Following the recapture of the Red production factory, the press naturally came in seeking all the information as they could and politics came into a sour play. On paper, the Green nation recognized their alliance with the Grey, while the Grey did not. They saw the Green as a part time ally, but nothing serious. As for the Tan's they opted that their army was not at war with any nation, or seeking to attack anyone. This is largely in part as the Tan's are still viewed by the world as a tyrannical nation, a nation plagued by their heinous war crimes. As for the rest of the plastic world, they relegated to being neutral and claim no pacts with any nation in conflict. That is until one day.
A day after another failed recapture for the Tan's, suddenly a color showed not of Grey, Green or Tan came out of the forest but instead Blue. A small scouting party from the Blue Nation came through. The Grey garrison immediately halted the Grey's and sent for Captain Fredrick and Colonel Grimm, who personally promoted the Corporal, now Sargent Hawk. The Grey Captain never trusted the Blue Army so he wished them away, as their leaders never asked for their own help. However Grimm wanted to hear them out, and they got their privilege. The Blue's revealed to them that the Tan had pulled out of the region and they went back to a Tan controlled town that was taken from the Grey. While Fredrick didn't believe them, he did send a squad of Red men to the last known locations of the Tan in the area. Sure enough, the Blue's were correct.
Feeling very confident in this, knowledge Fredrick offered the Red's a chance. To go to the town and free it from Tan forces. Fredrick got the very best of the Red nation had to offer, and sent them to the town. Grimm while sure of victory would occur, he and the Green's were not so optimistic. They didn't feel the need to send the Red any help as shown that they could handle themselves but they did fear the worst.
The Grey's informed the Red that they would be walking into a weak resistance, that should they accomplish their goal, the survivors would be free of their bounds of the Grey and be allowed to be recognized as a vassal of the Grey. This boosted the Red's ranks morale to the skies, and a four company platoon made their way to the occupied town known as Gashi.
When the Red's arrived they were horribly misinformed. The Red's arrived and were met by a ferocious resistance by the Tan army. The Tan's seemed to bring an entire battalion into the frey and destroyed a Red support tank early in the battle. The Tan's ran for the initiative and charged the Red relentlessly and cut down the oncoming Red. The Red's tried a sneak flank attack by the church but could not get past the withering hale of incoming fire.
Within a few hours the Red's were starting to pull back. The causalities were mounting till a Lieutenant Spart tried to rally his men by committing a longer route around the church flank. He got a group of six and started to make the Tan's drop. Unfortunately for Spart, the main Red bulk was dwindling faster than his Red comrades could shoot them down.
Eventually Spart, the only living commander on the field ordered the retreat. The Tan losses were no more than a few hundred, but the Red's were ripped to plastic shreds. For the Tan's it felt too easy to see the incoming Red's. They were in positions that could not be rooted out by the Red's who by themselves were severally undermanned. Speaking of the Red's their loss only grew into frustration for them. The survivors were met with nothing but harsh words from General Brant of the Grey's, who committed every Red trooper he can muster and only saw them fail to the Tan's. The Red's claim that the Tan's were waiting for them, but the General refused this and committed his entire force to the Tan front. Hearing this Colonel Grimm wanted to investigate this matter, but Brant refused and insisted that they focus on defeating the Tan army first, than worry about the terrible "Grey defeat". Some of the Red's claim they saw more than one color on the battlefield that were met with mostly sneers but Grimm saw into this matter further...
