Chapter 7

"The Union of Independent Republics spreads democracy and peace through every land it liberates. However it has become an excepted fact that classes of biological distinction indisputably sanction social and political discrimination. It can also no longer be denied that not every country that is liberated is willing to except the ideologies that the Union represents and as such, they must be exterminated in order to maintain a proper cohesion into the Union."
(High-Marshal General, Mikoslav Lokar, acting commander of UIR forces in Hač)

Hač, Sarfuth (Residential District)

During the sporadic fighting Alexander learned the names and strengths of each man in the squad. Ramirez was the scout and counter-sniper, with an advanced level of knowledge when it came to survival in the field. O'Neal was the explosives expert in the group, favoring large amounts of light-weight, high-yield explosives in order to cripple any fortified position or building with little effort. Last but not least was an Irohma Islander named Kailua, the most soft-spoken man in the squad, tasked with utilizing heavy-weapons. Alexander felt a connection to these men more than any he had served with, from basic training to current operations; though he was of foreign blood, each man accepted him as an equal rather than an outsider.

Alexander came to realize that a fortified sniper posed a serious threat to an advancing group of soldiers, no matter how well armed. In the hands of an expert marksman, a rifle can be used to devastating effect.

"The bastard is dug in real deep," Ramirez murmured whilst calibrating the scope on his Longshot sniper rifle.

"That Indie is a damn good shot," O'Neal interrupted. "He's not your typical Indie—he's smart."
"What's the plan, Lieutenant?" Rodriguez asked.
"He's got too much of a vantage point, he's also covered by several machine gun nests—I say we smoke his ass."
"Agreed," Alexander hissed.

Stratford transitioned his right hand upwards, placing two of his digits against his ear-bud.

"Command, this is alpha-one, requesting air support, over?"
"This is command, request for air support granted. What are strike coordinates?"

"Target will be painted with laser designator, prepping for bomb drop" Stratford confirmed.

The roaring jet engines of a Coalition fighter-bomber could be heard from quite a distance off, due to the high speed approaches most pilots tend to take for bomb disposal.

"Alpha-one, this is Dark Star. ETA 20 seconds to target. Watch your heads, Gentlemen!"

The multilevel apartment complex violently exploded, after the Coalition fight-bomber delivered the vicious payload. The building was completely eradicated in mere seconds, throwing chunks of concrete and steel piping hundreds of feet into the air. The debris rained down onto the streets, smashing out windows unfortunate enough to be caught in the blast radius.

"This is Dark Star, payload delivered. Target destroyed, over?" the pilot cut in.

Ramirez scanned the remains of the building, making sure no resistance remained.

"Confirmed, target is destroyed" Stratford replied.

Stratford quickly took command and gestured for the squad to advance forward through the rubble of the city.

"How far have we got to objective Taurus?" O'Neal asked. "I mean, how close are we?"

For a moment, Stratford's eye caught the level of destruction caused by the bombing, speckled rubble had been hammered down by the explosion, pieces of carved marble fragments that had run the length of the building were also amongst the debris which caught his attention.

"Twenty or thirty minutes, tops. We'll need to do some recon when we get closer."
"From there, we'll secure the government district and advance on the objective."
"What do you think we can expect?" Kailua grunted.
"They know we won't be there for milk and cookies," Stratford replied.
"Milk and cookies, my ass," Ramirez said. "I'll definitely give them something they won't forget!"
"Let's just waste these bastards," Alexander added.

Hač, Sarfuth (Government district)

Stratford peered through his binoculars, trying to get a better view on the capital building. It had been fortified with multiple anti-aircraft batteries and several anti-armor emplacements. To make matters worse, the building flew the flag of the Gorasnayian military; a platoon highly trained group of soldiers would occupy this section of the city, with the addition of valuable command staff of equal skill and value.

"We need to wait for support; infantry alone won't finish the job here," Stratford concluded.
"Do you think we should wait for armor to roll?" Ramirez asked.
"We'll need armor support for sure," O'Neal added.

The lieutenant signaled for each man in the squad to take a position, giving each of them a clear vantage point from which to fire.

"Everyone is in position, status is green" Ramirez chimed.

Stratford took cover behind the remains of an oak dresser before tapping his communication bud.

"Command, this is alpha-one, do you read?"
"Roger that, alpha-one, what is the situation?"
"Objective Taurus is heavily fortified—requesting friendly armor on location."
"Affirmative, an armored unit is en route to your position at this time alpha-one."
"Roger that command, solid copy, over and out."

Alexander found that waiting for the battle to come was the hardest part, especially when emotions overpowered better judgment. His very core shook with rage when he thought about wanting to shoot at the Gorasnayian troops who massacred his people but his training prevented him from reaching for the trigger, however difficult it may be.

The silence was broken by a voice over the loudspeaker, which spoken in broken Tyran, the accent apparently very thick.

"Coalition soldiers, lay down your arms. You will not survive this battle; the mighty military forces of Gorasnayian will overwhelm you."

"Who the hell is this asshole?" Ramirez inquired.
"That would be Mikoslav Lokar—the highest level general in the Gorasnayian army" Stratford replied.