Hells Bells

War Stories: Reprisals

January 18th, 2025. 

"The 5th Republic is dead, long live the Sixth Republic. France is not yet lost, Viva La France!"

Those words echo through the streets of a deserted Paris still smoldering from last nights firestorm. The remaining populace that fled to the shelters, instead of fleeing to the countryside, emerge to a city in ruins. Stone buildings burnt out but still standing, monuments scorched beyond recognition, and government buildings leveled. The Eiffel Tower canted to the left and melted into itself. Arch of Triumph blackened in ash, snuffing the marble white of it's exterior. Louvre, collapsed from stray high explosive ordinance destroying the treasure it held within. Finally the seat of power Palais Bourbon, standing but gutted beyond repair from the firestorm. The only thing not nipped by the flames was the tricolor, raggedly fluttering through the ash laden wind. Though these structures can not match the demoralizing smell of the corpses from the citizens who never made it to safety. The charred carcasses laid about in every corner of the city, clogging the streets with their forgotten humanity. Seine clogged with the residents who drowned trying to put themselves out or hoping to escape the growing blaze. The metros, supposed to provide safety brought more death, as jellied napalm seeped through the overlooked ventilation system. Burning or suffocating the people within and preventing them to leave. Survivors absently march about looking for what family members might be left or trying to find food and water. Hopefully making up for the shelters not being stocked before the conflict, but soon that also proves fruitless.

Once again the words echo across the ruined city, much to the annoyance of a limping lieutenant. Who wanders aimlessly along the Seine, covering his face with his broken gasmask trying to mitigate the stench of the burnt Parisians in the river. Averting his gaze to the scorched streets preserving what remained of his sanity. The man over the loudspeakers was nothing but a coward, who speaks the truth but not the whole truth. General Monroe Renard, was the one who caused the death of the 5th Republic, provoking the Eagle across the Atlantic into this horrid atrocity. Prodding the Foreign Legion and the La Royale into the complete ravaging of the eastern seaboard, then feigning ignorance even when the eagle rolled up their armies to the gates of their cities. Then laid waste to them with napalm and vacuum bombs, creating firestorms that overshadowed the ones during world war 2 and a humanitarian crisis that could kill millions. A scale not seen since the wars in China in the 1930s. He stops his hatred filled thoughts when the ground began to rumble and the familiar sound of steel treads tearing up stone filled the dead air. Emerging from the ash ridden clouds, an aging American M113 presents itself proudly bearing the cross of Loraine on its frontal armor plate. All over the top of it were men of the old guard, veterans of the interdimensional wars prior to world war 3. Walking alongside the APC are ragged and exhausted men of the Orléans garrison, who must've marched through the night to reach what little sanctuary Paris can still provide. Further behind them is what remains of the citizens of Orléans, in much worse condition with some even blinded and being guided by the more able. This semblance of compassion is interrupted once again by the generals message, though the Lieutenant pays it no mind as he is already in the stages of a plan. A plan for the vengeance of his fallen countrymen by the hands of the incompetent and cowardice 5th now 6th Republic.

As night falls and more soldiers flood into the capital at behest of the new government, an eagle stalks it's prey silently above. All air defenses and radar sets have been neutralized and the French navy is scattered over the world and multiple dimensions, unable to affect ongoing air operations. The Eagle has exploited a known weakness in the French army, despite being the second strongest in the world, it was plagued by incompetence and infighting. Most the men who led France to victory in World War 3 have long since retired, and those who replaced them have chosen glory over practicality. The navy was the last remaining bastion of thoughtful strategy and once the East Coast was ravaged by the Legion and some elements of the navy. Admirals who had favor with the government were quickly installed, using the "Unsanctioned" attack as the excuse for dismissal. Which fractured the navy from a combined force stationed near France, to a useless scattered retinue easily contained with the combined fleets of the GDA.

 The Eagle started it's counterattack with precision strikes hitting SAM sites and other anti air means, as a cover for the special forces to eliminate the Rift Scanners. Which were left undefended as the incompetent generals pulled more men into glory campaigns in other dimensions. Negating the one advantage the French had over the Eagle, and once that advantage was gone. Rifts were opened everywhere completely overwhelming the anti air defenses of the country. EWS would suppress the remaining systems and communications, but not without any resistance as multiple EWS aircraft were shot down and even a special EWS destroyer being damaged by hidden LASER AA systems near the coast. It was useless however as German troops crossed into Alsace cutting the remaining communications with their artillery cover. Finally fracturing the will of the French Army as they can only go into holding patterns as the more competent lower enlisted tried to link up for a coordinated defense against the invading Germans and the soon to come naval landings of the GDA.

 The Eagle had other plans in mind and placed all it's money on red, and won dramatically. It took revenge for it's shattered nest and unleashed fleets of bombers putting France to the torch. Though not without casualties losing 120 bombers, but it's gamble was all worth the effort. Scattering the army and leaving the border with Belgium and Germany the only remaining strongpoints in the country. Now as the next night falls the Eagle seeks to finish it's revenge and the new government had played right into it's hand.

Over Paris once again, hundreds of B52s spear headed by twenty B21s fill the night sky. Being overwatched by SR71 Orbital recon planes and EWS aircraft off the coast. The remaining French airpower built up around the Capital throw themselves into the air, even using the new C 450 Coleoptere in the defense. Which is not built for in atmosphere combat as it is a space fighter. The B21s slip by the defenders undetected and the B52s peeled off splitting the interceptors between them. They fell for the bait, as while the interceptors were chasing the B52s. The unopposed B21s released their payloads over the city dumping thousands of incendiary munitions into the ruins below. This time over the ramshackle barracks of the defenders. Once again Paris is in flames, unbeknownst to the interceptors who continued to chase the B52s at behest of the generals, as their lower ranking officers try and rescind the order to save what little air assets they had left. Cause, as the lower ranked officers correctly guessed, they were being led into a trap. Destroyer after destroyer jumped in and tore the French air force into pieces, though they don't go down easily as the Air force defiantly overwhelmed a destroyer. Sending it crashing down into the French soil below. Instead of taking advantage of the opening provided by the ambush, the ships withdraw. Leaving Paris to burn into the morning once more.

By mid afternoon naval vessels under command of the last competent Admiral Marie, reinforced the torched city, but it was far too late. The same loud speakers now call for surrender and the Armed forces are forced to stand down. The whole conflict has brought great dishonor amongst the French people as they once again have to endure a brutal defeat. Hundreds of thousands dead brought by the mismanagement of men who sought personal glory over strategy and the safety of the people they were sworn to protect. The Navy was on the verge of a much needed purge if the now President Renard, who totally won fairly and not because any opposition he had died in the conflict, hadn't intervened. The army had to recall most of the retired generals to refill their ranks as their replacements were hanging in a West Virginian prison courtyard. Upon seeing the horrifying damage done by their successors, they began to run damage control. Promoting anyone who had a shred of competency and upgrading their equipment. Then most the funding was siphoned to the navy, leaving them no choice but to bring out aging stock that wasn't vaporized in an airstrike. All the while being continually humiliated by the government who blamed them for the loss. Under the surface of it all a plague was brewing, not one of disease, but one of reclamation. Slowly it spread from officer to officer then to the old guard and finally some in office. The hardliners faction have emerged, or as the people of France would call them, 1429.