Suwałki Gap, Poland-Lithuanian Border, 0430 Hours, July 5th, 2015

A female badger wearing a ghillie suit trudged through the dark forest, sniper rifle on her back. Beams of moonlight poked through the trees above as a marmot in camouflage fatigues approached.

"Anything to report Ella?" The mammal asked in French.

"Negative Théo." The badger responded, speaking French but with a noticeable German accent. "What about you?"

"All clear."

"Let's move to the next section."

The pair set off, bushwhacking through thick, waist-high brush covering the forest floor.

"I heard there was a large unit of Russian troops on the other side of the border," Ella said. "Our observers couldn't tell for sure due to the tree cover. Do you think it's because we stationed elements of our NRF unit nearby?"

"It's nothing to be worried about," Théo responded. "They aren't gonna try anything. It's just a show of force. Nothing ever happens around here; in a few months, this will just be another footnote in a long line of crap."

Ella walked by her squadmate as the marmot stowed his assault rifle and bent down to tighten his boot.

"Even if the Russians did try something, they couldn't get past us, " the badger said. "NATO stands united! Right?"

Ella turned around, her brain barely having time to register the presence of a third mammal before a 7.62 round buried itself into her skull.

"Targets neutralized," Belka said, dropping Théo's body to the ground and sheathing her Spetsnaz machete. "Leave them here. The brush should conceal them long enough."

"Good shooting, Dima," Svetlana said, the coyote looking over the now-deceased NATO badger.

A wolverine in dull green camouflage loaded a fresh magazine into his SVDM rifle.

"It comes easy for me, Sveta." The wolverine said in a low and gruff voice, adjusting his headset and patrol cap.

"Let's move out, mammals," Belka ordered, leveling her sniper rifle, which had a silencer on the barrel. "Yury, you take point."

"Yes Komandir." A male reindeer said, also wearing dull green camouflage like the rest of the four mammal team, with an olive beret atop his head.

Yury shouldered a silenced submachine gun and crouched down, moving forward while keeping his weapon leveled. The other three mammals followed behind, weapons pointed at the surrounding darkness.

“Orel-3.” Belka said into her radio. "We've crossed the Lithuanian border and are moving towards NATO units."

“Affirmative Almaz-1.” "Stay hidden and continue towards that NATO staging ground. Orel-3 out," said the voice of General Hermonov.

"Hold," Yury said, coming upon a small dirt road. A set of headlights could be seen approaching from the left. The growl of an engine getting louder.

The reindeer motioned for his comrades to get down, all four mammals lying prone in the brush. A dark green Mercedes Jeep with NATO markings passed by. A soldier poked out of the vehicle's top and operated a mounted machine gun turret.

The Jeep continued down the road, and Yury motioned for his squad to advance.

"Not as much brush over here." The reindeer whispered. "Stick to the undergrowth wherever possible."

The Russians continued until they spotted a few glimmers of light through the trees. They could also pick up distant speaking, which sounded like a mix of languages and accents.

"Definitely a multinational unit." Svetlana thought.

The team came upon a small NATO staging area positioned in a clearing. Lying prone in the brush, the team surveyed the area. A few mammals wearing camouflage uniforms moved back and forth, patrolling the area, tending to equipment, or performing vehicle maintenance.

"Orel-3, we've reached the target," Belka whispered.

“Affirmative Almaz-1. Sabotage vital war material and ascertain enemy strength before you exfiltrate."

"Copy."

The fox looked through her scope and spotted a pair of Leopard 2 tanks painted with NATO-standard camouflage and positioned on the far left side of the clearing.

"I see two enemy heavy tanks," Belka said. "Dima, do you think you could disable those?"

"I think I can do something." The wolverine said, nodding. "My age has not dulled my skills."

"Look, see that camouflage netting? With the antenna?" Belka said. "Must be their command center. I'm going to see if I can pull any intelligence from it. Sveta, Dima, you two go and try to disable those tanks. Yury, do you see that fuel truck?"

Belka pointed to a camouflage tanker truck parked in a maintenance area. On the left side of the staging area, next to the pair of heavy tanks.

"Yes, captain?"

"Open the valve on it and drain the fuel. The mechanics are likely asleep, so you should go unnoticed."

“Affirmative Komandir.”

"Meet back here when you've completed your objectives."

The mammals split up, Belka drawing her silenced MP-443 and creeping towards the command center. A NATO soldier passed by, forcing the vixen to duck behind a supply crate till the soldier moved away.

The fox stayed crouched and entered into the command center. The ground had been covered with rugged plastic flooring, while tables had been set up, covered with computers, servers, and technical equipment.

A single raccoon in camouflage fatigues was standing at one of the tables, working on a heavy-duty laptop. Belka kept one eye on him as she moved over to a server stack, finding a connection port and plugging in a mobile hard drive. A small screen on the device read "downloading" and displayed a slowly filling progress bar.

Just as the data was halfway downloaded, the raccoon turned and moved his left, Belka's finger tensing on the trigger of her pistol.

He grabbed a cup of coffee off the end of the table, raising it to his lips before shimmying back to his workstation.

"Download complete. Purging." The device in Belka's paw said as it deleted the information on the server stack.

The Russian fox tucked the hard drive into a pocket and crept out of the command center, carefully avoiding the NATO trooper on patrol.

Meanwhile, Yury had reached the fuel truck, although he had to slit the throat of a guard on the way to his objective. Tossing his body into an out-of-sight supply container.

The pungent smell of gasoline and oil already permeated the whole area, hiding the infiltrator's scent and subsequent actions. The reindeer turned a lever on the fuel truck, and liquid began to flow steadily from the vehicle and into the dirt below. Making a gentle gushing noise that was barely audible over the blowing wind and almost imperceptible by scent, given the pervading odor.

"Hurry up!" Sveta whispered as Dima crouched behind one of the Leopard tanks.

"Hang on, I've almost got it." The wolverine said, tinkering with the vehicle's engine and exhaust systems. "Ok, all set. Second tank done."

The coyote nodded at her companion, and the pair slowly moved to link back up with the rest of their squad.

Once all four mammals had reassembled, they began to trek back through the woods, still sticking to the shadows and brush.

“Orel-3.” Belka said. "We sabotaged enemy hardware and stole NATO intelligence data. Information has been wiped from enemy servers."

“Excellent work Almaz-1. Get back across the border and return to base. We need to prepare for the morning."

Suwałki Gap, Poland-Lithuanian Border, 0515 Hours, July 5th, 2015

Dozens of Russian and Belarusian vehicles and hundreds of soldiers had assembled in the forest on the Lithuanian border. The early morning sun poked through the thick pine canopy and foliage of young brush surrounding them, concealing the large group from view. Occasionally, a choppy whirring would grow and fade as a patrolling helicopter passed through the skies directly above.

Russian captain Bella "Belka" Morozova strode past the assembled military war machines, tapping away at the screen of a Sagittarius tablet that displayed vital information about her unit. Including current troop count, vehicles at her disposal, and even the battle plan. Her radio activated, and the voice of her friend and commander, General Hermonov, spoke into her ear.

"New intelligence report captain, NATO has stationed light armor near the border. British Scimitar light tanks and Warrior infantry fighting vehicles."

“Affirmative Komandir. What about the other objectives?" Belka inquired.

"Defenses in the forest surrounding objective Anton will not be strong. Likely infantry and light vehicles. The checkpoint at objective Boris will have dug in troops with combat equipment a mammal could carry, likely including ammo caches."

"What about the strong point at objective Basil?"

"They are lacking some of their heavy hardware. Likely due to our infiltrations last night. Remember, you and your units must first capture a beachhead in the forest. Then move onto the border checkpoint and strongpoint."

“Affirmative Komandir. I briefed my mammals a few minutes ago; we're making final combat preparations before moving out."

"Good. You only have a few more minutes to prepare, and we must stay on schedule. Your skills will bring us victory in the coming fight. Orel-3 out."

The call cut off, and Belka tucked her tablet into a pouch at the base of her back, near her tail. To her right, she noticed a group of tanks, only 7 meters in length but with large canons that stretched 2 meters beyond the chassis.

Mammals wearing camouflage coveralls and TSh-4 helmets crawled all around the tanks, examining the turrets, main guns, and tracks. One mammal was even painting white lettering on the side of the tank. Spelling out "Brussels or bust!".

A brown-furred bear dressed like the other tankers jumped down from one of the vehicles and began walking in the opposite direction, inadvertently crossing the vulpine's path.

"Major Volkov!" Belka said, raising her chin.

"At ease, Captain Morozova." The ursine responded.

"Are those light tanks?" The fox asked, tilting her head and gazing behind her comrade.

"Yes, captain, 2S25 Sprut-SDs." The bear said, turning towards the tanks and smiling. His eyes lit up as he looked over the impressive war machines. "Being light tanks, they are highly maneuverable, which will help us get through these woods. They aren't heavily armored, but the 125mm smoothbore gun they carry certainly packs a punch!"

"Hard-hitting… maneuverable… sounds like the perfect tool for the job."

"I thought the same. We are fortunate, Captain Morozova. The morning fog did good to conceal our forces, along with the thick forest. And it will help us advance undetected."

The major momentarily looked at his watch, and a stressed look crossed his face.

"I need to go check in with my repair vehicle." The bear said. "He should have been here by now."

“Affirmative Komandir.”

"Oh, your squad's transport is over there."

The bear put a paw on the fox's shoulder, leaned close, and pointed to a boxy armored truck with splotches of dull tan and green-gray camouflage.

"An SPM-3." Major Volkov said. "That should get you where you need to go. And be sure to make use of the machine gun on top."

"Thank you, sir."

The two mammals saluted each other, and the major walked off in the opposite direction.

"Get this ammo loaded!"

Belka's ears perked up, and she turned to see a trio of soldiers loading ammo crates into a supply truck. One of them was a female snow leopard in dull green camouflage, wearing a heavy bulletproof vest over a Telnyashka shirt. Her head was covered by a dark green Altyn helmet with a raised visor.

"Natasha!" Belka called, prompting the snow leopard to turn around. "Good thinking, we'll need those supply trucks in the field."

"More bullets to kill the westerners with." The feline responded. "I stock plenty for myself and my squad before going into battle."

"That is good. Your spare ammo has saved our lives more than once."

"NATO will taste every bullet I have…" the snow leopard said grimly.

"Hold onto that strength for the coming battle. Also, final briefing in 5 minutes."

Natasha nodded and turned to finish loading the ammo as Belka continued onwards.

Up ahead was a dark green 4x4 wheeled truck with the Red Cross symbol on the side. Yury stood beside the vehicle, examining a human wearing a standard soldier's kit.

"There is nothing wrong with you, " the medic said. You are just nervous. Get a grip, and return to your unit."

“But… but…”

The human tried to protest, and the reindeer's face hardened.

"Get to your unit."

The soldier stood still, his face pale white, before slowly meandering off.

"Wow, shouldn't you be a bit more caring?" Said a male tiger, sitting on the hood of the 4x4 ambulance. "You know, being a medical professional and all? You're kinda scary!"

Yury turned to face the tiger, who wore fatigues in a highly dull green and brown blend. A single headset sat inside one of his ears, with a microphone extending out of it and positioned next to his mouth. Two bands wrapped around his forehead and the top of his head, connecting on the other side of his skull to secure the device.

"Anatoly, I do not have time to be jovial when I am busy doing my job and making sure mammals don't die!" The medic clapped back.

"I'm just saying you could be a little… warmer."

The tiger jumped down from his seat and stood straight, seeing Belka approaching, prompting Yury to do the same.

"At ease mammals." The captain said. "Doing some final health checks, Yury?"

"Yes, ma'am. A few mammals had legitimate injuries, but others are just trying to get out of fighting.

The reindeer sneered and muttered inaudibly under his breath

"Thankfully, most mammals are proud to do their part," Belka said.

"I, for one, can't wait to get out there! Woo!" Anatoly interrupted, holding up a nonexistent gun and making shooting noises with his mouth.

"That is the spirit. Final briefing in less than 5 minutes."

"Yes, ma'am," Yury said, checking the fabric pouches on his chest.

A few minutes later, dozens of soldiers had assembled in a small clearing. Their fatigues and combat kit were different in appearance and even color.

Some of them, including Belka's personal squad, wore flora camouflage with alternating patterns of dark green and olive splotches. Others wore the more modern EMR camo, which had similar colors but was instead arrayed in speckled patterns.

Even their headgear varied from helmets to patrol caps, berets, balaclavas, and no head covering at all.

Belka climbed atop a BMD-4 infantry fighting vehicle parked nearby and began to shout.

"Attention!" Captain Morozova yelled. Her troops stomped their feet and stood up straight. "It is an honor to have you here! You all look beautiful today! And you will look beautiful crossing the Suwałki gap!"

The assembled mammals cheered and raised their clenched fists.

"Listen up for final briefing mammals! I just received word that NATO has stationed light armor on the border. They will be the first obstacle that we must overcome. Once we break through the border fence, our infantry will advance into the forest to objective Anton and establish a beachhead! Tanks and transports will stick to dirt roads and clearings!"

The assembled mammals nodded, and Belka continued.

"After establishing a beachhead, we will advance to objective Boris, a border checkpoint that will be more heavily defended by entrenched infantry. Once that is captured, we advance to objective Basil, a NATO strongpoint on one of the dirt roads in the area. Afterward, we shall regroup and continue with our push onwards to Kaliningrad. Understood mammals?"

“Affirmative Komandir!” The assembled mammals repeated in unison.

"We need to move fast! Use vehicle transport wherever possible, and do not underestimate NATO's defenses! They have multiple nations' worth of experience to draw upon! Remember your training and make use of our combined arms approach! Each of you has skills that you can utilize! And keep in mind, NATO may be strong, but they are still no match for our strength!"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Cheers rang out from the group of soldiers.

"Ura!"

"Ura!"

"Ura!"

"They cannot withstand our might!" Belka continued. "The West thought they could oppress us! Thought they could threaten us! Thought they could surround and strangle us!"

The assembled mammals jeered and booed at their sworn adversary.

"But today, we will finally strike back against our enemies! Today, our nation will reclaim its rightful place in Europe! Today, we will show those NATO bastards Russian might!"

Another round of howls and cheers erupted from the group.

"URA! URA! URA!"

"Get to your units! This will be a day long remembered!"

With a final cheer, the Russian soldiers raced to armored transports and infantry fighting vehicles. Climbing inside, ready with full combat equipment.

Captain Morozova and her squad stepped into the back of their assigned armored truck and shut the rear door. A small ladder on the interior wall led up to a machine gun turret on top of the vehicle. The squad of Russians sat at seats up against the left and right sides of the transport compartment.

"Final kit check!" Belka ordered, standing between the rows of seats, turning around to look at every mammal as they examined the pouches and straps of their battle dress uniforms.

Natasha attached an ammo box to her PKP machine gun, loaded the belt into the breach, closed the flip-open feed tray, and pulled back the bolt.

"Machine gun ready to taste NATO blood, Komandir!"

Meanwhile, Dima was checking over a large green-gray tube. Nodding before stowing the weapon onto his back. Belka recognized it as one of the many versions of the RPG, but she couldn't identify a specific model.

"Rockets loaded and ready."

The wolverine examined the various tools and devices on his person. Satisfied, he raised a cigarette to his lips, but no sooner had he lit it than Yury snatched it from him and stomped it out. The reindeer turned to Belka as Dima cursed under his breath.

"Medical supplies secured. But my job would still be easier if you did not get shot."

Anatoly and Svetlana both checked the ammo in their weapon magazines before reloading and leveling the weapons to check their sights.

"Ready to go, Komandir." The coyote said, looking at the grenade belt on her waist.

"Seconded."

The captain checked over her own weapon, a sniper rifle, and ensured her Sagittarius tablet was secured. She put on her olive drab patrol cap and pulled a camouflaged hood up over the headgear.

"Be ready for deployment." The fox said, climbing the small ladder to the transport's top-mounted machine gun turret.

The Russian vehicles prowled through the woods, using their lighter frames to maneuver between trees.

"Orel-3, we're moving to our deployment zone!" Belka said into her radio.

“Affirmative Almaz 1! I just received word that our allies off the US west coast are in position. We may proceed!"

"All units! Stop!" Major Volkov interjected, the armored vehicles halting their advance. Concealed from view behind thick plants and vegetation.

Belka raised a set of combat binoculars to her eyes and looked across the border.

Past the young trees and brush was a long grassy field, running perpendicular to her and containing a dried creek bed. At the center of the field was a tall metal fence, topped and surrounded by razor wire. Beyond that was almost half a dozen or so dark green vehicles that bore the NATO compass rose. 3 British Warrior infantry fighting vehicles and two British Scimitar light tanks. Other tanks and vehicles could be seen holding positions up and down the border fence. Beyond the enemy forces was a vast expanse of dirt roads, brush-covered fields, and thick pine tree forests. Along with dozens more NATO units ready to hold the Suwałki gap.

"This is Orel-3." General Hermonov said over the radio. "Units check in."

"Captain Morozova here. Almaz is ready to engage the enemy."

"Shapka 2-1 here." Major Volkov responded. "My tanks are fueled and mobile."

"Understood," Orel-3 responded. "Sokol 5, what is your status?"

High above the forest, a squadron of 5 Mikoyan MiG-31 cut through the sky. Bright red stars emblazoned on the dull gray fuselage.

"Sokol 5-1 here." Said the female roe deer in the cockpit of the lead MIG. "My squadron is hungry for NATO soldiers."

"Your interceptors should make quick work of any enemy aircraft, but exercise caution, Olga."

“Affirmative Komandir.”

"Captain Morozova, on your signal, we'll fire a heavy artillery barrage to clear the obstacles on the border and neutralize NATO units in the vicinity."

"Affirmative General."

Belka pointed her binoculars at the group of enemy tanks, calling in their location to a supporting artillery battery.

"Coordinates received, executing fire mission."

There was a delay, and then the howl of dozens of shells filled the air, raining down on the NATO tanks like a suffocating deluge.

The vehicles and the mammals inside were torn to bits, craters punched into the dirt, and the metal border fence turned metallic scrap.

the General's voice came over the radio again, speaking in a firm yet righteous tone.

"All stations! This is General Hermonov! Climb Mount Elbrus! I repeat, climb Mount Elbrus! Make me proud!"

With the early morning sun still riding into the sky, howls, yells, and battle cries could be heard as dozens of Russian vehicles charged out from their concealed positions in the forest. They crushed saplings as they emerged and pushed through a few sections of the border fence that had survived the barrage. Helicopters flew above the treetops, ready to strike the exposed mammals below like terrifying birds of prey.

A thunderous chorus sounded as armored vehicles opened up with their main guns, obliterating more of the defending NATO forces. The Western units desperately tried to return fire but were caught entirely off guard. Intercepted radio chatter, interspersed with static and background noise, attested to their sheer shock.

"Code red! Code red! The Russians have broken through! The Russians have broken through!"

"We're under attack! We're taking fire from hostiles!"

"Where are our heavy tanks?!"

"They have aircraft! I repeat, they have aircraft!"

"My mammals are getting wiped out!"

"We're having technical problems with our heavy tanks! You'll have to hold on till they're combat-ready!"

Reaching an area of light cover, the SPM-3 stopped, Belka and her squad hopping out. Using a small area of trees and shrubbery to conceal themselves. More Russian soldiers began to dismount around them, charging forward to meet with NATO response force soldiers. Tanks drove by, pummeling their enemies with heavy canons. Helicopters and airplanes blazed through the sky.

Dozens of Russian and Belarusian vehicles clashed with their NATO counterparts in white-hot fury.

"Almaz!" The captain shouted. "Press forward! Show these Ublyudki how Russians fight!"

"URA!"

"Yes komandir!"

The 6 mammal squad pushed into a small birch grove, taking cover behind trees and using brush to break line of sight as they came under fire from enemy soldiers.

Sveta gunned down a NATO shotgunner racing forwards towards the squad, while Natasha fired her light machine gun and tore through multiple hostiles.

An ITV light combat buggy drove through the trees, screeching to a stop while a soldier at the top mounted machine gun opened fire on the Russians. The driver got out and immediately engaged with an assault rifle.

"Blyat!" Sveta yelled, ducking down. "Take him out!"

Belka lined her sniper rifle up with the machine gunner, the reticle positioned right over his head.

"Go to hell."

The mammal fell down into the vehicle, a red-stained hole through his head.

"Finish them off!" The captain shouted, pointing at the last two hostiles occupying the grove of trees.

Anatoly charged forward, releasing a rapid hail of shots with his Saiga shotgun. The two remaining mammals didn't even have time to return fire as the tiger gunned them down in quick succession.

"Enemy has been killed!"

"Orel-3, first objective is secure," Belka said into her radio as the mammals reloaded their weapons.

"Affirmative captain, good job establishing a bridgehead. More NATO units will be inbound! Advance to the next objective."

"Yes, Komandir!"

"I will see about securing you some close air support from a gunship in a nearby sector."

The general directed his attention to other units, but his voice was still audible as he spoke.

"Sokol-5! Report!"

"This is Sokol-5! We're engaging NATO ground attack aircraft!"

There was a light vibration in the background as Olga's jet opened fire on an enemy plane.

"Good, keep those aircraft off our ground units 5-1." Orel-3 said. "Major Volkov, what is your status?"

Sitting inside his light tank, the bear picked up the handheld radio mounted inside the vehicle and spoke into it.

"We're on schedule, Komandir! NATO's armored units are crumbling before us! Hostile light tank! Straight ahead!"

"Firing!" The gunner yelled.

The main gun fired, and the Scimitar exploded in a shower of shrapnel.

"Direct hit!"

"Good work, Major." General Hermonov said. "Secure the border checkpoint ahead of your position! Captain Morozova and her infantry are nearby to provide support."

"Affirmative! Shapka 2-1 out!"

A small wooden structure was up ahead, next to the dirt road cutting through the forest and fields. It was only one story tall, with a slanted roof and an overhang that stretched across the road.

Enemy soldiers had set up sandbags and concrete barricades around the building and opened fire as the Russians approached. Other NATO troopers hid in a treeline 70 meters behind and to the right side of the border checkpoint. Laying down suppressive fire across an overgrown field.

"This is Shapka 2-4! Taking rocket fire! Taking rocket fire! Ahhh!"

A blazing inferno consumed one of Major Volkov's tanks, and the bear ordered his units to return fire.

“Shapka 2-2, Shapka 2-3! Keep fire on those NATO units in the treeline!"

"This is Almaz 1!" Belka said over the radio. "My squad is approaching the next objective!"

Captain Morozova and her squad took cover on the edge of the woods that pushed up to the left side of the checkpoint. NATO troopers began tossing grenades into the woods, killing two advancing Russian soldiers and injuring two more.

Yury immediately ran over to one of the wounded mammals, a human, put pressure on the wound, and retrieved a syringe from one of his medical kits.

"Hold still and shut up!" The reindeer shouted, the mammal groaning and writhing in pain. The medic plunged the syringe into the injured trooper as bullets whizzed through the air around him. Flooding the wounded soldier's bloodstream with adrenaline and painkillers. He then wrapped gauze around the wound to absorb blood, followed by a compression bandage.

"It's just a minor wound. Get on your feet and keep going!" Yury yelled, pulling the trooper upwards and pushing him forward. The soldier shook off his pain and darted forward, returning fire toward the NATO soldiers.

“Almaz 3!” Belka shouted. "Destroy those fortifications! Almaz 2! Almaz 5! Get inside that building and clear it!"

"It's not a problem!" Dima shouted, taking a knee, stowing his rifle, and drawing the RPG from his back. The wolverine threw the weapon over his shoulder and looked through the sight briefly before firing.

The projectile streaked through the air and hit the NATO barricades in the blink of an eye. Destroying the stacked sandbags and blowing away the pair of soldiers behind them.

Sveta, Anatoly, and Natasha jumped over the barricades and opened fire at close range. The snow leopard fired her light machine gun from the hip and raked it across the enemy's position. Tearing through NATO soldiers.

A boar soldier charged Natasha with a knife, but in a flash, the Russian swung her machine gun like a club. Knocking the soldier to the ground before crushing his skull with a kick to the head.

"I kill every one of you!"

Anatoly and Svetlana stacked up next to the checkpoint door, shotgun and assault rifle at the ready.

"Why don't you choke on this!" Anatoly shouted, pulling what looked like a white cylinder from his vest, removing the pin, and tossing it into the building.

Shouts came from inside as the canister released a thick white cloud. The shouts became coughing fits, and a NATO soldier sprinted out of the building. Only for Sveta and Anatoly to gun him down as he ran by.

Two other soldiers broke one of the windows on the left side of the structure, leaping out with their weapons only to be gunned down by the attacking infantry.

"Secure that objective, mammals!" Morozova ordered as the rest of her squad advanced to the checkpoint. Other Russian soldiers followed suit, taking up positions inside and around the guard post, putting on gas masks to avoid the irritating substance still inside.

"We got a hostile transport incoming!" Sveta said, shoving another magazine into her AK-12 and leveling the weapon.

Racing down the road was a large armored transport truck with a top-mounted turret. The Russian troops reloaded their weapons and prepared themselves.

"Gunner! Destroy that transport!" Major Volkov ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

Shapka 2-1 rotated its turret, matching the truck's speed before firing its 125mm gun. There was a burst of shrapnel and sparks as the round scored a critical hit on the transport's front side. The vehicle skidded and slid off the road before rolling over and stopping next to the border checkpoint.

Russian troopers immediately raced over to the wreckage with weapons drawn. Dragging out a few surviving NATO soldiers and detaining them.

"Objective Boris has been secured, Orel-3!" Belka said into her radio.

"Affirmative captain! I will have our troops start to set up defenses in the area. Continue your advance.

"Yes, Komandir! My mammals require transport!"

"Affirmative, hold position, and transports will be there shortly. Orel-3 out."

Within a few moments, the SPM-3 armored truck Belka and her squad had used earlier pulled up to the checkpoint. Along with 2 VDV light attack buggies, which came equipped with top-mounted machine guns.

Almaz climbed into the back of the armored truck while other Russian troopers entered the buggies. Setting off down the dirt road with armored support right behind them.

"Orel 3, This is Major Volkov. My tanks are moving."

"Affirmative Shapka 2-1. Continue to the next objective." General Hermonov ordered. "Sokol 5, report."

"Engaging enemy fighter squadrons, Komandir. Mostly Eurofighters and Tornadoes."

"Copy Sokol 5, proceed with the mission."

"Affirmative Orel-3."

Olga pulled her MIG around and swung behind a NATO Eurofighter. Sticking close behind the enemy plane as it turned to evade. Four perpendicular red lines appeared on her heads-up display, coming together to form a diamond around the enemy plane that lit up red with an audible chime.

The deer pressed a button on her control stick, and a missile approached the enemy aircraft. Bright white flares shot off the plane, and her missile diverted to follow the new heat signature.

The jet tried to break away, but Olga kept behind it, maintaining her lock. Olga pressed her control stick again, another missile shooting towards the NATO craft, this time finding its target. The enemy exploded and nosedived downwards, a parachute unfurling from the ejected pilot.

"Enemy down." The deer said into her radio.

"Good kill, 5-1."

Another voice came in, the pilot on the other end screaming and panting heavily.

"I'm locked on! I'm locked on! I can't shake-"

The call was cut off, coinciding with an explosion of flame to the left of Olga's plane. The deer saw and recognized an airplane peeling off from its attack.

"NATO's most advanced fighter jet…" Olga said, the F-35 moving past her and out of view.

The deer turned her interceptor around and spotted the NATO fighter again, trying to lock on. However, the F-35 turned erratically to avoid Olga's sensors before spinning around to fly straight at the MIG.

Olga veered to her left to avoid colliding while the F-35 performed a sharp turn to his left, spinning around in a circle and ending up behind the Russian plane.

The deer cursed under her breath and pushed forward on the throttle, darting forward to try and escape. She pushed her control stick forward and put her jet into a dive, pulling back just before hitting the ground, skimming across the treetops.

Although it was slower, the F-35 managed to continue the chase.

Dull bangs shook Olga's plane as bullets from the pursuing fighter struck the back of her MIG. Her heads-up display began to flash a red warning message.

"Enemy Lock!"

"Enemy Lock!"

The deer activated her interceptor's ECM jammer, disabling the hostile target lock. Olga snapped her head backward to try and catch a glimpse of her pursuer.

With seconds to spare, the Russian pilot pulled back on both the throttle and control stick, executing a cobra maneuver. She spun her plane 90 degrees on its pitch axis and turned her underbelly towards the airflow.

In the blink of an eye, her MIG decelerated, and the F-35 blazed by. Olga immediately pushed forward on the throttle and shot off in pursuit of the enemy jet. The NATO aircraft trying to peel back up into the sky.

"Gotcha…"

The deer pressed the trigger on her control stick, and a stream of lead cut through the F-35. Smoke poured from the jet as it tried to bank away, but Olga locked on with another missile.

"From Russia with love!"

The back of the jet exploded, and the roe deer watched as the F-35 nosedived to the ground, a predatory grin crossing her muzzle as she noticed the absence of a parachute.

"I'm going to enjoy painting that tally mark on my fuselage."

In the forest below, the Russian forces had pushed down a dirt road through the trees, only to be met with dug-in units of NATO troopers. They had hastily built sandbag barricades across the roadway, setting up machine gun turrets and mounted rocket launchers. They had set up boxes of ammunition, communications beacons, medical supplies, and proximity sensors.

"Send in the heavy tanks!" One of the defending mammals called into his radio.

Two Leopard 2 tanks drove down the dirt road at top speed, stopping just behind the NATO barricades.

A shot from one of the tank's 120mm guns blew apart a Russian buggy full of troops.

Another shot struck the APC Belka, and her squad was in, bringing it to a stop.

"Get out! Get out!" the captain ordered, Yury throwing open the truck's back door. The Russians clambered out just in time as the vehicle's fuel detonated. The force of the explosion knocked the mammals to the ground.

"Cutting it a bit close there!" Anatoly said, brushing out a small fire that had ignited on his sleeve.

"Get down and stay down!" Yury yelled, firing his submachine gun as the squad hunkered behind the wreckage of their transport.

"All units be advised, A platoon of NRF reinforcements is inbound! ETA, 4 minutes. Orel-3 out."

"2-2! Back up! You're in the kill box!" Major Volkov shouted, one of his light tanks reversing between a group of trees to avoid being hit by a shot from one of the NATO heavy tanks.

Unfortunately for the tank, previously concealed enemy soldiers burst out from positions in the undergrowth.

Climbing on top of the tank, using rifles and blunt implements to hammer away at vital components such as smoke dischargers or exterior sensors. Even placing grenades on the vehicle or cutting into the armor and wheels with handheld cutting torches.

"This is Shapka 2-2! We have infantry on top of us! Ah! Scratch our back!"

Major Volkov's tank turned its turret towards the friendly vehicle and sprayed it with a stream of gunfire from its coaxial PKT machine gun.

The bullets pinged off the light tank's armor but ripped apart the NATO troops on top of it. Some corpses fell from the vehicle, while others collapsed on top of the tank in a grim exhibition.

"Thanks for the save, Komandir."

"Are you damaged?" The major asked.

"Negative, I think they only had blowtorches."

"Affirmative, I'll get an engineer over to you just in case."

A new voice joined the communications network, this one with an eastern Russian dialect.

"This is Perun 1! We are on station and ready to provide fire support!"

Belka and her squad looked upwards, seeing a four-engine turboprop transport airplane high in the sky.

"An-12 gunship is overhead!" General Hermonov said. "Morozova, use all available firepower to destroy those NATO units!"

"Yes, sir! Almaz! Give me cover!"

Belka retrieved her Sagittarius tablet and connected it to the plane overhead. The tablet displayed a live bird's eye view video feed from one of the aircraft's exterior cameras. Friendly troops were highlighted with red squares, while known NATO units had blue diamond overlays.

“Perun 1, this is Almaz 1. I'm taking direct control of your weapon systems."

"Affirmative Almaz 1, 57mm guns are locked and loaded. You have countermeasures available."

The gunfire, screams, and shouts of battle around the fox seemed to melt away as the captain poured her attention into the tablet.

The video feed turned black and white as Belka switched to thermal imaging. Easily spotting a squad of NATO infantry behind their defensive barricades.

The vixen switched to the gunship's laterally mounted 30mm cannons. She fired, cutting apart the NATO mammals with a shower of lead reminiscent of rainfall.

She turned her attention to the enemy tanks, switching to the aircraft's missile launcher and firing.

"Guided missile away!"

Belka positioned her aiming reticle directly on top of one of the heavy tanks, and the projectile automatically moved to stay on target. It slammed into the vehicle and consumed it in a colossal detonation.

"Kill confirmed! Kill confirmed!"

As the missile launcher reloaded, Belka switched to the 57mm cannons and unloaded on the second armored vehicle. The second tank tried to retreat as its armor was damaged before it began spewing, at first, white smoke and then black smoke. It burst into flames, the top hatches opening, the crew leaping out of the disabled tank, wielding submachine guns.

They took cover and fired on the nearby Russian infantry before Belka ripped them to pieces with another barrage of 30mm rounds.

"Enemy armor destroyed!" The captain reported. Suddenly, red text appeared across the video feed, accompanying a rapid beep.

"Missile incoming! Missile incoming!"

"Almaz 1, we have a lock on us!" The gunship pilot said.

Belka activated the plane's countermeasures before one of the crew mammals could, launching flares from the plane that drew the missile's attention. However, shots from autocannons still struck the gunship.

"Perun 1! Taking fire!"

A blue diamond marker raced by at the top of the screen, though Belka couldn't distinguish what it was highlighting.

"Sokol 5 here! Enemy interceptors are moving towards Perun 1!"

"Perun 1 tilt left! Tilt left!" Belka ordered.

"Copy Almaz." The gunship pilot said, turning the plane on its roll axis and raising Belka's field of vision to show the sky to the left of the aircraft.

Two NATO jets pulled around in formation, lining up for another attack run on the gunship.

Belka switched to 30mm cannons and opened up on the approaching planes, tearing one apart and causing it to shatter into pieces. The other interceptor peeled off and flew out of view, but it was still hit by a few shots and sustained critical damage.

"I'll take care of this one," Sokol-5 said, her MIG racing by and firing at the smoking NATO jet. "You're all set, Perun 1."

The gunship leveled back out as the radios of the Russian forces crackled to life.

"All callsigns, there are more NATO reinforcements inbound!" Orel 3 said. "Crush them."

Belka moved her view to look further down the road and spotted half a dozen NATO vehicles racing towards them, including Mercedes jeeps, an agile EC635 helicopter, and even a few pairs of soldiers riding motorcycles.

The captain first targeted the scout helicopter with a 30mm barrage, causing its tail to break apart. The aircraft spun around and crashed into the side of the roadway below, with one of the motorcycles having to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting the wreckage.

It didn't matter much, as the NATO vehicles were bombarded with a hail of 57mm shells. Breaking apart the Jeep and completely obliterating two motorcycles and their riders. The remaining units being finished off with a guided missile strike.

“Perun 1!” Sokol 5 said. "I have eyes on more NATO units advancing towards our ground troops!"

A second group of more heavily armed vehicles was coming down the dirt road. Including Mercedes-Benz trucks, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, and armored transports full of troops.

Almaz 1 immediately opened fire, hitting one of the IFVs and armored transports with 57mm shells. Following up with a guided missile that destroyed both vehicles. While the heavier weapons reloaded, Belka swapped to the 30mm cannons and shredded a lightly armed transport truck and the soldiers inside.

Another armored vehicle was turned to scrap under a barrage of heavy fire, rolling off the road and crashing into a tree. Yet one more missile obliterated another IFV, and although the vehicles had been destroyed, Belka sprayed the wreckage with weapons fire to make sure the mammals inside were dead.

"Enemy battleground has been wiped out." Almaz 1 said.

"Commendable work, captain." General Hermonov said. "Perun 1, return to base for refuel and rearm."

"Roger that Orel-3," the gunship pilot said as Belka disconnected her link to the aircraft and tucked the tablet away.

"That was some brutally fine work, captain," Anatoly said with a low whistle. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"You crushed those NATO troops like the bugs they are," Natasha added. "I just wish it had been me controlling the gunship."

Before the conversation could continue, General Hermonov interrupted them.

"All callsigns." Orel 3 said. "Regroup and prepare to continue forward. Almaz, scout ahead."

"Affirmative general," Belka said. "Form up on me, mammals."

Captain Morozova and her squad strode down the dirt road, littered with the charred and burning wreckage of NATO vehicles, starting fires in the nearby woods. Smoke pillars rose into the sky, which was filled with Sokol 5's jets, while Major Volkov's tanks rolled up behind Belka's squad.

"So this is it," Anatoly said. "World War 3, right?"

"We finally get our chance to strike back against the West," Natasha responded, kicking a body lying in the dirt next to a destroyed motorcycle. "I must say I'm enjoying this."

"It's been a long time coming," Dima said. "Though I hope our grand preparations will not be for naught. Perhaps we should have assumed a more defensive posture."

The snow leopard scoffed. "No! This is the only way Russia will truly be free! Right, Sveta?"

"If this is what must be done for our nation to finally be rid of Western interference, so be it." The coyote said.

"I am just saying." Dima continued. "A defensive war would be less taxing on our forces."

"Hey, stay focused," Yury interjected. "I don't want to have to carry you to a field hospital if you get shot because you weren't paying attention."

"A shame those who died today won't be able to see our victory," Anatoly noted.

The squad passed by a burning chunk of metal with the NATO symbol, consumed by scorching flames. Belka pausing momentarily to glance at it. Once she and her allies were finished, the Russian flag would fly over all of Europe.

"Come on." Captain Morozova ordered. "There's plenty more NATO units up ahead. And we have a continent to conquer."