America Brings Liberty to an Oppressed World

Chapter 6: Operation Fire Fighter II

"Organize what forces we have left and secure the city! Lock down all entrances and the harbors!"

"M'lord!" An officer suddenly ran up with urgency. "Several unidentified vessels were spotted approaching!" Looking out at the horizon, several large vessels of unknown design or affiliation were spotted closing in the shore.

Aurelianus rushed towards the closest balcony to get a better view of the vessels. They were all grey in hull and moved without sails, seemingly not reliant on the winds for mobility. Waving atop them were flags the imperator could not make out the details of, nor could he recognize belonged to any nation off the top of his head. Where was his navy, allowing these ships to get this close to the capital?

"Scramble troops and whatever artillery siege engines we have towards our ports and shore!" He ordered. No matter what, the city must not fall. Whoever these invaders are, they shall be repelled and defeated.

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3rd US MEG, USS Daniel Daly

Perhaps the most terrifying vessel any opposing nation could bear witness to outside their coasts, even scarier than a carrier or battleship, was the USS Daniel Daly of the Daly-class marine assault cruiser. Designed for the intended role of sieging an enemy nation's coasts while deploying marines ashore. Over 60,000 tons and 900 feet long, the ship had enough carrying space for 3,500 marines and a vast amount of armored and logistical vehicles. Its small flight deck at the rear was capable of supporting VTOL aircraft and helicopters intended for close air support and reconnaissance missions. These massive ships worked in tandem with marine assault carriers and are escorted by a squadron of four destroyers, and a pair of submarines lurking underwater.

Inside, marines were preparing for an amphibious assault against the Eldorian capital city. Their overall job was to cut the head off the snake by capturing the city and either killing or capturing their leadership. Potentially reducing the length of the war or ending it right here, right now.

The marines used relatively the same gear and equipment as the Army with minor changes. One of their vehicles was an adapted variant of a tank used by the Army Airborne unit. The M48 Chaffee Light Airborne Tank, designed for the intended purpose of rapid deployment via airdrops and transport by either plane or helicopter. The Marine Corps ended up acquiring these tanks and developing the M48A1E2 Amphibious Assault Tank. It's lightweight armor made the conversion into an amphibious vehicle rather easy, requiring light modification to allow for proper water displacement, relocation of engine intake and exhaust, and the addition of water jets to allow for mobility in water.

With a fast firing 90mm main gun, 6.8mm coaxial, 12.7mm remote operated Heavy Pulse Rifle, and 10mm micro missiles, this tank brought a scary amount of firepower in support of ground forces. Due to its light armor, the tank relied heavily on sophisticated active and reactive protect systems to defend against incoming threats to the vehicle and its crew.

"She's roarin' and ready for action!" A marine driver said as the hybrid diesel-electric engine of his tank came to life, followed by the engines of other tanks and vehicles. The other crew members, a gunner, systems manager, and commander, were running system checks on their stations, confirming their tank was ready for action as all systems registered green.

"So who exactly are we dealing with? A bunch of Medieval wannabes?" The gunner asked as he adjusted the digital sights for the main gun. "Doesn't sending us seem a bit overkill for a bunch of dudes with sharp sticks?"

"At least you get to kill someone," The system's operator responded. "Should be an easy job if they don't have any AT threats."

Outside the door for the well-deck began to open, letting the salty ocean water flood in. The assault was imminent and already several RHIBs and armed patrol boats were deployed ahead of the fleet.