Intervention I
USS San Antonio
In the Mediterranean Sea, a NATO battlegroup cruised toward its destination on the Turkish coast. Its mission was to land troops rather than engage in a battle at sea, and its composition was tuned toward that mission. A single supercarrier, the Harry S. Truman, was the lynchpin of the group. British, French, and American landing ships cruised alongside reserve troopships. Destroyers, frigates, and a lone Aegis cruiser formed a formidable escort.
Inside the cavernous vehicle bay of the San Antonio, a group of bored Marines waited. One was cleaning his rifle. Another was working on a humvee. Most just stood or sat around. Two green privates were playing cards.
Lance Corporal Brandon Reeves asked no one in particular, "What happened to no ground troops? I thought we were done with that part of the world."
"The Grimm happened, Reeves," a grizzled Sergeant said from inside the humvee.
"Man, it's hot as fuck in here," Reeves complained.
A lanky Marine wearing the stripes of a Lieutenant approached the group, edging his way around a LAV. This was his first deployment, and he was careful not to show his shaky confidence. He asked his men simply, "How are we doing?"
"Cleared hot, Lieutenant," the Sergeant answered.
"Sir, I heard we're going into Syria alongside the Russians and the Atlesians," the Lance Corporal said to the officer. "Is that really happening?"
"That's what they told me, too, Lance Corporal, but I have no information on whether that is true or not," Lieutenant Martin Perelli replied. "I've been told Colonel Beckwood will address us today. Hopefully he'll have the answers you're looking for."
"Do you think it's true, sir?" a green private sitting against the wall asked.
"Not too long ago, I would have said hell no, but it's a pretty fucked up world out there," he answered. "We're just going to have to wait for Colonel Beckwood to pass the information down."
"Yes, sir."
"I fucking hate Beckwood," Reeves muttered to the private beside him. "He's one of those guys who love speeches, but his speeches suck fucking dick."
The Lieutenant glared at him. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Lance Corporal."
"Attention on deck!" a loud voice called. "Marines form up!"
"Fucking Navy," a PFC muttered, nonetheless getting into formation as best as possible given the tight confines of the vehicle bay.
"Good morning, Marines," the Colonel began, his voice uneven. "We're headed for Turkey, and then for Syria where we will launch an offensive into that country. I believe that information has already been disseminated."
"This will be a joint operation. We will be joining up with NATO forces and entering through the Turkish border. The Russians will be coming from the Syrian government side. The portal has been located on Remnant and the Atlesians will be joining us from their side.
"This is a kind of cooperation almost unheard of in the history of the US Marines. The last time we worked this closely with so many disparate people was the Second World War. I expect every Marine to be extra careful to avoid any incidents. This is an opportunity but things could also go very badly if we do not do our jobs properly.
"Our mission is simple. We are to push through the contested territory of Syria, secure the town of Raqqa and secure the portal. The Grimm are already moving onto our world and we want to nip that in the butt before that becomes a problem. We're preventing a military disaster from becoming a human one."
"The complication is ISIL. Technically, they are not our mission, but we fully expect them to interfere. They're scattering, but they're still going to take potshots on their way out. If they interfere with our mission, destroy them. Those are our orders from on high."
He concluded, "Good luck out there. We might need it. Semper Fi, Marines."
Damascus
General-Colonel Alexei Simonov stood and watched as his forces assembled, face impassive.
If he were to be brutally honest, he did not think the grand plan he was now part of would ever go through. Not too long ago, they were supporting Assad and the Americans were supporting their enemies. It was like the Cold War all over again.
He surveyed his forces. At his disposal was a heavy mechanized force composed of elements of the 49th Army. Some of the units traced their ancestry back to the Second World War. Others had fought in Afghanistan and Chechnya, though he doubted any veterans remained. At a nearby airbase, the VVS was preparing to support their armies from above, and ships of the Black Sea Fleet patrolled offshore. The Russian Federation was putting their best foot forward.
Soon they would be heading north, into rebel-held territory. Their strategy was simple. Smash through all resistance and secure the portal site. They would finally be taking back the country as Assad had always wanted. Of course it would require a literal alien invasion to make that happen. The portal would remain under nominal Syrian control, as a concession to the establishment of the Joint Military Zone in Ukraine.
He had his reservations about his allies. The Syrian Army was not a powerful or well-trained force, though they seemed to have spirit at least. The American-lead NATO force was the opposite. They were well-trained and well-equipped and he knew it. The question was whether they'd be able to work with his forces or not. The Atlesians, of course, were a complete unknown. Their technology appeared potent, but he had no idea of their doctrine or training.
"These are strange times, General," the man beside him, a deeply tanned two-star general of the Syrian Arab Army, mentioned.
Simonov nodded. "Strange times indeed."
Atlesian Airship Sunrise Point
Hundreds of miles away from the other side of the portal, a far different fleet sat in wait. This one floated in the air and bore the distinctive marking of the Kingdom of Atlas.
Leading the fleet was a massive flying machine the size of an aircraft carrier. The Sunrise Point wasn't the newest or most powerful ship in the fleet- that honour went to the brand new Spirit class- but it had been overhauled only a year prior and its command and control suite was top-notch. Behind it cruised a pair of smaller Azurit-class airships full of Atlesian robots and troops. Small gunships patrolled around the fleet, watching for threats.
General Lili Rook had been hesitant about the mission. It meant a month or months away from her wife and daughters, a deployment unusual even in Atlas. Ultimately, the top brass forced her hand. Her stunt at the portal had turned heads, and she wasn't sure if she was being given this assignment as a reward or as punishment. Maybe it was a bit of both.
As she stepped onto the high-tech bridge of the Sunrise Point, she reflected wryly that it was a little too late to think about that. Her firm voice barked, "Report!"
"Engineer reports Engine Four running a little rough, but otherwise all systems are good. Combat systems in standby," the First Officer replied. "Malakit and Aventurin are holding position behind us."
"What about our scouting party?"
"They returned just half an hour ago," he informed the General. "They report heavy Grimm concentrations around the portal site."
Rook nodded. "Then let's start purging them, Colonel. The fewer Grimm going through the portal, the easier it'll be for our allies on the other side."
Allies. She snorted. Despite her previous actions, she trusted the Earthers as far as she could throw them- which, if the rumours were true, was actually pretty far. She knew that the reasons for agreeing to this joint effort were far from altruism. Some of it was about building goodwill with the Earthers, or at least a debt. A lot of it was about securing the portal site for their own potential use. From what she'd heard, the portal was in an unimportant but contested area. She was sure the Earthers had their own agenda. Everyone did.
It wasn't a good thing or a bad thing, just a necessary reality.
She strode over to a station near the aft end of the bridge. "Hook us into the CCT and transmit our status report," Rook ordered. "Tell them we're holding position and awaiting further orders."
"Yes, sir."
I'm not exactly happy with this kickoff, but the next few chapters should be fairly... interesting.
