If you're reading this file, then you too are a deserter. You. Are a traitor to the cause. You are a dead man walking but most importantly...you know the truth. You are braver than a lot of those stuck up, blood-thirsty, egotistical, maniacs. But don't get me wrong, where you're going...it's going to be rough. I don't know if you'll live to see the end. I hope you do. I don't want to be the only one to.

_.~._

1 Year Ago

"Huttbroker, you read up on the briefing." A young lieutenant's voice said stoically. His voice had been toned down an octave much lower than his actual tone. Either it was electronically altered or it was forced. Raiden stared across the very cramped aisle at one of his other Squad members. The HUD displayed and highlighted a name and rank as well as class, but he could have cared less.

"Yes Sir." Huttbroker lazily replied. He briefly glanced the top left corner of his HUD to the image of his visor and fixed his bearings to return to his straight-ahead gaze, just as he's rehearsed a thousand times before to everyone else with a rank that was higher than his.

"So you know the mission." From the tone of voice, it was more of a statement of expectation than a question of clarity. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes behind his visors he traded it for a small sigh through his gritted teeth.

"Yes Sir."

Throughout the bumpy Sundy ride to the Forward Operating Base Karatan, his Commanding Officer had been going around the bus through the Private Comms channels. The past few months operating under his Command was miserable.

He was like any typical fresh from Academy Bootenant, acting tougher than he actually was, always having something to prove. His armor pauldrons always freshly polished and the fire of hope to inspire and lead his men to glory, still well lit and burning in his eyes. Topped off with the same damning arrogance of someone who believes their education trumps the experience of the battle-tested veteran Sergeants that helped lead the squads and fireteams.

"Good. I'll expect a detailed After-Action Report once the mission is complete. For the Republic!"

The only saving grace was that the idiot's video image winked off his HUD before he was obligated to return the same old mantra. Huttbroker was becoming numb to the whole cause, he had to force himself to remember what he was even fighting for. The Republic? Someone else's home and life...not his. Who's Republic was he fighting for exactly?

The Sunderer came to a brief stop and the troopers closest to the rear flung the hatches open and turret operators disconnected from their stations and got up to shuffle out with everyone else. Huttbroker, along with his other fellow Sergeants went to regroup with their squads as soon as the Lieutenant dismissed them. Taking a look around the nano-constructed FOB, he could see the Skyguards were being utilized in replacement for actual AA emplacements. The assigned Major-in-Command had opted to use anti-vehicle Phalanx turrets to support the defense against the waves coming from Quartz Ridge. The number of Phalanx turrets seemed like overkill from the casual observer but it was a very well-known and painfully learned lesson that the NC would rush with overwhelming numbers than to use any coordinated tactics.

From what Huttbroker could tell, their platoon just arrived after the most recent wave of barrages. There were several of the overlapping wall sections that were severely battered and the engineers working to keep them from collapsing into a pile of useless rubble. Their nano-repair toolkits were constantly overheating to work at a breakneck pace. It looked like they were expecting another wave shortly by the looks of it. Huttbroker collected his men from Chaplin Squad and ordered them to do a gear check to keep themselves busy while they waited for further orders.

The other Squad leaders finally regrouped with their own sections and got their men in order while they waited for their fearless leader to return with another glorious assignment from Major pain-in-the-ass. Huttbroker watched as his squad continue their checks silently, there were a lot of new faces in this rotation but all of them knew what was expected of them. They would fight. They would either fight another day or join the long list of "Heros" that gave their lives for the Republic.

The Lieutenant with long and purposeful strides but his shoulders seemed to give a slightly discouraged look. He snapped his heels together and fixed his posture as he addressed his platoon.

"Ahem. Listen up, we've been assigned by the Major-In-Command, Major Hawthorn, to load up into Harassers and intercept an incoming convoy of NC scum inbound between the valley on its way to Quartz Ridge. We are to corral the convoy towards the FOB to draw out the garrisoned forces into the Killzone. Your maps have been updated. Once the Convoy has drawn enough of the NC out of their pathetic little hole, the Major will initiate an orbital strike to further deplete their numbers so we may successfully secure the Ridge along with the 335th Mechanized and 114th Armored Companies. It is vital to our Republic's success that we do not pick off too many of the convoy too early. The Major wishes to...encourage...the NC to send out as many of their numbers as possible."

The tactical map was updated throughout the briefing with the convoy's expected route of travel, a small position was highlighted between the FOB and Quartz Ridge where the aforementioned Killzone would be for the authorized Orbital Strike would land. The immediate kill radius was circled, and then another buffer ring around that was indicated so that friendly forces might avoid the shockwave. Depending on how much of a glory-hound this Major was, it was either danger-close or danger-certain.

"Squad leaders, the Harassers will be arriving shortly, there will be three for each squad. Assign your men, and then everyone else will be on the walls to repel the next assau-"

"Rounds incoming! Get down!" Someone shouted from one of the reinforced garrison buildings. Everyone instinctively either dove for dirt or ran for any sort of available cover. Huttbroker and the Squad Lead from Bravo had to drag their Lieutenant who was still looking for the voice that called out the warning. Just as the Lieutenant was about to voice his protest to being manhandled, yet again, the barrage of HE rounds came blasting against some of the walls and garrison buildings. Some rounds got through between the sky-shield and the walls and rocked a few of the Sundies and parked Flashes that erupted into a brilliant explosion and shrapnel. Several unfortunate troopers that were near were engulfed in the flames, a few more whose personal shields were overloaded didn't catch the shrapnel that went their way. Some sustained injuries, a few others, fatalities.

Just as the booms of another barrage could be heard echoing across the valley, the promised Harassers zipped through IFF vehicle gate, they all looped around to have their front facing the gate. Huttbroker assigned each gun with an Engineer and the rear seat with a Light-Assault trooper to use their low-yield rocklets to give. The other squad leaders did what they saw fit but it was all a mad dash to get to safety and position. All the Heavies everyone left were assigned to the front walls to hold the base. Huttbroker picked up his Lieutenant roughly and more or less shoved him to the other Sergeant so he could jet up to the garrison building to the left and get a better view of the field.

The Harrassars left in a hurry once they were loaded up and went to circle around Comms Station that was under their control, for now. The Lieutenant went to order the Sergeants that were already hopping-to their stations to keep their men hunkered down to weather the barrage and wait until the enemy was within engagement range. The sky-shields held firm as the rounds burst against them.

The Harrassar units squawked over the Platoon Comms to report contact with the enemy convoy. They described it as being much larger than anticipated and their escort was much more accurate than the regular blueberries they were used to squishing. Raiden opened up the map on his HUD and watched as the enemy vehicles were highlighted by type and their formation became clear. The enemy convoy comprised of Three Flashes, Four Harassers, Six Lightning tanks, Four Vanguards, and more than 8 Sunderers, some of them reported being damaged already. One of the friendly TR Harassars winked out off of the map. A voice confirmed that it was in a wreck over the sound of tank fire.

Huttbroker flinched as the rounds impacted the constructed fortifications. And sighed internally as someone pushed past him to retrieve the wounded. There wasn't much time before the convoy reached the friendly armored column that was holding the line to allow them access past the Quartz compound. If only there was just a little more pressure...

"This is Talon Squadron to FOB Karatan. Still alive down there?" Pilots. The damnedest thing they needed. Cocky, talented, but very dickish to Huttbroker's professional opinion. IFF tags came into view as three Mosquito pilots linked up to Huttbroker's HUD. A Staff Sergeant leading his squadron of four. Huttbroker was the leading Sergeant for the Operation so he took command on the channel and responded, "Yes, unfortunately. We are trying to corral the enemy forces to this location to launch a coordinated bombardment strike on them. MIC's orders. I'm uploading the coordinates now. You should be coming up on the convoy."

"We see them. Looks like they've made a mess."

"Mind if you return the favor?"

"Gladly."

The Mosquitos banked right and began their attack run on the convoy. Their rotary cannons spooling and spinning 30mm of death and destruction. Rocket pods screamed through the air and the echos of explosions echoed through the valley. The sky was lit up with enemy tracer rounds as they tried to discourage the pilots from continuing their attack. But the speed and manueverability outmatched any of the sprays from the chaotic battle field. The assigned Harasser teams redoubled their efforts to guide the convoy to the designated location as the heavier tanks were detracked and ultimately destroyed. There were some units that broke off from the defensive line to assist but was quickly overrun through coordinated fire between the harassars.

The units within FOB Karatan began cheering as the fireworks continued, their respective Sargeants whipped their squad back to rocketing and harassing the defensive line. So far, everything was going on schedule for the end game.

Predictably. The harassers pushed the defensive line forward, the escorts move to head towards the canyon behind Quartz Ridge but was cut off as the lead vehicle exploded, the second vehicle barely swerved around the wreckage but the turn was much more than the Sunderer could handle. It rolled to it's side and it took a minute for the occupants to start working their way out. The other Sundies pulled up and their back doors flew open to start accepting passengers. By then...it was too late. A large red light brought the sky aglow. The friendly units had already pulled back behind the minimum distance of safety. The pilots took the long way to swing around behind FOB Karatan before the orbital strike came thundering down like God himself struck the ground.

When the light show had ended. There was a depressed crater of ashes and molten slag where the defensive formation once was. The FOB was now cheering in victory over the sight, everyone. But one as he pushed past the rest of the troops to the nearest Harassar.

~_._~

(in progress)