NationStates Jolt Archive

In the cold light of the early morning, the New Milkavich Air Station was a hive of activity as the station staff prepared for the inbound Madurastani military personnel. The three runways of the airport lay empty, flights diverted to Darre'vi in anticipation of the mass air traffic that such a force inbound would present. In the holding areas, staff from the Alfegan Army Logistics Corps sat in trucks parked in neat rows, ready to provide a rapid, co-ordinated unloading action for the aircraft moving in to land.

Off to one side, a welcoming party was present to escort the higher officials to the barracks they would be staying at, until the exercise commenced. At its head, a man sat in the turret of a 'Basalt' IFV, a heavy-duty armoured vehicle designed for the mountains that comprised a significant part of the local terrain. The man could be identified from his rank slider as a high-ranking officer, two silver stars sewn onto the digicam material that made up the slider. Major-General Tyu'lo was a hardened man, the head of the New Alfegos Garrison. His total force in New Alfegos was a regiment strong, consisting of two sub-regimental forces tasked for coastal and inland defence, yet in this instance he would only be using a fraction of his force for the joint training exercise he had planned.
His IFV was part of an eight-vehicle motorcade that sat parked watching as the first aircraft moved to land, a mix of signals units and armoured infantry that acted as a mobile command post for him and his sub-officers for dealing with every eventuality he was to be used for.

The training exercise itself he had planned was to take up the majority of military-owned territory within New Alfegos, a vast swath of land stretching from a small section of coast to a massive inland plain, finally ending in the Crescent Mountains. The land itself was such an asset to the Alfegan Armed Forces for training due to its history - at one time a prosperous farming and mining area, the late 50's had brought a massive war to the original inhabitants, virtually eradicating all living there and forcing the few survivors to other lands. The massive use of dirty bombs and chemical devices on civilian areas meant that the local wildlife had been exposed to substantial levels of mutagenic chemicals, affecting them in many different, and dangerous ways. Whilst many of the animals had died, surviving animals ended up suffering many numerous conditions, most notably gigantism. As a result, only the foolish strayed out at night away from the defensive fences around towns, even if armed. That left vast tracts of lands, some with small cities left abandoned to decay, completely free to use by military forces, provided they kept their wits about them.

The general turned in the turret, a GPMG following his movement as he looked over to where the first aircraft was taxiing in, to be greeted by a swarm of men ready to unload and coral people and equipment into appropriate waiting areas, until all were ready to move to the barracks. A quick glance up confirmed his fears - that the heavens were about to burst, onto the waiting people below. As black clouds gathered, he ducked back into the vehicle, closing the hatch behind him. As the group of vehicles rolled over to greet the gathering men leaving the aircraft, the general turned to his radioman, taking a radio unit.
"This is Tyu'lo - I think it'd be an idea if we open up the airship maintenance hanger to hold the Madurastani lot. I'm not sure the best greeting we could give them would be a sample of the local weather."

9 Madurastan Air Force C-17 Globemaster III and 17 C130J Herclules Transports carrying the 17 M344 Wolverine APCs and 120 Soldiers of the 10th Division of the 2nd Army. They were now 12 miles away from New Milkavich Air Station and had started to descend to 5000 feet underneath the clouds that were now beginning to release their load of rain.

On board the mood was of excitement. Most of the soldiers except their RSM and the Sergeants, had never been out of Madurastan and was having their first trip overseas. Their new Commander, Major Douglas Bridge, had just come back from Hervia after serving with the 7th Division in Thive.

He had won the Medal Of Honour for gallantry in combat and also the holder of 3 Purple Hearts. He would command them back at the Headquarters, while his NCOs commanded the soldiers during the exercise. "I wonder how the weather is at New Milkavich Air Station?" Major Bridge wondered.

The rainstorm soon was at a peak, fat droplets hurled nearly horizontally by the wind into the sides of logistics staff, now adorned with dark grey ponchos and waterproof clothing. The men themselves were busy as they began unloading the first of the landed aircraft, the one that held the Major, who Tyu'lo had been informed was quite a character. Behind the covered lorries holding the Madurastani men disembarked from the plane, preparing to be driven over to a nearby airship hanger, the Major-General's motor convoy rolled up, the Major-General himself disembarking with a few other officials in full waterproofs, an infantryman holding an umbrella to little effect over the man's head.

The Major-General finally reached the side of the plane, awaiting the Major in command to disembark. He had already read through the man's profile - an officer most suited to the military, with previous experience in combat. It was notable that he had seen combat much closer than the Major-general had ever cared to, Tyu'lo being a man who preferred to avoid being wounded as much as possible.

As the Major finally disembarked, the Major-General's party came to attention, saluting the disembarking officials as another infantryman hurried over with an umbrella. The Major-General himself walked forwards to shake the other's hand.
"Welcome to New Alfegos. Sorry about the weather here - I know it would've been a better idea to host it in the mainland Alfegos, but I thought your men would prefer a climate they were more accustomed to than being thrown straight into the rainforests!"

Major Bridge shook his hand. He smiled before speaking. "I am glad to be here. We are not accustomed to the rainforests. I must say this is a welcome opportunity to come here. I would otherwise be in Thive working in 30 degree heat supervising the building of the new military base, which is now well under way. Shall we go inside?"

"Good. If you could follow me, there is a vehicle for you and your retinue awaiting."
Tyu'lo quickly paced over to the awaiting armoured vehicles, the general indicating for the Major to enter his IFV. Quickly ducking in out of the cascade of water, Tyu'lo indicated to the four free seats inside the IFV as he took a seat with his two sub-ordinate officers. The inside of the vehicle was dimly lit by a set of LED lamps hanging from the armoured ceiling, emitting a blue-white light on the interior that was reflected by the white-painted walls. Shouting through the bulkhead at the end of the passenger compartment, the general yelled for the vehicle to start moving, followed by a loud roar as the engine started, winding up to full power rapidly. The din subsided as the general slammed the bulkhead hatch home, the vehicle soon rattling off across the runway.

"Initially, I was going to give the initial welcome and briefing to your men whilst they waited out on the asphalt. However, due to a change in the weather, I reckon that it would be much more convenient to use an airship hanger for temporary vehicle and equipment stowage, as well as said greeting.
I'll give you a brief lowdown of the exercise. As you know, we're going to be using wax simulation rounds. You'll have more than enough at your disposal up to 14mm calibre. After that I'm afraid that we're going to have to use LASER-assisted wax sim rounds for anti-vehicle attacks, and cluster wax rounds for weaponry. It's pretty much a case that being hit by a wax round counts as a real impact, which you will have to treat as such regardless of body armour.
The area we'll be using is Mike Sector, mostly agricultural land with mountainous terrain starting to the north. There are two large towns and numerous villages within the sector, which is approximately fourty kilometres long and twenty kilometres wide. The area is designated as a red safety area, meaning that your men will have to follow the guidelines we lay down to them during the primary briefing in the hanger and at constant intervals.
The scenario I had planned was a search-and-recover scenario - that is that an aircraft has been downed in the centre of the sector, with the pilot being wanted by both your and our side for questioning and the like. The first side to get him back to their starting zone, which will be marked well, will win. We're using an equivalent-sized Shock-infantry company, of
For convenience's sake, we will be assuming mutual disciplinary command over forces - that is that your men will have to answer to Alfegan officers, and vice-versa. Unless you have any objections, that's the way it'll work.
You'll be staying today and tonight in the New Milkavich Garrison, which'll give us time to fit the LASER units on your vehicles and you time to prepare your plan of action.
Anyhow, I'll give you your typed up brief once you arrive at your quarters, so that you can discuss it with your officers. Whatever you need will be provided."

The vehicle came to a halt, followed by the hiss of the rear doors being released. The thick plates swung open, revealing the dim interior of the airship hanger that was hurriedly being converted for the needs of the men. The building itself was a colossal structure, four hundred metres long and a hundred metres high. Massive steel struts arched up to the ceiling far above, walkways and gantries hanging on precariously. On the hanger floor, crates of equipment and vehicles were already being lined up, large cardboard labels acting to point out the different crate contents. A smell of oil pervaded the building, along with the heavy presence of the rain falling outside, clattering upon the sides of the hanger to produce a swelling din like the sea. Bright searchlights had been placed on the hanger floor, providing illuminations with the beams scattered as wide as possible of the majority of the hanger. The major-general stood admiring the hanger for a few seconds, before pacing over towards where a small speaker system had been set up, linked to one of the massive power banks in the hanger floor. By it, a few seats had been placed, facing rows of others seats for the now-arriving Madurastani men.

The Major-general indicated for the Major to sit, waiting as equipment was driven in and men were rushed into the dry. Soon enough, all were present, giving the Major time to quickly check all men were present before the briefing began.

"I have no objections. I think being inside is best because at least then everybody will be paying attention rather than staring around at your soldiers who are not taking part in the exercise going about their daily business." He grinned and then continued. "I must say this is a very good airbase. The nearest one similar to this outside of Madurastan is Kilro Air Base in Hervia."

The Madurastan soldiers began taking their seats. Their faces showing awe at the sight of the hanger and everything in it. Behind them came more soldiers carrying boxes of 24 Hour Ration Packs and the main VHF Radio that the Major would use. It had been calibrated to the set frequencies so to save time and effort. Packs of Cigarettes were being handed out to the soldiers for during the exercise along with magazines loaded with the wax simulation rounds that would be used for the exercise. They now waited for the briefing to begin.

Once all were assembled, the Major-general smiled at his Madurastani counterpart, before walking up in front of the gathered soldiers. A silence descended upon the gathered audience as he faced them, before beginning his briefing.

"Good afternoon gentlemen, and welcome to New Alfegos - one of the largest Alfegan colonies and least densely populated. Due to the unique nature of the colony, I will have to give you a safety briefing first, so that you are in the know as to location-specific dangers and the appropriate response to them.

Firstly, there is the danger of the local wildlife. Giant, dangerous sub-species of more common animals you may be used to are present in the sector you will be training in, so you must take care. All soldiers will be issued with a magazine of live ammunition as a result, which must be clearly marked as such and ready to be loaded should a situation arise. While you are here, you will notice that there are signs declaring Green zones - these are areas that are safe in terms of a lack of dangerous dangerous animals. Outside of these, you are to shoot on sight any aggressive animal, as they are easily able and willing to kill you. Caution must be exercised when entering any buildings and at night, when attacks are most likely to cause fatalities.
Secondly, you will all be aware that, since this is a training area that you will be using, there will be UXO. Note that this is applicable for all areas. Due to some undetonated chemical weapons being present, it is recommended that you avoid all UXO.
Finally, if there is an incident in which a real injury occurs, the phrase 'Echo Echo Echo' will be used to signify it. In such a circumstance, depending on the severity of the injury, it will either be left for your force's medics to treat or it will involve the deployment of a Cazevac helicopter to transport them to a field hospital. Should the latter occur, the training exercise will be terminated immediately.

Now, to command. It has been agreed that officers present here will have the same authority over Alfegan soliders as Alfegan officers will have over you yourselves. Thus, you are to respect this and show due courtesy when greeting an Alfegan officer or exercising your disciplinary powers over any Alfegan miscreants.

Now then, to your itinerary for your stay. Tonight, you will be staying at the New Milkavich Garrison, so that you can prepare your equipment and be briefed on the actual mission as per your commander's wishes in terms of tactics and the like. By 0900 hours tomorrow morning, you will all need to be fully prepared to depart to the training sector that is being used, escorted by Alfegan vehicles. When you arrive there, you will be dropped off at your starting point, and from there will have to wait until you are given the signal to begin the training exercise. You will be, again, briefed upon this, though we reckon the exercise will take about 24 hours to finish, meaning fighting overnight. When the exercise ends, you will be returned to the New Milkavich garrison for showers and a cool-down, before being debriefed. From there, it is up to your Major whether you take part in a smaller exercise, have recreation in New Milkavich, or attend a display of Alfegan Military Hardware in the Garrison.

Any questions at all?"

Major Bridge opened his mouth to speak. "I have decided that after the exercise, i would like my soldiers to attend a display of Alfegan Military Hardware. Then at least they can say they had the privilege of being able to know that they were up close to an allys arsenal of weapons. With Madurastan Divisions being so competitive off the battlefield, it will be a brownie point so to speak for them. Well, i think its time we got this exercise underway. He looked over to the Major-general.