Chapter 9: Getting serious

ZDF Armor Depot, Town of Tselinskoye, Zagoria

September 19th, 8:35 Am

Grid: 0902561934

Situation: NAPA forces decided to get some heavy armors from the remaining ZDF base that is still refuse to capitulate to the Russian occupiers.

Weather: Clear

Force Estimation:

+BLUFOR: 1 Tier-1 team callsign Ghost

+Independent: 1 Mechanized Battalion, 1 Armored Battalion (Under sieged)

+OPFOR: 1 Mechanized Infantry Regiment, 1 Frontal Aviation Combat Wing

Harvey's briefing: The Russian is going to take their expansion into overdrive and we need to stop them ASAP. The war in Eastern Europe is raging at this moment, the ground situation is a stalemate but we are gaining the upper hand slowly through air superioty, an invasion force is being mobilized to liberate Zagoria and open up a another front and hit the Russian in the back. Your job here in Zagoria is to pave the way for the invasion to go off without a hidge and that's to withered down the Russian occupation force to nothing. Today's job is to increase the force composition of NAPA by "Buying" some tanks for them, a local ZDF Armor Depot is still holding out and refuse to capitulate to the Russian, they have some high quality tanks that NAPA could use. Those T-64Es in there can become a deadly force to be retcon with if use properly in guerrilla warfare against Russian T90 tanks and maybe you can also ask the local commander there to join NAPA and bring his troops along with him. It will enlarge the partisans significantly.

Petrenko's Intel: Our comrades in various regions of Zagoria has joined up with us to become a much larger force, they brought along valuable supplies and equipments. We were able to formed a mechanized task force to execute this high risk operation to seize the tanks. The Russian in the area have T90 tanks, BMPs, mechanized infantries and a squadron of ATGM helicopter to stop us from getting those tanks. Our plan is to attack the Russians who are keeping the perimeter tight around the Armor Depot, once we've taken their positions, we'll then dig in and start evacuating those tanks back to our hideouts using the east road. The Russian will try to counter attack and stop us, use landmines, AT mines, captured heavy weapons and just about anything you can lay your hands on to stop them then retreat back to the safe zone with us.

Chuck's Armory Intel: Take AT mines and claymores with you, remember not to spread too close to each other or you may decimate your own traps before the Russian set it off. Also bring along some AA launchers to take down any enemy gunships if you see them, and AT launchers to hit enemies tanks from a safe distance.

Morning in Zagoria, the wind blew peacefully, the sun was already up to shine the land, the people were trying to live their lives in hope to find normal semblance. But it is hard to find it, the Russian occupiers were getting too harsh for everyone to bear with, each day the Russian hunt down the rebels and performs reprisals, retribution against the local population. The people grew tired of their aggressors, they wanted the Russian kick out, they protest on the street only to be get the bullets, they ran into the forest to find NAPA partisans and join the fight, even to the extreme of suicidal bombing. The Russian's casaulties started to mount up, their attrition rates climb up rapidly, their moral started to grind down as the men wishes to go home instead of continuing their occupation, but men who dare to raise their voice about withdrawing the Russian's 5th Army out of Zagoria would be shot on sight by their officers or by the Political officers whose job is to suppress disidents and ensure the political reliability of the military.

The NAPA partisans move their troops around the town Tselinskoye, they stealthily hide in the bushes, uses the forest to shield their movements, as their fighters are in positions, the began to attack the Russian all at once. Silver led his team into position at a checkpoint leads into the town, hiding behind the bushes on one side of the road, he coordinates his teammates to move into an angle, from which they can overwhelm the Russian defenders in the quickest time possible to have more spare time in their hands to set up defenses. "Slingshot, this is Ghost Leader we're position and are ready to go over."; "Slingshot here, good copy, our men are in position. All units on this channel, weapons free! Repeat weapons free!" Just then at that moment, all NAPA teams launches their assault along with Silver and his teammates, they threw smoke grenades to blind the Russian of their movements, while then Metal Sonic and Silver flank around the Russian defenses and finish them off. The Russians were soon overwhelmed, their defense positions were taken by the partisans, then NAPA forces in the AO starts to move in with whatever troops they have and set up a defensive perimeter. "Slingshot, this is Sokol 5, we've taken the Russian's positions. Setting up the defenses now."; "Da (Yes), good to hear comrades, i need you to patch me through to the ZDF Commander of the base now. Over." ; "Slingshot, this is Ghost Leader we can patch you through to the ZDF Commander stand by over."

Metal Sonic quickly dial the radio of their commander to the frequency of the ZDF Commander's, then commander Petrenko can call the ZDF force in the base. "Commander Lebejov of the ZDF Katyusha Armored Battalion come in over."; "This is Colonel Lebejov we hear you over. Who is this?"; "THis is Commander Petrenko of the NAPA partisan movement. We've commandeered the Russian defensive position around you. We would like to invite you to join our cause and fight the Russian occupiers."; "That's the best thing my ears have heard in a long time. Of course we will. What's the plan commander?"; "My men needs you to move your entire battalion along the east road to our hideouts inside the safe zone under our control. Bring along as much supplies as possible we will need them for future operations."

As the ZDF Armored Battalion began to pack up and leave their base, the partisan dig in around the town itself to stave off the Russian counter attack, they plant landmines everywhere on the ground in front of their positions, they lock and load their emplacement weapons and hang in for the long fight ahead. Silver and his teammates were done with planting mines around their sandbags position, Silver duck behind the sandbags with Leeta and Lyco by his sides, Shard and Metal Sonic were manning the HMG next to them and Larry Lynx was keeping an ever watchful eye on the Russian's movements with his sniper rifle. "Slingshot this is Sokol 1! We have enemy contacts! infantries and APCs, they're coming in hot at us over!"; "Understood Sokol, hold them back but do not risk your own lives for nothing. We need as many as possible!" As the battle commenced, the Russian roll in their BMPs and infantry support assets, followed by motorized assaults, the partisan open fire on their enemies, cutting down the Russian troops who were caught off-guard. As the BMPs rolls up ahead, they were hit by landmines on the ground, the Russian saw their vehicles turned into smoldering wrecks in seconds decided to stay low and let their engineers to take out the minefields, but as the engineers came to the minefields, they too were pinned down.

Silver's team had the hardest hitting, they tried to hold back endless waves of Russian assaults by landmines, HMG fire and sniper threats but the Russian just keep advancing with the their vehicles. "Slingshot, this Ghost leader, how's the evacuation going?"; "Slingshot here, the evacuation is halfway through now. Keep up the good work."; "We can't hold the line on the first phase line, moving back to the second phase line inside the town now over!" Silver then signals for his team to throw down smoke grenades and fall back to the town, fearing that the Russian might be able to exploit the breach in the peritmeter, NAPA forces quickly fall back to the town and set up another defensive line. "Slingshot, this is Badger Team, we've spotted a pair of enemy MI-28, they're coming in hot to destroy the tanks over!"; "I hear you Badger, hold on. Impaler Team, this is Slingshot, enemy gunships are coming in to destroy the tanks, take them down, out."; "We copy Slingshot, got the birds in our sights. Commencing interdiction now."

From the forest on the edge of town, a pair of heat seaking AA missiles shoot up and chase down the MI-28. The pilots and their gunners were caught off guard, unable to deploy their chaffs and counter measures quick enough, they were shot down by the missiles, their choppers crash down on to the ground burning. The Russian then started to call in their heavy artilleries, from afar, shots of howitzers roared thunderously, the shells rain down on the town hard, reducing buildings to rubbles, flattening houses, cratering the roads, one shell struck a house where Silver and his teammates were hiding, the roof came down on them, burying Silver's legs underneath the rubbles. The hedgehog screams in agony. "Hold on Silver! I got you!" Leeta ran to Silver and tries to dig ou the rubble with her sister Lyco, "Don't worry! You're gonna be alright just stay still." Leeta tries to comfort Silver and ease his pain, she holds his hand tight as the wolf pack twins dig out the rubble and pull him out of the rubble. "Oh god, this is bad. This is really bad. Your leg is broken, i'm gonna try to remedy it until we can get you a doctor!" Silver was struggling to stay alive for Leeta's sake, and in turn she was working hard to heal his wound. Meanwhile on the outside of town, the Russian were pushing hard, despite NAPA's best effort, they knew they would have to retreat sooner or later. "Slingshot...we can't hold them back any longer...we have to retreat or we will be annihilated!"; "Affirmative, Slingshot to all units on this channel, fall back to our lines now! I repeat fallback! I'm ordering a full mortar strike on the town now!"

As Silver's team recovers from their minor setback, they quickly get on a technical truck, Silver was being carried by Leeta Lyco while his three other teammates were providing cover, as they drive away from the town with all that's left of NAPA mechanized Task Force and the ZDF's Armored Battalion, Shard saw mortar shells rain down on the town, at first he thought they were just standard mortar shells, but it soon turns out that they were actually Willy Pete shells, the chemicals incinerates the town and Russians that were inside it, damaging vehicles and disfiguring others. The terror that these unexpected and unconventional weapons would scarred him for life, the sounds, the screams, the agony of anyone who was unlucky enough to be caught by WP shells would haunt him in his dreams. But for now, his team has accomplished another mission but with their team leader now has a broken leg. Back at the camp, NAPA partisan were counting their losses, the tanks they have gathered, the help they have received. The situation was changing to NAPA's favor and soon they will take the offensive and drive out the Russian occupiers. But the question is: Where will they strike?