Here is the next Chapter. I have set the stage now on with the show.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Command & Conquer Generals and it is the property EA Games.

Hope you enjoy the next Chapter.

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IMPORTANT TECHNICAL NOTES:

The basic assault rifle of the US army in the year 2016 is the M8a1 assault rifle which is was developed by the Heckler-Koch USA, a subsidiary of the famous German Heckler-Koch company. The M8 became the standard next generation US forces assault rifle effective replacing the AR15 series assault rifles (including all members of the M16 and M4 families). It will fires all standard 5.56mm NATO ammunition, and, to further decrease the load on the future infantrymen, a new type of 5.56mm ammunition had been developed. This new ammunition has composite cases, with brass bases and polymer walls, which will reduce weight of the complete ammunition, while maintaining compatibility with all 5.56mm NATO weapons.

The M8a1 is very similar to the "KE" (kinetic energy) part of the M29a1 OICW system, being different mostly in having a telescoped plastic butt stock of adjustable length, and a detachable carrying handle with the sight rail.

Also included in the arsenal of the US military is the M29a1. This assault rifle is a combination weapon, which has the 20mm semi-automatic, magazine fed grenade launcher as its primary part, and the 5.56mm compact "KE" (kinetic energy) assault rifle as its secondary part. Both parts are assembled into the single one-man portable unit, with the addition of the target acquisition / fire control system (TA/FCS), which is an essential part of the whole system.

Delta Force uses the carbine version of the M8a1 and they also use the M29a1 OICW assault rifle. Another weapon that is considered a D-boy favorite is the M8a1 "Master key" which includes a modified Mossberg 590, 12 gauge shotgun attached to bayonet lug and the under barrel RIS rails.

It should be noted that members of Delta don't really care about things involving rank and tend to address each other by nick names or first names despite whether the person they are talking to is an enlisted trooper or an officer.

For those who don't know, the PLA is China's PEOPLES LIBERATION ARMY.

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1ST OPERATION PT1 – THE STORM COMETH

March 12th 2016

KAZAKHSTAN

3 klicks, south by south east of the Baikonur Cosmodrome

0430 Kazakhstan local time

It was a cold and frosty morning with last traces of winter still present in the Kazakh wilderness. The birds were announcing the dawn of a new day, but their melody was cut short the loud thumping sounds of 2 helicopters flying just above the tree line. A pair of MH60W Super Hawks (The latest incarnation of the black Hawk series) cut through the morning air drowning out any other sounds that may have normally persisted.

Both choppers were the property of the elite 160th SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment), the "Night Stalkers" out Fort Campbell, Kentucky. And on one of those Super Hawks was a 4 man team belonging to the US Army's Delta Force. Each of these troopers were decked out US Army forest BDUs (battle dress uniforms) with Kevlar vests, and modular load bearing harnesses, combat boots, nomex gloves and camo face paint.

This Team was led by Master Sergeant Paul Mardukas. Mardukas was a well built man with a long scar across his face which gave everyone the impression that he was so hard assed, that he could break a tank in half with his bare hands. In reality he was a fairly relaxed person who took everything one step at a time and was virtually unflappable in any combat situation. He was sitting in his seat near one of the crew chiefs manning the left side M134 minigun, watching the scenery whip past him. He was cradling an M8a1 'Master key' while listening to the updates given to him by the pilot via a pair of head phones.

"5 minutes" The pilot reported.

Mardukas signaled to the rest of his team that they were 5 minutes away from the LZ. The man sitting to his right, Sergeant 1st class Jonas Fitzwilliam gave him a knowing glance that he was already ready. Both men had come up together from basic training all the way through to the Delta selection program and had been together for nearly half their lives. Fitzwilliam often referred to as "Fritz" had a somewhat tall and slender physique but was very toned without a single ounce of fat on him. Fritz was the team's signaler, so he was responsible for hauling the team's MOTOROLA LST-5B/C SATCOM radio as well as his own M8a1 carbine. He was also something of comedian who can impersonate virtually anyone..................he can even do Donald Duck. A lot of the guys in the squadron keep saying he should get into voice acting if he ever though of leaving Delta force.

Their transport chopper banked sharply to the left.

"3 minutes"

Mardukas signaled to his team that they were 3 minutes away and began doing last minute checks on his M8a1 "master key". He received tap on his left shoulder from Sergeant 1st class Miguel Sanchez just sitting behind him. Sanchez signaled for the map console (A small note book computer with full GPS uplink and wireless satellite connection to the US army's proprietary network also including map and location reporting software) and waited for Mardukas to fish it out of his pocket and hand to him. Sanchez was a very large, muscular man of Mexican decent who had a thick moustache which had become something of a trademark for him in the squadron. He set his M29a1 OICW assault rifle/grenade launcher on his lap while he consulted the mini computer. Because of his Body builder like frame most people thought he was something of a meat head. In actual fact he had a very keen and analytical mind and his eyes never miss even the smallest detail.

Sanchez was checking the map readouts on the map console with the 4th member of the team, Sergeant 1st class Jacob Baxter, a Texan who was something of genius when it came to marksmanship. Having handling guns on his dad's farm in Dallas, from the age of 9 he was already a master by the time he joined the US army. His preferred weapon of choice was the full sized M8a1 assault rifle. Baxter had a toned and very athletic physique with a mop of blond hair with contrasted sharply against his tan (tans are very common amongst most members of Delta Force).

"1 minute"

Mardukas signaled to his team that they were 1 minute away. The team's destination was just 3 klicks, south by south east of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. According to intelligence the GLA had taken up strong positions in the Baikonur launch facility just 10 days ago (3 months after the conflict officially ended). The GLA raided the Cosmodrome and took over it over then proceeded to fortify it with booby traps, mines, redoubts and razor wire along with a vast tunnel network linking all major fortifications. Of course much of the fortifications including a system of bunkers and trenches were set up by an Engineers Company from the PLA's 18th Infantry Division. Because the security being provided by the PLA for the Baikonur Cosmodrome was very lax, GLA infantry was able sneak in and capture the facility, killing all Chinese personnel, with all fortifications intact with armoured reinforcements arriving just 30 minutes later. It was later determined that the armoured reinforcements came from across the Kazakh border from Uzbekistan posing Pakistani soldiers using official clearance codes and authentication of the UN peace keeping force operating just south of Baikonur.

The Team's objectives were as follows:

1. Recon the GLA positions around the Baikonur Cosmodrome

2. Assess the enemy strength and equipment

3. Return to the LZ for extraction.

"30 seconds" the pilot reported

Mardukas held up 3 fingers to signal to his team that they were 30 seconds away from the LZ. The team proceeded with the pre-drop off ritual of switching off the safeties of their weapons (for those who used their safeties), saying last minute prayers or going over recon plan in their heads. Sanchez passed the map console back to Mardukas before seeing to his equipment and kissing a picture of Jesus Christ.

The team's Super Hawk brought itself into a hover and began to lower itself into a field near the edge of a forest, while the other Super Hawk flew a security orbit around the LZ.

Mardukas quickly ditched his head phones and connected his own personal comms (consisting of an ear piece and a throat mike) which allows him to seamlessly communicate with all members of his team. One of the crew chiefs gave Mardukas the thumbs up for good luck. Mardukas responded with the same gesture before watching the chopper lower itself to a jumpable height. Once the Super Hawk was just 5 feet above the deck the crew chiefs screamed out "GO GO GO". As one all 4 members of the delta team jumped out of the chopper and arrayed themselves in a rough square like formation in order to secure their immediate position. Above roar of the rotors Mardukas's comms crackled to life.

"This is Red Ride 61 (super hawk pilot) to foxhound 02 (Mardukas's Delta team), ride is over and God speed"

"Rodger that Red Ride 61, thank for the lift"

"All part of the service, 61 out"

With that last transmission the Super Hawk lifted off and left with the other chopper. Soon the sound of rotors was gone and the melodic sounds of local wildlife returned after it was so rudely interrupted. Donning his floppy bush hat Mardukas signaled his team forward. With practiced precision the team stalked forward into the forest with Mardukas taking point, Fitzwilliam and Baxter watching the flanks and Sanchez pulling rear security.

They had been moving forward for sometime until they started to hear the sound of heavy gun fire. Mardukas held up his arm to signal a halt and to rally up (to form a defensive circle). He pulled out his map console to consult their current position, when he received a hushed comms message from Fitzwilliam.

"What do you think is goin' on Paul"

"Not sure Fritz" Mardukas responded. He looked at the images on his map console for a moment. "There's a lot of activity happening south west of the GLA held positions but I can't get a clear satellite feed of the area and it looks like the interference is getting worse...........ok I say we check it out. Any objections?"

"Nope" (Baxter)

"I'm curious" (Sanchez)

"Are we there yet" (Fitzwilliam)

"OK let's move" (Mardukas)

For nearly half an hour of walking the gun fire just kept getting louder and louder, then after awhile it died down. 'Is it over already?' Mardukas asked himself. The team continued forward until they were greeted by a horrible stench. This resulted in more words being exchanged over the team's comms network.

"I think were getting closer" (Sanchez)

"Yeah just follow the smell" (Baxter)

"Let's just keep moving" (Mardukas)

Just a few minutes later as the horrible smell came to its height they came across what looked like a vision of Hades painted with the blood and scrap metal. It was on hill over looking the main road leading into the hills on the other side of the Syrdariya River that looked like the remains of an armoured force that that belonged to the PLA. There were dismembered bodies and smoking vehicle hulks everywhere littering only approach into the Baikonur Cosmodrome There was even a number of Type 110 Overlords that looked liked they had been gutted like fish. Pulling out a pair of binoculars Mardukas proceeded to look the area over. He spotted a number of well hidden bunkers and numerous tank traps but there was no telling how many more bunkers were hidden amongst the rocks and trees leading up the hill. He also spotted a number of GLA salvage teams using old M578 recovery vehicles, pulling guns and armoured plates from the more intact vehicles. Looking further around he spotted a Scorpion (Light Tank) towing a GEMSS mine layer and GLA infantry placing and concealing what looked like semtex (very powerful home made explosives also known as the 'terrorist C4') and claymores. There was a number of old Russian ZSU-23-4s that were jury-rigged with CLC-3 pulse-Doppler search radars (often found on the PLA's Type 106 Self-Propelled Air Defence Systems) moving about. The area looked like it had been hit hard by numerous artillery strikes but all the bunkers were more or less intact (There is very little that 155mm artillery shells can do to reinforced steel and concrete built by the PLA themselves). Mardukas spotted a number of routes leading through the hills besides the main road but he spotted more GLA infantry placing more explosives and booby traps.

Mardukas's comms crackled to life.

"There's no way our ground forces can get through all that" (Baxter)

"I can't spot any way to sneak into this place..........either we are gonna get spotted or set off a bobby trap" (Sanchez)

"The one thing that bothers me is I'm seeing a lot of craters from artillery shells but no sign of damage sustained by any type of air strike or guided missiles." (Mardukas)

"Yeah I spotted that too I wonder why they didn't send in a flight Su-30MK3s and napalm the area or use any laser-guided bombs to smash the bunkers?..........I mean look at the positions of the bunkers and the way they are angled. The only way you can take those things out is at close range. That takes away any range advantage the PLA armour had over the GLA units and dragon's teeth (Large concrete blocks which act as obstacles to armoured vehicles) also limit the movement of armour." (Sanchez)

"I can barely see the bunkers myself" and there's probably more of 'em up the road" (Baxter)

"That still doesn't answer the question why nothing along the lines of guided weapons or aerially deployed munitions was used" (Fitzwilliam)

"Another question I have is why the map console's signaled is all fubar...............The sat feed had been getting worse and worse the closer we got to this place............well enough pondering we still got a job to do lets......" (Mardukas)

Before Mardukas can communicate his plan of action to his team mates a loud thunder crack followed by a deep rumble echoed through the morning air. A large object that appeared to be a modified, Russian made Soyuz rocket lifted into the sky.

"What the hell is that??" (Baxter)

"I think the question is where the fuck is it going and what is it carrying?" (Fitzwilliam)

"Whatever it is it can't be good..............Fritz I need you to get command on the horn and tell them that the GLA just launched a rocket" (Mardukas)

"Will do Paul" (Fitzwilliam)

Fitzwilliam started working his radio. "Charlie Echo one-niner this is Foxhound zero-two do read over...............static............... Charlie Echo one-niner this is Foxhound zero-two are you receiving over...............static............... Charlie Echo one-niner please respond over". Fitzwilliam moved over to Mardukas, "Hey man I can't get through. I'm getting nothing but static".

"What............ you sure?" Mardukas said sounding rather incredulously.

"No joke I think it's the same interference that's screwing up the map console"

"That means ...........we can't warn command" Mardukas said slowly "This is gonna be real bad"

The whole team watched as the rocket disappeared from view with feelings of helplessness while cheers can be heard faintly from the GLA personnel working on the hill.

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March 13th 2016

KAZAKHSTAN

Base Sentinel, Turkistan airport

1230 Kazakhstan local time

The Master Sergeant Mardukas and his Delta team got back to Base Sentinel from its recon patrol just 7 hours ago. The team was able to return to the LZ as per the mission outline then spent 3 hours in a rather strenuous debriefing session. Mardukas was tired and was more interested in grabbing some sleep but he wanted something to eat first.

Mardukas grabbed his mess gear from his sleeping area in the hangar (which had become a living area for the military personnel in Base Sentinel) and headed out to the mess hall to grab some lunch. He joined the queue behind some troopers from the 75th Infantry Regiment (Rangers) who looked like they were just out of high school. 'These guys don't look like vets' Mardukas thought, 'These kids must be the replacements they flew in from Ft. Benning to fill in the empty spots in the Ranger ranks'. After Mardukas finished grabbing his food he could hear a large screen TV blazing in the far corner of the room. A sizable portion of the military personnel were balancing their attention between consuming their food and watching the TV. They were watching some old reruns of Seinfeld which got a few laughs from the men from time to time despite how old the humor was.

The mess hall wasn't full yet so Mardukas a moved to a table being occupied by a group of Rangers closest to the TV. There was a notable gasp of surprise by the young soldiers when he arrived at their table. The Rangers practically worshiped the guys in Delta Force, whom they referred to as D-boys, and considered them as the ultimate soldiers.

"You boys mind if I sit here?" Mardukas asked.

"Um.......n-no not at all" one of the rangers piped up.

"Thanks........just here to check to see what's on the TV"

Mardukas laughed inwardly as took a seat. Having worn the ranger tab himself he can remember the amount of hero worship he dedicated to the elite members of Delta. And now here he was being gawked at by some kids who looked like that had never killed anyone in their lives. His reverie was interrupted by the heralding tune of CNN which often got the attention of the whole room.....

"Welcome to CNN, I am Leanne Brockton. Things have been heating up today as the protests about abortion reached its peak, with anti-abortion lobbyists calling for a change in the current laws...............

Mardukas lost interest and began eating his meal. He was constantly being asked questions by the Rangers trying to get any tips on the combat techniques. Mardukas did the best he could despite his exhaustion but stopped short of telling them the finer points of room clearing when CNN decided to switch to something more interesting...

"It has been nearly 30 hours ago since a Russian made Soyuz rocket loaded with new deadly chemicals hit the US Naval base in London contaminating the area for miles. British Hazmat teams have been working around the clock to decontaminate the area and treat victims. It is currently estimated that there are nearly 300 dead with the body count climbing even higher. It has been reported that the GLA was responsible for this tragedy. And here is Michael Foxworth reporting via video phone from Almaty in Kazakhstan"

"Thank you Leanne. Things have been rather tense over the past 30 hours. According to sources the rocket was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome which was taken over by the GLA. As it turned out the GLA was able to over come the PLA forces that were Garrisoning the Facility about 10 days ago."

"Has there been effort to retake the facility?"

"Yes Leanne. Sources tell me that just a short time before the rocket was launched, a large attack force from the PLA's 3rd Armoured Division launched an all out attack to retake the facility. The Chinese assault forces met fierce resistance and suffered severe casualties."

"So Michael what is the situation at the moment?"

"At this current time PLA commanders haven't made any real moves towards mounting another assault and there are calls from the Chinese Government for the United States to take on the Baikonur mission. That's all from Almaty back to you Leanne"

"Thank you Michael and now on with the sport. It is commonly known that there is a big shake down with the teams of the NBA and.................. "

Mardukas received a tap on the shoulder. He turned around to see it was Fitzwilliam.

"Burton wants all of us for a mission briefing at 1400, the word is that there's going to be a major operation happening soon and that the General wants all combat ready troops present."

"Thanks, guess I'd better finish this off real quick" Mardukas responded then turned to the Rangers at his table, "You hear that boys? Don't be late."

"No we'll there Master Sergeant" One of the young Rangers piped up as if he was on the parade ground. Mardukas laughed inwardly to himself at this response as he tried to savor the "wonderful" flavour of army food as best he could.

March 13th 2016

KAZAKHSTAN

Base Sentinel, Turkistan airport

1400 Kazakhstan local time

Mardukas and his team were already seated in the darkened Mess hall with a large projector screen. There were 6 delta teams present including the Mardukas's group. There was also a full company of Rangers from 75th Infantry's 1st Battalion, along with armoured crew personnel from the 49th armoured Division, the pilots of the 160th SOAR and some blue shirts (air force) from the 52nd fighter wing's 81st fighter squadron. Many of the army and air force personnel were still chatting until a Major from the 49th Armoured Division called for silence. Room quieted quickly but the excitement was so strong that Mardukas could smell it.

The force commander at Base Sentinel, Lieutenant General Edward Larson stepped up a podium next to the projector screen. Lieutenant General Larson was a tall powerful looking man with so many scars on his face he been affectionately known as "leather face". With a grey crew cut, faded army BDUs, a voice that practically filled the room and eyes that locked on to you like a tomahawk missile, his very presence commanded respect whether you liked him or not. He had been the US Army for the past 35 years having participated in every operation open and secret from Grenada during the 1980s to Operation Final Justice in Kazakhstan towards the end of war against the GLA. Now serving as a senior officer in the US Army Special Operations Command he had been given full Authority over Task Force Sentinel.

Task force Sentinel was originally setup to help with any small insurrections that may require rapid deployment, but the situation had changed and was now charged with the duty to land the first blow for the "US of A" against a resurrected GLA. The legendary D-boys had only arrived to backup Task Force Sentinel just 3 days ago ever since the GLA reared its ugly head and were here to make sure it is put down for good in Kazakhstan.

"Alright soldiers listen up" General Larson began, as the projector screen came to life "As you all know the tragedy of London has taken the lives of nearly 462 US service men and women nearly 30 hours ago. It was attack that will be paid with the blood of our enemies," There was so much conviction and fury in his voice that even Mardukas got Goosebumps, "We will make those bastards sorry that they picked a fight with the USA. If you are all wondering why the hell I am talking about us making these bastards sorry is because I have received orders from the top brass that we are going to retake the Baikonur Cosmodrome."

Suddenly a map of the Baikonur Cosmodrome appeared on the projector screen.

"Now Lets get started.............................."

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