Coalition Military Apparatus's Story

Onboard the NG-3394, a Globewalker AER craft, klaxons sounded as the flight personnel were rushing to their positions after the most recent exchange of orders: though it was patrolling the arctic wastes of northern Terra it would now be the first-responder to the most recent development, another spat in Hafirjan. Though the crew of the NG, or the Naggie Gertrude as she was known to her sailors, had served on Terra with distinction in the years prior the Gertrude had always been a tertiary platform.

“Satchmo Actual is a launch, we are on vector for mission.”

Through the translucent panelling the Gertrude disappeared in the stormcloud it had been ahead of on its approach to Hafirjan, a spiderweb of raindrops streaking off the skin of the M/D-91. The Trodaire as it was called was a nimble but aggressively built fighter-bomber and interceptor, capable of not only attacking ground targets (more than effectively) but also defending other craft from interception and destruction. As the ghost of the Globewalker faded, the patrol of eight craft were only minutes from making landfall over Hafirjan when the commanding flight sergeant activated the comms.

“One Niner Actual this is Satchmo on-station. High altitude strike, close munitions and cluster-weapons on the platform over. Ready for your targets.”

Achak was a cat, not a swordsman, and a cats claws were not for fencing. The animals tactics seemed more in line with bullrushing rather than trading blows. Tapu's sharp whistle called the beast off though as it too took to the rainforest rather than engage the shit storm of Imperial and Aschen warriors.

The Helljumper pod hammered into the ground 50 meters ahead of Maximus. Blasting open the entery breach Carolina withdrew a pair of strange blue rifles and opened fire. Her target was locked. Puma landed directly behind Maximus and was looking around for targets. Finding Tech Con One Niner she turned and rumbled over to the group holded up. Of course her moment of arrival included getting hit dead on from two or three bolter rounds which caused her to barrel roll madly before landing on all four wheels.

Projecting herself in her AI form she floated in front of two of the injured Tech Con mercs. "Hello, I am Puma of ONI Experimental Weapons Division. How may I assist you ? I can provide cover, distraction or extraction as required." Of course it was hard to understand or hear Puma speak as the speakers of her M12 LRV frame wer blasting mexican music.

Meanwhile Carolina faced off against the Space Marine. On her back was her old favorite weapon. Her Grav Hammer. What fun!

As the General cut and run from his position, the two Mercenaries that were setting up the plasma cannon quickly stopped, the Private grabbed his weapon and started to give pursuit.

"Gods Damnit we're going to need a Reverence uplink if we're going to sift through all this jungle!" The Sergeant shouted, as the second Corporal moved to assist Venner, pulling him behind cover.

"Satchmo, Alpha, this is One Niner Actual, be advised we have wounded and will require Exfil, how copy Also Be advised unknown hostiles have disengaged, Our Sergeant and a Private have broken to pursue, requesting Command-Net Uplink." Emerson called on the radio, as Siler, and Private Nadine moved through the jungle, with their enhanced Aschen physiology after the General.

"We're not going to be able to keep up." The Sergeant said, climbing through some foliage.

----
AHSC Chariot of Fire
Reverence I class Planetary Assault Carrier
Geosynchronous Orbit above Hafirjan
Commander Bryn Magus

"Commander!" A Lieutenant turned as the Tech Con transmission managed to reach Aschen waves.

"We have a distress signal from Tech Con patrols in Hafirjan, unknown military hostiles. They're not armed like the natives." The Lieutenant said, while Commander Magus nodded.

The AI then chimed in. "Commander, I have detected unknown radio patterns, Primitive frequencies with minimal encryption, I've analyzed the frequencies and can transmit on your command."

Magus nodded slightly. "Alright, use their radio communications coupled with surface scans to track their movements. Prepare a squad of Marines, I want him alive." The Commander ordered, and the AI Nodded.

"I will transmit a warning."

She then patched herself into the Imperial Vox communications network, broadcasting a smooth, monotone female voice.

"Attention unknown hostiles, your attacks against the Empire will not go unpunished. It is advised you surrender immediately, or face further abrasive action."

The message would simply repeat.

All while the Lieutenant turned to the Commander.

"Marine drop pods are away, ETA One millicenton."

Stopping at the arrival of this new foe, Maximus raises his hands, ejecting the empty stormbolter off the gauntlet it was affixed to. After it lands by his right foot, Maximus Speaks, using an officers level of command voice and presence.


" I am General Maximus Alexander of the Imperium of Man. I demand to know why one of my own was put at gunpoint? "

Maximus was ready for shit to hit the proverbial fan, his enhanced bionic muscles already tensed and ready to move. He did hope however, that this could be resolved

Spotting the Imperial general making a break for it, Torgärd let loose a curse before taking off after his superior officer, annoyed that the enemies of man were clearly more entrenched on this world than previously thought. Running after the General, he feels the impact of the incoming drop pod, watching the armored figure walk out, briefly feeling a surge of fear. Did these heretics have the forces of the Chaos Space Marine legions at their sides? Truly this world would be doomed to Exterminatus should the arch-traitors be found here. Taking a moment to get a better look at the figure, he lets loose a sign, as he realizes, that this indeed is closer to an armored guardsman than one of the astartes.

Carolina got the notice, "Copy that, One Niner Actual. Stay put." She replied before activating her securelink to the UNSC Kill It With Fire "Kill it With Fire, this is Freelancer Alpha, We have injured, I repeat, we have injured. Puma on hand to assist with extraction Over"

"Copy that Alpha. Stay put, Pelican Patrols inbound to your location for extraction. Advise meet up with local enforcement. Over"

"Copy that. Look like I met them already, Alpha out." Two more shots from the twin plasma rifles should do it. She listened as he spoke, apparently someone in charge. "Tell it to the judge. You're not in a position to make any demands, In fact I think it is they who are in that postion, not you."

Carolina then switched to the massive grav hammer on her back as the massive space marine halted and dropped his weapon. She too switched to her secondary weapon of a powerful pistol and held it on the strange marine as two of the Tech Con marines appeared. To the two Aschen mercs Carolina called out while keeping her pistol on the Space Marine. "He's unarmed. And apparently thinks he's in charge."

Puma remained with the remaining Tech Con Mercenaries and shifted her massive M12 form slightly, lowering to the ground as far as it could go she folded forwards the EMP station to make a makeshift medical location. There was a full First Aid Kit there that she uncovered. "One Niner Actual, please use the First Aid Kit, inside you will find a Health Unit, activate it and set it between your injured, they will be able to walk shortly." The nine and a half inch tall blood red hologram stayed close to the apparent leader of the Tech Con Mercs.

Sergeant Siler finally made it up to the group, alongside his Private, the dull roar of an incoming Orbital Drop Pod cracking the silence of the jungle.

"The Commander of the Chariot of Fire has instructed we take the prisoner alive for questioning." The Sergeant said, and finally an Aschen made drop pod impacted the ground adjacent to where they were standing off, the doors blew open and a team of Aschen Marines moved from the pod, armed with Disruptor rifles, which packed much more of a punch than their Tech Con Civilian model Plasma rifle counterparts.

The Sergeant turned to Maximus the Sergeant glared.

"Care to explain why you were shooting at my men unprovoked?" He said, ejecting a microfusion cell from his plasma rifle, and loading a fresh one into the power chamber.

Aschen Marines moved to secure the area, they were dressed much differently than the Tech Con mercenaries, clad in strange jungle camouflage

They moved around Maximus in a broad circle, while the Marine Sergeant stepped forward. "Surrender now and your lives will be spared under International Law. I would not continue this fight, we have reinforcements on the way."

" Care to explain why you were harassing a member of the Imperial Guard? A Commissar no less? Your insolence Offends. Regardless, I see no reason for the further maiming of your men. To that end, I surrender myself and the Good Commissar into your custody. "


Maximus really has no choice, his every other projected action ending with a needless death. All he had to do was answer some questions and possibly have several of his own answered in the process. Perhaps even the Fleet will arrive and rescue him? Only time would tell.

"By the look of things, I think he can answer that question himself" Carolina retorted at the question concerning shooting at the other man. Whome for the moment she caught staring at her. She turned towards him, pistol once more in hand. "Something wrong soldier ?" She asked darkly.

When she did not get an answer she turned towards the Sgt in charge of the squad she received the hail from, "Sgt. Freelancer Alpha. With your permission I'd like to check on the rest of your squad, you mentioned you had injured. Puma has medical gear onboard. She should be with your squad now and I'd be of more help there." her HUD picked her Puma's dropped NAV point.

The Commissar was fuming with rage, as he holstered both his power sword and laspistol, moving to flank his general. Despite his reluctance to surrender to these lesser men, he trusted the words of his superior, and would follow his orders to his own death should it call for it. Scanning the area, taking in the look of these newcomers, he would note that they looked little better than a guardsman, save for their somewhat alien weaponry.

Hearing the words of the armored female, he chuckled at her attempts at intimidation, before replying.

"Nothing wrong little girl, just assuring you don't mean to throw a tantrum while my General speaks with your superiors."

He did not like this one, no rank and file, despite being given the strange technology. A mercenary perhaps, or some form of special forces. Regardless, he would once more continue to watch the scene unfolding, before speaking up

"And what of the Xeno scum? Do you ally yourself with such filth, or do we atleast agree on mankind's assurd domination of the galaxy?"

The Sergeant nodded. "We have a Raptor en-route for Exfil. He's not too bad, broken ribs, internal bleeding, nothing some time in an immersion tank can't solve."

The Marines all nodded. "We have this from here Freelancer, thanks for the Assist." The Sergeant said, getting on the comms.

"Chariot of Fire Actual, this is Tango Alpha One Nine Seven, we're buttoned up and ready for Exfil."

Two Aschen marines moved towards General Maximus, one of them lowering his weapon while the other started to search the General for weapons. Then he moved to place his hands in binders in front, two more Marines moving to the Commissar.

"Your weapons, Drop them." The Marine ordered, gesturing his Disruptor rifle at the Commissar. "We are not aligned with any Xenos, challenge us no further." He warned.

Should the Commissar surrender his own weapons, the Marine would place him in binders, hands bound in front and walk him towards the General and the Sergeant.

"Sarge, we're ready to beam up."

The Sergeant nodded, then tapped his comms. "We're ready, beam us up." And once everything was handled should it go without a hitch, the entire group would begin to glow a bright white, and Carolina, the two Imperials, and the squad of Aschen Marines would find themselves aboard a Reverence, the strange alien interior lit with a violet sheen, Aschen strike craft lined the cargo bay.

Maximus made no attempt at hiding his sword and sidearm, nor did he say anything about his gauntlet and the blades sheathed within it. Overall, He let them perform their duties, his interesting in their protocol and thoroughness being the reason behind his actions. While he had very little options, Maximus was still a general and this was all still far from over. Thoughts drift now to what question may be like. He had gotten the training to resist torture and brush of attempts at coercion, sure, but perhaps they had different methods? Maybe he would be let go? It was all up to the Emperor and whether or not Maximus had his blessing.

Upon seeing the interior of the craft upon being beamed up, Maximus shakes his head, displaying a hint of shame.


" I trust my Commissar will be well taken care of? I still haven't decided when and where he is going to die. "

Despite the coldness of such a statement, Maximus sincerely inquires into the eventual treatment of his subordinate.

TCCA PERIMETER outpost, OSC-231

A dull klaxon sounded as a squad of technicians poured, jostled and slid over the extensive holographic readouts in front of them. On an airscreen various icons flashed in a monotonous strobe. 'OBJECT DECTECTED' and 'CHECK DISPLAY' pulsing as the cadre of technicians rushed to their seats.

"I've got a pretty big signal over Solinus, couple hundred klicks off Shintenchi -- is this an exercise?" The closest techicnian to the airscreen stretched his hands over a holographic prompt. Signal readers and radar apertures focusing in front of him to make a spectroscope of the area.

"There was nothing on the Warboard for the day -- it may just be an amphibous exercise by the Killer's." A Liuetenant, Junior grade, replied to the Technical Sergeant before raising a cup of coffee from his desk.

"Way too large, Killer's don't have training exercises for the whole Brigade. They train at the regiment." The technician continued on, parsing through the metadata and images produced by the millions of baseball-sized spy satellites orbiting Terra at all altiudes.

"Native training op, then? Shogunate or Shintenchi military exercise." The Junior Liuetenant seemed intent to write this off quickly as possible as a miscommunication or equipment glitch.

"We'd have gotten a headsup of a Terran exercise -- "

"Our contact's moving! Right up near the Shintenchi coastline now." Another Junior Liuetenant chimed from behind his display. Though at this distance the resolution barely displayed movement, various data was flooding to the observation center that stated otherwise.

"There's no way in hell this is an exercise." The Technical Sergeant was himself a Terran Conflict veteran. Many men like him had spent years, even decades, of their lives on the planet of Terra and the surrounding reaches of the Local Region.

"Calm down Sergeant, the Galactic War's over." The Junior Liuetenant remarked, a condescending tone typical of Apparatus officers who had joined but missed the 'Hay Day' of the Galactic War. "It's probably just an equipment failure -- the SPY drones are likely picking up a solar flare."

"Solar flares don't reflect back onto the ground son, if it was a flare our radio contractors would've filtered it out by now. We'd know it's a flare." The Technical Sergeant replied as he continued on at his station. Eveyone looked back to the skeptical Junior Liuetenant.

"Well ... is it a flare?"

"Have our radio filters said it is?" The Sergeant responded callously, and it was then realized that the OSC was plagued by the most dangerous problems nearly half of the Apparatus was afflicted with, incompetent officers.

"Nope, nothing in the filters yet. Whatever's out there, rest assured it's real." Another Sergeant offered coldly, as images coalesced into a holographic topography of the Shintenchi island and its nearby shelf.

"We'd better call a marine battalion up to standby just to be sure. They left half a regiment in the area in the aftermath of that LIC between the Volarians and some false flaggers." The other Sergeant said, taking a wireless phone from a receiver on the desk. "Authority Central -- this is OSC-231, we've found a large contact out over Solinus, on its way to landfall on Shintenchi. You're gonna' wanna' scramble a QRF."

"Interrogative, OSC-231, have you verified your contact yet?"

The inquiry back from Central, at the Tirandibek Center in Wing City, caused a quick shiver to race through the technicians in the OSC. Only when the brass doubted the validity of a 'glitch in the system' would they ask if the technicians had personally validated their contact.

"Not yet, but we're not getting anything from our double-checks either." The Sergeant responded calmly, parsing through bits and pieces of information as it arrived.

"Recieved OSC-231, keep your eye on it and we'll start a scramble. What's your station in relative to the contact?

OSC-231 was an island redoubt, formerly an Aviation Cavalry patrol base guarding trade lanes and the coastlines of Solinus in the years after the Terran Conflict. Now it was a lonely, career-ending post for career soldiers and those just paying for higher education. It had been years since anything even remotely similar to a combat situation had occured. Few expected that to change.

"Loud and clear Central, we'll have an FC on the scopes for whatever you can scramble -- hey you wouldn't be able to send out a Cricket with some of those new iZone players in it could you? Or some playing cards or something."

"Keep your eyes on your contact OSC-231, Central Authority out."

"They'll remember that when we ask for strippers for the Hallows party." A Corporal chimed in with a bit of a distasteful sigh, until he returned to his prompt. "Spectroanalysis is still coming in but we've got phantoms all over it."

"What kinds of phantoms?"

"Nuclear, nuclear for sure."

"Sonuvabitch ... " The Technical Sergeant drew a hand up and ran his palm across his forehead. His exasperated tone seemed to ring with several of the other veteran techs. "It's a ship."

"A ship? The thing just popped up, if it was a ship we'd have tagged it on entry." The other Sergeant responded, though something is his voice said it wasn't so far of a thought for him either.

"Because it didn't enter atmo, it came from underwater." The Tehnical Sergeant was leaning over his prompt now, the jumble of information finally seeming to piece together.
"The filters didn't call it because they knew it came from underwater."

"Why didn't we catch it with the Particle Tunnel?" The Corporal said back in question, only to catch himself just as the words left his mouth. On the screen, a phantom spectroscope of the ship loomed in front of them.

"Because the Tunnel wasn't looking for a submerged starship, shit, this could get out of hand quickly." The Sergeant rose from his chair, along with the technician-NCO in front of him.

"We aught to get a hold of the FBP and get them to send runners out. First things first we need to warn the Shintenchi defense forces if they haven't already spotted it ... outside of that, we need to get a much hard data on this thing as we can."

Godheart set up his units top engage anything that came close the landing sites, there was a now a number along the coastline of the area. Vast battleships appeared on the surface within minutes, starting to fire of round after round of salvos towards the towns and defence areas. The landing craft finished deploying troops and tanks before they pulled away. A number of engineering vehicles quickly moved along the beaches towards the caves to erect gun positions. The Old Order of the Cybrans was here, all of them. It was very last war Criminal known to the Cybrans.

The units quickly started to scale the cliffes while forces made beachheads around the coastline. There was great roars of weapons powering up and sending massive salvos towards an position as move and more units forced their way inland. The groups of units started fighting on the slopes between the vast cliff walls, unaware of the New order's Anti Nazism fleet in the area above that planet which had became a hive of activity.

Monitor Station K19,
Underwater near the coastline of Volaria.

"Is the attack going well?" Came a call from the lone officer to his Senior NCOs and men located around the cramped room of the forward operating base. It was a surprise to many of the Nazist Cybrans that were located on the station that they had no been attacked by the local forces while the base was being constructed.

"Ja sir." Came a reply for the most Senior of the NCOs as he typed into the computer, working out the local defensive forces and their way of operating. "Seems all is going well, the locals have no clue what is happening on their planet."

"Good, lets try and keep it that way, scramble any comms between the enemy forces in the local area, make sure that they don't know what is happening then." The officer snapped as he got to his fleet and carefully headed towards the small coffee machine. "I want to make sure that we can win this planet before the New order get to us."

"Sir." Called on of the lesser NCOs, "They have called for reinforcements!"

The officer smiled softly, rubbing his eyes as he waited on the small machine to kick into action and produce some coffee, "Bring the second fleet of submarines into position and wait for Godheart's orders."

Godheart's position

Godheart quickly noticed the tower and sent off a couple of high velocity shots from his Plasma cannon. The shots rang out, covering the battlefield and within a few seconds, the distant watchtower was go. Everything within a few hundred metres of the tower. He pushed his command unit forwards as the enginneer regiments started to demolish some of the cliffs, making it easier for the Old Order's forces to advance. They were still mainly using the vastly outdated Panzer 10 t and the 38t version, while the New Order had advanced indescribably in the tank capabilities area of the war machines.

He moved his unit around the beach, watching everything with all the sensors before he truly unleashed hell...

Inside the watch-tower men and women were scrambling to respond to the situation.

"Sir, they're preparing to fire," Asha called out.

"Get our shields up," an officer hollered.

A dome over the top of the tower slid partially open to a slit that reveal the volarian crystal encased within it. A beam of light emitted from its top as it reacted and a moment later there was a flare of light as a pale dome encased the tower and the surrounding area. The dome flared and grew red with each strike of plasma against it, but the shield seemed to be holding up well enough.

"Concentrate fire on the cliffs!"

The retaliation from the watchtower came in the form of solarcannons that tore through the ranks gathering at the cliffs, and those trying to scale it. Rock was turned molten beneath the heat, and quickly hardened over as the cold water of the sea washed in to cool it once more.

Visibility became all but impossible for the naked eye from the thick plumes of steam that rose up from the evaporating water, but the turrets were unrelenting. With the solarcannons sheering the cliffs and turning the rock molten, even targets with shields capable of withstanding the temperatures of the focused solar beams would quickly become victim of the laws of gravity dragging them loose as rock - solid and molten alike - cascaded downwards to smash them against the rocky shores below.

"Sir, we're picking up a Taiyou signal from nearby - a battleship it looks like," Asha called out.

"Put me through to them," the officer said.

'We're under heavy fire, I repeat we're under heavy fire. Requesting immediate reinforcements.'

"We have a response from the Losenyu," Asha spoke up. "They're sending reinforcements with the Taiyou fleet moored in Losenji. They'll be here in about ten minutes."

"Time to dig in then," the officer growled. "Do we have enough power?"

Asha checked some readings. "Worse case scenario, at this rate we have enough reserve power to keep the crystal running for two and half, maybe three days under heavy fire. Weeks if we don't need to switch to the reserves, fewer if we need to increase the power," she answered before pausing. "Uh... Sir?"

"What is it?"

"We're receiving word from the capital that a Dark Rain vessel is arriving with the Avorians," she explained. "We're being requested to not fire upon it."

"Who the hell are the Dark Rain?" the officer asked. "Ah fuck it. If it can shoot, we can use it. Pass that information through to the Taiyou and the Losenyu."

The nearby fishing village wasn't as fortunate as the watch-tower, and the repetitive striking of the gong ceased as the civilians were fired upon. Like ants they scattered with cries and shouts as they began to evacuate the town to head further inland away from the battle.

A plasma blast took out one of the pillars on the gong and sent the altar falling from the cliff face to the rocky waters below, but the last strike of the gong seemed to be holding a reverberating tone as it sank beneath the water. As the gong vanished from view the sound turned to a deep keening wail... or was that coming from somewhere deeper?

The sound might have been mistaken for the low groaning song of a whale, if not for the vibrations it carried with it through the water that left the vessels within the ocean vibrating.

Deep within the ocean depths a single draconic eye opened as Haigara was roused from his slumber. Having slept for the better part of a century tucked away in the seemingly endless chasms of the ocean depths, the aptly named 'sea-god' had gone unnoticed by the Cybran's that had moved into his waters - and they had gone equally as unnoticed by him. It wasn't until the gong was struck that the weight of his deep hibernation was beginning to lift.

There was no light where he dwelt, and no life save for his own, but over the years his resting place had grown eroded and buried beneath rock.

With a shudder he rose and braced his massive bulk against his prison as he let out a loud keening wail that sent vibrations through the rock to weaken it at its faults. For now the prison held though and Haigara fell still to gather his strength once more.

Soon.

He could feel his old strength returning to him. He knew not why he had been roused, but the gong would not have been struck for idle reasons - lest the humans come to know his wrath instead of his protection.

Bowman, 8th Gun Battery, 3-Battalion

Unlike the mechanized and armored artillery atypical of the Guards, or Home Army, the marines still utilized towed artillery. These cumbersome and antique weapons may have been deemed long obsolete in modern wafare but they still served a purpose to the Apparatus custodial forces garrisoning the planet still. It was a whole battalion, well over 300 guns, that was left with the half-regiment sized force guarding the island after a previous skirmish amongst the Shintenchi militaries and an unknown aggressor.

Now these guns aimed lazily towards the coast. Barrel plugs and breech stops were torn out of the weapons like the cork of a champagne bottle. Electric drives powered up to a shrill whine that dominated the rolling plateau reaching from sparsely wooded grasslands that was the gun battery's Primary Artillery Site. These weapons were massive fixtures or warfare, locked against the ground and dug down to the middle of their tires that sprouted from the stubby, almost insect-like 'legs' that allowed the towed gun some local mobility.

They were particularly out in the middle of nowhere, partly to maintain as little an impact on the local populace but to also make a quick, total invasion of the island all but impossible without bringing serious reinforcements. This was a double-edged sword, as in their position they were only able to recieve brief, rapid coordination from command.

Artillery would most certainly be needed in the upcoming skirmish. Firstly, though, the guns had nowhere to aim in particular: secondly, none of the marine gunners knew just what exactly their target was.

This is a typical curse of the artilleryman, who often fought the battle so far removed he wouldn't have a serious idea of who, or what, he killed with his long guns.

Several meters away from the first collection of guns, the Forward Station, a control post had been dug in and fortified into the slopping landslide that would serve as the artillery battery's fire control center. Parked outside and dug into small redoubts along with it were armored personnel and weapons carriers, holding ammunition and repair equipment along with spare barrels.

A Corporal took the binoculars away from his eyes, turning away from the sliding landscape to their front leading to what was known as 'the Littoral Zone'.

"We're at about ninteen-twenty klicks out, are we ranged for fire?" The Corporal laid himself against the lip of the fighting position, a quickly raised series of trenches and gun pits in a star-formation around the artillery. Three marine artillerymen crouched in the fighting position with their equipment, handheld targeting computers and digital clipboards equipped with extensive terrain mapping of the littoral area.

"We'll probably start firing soon, sounded like we were just waiting for a Fire Mission Clear from Actual." A Private marked calmly as he scrawled over a clipboard, tracing fire paths with a stylus and working out trajectories on an app.

"There doesn't seem to be any inclement weather developing so we could be firing just off raw data ... who's calling the fire missions in the field?" The Corporal replied, while sliding back down into the pit and taking the AR-682 assault rifle with him from the lip of the trench.

"Natives. They'll be getting backup from an Imperial taskforce but it looks like most of the leg-work will be done by them."

"Let's hope they appreciate how to effectively utilize artillery."


Back at the Forward Station a klaxon rushed through the position and suddenly the team of four gun operators sprang into action. Bursting from the dug out position beside the parked M22HAT-M artillery tower providing a small amount of shade with a camouflaged tarp reaching out from its side.

"Readying for fire mission, sortie the first round! 155-General, go, go!" A Sergeant bounced down into the trench leading to the first gun, an M-155 Odin-II howitzer, and stomped his way through the soft mud to the breech of the weapon. Joining the three other crew members for a total gun crew of four the Sergeant took his position at the armored bulwark molded to the side of the weapon's impressive mechanism. He planted himself at the spartan metal seat, one leg pressing at the servos controlling the angle of the gun.

Just on the other side of the loading breech a Corporal pulled back a lever. Metal and machine howled as they ran together and the breech was pried open and the inner mechanism of the howitzer waited for a fresh round to enter the breech.

"Deciding for first fire mission -- elevation A-4, directionals are R-2 and L-3.2." The team worked as a coordinated, living war machine. The breech of the weapon gaped open as it waited for sustenance, and a pointed 155mm general purpose high-explosive shell was planted on the round-ram. The autoloader mechanism whirred and the shell slid into the howitzer.

"Gun loaded, Sergeant!" A Private crawled away from the weapon, taking the Sergeant's place at the gun shield.

"Sending it."

The Sergeant bellowed as he stood at the lip of the fighting hole. The four-man crew now assumed a slight distance from the weapon, as the concussive blast of the 155mm shell launching on its trajectory was capable of seriously damaging any living thing caught in the fury. The men all crouched and plugged their ears as the Sergeant lifted a hand into the air, fingers clenhed on the wireless trigger of the gun. When he dropped his hand back he activated the clapper, and dust sprang up all around them as the howitzer fired.

The next two guns in the battery then fired simeltanouesly, a thunderous storm of weaponry and machine roared across the Volarian plains: the first of a three-minute long opening bombardment from two coordinated batteries began.

The Cybrans quickly pushed away from the cliffs, started to create a beachhead like the rest of the assaults along the coastline. They quickly took the remains of the village as Godhearts Armoured Command Unit stood within the way of the some of the firepower, while overcharging his weapons to make on plasma blast to go straight through the shields as he gave the order to fire....

The forces had found a path up to the top of the cliffs to attack the solar cannons and the turrets quickly.

Then the Heavy artillery started to rain down on the forces, but that did not stop them. A number vehicles were destroyed as they continued to force inland. Vast amounts of missiles launched within a few seconds to counter the shells raining down, all designed for heavy explosive power.

Monitor Station K19,
Underwater near the coastline of Volaria.

"Sir, the new orders. We have to launch the Nuclear weapons into high orbit towards the Cybran Fleet that is hanging in orbit, awaiting to drop." Called the Senior NCOs with a shout while smaller missiles with HE warheads fired towards the Solar weapons also.

The Officer unbuttoned the top button of his shirt to produce as key, the Senior NCO doing the same. They pushed the keys into the keyholes and turned them. A second NCO quickly set the trajectories and pressed the last button. Alarms started to go off, Nuclear codes firing. Nuclear codes firing