Ad Astra - The Alagore War

AA V4 Salva, Chapter 1

"To the American and allied forces fighting around Salva, you have endured the example of the unexpected. This has been a battle that you have prepared for, trained for. This is a conflict that your leaders did not plan for. And yet, you have excelled.

There are a few moments in history that will be remembered forever. The actions taken today by the men and women will have lasting effects that will rewrite human history. The 4th Infantry, the 1st Astralis, the 4th MDTF, the 75th Rangers, the Minutemen, and adjacent forces stood their ground against two powerful alien foes. You have all faced the unknown and thrived, proven to future generations that the American warrior spirit is inflamed.

Do not settle, though. Against all odds, you have repelled the Verliance Aristocracy and Unity of Cordinlane, but they are determined. I know you have spoken with many of the natives, stories of the brutality of this zealot's beliefs that all should kneel to utopia or death. We did not seek this conflict, but we are the only ones who have the strength, means, and will counter these ideals.

This world is under threat of being consumed by darkness, being enslaved by fear and oppression. The erosion of God, family, ideas, free thought. The right to be free. Forcing everyone to be..., perfect or else.

The action today will determine if this world falls to utopian ideas or sees a new golden age of being free. Free to choose your own path. The fate of the world is literally in your actions. Stay strong. Stay free. God bless America." – Lieutenant General Kevin Sherman, VII Corps

April 6th, 2068 (military calendar)

Hiplose Woods, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie

Nevali Region, Aldrida, Alagore

*****

With the cracking sound of the battle waging all around, Comanche navigated through the surrounding foliage until they spotted a large boulder with a small tree growing on its side as cover.

When they got close, Captain Mathew Ryder partly ran into the boulder because of how slippery the dirt was in this intense rain. He turned around, watching each of his teammates follow behind. Everyone took a defensive position, creating a perimeter.

The Twins covered the rear, with Edge Wallace holding the M338 medium machine gun with his attached third robotic arm and Bruno Barrios with his M31. Marcos Gonzales covered the right, kneeling against the boulder, and Gregory Barrett covering the left, kneeling beside a log. Benjamin Ford stared past the boulder with Rommel King managing the team. Fraeya Holiadon held her hand to the sky, redirecting the rain so Comanche wouldn't get drenched. As a scout, Natilite sat on a thick tree branch for a better vantage point, and Kurt Forest prepared their range finder. Charlie Higgins pulled out his notes while looking through DEFNET on his VISOR.

Ryder looked past their boulder protection toward a ridgeline. Although a light haze made it hard to see, he still saw their objective.

The enemy had been pressing against the City-State of Salva for about two Zulu weeks, with the Americans trying to push back. During their recent assault, the enemy used the opportunity to creep forward to establish an observation post for their artillery. Unity and Aristocracy forces had inched closer with their fortifications around the City-State, creating an entrenched blockade from the rest of the region. Hence, Colonel Hackett wanted the Minutemen to remove them. While the Americans were contained, he wanted the enemy to know they still had teeth.