//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Engagement // Story: Battlefield: Causatum // by Obvious German //------------------------------// March 21st, 2014/ Tehran, Iran 0715 Hours, The rising sun shone on the ruins of the city, glistening beautifully on the serene blocks of wrought destruction. Even in the worst of places, it can be very pretty. Three ravens scoured around the site of four dead corpses of soldiers killed the night before. They squawked in anger as to whom will get their bits of meat today when they were scared off by the faint thumping of boots. “Stay sharp,” Hershowitz said as he poked his battle rifle around a wrecked car. “It might be dawn but these bastards like to stay awake after bed time.” “Feels like yesterday, doesn’t it?” said the machine gunner as he leveled his specialized light machine gun at the cracked streets beyond, the last of any active electronic circuit crackling to a slow death. “Can’t say so, Miles,” responded the sniper as he held out his pistol in front of the squad, and promptly scouted the terrain ahead. In front of them was the wracked remains of a palace. “Where are we again? Azadi district?” “Yeah, we’re in the radius of that fancy palace. Stay sharp, the place’s probably gonna be crawlin’ with PLR,” Scott said as his captured AK-47U surveyed the area like an eagle on his prey. He was waiting for the moment when things could go boom, but heavily outnumbered he didn’t count on that. Miles halted as soon as he laid eyes on three black figures moving at a distance close to the entrance of the ruined remains of Azadi Palace. “Get down, we've contacts, twelve p.m!” “Got it, stay low and avoid engagement, too many fuckers to kill,” Hershowitz immediately crouched and started making his way to an abandoned storehouse ahead. “It’s just three guys, what’s so bad ‘bout them?” “Scott, don’t even dare. The last time that happened, we just sent a shitload of PLR on our tails and command had to bust our asses out of there with a goddamned chopper and an IFV.” After that, Scott immediately kept quiet and moved to secure the building across them. “Okay, I'm going high ground to gain a better view of these bastards. Cover me,” The sniper said as he crept to a tall, ruined building just near his location. “Roger that, keep the sniper protected, Miles, lose him and we lose our eyes in the sky.” “Copy that, sir!” Miles grunted and he accompanied the sniper upstairs to a better vantage point while the other two stayed below. The figures slowly wandered closer to them until Hershowitz was in earshot of them. Bloody Iranians, he never bothered to take another language in university. So it was no surprised they were talking what seemed to be apparently gibberish to his ears. He heard them laughing at an unknown joke before they advanced again. His radio crackled as he slunk into the storehouse. “We’re in position, orders?” “No go for fire, don’t want to jeopardize this morning,” Hershowitz responded as his finger itched to pull the trigger of the SCAR-L he held onto his chest. It was then he heard the sudden skidding of boots and the frantic calls of one of their own from their radio. He peeked out to investigate the cause of this and saw them slowly nodding their heads and they promptly fled back towards the direction of the palace. “What’s the situation? Our boys got pinned down again?” “Negative, as far as I can remember Azadi was a no-go for any US forces. Don’t know why they’re rushing off somewhere,” Hershowitz let out a breath of relief and stepped out into the open, waving to Scott who was on the other side of where he stood. “Can’t get a good visual, too dark and too many stray cinderblocks. If you want any intel on what the hell is goin’ on down there, you’re gonna hafta’ go in close.” Hershowitz immediately grunted. Even if it wasn’t about them, it should mean there was trouble. He cracked his neck and moved forward, seeing that the trio of PLR soldiers had gone on deep into the ruins of the Palace. “Roger that, Scott, take right flank and make sure you don’t run into any trouble.” “Got it boss, these bastards won’t know what’s comin’ for them.” Scott hugged a shattered pillar and aimed his Russian-imported carbine at the same trio who had just leveled their weapons, Iranian made KH2002s, into the distance. “What are they shootin’ at this time?” “Don’t know, for all I know they’re just raising their guns up at nothing- A thunderous boom shook the foundations of the palace. The Iranians visibly shuddered and shouted as they sprinted into cover. The whirring of helicopter blades reverberated across the ruined landscape. “What in the bloody hell…? Was that a bloody tank…?” Hershowitz held up his SCAR as he rolled into a flat piece of collapsed building support. “I think so, and we hear a helo’ closing in fast on the PLR. What in the living fuck is happening? The Marines are already starting a full scale crackdown?” Scott had taken up a vantage point above on the second floor of the palace and was barely visible as he stuck his head out of the concrete. He then laid eyes on a desert coated, tiger striped tank that was firing at three downed PLR technicals who were firing away with their machine guns to no visible effect, the only things making damage to it, if it is even damaging, were the small explosions of tossed grenades. He knew what tank this was, a Russian made T-90. There was not many countries that made this heavy metal beast, and even less who'd want to deploy any of theirs to Iran. He grunted and took cover again, contacting Hershowitz in the meantime. “Did anyone say anythin’ ‘bout fuckin’ commies?” “Negative, no one said anything about Russian forces in Iran. What, you seeing them?” “Well, try and get up here to see for yourself. Got a live T-90 down there firin’ on PLR forces. Poor bastards,” Scott replied as he hesitated to blow the tank up but promptly took cover as he saw a small grey plated helicopter hover above the place, opening firing on an unknown target, or targets if he thought hard enough. “Shit.” “What’s happening now?” “Well, fuck me with a loaded revolver, we’ve got a helo inbound to our position!” Scott barked as the helicopter began mowing down the unfortunate scampering PLR soldiers as their rifles uselessly pinged off the tank’s and the helicopter’s hardened metal. “Shit, what the fuck would the Russians have anything to do here?” “Don’t know, but for all I know now is that we’ve got two heavy contacts mowin’ down the bastards.” “Hold up, Scott. I see the helicopter, it’s a bloody Eleven W, scout helicopters, what the hell would that be doing here?” The sniper responded as his Barrett was aimed at the pilot of the chopper who circled around the PLR soldiers and suppressed the helpless men. “Don’t know, we just need to take cover before all hell breaks loose!” The T-90 fired again, destroying the leftmost technical with ease and sending gory remnants of the soldiers into the air, scorched. Hershowitz had taken two minutes to make his way where the demolitions expert took cover and took a snapshot of the armored colossus. “Holy fuck, I will take what you said seriously. Should be fine if they don’t see us,” Hershowitz commented on the current battle below as the PLR began retreating from the outside and into the palace, one of them happening to sprint up a damaged stairwell to the room they hid in. “Shit! One contact comin’ up the damn stairwell!” “Take him out when he gets here! Don’t open fire until the Russians are gone!” The fleeing PLR soldier had stumbled into the room and all he saw was a brownish blur smacking him in the nose, cracking it before a knife in the throat was all it took to end his life. “How’d you like that, ya’ dirty bastard- Scott looked up and saw the chopper’s pilot staring down at him before he pointed the dumbfounded USMC soldiers to his co-pilot. “Oh shit, I think he saw me,” Hershowitz grunted and got ready his SCAR-L for combat, aiming it for the hovering chopper, which had spun to face Scott and spun up its guns, Scott retracted his hand behind to pull out the launcher. The tank below had also seen him and raised its huge barrel at the entrance of the floor, the gunner of a deadly KORD also followed, spouting Russian commands for the hidden assailants. “Garrett, better hope you don’t miss this shot…” Hershowitz said into his radio as Scott immediately dove into cover. “I was already ready before you were, better hope you fare better on the ground,” Garrett responded coolly as he held in his breath for the shot. A second was all he needed before the sharp crack of an unsuppressed M40 sent a speeding bullet for the unfortunate Russian pilots of the helicopter. it shattered the windows of the chopper and slammed into the helmet of the pilot, sending him slumping into the controls of the chopper. The shot had also killed the co-pilot and now sent the scout helicopter to an early death as it spiraled towards the ground, to the tank’s surprise. Then three geared up Russians troopers emerged from the shadows and cursed before their weapons lit up the room the Lieutenant and the Gunnery Sergeant was in. This was it. Their cover was broken and now was the time to fight back. “We’re clear to engage! Clear to engage!” --- An hour earlier on, Rainbow Dash had just finished her cup of warm and refreshing coffee and was now on her way to her friend’s, Twilight Sparkle, residence. It was basically a tree converted to both a library and a house for the purple unicorn mare, the perfect place to learn something new for the unwilling pegasus as she touched the ground in front of the house. She gulped and knocked the door. “Hold up! I’m coming!” The door opened, to reveal Twilight. “Oh, hi Dash! What are you doing here so early?” “Err… I need to… well…” Rainbow stammered, trying her best not to reveal what she was here for. She couldn’t and promptly gave up the ruse. “I need to borrow one of your books for a while.” Twilight’s expression changed to a curious look before she started giggling. “You…want to borrow a book? That’s a first…” “Hey! It’s ain’t my fault that I ran out of ideas last night!” “Okay then, suit yourself. There’s lots of books-Rainbow had sped into her house, trying to stave off the wave of embarrassment she just earned. Skidding to a halt in front of a bookshelf, she began to carefully read through the covers of the books she saw. “History of Equestria? Nope! The Art of War? Later…” She mumbled as Twilight approached her. “You sure you’re okay? You look like you’re in a rush. Want some help?” “Nope! I don’t need help!” The floundered rainbow maned pegasus replied as her hooves brushed on the cover of the books she saw. “Oh hey! What’s this..?” She pulled out a dusty book and promptly blew a puff of wind, illuminating the words on the cover on the book. “That’s the list of ancient Pegasi performances they did back in Celestia’s days. What are you exactly planning to do, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, pondering what her friend and the Element of Loyalty was going to do for today. “Well, I’ve done a lot of things that really… made everyone wow! And now I’ve run out of ideas so I decided to come down here and take a…book!” She grunted as she hovered over to the table nearby. “Well, I only could recall you scrounging through all the books here just for Daring Doo novels but this is a first,” Twilight said as she trotted away. “Well, if you need me just call me! I’ll be in my room.” “Yeah, yeah. Go do your fancy schmancy egghead things! I’ve got business to learn!” Twilight stifled yet another wave of giggles as she walked into her room. “Okay… Let’s see..” Rainbow mused to herself as she buried her eyes into every aching line of words that she attempted to comprehend. Flipping through pages and pages of extremely complex lines, she found one very interesting article. “Ah hah! This might be something…” On it read, Blazer’s Point- A very risky maneuver created by Alfonso Skyfire, it requires for the performer to undertake strenuous endurance courses in order to pull off this hazardous trick. This maneuver will create a blazing arc of flames if done correctly, styled expressively in the shape of a rainbow. All you need to do is… It took her almost an hour to latch these instructions in her head before she read the last of them. But beware-Rainbow tried to read the last few lines of the description of the trick but it was all worn off due to age. But nevertheless, she now had something to try out later on today as she flew out of the door back to her place, the book begin grasped by her hooves. If the words had remained where they were, here was what they said and it might've changed Rainbow Dash's mind. But beware, Skyfire himself, shortly after performing the eye-popping performance, he was never seen again in an aura of energy. Some say that it was a magical glitch but others think not. Do not attempt to do this trick at all for it is too risky as until today, Skyfire has not returned from where he came from.