//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 Intel and planning // Story: Eye of the storm // by Bronycommander //------------------------------// Chapter 6 Intel and planning Fletcher walked through a hallway and towards a door, having been told that Blue had a gift for him. He wondered what the gift could be. As he opened, he couldn't believe his eyes. Blue Murder was lying on a bed, a rose between her teeth, smiling. "Ready to get your gift, Fletch?" The stallion was giving a nervous chuckle. "Thank you but I have other things to-" Before he could finish, Blue's magic aura surrounded him and he yelled, "DO!" as he got dragged in and the door closed. Fray shot up gasping, looking around. A sigh of relief came over him as it had been just a dream, yet his head ached and…he felt something warm near him. His eyes went small to see Blue next to him, groaning as she woke up too. “Ugh…my head. What happened?” She held her forehead before suddenly holding her throat. “I think I’m gonna…” With that, the mare jumped off the bed and dashed out of the room and the stallion heard the sounds of throwing up. “Hope that isn't what I think it is.” He commented with slight fear. Shortly afterwards, Blue Murder came back, looking not too pleased. “What did we do last night, Mr. Fray? For your sake, I hope you remember.” She asked in a surprisingly calm voice as she grabbed a knife. “You passed out as the barkeeper accidentally gave you the strongest drink.” Anna explained to them. “Still, we got some Intel but you were out for the rest of the day.” This gained relief from both, yet as Anna walked out, Blue took notice that, her partner was wide-eyed, slightly ill-looking as he was pale. “You alright? You look sick.” She asked worried, knowing this was not caused by her reaction. Hesitating, Fray replied. “I...didn't sleep well.” “You want me to feel your forehead?” To her surprise and confusion, Fletcher jumped back in terror. “NO! I never wanted you to feel my...wait...you said forehead, right? One word, forehead? That was what you said?” He asked awkwardly and she nodded “Well, yeah...What did you think I said? “Er...Ooh, is that toast I smell? Great, I'll have some of that! We'll continue this conversation never.” Fray said abruptly and in awkwardness before dashing out of the room. It left Blue completely puzzled why he acted so weird all of the sudden. Nonetheless, she followed him, wanting to check on her son. Fletcher seemed to have the same idea, as he reached the room shorty before her, smiling to see the kids happy. “How are you, Dinky?” “My chest still hurts a bit but otherwise, fine.” Her friends nodded to tell the same. “That’s good to hear. “Indeed it is.” James' voice sounded as he entered, “If it heals well, you should be out in a few days.” Blue smiled herself, happy her son would be alright, then remembered something. “Did you arrange for someone to pick Shadowplay and Tybalt up? He nodded. “Kyle is already on it as we speak. Once they arrive, I give you a briefing on the situation on the front. If you need anything, ask Romanov.” He looked at a soldier that had an athletic build, clean-shaved, reddish-brown hair, his eyes calming blue. “Tovarishj, komandir.” Romanov saluted before turning towards the kids “Pleasure to meet you” He said before James walked out, with Tungsten noticing something. “Why do you have the Russian flag with a bear as patch?” He pointed to the man’s right shoulder and he chuckled. “Well, young stallion, it’s kinda family related. You see, my grandmother was a famous general back in the Second World War, or the Great Patriotic War as it was called in the Soviet Union, “Katyusha Medveditsya Kallistrovich.” The eyes of the ponies went wide, he was the son of Arkturi Lovec?” “So…you’re the son of her son?” Dinky mumbled in disbelief. “Da, I am. Sadly, the famous She-bear died in 2001 but neither I, nor my father nor forget her.” He told them, his head slightly lowered before looking up. “You are probably wondering how I got here.” Dinky nodded with her friends. “You see, my father served with Big Boss until the end in 1995,when it was destroyed by the NATO through a massive aerial bombardment, with my father and his friend being among the survivors. They went back to Russia, trying to live their lives in peace, as they felt their time as Dogs of War came to an end. The reorganization of Russia made it difficult to get normal jobs, but James offered them desk jobs in his organization, saying it was the least he could do for the son of such a famous officer.” The kids stayed quiet, trying to process everything, and so did the 2 adults before Blau broke the science. “How’s your father?” Romanov sighed. “Dead. He and Sergei died a natural death in 2015. I miss him, but he will be alive with his commander in my heart. Myself, I joined the Russian military to make my father proud, also, due to my father’s job during his time in the Red Army, I developed an expertise in Western culture. As such, James encouraged me to have positive interactions with any members from the west. That’s how I got to know Kyle, becoming best friends.” “Like father, like son, eh?” Blue commented with a weak smile. “Yes. Unfortunately, while I made it into Spetsnaz, my career ended just after a few months. let’s just say, I fell out with the way my commander acted, prompting James to offer me a place." “So…what’s next?” Fletcher asked the former Spetsnaz. “Well, with the sudden emergence of the Army of Chaos, I assume James will try to meet up with them to discuss working together. Thanks to some vanguard units acting as scouts, we were aware of what was going on before our main force arrived, It was also one of those scout teams who informed us about you, callsign Occulus Accipiter, which means Hawk's Eye.” This made Dinky realize what the glint was she had noticed before. “Despite this unexpected return of events, it was inevitable. Our massive preparation have gone on far too long for us to simply stand down. We were like a coiled spring, ready to throw ourselves into the fray. All we waited for was one word: Attack!” Romanov exclaimed before giving a weak smile. “Quite ironic. During my time in the Russian Military, Spirits were mostly high and the men joked about how we will crush the enemy with one fell stroke…But some didn't laugh. They had been to Chechen and other conflicts. They knew war.” The kids let those words sink in, unable to imagine it. They knew war was not nice, how the recruits would be mistaken but being so assured of victory? “Anyway, I am sure your help will come in handy. And that of your two friends, should be arriving shortly. Tybalt and Shadowplay groaned as they came to. “I guess we have arrived…” The earth pony mumbled dazed as he helped his friend up, looking around. They were in a grass field. "I will need some time to get used to this…” Shadowplay mumbled before they saw a Kübelwagen driving towards them, the driver poked his head through the window. “There you are. I am Kyle, get in.” They did as told, recognizing the logo, having been told a pickup was dispatched. Both could still not believe what they had gotten into. They both got to Canterlot as fast as could after being informed they are needed, bowing to Luna out of respect. “Rise. We got a message from Blue and Fletcher. It seems they and the children got themselves into the middle of a civil war. As such, they requested that I sent you to assist.” “We understand.” Shadow replied before he got pulled into a hug by a lunar guard and a batpony filly with teal mane and yellow eyes. “Be careful, daddy!” “I will be, sweetie.” He replied with a weak smile. A unicorn mare faced Tybalt, her blue eyes filled with fear as he hugged her, gently stroking her pink mane that had white strips. “Don’t worry, Candy, I know what I am doing.” He spoke in a calming voice. “Stay alive, for me, for Bullseye.” She whimpered, holding their child, a baby earth pony colt with a white coat and grey mane in one leg, who babbled with a slight fearful expression, as if knowing what was about to happen. “Of course, dear.” He gently broke it. “Now,” Luna spoke up, “I will cast the spell that brings you to earth but it will be a bit disorienting. Also, it will make sure you won’t run out of ammo, Tybalt, just in case supplies can't be met for you.” They nodded and shielded their eyes as the Alicorn’s horn glowed brightly. Nonetheless, the drive was short, arriving at the base within a few minutes, getting greeted by Blue and Fletcher. “Glad you could make it. And good timing, there is a mission we can help with,” the mare told them leading them towards a small building, where James was waiting for them at a planning table. “Good, you have arrived.” He gave a welcoming smile, before looking at the map, it displayed the roads of Solis. “We got to link up with the rebels in the south of the country. To do this, we got to secure the bridge leading into the city of Watasumag, then the city itself to use it as a staging point for our advance. Our scouts reported the Black Hand is retreating and likely trying to destroy the bridge to stall us. Now, you are to help us with this. “And how?” Tybalt asked into the round. “We already have some airborne troops in the area to secure them but you and Shadowplay can assist them. Fletcher and Blue, you can assist the main force. Go the armory and take whatever you need.” They all nodded and walked towards the supplies. Fletcher and Blue grabbed some ammo, as well as a luger each as sidearm. Shadowplay took a P38 and MP40. “I may use throwing knives but best save them when I really need them. You should take something too, Tybalt.” “Thank you, but I prefer to stay with my revolvers.” He politely declined, only to receive a firm look from his comrades. “I get you prefer your guns but having something for range and with more stopping power could prove useful in a pinch.” His batpony friend pointed out. “Fine, but I won’t like it.” Tybalt had disdain in his voice as he grabbed himself a STG-44, he and the other stallion also were provided with ponyfication devices, both fascinated by it. “See you there, guys, be careful.” Blue gave both a caring hug, they returned it. With that done, the 2 stallions boarded a Mil Mi-8 “Hip”, getting flown towards their objective. It was only a short flight, seeing from the window the city. What was distinctive at first, was that the city was on 3 islands and the mainland, consisting mostly out of multistory buildings. Their pilot hovered next to a small forest near the city, Shadowplay jumped out, using his wings to glide down, while Tybalt rappelled down. They were met by a squad of paratroopers, led by Anna. “Good, you are here. The Black hand has only a small rearguard and the city has been evacuated, but stay on your guard.” Going through the forest for cover, they saw several fortifications. Bunkers made from sandbags and cement covered by a tarp for camouflage, either armed with a machine gun or recoilless rifle, manned by a single soldier. Also, privates and Elites patrolled around, but the stallions took notice of a few soldiers wearing light body armor, with googles and a mask, covered by a hood. “Careful, those are Ghosts, specialized in hit and run tactics, as well as ambushes.” Anna warned before looking at 2 privates next to the forest, giving the batpony a sign to take them out. He sneaked behind one as he had his back to him, grabbed his mouth and slit his throat, quick and painless. As the other one turned around, Shadowplay quickly threw one of his knives towards the throat taking them out before he could react, then retrieved his knife. Having a clear shot now, the paratroopers prepared to fire panzerfausts to destroy the MG positions, Tybalt adopted a runner’s position, which the officer took notice of. “Just leave some left for us.” “I try to.” He replied before the soldiers fired, blowing fortifications to pieces. It was his sign to dash forward, unleashing a wave of death as he fired at privates and Elites before they could react. His allies fired from the woods at any hostile he left alive in his path, then stormed forward. “See you later!” One Ghost yelled and both stallions noticed how the Ghost soldiers turned invisible, realizing they had to be on their guard. Just as the earth pony run dry, out of the corner of his eyes, a sudden flash was aimed at him. Having only seconds to spare, Tybalt dove out of the way and fired a shot from his rifle. There was a cracking sound, followed by an electric crack and a Ghost soldier became visible, falling to the ground in a puddle of blood. “One Ghost down!” He flinched as a knife flew past his head, turning around to see it get stick midair, revealing another Ghost as he fell to the ground, dead, the knife between the eyes. “Make that two.” His comrade added as he retrieved it. “Great work, let’s move to the bridge!” Their superior ordered and everyone moved out. In the distance, they could see the bridge, guarded by a few soldiers. Oddly enough they all carried ballistic shields among the usual gear of helmet, gas mask and bulletproof vest, armed with SMGs. Behind them was a different soldier, this one was dressed in a large, bulky protective vest and a distinctive combat helmet having visor, also a grenade belt on the chest. A grenadier and demolition expert/engineer they realized. “Damn, they are already here! Hold them off!” The grenadier yelled with a robotic voice as he tried to plant charges on the bridge, his comrades formed a wall, firing at their enemy. Getting suppressed the ponies and elite soldiers were forced into cover behind wall, unable to use hand grenades at this range. “If they destroy the bridge, it was all for nothing and we’re cut off!” Anna yelled in frustration. Knowing they had not much time, the stallions came up with an idea, nodding at each other without a word. Shadowplay took to the skies, flying above the enemies and fired his weapon before they could react, taking a few out. As they tried to raise their shields towards him, Tybalt charged forward, firing his guns. 4 more fell to their combined efforts, making the wall formation crumble, allowing the others to advance. The grenadier started slightly but was not willing to give up. “Get some!” He reached for his grenade launcher, a Milkor M32 MGL and fired. His foes scattered to avoid his fire, the projectiles having a bright red-orange trace as they arced across the air, yet this gave Tybalt just the moment he needed. Closing the distance, the white-specked pony aimed one revolver at his enemy’s head. “Not good enough.” Pulling the trigger, the bullet had no trouble penetrating the helmet at this close distance, blood splattered as the grenadier stumbled and fell to the ground. Yet the ears of the former bandit twitched at a beeping sound, seeing how the grenades on the belt started to blink, his eyes went small. “Oh, crap!” He dived into a ditch for cover, hooves over his head. As expected, the explosions deafened his hearing, groaning from the ringing in his ears, his vision slightly blurry. His friend helped him up with slight concern. “Still in one piece?” “I am fine.” “Great job, the bridge is secured, now we got to hold it.” They got praised by Anna as she put a hand over her radio.” General, the bridge is secured.” “Excellent, we are on our way now, I send you light support for holding it.” James acknowledged. “Alright, let’s make some fortifications on our own.” With that, the stallions helped to fill sandbags and create other defensive positions, yet Tybalt grumbled, “I am a highly trained mercenary, not a combat engineer…” “Hey, see it from the bright side, could save your life, plus helps with the defense until the main force arrives.” Shadowplay pointed out. Just then, 2 Mi-26 Halo arrived, delivering a UAZ-469 and Kübelwagen each to help with the defense. “They may be only lightly armored, but the machine guns still pack a punch.” A soldier commented. Blue and Fletcher waited eagerly, yet also somewhat tensed as James came to them. “Our paratroopers were successful, now we can advance“ He switched his officer uniform for a helmet and light body armor before gesturing them to follow. They came towards a troop convoy of transports in form of trucks, IFVs and some LUVs, as well as tanks, the latter mixed between the soviet era and German ww2 vehicles. The two ponies were entering a BMP-2 with Kyle and Romanov. “What can we do for you?” The commander of the BMP asked his leader in a friendly tone before moving out, turning to his passengers. “Lean back and enjoy the ride.” During their drive, the two snipers noticed some artillery had already landed in the area, seeing a broken swing set lying on its side, next to a blackened crater. “You know,” Kyle mumbled, “All this made me realize something. War can be fascinating to watch on TV, but up close personally it's a whole other story. Imagine your office blown to pieces, your car thrown about like a discarded glove, and your friend lying on the street, his body torn to bloody shreds. As such, I hope this war will not affect the civilians too harshly.” He shivered slightly, sounding afraid.” Both Blue and Fletcher had seen their fair share of war, knowing what he was talking about. “We are here, everyone out!” The driver yelled and the soldiers opened the doors. “Fletcher, Blue, get on that Water tower and provide support!” James ordered as he pointed to it and they did as told. They saw the infantry advancing, supported by the IFVs and tank, firing at their canons at the enemy, who tried to break the paratroopers’ defensives. The blank Hand’s forces consisted mainly of infantry, with light tanks and IFVs as support Looking through their scopes, the snipers could see how Shadowplay was using his blood magic to teleport back and forth to confuse enemies as he fired at them. Tybalt dashed between the defenses, firing at the hostile infantry to reinforce the defenses as needed, with the 2 LUVs doing the same with their MGs. James fired an iron-sighted K98 with great precision, aim at the next hostile between operating the bolt as one fell after another, showing how bolt action rifles were still deadly in the right hands. Nonetheless, Blue and Fletcher fired at every enemy infantry they saw to support the main force, the infantry was mainly privates and Elites, supported by MG gunners. But they quickly took notice of Black Hand soldiers that wore heavy, dark blue clothing, dark ski masks and heavy explosive protection, armed with RPGs. Realizing the danger to their allied vehicles, the snipers made them priority targets, trying to take them out before they could fire. This allowed the main force to break the enemy line without much trouble, pushing them back. Suddenly through, a CH-53E in Black Hand colors appeared between the clouds, hovering in the middle of battle. Smoke got popped as its passengers rappelled down and the eyes of the snipers went wide. Among the reinforcements was a Black Hand soldier wearing what seemed to be a powered exoskeleton. But that wasn’t alarming. It was his weapon. A large, white rifle with a yellow cylinder on the bottom of the weapon, Its muzzle charging with blue streaks of electricity that grew brighter and brighter. It fired then a brilliant blue projectile towards a tank, leaving a glowing streak behind it. The tank exploded, its turret blown off in a fireball, startling them. “Is that…a fricking railgun?!” Fletcher heard Blue exclaim in shock and disbelief. But before he could form any reply, they saw the soldier aimed into their direction, his weapon now emitting a red glow. “Fletcher, get out!” Fray felt how he got pushed, the water tower exploded just moments after. Crying out in pain, Blue hit the ground hard, her vision was blurry, barely able to make out Fletcher next to her. The mare saw faintly how some soldiers took cover behind their armored vehicles, unable to advance before she suddenly heard a muffled voice. “I gotcha, Blue! You'll be all right! You're gonna be just fine!” It had a British accent and…sounded oddly familiar to her. An HB soldier entered her vision, his eyes hazel, hair blond and looking around before dragging her, with Kyle dragging Fletcher, getting both gently sat down behind a destroyed Black Hand tank. Her helper then cracked a slight smile, giving her a pat on the shoulder before running out of her sight, just when she recovered. “Are you alright?” She looked at Fray, who nodded. Peeking out of their cover, they see how their allies fired their guns at the heavily armed enemy but he shrugged off any bullets from their guns. “Is this all you got?” He taunted, charging up another shot. “Take that!” Tybalt yelled as he tackled the hostile to the ground and aimed one revolver at the head, the Black Hand soldier struggled before blood splattered from his head. “Retreat! Fall back!” One of the regular soldiers ordered as their advantage was lost, with all Black Hand forces pulling back, popping smoke. “That was unexpected to see a Titan, those are the heavy of the Black Hand forces and are trained and equipped to deal with high-level threats while protecting critical military assets and personnel.” James explained to the ponies, although having a calm expression. “Light casualties so far, be careful!” As they crossed the bridge, some of his soldiers checked the wounded, and treated them. Ears twitching, the ponies heard a painful groan, turning towards it. It belonged to a wounded Black Hand Elite, lying against a wreck, bleeding from his leg. Without any hesitation, the officer approached slowly, careful of how the injured enemy would react. He looked up but did not react or reach for any weapon. Taking this as tolerance, Günther reached for his medical supplies and treated the wound, the patient groaned again in pain. “W-why?” He had an Australian accent. “Because, as a medic, I am obliged to treat the wounded of either side.” James simply replied. In response, the wounded Elite chuckled. “Guess it’s true what they say, that you’re honest and honorable.” Just then, a scout team returned. “Sir, we did not detect any enemy presence in the city.” This surprised the ponies, Kyle and Romanov, but James stayed neutral. "Some called it an organized retreat, but I think it seemed that way as we were all running in the same direction. Watasumag and its region were lost the moment your ships entered the port, there was never any real chance of holding it.” The enemy commented before two other medics brought him away. A few troops stayed back before the convoy moved on, the ponies all entering a BMP-2 again with Kyle and Romanov. “It’s good the intimal landing went well, we secured the region within a few days. It feels great to finally roam free after having spent weeks inside the cramped container ships.” The Russian told, relief in his voice. “I can imagine that.” Tybalt replied. “Where are we headed now?” “As far as I know, the rebels managed to secure the Hamparas and Islas Machaqwayes regions. We are currently moving to the latter to meet their leader. Apparently, there is only a radar base in this region, defended by missile launches but the revels assured they are deactivated.” Blue did only semi-listing, lost in thought. Her helper had it been just her imagination that the voice was familiar to her? She couldn’t tell. Or was her past hunting her? “We are here.” Fletcher gently shook her shoulder, tearing her out. “Wha-?” Ah, righto.” She nodded, taking in her surroundings. The base was on a mountain, which was split in the middle by a canyon that had constant wind in it, with the facility itself having a big set of satellite dishes and 3 missile launchers. Several humans in colorful clothing looked surprised at the convoy, with a CH-53E in the same colors landing, 2 women and a man stepped out. “So, you’re the leaders of the army of Chaos?” James asked and one of the women stepped forward. “Not directly, I am Mira, the second in command this,” She pointed to the man and woman, are the third in command, Luis and Izzy, our hacker and communication expert.” Just then, a bird scream startled everyone and they looked up to see another man falling out of the sky but managed to stabilize himself using a grapple hook. “Our leader-“ “Rico Rodriguez,” James finished for Mira, sounding intrigued, “I should have expected that.” “So, you are here to support us?” Rico asked distrustfully. “Yes, an environmental NGO.” “Hmm, that would make sense,” Mira added before Rico could reply, “Project Illapa was subject to investigations by several environmental NGOs in the past, but as you might expect, they never got any conclusive result.” “And we could need the logistical support like proper helmets and training to even the odds, plus train more recruits for our vehicles.” Luis pointed out. Rodriguez gave the German a quick glare, considering his options, making the ponies tense. Would bullets fly if he refused? It seemed like minutes until he spoke up. “Fine then, we’ll work together. Offering a hand, James shook it. “But we need to investigate a distress signal I received.” “And attacking Illapa directly is not an option, it has automatic artillery, but we got a plan.” Rico’s second in command produced a map of Solis, each climatic zone having a certain location marked with a circle. “Those facilities house prototypes weather cores, each connected to the defense network. If we plant a virus into each core, we can disable the defenses.” “In order to do this, we have to do a country-wide invasion…” Kyle sounded unsure. The ponies also looked at each other with uncertainty. This could take weeks, if not months. Could they truly do this? James opened his mouth to reply but his radio ringed. “Yes?” “Sorry to interrupt, sir,” Linda sounded on the other end, “Commander Morales has contacted us. She’s offering a cease-fire and wants to meet you for a parley.”