Author's Notes: Before I start making words about this fic, I'm outlining the current conditions of my two other fics. Here are notes for my other stories:
TWGOK: Beyond God's Mask – I'm currently polishing this one. Due to Keima's limited social interaction with others pre-TWGOK and lack of scenes depicting that, I'm currently stuck on how to make him interact with his next target not to mention that his next target doesn't have much screen time in TWGOK.
Sentient Familiar of Zero – I'm reading some religious books mainly Christianity ones since I'm going to use those in later chapters. Also, for a spoiler, Tabitha will take center stage in the upcoming chapter. Because Tabitha didn't do much in the first season of ZnT, I'm pretty much stuck on how I will make her behave in the next chapter.
Now that I informed the status of the two other fics that I have, I'm going to inform that this Turn will now cover the adventures of the armored convoy that I talked about several Turns ago. Since this fic is a ZnT x CnC: Generals xover, I assume that it's just fair to include contents from the Generalsverse. In this case, the armored convoy is the answer.
Speaking of the convoy, I am making several modifications to it (In a sense of realism). The following are:
1) The Humvees will be able to carry a maximum of 8 passengers (including the driver and gunner).
2) All tanks will be able to one-shot any target that isn't sufficiently armored enough to survive a tank shell.
3) The carrying capacity of the Chinooks has beenset at 40 troops instead of the 8 infantry seen in the game. However, they will still be able to carry a maximum of two tanks like they do in game. However, for realism reasons, they will NOT be able to carry even one Overlord Tank.
4) All US vehicles are equipped with cold fusion engines in this story. This is not me overpowering the armored convoy in any way. Rather, it is because I have read that it seems possible to equip such combat vehicles with this kind of engine based on an article I read over the net and it is in this webpage ( see the "Military Applications" section ). Cold Fusion engines aren't used yet on any vehicles whatsoever yet. However, considering that CnC: Generals takes place in the 2020's (near future), it's justified that these engines can be fielded at this point in time not to mention that the USA in this game appears to be more advanced that RL America (i.e. Crusader tanks can be manned by just one soldier, Point Defense Lasers that can instantly shoot down missiles and aircraft as well as zapping infantry soldiers in one shot, Particle Uplink Cannons, etc.. What more can you ask?). And honestly, it's likely due to gameplay reasons that the US vehicles weren't fitted with these at it will theoretically make them much more powerful.
5) Flasbang grenades WON'T be able to kill enemy infantry like they do in the game. IRL, Flashbang grenades only blind and deafen the senses of anyone caught in the blast not kill them although there are chances that they could be kill either way assuming they just have some really good deal of bad luck. The only thing that they'll do in this story is what the Flashbang grenades in RL do.
Important note: I have read some posts regarding the Elves' Counter ability in Spacebattles forums and, based on what I have read, it's a defensive magic of sorts considering it can stop any solid projectiles heading on it. Considering that, I might implement that laser-based weaponry are an effective counter against it alongside thermobaric/airburst weapons. The former is because it's just a beam of light that can deal damage and cannot miss while the latter bypasses Counter by the nasty blast wave that it produces to damage its intended targets. Since the ALC will not be having any contacts with the Elves in the Holy Lands anytime soon, you guys have plenty of time to appeal to me that this isn't the case and state the reason why.
Now to answer some reviews…
HegemonAlexandrov : Add the fact that these same elite commandos are also armed with the best weapons that the United States military has to offer.
OBSERVER01 : That's right though the ALC aircrews won't be having the pressurized cockpit and g-suits that you normally found on modern era Air Superiority Fighter jets. Still, they'll be having those two except that it'll be on a WWII-era design.
Spartan016 : Yes, you're right. You can hope.
Anyways, as for your question regarding the Command vehicle, that'll be the last ground vehicle that the Albion Republic will be able to field due to the satellites that it will rely on as they will need to launch those first into orbit before the M9 Command vehicle can use its advanced radar suite. Either way, even without the satellites, the M9 will still be able to provide radar coverage albeit in a reduced capacity. Oh yeah, I'm still thinking of a design for the satellite.
As for the looting, it practically won't be any worth the effort as the earth tech that Romalia (in canon) will be obsolete by CnC: Generals tech standards but they'll still be deadly as always. Besides, who needs antiquated WWI and WWII-era weapons (and even Cold-War era weapons ) when you got 21st century weapons like lasers?
reader : There will be a gun capable of firing the 7.62 mm NATO round in this story. Anyways, 20mm and 30mm caliber weapons are much better in whipping those suckers. Hell, a single .50 BMG can already kill a square-class mage in one shot especially if it's aimed at the head.
XxDELTAxX : I would love to but the complicatedness of this story prevents me as such. I am currently reading the ZnT info found on Spacebattles forums so I can merge the CnC: Generalsverse with ZnT.
Guest : Actually, there's a really interesting scene later on regarding Fouquet which is the reason why she hasn't made any second appearance in this fic as I'm reserving her (along with Tiffania) for something big later on. And as for the armored convoy, you're right. This Turn takes place before they were transported and centers around the armored convoy itself.
Now that the questions are accounted for, I would like to tell you guys that I'm a bit disappointed that the author of ZnT, Noboru Yamaguchi, died while his work is still left unfinished. Man, ZnT is an interesting story and the idea of its author passing away is a bummer. I wonder if there's somebody that's going to take over the reins in finishing this story with the quality of the work still present. Oh yeah, Felix3D's "En Memorandum" is a good poem of sorts to read. I recommend that you guys read it.
Anyways, back on story. Be prepared for this Turn coz this will be one helluva long Turn (around 11k words). This will be packed with several action scenes by the way and the reason for this Turn is simply because I'm not satisfied with dumping them on the frying pan outright. I'm giving them some screen time to show their badassery before they find themselves fighting some retard nobles later on. Oh yeah, new Story Cover. Hope you guys like it.
Oh yeah, please look at my DeviantArt account (TASpecialist), you'll see a new vehicle there. BTW, I might change the names of all the vehicles that I'm doing there sometime in the future. All the vehicles there are not yet final.
Now, with my rants finally finished, here's Turn 13! Hope you enjoy reading!
========== Turn 13: Gritty Bullets ==========
"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead."
- David Farragut: Battle of Mobil Bay, Aug. 5, 1864
At a street in Al-Anbar Governorate, Iraq (outskirts of Al-Anbar)…
0400 Hours…
Al-Anbar is a large governorate of Iraq. In fact, it's almost the size of California in the United States. However, unlike California, this governorate is inversely proportional to its size in certain aspects. One of the ironic reasons is that, while this is the largest governorate in Iraq, it's also the most sparsely populated but it could be explained by its environment. Technically speaking, the reason why it is sparsely populated isn't because of natural reasons like floods, sandstorms, and whatnot but due to the insanely high insurgent and terrorist activity happening in this area. Al-Anbar's strategic location made it an important infiltration route for insurgents to move in and out of Iraq especially to Baghdad. Aside from an infiltration route, it also served as an important GLA stronghold and even fall back base whenever they got hard-pressed by American forces that were dispatched to Iraq and this area can be easily reinforced with GLA reinforcements coming from states bordering Iraq which all exhibit high GLA activity either because the terrorist organization has a significant presence there or they control the area.
A US army group consisting of six Humvees, five Crusader Tanks, and three Paladin Tanks complemented by four Tomahawk Launchers, three Avengers, two Microwave Tanks and three Ambulances has set up a perimeter in an urban street littered with what appears to be abandoned buildings located at the edge of Al-Anbar. The vehicles that comprise this group are all equipped with drones ranging from Scout drones to Battle drones and even to Hellfire drones.
The street, meanwhile, is devoid of any activity save for the occasional tumbleweeds that roll across the ground. As the US combat vehicles held their ground, a large formation of Comanche attack helicopters accompanied by four Combat Chinooks made a fly past above the combat vehicles with their engines letting out a roar as they did so. The Comanche attack helicopters are now fitted with cold fusion engines which made them even more useful as their newly equipped cold fusion engines allowed them to stay airborne for a much longer time… and even permanently as long as the attack helicopters themselves weren't shot down in the process. Also, due to changes in battlefield scenarios for the US army, it was decided that the few remaining US army combat vehicles and aircrafts currently in the Middle East be refitted with such engines to compensate for their now few numbers with extended operational range. This decision proved easy to implement as there are few vehicles to be refitted in the current situation and it also maximized the effectiveness of the remaining US military assets to conduct military operations.
At the same time just a few blocks away from the US army vehicles, a group of four Rangers are making a run in an abandoned alleyway with their rifles at the ready. Once they reached the end of the alleyway, the lead ranger raised his fist up in the air signaling the other rangers to stop. As soon as the rangers stop, the lead ranger whispered to his men to take cover and he followed a moment after it. The reason for them taking cover is explained a little later.
A long convoy of machine gun-armed Technicals and Battle Buses escorting several rocket buggies and some trucks which turned out to be Quad Cannons passed the road just a few meters beside the alleyway that they are hiding on. However, the rangers went wide-eyed when they saw a large vehicle at the end of the line: An Overlord Tank and is armed with quad Gatling guns and a front-faced spiked ram.
"Oh… fuck", a ranger said referring to the Overlord tank, "Just how the hell did those suckers get that?"
"Concentrate on the mission, private", the lead Ranger said as he cocked the safe lock of his M16A4 assault rifle, "If we managed to get through with this op, we should likely get that big-assed monster as ours."
"Yeah, that's if we're still alive", the first Ranger retorted.
The lead Ranger ignored the first ranger's reply and grabbed his radio instead.
"[COMMS] This is unit Theta, we spotted a GLA armor column. Any orders?", the lead ranger asked.
A static noise was heard in the radio for a moment before a voice came in.
"[COMMS] Maintain stealth and try to locate any additional GLA forces in the area. Do not engage unless necessary", a female voice on the other line said.
"[COMMS] Copy that, unit Theta out", the lead ranger replied.
When the lead ranger was sure that the GLA armor convoy is gone, he rose up his fist in an expanded form and made a flip down sign ordering them to move out. The small ranger fire team then continued on their way.
Meanwhile, in the third floor of an abandoned building somewhere in Al-Anbar…
0420 Hours…
A room in the second floor of the building is empty save for a dusty bed and some broken vases and furniture. However, a man in some ghillie suit is in a prone position stealthily peering outside the building through a window that has its glasses broken through the scope of his MSG90 sniper rifle.
So far, he is seeing a large mass of GLA rebels lazing outside some sort of an abandoned bar with their AK-47 rifles strapped to them. As the group of GLA rebels are lazing, a Technical and a Battle Bus arrived on scene. The former dropped off a man who seems to be a leader of sorts if the clothes that he wears are any indication which is much better than the ones worn by the GLA rebels who all look rugged in one way or another due to their clothes. The man that got out of the technical waved his hand up and the GLA rebels immediately went inside the Battle Bus which seemed empty. As soon as the rebels went inside the Battle Bus, the man then went back inside the Technical. After that, both the Technical and Battle Bus drove out of the area leaving nothing but dust and some tumbleweed in the derelict street.
As soon as the GLA rebels went away, the Pathfinder immediately abandoned his vantage point silently. He went for the door and slowly opened it. When he finally opened the door, another Pathfinder greeted him through a hand signal telling to follow the second Pathfinder. The two pathfinders then went down the stairs located on the other end of a long corridor. Once they reached the first floor of the building, they immediately opened the front door and they were greeted by a four-man Ranger team who has taken position outside the building that they were in just a few moments ago.
"Did you see anything?", a Ranger asked the Pathfinders.
"Yes, lots of hostiles most likely heading for the city square", one of the Pathfinders said.
"Understood", the ranger replied, "Anyways, we got to rendezvous with the others near an abandoned warehouse just a kilometer away from here. We got word that a lot of our stolen cache is sitting there."
"Copy that", the same Pathfinder replied.
Meanwhile, at the city plaza of Al-Anbar…
Same time…
A Spy drone is flying at high altitudes over another derelict part of Al-Anbar. As the Spy drone flew, its state-of-the-art camera and sensor equipment is monitoring the ground below looking for any potential hostiles, assets, and other targets of value. After a few more minutes of flying, the Spy drone detected a large concentration of GLA forces in a large open area. GLA troops that were detected were armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades as well as machine guns. Enemy armor was also detected in the form of several Technicals and half a dozen Scorpion tanks parked right next to two Overlord tanks where one is currently going in some sort of modifications if the rebels on it attaching something to the tanks' hulls are any indication while the other is the same one that the Rangers earlier saw. Quad Cannons were also detected amongst the GLA force. Aside from the GLA combat units, large crates containing supplies and other war materiel are spotted lying on the ground and two large trailer trucks were also spotted likely carrying more usable resources parked near a large building. Considering the composition of the GLA force, this is most likely a supply unit. Since the Spy drone itself has stealth properties and combined it with the altitude that it is flying at as well as the GLA forces currently on a lax and lack of any sort of detector, the Spy drone was able to slip past unnoticed.
On the other side of the street where the large mass of GLA forces was located, a Quad Cannon is parked in front of a building that looked like a mosque's entrance. The gunner crews that are supposed to man it are currently resting on the walls of the mosque. Aside from the Quad cannon, a pair of Rocket Buggies was also parked in front of the Mosque's walls with crates presumed to be loaded with AP rockets assuming that the pointed stubs sticking out of the partially opened crates are any indication sitting next to the parked Rocket Buggies. The men that are supposed to man the Rocket Buggies are resting against the crates that are not yet opened. Some were drinking some sort of liquid which is most likely an alcoholic beverage of sorts while others are smoking.
The Spy drone continued to buzz overhead the unsuspecting GLA forces transmitting live video feed as it did so. To an untrained and naked eye, the Spy drone is nothing but a glint in the blue-white sky above and can even be mistaken for a bird flying up in the sky.
Meanwhile, at the area secured by the armored convoy (inside a Humvee)…
0430 Hours…
A Ranger is currently resting on his seat inside a Humvee with his chin resting on his fist pointing upwards and eyes closed. There are four other people inside the Humvee other than him although only two of the Rangers are currently working. One is manning the wheel while the other is manning the communications suite. Just as the Ranger is taking his rest, the Ranger manning the communications suite spoke to him.
"Lieutenant, the bulk of the enemy forces is on the plaza right now. Captured Chinese armor is also spotted as well", the communications officer said.
The lieutenant slowly gazed up as if he woke up from sleep.
"So we spotted the big fish huh?", the Ranger now known as the lieutenant said.
The communications officer frowned before replying.
"Lieutenant, you shouldn't be slacking off during the mission", the communications officer addressed.
"Okay, okay", the lieutenant said, "Just can't help it. Getting dumped from one battlefield to another is very tiresome. Anyways, how are our forces doing?"
"Our forces are spread throughout the city by now but we can't still figure out where did the GLA hid our hardware that they stole from us", the communications officer replied.
"Damn, the GLA is this good", the lieutenant thought to himself, "Guess they weren't a bunch of dicks after all."
The lieutenant was about to think more deeply but an urgent call suddenly came up when a beep rang inside the Humvee
"Lieutenant, we got a transmission from Command", the communications officer said, "And it seems it's kinda for you."
"Alright, patch it up to me", the lieutenant replied.
The communications officer then handed over the specialized telephone equipment inside the Humvee to the lieutenant who then immediately positioned the earphones of the equipment on his ears and the in-built microphone just a few inches away from his mouth.
"[COMMS] Alright, I'm here", the lieutenant said, "[COMMS] Is there anything that needs my attention?"
"[COMMS] We received reports that an important cargo of ours was also stolen by the GLA and Intel reports suggest that there's a likely possibility that it's currently in your area of operations. You are assigned to recover it as soon as possible if it is there and you are authorized to use any means necessary to retrieve it back", the voice on the other side of the line said.
"An important cargo? Why didn't I heard this one before?", the lieutenant thought to himself before he replied.
"[COMMS] Is there any forms of identification so I can discern if the object that we recovered is the cargo?", the lieutenant asked.
"[COMMS] The cargo itself is being carried in a closed multi-wheeled trailer which is pulled by a ballast tractor at the time it was stolen by GLA forces. The tractor itself is likely compromised at the moment but the trailer in which the cargo is contained in is modified that it cannot be opened by enemy forces in the event that it fell on enemy hands", the voice on the other line said.
"[COMMS] I apologize for this but what is the cargo?", the lieutenant asked.
"[COMMS] I do not know any information regarding it other than that. The cargo itself was informed to us by the CIA and they gave it the code name of 'Black Testarossa'", the voice on the other line said, "[COMMS] Another thing that I would like to inform about this new update is that we also have several important tech heads and scientist who are responsible for 'Black Testarossa' captured by GLA forces. You must locate them as well."
"[COMMS] Understood", the lieutenant replied.
The call terminated after it. The lieutenant hung up the phone and gave it back to the communications officer.
"Black Testarossa huh?", the lieutenant thought, "And the CIA? Just what is with this mystery cargo?"
Meanwhile, at another part of Al-Anbar…
0445 Hours…
A group of Rangers accompanied by some Missile Defenders are traversing an abandoned city street at a cautious pace. So far, the Rangers aren't discovered yet. Due to the time of the day, visibility isn't perfect yet allowing the group to hide in the darkness of the dusk. Without their night vision gear, the Rangers can't even see their comrades.
Suddenly, the Ranger leading the group ordered his team to stop.
"Sir, anything?", one of the Rangers asked the leader.
"Get inside that building there", the lead Ranger said, "We're going to make a detour."
"Understood", the Ranger said as he and everyone started to make their way towards the rather large building that the lead Ranger pointed at.
The team was finally inside the building after several minutes. Many buildings in Al-Anbar are linked to each other in one way or another such as through back doors and alleyways. The lead Ranger ordered his team to go inside the building as it is likely connected to the other buildings in the area and, in doing so, reduces their risk of being spotted as they are using the buildings as cover.
The lead Ranger's decision somehow proved right as two Quad Cannons and a Technical passed the street that they were in just a few minutes ago. If the lead Ranger didn't ordered his men to go to the building, they might probably be some blood soup on the ground by now.
One of the Rangers peered on a window whose glasses have been reduced to nothing but jagged pieces of transparent plate and sighed as he witnessed the GLA vehicles perish in the distance.
"We're lucky we went here", the Ranger said, "Those guys can chew us pretty good with their guns."
While the Ranger is peering through the window, the lead Ranger tapped another Ranger who is holding some portable radar on his person.
"Do you see any hostiles on radar?", the lead Ranger asked.
"None sir", the Ranger holding the radar equipment said.
The lead Ranger paused and thought for a second before replying.
"Is it possible that the enemy is using GPS scramblers?", the lead Ranger asked.
"I don't know for sure but it's likely", the Ranger replied, "With them in possession of various captured electronics and hardware such as ours, there's a chance that they might have it."
The lead Ranger nodded on what one of his men said. Considering the circumstances that they are currently in, such a thing is a very likely possibility. On a not so good side, since they can't fully rely on their radars to ascertain the location of the GLA forces that they are up against, they are half blind in this situation. With the vehicles and other war materiel that they brought along with them in this area, it is very likely that the GLA are aware that they are here. The only problem now left is how the GLA will attack them and when. The GLA is the master when it comes to sneak attacks so guarding against an attack that can simply pop out of nowhere like a mushroom will be pretty tough despite having the tech advantage over them.
After some moments, another Ranger called out to the lead Ranger telling word of a new development.
"Sir, there's lots of GLA troops walking on the streets in our position", the Ranger said as he looked at the window.
"Are they closing in on our position?", the lead Ranger asked.
"Negative, they appear to be just passing the road down below", the Ranger said, "Sir, want us to pour in hot lead on them?"
"Negative, we are instructed not to engage the enemy at the moment. We need to locate our stolen equipment before we do", the lead Ranger said, "Anyways, continue with the advance, we need to link up with 2nd lieutenant Stiles' team. They're likely at the designated area by now", the lead Ranger said.
"Understood", the Ranger said as he and the other members of the group continued on their way after making sure that the GLA forces are gone.
"Okay, let's move men", the lead Ranger said as footsteps began to clatter inside the room that they were in as they made their way out.
Meanwhile, at the outskirts of a warehouse depot in Al-Anbar…
0500 Hours…
Another team of US soldiers are currently scouting the outside of a large complex consisting of warehouses and derelict depots. The area appears to be abandoned considering the lack of any activity anywhere. Lots of badly beaten-up and rusted car frames litter the area with the majority of them stacked on top of the other especially in the junkyard part of the area.
The US soldiers, seeing the lack of any GLA forces in the area, entered the depot with virtually has its main gate completely torn down by disrepair, rust, or plain simple breaching and is wide enough to let three Crusader tanks roll in side by side. They entered through the gate without much opposition. All around them is a dusty complex littered with nothing of any value at all. There are some large steel bars lying around though all of them are in a not so good condition to be used. Barrels apparently filled with oil were also seen inside and these barrels appeared to have been simply left behind. They passed through the yard without fuzz and reached a large closed door.
The leader of the team instructed the Missile Defenders accompanying them and a couple of Rangers to stand guard a few yards away from the warehouse's entrance door while he and the remaining Rangers prepared to make a forced entry approach on the warehouse through the door.
The leader made hand gestures instructing the other men that are going to accompany him in breaching to which his subordinates responded accordingly. There are six rangers ready to make the breach including the leader and all are poised to make the move at a moment's notice
"One… Two… Three", the leader said as one of his subordinates kicked the door open with great force causing the door to almost get detached from its hinges.
All of the men that are part of the breaching team immediately stormed inside with their guns at the ready. Two of the men went for the left side and stood their ground while two other men went for the right. The leader and a Ranger took center point.
Inside, they saw something that made them scream "Jackpot" inside their minds: A Nuke Cannon and lying around it are crates containing shells for the Chinese self-propelled artillery. However, the Rangers immediately realized that they will not be able to claim their prize as four GLA troops happened to be near the Nuke Cannon with one of them on top of the Nuke Cannon's cabin attaching some sort of armor plates there.
The GLA troops, seeing the US soldiers, began to draw their guns but they were not able to do so because of the one order that the leader of the US soldiers said.
"FIRE!", the leader of the Rangers yelled.
Hot lead began to whistle inside the warehouse as the GLA troops inside began to drop like flies. The GLA soldier that happened to be on the roof of the Nuke Cannon's cabin fell off from where he is standing at when a 5.56x45mm cartridge left a hole on his skull head first into the ground. Since the US soldiers have their guns already trained to fire at any enemy target that shows up while those of the GLA soldiers weren't, the former were able to mop up the latter in short order and without additional unnecessary fuzz.
"MOVE! MOVE!", the lead Ranger said as he and his team quickly advanced towards the Nuke Cannon.
The Rangers formed up a defensive circle around the Nuke Cannon and began to secure it. Three of the Rangers began to inspect the crates containing the ammunition for the Nuke Cannon while the other three stood their ground.
"Sir, this crate contains nuclear shells", one of the Rangers said after confirming the contents of one of the crates.
"We also have neutron shells here", another Ranger added.
"Got it", the lead Ranger replied.
The Ranger in charge of the group tapped his communicator and spoke the moment he got on line.
"[COMMS] This is unit Gamma, we haven't found any of the stolen US Army equipment but we have located a stolen Nuke Cannon", the lead Ranger said, "We are currently securing it along with its provision of shells at the moment."
"[COMMS] Understood", a female voice on the other line said, "[COMMS] Secure that position while the other teams are finding the stolen hardware."
"[COMMS] Roger that", the lead Ranger said.
The lead Ranger terminated the call and placed his radio aside. He then scanned the area and, when he was sure that the coast is clear which is already obvious, he and the two other Rangers with him helped the Rangers already packing up the crates containing the Nuke Cannon's shells.
However, as they were sealing the lids of the crates after sorting out the shells to ensure that the shells are in good condition, gunfire suddenly blared outside the warehouse. The lead Ranger immediately grabbed his radio and contacted the men that he left inside.
"[COMMS] WHAT IS GOING ON THERE?!", the lead Ranger bellowed over the radio.
The lead Ranger didn't heard anyone reply and all that he can hear is gunfire ringing outside. However, a voice came up after several minutes.
"[COMMS] SIR! WE'RE SPOTTED! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE ASAP BEFORE THEY SEND IN THEIR ARMOR!", the voice on the other line yelled which belong to one of the lead Ranger's men, "WE'RE TAKING HEAVY FIRE DOWN HERE!"
"[COMMS] Understood, we're joining you down there after we patched things inside here. Hold on as much as you can while we secure the Nuke Cannon here", the lead Ranger replied.
"[COMMS] Affirmative", the Ranger on the other line said.
The Rangers inside the warehouse doubled their efforts in tidying up the crates for later transport and immediately rushed outside with their guns ready intending to join their allies who are now having a gun fight with the GLA forces outside. However, before going out, the lead Ranger radioed back and spoke over his communicator.
[COMMS] This is unit Theta, we are currently under fire from GLA forces. Requesting for reinforcements", the lead Ranger said.
[Understood] Understood, a pair of Crusader tanks, a Humvee, and a Comanche flight will be arriving at your coordinates. Please hold off the enemy forces until the reinforcements arrive", the female voice on the other line said.
"[COMMS] Affirmative", the lead Ranger said as he and his men hurried outside.
Outside, the lead Ranger saw his subordinates that he left outside already shooting it out with the GLA rebels who are poking out of the complex's toppled-over main gate. The attacking GLA force is backed up by two Technicals both of which are spraying heavy machine gun rounds on them and the rebels are using the pickup trucks as cover.
Not wasting any time, the lead Ranger opened fire on the GLA troops with his own rifles along the men that are with him and went near his subordinates that are already tying up the GLA troops.
"FIRE AT WILL!", the lead Ranger bellowed as he dove for cover when he closed the distance with his men while the others with him did the same.
The two sides continued to exchange gunfire as rubble, dust, and hot lead continued to whistle and tumble in the crossfire. Casings of spent ammunition continued to pile up on the ground as gunfire continued to roar in everyone's ears. Due to all the gunfire that is happening, the Missile Defenders were not able to use their Anti-Tank weaponry as they'll be exposed to enemy fire if they did so.
"Damn it! We're being chewed down here!", a Ranger bellowed, "Where's the backup?!"
"Just keep firing!", another Ranger yelled, "We just need to hold on till they arrive."
The shootout continued for almost half an hour before a familiar sound was heard in the area. That familiar sound is the distinct humming of a helicopter's rotor blades. Due to the nature of the sound, everyone instantly looked up in the sky and saw a flight of four Comanche attack helicopters. The GLA rocket soldiers were about to aim their rocket propelled grenade launchers at the attack helicopters but they were not able to do so as a tank shell suddenly slammed on a Technical just next to them throwing their aim off and knocking them down on their asses. The Technical, on the other hand, was thoroughly destroyed by the tank shell evidently seen as it was flipped over to the side and instantly burst into flames incinerating both the driver and the gunner into ashes. The other Technical sped away but was greeted by some .50 BMG rounds causing it to skid before being hit by a tank shell destroying it instantly.
The remaining GLA troops tried to flee after seeing their vehicles get destroyed. However, it all proved to be a vain attempt as the US soldiers and the newly-arrived reinforcements seized the opportunity to render a killing counterstrike at them.
"Eat this! Bitches!", a Ranger shouted as he fired his M240L machinegun on the GLA troops that are attempting to flee.
The other Rangers followed suit while the Missile Defenders switched to their FN P90 SMGs and opened fire. The GLA rebels themselves proved to be easy targets as they were all exposed giving the US soldiers a big target to hit. It didn't helped for the GLA troops about the Comanche attack helicopters above who simply mowed them down with their 30mm auto cannons easily thanks to the Comanche's advanced integrated Fire Control System either.
As soon as the GLA forces were wiped out, the US soldiers inside the warehouse cautiously went out of their hiding spots and slowly made their way towards the now dead GLA troops which are all sprawling at the entrance gate of the warehouse complex. As they advance, the burning chassis of what used to be the two Technicals continue to burn outside the complex giving out a thick black smoke as they burn.
The moment the US soldiers made contact with the corpses of the dead GLA troops, they inspected all of it first. The moment they were sure that the GLA troops are truly dead, all of them made a sigh of relief as the lowered their guns albeit still cocked to fire and with their pointer finger still ready to click the trigger.
"All clear", one of the Rangers said.
After some more stares at the surroundings, the lead Ranger instantly tapped his radio again and sent a message.
"[COMMS] This is unit Theta. Thanks for the support. I'll have some of the men under me commandeer the recovered Nuke Cannon back to our strong point", the lead Ranger said, "[COMMS] We're going to need some escort though."
"[COMMS] Understood, the Comanche flight that is with you will provide air cover while the Crusaders and Humvee will go with you. Unit Gamma is currently under fire from GLA forces just north east of your position. You must go there now to assist there", the female voice on the other line said.
"[COMMS] Roger that. We're heading to target area", the lead Ranger said.
The lead Ranger then placed his radio back in his pocket just in time to see the Nuke Cannon roll out of the warehouse with some of his men maneuvering it and then outside of the complex. As the Nuke Cannon, followed by the flight of Comanches, slowly receded on his sight, he ordered his men to move out.
"Alright men, let's move out!", the lead Ranger yelled as footsteps and the sound of wheels and tank tracks resounded on the dirt.
Meanwhile, outside a yard of another warehouse depot at another side of Al-Anbar…
0500 Hours…
It was still morning throughout Al-Anbar yet the sound of gunfire can now be heard. Lots of rifle and machine gun rounds along with the occasional sniper rounds are constantly flying everywhere as troops from both sides took cover to avoid getting shot.
"DAMN IT! WE'RE BEING PINNED DOWN HERE!", a Ranger yelled as he tried to help one of his fellow Rangers that was already wounded in spite of the hailstorm of bullets that the GLA forces are throwing at them.
"JUST RETURN FIRE! WE JUST NEED TO HOLD OUT!", another Ranger yelled.
Suddenly, the same Ranger received a radio message. The Ranger then grabbed his radio and spoke.
"[COMMS] What's your business?! Just hurry up! We're busy holding them off!", the Ranger shouted over the radio.
" [COMMS] Easy pal, this warehouse is a jackpot. I think almost all of our stolen hardware is here not to mention some sealed barrels of Anthrax Gamma and two fucking Overlord Tanks here. Man, I don't know if we are still missing something. Everything seems to be here. Oh wait a sec, there's an odd-looking cargo down here but it looks beaten and torn up…", the Ranger on the other side of the line trailed off.
"[COMMS] Never mind it. Just secure all of it as fast as you guys could and help us in driving these bastards off!", the Ranger said as he fired a 40mm grenade from his M320 Grenade Launcher causing an explosion on the area where the GLA troops that he's firing at were located.
[COMMS] Copy that. We're almost done", the Ranger on the other side of the line said, "[COMMS] Over and out."
The Ranger in question returned his radio back to where he grabbed it and spoke to his fellows while still firing.
"Alright unit Gamma, we're practically mission complete. The only thing that we need to do is make it out of here alive. Support's also coming in so this should be a breeze once they arrive", the Ranger said.
"Affirmative", the response of all the US soldiers said.
All of the soldiers then started exchanging fire with the GLA forces attacking them as usual. However, each men currently firing is now confident as they have their allies arriving at their location to help them out not to mention that their mission objective is already done.
Meanwhile, at a large building at another part of Al-Anbar…
0525 Hours…
While a heated skirmish is going on between the American and GLA forces on another part of Al-Anbar, another small group of US soldiers consisting of Rangers, Missile Defenders, and two Pathfinders is making their way towards a large dilapidated building after silently stalking several GLA troops who they spotted is dragging a badly beaten-up American-looking man in some sort of a technician's outfit.
The US soldiers eventually found themselves staring at a large house with a large door capable of letting four people at once due to its two door design. The GLA troops that they followed simply went inside along with their likely prisoner. There are no other GLA troops outside the house and none at the windows either if their eyes weren't fooling them. Just to be safe, one of the Rangers used thermal-imaging binoculars and scanned the building with it.
"No hostiles on the second floor", the Ranger using the specialized binoculars said, "All hostiles located at the first floor just behind the door."
"Affirmative", another Ranger said as he tapped his radio.
"[COMMS] This is unit Epsilon, we have detected a GLA force here currently holding hostages. One of the hostages appears to be a technician. Asking permission to rescue the hostages", the Ranger said.
The Ranger knew that this is an out of their mission. After all, they were tasked with retrieving stolen American military hardware not rescue hostages. Still, the fact that the hostages in question might be US military personnel if the hostage that were dragged by the GLA rebels is any indication has enough salt for him to ask something like this. There was a momentary static over the radio before a female voice replied.
"[COMMS] Understood. You are authorized to make a rescue effort. We have received a mission update pertaining to a classified cargo of sorts and it is also said that there were some personnel that are part of the cargo. The order is to retrieve both the cargo and the personnel in question", the female voice said over the radio.
[COMMS] Copy that. Unit Epsilon, over and out", the Ranger said.
The Ranger returned his radio back in his pocket and waved at the men with him. The men, in turn, hefted their rifles and cautiously went closer to the door of the house. With the foreknowledge of the building's internal layout thanks to the thermal binoculars earlier, the Rangers now know of what approach to use.
The Rangers all braced themselves against the walls, put on their specialized goggles, and one of the Rangers closer to the door drew out a flash bang grenade. The Missile Defenders that are part of the group slung their SMAWs on their backs and switched to their FN P90 SMGs and took position outside the house acting as lookouts while the two Pathfinders took vantage point on some of the wrecked structures facing the building and trained their MSG90 sniper rifles at the building's windows intending to take out any GLA troops that suddenly pops out there.
After seeing that everything is all prepared up, the Ranger holding the flash bang grenade nodded at the other Ranger also beside the door. The other Ranger complied and he kicked the door open. The Ranger holding the grenade then tossed it in. As the grenade set off, the sound of groans was heard and that was the cue that everyone was waiting for before they charged in.
"BREACHING! BREACHING!", one of the Rangers said.
All six of the Rangers then stormed the building in a quick and timely fashion. When they got inside, they saw several of the GLA troops still reeling from the concussive blast that the flash bang grenade produced while the hostages are also reeling as well. As if in some sort of natural instincts, the Rangers instantly gunned down any rebels that they saw who then fell like flies. Once the rebels were dead, four of the Rangers then went towards the group of hostages. There are eight of the hostages four of which appears to be scientists of sorts if their dirtied lab with blood stains coats are any indication while the other three are all wearing technician outfits and one of them is the same one that the GLA troops dragged earlier and the last one is wearing some sort of a suit making him look like a diplomat or a lawyer of sorts. However, two of the scientists and the same technician earlier appeared to have incurred some injuries if the blood stains on their clothes are any indication. One of the apparently injured scientists appears to have suffered more injuries than his other companion given that his wounds appear worse than the other and is also bleeding badly.
"We need medical attention here! Patch up the wounded!", one of the Rangers yelled.
Two of the Rangers complied and drew out their first aid kits and began to administer some temporary medical attention on the wounded hostages especially on the more gravely injured scientist. The others who aren't injured in the slightest also helped after they were untied but signs of bruises can be seen on their faces. The leader of the US soldiers went towards the former hostage wearing a suit who is now dusting of all the soot and dust that got caught on his clothes and asked.
"Is this all of you here?", the lead Ranger asked.
"Uhm… yes", the man said as he finished dusting himself off.
"Understood, we're now pulling your asses off here. Save any talks or questions for later", the lead Ranger said.
The lead Ranger then turned his attention on his radio which he pulled out of his pocket again and established a communication link.
"[COMMS] This is unit Epsilon. We have rescued the hostages and we need medical and fire support here. Some of the hostages are injured. I repeat. We have secured the hostages", the lead Ranger said.
"[COMMS] Understood. The back-up that'll be arriving at your location is granted. ETA thirty five minutes from your current location", the female voice on the radio said.
"[COMMS] Roger that. Over and out", the lead Ranger said before returning his radio back to where he grabbed it earlier.
Meanwhile, back at the city plaza…
0535 Hours…
The GLA forces that were stationed in the plaza began to mobilize after being informed of the initial skirmishes all over Al-Anbar. The GLA troops that are supposed to man the now-modified two Overlord Tanks began to make their way for the tanks' hatches. However, they were not able to do so as one of the GLA troops that are about to board was simply shot dead right in the head causing him to fall off the tank. The other GLA troops were startled and immediately ducked behind the tanks to act as cover. However, two more GLA troops were shot: one was hit in the chest while the other was hit straight in the jaw. The GLA troops that were successful in hiding began to shout insults in Arabic before firing blindly at the locations where they think the enemy might be hiding.
Meanwhile, the GLA vehicles began to move but one of the Scorpion tanks was suddenly shot out of nowhere and exploded. The culprit later turned out to be a Crusader Tank after knocking down a wall and it was followed by four more Crusader tanks. A group of three Paladin tanks followed suit in another wall just a few meters away from the Crusader Tanks.
It didn't take for anyone to guess what does going to happen next: a slugfest of anti-armor shells and armor-piercing rockets. American and GLA combat vehicles exchanged fire and lots of tank shells and rockets are flying everywhere. Due to the low quality of the armor that the GLA vehicles have, they were easy targets for the American tanks. Both the Crusader and Paladin tanks found no trouble in reducing the GLA's combat vehicles to nothing but scrap metal with their superior tank shells especially the Paladin tanks' jet-assisted tank shells. The Technicals are all instantly destroyed the moment they were hit by a tank shell while the Scorpion tank and Quad Cannon each took two rounds to take out. The Battle Bus, on the other hand, was a closer call due to its armor but it eventually went down after several tank shells put nice holes on it. The GLA-captured Overlord tanks would have been a trouble but, thanks to the Pathfinders, they were rendered useless to the GLA.
The slugfest didn't last long at all. The GLA combat vehicles were able to fire their fair share of ordnance at the opposing American combat vehicles but the rockets were instantly shot down by the Point Defense Laser pods of the Paladin tanks. Consequently, only tank shells were able to get through but these weren't enough to deal any noticeable damage on the American tanks as they were all armored with advanced composite armor plating which enhances their survivability rate. As the composite armor is meant to take on large tank shells like 105mm rounds and, considering the GLA's poor quality of their weapons, made the American tanks practically invulnerable in theory.
As wreckage of what used to be the GLA vehicles continue to smoke from the fire that ate them up, a trio of Humvees sped fast from the left flank of the Crusader tanks and opened fire on the remaining GLA troops that survived the slug fest. It was a one-sided battle as the Humvees simply nailed the surviving GLA troops with their heavy machine guns while the GLA troops are still disoriented.
In a vain last-charge attempt, the GLA troops that are supposed to man the Overlord tanks abandoned their hiding spots and charged at the American vehicles with heavy explosives on hand. However, this made them easy targets for both the Pathfinders who are hiding on the second floor of an abandoned building and the Humvees who simply nailed them down with hot lead.
Meanwhile, back at the Humvee…
0550 Hours…
The inside of the Humvee is currently brimming with lots of noise beeps and flickering lights on the monitors of the communications and radar suite with each second that pass by. As if matching the atmosphere inside the confines of the combat vehicle, the occupants are very busy in responding to the events that are currently happening in a fast-paced manner.
"Lieutenant, the enemy forces in the plaza have been eliminated and the stolen hardware along with the cargo and its personnel have been recovered as well", the communications officer replied.
"Good, anything out of the ordinary?", the lieutenant asked.
"There's a concentration of GLA forces at the southeastern part of Al-Anbar. Based on their trajectory, they are heading towards Najaf. They are retreating. Lieutenant, any orders?", the communications officer said.
"Negative. Our main mission's to retrieve a lot of hardware and cargo. Were heading back to base", the lieutenant said.
"Understood. When will we leave, Lieutenant?", the communications officer asked.
"We're leaving at 0800 hours", the lieutenant said, "I want all men to recuperate after this op. Relay a "mission complete" message to all our forces."
"Roger that", the communications officer said.
The lieutenant then switched his attention on the Ranger manning the wheel and relayed an order.
"Move us to the central plaza, we're relocating there for the meantime", the lieutenant said as the driver nodded before he revert his attention back on the communications officer.
"Relay to all our forces to regroup at the central plaza. I want all of them there", the lieutenant said.
"Understood", the communications officer said as he pressed several keys on the keyboard.
Meanwhile, at the central plaza…
0630 Hours…
After at least two hours, the intercept and retrieval operation was a success. A huge amount of war materiel was recovered along with the cargo and its associated personnel which was an additional objective in the operation. Considering that there are no longer GLA forces anywhere in Al-Anbar which was confirmed by the few Spy drones flown to scour the entire area as well as the returning unit Theta who claimed that they have seen the last of the GLA forces leave Al-Anbar, the US military force was able to rest freely at least for now.
The once GLA-held plaza is now littered by temporary sheds deployed by the US soldiers to act as a place where they can recuperate and US-controlled vehicles are parked all over the area. The buildings around the plaza are better choices but the US soldiers decided against it due to fears that the buildings were booby trapped by the GLA and they simply don't want to spend effort and time to disarm said traps as they'll be leaving in the next hour or so anyways. Not all of the US soldiers are resting as a good number of them are checking the weapons that they recovered to ensure that said weapons aren't compromised and booby trapped while others tend those who were wounded. Luckily, they suffered no deaths on their side. In total, they recovered twelve supply trucks containing weapons ranging from assault rifles and anti-tank launchers to chainguns not to mention the four Overlord tanks and the Nuke Cannon that the GLA both likely stole from the People's Liberation Army at an unknown time.
In spite of all of this and the success of the operation, it is rather depressing to think that the GLA is capable of getting its hands on very advanced and sophisticated weapons platforms that are supposed to be used against them. What's next on the list? Superweapons? Considering that the GLA have already seized the Baikonur Cosmodrome according to Intel reports, this seems to have some salt to happen. But no matter the case, it is still a consolation that they recovered their equipment. All good things come in small packages after all.
As the Rangers are busy sorting out the recovered weapons for anything especially booby traps, the lieutenant is overseeing the entire event as it happened. The lieutenant let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as the Rangers carried the crates containing the weapons out and back into the trucks after said weapons were checked for any possible defects and traps.
A few minutes later, a Ranger went towards the lieutenant and saluted before speaking.
"Lieutenant, the scan on the target vehicle is complete. No traps were detected", the Ranger said.
The lieutenant turned around before replying to the soldier before him.
"I see. Lead me to it. I want to see it for myself", the lieutenant said.
The Ranger nodded and turned his back before he walked with the lieutenant in tow. The two walked for some distance until they found themselves staring at a very large truck of sorts with some Rangers around it currently doing some patching up to the truck itself and one of the Rangers is buys pouring fuel into the truck's fuel tanks. One of the Rangers saw the two and immediately went towards the pair to greet them.
"Lieutenant, you gotta see what's inside!", the Ranger said, "It's… It's… unbelievable!"
"Calm down private", the lieutenant replied before he continued at the truck.
The lieutenant inspected the truck the moment he got in close contact. There are signs of explosives and other ordnance used to blast the shielding of the trailer just to forcefully open it. If the strong smell of soot is any indication, the lieutenant will guess that the GLA have used lots of ordnance including napalm just to destroy the outer shell and see what's inside. And just looking at the now-dried serrated edges of the hull, they probably used some sort of blow torch just to cut it open when they thought that the hull has been weakened to the point where it could be cut open by such tools.
After some moments of observation, the lieutenant hopped on and entered the inside of the trailer. When he looked at what the trailer contained which contained what seems to be six blocks in a sealed mode or something, his eyes widened by what he saw. However, he immediately calmed down and collected his thoughts.
"So this is how it is huh?", the lieutenant muttered, "I should have anticipated something like this when the CIA was brought up."
The other Ranger with him also went wide eyed by what he saw as well. He was momentarily awestruck before he spoke to the lieutenant.
"Sir, this is…", the Ranger said but was cut off by the lieutenant himself.
"No doubt about it", the lieutenant said, "Honestly, the CIA's still the pro when it comes to making… very interesting surprises like this."
"So what are we going to do now?", the Ranger said, "We have just discovered a likely top-secret classified material. The CIA might grill us for this."
"Let's just hope that they don't", the lieutenant said after sighing, "Anyways, we still have those guys that we rescued. We might at least get an idea of what is going on here from them. Oh yeah, how's this truck doing?"
"The truck's still in running condition", the Ranger said, "But we need to patch up the hole that the GLA tore up on the trailer."
"I see. Very well then, repair the damages on the trailer. We're moving out as soon as this one is patched up", the lieutenant ordered.
The lieutenant then left the truck and walked away from the area as the Rangers continued to patch up the truck and the trailer containing the valuable cargo. He is walking back towards his Humvee-based command vehicle but another Ranger came up to him.
"Sir, we have found several contrabands alongside the recovered hardware", the Ranger said, "We're asking orders on what to do with it."
"Contrabands?", the lieutenant asked, "Are these some sort of smuggled goods or something?"
"Uhm… quite the case sir", the Ranger said.
The lieutenant perked on the Ranger's reply before speaking.
"Alright, lead me to it. I want to see what these contrabands are", the lieutenant ordered.
The Ranger complied and led the lieutenant to where the contrabands are located. When they reached the area, they saw several Rangers currently inspecting the contrabands which are all laid out on a large sheet of cloth on the ground. The lieutenant instantly recognized that one of the contrabands is ivory tusks but he cannot make out what the leaves and some plant cuttings are next to it. Only the tusks and the unknown plants are the contrabands lying on the ground.
"Coca leaves?", the lieutenant thought to himself as he gazed at the unknown plant material before him, "No wait, something's not right with it."
"Oh glad that you're here lieutenant", one of the Rangers inspecting the contrabands said upon noticing the lieutenant who just arrived, "Here's what the contrabands are. What are we going to do with this lieutenant? Shall we take these with us?"
"Of course", the lieutenant replied, "These belong to the GLA so we are to take all of it. Just let Command decide on what to do with these things."
"Understood", the Ranger said.
"Now that's settled, pack everything up. We're going to pass Nineveh and us, the 82rd Platoon, will link up with the rest of the 18th Battalion in Dohuk. I want us there before the sun sets in. Understand?"
"Sir, yes sir", the Ranger replied.
"Good. Now do your tasks", the lieutenant said before walking away but not after the Ranger saluted to him.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Nineveh…
0845 Hours…
The armored convoy that is the 82nd Platoon of the 18th Battalion is now trudging the barren roads of Nineveh after leaving Al-Anbar in order to get to Dohuk. From anyone's perspective, the armored convoy looked more like of a caravan due to the trucks outnumbering the combat vehicles and the two only things that make it an armored convoy at a glance are the Overlord tanks and the Comanche attack helicopters which are part of the convoy.
The sun has finally set up shimmering light on anything on the ground which casted shadows in the process and the armored convoy is no exception as the vehicles in it all casted large shadows especially the ballast tractor carrying the mysterious cargo. Large clouds of dust trail at the back of the armored convoy as the combat vehicles trudge through the desert. The armored convoy continued to trudge through the desert without delay although everyone is in a combat-ready mode just in case the GLA showed up which seems to be quite impossible given that the only thing that they can see is the barren desert around them except for some cactuses lying around.
The five Crusader tanks took lead of the convoy followed by the three Paladin tanks and the two Humvees while the trucks are following them behind with the ballast tractor pulling the trailer carrying 'Black Testarossa' in the middle of the line. The rear end is composed of the remaining Humvees and the recovered Overlord tanks and Nuke Cannon. Despite the amount of military hardware and combat vehicles that they recovered, the US armored convoy is facing one dilemma at this point: Skeletal crew. Considering that vehicles need a driver in order to move properly, some of the US soldiers were obliged to drive the recovered Chinese war machines to take them back to friendly territory. The problem of this concern is that there's a reduction of troops that can be deployed on foot as the soldiers meant for that role we're forced to drive the acquired vehicles and this problem becomes a real problem in the event the GLA attacked now.
Inside one of the Humvees, the lieutenant is lazily resting as the vehicle he is in continued to trudge the desert. Ever since they left Al-Anbar, they haven't encountered any GLA force along the way. It kinda felt peaceful as the enemy seem nowhere in sight. However, his moment of a peaceful rest was interrupted by one of his men calling him.
"Sir, we've detected a US army unit ahead and a Ranger likely from that unit is waving at us", the Ranger said, "Any orders?"
"Send in some of our men and make contact with them", the lieutenant said, "Try to find out who they are and what they're doing here."
"Roger that", the Ranger said.
In the next minutes, four Rangers from the armored convoy showed up and walked towards the Ranger waving at the convoy all the while exchanging hand gestures and yells as the former closed the distance. The moment the four Rangers made contact with the lone Ranger that waved at them. The two sides appeared to have some talk. After several minutes, the lieutenant got a transmission from the four Rangers that he sent.
"[COMMS] Lieutenant, these guys are on our side. They're part of the 249th Engineer Battalion and they're also enroute to Dohuk. They said that they are currently patching up their vehicles before they move again. They're also requesting to tag along with our convoy."
"[COMMS] Permission granted. Tell them that they can come along us on the way", the lieutenant replied.
"[COMMS] Copy that", the Ranger on the other line said.
The call terminated after it and the four Rangers hurried back to their vehicles. As soon as the Rangers boarded their vehicles, the armored convoy continued on its way bolstered with additional numbers from the Engineering unit that tagged along them all the while kicking up more dust as they picked up speed.
Meanwhile, 200 miles from the Nineveh-Dohuk regional border…
0920 Hours…
The armored convoy is still on the move and they are already nearing the regional border separating Nineveh and Dohuk. Just like the past hour, the only thing that can be seen around is the empty barren desert. Frankly, there used to be a large US military base located in Nineveh but the current situation had forced Command to pull back thus the base itself was removed. If said base is still here, they can at least resupply at this point by now. Either way, they can still resupply at Dohuk which is much safer at it is just situated south of US-allied Turkey. Currently, the entirety of the Dohuk Governate acts as a buffer zone between Turkey and the rest of Iraq which is now firmly under GLA control. However, it still isn't a safe zone as far as the US is concerned. At the same time, Syria is already showing signs of political instability likely instigated by the GLA and US military analysts have made predictions that Syria might end up falling into GLA hands if the terrorist organization is left unattended in the area. Furthermore, the Al-Malikiyah district of the Al-Hasakah Governorate is currently brimming with heavy GLA activity. US military satellites in orbit have detected a large presence of GLA armor divisions in said area and it is highly probable that the GLA might use the aforementioned Syrian Governorate as a springboard to launch a multi-pronged attack on Nineveh Governorate the moment the opportunity presents itself.
Inside one of the humvees, a ranger is sitting on his seat while facing on the humvee's remote-controlled weapon station busy monitoring the on-board radar on the look-out for any GLA forces that are attempting to start an ambush. His finger is also ready to click the trigger on a joystick which is the controller for the remote-controlled weapon system linked to the M2 machine gun on top of the humvee. Currently, the ranger could not see any hostiles on the camera screen of the remote-control station as well as no hostile readings on radar. The entire scene is just a barren sea of sand everywhere.
"Private, any readings?", the lieutenant asked the one currently at the remote weapon station panel.
"Nothing to hit with a jack lieutenant", the ranger said.
"Good, this will be a peaceful trip in this shitty desert", the lieutenant said.
"Yeah, we also got four Overlord tanks in tow", the gunner replied happily, "And those motherfuckers are kind enough to attach them with frontline rams."
"You got that Corporal", the lieutenant replied, "I wonder if I'll get a promotion for this. I just hope that the CIA will not show up and mess my day."
"That's right; those guys always ruin the fun. By the way lieutenant, what happened to the guys we rescued?", another ranger asked.
"Well, they're injured at the moment and the medics are currently treating them. Anyways, it's best to leave them alone for the time being", the lieutenant replied.
Just as the lieutenant is about to recline on his chair after finishing his conversation with the Humvee's gunner and the other Ranger onboard, a sudden transmission put him on alert.
The lieutenant immediately picked up the communicator and heard the person on the other line spoke first.
"This is Hunter-Killer 4-1, I am currently detecting a strange disturbance on my radar", the person in a muffled voice spoke, "It looks some sort of energy buildup right in the sky above us and it keeps on getting bigger by the second, over."
"Is that a particle beam?", the lieutenant asked.
"Negative", Hunter-Killer 4-1 replied, "It's bigger than the particle beam fired by our Particle Uplink Cannon. It's also green instead of blue, over."
"What can that thing-", the lieutenant was not able to finish what he was about to say as a massive shockwave-like force suddenly dove head straight to the convoy.
"F-Fuck", the lieutenant said as he got knocked out by the shockwave along with the others.
The area that the large US Army convoy suddenly became empty in a second… and no one will know what became of them.
-TURN 13 END-
PS: Very Very long Turn isn't it? Well expect the next Turn to be long (perhaps even longer) as well. Oh yeah, try to guess what is 'Black Testarossa' that the armored convoy recovered. It can be pretty much anything except that it can fit in a large trailer cargo box and there's six of it. Another clue: Anyone that gets their hands on this thing can act like Chuck Norris and fuck his way out of anything the nobles of ZnT has to offer (Note: This is a pun I created in line with the "Chuck Norris Facts" quite popular in the Net). Either way, 'Black Testarossa' will be a mystery weapon for the time being.
Oh yeah, the weapons that the armored convoy have retrieved will be outlined in the next chapter along the vehicles and other equipment that they have.
Stay tuned to see how they'll act after being dumped in the ZnTverse (There's a twist waiting for them).
Now, to do my two other fics for the time being.