"Perhaps the most disconcerting aspect is that pursuing peace on the Usean continent may end up becoming the greatest drains on the world ever known. An unattainable dream. War, it seems, is almost an integral part of life. Who's to say that its removal would be a truly good thing? Callous an observation that is, it seems that the devastation of war has never stopped Usea's progress." -Sir Gabriel Clarkson (2017)
1-1: Make Peace Through War
May 1, 2019 (Local Time: 0912)
Southern Ugellas
The warm, late spring air that enveloped the hills and bluffs along the highway belied the weariness the Sapinish soldiers were feeling. A weariness that persisted even inside the relative safety of their vehicles. The VEC recon vehicle leading the convoy swept its Bushmaster chaingun back and forth, searching for threats as they moved along. Wherever it wasn't looking, the machine guns and grenade launchers atop a quad of VAMTACs were. Between them and another pair of the armored utility vehicles were half a dozen cargo trucks. The Zetros-series machines were loaded with relief supplies and medical personnel. Their destination was the village of Vagel, which had recently experienced flooding. Sapinish Army engineers had spent the past few days cleaning up so proper aid could come in. A fairly standard run for the mission of the IUN-PKF (International United Nations-PeaceKeeping Force); winning local support was a major objective. All the importance of that had been drilled into the convoy lead's head over and over. They were not conquerors, they were protectors. They were also mentors, who would help the nation's armed forces reach a point where they could deal with this internal strife themselves.
"Jerboa 6 this is Cactus 3-1, I have eyes on our offramp. Looks clear to me; the MPs are waving us on.." A voice spoke up. The Captain grabbed his radio's handset and gave it a squeeze.
"Copy that, Cactus, move up to your next stop." He instructed.
His driver led the convoy off the highway and down to an intersection, where Sapinish MPs guided them towards an overpass. The VEC raced ahead and took a bend in the road with ease. The Captain and his convoy passed by the familiar faces, returning waves and smiles. The Captain looked forward as they came into view of a lake the Ugellan River fed into. He let himself admire the scenery, flowers and all. Not even the crackle of the radio could really sour the sight.
"Jerboa 6, Cactus has eyes on what appears to be a roadblock about 300 meters ahead. No sign of any activity."
The Captain clenched his teeth in annoyance and grabbed the handset again.
"What's been laid down?" He asked.
"Handful of logs, at least one vehicle. Definitely manmade, Jerboa."
"Copy, stop at 200 meters and standby. Tell me if you spot any movement. Break, Oxen 1 this is Jebora 6, hold at the overpass until we're sure it's clear. Jeboras 2-2 and 2-3, stick with Oxen."
The Captain ordered his remaining VAMTACs to slow and spread out. They moved to occupy both lanes and spread their firepower. The Captain knew they were approaching some kind of ambush. If the "South Ugellas Citizens Army" had wanted to make another feeble attempt to exert their imagined control, there would be men waiting. his eyes were focused on his maps in search of an alternate route. The flooding had limited their options, so he decided that if he was going to fight he wanted to have overwhelming firepower on hand. He grabbed his radio handset and squeezed the transmit button.
"Viceroy, Viceroy, this is Jebora 6. We've encountered a roadblock and potential ambush area ahead. Requesting air support to be on standby." He asked.
In the few seconds between, the VAMTACs slowed and deployed their troops. Again, space was limited due to the flooding. The Captain stepped out of his vehicle and raised his G36's scope to his eye to get a range on the roadblock and search for other places to move his men. His gaze fell on the rise that bordered the highway as it twisted north.
"Jebora 2-5, can you reach the slope next to the highway for a better vantage point?"
"I can try and send my marksman up there."
"Jebora 6 this is Viceroy, we have two aircraft available to support you. ETA Ten to fifteen minutes." His battalion headquarters radioed.
The Captain ducked back inside the vehicle to reply just before the first shots rang out. He crouched down and rested his weapon in the gap between the door and the vehicle. His gunner ducked down and instinctively fired off the smoke grenade launchers mounted above the windshield. The Captain stayed as low as he could and fired a few rounds in different directions before reaching inside the vehicle. The fifty caliber above bellowed angrily in the direction of the firing, working with an SB-40 grenade launcher. His driver took up firing as he keyed the radio.
"Viceroy, Jebora has made contact! Multiple hostiles, our front. Tell that air support to hurry." He barked.
The response was cut off by a bullet striking the windshield. Another one, much larger in caliber, knocked against the door where he'd been a second ago.
"Copy that, Jebora, air support is enroute and moving as fast as it can."
"Understood, out!"
The Captain rose to fire again as the smoke filled out. He poked his head back in and ordered the two men still in the VAMTAC to get out and set up. One of them burst into the open with an MG4. Remembering he had an armored car, he grabbed the radio with one hand and worked his G36 with the other.
"Cactus, can you see anything from your position?" He asked.
"Under heavy fire. Estimate multiple heavy-caliber weapons, possible RPGs but we haven't gotten a good look." The vehicle commander replied.
"Copy, swing around behind us and get out of range as soon as you can. Stick to the center of the road and move slowly. I'll try to guide you in!"
"Appreciate it, Jebora."
"Gladly, Cactus…break, all Jebora units watch out for Cactus! They're going to try and move out of the immediate line of fire."
The Captain tossed aside the handset and crouched down to reload. In that time he took stock of the situation; everything the incoming aircraft would need to know. The smoke was making it hard to see; he looked to his right and crouched down. At the edge of the shroud he could see some waterlogged bushes. It would do; he made sure he had a fresh magazine and his helmet was on tight.
"Rubio, I'm moving to get a better view of the enemy positions. Cover me! Sanz, Rodriguez, help him!" He barked.
"Understood, Capitán!" The man with the MG4 replied.
The Captain let his men disperse, firing sporadic bursts as he both gathered courage and plotted his route. In the meantime, the VEC rolled back, chased by a shot from an RPG-7. It exploded in front of the vehicle, but the scout car kept moving. The Captain drew in a breath and ducked behind the door one last time.
"Bounding right; covering fire!"
He practically dove into the flooded field. Another RPG whipped by and sent a plume of water and earth sailing overhead. The concussion caused him to stumble, but he forced his balance to remain. As he got to the bush, his mind was still racing with details. Heavy weapons meant the attackers wouldn't be able to run as fast. He checked his watch and tried to estimate how long ago he'd requested support. Surviving the ambush was one thing; he didn't want their attackers to get away. Militiamen had learned that once contact was made, the clock was counting down…
"...Ram 4 this is Thunderhead, contact Trapeze 21. Standby while Lava moves to your freq."
Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Sean Guidry's ears listened just long enough to note the button to reach the guys on the ground. His lead, Lieutenant Pete Noland, did most of the talking. His focus was on getting his F/A-18E Super Hornet "on station" as soon as possible. The two jets streaked up the coast at full military power, meticulously picking their way through the crowded skies of Ugellas. Acting on instinct, he reached to one of his MFDs and selected the two GBU-12s hanging from his wings. He looked at his GPS as the two jets hooked northwards and glided down a few thousand feet.
"Trapeze 21, Trapeze 21 this is Ram 4, flight of two. Do you read, Trapeze?" Noland called.
"Copy, Ram! Copy, it is good to hear from you." A voice calmly replied in accented Usean.
"We're about three minutes out. We'll have about ten minutes of playtime. Armed with two Paveways, two Laser-Mavericks, and 400 rounds of 20-mil each."
"Copy, enemy forces are concentrated in wooded areas approximately 800 Meters to our front and left. IR tags are active on friendly vehicles and troops. Request you make your runs from south to north."
"Understood, designate targets when possible. Be advised that you are well within the safe minimum for guns. Break, Swamp I'll make a dry pass and draw their fire. Pop the biggest threats first with your LMAVs."
"Two." Sean replied quickly.
He looked to the senior pilot, who motioned for him to break off. Sean again switched weapons and also selected his ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward-Looking Infrared) pod. He circled and combined all the info coming at him to get a better picture. Sweat pooled under his chin as he tried to balance speed and accuracy. He'd quietly wished he'd been chosen to make a dry run and draw fire.
"Ram this is Trapeze, we've designated one of the heavy machine guns engaging us. Please take it out first." The FAC (Forward Air Controller) radioed.
"Copy, Ram 4-1 is in cold. Ram 4-2 will be ten seconds behind." Pirate replied.
Austin's jaw tensed and drew in one last breath. As Pirate committed, he came around one final time and searched for the beam from the FAC. He spotted the line cutting through the terrain, coming to a rest near white dots around an STK heavy machine gun. He centered the pod reticle on that and fired its laser. Pirate swept in over the fight low and fast, dropping flares. The paramilitaries below were waiting with a shoulder-launched missile. Strelas, Sean thought as he recalled the weapon. Pirate picked up a single one alongside sporadic bursts from small arms.
"Ram 4-1 is off." Pirate announced.
"Ram 4-2 is in hot." Sean replied with all the confidence he had.
The young aviator made his final descent into the river's valley at a different point than his lead. He set the flares to automatic and dodged back and forth until he passed into the optimal range for his LMAV. Systems took over and the missiles warhead picked up the beams pointed at its target. The word "shoot" appeared in all caps on his Heads Up Display.
"Ram 4-2, Rifle." He announced.
Sean counted to two, at which point the Maverick was racing ahead from under his wing. He broke hard right as a second Strela lifted off northeast of the highway. He let out a soft breath and pulled back on the stick. The Hornet responded quickly and took him further up into the sky. The missile nosed up sharply and followed. Sean reversed hard, then came back to the right to overwhelm it. As he did, he glanced at the picture coming from his FLIR pod. The device had lost sight of the MG nest, but he couldn't spare a look in that direction. He stayed to the right until the missile flashed by in his rearview mirrors.
"Trapeze 21, can you confirm if that hit?" He asked.
He felt stupid the second the words left his mouth, but the Sapinish FAC disagreed.
"Good hit, Ram, good hit!"
The run had energized him a bit. Sean looked around until he spotted smoke while ascending into the relative safety of higher altitudes.
"Ram, correction. Second MG nest is out of action. Next priority is a concentration of infantry. They have two, maybe thre RPG teams among them. Target is properly designated." The FAC added.
"Swamp, bring it around and we'll make our runs separately. I'll come in from the east, you come in from the north."
"Two." Sean acknowledged again.
"Trapeze be advised, enemy force appears to be larger than first expected. Estimate anywhere from 50 to 80 guys down there, some on the opposite side of the highway. We'll try and get some more support in here if they don't break after this next run."
"Understood; will do the same."
Sean, meanwhile, ducked under a few errant clouds and nosed up while Pirate circled around near the overpass. Another Strela lifted off from a new position across the river at Pirate; he instinctively turned and nosed up, dropping more flares to distract the old missile. That left Sean to make the run for the time being, but with the adrenaline flowing the pressure didn't feel as heavy as his first run. He used his pod to target a second concentration of troops before dropping his bombs.
"Ram 4-2, bombs away." He declared.
Sean stayed high and slow as the bombs fell away. Well out of range of the militia and their missiles. Pirate had come around and decided to dive bomb his target. Sean looked back and watched his lead with a bit of awe.
"Ram 4-1, bombs away." He radioed with a tinge of annoyance.
Sean's eyes darted between the real world and his pod feed while Pirate raised Thunderhead again, looking for more aircraft to hit the enemy force. Sean considered his options: a single LMAV left and a restriction on using his gun. He selected the missile and zoom the FLIR out.
"Pirate, looks like the biggest remaining concentration is moving towards the roadblock. Ah, should we maybe hit that?" He offered.
"Trapeze?" Pirate replied.
"Negative, Ram, it may damage the road. Request you attack to the right or left." The FAC reluctantly replied.
"Roger, break, Ram 4-2 stay high and circle. Feed me info so I can do this the right way."
Sean clicked his mic twice and drew in a breath. He brought the Super Hornet into a gentle orbit and took proper stock of the fight. One vehicle was on its side while another lay in the middle of the road. At least a few men appeared to be wounded, maybe dead. His gaze gladly flickered towards the woods, where another machine gun was being set up.
"Okay Pirate, biggest bunch of tangos is to the left of the roadblock. Looks like they're prepping a new MG. I'll lase it." He reported.
"Copy, will make my run from the southeast." The other pilot decided.
Sean worked the thumb wheel until the reticle was aimed at the new STK. He fired the designator while Pirate rolled in high and slow.
"Ram 4-1, Rifle."
Like clockwork Sean thought. The next missile raced down and eviscerated the patch of forest with a brilliant flash. He looked towards the heat signatures on the east side of the highway.
"Thunderhead, any word on that extra support?" He asked.
"Copy Ram, ah, got two Harriers, callsign Wasp 2, inbound to assist. Standby for relay." the AWACS replied.
There was a brief pause before a Zapland-Skully accent piped up.
"Ram 4 this is Wasp 2, two minutes out. Armed with Four Mk.82s, two Laser Mavericks and 300 rounds of 25-millimeter each. Thunderhead says you've already got a target, yeah?" A deep voice asked, all business from the word go.
"Copy that Wasp, we've got a force of about 20 to 30 footmobiles moving towards the highway. Need you to make a run parallel to it with your Mk.82s, how copy?" Pirate asked.
"Copy, we're moving into the attack immediately."
Pirate and Sean settled into a pattern high up to observe while the two Harriers rolled in. Sean again found himself waiting for the bomb drop. He watched as the shapes moving about in the woods stopped and scattered. Some stopped and raised their weapons before firing at the oncoming jets.
"Wasp 21, bombs away."
"Wasp 22, bombs away."
Sean looked outside his canopy as a wall of fire and dust marched across the woods. For a second it seemed like the napalm scene from Into the Dark Heart. The Harriers pulled away, dropping flares against MANPADS launches that wouldn't come. Sean swept his ATFLIR along the impact zone, but it was hard to distinguish between woods and…human remains. The destruction was impressive, though. He watched the Harriers come around and held up a fist at them. The wingman replied with the same gesture and Sean adjusted a GoPro camera behind his seat to snap a few pictures.
"Excellent hits, Wasp 2, excellent hits." Sean commented.
"Excellent hits indeed, Wasp! Standby with Ram until we have more targets." Trapeze chimed in.
Their AWACS had something to say.
"Ram and Wasp this is Thunderhead, we have a road patrol inbound to assist. Hold fire at this time. Repeat, hold fire. Trapeze, are you still receiving heavy fire?"
"...Not at the moment, Thunderhead." the FAC replied after a few seconds.
"Copy, be advised that a company of Nordic mechanized infantry is approaching to help."
"Understood, break, Ram and Wasp thank you for the air support."
"Always a pleasure, Trapeze. Ram is weapons hold and searching for a tanker. Be advised we're near Winchester, Thunderhead." Pirate added.
"Copy that Ram, ah…we've got two stations available about the same distance away. Go ahead and RTB after that."
Sean lifted his visor and searched for a bottle of water he had. The two Super Hornets turned from the destruction they'd laid down as the Sapinish troops got to taking stock of what'd just happened. As soon as they'd been at war, they were back to being peacekeepers trying to stabilize a country. It was like a switch, but the adrenaline was still flowing. The formality of it all still had an effect on the young aviator, too. Delivering death like you were ordering a pizza. That made "order" number four for young Sean on his first cruise.