Ad Astra - The Alagore War

AA V3 Vagahm, Chapter 7

"Hello, old friend. Yesterday, I relieved Major General Harris from command of Alagore operations. At that moment, I believed the reality of command finally hit me as I prepared to take over combat operations on this alien moon. It is amazing. I spent the last year in my basement conducting war simulations of every possible scenario I could imagine for future wars, and yet, the one that appeared was never considered. The Lord has an interesting sense of humor.

My conversation with Harris (which took multiple hours) has been insightful. The main focus was discussing the different types of aliens on this alien moon; however, I have to admit that the topic of various types of humans fascinated me the most. Encountering humans from the later quarter of the Pleistocene age brought this war home, so I felt.

These J'avais (Homo erectus) and Nagal (Neanderthal) are fascinating. I do not know how to put it into words yet; encountering aliens from another world was more straightforward to accept than encountering humans from our ancient past. It might be because we come from the same lineage. It is early; these Nagel's seem like a group we can work with, but these J'avias I am concerned with. Up until now, there has been no example of cooperation between our people, including our allies in Salva, and this subgroup of humans. And then there are the Valkyries. I can only imagine the frustration of the paleoanthropology community. Understanding that aliens exist was more plausible than meeting our ancestors.

After reviewing the situation around Salva, I am impressed with how 4th ID and the Minutemen handled it. None of this has been ideal, reverting to twentieth-century combat tactics to have a chance. I talked with Harris about what he needed to establish a proper communication and surveillance network, and that is to expand outward. And that brings the current issue.

I do not blame the White House for remaining silent about the situation around Raymond Space Base and the Bridge. The last thing we need is a panicking population; however, this has had the unintended consequence of preventing me from deploying the proper level of troops without the Pentagon's approval. The best I can do is focus on logistics Stateside in preparation when we go public.

The Pentagon at least understands the threat, with the discovery that Unity has air power under my new VII Corp and the transfer of 4th ID, 1st Astralis, and 4th Multi-Domain. 2nd Battalion, 1st IBCT will be taking over security around Indolass.

It was nice talking to you again. Congratulations on your recent promotion to Major General. I will pass everything regarding Exo-warfare to your new Task Force. I will chat with you soon." - Lieutenant General Kelvin Sherman

March 18th, 2069 (military calendar)

Salva, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

Strolling along the Salva wall, Natilite observed hundreds of Altaerrie soldiers and militiamen working diligently to rebuild and fortify the city's defenses. The Templar gained newfound admiration for their tireless efforts, watching them prepare for the impending battle with remarkable focus.

Two Altaerrie soldiers were lowering a large device onto the concrete wall. Its olive-green barrel housed an M2 Browning heavy machine gun, equipped with what the Americans called sensors. They bolted the weapon into place, while a screen and a thick black cable extended from the platform, snaking down the wall toward a building connected to the city's underground levels.