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Phase 19:Inferno
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Part 1
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Disaster in South Korea? After three days of intense fighting, North Korean forces have breached the South Korean positions in the northeast of the country. They are throwing armored spearheads down National Road 7, which goes all the way to Busan.
BBC World News
US military experts claim that the North Korean advances in the northeast are not critical due to the mountainous nature of the region. For now, the North Korean units in the region are contained. They won't become a critical threat unless they can achieve a significant breakthrough out of the mountains, allowing them to run wild.
New York Times
Atrocity in action or diabolical strategy?North Korean artillery wreaks catastrophic damage in Seoul. Long-range missiles and artillery strikes constantly hit logistic centers, slowing down evacuation efforts and increasing the civilian death toll of the war, while older, less accurate weapons are constantly bombarding major South Korean cities closer to the front.
This might not be a mere evil exercise in mass murder. Due to the need to protect millions of civilians, the US and the South Korean military are forced to focus on the North Korean units striking at the cities in the northwest of the country. This means the North Korean army has a freer reign in the east, explaining their gains in the area. If they can keep the pressure for long enough, they might be able to achieve a breakthrough, forcing the allies to fall back from the DMZ and abandon some of the best defensive positions in the country.
Associated Press
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Hwangtae Village, South Korea
Earth
Only his training kept Si-u going through, watching column after column of refugees pass by as his unit moved north. Sabotage and enemy fire knocked out train tracks, forcing the 81st Tank Battalion to travel the hard way through roads chocked by fleeing people and military convoys racing towards the DMZ.
What should have taken them a day at worst turned into a three-day march through packed and often blocked roads? The 81st was deployed in Ulsan, covering the city against possible Wakandan attacks when the madmen up North decided it was time for recreational mass murder.
A few days ago, Sergeant Si-u didn't hate the poor bastards suffering under the Kims. If anything, he pithed them and thanked Buddha that he wasn't born in North Korea. After days of endless news about the constant shelling of cities where he had relatives, he was much less charitable. Watching countless stunned, exhausted people stumble to dubious safety did nothing to improve his mood. Everyone in the unit was angry and eager to get to the damned fools who decided to set their country on fire.
Finally, reaching what would be their fighting positions dampened Si-u's fervor. He did as ordered and drove his tank to a well-concealed position, yet the Sergeant could hardly believe he was back here, ready to fight. He recently spent an enjoyable vacation with his girlfriend here during a local spring festival!
Then the village was bustling with celebrating people and color. Now, it was a ghost town right out of a horror movie.
Part of Si-u's mind was still struggling with the unreality of the situation when his radio came alive with the voice of the platoon commander.
"We've got news from command, and they aren't exactly great," The LT's voice made it clear he was on edge. "So far, we are holding most of the DMZ with two exceptions, which is why we are here. The enemy has breached our lines in the northeast, and they're throwing armored and mechanized formations down all available routes in an attempt to break out of the mountains. Command believes this is an effort to flank the Punchbowl, which is under heavy pressure. The ongoing bombardment of Seoul and other major cities in the west has most of our air force and artillery defending them. We must keep the enemy bottled up in the mountains until they run out of steam…."
They got the rest of the evening and most of the night to dig in and set up defensive positions across the village and in the hills covering it. Engineers rigged the bridges behind them for demolition, ensuring that the enemy would have a tough time breaking out if they managed to take the area.
Si-u helped his buddies dig in a proper fighting position for their tank in the threes overlooking the junction of road 46 leading to a bridge ahead and a second-rate road that sneaked around the river. While the bridge ahead was rigged as well, the plan was to let the Northern fools commit to crossing it if they were reckless, then punish them for their temerity. Otherwise, they would do their best to kill anyone coming up the secondary road and shoot enemy combat engineers who might try to set up a bridging operation.
It was telling that the usual banter Si-u was accustomed to was absent as his crew worked quietly. Mere professionalism wasn't keeping them all quiet; most of the time, it wasn't required. Besides, they were tankers. As long as you didn't shout, the tons of metal around you were great for dampening the sound of a mere conversation. Anyway, the real threats were enemy sensors. If anyone came close enough to see or hear the tank, you've fucked up by the numbers already. Besides, that was why they had infantry screen – to keep people far away from the tanks.
A machine gun chattered, putting everyone on edge.
"Scratch one drone. Look alive, people, and keep your eyes peeled for enemy scouts!" The LT's voice came over the radio.
The battalion's recon section had its own UAVs, so it was concerning that an enemy drone came close enough for one of the AA systems to shoot it down before they had located whoever was using it.
"We have scouts coming down the 46th. They're on motorbikes?! Confirm that?" Si-u perked up at the incredulous tone of the tank commander.
The Sergeant spent a few more tedious yet tense minutes in his driver's seat before he got more second-hand information about what was happening.
"We have a regiment strength formation coming our way. It looks like T-55 variants and BMPs leading a bunch of trucks with infantry."
That was good. Those things couldn't really harm a K1 unless they managed to flank or hit it from behind. That was doubly true for dug-in tanks hidden in a forest. Still, it would be even better if artillery or an air strike dealt with the approaching enemy. Si-u knew that anyone still alive in the Air Force would get a hard-on at the thought of bombing those bastards.
"Bad news, boys, all available artillery and air assets are committed," the commander announced.
Si-u momentarily wondered about the self-propelled guns attached to their units, which thundered as if answering him.
"Our artillery will be striking targets of opportunity going for Heul-ri. Those who made it out of the DMZ areas are dug in there and about to have many uninvited visitors."
The situation there had to be particularly unpleasant if the battalion's artillery was needed.
Sharp single shots cracked in between the rumbles of artillery.
"Scratch a few scouts…. This might be tougher than we like. The enemy motorized infantry just stopped and is disembarking while the tanks and BMPs continue to advance…" The commander kept them apprised about what was happening.
Si-u knew that their allergists would be blue-balled at missing on plastering such a juicy target. It was a doctrine that they should be servicing it, which meant that the situation up North was critical for the poor bastards over there. That wasn't how a war with the North was supposed to go, but then, this was real life, not propaganda or a damn movie.
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Part 2
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Brussels, Belgium
Earth
While the world was on fire, and NATO focused on clear and present threats like Wakanda, military officers and diplomats kept meeting, laying the groundwork for various potential changes that European governments were negotiating. That diplomatic furor was a great cover, allowing people with different agendas to meet and evaluate possible allies.
Commander Sonia Williams was one of those people. Between many meetings with fellow NATO officers, she got to rub hands with politicians and even industrialists involved in the ongoing discussions for the future of Europe and NATO.
The confirmation that aliens were real and, more importantly, they were interested in Earth led to countless people reevaluating their priorities and plans for the future. Some struggled to adapt to the new paradigm, while others saw a mere opportunity in the chaos.
Many Captain Williams met and heard speaking, who were clearly acutely aware of the technological disparity between Earth as it was now and any aliens who could travel between worlds. This was both a boon and a double-edged sword. People were scared; some were lashing out. Others were looking for guidance and security. That by itself was expected and could be useful. However, some despaired or simply concluded that the aliens couldn't be resisted. That they had to be appeased by any and all means necessary. Such people were so small in number, though, to Sonia's vexation, others listened to them.
Sonia was British. She knew her history and was painfully aware of what happened to less advanced cultures when a more advanced one stumbled upon them. Those who resisted successfully fared best, though it was usually a long shot doing so. Those who failed or merely rolled over were exploited to hell and back if they were lucky, and that was among humans. Willams didn't want to imagine how alien overlords would treat humanity if allowed to walk in and take over.
To anyone who paid attention to history, it should have been clear that resisting alien encroachment would be the only sane option. In that regard, Sonia was glad that her superiors in the military and in NATO, in general, seemed to be on the same page. She was optimistic about Britain's political leadership, going by what they were saying anyway. It remained to be seen if it was merely a performance for the public at large or if the people at Downing Street would actually do something constructive.
Williams walked into the packed lobby of a hotel, where she would be participating in a conference discussing the role of the navy under the new paradigm. Diplomats and navy personnel from key NATO nations were bustling through while groups of civilians talked animately. A glance around told Sonia that there would be multiple conferences held in the same building today. Most were about economic concerns due to the disruptions caused by the ongoing combat operations worldwide. That explained the various officers milling around who weren't from a Navy.
Sonia could see a few vaguely familiar faces, mainly people she had briefly met while serving with the British detachment attached to NATO's command structure. Besides the military personnel, Williams noted a Belgian judge and a reporter who kept hounding the man, who had participated in various meetings and symposiums she had been invited to as of late. The Judge was a quiet proponent of legislation that would help the EU better prepare itself to face any possible alien aggression. Due to his position in the European Court of Justice, his support in that regard could be important for various initiatives going forward.
The reporter was interesting as well. While she kept poking the Judge with endless questions, Sonia had read a few of the woman's articles, and they were generally sharply supportive of resisting new colonial initiatives. Reading between the lines, the reporter meant possible alien shenanigans, not just what everyone with the means was up to until a few decades ago.
Sonia wondered if having a word with those two and discussing their take on the ongoing events might be a productive use of the little free time she could squeeze between everything her job required.
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The Golden City, Wakanda
Earth
By the time D'ver was back in the Solar System, it was clear the locals were determined to end their civilization right before they were on the cusp of a technological revolution that might see them spreading beyond their homeworld. He was neither interested nor cared about the details of the ongoing fighting in that Korean place. What was important was the trend of increasing conflict, which meant the odds of someone using a fission weapon got higher and higher.
D'ver briefly considered not implementing his plans because the locals could see them as an unacceptable escalation with unfortunate consequences. However, after weighing the risk against the possible rewards, the Skrull decided it might be worth it. This was his chance to end his exile and the life of a damned pirate. The more vibranium they could get out with, the better the odds for a bright future he had. The risks were worth it. Besides, if he remained a Ravager, all D'ver had to look forward to was an unlamented death as a pirate when a raid went wrong anyway. Again, he was already committed.
After a brief consultation with the other Skrulls in Wakanda, ensuring they were all on the same page, D'ver used the help of the local commanders to refine the plan to avoid suspicion. Meanwhile, "Zawavari" was busy ensuring there would be as much mined vibranium ore, and processed material for the cargo ships to pick up as possible.
D'ver walked into M'Kathu's office, where the best Talon pilots Wakanda had waited for him, alongside the Skrull impersonating the local's military leader. Those humans and the machines they flew were critical for buying more time. They were also perhaps the one force in Wakanda that could prove problematic if the truth came out at an unfortunate time. Without the locals' advanced aircraft, nothing short of nuclear strikes could meaningfully prevent snatching as much loot as possible and leaving. Of course, going by the insanity unfolding across this world, the truth coming out might just get fission weapons dropped all over Wakanda, so it was for the best if they could get out quietly, leaving the humans wondering what happened.
"We need to buy our scientists and engineers more time to design and finish building the weapons necessary to safeguard Wakanda in the long run," "M'Kathu" told the pilots. "For that purpose, we've designed a plan that would give us more time before any feasible invasion attempt by the colonizers," the impostor looked at the pilots for a few moments before continuing."Logistics. We will deny them the ability to use their war machines against us by hitting them where they are weak,"
D'ver made sure to sneer while listening, like the fool he was impersonating might have. This mix of arrogance and sense of superiority was so like that of the Kree it was unreal and unsettling. On the bright side, it made deceiving the locals and robbing them blind feel much more satisfying.
He could imagine the blind propagandists lapping it all as if it were a gospel. Of course, the colonizers were too weak to send their warriors without their war machines to do the actual fighting for them and another such tripe fit only for the consumption of young, patriotic fools.
No matter that sending an infantry army beyond your ability to support them due to enemy action would be sheer madness that the other humans didn't seem eager to embrace. D'ver was content to leave the locals to their delusions. If anything, he would regret not seeing how they would face reality after he was hundreds of light-years away.
"We must destroy port facilities, fuel storage, ammunition depots, and shipping in a position to support a colonizer invasion of our land. First, we will focus on cargo and lightly supported military ships. At the same time, our engineers are building better weapons for use against heavily defended targets. Then we will implement phase two of the plan, and you will go after the ports that can sustain an invasion force…" "M'Kathu" elaborated.
