Chp. 31: Neo-City
March 14, 2024
West Gianshu, The Shimoji Islands
The sounds of Osean and Shimoji armored vehicles revving their engines overtook the opening artillery barrage. No fewer than four batteries of MLRS and howitzers were giving the Veruseans what they'd loved to use in such force. From their positions in some bushes and dried-up canals, Charlie Company sat ahead of a platoon of Marine engineers and watched the geysers of dirt and smoke sprinkling the virgin snow. Shimoji Type 10s and Type 89s sat in some thin woods to the right while Bravo Company and two companies of grunts waited, huddled in the back comparts of their EFVs. Lots of firepower, but a long way to carry it to safety Kourtney thought. She checked her watch again, expecting to catch the last few seconds before they were given the go-ahead. They still had a minute to go before two brigades of steel went barreling towards the city's defenders.
James, on the other hand, felt a little sad. It was disappointing what the guns and HIMARS launchers were pounding, but there were commies to be removed. He imagined he was far from alone, either. For many of the Marines around James's age, Inabari was the source that fed the increasingly digital world they'd grown up in. The thought of that time, of the visits he and the others had made to this place, brought back a flood of nostalgia. SNK, Sega and Nintendo all had their HQs here...Capcom had been founded here. Studio MADHOUSE and one of KyoruAni's many subsidiaries was here. All of it seemed to be centered around the sprawling central district crammed with shops, cafes, bars, a four-story mall and the Inabari Conference Complex, InaCon. It'd lovingly been crowned "Neo-City" by fans because of Shimoji videogames' penchant for slapping "Neo" onto many a fictional setting.
"Driver, take us forward! Maintain speed...Knight 3-1 Actual to all Knight 3 Victors, advance in echelon left formation!"
Jose gunned the engine and plowed down the bushes ahead like they were nothing. James put his eye to his sight and switched to thermal to pierce through the smoke. It was nothing but open ground and destroyed AAA emplacements between them and Inabari International Airport. The place looked deserted for the first few seconds...
"Gunner identify, tank at our eleven!" He called as a ZTZ-96 emerged from a turret down position. He ranged the machine; well outside of weapons range. It was quickly joined by multiple ZTZs emerging from camouflaged positions between the main runways.
"Gunner identify, more tanks at our eleven! Still out of range!" He added.
"Roger, standby! I'm gonna fire the smoke grenades." Kourtney replied.
She relayed the order to her platoon while they closed the distance to a minefield on the outskirts of the airport. Benedict's tank took the lead and lowered the mineplow on the front end of the tank. Jose brought his tank to a halt and Kourtney gave the go-ahead for James to light up one of the ZTZs. The gunner barked "on the way!" as the platoon deployed smoke to cover the breach. Garvin moved his tank forward as well to create the second breach, and the remaining tanks pushed through behind onto the Verusean armor advancing to meet the attack. Jose swung wide of Knight 3-3 and James put a Sabot round into a ZTZ as he came back to the right. The range ticked down and down, approaching knife-fighting distance for the two sides.
"TC identify! Bunker, our two low!"
James felt the turret jerk to the right as Kourtney employed the override. He lowered the gun at the firing port as an RPG cleared the fortification. The Trophy system shattered the projectile in mid flight while Kourtney told Garvin to be aware of their new target. She lowered her M2 and hosed the firing port.
"Fire!" She ordered.
"On the way!" James echoed.
The sabot round sliced through the concrete like it was paper. Izzy, on James's command, loaded an AMP to finish the job. The M1 lumbered forward with the rest of the platoon to reorganize into a wedge formation and give the engineers some breathing room while they cut more holes in the minefield. James scanned to the left as small arms bounced harmlessly off the turret and hull. The advance reached the first runway as a second wave of ZTZs organized against the Oseans. Kourtney clenched her teeth as two of the BFT pings for the company went offline. The gun on her tank jolted back while she keyed the radio. James claimed another ZTZ that barely missed their tank. Kourtney's bigger concern was the terminals they were closing in on. Through her CITV, she could spot muzzle flashes and the smoke trails of missiles. One of the arms of the main terminal seemed to have been turned into a strongpoint.
"Knight 6, Knight 6 any chance we can get some CAS, here?" She asked.
"Negative on that, Knight 3-1...fast air is still trying to take out a few SAMs in the area. Friendly arty will be repositioned in two minutes."
The Company was forced to slow it's advance while they and the Shomoji tanks reorganized. The remaining ZTZ-96s retreated towards the terminal and a mix of intact and burnt-out remains of several civilian airliners.
"Gunner identify, PCs! Our twelve!" James barked as he saw the shapes of ZSL-92s.
"Engage the nearest tank first, then engage PCs with AMP!" Kourtney replied.
"Understood!"
The attack regained momentum, now backed by the IFVs and their Marines. From there to the edge of the tarmac was basically one big cavalry charge. The kind of stuff that the Army was known for...that thought made James cringe a little. He swung the gun to the left as Trophy defeated another incoming missile and spotted the turret of an aforementioned ZSL. He called the contact once more before Kourtney gave him the order to fire and engage at will. The AMP round cut through the ZSL's cover (a pile of snow cleared from the tarmac) and very unpoetically blew apart the thin-skinned APC.
"Loader, another AMP! TC, gonna engage that position in the terminal, our eleven! Request more than one gun on it!" James spoke up as they drew every closer to the airport.
"Gotcha...All Knight 3 victors concentrate fire on that position off my ten. Engage with AMPs and Fifties." Kourtney replied.
James raised the gun and fired into the lower part of the terminal's upper story. Explosions formed into one inferno and ripped the facade from the rest of the structure. Third Platoon advanced to the right of the strongpoint in pursuit of the retreating Veruseans. Second Platoon took the right flank to close off the area and make it a kill zone. The ZTZs and ZSLs hurried down a roadway under a skybridge towards a parking garage while a few remained to cover the retreat. James put a Sabot into one of the former, which disabled one of its tracks and threw it into the building on its left. Knight 3-4 finished the job; James had to hand it to the commies for holding fast and fighting.
"Driver, halt near that Air Ixiom jet!" Kourtney ordered. As the tank lurched to a stop, she ordered the platoon to do the same and form a defensive line.
"Knight 6, Knight 6 this Knight 3-1...hostile armor retreating into possible ambush spot. Request arty drop some rounds to flush 'em out, how copy?"
"Roger Knight 3-1, send position and standby." Stuart replied.
The target was edging on danger close for the tanks; close enough to require guided rounds. In the meantime, the Verusean infantry were repositioning while the Osean and Shimoji assault force came up to deploy. James traversed the turret along the nearest row of gates until he spotted a man with an RPG. The soldier and another fired; James hosed the row of windows. A third man fell back and his RPG exploded inside the terminal while the first two fell to Trophy shots. James switched his attention to other troops trying to regroup down the line while they waited for the assigned battery to deliver a salvo of GPS-guided "Excalibur" rounds.
"Knight 2, Knight 3 shot out, how copy?" Stuart spoke up.
"Knight 3-1 Actual copies all."
"Knight 2-1 Actual copies all."
Clinger had just barely finished speaking when the rounds landed on the other side of the terminal. The sound of a jet passing overhead alerted him to the fact that air support also seemed to be moving in. The radio came back to life while James checked to make sure the potential ambush site was erased.
"Knight 2, Knight 3, you are to proceed with Sentai 1 and 2 to the airport perimeter. Alpha's EFVs and Tiger's IFVs will accompany you. CAS should be on station in five minutes tops. Good luck." Stuart ordered.
"Understood Knight 6...all Knight 3 victors, follow me. Knight 2, you want the lead on this one?" Kourtney replied.
"Ladies first, Three." Clinger replied.
"Alright then, we'll keep your pretty little tail clear."
There was a bit of laughter across the net before Clinger met her "insult" and moved forward with his tanks. Third Platoon followed suit while they rushed through the gap and deployed on the other side, onto the curbside near one of the baggage claims. A trashed parking lot littered with abandoned cars was all that seemed to await them for now.
"Knight 3-1, what's the plan?" Benedict asked.
"Knight 3-2, take 3-4 and move to the right around the parking lot." Kourtney replied.
"Knight 2 will take the left flank." Clinger added.
James centered his sights on the ramp going up towards the airport's main roadway. The Veruseans reentered the fight with a ZTZ-99 charging down the ramp and taking a shot at the platoon. It scraped Knight 3-4's side and caused him to halt. Knight 3-1 and 3-2 fired on the retreating ZTZ, damaging him but unable to score a killing blow. A platoon of Type 10s brought up the rear with them as they chased the tank onto the freeway. The tanks went in twos; 3-1 and 3-3 would secure a foothold on the roadway before the rest came up. Kourtney turned her CROWS around to watch behind them and spotted another 99 rolling in behind them.
"TC identify! Tank, our five! Move it, Brad! Driver, back up! Back up back up!" She shouted.
The Abrams lurched to a halt and went back as the ZTZ's barrel cleared the center divider. Jose switched back to forward and banked the tank around the spot where the two roadways merged. James hurriedly brought the turret around and pushed against the back of his seat to stay still. He screamed "fuck you!" over the sound of the main gun, only to find that the tank had a friend. It fired long, at the other tanks rushing into the fray while its comrade rumbled forward, then stopped before fire belched from the hatches. Izzy snarled as he rammed a fresh Sabot into the breech and gave James the shot to kill the other.
"Knight 6 be advised...engaged two MBTs coming from departures...suggest part of Alpha or Tiger divert to secure, how copy?" Kourtney radioed.
"Knight 6 copies all, continue with your mission! Rest of Knight is moving forward at this time." Stuart replied.
To that end, The Shimoji platoon chopped off two of its tanks to help and keep Knight 3-4, who'd taken a disabling hit, company. The remaining five tanks set off down the freeway as it curved away from the airport, merged into eight lanes, and into the heart of the city. InaCon, colored pearl white, stood out against the steel buildings set shoulder-to-shoulder. James looked over as Izzy adjusted to keep from moving around too much. Out ahead, a friendly jet made an attack against some unseen target. Kourtney seemed to talk to the attackers briefly, but it appeared that some of the CAS was being used to pave the way rather than be on call.
"Izzy, how we doing on Sabots?" James asked as he leaned back from the sights for a second's respite.
"Fourteen left!" The Loader replied.
James turned the turret to the right and watched the city roll by. They entered the business district, just long enough for him to see the headquarters building for Sega, when a platoon of ZTZ-96s came into view, moving across the streets below. More appeared at the ramps less than a mile down the road.
"Driver, go right! Towards that ramp!" Kourtney barked.
James swung the turret in the opposite direction while his commander fired a second salvo of smoke grenades. She hailed her platoon and the two Type 10s to follow. The urgency was reinforced by a warning relayed by Stuart and his Shimoji counterpart: The Veruseans had managed to slip some of their own fast air through. The lead tank rode down the offramp and then went left with its wingman going the other way.
"Gunner identify! Tanks, our twelve!" James barked.
"Fire! Driver, move towards that plot of grass!" Kourtney replied, switching between matters like it was nothing.
"On the way!"
Jose cut to the right as James fired and charged over the curb. A street lamp separated from its base like it was made of paper and crashed to the side as the tank closed in on a towering office building. A shot from one of the Veruseans punched through the ground floor and missed by inches. It did, however, dump a thick cloud of dust and shattered glass over the front of the Osean tank.
"TC identify! Tank, our eleven! Fire, fire!" Kourtney shouted in response.
"On the way!" James assured.
Their shot traveled through the ground floor, followed by the tank that'd fired it, only to find that the Veruseans had pulled back. Kourtney radioed the others to rally a counterattack when the air support Stuart had warned about made its entrance. The street was suddenly engulfed in explosions and fresh layers of rubble. Jose hit the brakes, then backed up as part of the building they'd plowed through began to fall.
"Knight 2, Knight 3...you still there?!" Stuart called.
"Standby, 6!" Clinger shouted.
"Understood, be advised we've got a pair of Lightnings on station...we're, ah, gonna have FAC direct em. Maintain position and stongpoint those offramps, how copy?"
"Roger...Knight 3-1 Actual, you got that?"
"3-1 Actual copies all...fast air know about the bandits?"
Another series of explosions, this time wrecking the overpass and taking three tanks out, seemed to punctuate her remark.
"That's an affirm, 3-1 Actual...be advised that arty's also gonna drop some more rounds north of your position. Try and choke some of the side streets."
Kourtney withdrew her remaining forces and split them while Clinger pushed around the rubble to help reinforce. The intersection was now the focus of the Osean-Shimoji advance it seemed as more tanks from their side were being fed into the fight. Knight 3's trio of tanks focused their efforts on the right roadway, the one leading towards Ibacon, while Clinger took the other side. Both platoons launched a final salvo of smoke grenades to cover the destroyed tanks while those still alive exited them. Jose snuggled the Abrams next to a corner of the building and James watched and waited for the next wave of Verusean tanks. The first of them rounded the corner closest to the tank's front and earned itself a sabot round in the side as it made a break for a wall opposite the buildings. Garvin's tank lurched forward and killed the other after a close call (saved by Trophy once again). A second salvo of Verusean artillery dropped smoke rounds onto the intersection. Izzy counted their remaining sabots again while Kourtney talked with air support. Two more Lightnings and a pair of A-10s had been committed to the fight.
"Knight 2, Knight 3 this is Lizard 4-1. Maintain position near the overpass. We'll be making our runs one block north of your position. Call our hits when you can, how copy?" One of the pilots radioed.
"Roger that Lizard, good hunting."
The tightness of urban warfare in a packed city restricted the ability of the guys on the ground to help direct fire, so it was handled by an airborne FAC in a two-seat Super Hornet. The Veruseans had retreated again to regroup, but a small detachment was advancing to keep the Oseans and Shimojis occupied. James directed his attention towards a grassy rise at their two o' clock as a ZSL's missile launcher appeared. He switched to the coax and peppered the launcher while Jose yanked the tank bank, causing the barrel to smash in more of the building. Jose then snaked backwards and charged so James could keep shooting at the APC. The scenery surrounding the ZSL then vanished as the first of the F-35s made its bomb run.
James spotted a platoon of ZTZ-96s at the far end of his main gun's range and passed the sighting to his commander, who relayed it to Garvin. The two tanks sniped two of the tanks as they got a bit closer and forced the other two to break off into a side street as a result. Another F-35 delivered four more bombs on the Verusean advance. James asked one more time how many sabots they had left; Izzy relayed they were below ten. STAFF and AMP were still near maximum, but neither was the tank killer that the M829 was.
"Driver, back us up! Towards the overpass!" Kourtney spoke up.
Jose took the tank backwards as ordered and, using the Lieutenant's directions, settled it into place on a sidewalk opposite the building. They slid behind some of the rubble on the streets while Garvin placed his tank near the closest corner of the low wall running the block. James scanned for targets, but saw nothing. Kourtney got back on the radio to talk to someone, then switched to the intercom. A fresh platoon of Type 10s arrived from the direction of the airport to help create a firm line. By the time they arrived, the Veruseans had retreated, but they brought the tools to recover the knocked-out tanks, the dead and the wounded in the form of recovery vehicles and ambulance-versions of IFVs.
"Knight 2, Knight 3 be advised that Alpha 3 is coming down now. Can you move your line up one block so our dismounts have room to breathe?" Someone from the infantry component of the attack radioed.
"Ah roger that, Alpha 3, we're moving now. Sentai, can you move up some of your victors to assist?" Clinger replied.
"Roger, Knight 2-1 Actual. 3-1 Actual, we'll take the left."
"Gotcha 2-1 Actual."
Kourtney had her Platoon Sergeant stay near the intersection to provide support for the incoming Marines while she took two Type 10s and Garvin with her down the street. The Type 10s stuck to the road while she and her wingman traversed up onto the grass above the wall. From there they settled into a defensive position just shy of the destruction that CAS had been wreaking. One of the A-10s swooped down against a target a few blocks up before the two Viper Cobras came in to clean up. A pair of EFVs stopped near the partially-collapsed office building and deployed three loads to check the remains of the structure. The far end of the street remained quiet.
"Looks like the commies have had enough. Good job, everyone." Kourtney observed. The replies were the standard gratitude for the compliment, but the young Marines seemed to have other concerns.
"Anyone know if the Sega building survived?" Jose asked.
"Can't say…wait, hang on…Gunner identify; the "A" on the Sega sign, our ten." James replied, not sure whether to laugh, feel indifferent or wonder if he'd get docked by the company for that.