Radar Station
20 km north of Ragna
04.22
Dawn is still almost an hour away. But this is the time of day when the temptation of sleepiness is greatest because you're tired of not sleeping all night. This is also the case for the radar operators at a radar station 20 kilometers north of Ragna that guards the capital and coastal areas north of Ragna. Despite the night shift, the radar station remains fully manned, with 6 radar operators, 4 technicians, 2 map-plotting staff, and a shift leader in attendance. In addition, there are 16 soldiers guarding the compound, plus a 3-man security force securing the inside of the radar building. In general, the radar installation is well defended and well staffed.
Currently, out of 6 radar operators, 3 are on duty, while the other 3 are resting. Of the 4 technicians, only 1 is on duty, the rest are resting. Meanwhile, only one of the plotter staff was at the plotter table, while the other was asleep in a chair.
Suddenly, a radar officer spoke loudly, startling his colleagues in the room.
"Something is closing fast! Take a look at your radar, bearing 107. What do you see?" the radar officer said.
"I don't see anything." Another radar officer said this after adjusting his radar screen.
"It's nowhere to be seen. I saw something approaching quickly, but after a few seconds, it moved away again quickly. But what I saw was a weak blip heading this way." The first radar officer spoke.
"Wait a minute... I saw it too. It's very weak and hard to detect. It's only visible once in a while. It's moving quickly towards us!" said the second radar officer.
"We are now detecting two objects approaching rapidly from the same direction. It appears to be an airplane!" said the first officer.
"Sound general quarters! Focus our radar on the approaching objects!" said the shift leader.
Alarms blared at the radar installation. However, a few seconds later, something suddenly hit the radar antenna, which was currently outputting maximum power to detect the approaching object, and exploded, destroying the entire antenna building. The object was an anti-radiation missile fired by the Mu Empire's aircraft.
Soon two B-1 bombers from the Mu Empire approached and began launching FFARs at all the buildings in the radar installation. The two aircraft released several bombs as they passed over the radar installation area. The explosions from the bombs devastated the radar installation. There were no survivors in the attack, and the attack was so fast that the radar installation did not have time to send an alert to the command center.
The same thing happened to all the radar installations around Ragna.
---oOo---
Ragna military airfield
4:30 a.m.
On the outskirts of Ragna, there was a large military airfield. It also served as the field headquarters for the Gra Valkas Air Force. The airfield was large because, in addition to housing many active military aircraft and serving as one of the main military bases, it also served as a bone yard for inactive military aircraft, either stored for future use or in the recycling and dismantling process. In addition, the military airfield also serves as one of the air force's special forces headquarters.
Because of the separation between military and civilian airfields in Ragna, at half past five, there is still not much activity at the airfield. Most of the activity was in the military barracks on the outskirts of the military airfield, which were beginning to stir with their morning activities.
At the airfield, there was only a radar installation that was used to direct aircraft. This was done because during military operations, a large number of military aircraft would usually fly at the same time, and it was possible to have simultaneous arrivals and departures. However, there were no scheduled aircraft-based military operations at this time, which prevented the activation of the radar installation at the military airfield. They relied on information from radar installations elsewhere that had greater detection capabilities and distances.
No one at the military airfield thought that the aircraft seen approaching them did not belong to them, but to the Mu Empire. This was because there should be enough radars securing the airspace around Ragna, especially since the military airfield was not close to the sea.
"Who's airplane would dare to fly at this time of night?" asked a tower officer, who had just approached the tower to start it and start the morning shift.
"Could it be an airplane in an emergency? We need to activate the airfield immediately," said another officer.
"But that sounds like more than one plane. There can't be several aircraft in distress at the same time," said the driver who took the two officers to the tower.
"Is there a scheduled flight of military aircraft this morning? Because if it's more than one plane, then it's most likely a military plane." said the second tower officer.
"I don't think so," replied the first tower officer.
"Then we should go to the tower immediately. I smell something wrong here," said the second tower officer.
"Alright, I'll speed to the tower." The driver of the car said.
The car started speeding towards the tower.
.
.
.
Military Airfield Administration Building
At the same time
Some of the officers on the night shift began to go out of the building a lot to relieve fatigue after doing the night watch. Their shift was almost over, so they were just taking roll call on the first floor of the building.
Two officers with the rank of captain were walking around the administration building while watching the line of soldiers who occasionally passed by on the road in front of the building doing their morning run around the military compound together.
"It's cold this morning, isn't it?" one officer said to his friend as he rubbed his hands together.
"That's right, it seems to be very hot today. Usually, if the day is hot, then the night will be very cold," he told his friend.
Just then, there was the sound of an airplane approaching.
"Who's the crazy person flying the plane so early in the morning?" said the first captain.
"Maybe his crazy boss told him to fly at night," said his friend's captain.
"With this war, it seems our leaders have all gone crazy. Many crazy ways have been taken. But this is the craziest, how can a pilot see the ground at this time of night? If those planes want to land, then the risk is great even if we turn on all the lights on the runway," said the first captain.
"Flying is easy, landing is difficult. But it seems our runway and tower are not active yet. Why is there an airplane in the air?" asked his friend.
"Don't know..." said the first captain, who didn't have time to finish his sentence.
At that moment, the FFARs of Mu Empire's eight B-1s reached their targets, the aircraft hangars and surrounding buildings at the Gra Valkas military airfield. Explosion after explosion rang out in the early morning.
"What in the hell?" said his friend's captain.
"That's an enemy plane! Look at the fuel depot taking fire!" said the first captain as he pointed to the flames that were rising near the airplane hangar.
"Damm. Let's get back to the building!" said his friend as he turned around and ran towards the administration building, followed by the first captain.
Once inside the building, the first captain immediately broke the emergency alarm button holder and pressed the button. His friend raced to the communications room.
"Sir, what's going on?" asked the sergeant on duty in the communications room as the second captain entered the communications room.
"There's an enemy attack! Immediately relay this over the radio, alert all commands, and warn Central Command!" said the second captain.
"Yes, captain," said the sergeant, heading for the communication equipment.
"Send this: Alert. The enemy is attacking Ragna and its military airfield. This is not a drill." The captain spoke.
"Yes, Captain." Said the sergeant, who began ordering his men to transmit the message via radio and phone.
Outside the building, the Mu Empire's 12 bombers were wreaking havoc on the military airfield. Bombs fell on the various buildings on the airfield, destroying all the aircraft in the hangar and nearby. They also targeted the runway, leaving it pockmarked and unusable. The bombers also targeted the barracks, resulting in the deaths of numerous Gra Valkas soldiers. After that, the bombers began to release the rest of their FFAR and used machine guns to destroy all the aircraft parked some distance away from the buildings, including the aircraft in the boneyard.
After 15 minutes of the Mu Empire's attack, they finally returned to the sea and left the Ragna military airfield shrouded in smoke and flames.
The same thing happened at all airfields, both civilian and military, within 300 km of Ragna.
---oOo---
Fishing boats, 20 km off the coast of Ragna
Off the coast of Ragna, a number of small fishing boats are visible. An individual or group of fishermen privately owns these boats, unlike the company-owned Diamond 22. Due to their relatively small size, they do not fish too far offshore.
One of the boats, named 'Yellow Fin', was seen pulling in its nets and began lifting the fish caught in the nets. This was the last catch. The vessel's cargo hold was already full, and it was impossible to keep the fish on deck for long as they had no refrigeration and would spoil quickly. The 'Yellow Fin' would return to land as soon as they placed the fish from the nets in containers.
As the crew of the 'Yellow Fin' were busy on deck, they heard the sound of many planes approaching them. They couldn't see far in the darkness of the night, but they could hear the sound of many airplanes approaching them and then passing over them in the direction of Ragna.
"What is that sound? It seems to be coming from the sky, but it doesn't sound like an airplane engine," said a sailor who had been busy pulling in the nets and stood up to look at the sky.
His friends also stopped their work and looked at the sky around them to find the source of the sounds.
"I don't know, but it came from the sky. It must be an airplane," said another sailor.
Just then, one could see the flickering navigation lights of the Mu Empire planes flying towards Ragna. They were flying low to avoid any radar that might still remain.
"Look at that!" said a sailor, pointing skyward at a Mu Empire craft that happened to be flying low enough above them to make out its shape.
"That's not our ship! That's the Mu Empire's!" said another sailor who saw the faintly visible Mu Empire insignia on the passing craft.
"They're going to attack Ragna!" said another sailor.
"Pull up the nets immediately, we need to get out of here!" said the captain of the 'Yellow Fin'.
All the sailors were busy pulling up their nets. Meanwhile, the captain of the ship immediately used the radio to warn everyone. But it was useless, as the first element of the Mu Empire's planes had already started attacking targets around Ragna.
---oOo---
Ragna suburb
Gra Valkas Army's 3rd Infantry headquarters
4.45 a.m.
This is the headquarters of the 3rd Army, which consists of eight divisions, including an armored division. It had been a while since the entire 3rd Army was activated for immediate deployment in Leifor. Hence, the entire headquarters was always busy. They were continuously training and preparing the supplies they would bring to Leifor. Trucks carrying various supplies were seen going in and out of the headquarters almost all the time.
Additionally, the headquarters had enough weapons to fend off both ground and air attacks. Strategically positioned artillery cannons stood ready to defend the headquarters. The same was true of the anti-aircraft cannons. However, these weapons remain unmanned due to the high confidence that the enemy will not attack the continent of Gra Valkas. However, the guard towers on the walls of the headquarters are always manned.
Although it was still early in the morning, many people were already outside their barracks. They were getting ready for the morning activities that would begin at 5 a.m. Even so, they still looked relaxed. Many were still sitting on the side of the road, smoking cigarettes, or going to the cafeteria building to drink coffee.
.
.
.
Guard tower no. 5
There were 4 people on top of the guard tower, which was quite large, about 4x4 meters. There are five more people in the guard tower office at the bottom of the guard tower. The four people on the guard tower take turns standing guard. Each time, 2 people would stand guard and 2 people would rest, sitting in the center of the guard tower. They take turns standing guard every hour. After 4 hours, they would take turns with the other soldiers in the office below the guard tower. The nine people stood guard for eight hours during a shift.
Because conditions were considered quite safe, the guard was also a little more relaxed. They could chat among themselves even though they were still looking around the guard tower. The lights on the border fence were bright enough that they could see around the guard tower clearly.
Suddenly, one of the soldiers on guard glanced up at a point in the sky.
"It's like I hear an airplane?" the soldier said.
"Ah, I don't hear it. Are you getting delirious with sleepiness? Relax, our shift will actually end soon." said another soldier.
"Right, you know... Now it seems to be heard continuously," said the first soldier.
"I don't hear it... Wait, I think I hear something." The second soldier said.
His two friends, who were resting, also stood up and tried to listen.
"I think so, there's a sound in the sky," said the soldier who just stood up.
"Well, it sounds right? Is that the sound of an airplane?" asked the first soldier.
"It doesn't sound like an airplane. It's like a whoosh. What is that sound?" asked the soldier, who had just stood up.
"Is it the sound of a monster?" asked the second soldier.
"You are crazy. There is no such thing as a monster." Said the first soldier.
"Well, since we moved to this new world, haven't we found many monsters?" said the second soldier.
"That's not the sound of monsters or living creatures, it seems to be the sound of machinery. I often hear it at my parents' company," said the last soldier.
Suddenly, there were several fireballs approaching them.
"What's that? Maybe it really is a monster!" said the second soldier, who was scared.
"I don't know what it is, but we have to set off the alarm," said the first soldier as he ran over to the alarm button and pressed it.
The alarm started to wail throughout the 3rd Army headquarters complex.
But before anyone could react, the fireball that was the AS-1 missile had already reached its target, the ammunition depot at the 3rd Army headquarters. Powerful explosions were heard throughout the headquarters. Fireballs seemed to soar from the ammunition depot, and after that, other explosions coming from the explosion of stored ammunition began to be heard.
"My god, what is that?" asked the second soldier.
The rest of the soldiers in the office below immediately ran up to the top of the guard tower and witnessed the devastating explosion inside the headquarters.
They were still transfixed by the explosion when many fireballs that were FFAR rockets approached the 3rd Army headquarters and hit their targets, the buildings inside the headquarters. Panic and chaos ensued at the headquarters.
The nine soldiers at guard tower no. 5 then witnessed a number of airplanes (24 of them) flying close to their headquarters while firing fireballs at various buildings. As they passed over the headquarters, they began dropping bombs on the headquarters.
Many soldiers who were still in their barracks became casualties when FFAR rockets and bombs hit their barracks. Explosions from surrounding buildings hit even those running on the streets.
When the 24 planes returned, they opened fire on everything in sight with machine guns. They also fired on buildings that looked undamaged. Ultimately, the attack destroyed the entire 3rd Army headquarters and claimed the lives of most of the soldiers. The soldiers who survived were less than 15% of those who were there.
After 15 minutes, the 24 planes of the Mu Empire flew away from the 3rd Army headquarters. Their task had been completed.
Guard Tower No. 5 miraculously survived without taking a single shot.
---oOo---
Ragna,
Central Military Command Center
The Central Military Command Center for Gra Valkas was located in the military office complex in the center of Ragna. There is also a secondary command center at the military air base on the outskirts of Ragna. The Central Military Command Center is in a bunker under the office building. It was located 20 meters below the basement of the military offices built on top of the Central Military Command Center.
With the Mu Empire at war, Gra Valkas maintained a fully staffed Central Military Command, with a minimum of a general or equivalent commanding a shift. Especially at this time, Gra Valkas was on high alert in Leifor, facing the 'Tsunami' operation attack from the Mu Empire. There is always a high-ranking officer equivalent to a general from each military branch, namely the navy, army, and air forces, so there are 3 general equivalents.
This was also the case this morning, even the number of high-ranking officers currently reached 5, as it was expected that the 'Tsunami' operation would take place today. A 4-star general was present at the Central Military Command Center. However, there is currently no information on where the 'Tsunami' operation will take place. This left everyone there, just waiting.
In the center of the room was a situation table depicting all of Leiforia and parts of the Gra Valkas and all known information about the troops of both the Gra Valkas and the Mu Empire.
Suddenly a lowly officer, a lieutenant shouted, "We have an alert, there has been an attack on our side!"
All the senior officers immediately became serious and looked at the situation table spread out in the center of the room. Several staff members were discussing where to place the alert and attack symbols on the situation table.
"Where did the attack take place? Is it near Leiforia?" asked General Mayer, the 4-star general currently commanding Gra Valkas's Central Military Command Center.
"If it's near Leiforia, we can immediately deploy troops to deal with it!" said a general from the army.
"No, general. The attack happened in Ragna!" said the lieutenant.
"What? In Ragna? How is that possible?" said General Mayer. "Recheck information!"
"We have checked and rechecked many times. The attack happened in Ragna," said the lieutenant.
"We have another alert!" said someone in the background, carrying a paper to give to the staff, who would put it on the situation table.
"We have another alert!" said another person.
Soon, the staff putting information on the information desk became overwhelmed. The officers became very confused about the fact that there had been an attack in Ragna.
"Stay calm. Issue a general alert for all commands. A large-scale attack by the Mu Empire is in progress. This is not a drill!" said General Mayer.
"Notify the Emperor and his family immediately! Evacuate them to the royal bunker!" said an admiral.
"Notify all military officers as well!" said General Mayer.
"It appears that the Mu Empire is conducting a massive airstrike on Ragna! We should be able to determine whether a ground invasion preceded the attack. If they're landing on Ragna, it's very serious," said a general.
"Can we start mobilizing our forces in and around Ragna?" asked an admiral. "I will try to mobilize the navy to intercept the ships of the Mu Empire."
"That seems difficult to do, admiral, look at that. All the ports in Ragna are under attack too," said a general from the air force. "We're also having trouble activating our air force units. All the airfields seem to be under attack."
The information desk displayed air raid markings on every military position around Ragna.
"Then how can we deal with this airstrike from the Mu Empire?" asked a 1-star general who seemed to be starting to panic.
General Mayer paused to think.
"Contact our military forces outside Ragna to assist Ragna immediately. Activate all our forces!" ordered General Mayer at last.
"We're having trouble making radio contact. It seems the enemy is jamming radios all over Ragna!" said an officer in charge of communications. "We're trying to make contact using the phone, but since it's so early in the morning, it seems that many phone operators aren't working yet."
"Damn! Why is our information wrong? Mu Empire didn't attack at Leifor, but directly here!" said general Mayer.
"No way, all the intelligence operators stated that," said someone from the intelligence side.
Just then, an officer ran back into the room.
"We have an alert in Laifor! All the Mu Empire forces in Leifor became active and started the attack. We have an alert for airstrikes and artillery strikes in Laifor!" the officer said.
"Damn! They're doing two operations at once! We have been tricked!" said General Mayer.
The realization of this shocked everyone at the Central Military Command Center, they realized that Gra Valkas was in a very precarious situation.