOC, the tape arrived shortly after 1300. "Well we've got a video. What do we do with it now?"

"We analyze it Sergeant!" There were six people analyzing the tape. Two were from the Ministry of Intelligence and the other four were higher ups in the military presence there. It didn't take long for them to pick up on the information that the pilot revealed. After all, that's what they were trained for. "Smart son of a bitch. Good job Hacken. Good job..."

"Get that information out immediately to who needs to know. Chances are they won't be keeping him where they took that video. Get a map up of all the structures within an hour of the crash site moving at sixty miles per hour. Additionally, get some information on where the crash actually is. We'll have to destroy what systems are on that bird. Do it now!" The JOC commander barked orders and they were instantly followed. But as the sun began to set, nothing had been done yet. It was 2000 when word finally got to where it needed to be, Force Falcon.

The rescue operation took all of six minutes to plan. Colonel Delaney and his team would parachute in, a kilometer from the downed F-16. Then they would canvas the area, destroy the equipment, and trek six kilometers to the west to a farm, where they believed the pilot was being held in the main farmhouse. If not there, there was a barn with a grain silo some six hundred meters away from the farmhouse. In the dead of night, their night vision would enable them to see up to four hundred and fifty meters. The enemy, who was definitely not packing night vision goggles would be limited to under fifty.

Colonel Delaney and his seven men would be going in fully armed. Between them, they had five M30A3 Carbines with two hundred and ten rounds each, one M36 Sniper Rifle with seventy rounds, one M35 Light Machine Gun with six hundred rounds, and one M37A3 Special Assault Carbine with two hundred and ten rounds. They all packed M33A3 Pistols with forty-eight rounds each. As for grenades, they all took three M67 Fragmentation grenades, two M84 Flash grenades, and one M14 Thermite grenade. They didn't carry any heavy weaponry and all of their weapons, sans the M35, would be suppressed or silenced in order to keep their presence at a complete minimum.

The RQ-1 flight identified some camoflage at the corner of one of the farm plots. FLIR showed signs of a thermal signature and radar emissions were briefly detected. It was a possible surface-to-air unit that they would have to destroy. Using their thermite grenades, they could spare two on the F-16 and two on the SAM unit, enough to demolish both and make them completely unusable.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01.jpg

On board the C-17 flight, Colonel Delaney went over the briefing. "We'll parachute into here, the IP/EP point." He pointed to the top right corner of the map. "This is the northeast sector. Squad A will go immediately to the crash site to secure it. We have to go through mostly grass with some shrubs and a good amount of trees but not that much. This line here is a river. We'll cross that and up to the main farm plot, where the F-16 is crashed. It skidded in, lucky pilot. Squad B will immediately go to the barn and secure it. We'll both meet up at the farm house. Squad B will, en route to the farm house, investigate the possible SAM unit. The farmhouse area consists of the following: a two-story house across from a makeshift garage. There is a wooden fence and irrigation ditches running everywhere. There are some small structures in the size of an outhouse here and here. Nothing to get worried about. The barn is as follows: two floors, windows on front and back. The grain silo is to the southeast of it. Also there are wooden fences, nothing over three feet. The main crash site is in a field that's very open, low crop this year apparently. There are some large bails scattered around but not enough to hide us. We're going to have to clear it before we set of the thermite. We meet back up at the farmhouse, clear it, get our pilot, get back to the extraction point. There a group of UH-60L Black Hawks from the outpost will pick us up, supported by a pair of Apache Longbows and two Sea Stallions. Any questions? Normal suppressed only, move fast and move quiet."

"Sir?"

"Yes Jackson."

"What if he's at the barn?"

"Bypass the SAM unit and the farm house. Get him back to the EP immediately. If he needs medical attention, give what is critical immediately. Less serious will have to wait until we're in the Black Hawks. Anything else?"

"Sir?"

"Yes Steel?"

"What about my squad?"

"Squad C will remain at the IP/EP and provide support if necessary. Get down low and stay there. You've got the M37 and the M36 so you should be able to keep off a good amount of forces. It's a clearing with just grass so make sure you get in well with that ghille. If you need to advanced slightly west if there is a ditch. South too for that matter. As far as the M35. Keep it quiet unless we need it. Stay on your pistol."

"Roger that sir."

"Any more? No? Okay we're good to go. We're doing this HALO so remember that this isn't the safest thing on Earth. Once we're down make sure you get your gear set. We're bringing the tactical cover with us so we can hide our equipment for the time being. It's going into the Sea Stallions. Let's get this done men. We're about eight minutes out from the drop point now. We're coming in from the east so we'll be fine as long as we don't overshoot. Use your GPS indicators and watch your altitude on the opening. We're moving fast and that's a hard ground. Remember actual!" The eight men moved to the ready point, their oxygen masks and tanks ready, their chutes ready to be pulled. They weren't wearing their night vision for the drop, they needed the oxygen more importantly. That meant that they were going in blind. The GPS indicators that carried would be what they'd use.

The C-17 would drop them and proceed further along a straight path for some sixty miles, well out of the range of the radar, if it were present. Then they would turn for home. It was imperative that if that was a SAM unit, it be destroyed. The eight men jumped out with their usual spacing, having done this over a hundred times. It was 32,000 feet down to the ground and they would be moving at over two hundred miles per hour by the time they pulled their chutes. Care was of the utmost importance.

The minutes seemed like hours as they descended rapidly and at thirty-five hundred feet, they pulled their chutes, rapidly slowing down. They'd have rough landings but survivable ones. Immediately upon landing, Colonel Delaney deployed the tactical cover, which was basically a tarp that looked like a section of the ground. They stored their masks, tanks, and chutes under there for the time being, properly spaced. Holes on the top of the tarp prevented air from rising the tarp inside as it would be held down by stakes, pushed into the ground by the soldiers. It took all of four and a half minutes to have that ready and done. "Squad B move out. Squad A on me. Squad C stay put. Report all contacts and kills. Good luck men!"

Colonel Delaney and his squad immediately moved out, running east towards the hill slope at full speed, their night vision goggles showing everything for four hundred and fifty meters as various shades of green. The hill rose about ten meters. All of them had M30A3 Carbines and they knew how to use them. None of them took the 40mm grenade launcher on their weapons but some carried the front handle, allowing for better control. As they ascended the hill, they heard voices, the inevitable patrol. Quietly, they crouched up the hill to the top and stopped, overlooking around them. There was sparse foliage and they could not see anybody but the voices had gotten louder. They were speaking Kaliningradian and Colonel Delaney could smell smoke, cigarette smoke. He motioned with his hand that they were smoking. The three of them moved forward slower, going prone and crawling. Then the heads of the two voices came into view. Colonel Delaney motioned that there were two of them, talking and smoking. He drew his pistol and so did one of the other men with him. They creeped forward, crawling through the grass. Then, when they were about two meters away, looking at the back of their heads, they both fired. The bullets pierced through the skulls of both sentries and put them on the ground. Neither of them made a sound. "Colonel. Group of three to the left." The third member whispered. Colonel Delaney put away his pistol and drew his rifle. Three men were approaching, roughly three hundred meters away, relaxed and unaware. "Take middle. Take right. I have left. One shot. Head. On my signal." Colonel Delaney took aim and fired, the other two followed within a fraction of a second. All three of the soldiers went down without a sound. "Squad A. Five tangos down. Group of two, group of three. Beware roving patrols."

Squad A moved out again, descending the hill to the river. It was shallow but fast moving. There were some rocks but not enough to walk across. They would have to get wet. "Squad B. Two tangos down." Squad A moved through the river quickly, which was as deep as their knees. They shot up another hill and once at the top of the ten meter hill, they saw level ground. The farm plot was dead ahead. It was roughly four hundred meters long and two hundred and fifty wide, with the F-16 crashed to the far western side. The three of them stayed low and crawled to the edge of the plot. They could see two groups of three standing about one hundred and fifty meters away with about a hundred meters in between them. "We got six guys. Three and three. One fifty away. I'll take left, you take right, you manage both. My cue." Colonel Delaney looked down the scope of his rifle and put the Bulls-eye on the head of his target. He popped one off and the other two with him popped one off. Three of the six fell immediately and the other three caught on. Two of them scattered behind a hay bail and one wasn't so quick. He was shot in the upper chest trying to get away. The other two were scared and they had their weapons drawn. One began to move around and peak to the direction that Squad A was in. He was put down right away. "Squad C. Two tangos down." Colonel Delaney was waiting on the third but he seemed just a little too smart to do something that dumb. Instead, he called to his friends, another seven scattered around the farm plot. Four of them were to the extreme south of the plot and the other three were to the extreme north.

Both groups moved slowly and kept low, their weapons drawn at the ready. "Okay he's not coming out. Let's double north and get this son of a bitch!" Squad A picked up and began to move northward when they spotted the group of three. "S*** three more coming from the north. Take them out." The three of them fired a burst shot each, sending the three soldiers to the ground, dead. "Squad A. Eight tangos down. In pursuit of one." As they moved northward they finally got a good angle on the one hiding soldier. He was sitting down, his back to the hay bale, his rifle at the ready. It only took a single shot to take him out. "Squad A. Pursuit down. Nine tangos total." As they moved out into the plot they saw the rustling in the trees to their south and immediately, AK-47 fire lit up the sky. "S*** they got a bead on us. Get down." They hit the deck and crawled into an irrigation ditch. "Burst first. Let's get them on the first try." They crawled up to the top of the ditch and picked a target. One trigger pull sent three rounds into the chest of the target. They nailed three and the fourth immediately went prone and hid behind a bush, firing off about six rounds. It pushed Colonel Delaney and his men back down into the ditch. "One left. Let's get this son of a bitch. Move west through the ditch, maybe we'll get a bead." They crawled west through the ditch, heading towards the plane. As they put distance between themselves and the soldier, they could hear more rifle rounds, though these were going into the position they were previously in. "Squad B. At barn. Four tangos down. Going inside."

About about ten meters, Colonel Delaney crawled up to the edge of the ditch and saw his target. He let loose another burst and killed the soldier. "Squad A. Four tangos down. Crash site clear." He scanned the farm plot and saw no one. "Alright men. Secure the crash site. I'm going in with the thermite." Colonel Delaney moved towards the crashed F-16, smoke still rising from the tail. He could see wreckage all across the farm plot and he knew that this was definitely the place. How stupid can you be to hold the pilot at the crash site! He smiled as he tossed in the thermite grenade and began running away. The five second fuse was just enough for him to get into the ditch as it exploded, engulfing the cockpit in flames of 4,000°F and would burn for a full minute, completely engulfing the cockpit and destroying all of its sensitive electronics. He noted the GPS position and immediately radioed it back to JOC, which was going to come in with a pair of F-19A Ghostriders, each armed with four GBU-31 JDAM bombs, equipped with 2,000 lb. warheads. The F-16 would be no more after the strike, which would be on the target in sixteen minutes, about the time they expected to be out of the target area.

"Squad B. Barn clear. Six tangos down. Blood but no sign of the pilot. Noose set up for a hanging. It's occupied now. Moving onto the SAM unit." Squad A began to move as well, working their way to the farmhouse from the north. They would hit the garage and the northern face of the farmhouse and clear that as Squad B came in from the south and cleared the eastern side and the southern side of the farmhouse. "Squad B reporting. Confirmed SAM unit. It's a SA-15 Gauntlet. MANPAD soldiers on the side. I count six tangos total plus however many are in the unit."

"Confirm Squad B. Take it!" Colonel Delaney and his team got on the move again, double timing it to the western edge of the farmhouse. When they were within four hundred meters they could easily see that there were seven soldiers standing around, three to the north, one on the stoop, and three to the west of it, by the garage, walking to the far side of it. "Guys. We hit north and stoop first. Move in and drop on the drainage ditch across that road. We'll take out the other three from there." They moved to the farmhouse and took aim. Single shots only nailed the first three. The fourth soldier immediately began running around to the west side of the farmhouse but a burst got him. That was time for a magazine change. With a fresh thirty-rounds loaded and one in the chamber, they were ready. They ran across the road to the drainage ditch and dropped down, waiting for the three soldiers to come around the side of the garage but they didn't. "Squad B. SA-15 clear. Thermite in ten seconds. Six tangos down." Colonel Delaney and his men waiting twenty seconds. "SA-15 destroyed. On move to the farmhouse." The three soldiers began running towards the SA-15 and brought themselves into view. Colonel Delaney and his squad put three rounds into each. "Squad A. Seven tangos down at the farmhouse. North and west clear. Moving to the garage." Squad A moved to the garage but on the way they took a peak at the top floor window. There was a single soldier standing, his back to the window. "Confirmed one inside the house."

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01a.jpg
View of the farmhouse from the north.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01b.jpg
View of the farmhouse from the garage to the west.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01c.jpg
View of the farmhouse from the northeast. Dead tangos can be seen.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01d.jpg
View of the farmhouse from the northeast.

"Squad B. Six tangos to the southeast down. At farmhouse. I got a visual on Squad A."

*****
Squad B began moving immediately from the start point. They were heading to the barn as fast as they could. They moved towards the river and as they were on their way towards the river the radio came alive. "Squad A. Five tangos down. Group of two, group of three. Beware roving patrols." They reached the river bank, which was on the same level as they were but they would to ascend a hill, maybe eight meters or so, on the other side of the river. "Guys two at the top of the hill. Single shot. Head only." They fired and knocked the two soldiers down and they wound up rolling down into the river. "Squad B. Two tangos down." They crossed the river and went up the hill. They had a visual on the barn but they also had a visual on the four soldiers standing at the northeast corner of it, all facing them. They were relaxed. "Squad C. Two tangos down." They sat tight. Two more soldiers walked out of the barn and began smoking and they could see one in the window above the barn.

They waited patiently. "Squad A. Eight tangos down. In pursuit of one." As they began to crawl towards the barn another soldier came around the western corner, making a total of eight within three hundred meters of them, all able to shoot at them. "Squad A. Pursuit down. Nine tangos total." Then the gunfire echoed over the distance and the barn became alive. The four relaxed soldiers on the corner sprang to, their weapons at the ready. The one at the window also began scanning the area. The two that had come out of the barn went back inside with the third that came around from the northwestern corner. "Okay guys. We'll go for the ground first then the window." More AK-47 fired echoed in the distance and they opened fire. They got three on the single shot and as the fourth began to scrambled towards them, thinking the fire came from his rear, he was put down with a burst to his chest. Squad B. At barn. Four tangos down. Going inside." They moved closed to the barn. There were, at minimum four inside of the barn.

"Squad A. Four tangos down. Crash site clear." They moved even closer, to within one hundred meters of the barn and they had a clear line of sight into the barn. They could see the soldier at the window and two inside on the ground floor. They each took one and dropped those three. The barn became alive as one soldier came running out but he took a burst to the chest. The squad returned to crouching stance and moved towards the side of the barn, preferring to go into the south around the grain silo. But when they got to the grain silo, there was another soldier in the window at the top. He was dispatched quickly with a single head shot. As they moved into the barn from the backdoor they could see a soldier at the very top, sleeping, a bottle of alcohol at his side. The squad leader smiled and crept up to the second floor of the barn. There was a noose hanging, obviously for the hanging of the pilot. A chair was set up and a lantern as well as internal lighting kept the barn bright. The squad leader had his pistol drawn and on the soldier who was asleep in drunken stupor. He got to within a meter of him and grabbed the noose. Then, with lightning speed, he threw the noose around his neck, kicked his rifle away, tightened up the noose, and kicked him out over the floor over the main floor of the barn. His neck didn't snap and as he struggled with the noose around his neck, he managed to suffocate himself quicker. Soon, he was lifeless, his arms dangling at his sides. The squad leader smiled and shot him twice in the chest to ensure that he was dead. "Squad B. Barn clear. Six tangos down. Blood but no sign of the pilot. Noose set up for a hanging. It's occupied now. Moving onto the SAM unit."

The SAM unit wasn't far from them and they moved quickly to it. When they got to the edge of the plot, they dropped down and observed it. It was definitely a SAM unit, an SA-15 Gauntlet, with six men standing around it, two MANPAD systems leaning up against the side of the SA-15. The camouflage net was well placed. "Squad B reporting. Confirmed SAM unit. It's a SA-15 Gauntlet. MANPAD soldiers on the side. I could six tangos total plus however many are in the unit."

"Confirm Squad B. Take it!" They fired a single shot each, killing the three closest soldiers, alerting the other three whom went to the other side of the SA-15 unit, and waited patiently. "Let's flank them. Keep low and a hundred meters away. Move fast." The three soldiers moved quickly as they flanked the SA-15 and came around to the other side in no time. It was only about eighty meters away from the edge of the farm plot and they moved with such speed that it was only a few seconds for them. The last three soldiers were easy kills, mostly because they were waiting for soldiers to come around the immediate sides, not show up behind them and shoot them in the back. They dropped in the thermite and wound up destroying not only the SA-15 but the two soldiers inside of it. "Squad B. SA-15 clear. Thermite in ten seconds. Six tangos down." Twenty seconds later they announced the SA-15 was gone, "SA-15 destroyed. On move to the farmhouse."

They began to move north to the farmhouse. "Squad A. Seven tangos down at the farmhouse. North and west clear. Moving to the garage. Confirmed one inside the house." But Squad B didn't get as far as fast as Squad A. As they came to the drainage ditch at the side of the road they saw six soldiers to the southeast, standing in a circle, smoke rising from a fire they had started, probably to cook their food. They fired quickly with bursts and moved their weapons as the bullets came out. The three bursts managed to kill all six of the soldiers. "Squad B. Six tangos to the southeast down. At farmhouse. I got a visual on Squad A."

:: PLEASE SEE NEXT POST FOR PICTURES ::

*****
"Alright Squad B. Go through the side door. Squad A is going through the front door. Use flash bangs. You first us second. We'll wait on your cue. Pounce hard."

Squad B moved to the southern door and cracked it just a little. They threw in a flash bang and its loud pop signaled Squad A to throw theirs. The second pop told both teams that it was time to go. Immediately, Squad A nailed a tango on the stairs and Squad B nailed another one in the pantry, looking in the kitchen. That was it for the first floor. "Squad B. Maintain security down here. We're going up to the second floor." Both of the doors were shut and Squad B took tactical positions throughout the first floor. One went into the pantry, one in the corner looking towards the stairs, and another in another corner looking to the front door.

Colonel Delaney and his soldiers moved slowly up the stairs. They were in an L shape as they moved up to the second floor, they peaked around the corner of the wall to see a room dead ahead. The other room was at the end of the hall. The closer room was the spot of the soldier who was seen earlier. As he came out of the room to go to the kitchen, he took three rounds to his heart. The bullets exited and shattered the window. The team threw a flash bang down the hallway and into the room, blinding both the pilot and a tango inside. As Colonel Delaney ran down to the room he looked to the right and shot the tango, who was in fact the would be executioner of the pilot. The pilot was on the bed, writhing in pain from the flash.

It took him three minutes to come to but when he did, he was delighted. "Layartebians?"

"Yes. We're here to get you out. Are you hurt?"

"Just your damn flash. Other than that I'm fine. My leg is a little sore and my ankle is sprained but I'll make due. Do you have a weapon for me."

"Yes. Here." Colonel Delaney handed him a silenced MP5 with a folding butt stock and three magazines. "Ninety rounds. Let's get you out of here." They moved back to the stairs but as Colonel Delaney came past a window something caught his eye. He aimed and fired at two soldiers coming towards the farmhouse from the northeast. "Coming down to the first floor. Two tangos down upstairs. Two tangos down to the northeast. Pilot secure. Let's get to the EP." They moved down the stairs and Squad B assembled.

"We heard movement outside. Two sets of footsteps..." Just then the front door opened and a soldier stood bewildered as he looked at six Layartebian soldiers. He fired off two rounds, both into Colonel Delaney. The tango took nine shots to his chest inside of a second. Colonel Delaney immediately went down. He took the shot right to the vest and to his shoulder, directly at his heart but it didn't go through.

"Sir, sir!"

"Cover that door. There's another one. S***. Take him down!"

"I'm alright I think. It didn't go through. Get him. My shoulder got it though."

"Tango down. Let's get out of here before the rest, if there are any, hear us."

"Roger that. Call in the bird." They were on the move back to the extraction point within five minutes, Colonel Delaney feeling the effects of the bullet. Even though his vest stopped the shell he was sore, very sore. His shoulder bled. The bullet had gone in and out and he had secured the wound with a bandage, made extra tight so that he could fire. It was on his right shoulder and he was right handed but he would make due. He had to!

:: PLEASE SEE NEXT POST FOR PICTURES ::

*****

They hustled back to the extraction point, running into no more soldiers, luckily. The Black Hawks arrived after ten minutes as did the Sea Stallions. Their gear was loaded up and the F-19As came screaming in, dropping their bombs from 20,000 feet and 600 knots. They dropped all four of them and shattered the F-16, blowing up it and its weapons. It was a successful mission and they managed to kill fifty-five soldiers, destroy an SA-15 and its crew, destroy the F-16, rescue the pilot, and take only a minor wound to Colonel Delaney. They'd all receive the Silver Star for their mission and Colonel Delaney would also be awarded a Purple Heart.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01m.jpg
View of extract point from Squad C. Tango kill.

Because I had too many pictures I had to put some in this post.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01e.jpg
View of the barn from the south. Tango can be seen.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01f.jpg
View of the barn from the south. Tango down at barn.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01g.jpg
View of the barn from the grain silo. Tango in upper window at south of barn.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01h.jpg
View from inside the barn.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01i.jpg
View inside farmhouse from Squad B.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01j.jpg
View inside farmhouse from Squad A.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01k.jpg
View of room with prisoner.

http://www.theforsakenoutlaw.com/Graphics/Nation-States/Role-Playing/Kingdom%20of%20Forgotten%20Warriors/kaliningrad-rescue-01l.jpg
View of room with prisoner. Dead tango seen.

Part XIX: The Final Battle Part I: Midnight Flurries

It was the 23rd of January. The Layartebian military was at its weakest point ever. The Layartebian military was split into three groups, one third defending Primorsk, one third in Kaliningrad, and one third all the way to the east in Chernyakhovsk. Rumors of a possible offensive by the insurgency in Kaliningrad had yet to develop but they were getting close, very close. The Layartebian military had lost a total of 4,257 men and another 8,200 were wounded. Civilian casualties thus far were between 2,000 and 16,000 with insurgent casualties between 20,000 and 32,000. The best estimates that they could muster put another 10,000 to 18,000 insurgents still capable within the country and it was expected that they would all square off in this final battle in Kaliningrad to expel the Layartebian invaders.

Task Force Majestic

Goal: To maintain security inside Kaliningrad as well as provide effective resistance to the insurgency.

Air Defenses - 6th Air Defense Unit (1st Regiment)

Avenger: 100
FC-1B Layarteb 88: 60
FC-1D Layarteb 88: 60
MIM-104G/H Patriot PAC-3 REM/REM-ER Sites: 6
M2004A1 Predator ADU: 200
M2007A1 Scorpion ADU: 80


Aircraft - 1st Expeditionary Force

A-10A Thunderbolt II: 30
AC-130U Spooky 10
C-130J Hercules: 20
F-15C Eagle: 50
F-15E Strike Eagle: 40
F-16C Falcon Block 50: 40
F-16CJ Falcon Block 50D: 28
F-22A Raptor: 50
F-26A Typhoon: 40
F-111M Aardvark: 24
FB-22B Manta: 40
MC-130H Combat Talon II: 10
RQ-1A Predator: 15
RQ-10A Pegasus: 15


Armor - 1st Cavalry Division (1st, 2nd, 3rd Regiments)

M1B1 Abrams II: 60
M2A2 Bradley: 60
M2A3 Bradley: 100
M6 Bradley Linebacker: 100
M109A6 Paladin: 55
M109A7 Paladin: 55
M110A3 Howitzer: 55
M113A3 APC: 140
M270 MLRS: 55
M813A1 5-ton Truck: 400
M998 HMMWV: 100
M2005A1 Boar: 55
M2006A1 Emperor: 115
M2006A2 Emperor: 115
M2007A2 Scorpion IFV: 140
M2007A3 Scorpion APC: 60
M2007A4 Scorpion TD: 55
M2008A1 Dingo APV: 100
M2009A1 Fennek: 60
M2010A1 Bushmaster IMV: 100
M2011A1 Scout: 60
M2011A2 Scout TD: 60
M2012A1 Marauder APC: 120
M2012A3 Marauder TD: 75
M2012A4 Marauder C3: 60
M2012A5 Marauder MR: 120
M2012A6 Marauder EW: 60
M2012A7 Marauder AT: 120
Miscellaneous Support: 700
ST-11 NGBT: 50
ST-21 NGBT: 50
Stryker (Various): 60


Helicopters - 1st Airborne Wing

AH-6J Littlebird: 200
AH-64D Apache Longbow: 120
AH-66A Commanche: 120
AH-94A Stalker: 30
CH-47D Chinook: 40
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior: 120
OH-93A Knightwolf: 80
OH-93B Knightwolf: 80
UH-60L Black Hawk: 320
UV-22A Osprey: 80


Infantry - 1st Infantry Corps (9 Divisions)

Officers: 18,000
Soldiers: 180,000
Support: 45,000


Special Forces - 1st Black Operations Unit (Force Falcon)

Officers: 25
Soldiers: 250
Support: 225


Special Forces - 1st Special Forces Unit (Delta Force)

Officers: 300
Soldiers: 1,500
Support: 200


It was just after two in the morning on the 23rd of January when the first gunshots echoed across Kaliningrad. A Layartebian patrol of six men had shot and killed four individuals running across the street past curfew. When they went to investigate the bodies, they would weapons and a map. These were insurgents and the map they found showed one significant fact, that the insurgent offensive had begun. The map showed positions for every Layartebian military center in the city and known patrols. They were organized, very organized.

By 0500, gunfire echoing through the streets was ten times more frequent. Layartebian units within the city were fully engaged, firing and shooting in just about every direction. Inside the House of the Layartebians, the situation was being monitored closely by an EP-3 flying overhead. The sky was cold and windy, a breeze coming in from the Baltic Sea to the west. It was about 28°F when the sun rose at 0842 and the temperature was expected to reach 34°F with some snow possibility. The sun would set just shy of 1700 and that was a little over 8 hours of sunlight, 8 hours of intense fighting.

The fighting increased each other, getting worse and worse with the rising sun and then double as worse with the setting sun. JOC analysis at 1800 put at least eight thousand insurgents in the city. The Layartebian force was not going to be enough to handle them. Helicopters and fighters were called in over the city to conduct search and destroy operations but there was little to find, the insurgents were remaining indoors.

It was going to be a long fight...

Part XX: The Final Battle Part II: Lost Prophets

I'm bored with this and out of ideas...I'm going to end it very soon...

Day 2 was dawning over Kaliningrad. Since 1800 the fighting became insane. It was just after 0500 now but the damage was done. Army and artillery had already been called in, the artillery working from three miles out, shelling various portions of the city as armor moved its way through, engaging and destroying hide-outs, snipers, and soldiers. Estimates put, at minimum, 12,000 insurgents inside the city and a total of 81,000 Layartebian soldiers in and around the city. A third was still in Primorsk and another third still to the west.

That was when hell broke loose, 0500. A pair of AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters flying over the city spotted and engaged a machine gun nest on the roof of the bank. Their Hellfire missiles tore through the roof and the windows, sending a massive ball of fire into the air. Two surface-to-air missiles followed, launched from across the street, both slamming into one of the Apaches. Spiraling out of control, the Apache slammed into the ground, no survivors could have taken that crash.

Still, the crash site had to be destroyed. On foot was Force Falcon Team One, deployed to the city only two hours prior, about eight hundred meters away from the crash site. Colonel Delaney looked at his men, tired and weary already from a prior engagement they had just faced. "Men, this is it. I ask only two things of you for this entire battle. First I ask that you defend your brethren. Second I ask that you all survive. We're going in four teams of two. This is what we're trained for, search and destroy. You'll find the enemy and you'll slaughter them. Team A is on me. Team B has the M38A2 fifty caliber sniper rifle. Team C has the M39 twenty-five millimeter payload rifle. Team D is on the XO. Let's get this done. B and C you are on hunt. Find the enemy, destroy them. If you spot vehicles or armor, take them out. Team D you are on search and destroy for back up. Help out the calls as they come in. Team A, on me. We have the M44 and we're going to be using it. Our goal is to get to the Parliament Building, a full klik and a half away. Inside are the rebel leaders. Good luck men!"

"Yes sir. Moving out!" The men smacked fists and moved out. The four teams, split from the one team, would kill with pleasure. Team B was going to go straight to the main city square, seven hundred meters away. Team C was going to the same place but just to the other side. Lastly, Team D was moving to the crash site, to destroy the cockpit with thermite and to salvage what they could, if they could.

As Colonel Delaney and his spotter moved quickly through the streets, firing at literally every building and at every corner for the countless number of insurgents, they passed by and through columns of tanks and soldiers. The infantry and cavalry were tearing up the city. Everywhere they looked, brass from the shell casings flung down onto the ground and sides of buildings exploded. Soldiers were basically moving from house to house, searching for whomever. Sometimes they killed those inside, other times they just left them. It was a general communications breakdown, something unbecomming of the Layartebian military.

A-10s were on strafing runs, cleaning the streets of just about everything they saw. Stalker gunships and Strike Eagles made surgical strikes on where forces were spotted.

Colonel Delaney and his team arrived to within four hundred meters of the Parliament Building after three hours, most of the time being spent moving from corner to corner, shooting. At 0830, they began their assault from a building not far away. It would take at least fourteen minutes to get to the building from where they were.

Teams B and C were fully set up, ready to engage with their massive ordinance rifles. The first kill by either team was by Team B. As the sniper peered out of the sixth floor window of the hotel, through the scope on his M38A2 rifle, a bolt-action 12.7 x 99mm rifle, he saw the perfect target. An insurgent commander was on the radio, calling to his troops amidst a huge firefight throughout the city square. The range was about eight hundred meters, enough to be hidden but certainly range enough to completely and utterly destroy him.

The sniper took aim and fired. The giant bullet left the barrel and traveled through the air at a phenomenal 854 meters per second, a flight time of a single second. The bullet contacted the center of the commander's chest and exited, it was plainly seen. But what was even more evident was the kill. The commander's entire torso detached and liquefied it seemed, splattering all over the place, an instant death. A shot from a M2006A2 Emperor MBTs 135MM main gun came next, completely obliterating the hiding spot.

The second kill came from Team C. An insurgent BMP-2 came down the main street, its 73MM main gun trained on a structure that was housing a company of troops. At a range of sixteen hundred meters, the sniper let loose a single 25 x 137mm shell. It impacted the tank at the turret and within nanoseconds, it seemed, the entire tank exploded, men crawling out of the hatch, burning and screaming. A second vehicle, just behind the BMP-2 immediately began backing up but it was no match for the shell, which entered the engine compartment of the jeep and caused the entire vehicle to explode.

The fight embattled on...

Part XXI: Defeat

The Emperor was sitting at his desk. The night was calm and clear. The Nor'Easter to the north was raining havoc and fury onto Dnalkrad and soon it would arrive over Layarteb. He had his speech prepared, memorized for the most part. "Sir, we go live in thirty seconds." The cameraman said. The Emperor straightened his tie and let out a deep breath. "Five...Four...Three...Two..."

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Empire of Layarteb. I come before you an apologetic leader. Several months ago we embarked upon a quest to add the territory of Kaliningrad to our Empire. It is with a heavy heart that I announce today that we have failed in our task. Surprisingly heavy resistance from the Kaliningradians have forced us to rethink our position. The last major battle, which ended hours ago, saw the capital city of Kaliningrad reduced to near rubble. Thousands lie dead from both our bombs and from the bombs of the insurgency.

"It is today that I officially announce our withdrawal from the land. The Parliament will be reestablished and the Prime Minister has already agreed to remain as an autonomous republic. They will be granted their independence, de facto as it may, within our Empire to practice their own government, a parliamentary democracy. All Layartebian military units will begin immediate withdrawal and be out within the next month. The House of the Layartebs will be the last abandoned facility and upon our exodus, will remain an unoccupied symbol to all the heroic men who fought for the Empire of Layarteb on our quest.

"It is my wish and hope that all of you look upon this as a mistake that shall not be repeated. Our loss in Kaliningrad does not mean our demise. It will mean our restrengthening. Thank you. Enjoy your night and may the memories of those lost serve with the rest of us forever as they are the true warriors, hopefully not Forgotten Warriors. Good night." The camera shut off and the Emperor looked down at his desk. It was a list of every man killed, a total of five thousand, two hundred, and eighty-six. On the other side was a list of estimates for enemy casualties, a number that was twenty-seven thousand, with a plus sign next to it. A good ratio. If only it would not have been in vain. The Emperor sighed and the situation was done. Kaliningrad had been lost and would remain autonomous, a parliamentary democracy. The idea made the Emperor shudder. Democracy. What a fool's quest.

Im picking holes here but the Nationalist Party should be right wing. The Nationalist Party should swap its values with the Protectorate Party. The Nationalists would glorify in military service not be socialists. Nationalism is the antithesis of Socialism.

OOC: Just a light point of contention: the Nationalist party would be just that, NATIONALIST. They would be in favor of expelling foreign troops and then, possibly, replacing them with their own domestic troops. But they most definately would not want foreigners running roughshod over their country.

OOC: Just a light point of contention: the Nationalist party would be just that, NATIONALIST. They would be in favor of expelling foreign troops and then, possibly, replacing them with their own domestic troops. But they most definately would not want foreigners running roughshod over their country.

Err this is pretty much done with so no use arguing anymore.