"Don't get me started." Rhyth said "We all know the facts as such we all know he's just talked a whole load of rubbish to the Press but for the moment there's no real harm in letting him play to the gallery, the usurping Government will with a bit of luck fall within the next twenty four hours. After that we have one problem which is the insurgent militia's cropping up through the rest of the country." she looked towards Sorya she wasn't impressed with him, but it was time to put an end to the matter, she glanced at the uniforms of the people with the Vaguzian officer
Ecclesiastical State she thought, well that was certainly interesting. So it was time to talk.
In the skies above Phuebra the Achkaerinese Air Force was about to launch into its assault, they knew their jobs hit from distance and play bait, it had been many years since something like this had gone down under the Achkaerin Air Force's purview and that was going back to the Great War. In his
Wyvern, Alex Holden the Group Commander and attack leader sat watching his scopes
"All wings set?" Alex asked
"Harpy's set." Lucy answered
"Bat's ready." Lily said
"Execute the attack plan." Alex said "Harpy's on enemy aircraft, Wyvern's will take SAM's and air fields."
The
Harpy's dropped lower, in her jet Lucy sat watching and waiting, she saw the Wyvern's launch their missiles that was the salvo intended to take out the airfields and strike initial damage to the SAM sites. With luck the missiles would go someway to evening up the odds, she saw the tell tale signs of enemy aircraft climbing up towards them.
"Hekate calling Harpy's." Lucy said over her radio "Accelerate and engage."
As battle was joined up top the real plan was unfolding down below as Lily led eight
Bat's into the attack run this was what was planned to be the killer move, the Bat's would make use of their low altitude superiority to take out the missile launch site that the Phuebran Air Force were using to fire off missiles while the Wyvern's and Harpy's kept attention off them.
"Keep an eye out." Lily said "Remember things will get dicey if we get spotted too soon." she knew they'd get spotted eventually, the closer they got to the target the more likely that was, still Lily hoped to get a long range lock on the target and let the missiles do the rest.
The Phuebran Army lines were fairly spread out but it was in this instance helpful to the Achkaerinese troops,
Lt Colonel Sally Burton had Ruby Troop a safe distance from what appeared to be a Phuebran Army sentry post.
"Nice." Sally said, she also had Sapphire Troop led by
Lieutenant Craig Moores, Veridian Troop led by
Captain Wes Fletcher, Amber Troop led by
Captain Adam Robinson and the Second Chargers led by
Major Heather Rose "Heather?"
"Those two APC's they've got parked down there should prove helpful." Heather said "Take the post quietly and those are our tickets into Khyat."
"Much preferable to chancing our arm off the coast." Sally said
"My team will deal with post." Heather said "Don't move till I call in."
"Got it." Sally said
Heather crept her way down from the cover the teams had been using eventually taking cover in the long grass she found herself alongside her second in command
Tim Riley"What have we got?" Heather asked
"Looks like a sniper perch up top, on the deck there's a sandbag perimeter manned by two guards inside that what appears to be a barn with the sniper perch on it, my guess is the troops not on duty are sleeping in there." Tim said "And there's a standing anti personnel mounted weapon within the perimeter."
"Spotted an OP or picket?" Heather asked
"There's a picket about half a mile down the road to the south." Tim said
"How many do you think?" Heather said
"Maybe ten or twelve." Tim said
"Ok then." Heather said, she clicked her radio button "Nathan, Richard you go half a mile south on the road and take out the picket. Luke you come in from the west and take the perimeter guard over that side, Luna from the south scale the barn and take the sniper, myself and Tim will come from the north and take the remaining perimeter guard, close quarters and silenced weapons, we can't give anyone a chance to call in that something's up not with these stakes."
Now the waiting game began as the Chargers went to work,
Nathan and
Richard were able to deal with the picket guards quickly, the element of surprise worked wonders there. Meanwhile
Luna approached the low sandbag wall to the south taking advantage of the barn's walls to cover her approach from one sentry but she would be within the field of vision of the other so she had to bide her time crouched behind the sandbags, her radio clicked twice that was the signal it was clear for her to proceed, she climed over the sandbags and swiftly made her way to the barn's wall she started her climb using the guttering and various holes in the wall to help her on her way. It took her around two minutes but she was now in the blindspot of the two ground level sentry's so she could take her time, she reached the top and drew her dagger, the sniper heard her and turned but Luna was quick, one hand over the snipers mouth to shut him up the other driving the blade into his neck, it was a bit of a wrestle but eventually Luna prevailed, however it had been far messier than she'd hoped.
"Clear." she whispered over the radio
Tim and Heather made their way inside the sandbag perimeter, Tim stood watch on the barn door while she crept up behind one sentry and drew her gladius she struck the sentry once over the head with the pommel and then finished the job with two thrusts of the point of the blade. On the other side of the perimeter the final member of the team
Luke was garroting the other patrolling sentry, now he joined Tim and Heather at the barn door, they drew their pistols and screwed on their silencers, this wasn't going to be pretty nor was it going to be honorable but this was war and in war things were done that no one was proud of. The three stepped inside and for the next few minutes they systematically swept the building clearing the barn. Eventually Heather uttered the words.
"Stronghold clear." she said
Now the ASF troops came down to the barn while Richard and Nathan also made their way back from the picket.
"Boss?" Heather asked
"Adam you keep Amber Troop here, you're going to keep things looking like this place is still under their control." Sally said "Check in when they call, keep things nice and simple but if they suss you out be ready for a fight."
"Copy that." Adam said
"As for the rest of us we'll take those two APC's and head into Khyat." Sally said "Craig, Wes, you'll bring your troops with mine and we'll hit our target, Heather you need to find the bomb and disarm it."
"Who rides with who?" Craig asked
"You ride with Heather." Sally said "Wes with me."
"Ok." Wes said
"Get the engines started I want to be out of here in five minutes." Sally said