Cerk-Ly War, Second Ters-Ly War, Early Return (11)

  There was a newfound silence the world wasn't aware was so well-welcoming. After weeks of non-ending bickering between ANS and Lymoca, culminating with a loud and clear 'stay' from President Luis, everything else was focused on the war. Which was strange, because someone might've thought President Luis Heartez would rather have this than the wars his country were extending to be the world's main focus.

  The situation with the Cerk-Ly and Second Ters-Ly Wars were starkly different from the First Ters-Ly War. For starters, experience. Lymoca was more readied and concise, with Cerka and Torka watching and suffering defeat after defeat.

  Then, there was preparation. Lymoca had been prepared when they marched to Terka, but the enemy was more than prepared this time. The resources they were supplied with attested to that. Their training even more so, and they were also expecting to defend their country.

  They were clearly aware that Lymoca could go after them at any time. Lymoca’s preemptive declarations of war had already alerted them. The interventions made them feel for their country, which only showed after Lymoca counterattacked.

  While the Cerk and Ters invasions couldn’t be said to be wrongly carried out, or without enough planning, they underestimated Argopolas and Melenon. Argopolas was the weakest target because of their nonexistent navy, at least compared to Cerka’s ‘new’ navy.

  Melenon was much smaller, almost tiny in comparison, but their people were the warriors that made Torka’s full-on advancements halt until collapsing to a still frontline. They also had a better arsenal in their hands and a large quantity of them, but that didn’t make them invincible.

  Regardless, the situation was now tense. Lymoca wasn’t facing just an enemy that had better weapons and that was it. They had defensive tactics, planned out strategies to choke offensives, and were readied to assail back their invader.

  For starters, Cerka and Torka immediately launched propaganda after Lymoca flew into the skies and towards them, with the Lymocan soldiers and their super advanced vehicles starting to descend. Torka’s approach was all or nothing, marking Lymocan forces as oppressive.

  President Gustavo J. appeared in a simulated congress room with his body moving more forcefully and with a higher volume, depicting rage and honor with a raised, flinging fist. “We wanted something, didn’t we? Yes, we did. We wanted Torka to be respected!”

  “What did we receive in return? Just like Terka, the world ignored us and allowed others’ tyranny to spread left and right! And in the end, we did receive something, but all that it was was but the invasion of the oppressor!”

  “They are now here! They have thirsted for this moment! We didn’t notice before— we were too afraid to move in either direction. Now, we’re suffering what Terka saw, the real Terka. Soldiers! I’m talking to you, the last Ters of Moonblue, of the world.”

  “I call to you because those LYS are coming. They want to slowly help you forget who you are, why were you born here, and that your love does not belong to them, but your land!!”

  “But they don’t know that only happens to those who don’t love their land, their family, their… blood! The oppressor claims their blood is the only one through us all… Shouldn’t that be enough to bring them down? Their hypocrisy!”

  “Now that they’re standing on our dirt, which they’ll bleed and then take away like a kid with a fistful of sand— show the world we are Ters for who we are, and our difficulties! Death to lye, long live Torka!”

  “Long live Torka!” - “Long live Torka!” - “Long live Torka!” A chorus sounded afterwards before the video went black, but some echoes remained for a few seconds.

  Cerka’s approach was similar but different. Their situation wasn’t as barbarically tight as Torka has it, on which any unit could immediately land and annihilate any defensive forces if allowed. Instead, Cerka went for the honorable means and rights to die for one’s love for their land.

  President Antonio A. appeared in a blank white room, with a white suit and wearing a relaxed but worried squint. He looked around before beginning, “We saw this coming. Since last year, there was the true betrayal that flooded our south in blood.”

  “Others might be too blind to see through it, through the word ‘lye’ and the brainwashing of ‘Ly’. But as I tell you we do see, we are under attack.” Antonio A. shook and lowered his head before lifting it. “Nobody but ourselves can do something about it. I want to help you remember.”

  “When you were born here, you weren’t supposed to look into the skies and frown because you saw the incoming perdition. You were supposed to only hold those you love in your arms… Now, I want to beg you to let go of that… so you can fight to let your children have that chance.”

  “Will you allow me to be this brazen? Die… so your children and family can live. I’ll try to talk to Lys, not their President. That man is not human anymore but someone who thirsts of bringing back a false empire not even those Lys want. ANS has already said so. So if there’s anything about that Green Humanism still there, I will bring it back— from Cerka!”

  “Cerka deserves better!” - “Cerka will show the world!” - “We are a sovereign country!” Chanting followed as the screen turned black. Its last moments depicting the Cerk president standing, rooted, and not about to flee or react at the incoming enemy…

  These brought as much attention as anything could while Lymocan soldiers descended outside the cities and near the rural settlements. Everyone in the world had a head that tells them to opine.

  While that was that, Lymoca’s circle of favorable relations among nations thought a bit differently. It was simple and resumed: ‘good ANS production-level cinema’.

  Torka had a population above 30 million, of which over 300,000 became soldiers in the last few weeks, trained mostly to defend their home.

  Cerka had a population of about 160 million. It was also the third-largest country in south mainland. They amassed as many as 700,000 soldiers to defend from Lymoca’s invasion. Their training was just as good as those from Torka, trained to defend only.

  Their arsenal was what mattered the most, as countless super tanks and combat helicopters were everywhere. Practically every soldier wielded DLMs, with the majority, less than 40%, wielding at least a small pistol. The rest were medium pistols, while a smaller percentage carrying large pistols. Neither had ‘second-hand’ weaponry.

  As for Lymoca, their population was about 400 million. The soldiers they sent to Argopolas were about 150,000 at first, at least throughout time and before moving to Melenon. The PSD agents were only about 20,000 in total, before increasing to about 30,000 firsters to Cerka and Torka.

  Therefore, as the counterattacks to Cerka and Torka began, the number of active Lymocan soldiers increased to at least 300,000. Lymoca was serious, indeed.

  Counting that, to anyone in the world, this meant their approximately known 750,000 soldiers were on, not counting national guard. Lymoca’s commitment was just there to be seen. More so as their previous shows of power became greater than what was seen in the first Ters-Ly War.

  With about 450,000 soldiers remaining back home, Lymoca moved onto Cerka and Torka.

  Torka was a difficult surprise. It was expected that it would cost them to secure routes and air drops, but even if it was a slow process, it had to be done well. Neither Cors nor Collan would also join ANS’s side and stupidly attack Lymoca while they were half-focused on their enemies.

  Fox was sent there ‘alone’ with over 3,000 special agents, all the best he wanted to have beside him. He kept running around with the 200 under his command, managing them to recompile information and silently take out anyone they could, be it enemy soldier or officer.

  With 300,000 soldiers spread throughout Torka to protect every corner meant a situation to face with utmost delicateness. It was already packed enough with over 30 million people living in the tiny place, but there they were, and so was Lymoca now.

  Of course, while things started, and after the almost rough landing in the northeastern corner, securing themselves a HQ, Esmeralda kept rushing about around Fox and filmed him. Although Fox later on taught her to go on without him nearby, beside Nala or one of her team members.

  The first days were an all-time tension to repel however units Torka sent to harass them, luckily kill them, and even scout without being discovered. But no matter how the enemy tried, none of their units returned. It went on for a few days before Torka decided to send a large force.

  Finally, their units returned, maimed and crippled, completely useless to the army now, but they returned. They were decimated. Thus, Torka comprehended their invaders wouldn’t be ‘the first wave’, but the hardest enemy they would ever face.

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  It wasn’t their fault. By breaking so many HLS in Melenon, they practically begged PSD to get into the game, and when ‘talks’ were conducted, Fox didn’t bother offering explanations… Not that he would’ve before, but Esme has him going through some ‘rehabilitation’ processes.

  He was supposed not to kill and not bother asking later. Regardless, a couple of weeks after occupying a few square kilometers in northern Torka, Fox had carried out enough investigation. Thus, with the ten thousand plus of special forces sent here, Fox led an offensive.

  Not to the Ters army, or a defensive point, but the enemy hoog. Terka only had one as a tiny country, and they weren’t powerful enough to even be a threat to 3,000 PSD SAs. But should the special forces meet them alone and in not enough numbers, then it was different.

  Meanwhile, while Lymocan forces in Torka prepared for the same amount of time, the forces in Cerka had it much more active. 300,000 soldiers were sent to the third-largest country in the south at once. Anyone would guess this would be a logistics nightmare, but it was quite simple.

  Furthermore, with most of the active special agents, those sent to war, deployed to Cerka, the situation after landing was smoother than in Torka, some not even sighted or attacked.

  The Lymocan air force offered limited support, but they didn’t come close to the Cerk cities. The Lymocan army didn’t target the cities, which some hidden spies reported minimal military activity and arsenal movement. At least they didn’t dare violate those HLS.

  In order to not give the enemy a chance to bombard their own cities again, and use Lymocan fighters’ closeness to shift the blame, the Lymocan warplanes remained too high in the air near cities. They would only descend to harass enemy columns marching to meet landed Lymocan soldiers. This was to buy time for the soldiers so they could continue with their allocated tasks.

  The closest Lymoca air dropped soldiers and armored vehicles landed was several hundreds of meters from their outskirts, small or big. But this wouldn’t proportionate enough smoothness in the speed and movement of the soldiers, they still needed air support.

  The one and one only Viper and Insect Snake each company unit was allowed, not counting special forces, weren’t enough to secure the soldiers’ safety.

  That was why the navy sent virtually every combat helicopter and support chopper they could. The skies of the noon were filled by the sight of hundreds of helicopters seen coming to Cerka from the late morning. The ‘new airbases’ in Melenon also deployed dozens of helicopters.

  It was the all-out war move Lymoca based this first step of the war to punish the traitorous, those who betrayed the south to strike some of the weakest countries in the region.

  While the difference in number was astronomical, the specialty that was instead a common trait for the Lymocan soldiers put an astronomical advantage over the Cerk armies. Even though it was a practical, conventional war move, Lymoca adopted guerilla tactics.

  Some units ignored the incoming enemy units, while others tended ambushes, of which few directly engaged. Nevertheless, despite suffering some losses, Cerka’s equipment being no joke; they knew how to use everything they got, the first day was a total success.

  In the Cerk golf, the Lymocan navy bombarded to foundation the military ports and any other defensive coastal stronghold. With this, the amphibious vehicles rushed to the coasts at the afternoon, while the soldiers who landed at noon a little up north worked with them to bag Cerka’s south. It wouldn’t be a quick victory, however.

  That was for the army sent to Cerka from northern Melenon. Those from southern Melenon arrived at the central west of Cerka, putting the Cerks in an all-time intense mentality. They wanted to push into Melenon, but it would leave central Cerka a little defenseless.

  With Lymoca moving into their land, they could force them to retreat if they scared the living hell out of the Melenon people, right?

  But when they pushed, they were met with the jointed combination of Avican forces and their hoog, which went all out to force the Cerk border soldiers to retreat hundreds of meters.

  Melenon gained territory for the first time in the war, but they didn’t go overboard, only taking a couple of hundred meters before stopping. The Cerks tried again a few times from noon to night before finally giving it a rest for some time.

  On the other hand, while this happened, central west Cerka continued to hurt. The Cerk capital was many tens of kilometers below the borders with Collan. They were tense the moment they received reports that Lymocan infantry, all practically motorized, moved everywhere.

  They sent the strongest units they had to form blockades, failing to see through Lymoca’s moves, which treated the capital state like a virus. Lymocan units directly moved outside the capital state’s borders, selectively going after targets outside the blockade they were planning.

  By the time Cerka realized they were practically safe from a sudden deep incursion, they received non-communication from their hidden scout and defensive points across central Cerka. Only a few were unresponsive, but it exposed Lymoca’s intentions.

  Yet, to defend the capital state, the majority wasn’t mobilized, while the armies far to the north remained stationed, and only small units here and there were called into delegation. Another massive chase, overall and individual, occurred in the center just as it was in the south.

  Lastly, from the army, the troops stationed at Melenon’s northern borders with Cerka also went on the move. They were the fewest from the army, with about 30,000 tasked with taking over the northwesternmost territory.

  The idea was to make Cerka want to eat Melenon while they were eaten from the top to the bottom on their western borders. Melenon’s armies were readied to take station and cover for the Lymocan soldiers, which were the best of Melenon with Lymocan arsenal.

  That included only artillery weapons, light support helicopters, and anti-armored ammunition and weapons. Esnly, QH - 8C, HS, Lykatóns, and SMs were for Lymocan troops only.

  When Cerka’s main armies met the Lymocan equipment, be it their sniper rifle, their multipurpose rifle, and their pistols, they were rapidly beaten away. The best they had was DLMs and their weaker derivates for personnel machine guns and sniper rifles.

  And when Cerks kept reporting tens of super tanks destroyed as soon as the Lymocan soldiers ambushed, counterattacked, or simply by chasing after them, Cerka realized this was the so-called Static March precedence. It was a terrifying explosive like it was reported.

  Cerka had to make do with those. The process to do that would be tumultuous throughout the war from now on, long and arduous, too. But it will take them as long as it would take them, and hopefully… maybe they’ll receive the attention they deserve?

  But will that even arrive?

  Lymoca might have spread through south and central Cerka, but even with over 270,000 soldiers deployed sparsely, professionally and with ample experience from combating OCs. It was hardly any terrain % taken overall. Torka was a bit different, but that was too tiny a comparison.

  From PSD’s part, they targeted every lagj secret organization while investigating the hoog secret organization. They complemented the latter while working in the former. Ruthlessness was their creed. Both ordered by Butler and Raging Blood. This was the clearest example of enemies of their nation.

  Piya Sanctum District might be no extremists like Tri Shield Fortress, but never should they give the enemy any hope for survival. Needless to say, tens of thousands throughout Cerka were more than enough to locate every enemy lagj secret organization.

  That, too, was a work in progress.

  . . .

  3 months went by since the first day Lymoca sent a counterattack against Cerka and Torka. Torka. Past the ? of the country from the north occupied by Lymoca.

  Fox and Nala’s team were on a quick task requiring above top-notch stealth and patience. For over the last 3 weeks, Fox has waited for an opportunity like this one. He was out of his NUA, like everyone else, except for Esmeralda. Only her high NUA didn’t decrease base speed and agility or made it a bit quirky, if only a tiny iota.

  Fox’s eyes were focused up ahead. They were ‘laying’ prone on the short grass with their bellies facing down. Their legs were bent, but only their toes touched the ground. Even Esmeralda somewhat learned this pose and the demeanor to maintain it.

  “Pfss.” Fox mouthed. The sound’s volume was almost nonexistent, but as soon as it sounded, everyone stomped and echoed with ‘stomp- fwush!’ noises before running down the hill.

  A small building with only 2 rooms with a wide window and an elevated main floor faced the hill they were rushing down from. Their bodies planed a bit before touching the grass. As soon as their soles hit the earth, a yellow hue illuminated the surroundings.

  “Stop them!!” A voice shouted, loud and extensive across the area. About a dozen towers with shack-like houses at the top, roughly 5 meters tall, became illuminated as the yellow quickly blinked in and out.

  CRASSHH! They broke through the window after jumping high to it. An old man was just walking around one of the rooms with the shared, extensive window when he saw them breaking apart. Before the old man breathed inwards from shell shock, Fox’s hand grabbed his throat.

  Crack! Fox twisted his left wrist after getting a good grip, turning the old man’s body limp before rushing ahead while Akina fired pistols at the sides, killing a few rows of soldiers rushing up some stairs. Then, Esmeralda broke the front wall and took her pistols out. At the same time, Lyan, who stayed behind, aimed at the shacks from the hill.

  BANG! BANG! BANG!… Hearing the ‘cue’, Fox immediately followed after Esmeralda, with his left hand carrying the limp corpse of the old man. Nala was right behind them, jumping to follow with Esmeralda already firing her Green and Quiet everywhere in a circle, while the tower shacks burned as they fell.

  Nala turned around in midair, proportioning Akina supportive fire to let her jump as well. Soon after, Akina joined them, with Fox lost somewhere in the middle, brandishing his comets and destroying soldier bodies under the cover of the night.

  … 3 hours later. Fox and Nala’s team returned to the third of Torka territory Lymoca has occupied so far. The old man’s corpse was nowhere to be seen, but the relaxed smiles on their faces related everything. Their longest-term mission so far to take one of Ters’ generals had been accomplished. With this, and Miros’s ardent focus on the anti-missile missiles’ systems back at HQ would soon be over.

  “How does it feel?” Fox turned to Lyan and asked. The bright ebony beauty had a placid, serene expression staring at the ground. When she heard his words, she lifted her eyes calmly. “Amazing! I can’t help remembering the sensation of my babies hitting those little towers!”

  Lyan wore a crazed expression. Fox blinked a few times, tilting his head before motioning a message through his left arm for an armored vehicle to pick them up. They stopped to wait. In the end, they received a few injuries when escaping the enemy’s eyes.

  The enemy was furious. One of their most influential military leaders were down some gutter, thrown there before their very own eyes… Fox had a taste to bring attention to himself. Otherwise, his direct bullet wounds might’ve been for any of Nala’s non-self-regenerating team members. He wouldn’t have another Alea and Nol.

  “Hey,” Fox stared at Nala, who was conversing with Esme. Esmeralda was being praised, her eyes shining when looking at Nala. They were still not teaching her anything, only letting her exercise from time to time, especially stretching.

  When they heard him, they turned to him. Eyebrows jumping a little, and their beautiful eyes focused on him. Fox blinked before saying what he wanted to, and feeling damn good for finally doing it. “It’s been long enough. I’ll have Luis motion us a confirmation to return. This place is secured. And… well, I want to be with you.”

  Not only Nala and Esmeralda, but Akina and Lyan were surprised, gladdened.

  …