A Decent into Hell Pt2
December 7 6AE (military calendar)
December 7 2028 AC (global calendar)
Major general
Tanya Rex
Streets of Moscow
Just after landing
I landed gracefully and with practiced ease detached and dropped the parachute. I push Major Griffin out of my mind. His command squad will find him one way or another.
I look up and watch a tank's drop cradle flair it’s rockets for a landing. It touches down hard and to my surprise once the explosive bolts drop the ramp it’s already driving off the cradle and I know I never saw anyone climb in.
I jog over to it and lucky for the crew they stop. The driver canopy opens along with the command cupola “Problem general” the commander nonchalantly asked.
“Just a small one my ride landed away from me. You know what that means” I slap the side of the tank and sit on one of the track pods. The hatches close and the tank begins to trundle down the road tearing up the ground underneath it.
“General I’ve added you to the vehicle frequency. What’s our destination” I smile inside my helmet as I look at the map for a moment then tag a location and pass it along to the vehicle crew “My command squad if you’d be so kind”
The tank lurches as they pick up speed making me hold onto a handle for a moment my other arm holding my rifle.
A few minutes later I spot movement in a window up the road and use my helmet magnification. Sure enough, it’s an RPG. “Turret bearing 37 degrees second story drop a high explosive in there” Immediately the turret rotates and then fires blowing out that floor and collapsing the entire building triggering secondary explosions.
We continue on our way. On the way I get a message from Barbosa, Griffin’s medic saying he found him stuck in a wall, alive just concussed. Seems his mission will continue without issue. Mostly.
We are about five minutes from where the command post is being set up and most of my men are gathering when we find a squad on foot. We stopped just long enough to let them jump onto the track pods. I’m already loving this new design.
We finally reach the command post which is set up a mile from the Kremlin. I jump off the tank as it continues on to join its formation. “Ornsten, Smo what’s our status” I march straight into the command huddle as they reply. “The drop was slightly more scattered than we hoped but within tolerance. Airdrops under fire are never clean. The last few squads that are assigned to the main assault are only a few minutes out and the archangel company has entered the first building and reports that there was a secret entrance and a hostile with a plasma weapon”
I am about to respond when I see I have an incoming signal from the sentinel bear and Sherman “recan you could use a little extra help where do you need us” Sherman says I hold up a finger to them as I reply “Bear archangel could use your help I'm betting tunnels and Sherman I could use you on the main thrust with me”
I turn back to my assignments “Relay to archangel that bear is coming to help and to wait for him before they enter” They nod and relay orders. Moments later I hear a dropship scream overhead and the roar of cradle thrusters pushed to their max followed by a heavy impact and a slight screech of metal.
I look outside and see a tank has landed though it’s not like the new ones this has two main barrels and an extra set of coaxial guns to match with rocket pods mounted to the turret. The armor looks thicker and I only see one hatch which Sherman climbs out of. I wave him over and head back inside my huddle.
A map has been laid out for everyone to look at and rough positions marked. The path forward is simple yet I know it won’t be easy. Sherman steps in “Where do you want me General” I look up at him and smile though he can’t see it. Based on his reaction I bet he feels it “tip of the spear”
We mobilized shortly after. Mainly because we were all set and organized but also so we could hopefully pull most of the pressure off Archangel.
I'm in a converted APC near the front of the column pushing forward and all hell has broken loose. The sides of the road are littered with collapsed buildings that infantry was hiding in along with burning tanks.
Sherman’s tank is doing its job perfectly pulling most of the incoming fire. I made sure to position an armor squad at the rear so a flank wouldn’t gut the column. Before I can ponder further the APC is rocked on its tracks. The driver calls back to us “The column has stopped from heavy fighting a stray rocket hit us”
I grab my rifle and drop the ramp “dismount I’m not dying in a can” The ramp is only halfway down when the few people in the back with me rush out and once I’m the last one I follow.
The air is full of tracers and thick with smoke. I get Ornstein and Smo behind me and we run crouched over to the front slowing only to let a vehicle adjust or to take a shot at an enemy.
Right as we get to the front I hear the scream of fighters, not ours, overhead, and the air gets filled with white phosphorus. Fuck. “All channels make sure your sealed white phosphorus has been deployed” I check myself and everything is green.
I look past our tanks and see the hold-up, the roads collapsed. I get behind some cover then open a radio channel with Sherman and a few of my tankers “I’m guessing that hole is too aggressive to traverse”
The platoon leader responds first “The new tanks might get through but the rest of the convoy won’t” That won’t do “What if we drop a few buildings into the hole it’ll be rough but it might be traversable…make sure the skyrakers are paying attention I’m sure the phosphorus is to get everyone back inside for a Strafe”
Sherman breaks in “I doubt the debris will support our tanks, the only option besides a detour is to have the tanks roll through first then drop a few buildings” I think for a moment. Sherman is right which makes a new problem there are tanks in the rear so it’ll be a logistical nightmare.
I sigh “Go with the alternative route we can’t lose our momentum and let them dig in further keep up the pressure as we maneuver” With that order the convoy backs up until the lead elements can turn down the next road and we are racing deeper into the city once more.
About a minute later I hear jets scream overhead again so I open a channel to our aircraft. the skyrakers add more tracer fire to the air riping apart the aircraft and sending them tumbling into houses “This is Major General Rex what’s the eta with our air support we are starting to see enemy birds” I wait a brief pause “The atomic fairy’s are on their way in with fighter support. The rest of your air support is refueling now and will be overhead in a few hours”
That’s good news I switch to the fairy’s “This is the T.Rex I hear your overhead” the usual cool reply of a pilot answers me “Correct mam loaded heavy with laser-guided munitions for your pleasure” I crack a smile “Good I want the bombers to climb and the fighters to drop down and clear the sky’s if you want to keep one up with you that’s fine” I swear I can hear the distinct sound of our fighters pushing their thrusters to the melting point in the distance “Wilco, fairy delivery service open in five mikes”
Unfortunately, we hit another roadblock but this one can be traversed. I take a closer look and it’s made of pre-cast concrete sections and steel reinforcement with gun ports built in. And air support is only a few minutes away.
As it stands if we wait they have more time to entrench but the concrete is proving to be resilient. Time to get creative… “Infantry is going to need to rush the blockade. I want the tanks to cover the area in smoke and lay into the machine gun nests and suppress or destroy them. Break cover once the smoke is down”
I get myself ready to lead the charge and give a few seconds for everyone else to get ready then I give the order “Pop smoke now” In quick succession, a few dozen canisters pop, and the entire area is filled with thick smoke that disrupts thermal cameras unless they are programmed to ignore the interference like ours.
I break cover first and sprint the open distance. A few lines of tracers streak past but most of it's from our tanks doing their job. As I approach the wall I unholsture my pistol and tap my thrusters to gracefully clear the wall and land in the trench.
I point a weapon in each direction and fire immediately dropping five surprised Russians. My IFF shows several others have dropped in as well so I sling my rifle as I’m in a trench and move to the closest emplacement.
Moments later I’m kicking in a door to a gun bunker and firing my pistol, each shot finding a target. The hair on my neck stands up and I whirl around and with my free hand and strike. Unfortunately for the conscript the talons I added rip basically all the flesh from his face.
I survey the room and satisfied it is clear I move to the gun. It’s a dhsk next to an anti-tank cannon. I grab a few belts of ammo and throw them over my shoulders and rip the gun from its mount and walk out. Not a trench broom but still better in a trench than my rifle.
I move back to the trench and move further down. My hud picks out targets through all the smoke that permeates the whole area now. I grin as a large group of targets walks into my line of sight.
I plant my feet and lean into the recoil as I thumb the paddle and rip them apart. The skeleton in my armor screams slightly as I’m overstressing it with the Dhsk. I just release the trigger and march over the pile of gore to the next emplacement.
I gun down two more groups before I’m kicking in another door and leveling my commandeered weapon that’s on its last belt. I thumb the paddle for the last time and smoothly rotate at the waist cutting everyone inside in half and slagging the heavy weapons inside.
As I walk out I watch a friendly squad move past from the direction I came from, their IFF identifying them as members of zombie Bate. Their squad leader Frank rolls up to me “General quiet the mess you’ve made” I shrug and drop the Dhsk “Begin rigging explosives” I open my radio “All squads in the blockade report”
I listen to fast reports from a few dozen squads all reporting the blockade is clear and they are rigging sections to blow to let us through. A few are on the far side watching for contacts.
And lo someone must have called for help because a platoon and counting of T95s have been spotted heading for the blockade. I order some tanks to make the climb over and watch them just barely make it all thanks to the track pods and the raw torque they put out.
Unfortunately, most of them are descending when the first shots from the 95s land but do nothing more than shake the tanks or bounce off into a house. Our tanks open fire and detonate ammo racks or score engine kills eliminating the platoon quickly.
“Get some distance from the blockade then blow it” I order as I climb onto one of the forward tanks. The ground shakes and three distinct breaches have been created hidden beneath dust.
The convoy is on the move again with engineering tanks pushing wreckage out of our way. And this time our next hold-up is at our target. The kremlin. And from the man portable drone camera, they have turned it into a fortress.
We are still a few blocks removed having stopped to get some eyes on and I’m glad I gave the order that would have been a meat grinder. Luckily the atomic fairies are overhead and the fighters are swatting aircraft out of the sky. “Fairy actual get ready for tagging we’ll put payload data in the beam”
I wait a moment for the reply “Roger that T.Rex we are ready for delivery” I switch to ground radio “I want marksman with targeting lasers positioned before we engage” A wave of orders follows and pairs of soldiers break off and find positions and a few minutes later they signal they are in position. Right at twilight.
“Time to break the back of the enemy, another notch and another victory, we are the 104th we are humanity’s wrath”
A Decent into Hell Pt2
December 7 6AE (military calendar)
December 7 2028 AC (global calendar)
Major general
Tanya Rex
Streets of Moscow
Just after landing
I landed gracefully and with practiced ease detached and dropped the parachute. I push Major Griffin out of my mind. His command squad will find him one way or another.
I look up and watch a tank's drop cradle flair it’s rockets for a landing. It touches down hard and to my surprise once the explosive bolts drop the ramp it’s already driving off the cradle and I know I never saw anyone climb in.
I jog over to it and lucky for the crew they stop. The driver canopy opens along with the command cupola “Problem general” the commander nonchalantly asked.
“Just a small one my ride landed away from me. You know what that means” I slap the side of the tank and sit on one of the track pods. The hatches close and the tank begins to trundle down the road tearing up the ground underneath it.
“General I’ve added you to the vehicle frequency. What’s our destination” I smile inside my helmet as I look at the map for a moment then tag a location and pass it along to the vehicle crew “My command squad if you’d be so kind”
The tank lurches as they pick up speed making me hold onto a handle for a moment my other arm holding my rifle.
A few minutes later I spot movement in a window up the road and use my helmet magnification. Sure enough, it’s an RPG. “Turret bearing 37 degrees second story drop a high explosive in there” Immediately the turret rotates and then fires blowing out that floor and collapsing the entire building triggering secondary explosions.
We continue on our way. On the way I get a message from Barbosa, Griffin’s medic saying he found him stuck in a wall, alive just concussed. Seems his mission will continue without issue. Mostly.
We are about five minutes from where the command post is being set up and most of my men are gathering when we find a squad on foot. We stopped just long enough to let them jump onto the track pods. I’m already loving this new design.
We finally reach the command post which is set up a mile from the Kremlin. I jump off the tank as it continues on to join its formation. “Ornsten, Smo what’s our status” I march straight into the command huddle as they reply. “The drop was slightly more scattered than we hoped but within tolerance. Airdrops under fire are never clean. The last few squads that are assigned to the main assault are only a few minutes out and the archangel company has entered the first building and reports that there was a secret entrance and a hostile with a plasma weapon”
I am about to respond when I see I have an incoming signal from the sentinel bear and Sherman “recan you could use a little extra help where do you need us” Sherman says I hold up a finger to them as I reply “Bear archangel could use your help I'm betting tunnels and Sherman I could use you on the main thrust with me”
I turn back to my assignments “Relay to archangel that bear is coming to help and to wait for him before they enter” They nod and relay orders. Moments later I hear a dropship scream overhead and the roar of cradle thrusters pushed to their max followed by a heavy impact and a slight screech of metal.
I look outside and see a tank has landed though it’s not like the new ones this has two main barrels and an extra set of coaxial guns to match with rocket pods mounted to the turret. The armor looks thicker and I only see one hatch which Sherman climbs out of. I wave him over and head back inside my huddle.
A map has been laid out for everyone to look at and rough positions marked. The path forward is simple yet I know it won’t be easy. Sherman steps in “Where do you want me General” I look up at him and smile though he can’t see it. Based on his reaction I bet he feels it “tip of the spear”
We mobilized shortly after. Mainly because we were all set and organized but also so we could hopefully pull most of the pressure off Archangel.
I'm in a converted APC near the front of the column pushing forward and all hell has broken loose. The sides of the road are littered with collapsed buildings that infantry was hiding in along with burning tanks.
Sherman’s tank is doing its job perfectly pulling most of the incoming fire. I made sure to position an armor squad at the rear so a flank wouldn’t gut the column. Before I can ponder further the APC is rocked on its tracks. The driver calls back to us “The column has stopped from heavy fighting a stray rocket hit us”
I grab my rifle and drop the ramp “dismount I’m not dying in a can” The ramp is only halfway down when the few people in the back with me rush out and once I’m the last one I follow.
The air is full of tracers and thick with smoke. I get Ornstein and Smo behind me and we run crouched over to the front slowing only to let a vehicle adjust or to take a shot at an enemy.
Right as we get to the front I hear the scream of fighters, not ours, overhead, and the air gets filled with white phosphorus. Fuck. “All channels make sure your sealed white phosphorus has been deployed” I check myself and everything is green.
I look past our tanks and see the hold-up, the roads collapsed. I get behind some cover then open a radio channel with Sherman and a few of my tankers “I’m guessing that hole is too aggressive to traverse”
The platoon leader responds first “The new tanks might get through but the rest of the convoy won’t” That won’t do “What if we drop a few buildings into the hole it’ll be rough but it might be traversable…make sure the skyrakers are paying attention I’m sure the phosphorus is to get everyone back inside for a Strafe”
Sherman breaks in “I doubt the debris will support our tanks, the only option besides a detour is to have the tanks roll through first then drop a few buildings” I think for a moment. Sherman is right which makes a new problem there are tanks in the rear so it’ll be a logistical nightmare.
I sigh “Go with the alternative route we can’t lose our momentum and let them dig in further keep up the pressure as we maneuver” With that order the convoy backs up until the lead elements can turn down the next road and we are racing deeper into the city once more.
About a minute later I hear jets scream overhead again so I open a channel to our aircraft. the skyrakers add more tracer fire to the air riping apart the aircraft and sending them tumbling into houses “This is Major General Rex what’s the eta with our air support we are starting to see enemy birds” I wait a brief pause “The atomic fairy’s are on their way in with fighter support. The rest of your air support is refueling now and will be overhead in a few hours”
That’s good news I switch to the fairy’s “This is the T.Rex I hear your overhead” the usual cool reply of a pilot answers me “Correct mam loaded heavy with laser-guided munitions for your pleasure” I crack a smile “Good I want the bombers to climb and the fighters to drop down and clear the sky’s if you want to keep one up with you that’s fine” I swear I can hear the distinct sound of our fighters pushing their thrusters to the melting point in the distance “Wilco, fairy delivery service open in five mikes”
Unfortunately, we hit another roadblock but this one can be traversed. I take a closer look and it’s made of pre-cast concrete sections and steel reinforcement with gun ports built in. And air support is only a few minutes away.
As it stands if we wait they have more time to entrench but the concrete is proving to be resilient. Time to get creative… “Infantry is going to need to rush the blockade. I want the tanks to cover the area in smoke and lay into the machine gun nests and suppress or destroy them. Break cover once the smoke is down”
I get myself ready to lead the charge and give a few seconds for everyone else to get ready then I give the order “Pop smoke now” In quick succession, a few dozen canisters pop, and the entire area is filled with thick smoke that disrupts thermal cameras unless they are programmed to ignore the interference like ours.
I break cover first and sprint the open distance. A few lines of tracers streak past but most of it's from our tanks doing their job. As I approach the wall I unholsture my pistol and tap my thrusters to gracefully clear the wall and land in the trench.
I point a weapon in each direction and fire immediately dropping five surprised Russians. My IFF shows several others have dropped in as well so I sling my rifle as I’m in a trench and move to the closest emplacement.
Moments later I’m kicking in a door to a gun bunker and firing my pistol, each shot finding a target. The hair on my neck stands up and I whirl around and with my free hand and strike. Unfortunately for the conscript the talons I added rip basically all the flesh from his face.
I survey the room and satisfied it is clear I move to the gun. It’s a dhsk next to an anti-tank cannon. I grab a few belts of ammo and throw them over my shoulders and rip the gun from its mount and walk out. Not a trench broom but still better in a trench than my rifle.
I move back to the trench and move further down. My hud picks out targets through all the smoke that permeates the whole area now. I grin as a large group of targets walks into my line of sight.
I plant my feet and lean into the recoil as I thumb the paddle and rip them apart. The skeleton in my armor screams slightly as I’m overstressing it with the Dhsk. I just release the trigger and march over the pile of gore to the next emplacement.
I gun down two more groups before I’m kicking in another door and leveling my commandeered weapon that’s on its last belt. I thumb the paddle for the last time and smoothly rotate at the waist cutting everyone inside in half and slagging the heavy weapons inside.
As I walk out I watch a friendly squad move past from the direction I came from, their IFF identifying them as members of zombie Bate. Their squad leader Frank rolls up to me “General quiet the mess you’ve made” I shrug and drop the Dhsk “Begin rigging explosives” I open my radio “All squads in the blockade report”
I listen to fast reports from a few dozen squads all reporting the blockade is clear and they are rigging sections to blow to let us through. A few are on the far side watching for contacts.
And lo someone must have called for help because a platoon and counting of T95s have been spotted heading for the blockade. I order some tanks to make the climb over and watch them just barely make it all thanks to the track pods and the raw torque they put out.
Unfortunately, most of them are descending when the first shots from the 95s land but do nothing more than shake the tanks or bounce off into a house. Our tanks open fire and detonate ammo racks or score engine kills eliminating the platoon quickly.
“Get some distance from the blockade then blow it” I order as I climb onto one of the forward tanks. The ground shakes and three distinct breaches have been created hidden beneath dust.
The convoy is on the move again with engineering tanks pushing wreckage out of our way. And this time our next hold-up is at our target. The kremlin. And from the man portable drone camera, they have turned it into a fortress.
We are still a few blocks removed having stopped to get some eyes on and I’m glad I gave the order that would have been a meat grinder. Luckily the atomic fairies are overhead and the fighters are swatting aircraft out of the sky. “Fairy actual get ready for tagging we’ll put payload data in the beam”
I wait a moment for the reply “Roger that T.Rex we are ready for delivery” I switch to ground radio “I want marksman with targeting lasers positioned before we engage” A wave of orders follows and pairs of soldiers break off and find positions and a few minutes later they signal they are in position. Right at twilight.
“Time to break the back of the enemy, another notch and another victory, we are the 104th we are humanity’s wrath”
