The Other Side

Operation Cormorant: Phase 2

Primary objective: eradicate the Atlas remnant force

Secondary objective: Capture any command forces for interrogation, rescue any slaves/hostages

Units assigned: Majority of NO army forces on Remnant, all strategic bomber wings, majority of the CAS bomber wings, half of the fighter wings, all NO naval units in Remnant, all NONR fleets in Remnant's reality, entire Shock Corp, all paratrooper units. In short anything not immediately needed for another operation and is able to be moved is here.

Phase 2 objectives:

Clear any Atlas facilities remaining - underway

Carry out strikes on Atlas leadership and command - underway

Establish airstrips and FOBs within Atlas territory - complete 

Pilot: Strider 3-1 to Strider 3-2, I'm ready to go.

Radio: 3-2 copies, prepped to follow.

Two older CAS bombers launched from the airstrip and rose through the haze. Smoke filled the sky from burning Atlesian defenses and the forests had been engulfed in flames. The result was the continent being covered in smoke and the sky having an orange hue from the fires. 

The jets climbed and eventually reached their cruising altitude, just above the smaller smoke clouds. The pilots looked through gaps in the smoke to see burning convoys and the occasional bunker. Around them plumes of smoke rose high into the atmosphere from huge infernos raging uncontrolled. 

Pilot: 3rd CAS to dispatch, we are approaching the AO. What are our orders.

Radio: 3-1, 3-2, your orders come from the top. NSC wants an your entire bomb load dropped on a convoy moving North. There needs to be no survivors. Targets marked on your HUD now. Happy hunting.

Pilot: 10-4, we'll get the mission done.

Speaker: ALARM. MISSILE LOCK. ALARM.

The speaker emoted the sound of an alarm while the display flashed red. 3-1 banked to the side and deployed flares, moments later a missile detonated on said flares. 3-1 and 3-2 both looked at the ground for the source and spotted a SAM site where Atlesian soldiers tried to reload fast. 3-2 dove and strafed the SAM causing the missile storage to detonate. With the SAM disabled the jets rocketed towards their target.

Pilot: Dispatch, can you confirm the target is a convoy of unarmed vehicles?

Radio: Affirmative, target vehicles are white SUVs. All must be destroyed.

Radio: Welp, we get paid to follow orders.

Pilot: 10-4, engaging. Guns. Guns. Guns.

The jets opened fire with their 20mm guns which tore into the target vehicles. The convoy stopped and smoke began to rise from the SUVs. The jets pulled out of their dive and flew over, dropping 200 pound bombs across the convoy as they went. The bombs detonated and the entire convoy was obliterated, all that remained were the torn apart wrecks which were burning. 

Pilot: 3-1 to dispatch, all targets eliminated.

Radio: Copy, return to base.

Location: On the ground, somewhere in former Atlas territory

A company of soldiers we're in a burned down forest with their rifles pointed at the ground. Nearby was a few downed bulkheads, still burning. The soldiers at the wrecks checked the bodies while a few teams scoured the forest for anyone else alive.

Captain: Any survivors?

Soldier: Yes sir, we found these scumbags trying to run.

A few soldiers dragged injured Atlesians forward and tossed them onto the ash covered ground. The Atlesians began to stand up but they were kicked down by the NO soldiers. The soldiers then put bayonets just behind the Atlesians preventing them from moving without stabbing themselves.

Captain: Which one of you is in charge?

None of the Atlas personnel spoke.

Captain: Well, they aren't going to be useful. Kill them and say they died in the crash? Or do we cut 'em up as a warning to the enemy? Or perhaps someone wants to reconsider their silence?

Atlesian: I am the highest ranking one.

Captain: Let him stand. Name and rank.

Atlesian: Specialist Turquoise 

The New Orderians all looked at one another at the response. The Atlesian prisoners seeing this looked at one another as well trying to figure out what baffled the NO troops so much.

Captain: Specialist? That is your highest ranking person here?

Soldier: Sir, I believe Atlas uses a different rank system than us.

Captain: Well no shit if specialist is considered high ranking.

Turquoise: Wait what is specialist in New Orderia?

Captain: Well you have the private as in recruit, then private, then private first class. After that is specialist. What is specialist in Atlas.

Turquoise: That?

The captain looked at the soldier and made a neck cutting motion before Turquoise started waving his arms around a bit. At this the captain made a gesture to stop.

Turquoise: Special forces, specialist is special forces.

Captain: And your men?

Turquoise: Not valuable in the slightest. I am the only one of high rank here.

The Atlesians looked at him and some started to talk about how fucked up it was he did that. The NO soldiers kept their rifles ready and they all looked to their captain for orders

Captain: Got it, kill the baggage.

The Atlas soldiers made motions to beg for their lives before Turquoise was executed. His body slumped over and the NO soldier that fired the shot kicked him in the side before shooting him two more times.

Captain: Find me the nearest POW transport.

Atlesian: Wait, why are we the ones alive? 

Captain: I hate spineless cowards, also he was the one giving orders. Right?

Atlesian: Yeah, why?

Captain: Thoughts on forced labor?

Atlesian: It's wrong, but that doesn't answer my question.

Captain: We already found 3 labor camps within Atlas. One was abandoned since the first war a few years ago. Other two were recently abandoned, within a day or two prior, when NO soldiers marched in. Take a guess as to which sleezebag is running those operations.

A soldier ran over with a few MPs following. The MPs started getting the POWs to stand up before escorting them out of the area to a waiting convoy of trucks. As the Atlesians were escorted away they thanked the Captain for sparing them. Meanwhile a pair of NO soldiers checked over the body of the specialist and took any papers they found before leaving him in the dirt. After handing the papers off to the Captain the company regrouped and went out to continue their objectives.