Since the 'Defence of Holith', Lt. Ferguson was proud of himself for surviving the attack and was praised by many fellow officers. Sometimes even exaggerating what happened. This angered Frank, making him envy Lt. Ferguson's wealth and infamy. But Frank couldn't do much about it. Lt. Ferguson was a more respected man than him. Hardly no one even knew what his name was. He was a small cog in a large machine—a random expendable soldier in an inter-sector war now known as the First Galactic War. The high command of the campaign on Eulero 43Z, was in a panic because there were way too many enemy forces in hiding that kept ambushing their troops on the planet, even in Quadaric occupied territory. The death toll was skyrocketing under their command and they didn't want to be the ones to take the blame, they were irresponsible, and that's when one man came up with an ingenious strategy. The man was called Colonel Denise Vozareilia or Colonel Vozareilia as they called him. He was a mad lad. He came up with the most unethical and most definitely demoralizing tactics to use against the enemy. For example, the Alaric troops were subpar in hand-to-hand combat so what did Colonel Vozareilia do? Well, he trained his troops to be as lethal melee fighters so that when enemy troops called for a fair fight, the Quadaric troops always won by cheating and that wasn't even the pettiest of things he's done. This time, he was going to have to win a battle that had been going on for years. It was the Tennissis trench lines, located right at the centre of the Tanni theatre. Tennissis was the capital city located right in the heart of Tanni a country well known for treasonous acts against the I.F.Q.S. They were the opposite of royal followers. They were traitors. They were the first of many to join the Alarics and supported the Alaric Allied Forces(A.A.F). All Tanians were to be shot on sight. They were deemed irredeemable and to put it simply, sub-human. The Quadaric troops committed horrible atrocities against the Tanians. Under the Quadaric control, the Quadaric troops kicked down the doors of houses and dragged the men out while capturing the women and children, burning down homes, and killing those who resisted the conscription. They gunned down those who tried to run away—torturing those who refused to give up valuable information. The city stunk of blood and rotten flesh. Corpses of innocent Tanians lay all over the place. Their bodies were burned and incinerated. Their jewellery, clothes, and all their belongings were taken from them. Bits and pieces of organs and intestines were littered everywhere with no one even willing to clean them up due to how horrible it smelled and looked. Then to top it all off, the Tanians were allowed to live after that, under extreme surveillance, living their life miserably. The Alaric troops couldn't attack the city due to fear that the Tanians might suffer more. The sheer bleakness of the situation gave some Alaric commanders heart attacks, passing out from too much anxiety, tension, and panic. They were too afraid of backlash. If something were to go awry, they would be the ones to ultimately blame.
One day though, Lt. Ferguson was ordered to take his '50000th Infantry Platoon' to take over a nearby town to 'Tennissis' called 'Tegresse'. And so Lt. Ferguson hatched up a plan. He was going to have to cut off all supply lines from 'Tegresse' and surround the town from all sides. Then, reinforcements would swoop in and counterattack if there was an assault. The town was inconveniently settled next to a river that was blocking reinforcements from the East. The river also flowed right into the ocean where a seaside defence by the Tanians had been set up. Lt. Ferguson planned to take the mayor hostage and trade for an involuntary surrender. Then they would immediately capture all the men and arrest all the women and children and if there was resistance, they would be killed. The plan was ingenious, only something a Quadaric officer could come up with. Lt. Ferguson presented the plan to the higher-ups. The higher-ups in question were Colonel Vozareilia, the commander of the '326th Eulero Mechanised Regiment', Major Luz Kewinski, the commander of the '2nd Tennissis Infantry Company' which consisted of mainly conscripted Tanians, and last but not least Lieutenant General Osmerius Darvoka, the commander of the '44th Tanni Machine Gun Artillery Division', responsible for most of the artillery support in the Tanni theatre. They were impressed. All but one of them, Colonel Vozareilia. He was certainly not impressed. He was disappointed. He had the utmost respect for Lt. Ferguson but it seems that his plan was just not good enough for Colonel Vozareilia. He added in Operation: Western Demons. The operation was simple. They would launch a counter-offensive on Tennissis through 'Tegresse' as it provided an easy route for Quadaric troops to pass and attack Tennissis directly. If they ultimately refused to surrender for the last time, they would execute all Tanians who got in their path and march straight into Tennissis. Lt. Ferguson and the other officers scoffed at the stupidity of the operation. What was he thinking? Marching straight into enemy lines and not expecting to get annihilated? This was nonsense! Utterly ridiculous! But Colonel Vozareilia was not joking around. He was serious. He was going to launch an assault on Tennissis with his division and while they were on their way, an artillery barrage would be put into place, through that artillery barrage come missile attacks, and ultimately, they would overwhelm the enemies with too many things to work around. Then the real assault would begin. Lt. Ferguson's platoon would open up an easy opportunity to sneak the division through the dangerous forests and attack straight into Tennissis. Quite literally marching on in and taking it over. Colonel Vozareilia also recommended Lt. Ferguson dispatch discipline officers into his platoon in case of desertion. Lt. Ferguson promptly denied it.
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One week later, Lt. Ferguson ordered his platoon to travel to the attack position. They were transported by hovercraft. Frank looked out of one of the windows of the hovercraft, he could see dozens more of them. They travelled for a few minutes. The platoon waited patiently and nervously. Then, the enemy flak guns opened fire at the squadron of transport hovercrafts. The explosions rocked the hovercrafts. Frank could feel himself skipping a heartbeat. He prayed that he would make it out unscathed. Luckily for him, his prayer was accepted to fruition as all the hovercrafts managed to arrive at their designated destinations perfectly. The platoon's hovercraft landed near a river. Frank crouched behind a jagged outcrop of rock, the cold seeping through his gear as he tried to steady his breathing. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline making his hands tremble slightly as he gripped his rifle. The crackle of radio chatter and distant explosions filled the air, but everything felt muffled compared to the pounding of his pulse.
Ahead, the enemy troops advanced through the rocky terrain, their forms silhouetted against the fiery glow of the battlefield. Frank's squad leader had given the order to hold the line until reinforcements arrived. Frank's first real engagement—he had trained for this, but nothing could have prepared him for the reality.
His training kicked in. He adjusted his aim, peering through the scope of his rifle. The enemy was moving in a slow, methodical advance, their silhouettes becoming clearer as they approached. Frank focused on the nearest target, a soldier in a bright red uniform that stood out starkly against the brown landscape.
He took a deep breath, aligning his crosshairs with the enemy soldier’s chest. His hands were steady now, the initial nervousness replaced by a sharp focus. He squeezed the trigger, the rifle bucking slightly in his hands as a burst of gunfire erupted. The enemy soldier dropped to the ground, his weapon clattering away.
A split second later, a return volley of gunfire erupted from the enemy lines. Frank ducked instinctively, the air around him splintering with bullets hitting the rocks. The deafening noise and the sense of imminent danger heightened his awareness. He could feel the heat of the explosions and see the flash of gunfire, a stark reminder of how close death was.
“Covering fire! Move up!” shouted his squad leader over the comms. Frank nodded, forcing himself to move despite the chaos. He glanced at his squad mates, their faces set with determination as they fired from behind cover. He could see Josh, his friend, taking aim and firing with practised efficiency.
Frank shifted his position, rolling to another piece of cover—a small crater that offered better protection. He checked his ammo count, noting with relief that he still had a good supply. He fired again, targeting another enemy soldier who was trying to flank their position. The soldier fell, but Frank’s momentary lapse in concentration almost cost him as a bullet zipped past his ear.
His nerves were on edge, but he kept his focus. He needed to remain calm and maintain his accuracy. He fired in short, controlled bursts, his training taking over as he aimed and fired with newfound precision. The enemy seemed to be pushing harder now, and Frank could see the reinforcements they had been waiting for in the distance.
“Reinforcements in sight! Keep holding!” his squad leader shouted. Frank could see the glint of the allied forces' armour approaching, the sight giving him a renewed surge of hope. He continued to fire, working in tandem with his squad to keep the enemy at bay until their reinforcements could take the pressure off.
Finally, the sound of additional gunfire from the reinforcements helped turn the tide. The enemy lines began to waver, their advance slowing as they faced a new threat. Frank felt a mix of relief and exhaustion, the fight draining every ounce of energy he had.
As the enemy began to retreat, Frank let out a shaky breath, his hands still gripping the rifle tightly. The battle wasn’t over, but they had managed to hold their position. He looked around at his squad, their faces etched with the same mix of relief and fatigue.
Frank knew this was just the beginning. The reality of war was harsh and unforgiving, but he had survived his first gunfight. He’d faced the chaos and emerged on the other side, ready to face whatever came next.