[u][b]Udena. Collective Fringe World under Totalist control [/b][/u] General Bocanegra sent the latest batch of orders before opening another series of reports in her personal console for the night. The demands of the front required her constant attention. Udena may be under control but the offensive has stalled elsewhere. And that, Generalissimo Dollabella-Rybalsky will not tolerate. Orders had already arrived and in the next few days, she and the bulk of the Totalist presence in the system would be transferred elsewhere. Looking at the clock, the General realized that if she went to bed right now and took half a bottle of sleeping pills, she might be able to catch some four hours of sleep, not enough to compensate the last four days of constant work, but still something. However, if she snorted another vial of stimulant powder Bocanegra was sure she could keep working until around lunch time tomorrow- or rather later today. There really wasn't much of a choice, any sleep she caught now would be just delaying work for later. People in her position weren't supposed to get rest. Specially not in times of war, that was why the Directorate always made sure to keep everyone supplied with all manner of stimulants. “Rest comes with death, whether yours or the enemy” that was what she always had heard in the Academy. Bocanegra ran a hand through her greasy brown hair and sighed. Maybe she should just have taken that job in the Directorate of Health instead of going to the military academy. No point in anguishing over the past, specially now. She had made her choice and would suffer the consequences, as any self-respecting adult. The General withdrew the small glass vial from a drawer in her desk and uncorked it. Quickly snorting its contents with practiced experience. The rush took a few moments to be felt. Result of a small resistance built after 40 years of use. But when it hit, it hit hard. That little vial was much more potent to the stuff handed out to the rank and file. Reserved for officers and the Black Banner, and much more addictive. But as long as they kept in line there was no risk of running out. Snapping her fingers, the newly energized General returned to her work. She still had to finish up her orders for dealing with the last Collective holdouts and review once again the logistical situation to ensure that her troops would be getting enough supplies for their new assignments. And that the garrison would have built up at least the minimal infrastructure to solidify their hold on the planet. Her successor in this command would have a good base to work on with. She would make sure of that. A beeping alarm on the corner of the screen made her groan internally. In six hours she had a meeting with the local human leadership. Bocanegra had done her best to delay and push this issue to her successor. But the locals were insistent. Whatever good will they held had apparently shrunk once they had realized just how much their lives would change under Totalist dominion. Not enough to foment rebellion, though Bocanegra sometimes hoped it did happen, if only to exterminate these annoying pests once and for all. But orders from higher up were clear: “Keep good relations with the locals.” She thought the whole idea superfluous. She had fought these robotic bastards for two years with barely any help from the Centre and held the line until the counter-attack could be arranged. If these “rebels” couldn't defend their independence then they simply didn't deserve it. The orders were clear however, and she could see the benefits in cooperating with the locals, for the moment of course. They would soon have to be disabused of any notions of true independence from the Totalist doctrine. Agonis was the Party's now, and if they couldn't learn to accept that, then they would be eliminated. Reeducation wasn't worth the cost. [b][u]Heion. Contested Collective Fringe World [/u][/b] [img]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/killzone/images/a/a2/Hig_troops.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140625012939[/img] Lieutenat Illica Dvarza wiped the cool wet cloth on her sweaty forehead. She breathed out slowly to control her nerves before putting the cloth away and returning her hands to the controls of the BT-10 APC. The walls did wonders to shore up her confidence, though the confines of the vehicle were cramped and hot, specially one stuffed to its full capacity. But comfort was never a priority for the Directorate of Peace, a fact that every conscript, volunteer and officer learned to accept early on in their careers. Though at least she didn't need to use the gas mask inside. The 294th division had hit Heion on the second wave of the invasion, once the Machine's fleet had been pushed further into the outer system several months ago. Since then the ground battle in the planet had turned into a brutal meatgrinder. The Collective defenses had proved to be stronger than anticipated, and the rebels weaker. And from what she had heard whispered around, the situation in the rest of the Fringe was similar. Now her entire company, along with two other Mechanized and two armored ones had been tasked with driving through the Collective lines and link up with a native force that had been cut off during the last Collective counter-attack. Last she had heard, the locals were taking quite a pounding from the machines, and had apparently managed to gather some kind of important Intel to make their lives worth sending three mechanized and two armored companies to the rescue. The five companies waited patiently, covered by the ruins of an old and bombed out industrial park. Their advance would take them through several kilometers of flat open plain until a dry riverbed surrounding a plateau, where supposedly the rebels were trying to withstand the Collective attack. The signal from regimental command appeared on the console and Dvarza heard the transmission from Major Orestes: “Operation 0294-ZC is a go. I repeat, operation 0294-ZC is a go!” Dvarza drove onwards without further prompting. It surely felt good to be in command of a beast like the BT-10 instead of having to walk all the way like she had to back in JHS-294. Thanks the Supreme Director for the Directorate of Production and the massed mechanization program. Dvarza's battalion had been placed in the vanguard. On her left flank was Lieutenant Pozharsky's unit and on her right was Bitchface's (Or Lieutenant Naura, as Dvarza had learned after a couple more floggings and three written reports about cooperation and friendship Commissar Nigri had forced her to write). The other two battalions of the company drove behind them while the other two mechanized companies covered their flanks and rear alongside the armored units. In the distance, Dvarza could see the faint flashes and explosions of the battle through the opticals of the APC thanks to the flat terrain. Though most of her attention was focused on the command console of the vehicle. Several screens flashed with information and map readings updated live as their sensors approached the area. The order to engage came as they were still some kilometers away from the objective as the sensors detected Collective troops disengaging and moving, nothing more than two battalion's worth. It didn't took long for the firing to start as the A-84 tanks opened fire on the distant and still half unseen enemy with their usual accuracy. The return fire came soon after, but in a somewhat less intense and coordinated manner. The Totalists didn't stop, and soon the APCs added their own guns to the barrage. Missiles flew from the mass of black vehicles as several of them were destroyed by the Collective's own fire. Dvarza held herself in place by gripping one of the hatch handles as the APC shook and rattled, a glancing shot almost torched them and took out half of the command screen. The Lieutenant punched the offending screen several times until it came alive again. Nearby one of her battalion's APC blew up from a direct hit. “Spread out! Attack pattern 02/1!” Major Orestes ordered through the comms as Dvarza's APC swerved to avoid a direct missile hit. The Lieutenant almost got knocked out by hitting her head on the bulkhead. She cursed as she struggled to remain in place inside the vehicle. By her left, the sound of the gunner firing the auto-cannon was deafening, even with the ear protection offered by her helmet. Dvarza cursed as the BT-10 danced around the plain wildly. The 02/1 called for a spread out maneuver followed by encirclement of the enemy. She barely had time to notice Pozharky's APC through the optical before it took a direct hit. The vehicle didn't blow up, but there was no mistaking the smoke coming out of it. She cursed loudly this time, anger flaring up. The fuckers had gotten Pozharsky. That was no time to mourn however. They had an engagement to win. By now Dvarza's mechanized battalion was driving straight into the Collective unit, there couldn't me more than 600 meters between them. Risky as fuck, but someone had to give the others the chance to flank the enemy. Her gunner managed to destroy the largest remaining walker as yet another of her APCs was hit. This time however the shot only managed to damage it and the vehicle went careening without control to the right before the driver managed to stop it. By now the small Collective unit had been reduced to a few pitiful vehicles and whatever troops had managed to disembark. These last remnants didn't last long against the combined firepower of the Totalist push. Dvarza's APC didn't even had to slow down as it passed the burning wrecks. “Pink 13!” Dvarza called to the damaged vehicle through the battalion's channel. “Status report. Over” “Looks like the suspension is busted. We've also threw a thread. Three wounded, no deaths. Over” Came the reply “Fix that shit, Pink 13, and stay where you are until further orders! Over.” Dvarza shouted back in the radio. “Understood, Pink 11. Over.” “Pink 11.” The Major's voice came through the company's channel. “Casualty report. Over” “One APC destroyed with all crew and squad, Pink 1, another damaged and immobile. No fatal casualties. Over” “Understood Pink 11. Switch to company's channel. Over” The Major replied and Dvarza obeyed. “Pink company, we will soon be arriving at your drop off point. We will maneuver around them and come in from their rear. Get your squads ready to disembark at my command. Once there proceed along the edges of the river bed and engage the enemy. Do not let them escape. Over.” A chorus of acknowledgments followed and the company drifted from the formation, following the course indicated in their screens by a pink line. Taking them around the Collective force. Around two and half companies' worth. And putting the enemy between them and the main push of the armored companies and one mechanized company. The remaining mechanized company would come in from the other side and complete the encirclement. It took Pink Company a while to get in position. But with the Collective troops now having to deal with the main push coming, they had little to spare against either of the companies maneuvering around them. The riverbed wasn't very deep and so one battalion was deployed there. The other four disembarked the troops on the margins, two at a side. Dvarza's now stood on the inner margin, on the same side as the plateau held by the natives. And so their advance begun. Infantry squads deployed with BT-10 support marching at a quickened pace towards the Collective forces, closing the remaining distance between them and the enemy quickly. Dvarza herself stayed inside her APC, though she did put on her gas mask, to better coordinate the action. But even inside she could clearly hear the sounds of battle from this close by. Along with the loud cheer coming from the natives atop the plateau as their saviors clashed with the Collective forces. Pink company easily overcame the couple of scattered Khraal squads deployed to protect the Collective rearguard before pressing onwards into the bulk of the enemy concentrated around the plateau. Now trying unsuccessfully to disengage from the superior Totalist force hitting them from the front. With two other companies now hitting them from behind the engagement reached its final part. With the Collective cyborgs and drones able to do little else than take a few more Totalist squads down with them as the heavier firepower of the invaders cut them down. A small victory, but nothing truly worth noting in the bigger picture.