Heroes come when they're needed; great men step forward when courage seems in short supply - Ronald Reagan.
...
December 17th, 2041, 1700 hours
After successfully taking out the entire mechanized infantry company of the Caliphate we proceeded to our original objective, but our first victory doesn't come without any losses with three injured and a two-men anti-tank team with Type 30 were killed by an Enigma 100mm cannon fire in the opening phase of the battle. Our camera view had shown bombed out villages and towns in the outskirts of Rajkot, and furthermore one of our IFVs were disabled by mine with it's front wheel blown off. The damage is repairable, in light with the Weling AFV series were built with double V-hulls like the later mark of American Stryker and it's successor, Giunta AFV, first unveiled in 2034, in which like the Stryker, was also named after a Medal of Honor recipient, Salvatore Giunta. Still, it means one of ours was out of the fight.
"Be advised, Bendi Company have cleared enemy resistance in Morbi and along with an Indian unit is continuing as planned, all remaining companies, pick up the pace, there are reports that nerve gas might be used... Emping 6 out." ordered Lt. Col. Basuki.
"Oh great, just our first day, and those fuckers are already resorting to gas." moaned Handy.
"They had used those things extensively in the up north, and way before that, in Iran, Syria, Israel, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, and Serbia, so what do you expect?" Ramlan asked.
"Yeah, let's pray our MOPP (1) works" replied Agnes.
"So do I, and all of us," I added.
"Speaking of this.. will we came back here alive, Sarge?" Her face turned serious.
Unable to answer his question, I can only smile at her.
"All Cikar Company units, keep tight dispersion when we're linking up with the Indians. Make sure other units don't get mixed in.
"We are the conquering heroes of the Motherland," Rudi stated.
"Now we're back on this bloody traffic," Ramlan said as he looked at the camera when some part of the company was mixed up with civilian vehicles try to go eastward as far as possible, out from the battlefield.
"Everyone, look at this.." called Janice as they gazed at the monitor inside.
"Angry Indonesian"
"Palu Hakim" (Judge's Gavel)
"Pancasila, bukan Palestina " (Pancasila, not Palestine). I said out loud as I looked at a slogan in one of the 3rd squad IFV.
"You tread on us, we tread on you?"
"Honestly that word is too cheesy to me" Agnes stated.
"You know, it like that song "When Garuda's Fly over the Motherland?"
"Garuda is also a symbol of the Thais, Indians, and many more of our South East Asian friends, you know" Rudi chuckled.
"Yeah, when we got demobbed campus choir greeted us with it back then" Handy replied to Rudi.
"For a bunch of religious fascists, those people are a competent lot," said Abe.
"Yup, this gun, for example. We used to work with Turks, anyway. Widya, could you stow this up next to my seat?"
"Yes, but why that MPT-76?"
"Gotta be prepared. This is a NATO gun anyway. Who knows one of you might need it, not necessarily me." I replied to one of my fireteam leaders.
"I saw some videos about Kostrad boys and girls, those Para Raiders, use that when they run out of ammo or simply want to reach their targets further," Janice said again. "With all due respect to our own stuff. Hey, maybe we can wish what gift we want for our birthdays, guys?"
YOU ARE READING
Third Dawn
ActionSet in the same period as "Wings of the Republic" William and his friends, had survived the Civil War are living their normal lives, as peaceful as they could be, when the drums of war were beaten once more with the rise of the theocratic superstat...
