The Other Side

Patch Phoning All

Location: Patch, with MP Patrol Unit 29-17

The LAV screeches to a stop outside of the broadcast station. The MPs step out and move forwards, relieved to see it hasn't been leveled. McReary walks at the front of the group, Juniper beside him, and Debach taking up the rear. Irving stayed on the gun to cover the street.

A loud snap echoes through the air as a bullet whips past the MPs and nails the side of the LAV.

Irving spins the turret to face the broadcast tower as the others scramble for cover. He sprays along the rooftop of the building with the gun. Juniper slams her shoulder into the door to the station, flinging it wide open and diving to the ground. She raises her shotgun as she falls to face any threats in that immediate area, luckily finding none. The other two officers move in behind her and flick their flashlights on.

McReary: Fuck me. Everyone good?

Juniper: Clear!

Debach: All good LT!

McReary looked around the room as the sound of machine gun fire continued ringing out as Debach engaged the enemy. There lobby seemed to be empty, some chairs had been knocked over and there was a booth. The bullet holes across the booth and the blood on the wall behind it were a good hint as to what was hidden from view. The MPs got back together into a stack and moved up towards the booth to see if the receptionist was alive.

McReary: NO Military Police! Anyone here call out!

There was no response, and when the MPs got up to the booth they found out why. The receptionist had been put down with a round in the back of the head. There was a small blood trail, and it looked like they had tried crawling away after being hit in the initial attack.

Debach: Who the fuck does that to somebody?

McReary: No idea, but they're trying to kill us so we might as well give them what they deserve.

McReary grabbed a map of the building from the wall and puts it on the reception desk. He points at the stairwell and then folds the map up. The other MPs nod and check their guns one last time before Juniper kicks the door to the main hallway open.

The officers advance down the hallway, spotting the occasional blood splatter and body, all showing the same method of execution. As they reach the stairwell Juniper fumbles with the doorknob before pointing the barrel of her gun at it. She blasts the knob clean off and pulls it open while racking the shotgun with one hand. As the door opened a chain fell to the ground, it had been used to tie the knob to a pipe near the wall. This would have delayed the NO forces had Juniper not immediately resorted to "shoot it until it works"

The MPs filed in and began moving up the stairwell, they went up to the 3rd floor and had Juniper hold the rear to prevent anyone from the 2nd floor from ambushing them. Heavy gunfire can be heard in the hallway just beyond the door. McReary grabs the doorknob while looking at Debach who nods and preps a flashbang. McReary yanks the door open and Debach chucks the grenade in, it detonates a moment afterwards.

The pair of MPs step in with their rifles up to see 5 hostile soldiers, all of which are dazed. The officers don't bother to let them regroup and open fire with their rifles, dropping all 5 in the span of a couple seconds. Outside Irving can still be heard laying down suppressive fire, something that the MPs inside do not appreciate now that the enemy is dead.

McReary: This fucking guy.

Debach: I'm sure he'll realize that nobody is shooting back soon.

Another few seconds of gunfire passes before it stops. McReary rushes to the window immediately and leans out of it to see Irving loading another belt onto his gun.

McReary: Irving it's over! Do not light me up!

Irving looks up and slams the cover on the gun back down on a new belt of ammo. He gives a thumbs up and rotates the gun to face back towards the road incase enemy reinforcements come. Inside the two MPs begin going over the bodies, they can immediately tell that these are not the Kistiyans. The uniforms are too regular, the guns are standardized, and they have full NOD setups. 

McReary: Vale. VASO 1st platoon.

Vale Army Special Operations. Vale has managed to come out on top in the recent conflicts, at least prior to the civil war. They were friendly enough with New Orderia that the NO government allowed weapons sales in large numbers, they were distant enough to not be entirely reliant on the NO government. The outcome was them making top notch units, not on par with the NO special ops teams by any means, but certainly above the majority of NO infantry and MP units. 

VASO being here was a bad sign, it either meant that the Vale high command had fractured and the NO government was dealing with a rogue state with no leadership or that Vale had chosen to escalate the war and fight New Orderia. Neither option was ideal. A rogue state meant negotiations wouldn't work and it would need to be a complete eradication of the hostile force, and a true war would wipe out Vale in its entirety. 

Of course right now the MPs didn't care about the politics of the situation. They cared about not dying. 

McReary: Phone room is on this foor. Juniper! Get the fuck up here!

Juniper ran up with her shotgun in hand and immediately saw the VASO team.

Juniper: Ah shit.

McReary: Yeah, it's a problem for later. Considering this is a whole squad and nobody came to cap us yet we should stick together. No point leaving you isolated down there when we're advancing. 

The MPs all moved down the hallway until they reached the phone room. Inside they found a body pile in the corner and a large array set up in the center of the room. McReary grabbed a phone and began punching in the number for the NO Tranist Division. The Vale phone network was wonky with calling New Orderia, as the networks and technologies weren't exactly compatible. However the NOTD had a line linked directly to Vale's network so they could handle operations on the continent wide highway system that they managed within Vale borders. This number linked to NO High Patrol, NO Highway Rescue, Tranist Division customer service, and from those 3 it could be linked to just about anywhere else.

Phone: New Orderian Transit Division, Remnant Operations. For Police press 1, for Fire Rescue press 2, for a customer help repres-

McReary pressed 1 and cut off the automated response.

Phone: You're through to the New Orderian Highway Patrol, what's the nature of your emergency?

McReary: I'm Lieutenant McReary, NOJOD 29th Military Police Brigade. We are deployed in patch and have a situation. I need you to link me to the Operation Fairfax command post ASAP.

Phone: Uh... please hold sir.

McReary looked at the array in the middle of the room as he waited for the dispatcher to come back. He pointed at Debach. 

McReary: Hey. Pull the car up to the door, grab Irving, and bring the MDT and a demo block. I want you guys to check out that array to find out what the fuck it is and destroy it if it'll make our lives easier.

Debach nodded and headed out to do as he was told when a new voice piped up on the phone. McReary lifted it back to his ear.

Phone: Fairfax control. What's the situation 29-17?

McReary: Sir, we're fucked up down here. Our comms are out, there is a whole genocide going on, and we are barely holding. I have lost contact with all of the other units, it's just me and 3 of my men. We have encountered Vale special ops teams.

Phone: Understood, we have received a report of possible fighting in Patch from the 12th infantry, and we had put together a QRF. Help is coming.

McReary: Aye sir, thank you.