Comrades in Arms

Chapter 11: Rallying Cry

Moscow, Russia

February 1st, 2140

Despite the fact that he was not in a combat zone, nor was there a loudspeaker playing the Reveille Call, Major Ivan Zaitsev woke at the crack of dawn. The battle-hardened veteran cursed quietly – why was he so unable to enjoy the little time of peace he had left? The numbers 06:30 flashed on the clock on his bedside – proper bedside table, not simply a low-height metal box that served as a table and a chest. Knowing full well that he would not be able to get back to sleep, the Major climbed out of bed, his wife still sound asleep as she would be for the next hour.

The sun's first rays were sneaking through the crack formed by the curtains, and the light glinted off the dog tags which perpetually hung off Zaitsev's neck. Even when not in combat, he wore the tags everywhere he went – even while showering or swimming. They were as much a part of him as his own limbs. Without really thinking about it, he lifted one tag to eye level and read the writing lasered on its surface.

PAC-AR-SPECFOR-REC

Zaitsev

Ivan Dimitryevich

15032109-26072131-625634-IZ

His mind automatically parsed the shorthand code of the first and last lines. The first was his Armed Forces affiliation – Pan Asian Coalition Army Special Forces Recon. The fourth was his serial number, generated using four pieces of information. 15032109 was his date of birth – the fifteenth of March, 2109. The second number, 26072131 was the date he had enlisted in the army – 26th of July, 2131. 625634 was an arbitrarily chosen unique ID number, and the final two letters were his initials.

How clinical and impersonal for a soldier who had given his entire soul to preserving the country he loved.

Zaitsev's morning routine, however, had changed significantly from army life. Upon awakening, he washed with soap and running water instead of the germicidal vapour jet which incorporated both into a high-pressure blast of mist. He had time to shave in the mornings as well, and ever since he had returned from Minsk he had been clean-shaven.

With his morning routine completed after a full hour of luxury, Zaitsev dressed in simple civilian attire – long, black cargo pants and a t-shirt. He made his way down the staircase leading to the ground floor of his house. All was silent.

The Major flicked on the television to inject some noise into the house. The channel was set to news, and the announcer was, as usual, commenting on the war.

"…and we now have confirmation that the city of Minsk is completely secured by PAC forces. Local reports suggest there may still be EU forces located in the area, although their number and how much of a threat they pose to us still remain unclear. Meanwhile, in the city of Belgrade-"

Nothing new there, Zaitsev thought, turning the TV off. As he stood up to make his way into the kitchen, he heard footsteps on the staircase. It was his wife, who had just woken up.

"Up so early?" she asked him, as she reached the foot of the stairs. Zaitsev's response was a dry chuckle and quietly humming the first bar of the Reveille Call.

"You know I have to keep myself ready, Anya. The army could come looking for me any time-"

Knock.

Both their heads whipped around to the front door. Glancing at his wife, Zaitsev made his way through the living room towards the door and glanced through the peep hole. Outside on the doorstep was an official looking man dressed in formal military attire. The man, who had a Chinese look to him, wore the enamelled chevrons of a Sergeant Major of the Army.

Zaitsev didn't want to open the door. He didn't want to think that there might be a possibility of him being sent back to the front lines, or hear that someone he knew who had listed him as his next of kin had died, or whatever other news the Sergeant Major might have for him.

But as much as Zaitsev wished the man were not there, that he would disappear, he knew that it was both rude and a severe breach of protocol to ignore a fellow soldier. So it was with a sinking feeling that he unlocked and unbolted the door and pulled it open.

"Major Ivan Dimitryevich Zaitsev?" the Sergeant Major asked. Upon Zaitsev's confirmation, the younger man saluted, which Zaitsev returned.

"I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning, Major, but there's an urgent message for you," the other soldier began.

"Not at all, Sergeant…?" Zaitsev trailed off to indicate that he didn't know the man's name.

"Xiang. Xiang Han Wei," he clarified. Aware that it was freezing cold outside, Zaitsev invited Sergeant Xiang into the house.

"Very nice place you have, sir," Xiang commented.

Anya, meanwhile, had noticed the newcomer's presence. Her eyes narrowed at him briefly, before she composed herself. Zaitsev took it upon himself to break the ice and introduced the two of them.

"Major, I've come to you with a package from General Hoten Sousuke. It is a mission briefing which you are to read and memorize as soon as possible. Your presence is requested at High Command today at 1300 hours, all the platoon commanders of the II Command Division will be in attendance. When you get to High Command, give this chip to the guard on duty. They'll direct you further," Xiang explained, handing Zaitsev a brown paper-wrapped package which was about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, as well as a data chip about the size of three fingers. Zaitsev accepted the two items with thanks.

"Thank you, Major. Have a good day. Oh, and General Sousuke apologizes for calling you out of leave so early."

Xiang excused himself and left the house, while Zaitsev was left staring at the two items he had been given.

"So soon?" Anya sighed, coming over to sit next to him on the couch.

"I don't like it any more than you do. I haven't spent as much time with Nikolai as I'd have wanted to, but…duty calls," Zaitsev replied.

"Whatever that is, is it classified?" asked Anya, indicating the package which Zaitsev had still not unwrapped.

"Most likely," he replied with a dry chuckle. His wife stood up and left the room to allow her husband privacy in viewing his secure documents.

As slowly as he could, Zaitsev eased one end of the paper wrapping open. He slowly but deliberately tore the rest of the paper off to reveal a thin cardboard box. Under its lid was a layer of protective foam padding, and under the padding, nestled on another layer, was a device which resembled a flatscreen monitor except it had no stand or any cables. On its long bottom edge were a number of buttons, with one prominent and round and two others identical with opposite-facing arrows. The entire assembly was the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Zaitsev pressed and held the prominent round button, powering the device on. A built-in scanner read his fingerprint on the button and, recognizing the print, flashed green to allow him access to its contents. The screen of the device came to life and displayed the silver lotus flower on a green background – symbol of the Pan Asian Coalition Armed Forces.

Zaitsev pressed the  button on the device, and the screen moved onto the next page of the document. Soon enough, he was completely immersed in the briefing, taking in every detail.

PAN ASIAN-COALITION ARMED FORCES

SPECIAL FORCES RECONNAISSANCE COMMAND

MISSION BRIEFING

for

MAJOR GOLD IVAN DIMITRYEVICH ZAITSEV

CLASSIFIED AND RESTRICTED INFORMATION

"Operation Stormcloud"

Background Information:

In November of 2139, the first expeditionary units were sent into the city of Belgrade. From their reports it was determined that the city held significant tactical value for our forces, being home to a major monorail hub as well as several EU bunkers and a fortress intolerance headquarters building. The expeditionary unit consisted of only one Division, the Northern Command Group under Brigadier General Nobu Sasaki. It has been three months since our forces first entered Belgrade, and they have been supported with periodic but minor reinforcements.

Current Situation:

With Minsk and Verdun under Pan-Asian Coalition control, we now set our sights on the city of Belgrade. Its transportation and industrial assets are of great importance to us. We have thus drawn up the plans for OPERATION STORMCLOUD which will attempt to take Belgrade from EU control without causing major damage to its assets. Operation Stormcloud is the lead-on to our eventual attack on the EU Central Command in Berlin, which will be code-named OPERATION THUNDER.

The major combatants in Belgrade currently are as follows:

PAC:

NORTHERN COMMAND GROUP under Brigadier General Nobu Sasaki

NORTHEASTERN SECTOR COMMANDER, Field Commissar Zhen Choy

NORTHWESTERN SECTOR COMMANDER, Commissar Fedor Spetzir

EU:

9th ARMOURED CORPS under General Emil Nikoli

4th MECHANIZED DIVISION under General Spencer Harrison

3rd AIR CORPS under Airmarshal Jared Hargreaves

The X Command Division is already on its way to Belgrade to provide reinforcements to our forces.

The II Command Division

The role of the II Command Division in this battle will be to enter the city from the East. The entire western edge of Belgrade is covered by a massive ice wall which has already swallowed much of the city. This wall will serve to block the Europeans' retreat.

The presence of two enemy divisions which both make use of ground vehicles makes a strong anti-vehicular force necessary. As such, Special Forces Recon, Heavy Anti-Tank, and Sabotage units will be of vital importance. Equally necessary is the presence of strong air power to combat the EU's 3rd Air Corps.

MAJOR GENERAL HOTEN SOUSUKE of the II Command Division has been placed in command of the COMMAND-CLASS TITAN IMPERIAL LANCE, which will serve as the main base of operations and command post for the Division in Belgrade.

Zaitsev almost fell over in shock at this point. Command-class? He'd only ever seen photos of them – photos which either only showed one section of it or were taken from too far away to pick out minor details.

The rest of the briefing detailed attack plans involving trapping forces against the ice wall, as well as parameters for the operation. Having finished the document, Zaitsev laid it carefully back into its box and got up off the couch.

High Command would be an interesting experience.

--

Pan-Asian Coalition Armed Forces High Command

February 1st, 2140, 1220 hours

Major Gold Ivan Dimitryevich Zaitsev, dressed in the full formal military attire of a Special Forces Team Leader – a dark grey trench coat, black-and-grey garrison cap with a silver lotus flower pinned on the front, and on the left breast of the coat his various combat honours, medals and decorations – climbed out of the rear door of his hover-taxi. The vehicles used similar propulsion systems as the Type 32 Nekomata Battle Tank and experimental Type 36 Hachimoto speeder vehicle, which made for an incredibly smooth, frictionless ride. Leaning through the passenger window, he paid the driver his fare and told him to keep the change. The driver accepted the money with thanks, and drove off, leaving Zaitsev dwarfed by the huge, imposing behemoth that was High Command.

The gates leading into the compound were as decorative as they were functional. The door security was three-fold – a shimmering red shielding barrier like that found covering the hangar of a Titan was the outermost layer of the heavily guarded entrance. Behind the shield, two wire-mesh gates stood shut, each carrying a 50,000 volt charge of electricity. Behind that were simple doors of titanium alloy, each a foot thick. To the left and right of this entrance, a high wall made of Titan armour rose three metres above the ground, interrupted at frequent intervals by fifteen-metre high sentry towers. At each gate, two shining silver flagpoles rose into the sky, a rippling flag bearing the Silver Lotus at full mast of each.

Confidently, Zaitsev strode towards the closest entry checkpoint, his eyes locked on the guard box to the left of the fortified entrance. As he approached, a lone guard bearing a Krylov FA-37 and dressed in light armour combat gear came out of the guard box, which was also protected by energy shield and steel door.

"Can I help you?" the guard asked as he and Zaitsev reached conversation distance, then, as the former saw the Major's formal uniform and brass rank insignia, added to his question the honorific "Sir?"

"My name is Ivan Dimitryevich Zaitsev, Special Forces Team Leader of the II Command Division. I was told to be here at 1300 hours to meet with Major General Hoten Sousuke," Zaitsev explained.

"Yes sir, I've been informed about that…you have your identification tag with you?" the guard inquired.

Zaitsev withdrew the data chip he had been given from his jacket pocket and passed it to the guard, who retreated into the guardhouse to check its authenticity. Looking through the bulletproof glass window, Zaitsev could see the guard insert the chip into a reader slot on the computer and quickly scan over the data that was displayed on the screen. A light began to blink green on his console.

The speaker over the window came to life, and the guard's voice said "All seems to be in order, Major. You're clear to enter. There's a vehicle waiting for you on the other side."

As soon as he had finished speaking, the red glow of the shield dimmed and faded completely, a few motes of red light hovering in the air and shimmering before winking out. The two halves of the electrified wire fence slid apart to create an entryway, and the heavy titanium doors swung open away from the Major to allow entrance to the High Command compound.

The main building still looked as imposing as ever, its gray concrete and blast plating surfaces built for function rather than form. Even more Silver Lotus flags fluttered in the breeze, in permanent declaration that this building is Pan-Asian. Zaitsev gazed up at the tall building before a voice to his left broke his reverie.

"Major Zaitsev? Major, over here, sir!"

Turning, he saw a parked Ocelot FAV – noticeably without a top-mounted machinegun turret but instead a rack of missiles on the rear area where a passenger could have sat in a combat zone. Standing next to the Ocelot and frantically waving at him was a young-looking Private. Zaitsev approached the other man and up close, realized it was one of the members of his own Special Forces unit.

"Lividenko? You're part of the meeting too?" he asked.

The Private – Lividenko – chuckled and replied "Hardly. I'm just serving as a shuttle driver. General Sousuke's in one of the hangars, I suppose you'd be heading in that direction?"

Zaitsev checked his watch, it was 1235 standard hours. "Twenty-five minutes left. Can you give me a lift to the hangar? I don't know where it is."

"Yes sir, Major. Jump in."

Zaitsev climbed into the left-hand seat of the Ocelot, noticing a large viewscreen on the dashboard as well as a small joystick with thumb trigger.

His teammate noticed and said "Please refrain from launching any missiles, Major. The Supreme Commander may not approve."

"I wasn't planning to shoot any," Zaitsev replied, as the vehicle picked up speed, "Never seen these in action before. Prototype?"

"Prototype variant on the Ocelot vehicle. It's a UAZ-16 Mongoose MMLP – Mobile Missile Launching Platform," he explained. "Belgrade is going to be the trial run for them. Specifically designed to take out gunships. You see the missiles on the back? Tandem load."

"Tandem load? How?" Zaitsev asked.

"They've got a dual charge. First one EMP, second RDX. Nifty technology it is – focused EMP. Not the big blue explosions we always see, but actually a directed beam of EMP. Anyway, once you fire a missile – or seven, depending on how badly you want to shake up the Talon pilot – it's guided by heat signature. The missile flies its way over to the gunship until it's about two metres away, then the EMP charge blows. Proximity fuse, you see. But then, of course, this gunship is dead in the air, and the missile only has to fly another two metres before it slams into the gunship and goes boom."

The explanation was succinct and understandable, just the way Zaitsev liked it. And he even saw the logic behind the system's concept, and thought it was brilliant. "Clever", was all he said, but the Private knew his leader well enough to know that the single word spoke volumes.

Lividenko manoeuvred the Ocelot through the curving roads of High Command, dodging pedestrians and other vehicles. They passed several minor buildings – variously an armoury, a motor pool, a repair dock, and a communications tower. It was 1250 standard hours by the time the two of them reached the hangar. Zaitsev exited the vehicle, careful not to bump any of the controls. Lividenko did the same, and the two soldiers saluted each other once they were both standing upright.

"Good luck, Major. When none other suffice," Lividenko said.

It was the official motto of their Special Forces team, and Zaitsev repeated it back to the Private before making his way to the hangar. Looking back, he saw Lividenko answer a call on a radio, mutter a brief reply, climb into his vehicle and drive off at high speed.

Zaitsev turned back towards the hangar building and approached the door with a sense of trepidation. After all, he really had no idea what to expect on the other side. He inserted the data chip into a slot on the control panel which governed the door's locking mechanism, and after a two-second wait, heard a metallic clang indicating that the door was unlocked. It slid open, and Zaitsev stepped through the open doorway.

The Major promptly staggered back out the doorway as he caught sight of the massive behemoth that occupied the bulk of the hangar's space. Nothing he had seen could have prepared him for the sheer mass of armour that was Imperial Lance. After about a minute to gather his wits, Zaitsev stepped back into the hangar and cautiously approached the Titan as if in fear that it might come alive and attack him.

"Funny, that was my reaction too. Don't worry, you get used to it eventually," a voice called out from Zaitsev's left.

The shaken Major nearly staggered again, but managed to compose himself and turn around to face the speaker.

"Kobarov?" he asked, surprised.

"Who else?"

Ever since the operation which had brought down the EU Titan Arc Lightning, Ivan Zaitsev and Vasily Kobarov had formed something of a double-act. More often that not, it was Kobarov's squadron that flew Zaitsev's team on their blitzkrieg-assaults in enemy territory, and more often than not it was Zaitsev who would man Kobarov's gunner seat and cut down enemy infantry or destroy enemy armour with ruthless precision.

"I thought it was only the squad leaders who were supposed to be here?" Zaitsev said, as the two soldiers approached each other.

"I got promoted. Wing Commander," Kobarov clarified, tapping the insignia on the point of his collar.

"Well done. So, where's the General?" Zaitsev was as efficient as ever, wasting as little time as possible on small talk.

"Up in the Command Centre. You're one of the last few to arrive, actually. We're supposedly waiting on two more people, and then we start the briefing."

Kobarov led Zaitsev up a flight of stairs into the Titan's hangar bay, and through a series of corridors until they stood facing the doors to the Command Centre. Reaching for a panel to the left of the door, Kosarkov tapped out an entry code, dictating the numbers out loud as he tapped them on the panel. The doors slid open.

"Major! How good it is to see you! Please, come in. Commander Kobarov, how many are we still waiting for?" the voice of Major General Hoten Sousuke called out from inside the room.

"Two more, not including Zaitsev here, General. Should I go back and wait?" Kobarov reported.

"No, no, I'd like to start the briefing as soon as the last one comes in. Kirov, would you mind waiting at the door?" he addressed someone out of Zaitsev's sight.

"Sir!" snapped the voice of Kirov. Zaitsev saw a man dressed in the ceremonial white garb of an Honour Guardsman step out from behind a computer screen and stride out of the Command Centre door.

"General Sousuke has an Honour Guard now?" Zaitsev whispered to Kobarov, who smirked and replied,

"Not quite, Kirov's a transfer. Left Supreme Commander Petrov's Guard for a frontline position. Being ex-Guard, he's still entitled to wear the uniform," Kobarov explained.

"Might help in the snow," Zaitsev replied.

Kirov came back in about five minutes later with two other squad leaders, both dressed in the uniform of an infantry officer. No sooner had they entered and sat down than Sousuke began the briefing.

"Welcome, Squad Leaders, and you have my thanks for attending today. As you will have no doubt read in your briefings, our next major operation is the liberation of the city of Belgrade. This briefing is to give you all a little more information on the operation which I could not include in the briefing document. Firstly, the opposition forces."

Sousuke pressed a button on a remote control he was holding. The large screen in front of the assembled leaders came to life, and displayed a prominent title: 3rd AIR CORPS. Beside the title was an insignia of the silhouette of a hawk grasping an old-style 20th century long rifle in its talons.

"The Third Air Corps. Belgrade's primary enemy air unit, and the one that's been causing the most damage to our current efforts their. The Third are damn good flyers, with damn good machines backing them up. Don't let the name mislead you, they've got deadly air-attack shock troops and paratroopers as well. Watch out for their leader – Jared Hargreaves is just as good a flyer as any one of them, and he will be in the air against us," Sousuke dictated, as the screen flashed up the more technical details of the Corps, such as their numbers, structure and major operating bases.

"Moving on," Sousuke continued after a few minutes. The image on the screen faded out, and was replaced by the title '4th MECHANIZED DIVISION'. Their manpower statistics, operational bases and structure began to scroll onto the screen as Sousuke spoke again.

"Fourth Mechanized Division. Mechanized doesn't mean heavy armour, but don't let that fool you. These guys have got APCs, FAVs, and even a few tanks at their disposal. They fight as either vehicle platoons, or vehicle-deployed infantry. Watch yourself with these guys. They deploy hard, and they deploy fast."

The screen faded out again, and flashed up the last slide which bore the title '9th ARMOURED CORPS'. Along with the unit name and insignia was a picture of their leader, and even though everybody had already read the briefing and knew the identity of the man, an aura of barely suppressed rage suddenly surrounded everyone in the room.

Sousuke himself was simmering, but years of deference to superiors and his own upbringing helped him to suppress the emotion as he said "the Ninth Armoured Corps. Led by General Emil Nikoli." And with those words, the anger in the room multiplied a hundredfold.

Emil Nikoli, better known among PAC circles by a combination of the most derogatory words that could be used to describe a man, had been one of the leaders of a prominent PAC Infantry Division, before he had mysteriously vanished without trace in Minsk in early 2139. It had been later revealed, through a communiqué from Nikoli himself, that he, along with his entire unit, had turned traitor to the PAC and joined the European Union Armed Forces. Since then, Nikoli and his unit had had an official bounty placed on them – an act which itself displayed the fury of the PAC High Command – by none other than the Supreme Commander at the time, Yuri Vladomirovic. Arkadi Petrov, upon his ascent to the rank, had not seen fit to remove the bounty, and until today, anybody who could bring proof that they had killed Nikoli or one of his men would receive a sizable monetary reward as well as a military decoration, even if they were civilians. Nikoli's face was now mostly confined to dart boards, bonfire fuel, and the official bounty posters put up by High Command.

"You all know this man," Sousuke called out, his voice shaking, "you've served with him. You know how he fights. And if any one of you takes the bastard out…I'll make sure you make Commissar for it. That I promise you."

The calmly spoken oath scared the assembled leaders more than any amount of rage could have. Sousuke had always been the spitting image of an honourable General, a commanding presence without being haughty or arrogant, a friend as well as a leader, and a man who respected the chain of command. Yet here, in front of his assembled subordinates, in the presence of those who were the metaphorical strength in his arm, he had just shown a more vindictive and vengeful side to him than anybody had ever seen.

In truth, it was somewhat to be expected. As a loyal and devoted soldier of the Pan Asian Coalition, Sousuke hated traitors. Absolutely despised even the idea that someone could so willingly betray their country.

"This is it, people. Muster your squads and rally your men. We leave for Belgrade in two days. Dismissed!"

Zaitsev's head was spinning as he stood up and left the Titan. Belgrade, he saw, was serious. Serious enough to be personal.