GATE: The United Nations of Earth

Chapter 20: "Priority: Battle of Icia"

--World building fact--

Intergalactic Special Operations Command (ISOC) recruits SIF members by looking for outstanding individuals in other brands of the UNE military and extending an offer. Once a servicemember accepts the offer, they become a SIF candidate. Every soldier can also apply to become a SIF candidate as well.

Each SIF candidate has to pass a series of hash psychological and physical tests in order to be accepted into ISOC academy and start their training to prepare for another test, which if they pass, will allow them to officially become a SIF member.

In short, you have to be perfect to become a SIF candidate, but you have to be more than perfect to become a SIF. Because anything less than perfection means death in their missions. Therefore, the presence of a SIF team on the battlefield is a massive morale boost.

--Outside of Icia--

The 8th Marine division deployed from the 9th Terra fleet in orbit met up with the 23rd Armored Battalion, peeled away from a siege of another city, on their flight path to Icia and the D-20Bs carrying the 5th and 9th SIF caught up with them not long before reaching the city.

King Duran is sitting in the same D-20B with Ava and is looking through the holographic screen showing the city of Icia. The outer wall defenses were completely annihilated in pure minutes, he can see smoke and fire coming from the area close to the wall and the wall's towers are no more than a pile of rubble. Around him is a massive flying fleet of transportations and escort gunships all heading in the same direction. He is impressed by the flexibility and the ability to rapidly deploy such a massive force over a great distance.

At about 500 meters away from Icia's wall, the fleet descends to deploy the troops while the GS-12s keep their attitude to secure the landing area. Once on the ground, the Lancers open fire on the wall using HEIP, destroying the part of the wall with each shot, while starting their advance on the city. Marines take cover behind the vehicles as they're moving forward to Icia. As soon as they come into range of the few remaining catapults on the outer wall and the ones behind the wall, a volley of massive burning magic barrels is launched at them.

The barrels are mostly taken out by the PDS on the vehicles that are capable of tracking at Mach 3. A few that slip through explode harmlessly against the shield domes of the APCs. The escorting gunships unleash their missiles destroying a few dozen catapults and ballistas.

King Duran is watching the battlefield from the cloaked D-20B as it continues flying forward to the temple, for the first time he is witnessing the destructive power of UNE military ground force. Each shot from the Lancer tanks' main gun destroys a large chunk of the thick wall of Icia. The wall that once stood tall and beaten back countless darklings sieges during the ancient time, the wall that never fell once. The Empire only managed to take the city of Icia from the elves after 10 years of siege and starved almost every elf in the city.

"This is the first time I see your army action in force. Very impressive" King Duran says.

"Force? This is nothing more than a skirmish force. You should've seen the planetary invasion, even I was terrified during that landing" David replies.

"Erkant?" Ashley says over the radio as she's in another D-20B.

"Uh-huh, Erkant" David nods.

"One of the bloodiest planetary invasions during the Second Intergalactic War" Jimmy says.

"War is hell," Ava says.

The light turns from red to green as the pilot announces that they've reached the AO and prepare to deploy.