The Other Side

Ambush

Location: Former Atlas territory, with the 12th

Soldier: RPG!

The rear vehicle in the convoy was struck by a rocket and was immediately engulfed in flames. The LAV rolled and fire flew out of anywhere it could. Soldiers inside kicked the rear door open and climbed out before dragging the battered bodies of their comrades from the wreck. Other vehicles in the convoy rotated their guns and opened fire into the forest the rocket came from, hoping to suppress the enemy.

Radio: 12th infantry to dispatch, we need air support. We have been ambushed and are taking casualties. 

Radio: Copy, ETA is 90 minutes for CAS, 210 for pickup. Hold out until they arrive or pull back to a defendable location.

Kromer: Fucking 90 minutes for a jet? Didn't they just get new planes that are faster?

Ikeman: We are far into this continent, the nearest NO forces are probably on a carrier off the coast. 90 minutes means we got lucky.

Radio: Hostiles to the south as well!

Radio: Engage! Dispatch we need any fire support you can provide, cruise missiles are better at this point.

Radio: Negative, unable to fire missiles as of now. We will position a destroyer within range shortly.

Ikeman rotated the remote turret to the south of the convoy and unloaded 50 cal rounds into enemy soldiers. Not a single New Orderian knew who they were fighting but the enemy was clearly winning the engagement. NO soldiers exited a truck and ran for the injured soldiers from the destroyed LAV and dragged them into a vehicle as rounds flew overhead. When the injured and dead were secured the convoy began to turn around and drive away. This put the LAV with our small squad in the rear, and closest to the enemy.

The Faunus in the back were terrified as the side windows were hit with rounds and a spiderweb of cracks went across them. The bang of bullets impacting the metal plating and the repeated booming sound of the 50 cal firing echoed through the LAV. Frasel yelled commands for Ikeman and Kromer as rifle rounds shattered his window, spraying glass across the LAV. Frasel and Kromer ducked down and the sergeant raised his gun out of the window. He unloaded his entire magazine rapidly and reloaded before doing it again. The rear plate over the trunk where the Faunus also failed and the Faunus ducked down as rounds flew into the vehicle inches from their heads.

Frasel: Kromer! Left, turn left!

Kromer swerved as another RPG round impacted and detonated beside them, with enough distance to not cause sever damage to the LAV. It did however shake the vehicle and cause everyone's ears to start ringing. Ikeman had been shaken out of his seat and he scrambled back to the turret controls to keep suppressing the enemy. Eventually the soldiers escaped the kill zone and drove towards a small village.

At the village NO soldiers told the civilians to get to shelter and began setting up defenses. The enemy would probably counter attack and the only hope was that they could hold out until the navy got some aircraft overhead. The people of the village originally were confused about this all, not believing there was some violent group nearby, until automatic gunfire rang out. A soldier was hit and he fell over as another soldier raised his rifle and fired into the tree line before dragging his injured comrade to cover. A brief gunfight ensued where the soldiers successfully defended the village and killed the enemy.

Our squad of three was sent forwards to investigate and look for hostiles. It was dangerous and  arguably flat out stupid. It could cause their deaths but knowing who the enemy was is important. Kromer wanted to charge forwards and take point but Frasel ordered the soldier to stand back and let him go first. Frasel led the squad into the woods slowly, their rifles raised and all of them looking for the slightest hint of an enemy.

Ikeman: Male, 30 meters, East. 

The soldiers turned and approached a corpse up against a tree. There was a trail of blood that implied the guy had tried to crawl away and died here after getting away from the edge of the trees. He had gunshot wounds to his chest and a few to his back. Frasel started to search the body for anything to ID the enemy and he eventually found it. An SDC logo, half soaked in blood and gore but still identifiable. Kromer meanwhile was a bit closer to the edge of the forest when he flipped over a second corpse, with Atlesian Army labels. With this knowledge the group returned to the village. 

The town had been encircled in a defensive line. Various objects were dragged onto the street and piled up to provide cover and a line of debris circled around everything to slow an attacking group's advance. Trees had been cut down for this and some soldiers who were better shots made makeshift ghillie suits out of the leaves and then went to sit in trees with rifles. NO soldiers also dug small trenches and foxholes to hide in as the enemy approached. It was nothing impressive, mostly built into snow, but it would help.

The first hostiles began their assault by shelling the village with mortars. Munitions rained down and detonated causing some damage to the defensive line and structures through the village. Luckily the attack was largely ineffective. The real assault then began. Soldiers in the trenches waited as the enemy marched through the woods. The Atlesian and SDC uniforms had a few design flaws. A decent number had colorful stripes which made spotting them easier and the second problem was the uniforms were pure white. The artillery barrage had littered the forest with craters, and as such removed a lot of snow. The attacking troops stood out like a sore thumb against the mud.

When they got within range NO forces opened fire. Their rifles out ranged the Atlesians in part due to the training of NO troops and also due to the rifle design in general. NO rifles all had scopes, Atlesian rifles barely had iron sights. Against Grimm and crowds this was fine, and considering that this is what Atlas fought against when they were still functional it was perfect, but against entrenched and camouflaged soldiers it was failing.

NO forces mowed down the first wave of Atlas troops, sustaining minimal losses themselves. The Atlesians retreated and the New Orderian soldiers repaired any damages to the defense and prepared more defenses to make it harder for the enemy to gain the upper hand. Despite this there was still 60 minutes until the first CAS capable aircraft would arrive, and if this was only the first wave of enemies the soldiers from New Orderia might not survive.