A/N Almost to February 20th, and the revealing of Estovakia's secret weapon, the one that's been firing all those cruise missiles down on our boy's heads. What is Cipher planning? Something good or bad I suppose, but its bound to be awesome either way. Alright people, time for the assault on San Loma, only...I've tweaked a few things...you'll know when you see them.
Chapter 9 - San Loma Assault
Under a Sky of Fire
- Somewhere in the interior of Emmeria -
Earlier Melissa and Ludmila passed by Silvat just before their forces liberated it from Estovakian forces and they had been driving since, the silence between them having grown into some form of communication through them.
'I feel so lucky to have met up with Ludmilla. We've run into so many checkpoints since Silvat. I don't know what we would've done without her passport. I don't think I ever would've made it alone.
All around them on all sides were fields of grain shining brightly in the afternoon sun. It was a beautiful sight.
'But as we travel through these wide open spaces, enemy troops are few and far between. Actually, we've been on this road for quite some time now without spotting a single Estovakian military vehicle.'
They drove for a few more feet before they heard the roar of truck engines and were surprised when two pickup trucks armed with 50 caliber machine guns surrounded them and forced them to stop. They got out and instantly had their hands in the air and behind their heads when armed men in ski masks hopped out of the trucks.
'It looks like our luck has just ran out.'
They surrounded them and eyed them while one of them searched their car for any weapons or firearms.
'These men are partisans, Emmerian like me. Ludmila stars at me. I can see the fear in her eyes.'
She began to talk to them and attempt to make them believe Ludmila was an Emmerian, and she was a student out of Nordennavic.
'I tried to explain to them that Ludmila is no threat.'
"She's a student out of Nordennavic." she said, the gunmen narrowing her eyes at her before nodding to his compatriot beside him.
He stepped over and shoved Ludmilla forward with the barrel of his gun, the leader of the gunmen a very good look at her and mulling over what Melissa had said, eventually asking her some questions.
'But...I've never been much of a liar.'
The lead gunman narrowed his eyes before stepping back a few feet and gripping his gun tighter, the barrel rising up into it was trained on the skin right in between Ludmila's eyes.
"She definitely speaks the language...but with a thick Estovakian accent."
"Don't waste your ammo."
'Just then, something roars in the sky above.'
Everyones eyes took to the skies towards the setting sun when the roar of jet engines touched their ears, and they all developed grim expressions when they spotted a squadron of four Estovakian SU-32 Strike Flankers heading right for them.
They soared over there heads and began to turn back around to attack them and in that split second, Melissa realized it was do or die.
'I know it's our only chance of escape.'
"Get in! Hurry!" she yelled as she sprinted to the driver's side of Ludmila's car and got in, the gunmen still too entranced on the fighter-bombers to care in that split second.
They only took interest when Ludmila went to join her in the passenger seat, the lead gunmen going to shoot his gun at them, but unfortunetly for him, the gun jammed.
"Get them!" he yelled, the others scrambling to get on the 50 cal.s, but Melissa had already started to car and blew past them, leaving them at the mercy of the incoming Strike Flankers.
As they drove frantically away, Melissa shuddered when she heard the booms of missiles striking the trucks and engulfing them and the men around them in vicious balls of fire, guaranteeing there were no survivors.
'On the battlefield, you have to put luck aside and take what you get, good or bad. My countrymen were killed instead of me...and that gives me an eerie sense of relief.'
She looked back and both she and Ludmila turned white when they saw one of the Strike Flankers break off from the squadron and began to pursue them, bullets from its machine gun striking the ground all around them. they took a detour and drove off the road into one of the farm fields surrounding the road to try and escape the fighter jet, but it was futile.
'But now I've got to accept the fact that I am the next target. It's time for me to dance with the angels.'
- Silvat Airport -
- February 19th, 2016 1400 hrs -
"I'll give you the low-down on our mission. Small unmanned aerial vehicles, cruise missiles, everything. They are all closely related in terms of functionality, and have been uncovered as the enemy's secret weapon by our analysis results. We have collected missile and small UAV vehicle samples, analyzed them, and have come up with the following." started the briefer before the projector screen lit up and and began to power up.
"First of all, the small UAVs are operated from long distance, and approach their intended targets to destroy them. Second, a special electronic signal inside of each small unmanned aerial vehicle is sent to a cruise missile for guidance. Lastly, the cruise missile that was guided by a UAV hits and destroys its intended target. That is how the enemy's cruise missile system operates."
"Man, if only we knew what was firing those damned missiles though…" thought Talisman as the briefer continued.
"Small UAVs and cruise missiles are both launched from a location somewhere in the Fuscum Sea. The reason why we have not been able to uncover it is because of enemy jamming waves have left our radar unable to detect them, and our satellite images bring up nothing. All we know that its name is "Aigaion". Once launched, these cruise missiles are operated via remote control. Our Joint Chiefs of Staff have begun doing everything in their power to discover the source of these cruise missiles, so we can draw up an effective plan to terminate the Estovakian cruise missile system permanently. The only way we have was demonstrated by the Garuda Team by destroying the UAVs themselves as they draw in a missile by slowing their speed down to almost a crawl.
The other pilots in the room, Liz included, thanked them and gave them pats on the back or high fives to show their appreciation of Talisman and Marcus.
"Please guys, give us a break. We only did it to make sure you guys were safe."
"And we appreciate it. Now, back to the briefing." interrupted the briefer as an image of San Loma appeared on the projector screen.
"Before we can discover and eliminate the source of the enemy cruise missiles, first, we must secure a springboard to launch our plan of attack. We're about to head south and retake Cavallia Air Force Base in San Loma. Our objective is to retake Cavallia's air facilities, then establish a front line to search and destroy the enemy's missile system. Once the runway is secured, we should have a decent chance at taking out the enemy's secret weapon."
The briefer held his hands behind his back and let the pilots take in the amount of enemy forces located at San Loma, a staggering number compared to their own.
"Enemy forces will be heavily deployed, from land, air and sea. We'll be doing all we can to deal with them, but they will be ready for us. Success or failure of this mission will very likely have a significant effect on the war. Put everything you've got into this one. Dismissed."
- Fuscum Sea -
- Same Time -
Cipher loaded the pistol in his hand and slid it into his holster, then glanced at Nicolai, who grasped a KS-23 Shotgun and loaded it as well, then to the man with the slicked back hair, who was wielding a pistol just like him. He looked around at the men gathered in a circle and looked at their faces, not a single emotion present on any of them. They were ready and willing to die to accomplish their goal.
"Gentlemen, the day has come. The men and women who are with us should possess this medallion around their necks." said Cipher as he pulled up a golden medallion hanging around his neck imprinted with the symbol of Estovakia, a swallow.
"Anyone else without it must be detained, or if they resist...dealt with." said the man with slicked back hair, the armed followers nodding their head once.
"Alright, we will strike when the opportunity arises. It's time. For the future of Estovakia."
- San Loma -
- 45'08'20"N 77'00'16"E -
- February 19th, 2016 1552 hrs -
Talisman and Marcus flew with Liz and Sky Kid's squadron of Mirage-2000ds over the water and the flagship Marigold's fleet towards enemy naval forces stationed at the city. The other squadrons were on land heading for other targets located in and around the city itself, and as soon as the three of them were done assisting the Marigold, they would help their other forces.
"Seize San Loma along with its military base, and use that as a base of operations for attacking the enemy's missiles system." ordered Ghost Eye as they advanced towards the enemy naval fleet.
Warlock and the other tank battalions participating in the operation were rolling across the plains for San Loma, nothing getting in their way.
"Wipe out all enemies along the northwest route on your way to San Loma."
Their bomber force of B-52 Stratofortresses were zooming over their heads escorted by Windhover's squadron were arming their weapons for when they reached their targets.
"This is Hammerhead. Moving to destroy all defence facilities along the bombing route."
The Marigold and her fleet readied their weapons and anti-ship missiles as they got closer to the enemy fleet, either side within range from long range attacks.
"Marigold here. Destroy all enemy ships dispatched offshore of San Loma. Take out any enemy forces obstructing our landing. We can't let them take the city."
"Roger Marigold. Come on Talisman, Marcus. Let's get them!" said Liz with a smirk as she sped ahead of them and performed a barrel roll and sped after the first enemy ship she saw.
"Haha! I never get tired of that!" laughed Talisman before doing the same maneuver and going after her, then Marcus followed behind him.
"San Loma's got some pretty tough defences. Going in alone would be much too risky. Stay in your squadrons and use concentrated attacks."
"Hit 'em hard and hit 'em fast, I like it!" said Liz as her FAEBs decimated an enemy ship and sent it to the bottom.
"Escort planes for the enemy fleet spotted. They're loaded with anti-ship weapons, take 'em out Garuda Team." informed the Marigold's captain.
Several squadrons of SU-33s appeared on radar, equipped with RKTL launchers, and went right for their ships first, forcing Talisman to abandon the attack on the enemy ships to defend their own vessels.
"It's him! The guy that stopped the cruise missile attack over Selumna!" shouted one of the Stovie pilots before he was shot down, Talisman ripping into their flanks and shooting them down efficiently and quickly.
"You're not gonna touch a single one of our ships, you Stovie bastards!" said Talisman with a grin as he flipped back around and destroyed four Flanker-Ds with a couple of XLAAs.
Once they were down, he moved onto the next bunch while the enemy fleet was totally powerless against their own fleet's firepower and the aerial bombardment from Liz and Marcus.
"Our fleet's trapped. Not bad for a bunch of Emmerians."
"There's been a change in plans. Move to intercept all invading Emmerian aircraft!"
"Dammit! Almost half our forces have been defeated!"
"We've got 'em on the run! The sea is almost ours!" said Talisman after shooting down an SU-33 attempting to hit the Marigold with a volley of RKTLs.
"Hey, where the hell did our escort fighters go?! We can't survive out here without them!" shouted an Estovakian captain of one of their naval ships before it was hit with a missile from Marcus.
"Don't hold back, kill all the invaders! Drive them out of San Loma!"
Marcus and Talisman flew by each other and in synch, they tipped their noses up and made high G turns, bringing their sights down onto one of the last naval ships, then fired XAGMs straight into the center of it, ripping it in half with plumes of fire and smoke.
"Enemy naval forces have disappeared from radar. Garuda Team, thanks for that outstanding cover. Thanks goes to you too Mephisto."
"No problem, but there's still a lot more fighting to do. Let's go boys, our ground forces are in need of our assistance."
"Right. And who made you the leader of my squadron?" asked Talisman.
"Me, myself, and I. Get used to it." said Liz as they sped off for their ground forces, who were already engaged with other enemy forces.
When they arrived, they dove right in and engaged any air forces, an Estovakian pilot spotting his squadron insignia.
"I'm engaged with an enemy aircraft with a Piasa Bird emblem. I've never seen moves like this!"
"It's that bird emblem. We've got a chance with those guys watching over us up there!" said McKnight down below with the rest of the tank battalions hurrahing in response.
"What are you talking about?" asked Torch.
"They've got the enemy wrapped up in turmoil right now." replied McKnight to answer his tank driver's question.
"That's it! Send them in! Wipe 'em off the radar!"
"Unmanned observation planes confirmed on radar. Enemy cruise missile launch imminent. Be on alert!" informed Ghost Eye as several drones entered the area, Talisman swearing out loud at the new info.
"What do you want us to do? Shoot down the observation planes or cover our allies?" asked Marcus in confusion.
"Both. If you can shoot down the UAVs, that'll minimize the damage to our forces. Oh sh-Cruise missile impact, now!" yelled Ghost Eye as several explosions appeared in the sky, their forces getting hit in several areas, even in the bay.
The drones were flying at low altitudes around their ships to try and get the cruise missiles to detonate around the ships and sink them, but the bristling AA defenses on their naval ships were shooting them down when they got close, saving them from annihilation for now.
"Dammit! Listen up, spread out and shoot down any drones you come across!" ordered Talisman before breaking away to go after a group of drones.
"Agh! Those shockwaves are devastating!" grunted one of the tank commanders in Warlock, the cruise missile detonations shaking their tanks like they were in some kind of earthquake.
- Fuscum Sea -
-Same Time -
"They're launching cruise missiles!" said Nicolai as he observed several large missiles move away from the ship towards San Loma from its gaping maw, and coincidently, the remaining Strigon members were out doing a recon sortie.
Perfect.
"Alright people, let's move!" said Cipher as he drew his pistol and pulled up the red bandanna to cover his mouth and nose, the others doing the same.
They entered the bowels of the ship and started to make their way up to the bridge. They walked through a hallway and met a few crewmen chatting it up, and when they saw the guns in their hands, their happy expressions turned serious and they pulled out gold medallions from under their shirts.
Cipher nodded and they walked past them, continuing on their way to the bridge. They met more crewmen on their way to the bridge, and about ninety percent of them wore the medallion and went on their way to spread the word. The other ten percent were either bound and gagged by Nicolai, or were killed.
Eventually, they made it to the bridge and Cipher knocked on the door, his banging echoing throughout the command bridge.
"Permission to enter sirs."
The co-captain glanced at the door and looked down at his watch before stepping back and shouting over his shoulder, "Enter!"
A crewman looked at him and he received a nod, the two men pulling out medallions unbeknownst to the captain and everyone else in the bridge, and walked to the door to open it. As soon as the tumblers turned and the lock was removed, the crewman stepped aside to allow Cipher, Nicolai, the man with the slicked back hair and the rest of their armed compatriots enter the bridge and instigate their authority.
"Everyone put your hands behind your head and do absolutely nothing." growled Cipher as he pointed his pistol at the captain when he whirled his head around in surprise.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Sorry sir, but this is a hostile takeover, a management change if you will." said the co-captain as he pulled out his own firearm and trained it at the captain, the crewmembers present in the bridge without a medallion getting escorted out by Nicolai and the others to allow the ones on their side to take control of the massive ship.
"Aigaion, can you read me? You went silent for a few minutes. Is something wrong, and why have you halted Nimbus Cruise Missile launches?" asked an Estovakian from HQ over the comm system, Cipher narrowing his eyes and motioning to the receiver.
The captain growled a little before he stepped back towards the control panel while under gunpoint and pressed the button to speak.
"This is the captain. We just had slight trouble, everything's alright."
"What happened?"
"There was a malfunction within the missile launch device, we can't launch any more missiles until it's repaired." said the co-captain when he took the captain's spot by the comm. and allowed Cipher to hand him over to Nicolai.
"Roger Aigaion. Refueling will commence tomorrow, prepare for the tanker fleet's arrival."
"Roger command, Aigaion out." replied the co-captain before turning off the transceiver and re-holstering his pistol.
"Thank you captain, that will be all." he said with a brisk turn before the former captain of the Aigaion was escorted out of the bridge, Cipher and the man with slicked back hair joining the new captain.
"The Aigaion is ours sir, and everyone else is none the wiser." said Cipher with grin.
"Yes, but this is only the first step from freeing Estovakia from the iron fist of our military leaders."
"And we can accomplish it too, once we have Garuda on our side."
"Are you sure he's been the person you've been searching for?" asked the captain with a glimpse at Cipher.
"Yes, we're both sure. Everything fits." said the other man with a nod.
"Very well. We shall see tomorrow." said the captain before he pressed a button that sent a 'self destruct' single to all UAV drones over San Loma.
- San Loma -
"These cruise missiles are starting to become a pain in the ass!" growled Talisman as he destroyed another UAV and barely avoided the fireball of a cruise missile it drew in.
They had nearly beat back the occupying Estovakian forces when suddenly, the remaining UAVs blew up in a puff of fire and smoke, the instantaneous detonations surprising them all.
"The UAVs all detonated simultaneously! Whats going on Ghost Eye?" exclaimed Marcus in confusion.
"All marker drones have been self-destructed by an unknown source, and enemy cruise missiles have ceased. Wait a minute...I'm getting something here…"
"All enemy forces have been eliminated. San Loma is ours once again!"
"Woohoo! Eat that Estovakia!"
"Let's go out for a few when we get back. Drinks are on me tonight!" said Avalanche enthusiastically.
"Talisman, even though we just took our air force base back from the Estovakians, the battle for Emmeria has just begun." said Marcus.
"Hold on a minute...receiving anonymous intel from the...Fuscum Ocean? What the…"
"What is it Ghost Eye?" asked Windhover.
"The Fuscum Ocean? Could it have been…?" thought Talisman before Ghost Eye started to speak again.
"This...this is incredible. These documents hold information on Estovakia's secret weapon!" exclaimed Ghost Eye, the shocking news surprising all the pilots.
"Secret weapon?!"
"I must get this to the Joint Chiefs of Staff immediately!"
"Hold on Ghost Eye! What is Estovakia's secret weapon?" asked Liz in intrigue.
"Three words. Heavy Command Cruiser." said Ghost Eye, the pilots becoming confused for a second until they recognized the three words.
The term "Heavy Command Cruiser" was a designation given to giant flying carrier ships...just like the massive ship that attack Oured five years ago, the XB-0 Hresvelgr, a former weapon of the Principality of Belka. And if Estovakia had a weapon like that, there was only possible answer to the question they were all thinking.
Someone from Belka had defected and built Estovakia their own Heavy Command Cruiser.
With the revealing of this news...the war just took a dramatic turn.
- We have managed to retake Cavallia Air Force Base and free San Loma in the process. Cavallia will be our chief base of operation for conquering our newest enemy, the enemy's newfound secret weapon, a Heavy Command Cruiser similar to the one used by terrorist forces over Oured, Osea five years ago. Also, it seems that during the battle, the enemy's cruise missile bombardment was abruptly halted, allowing us to complete the mission. Ultimately however, the enemy's cruise missile system cannot be stopped unless their Heavy Command Cruiser is destroyed first. Every minute counts for us here. Wait for your next order concerning this operation.