First contact

A soldier runs through the crowded hallway as he made his way to the war room where the generals were.

"Excuse me general, this is the latest report we have from the reconnaissance plane." The soldier whispered to the general before reaching a piece of paper to him.

"Inform our troops, prepare for an attack." The general tells the others inside the room.

Tristan runs past the other patrols and makes his way to the communication post. He calls onto Jacques and Roger before handing them a paper with the report from high command.

"How long till they get here?" Roger asks.

"High command estimates they'll be within artillery range by tomorrow." Tristan replies.

"Put everyone on high alert, get the word out." Jacques orders.

They sounded sirens and all the soldiers on post all went to formation. Teresa climbed up her sniping post and got into position while Johann waited with Jacques and Roger. The tanks moved into position and so did the artillery pieces. Jacques organized the infantry while Roger got into his tank and organized his platoon.

"Johann! Gather your squad and stay close to the border!" Jacques exclaimed.

"Private, let's get moving." Johann orders.

"Yes sir! Right behind you." Phillip replies

"The rest of you come with me, we're flanking left!" Jeremy orders.

"Don't bother with vehicles, focus on infantry and make sure that every bullet hits!" Jacques shouts.

Jeremy and Johann split their squad and occupied buildings opposite to each other, both having several anti-tank rockets with them. They were tasked by Jacques to create a choke point on the street and slow down the enemy tanks. Teresa, sniping from a perch where she was able to see to town square. Able to shoot down anyone who goes through the main street.

"We need to secure our flanks, split up into two groups and be ready to fire at any moment." Roger orders over the radio.

"I miss the action of a fight, let's get this show on the road boys!" Timothy exclaimed.

Roger's platoon secured the flanks, creating a phalanx of tanks on the perimeter. Meanwhile, Eugene and Johann's squad got into position and started loading the rocket tubes. Jacques and Richard supervised the infantry when all of a sudden they hear the roaring engines of a plane overhead. Everyone ducked for cover but the plane slowly made a turn before heading away.

"What the hell was that just now?" Richard asked.

"It only seemed to be a reconnaissance plane. Everyone continue what you were doing!" Jacques shouted.

"If there's a reconnaissance plane already checking our position out then they must be nearby." Richard added.

Richard was right, they were already closer than expected. The Russians, now barely a kilometer away prepares their field artillery. They didn't waste a second and as soon as the first gun was operational, they began throwing shells at the Lanstonian defenders. They were taken by surprise at how fast the Russians arrived. They were not done preparing yet and this worried Jacques because his plan was falling apart.

"Teresa, get down from there! Everyone, find cover!" Jacques shouted from behind cover.

"My my, the Major seems to be so worried of me." Teresa mumbles as she climbs down the perch.

"I'll inform the 76th to begin firing as well." Richard states as he contacts the others on the radio.

"Tell Roger as well. After this barrage they'll start sending in tanks so we need to be ready." Jacques replies.

Richard informed everyone and as Jacques predicted, the Soviet tanks started appearing by the horizon. Roger orders his platoon to begin firing at the charging tanks. They were able to disable a handful but several were able to slip through into the city. It was now up to Johann and Jeremy to slow the enemy down with their anti-tank rockets.

"Don't stand behind me if you don't want your face melted away." Johann told the soldier behind him.

"Johann! Take out the rear tank after I shoot the leading one!" Jeremy shouted from several buildings away.

"You're all good to go Sarge." Phillip stated as he finished loading the rocket.

"We've never fought these new models they have. I have no fucking idea where to hit them." Jeremy added.

"Let them pass us for a bit and hit their engine compartment. Their asses won't have that much armor." Phillip replies.

The enemy tanks rolled down the main street while their infantry dismounted and began clearing every building that they pass. Johann's team stopped moving and kept quiet to not draw any attention to them. The Russian soldiers suddenly hid behind the tanks as Jacques ordered the sentry guns to open fire. They were pinned down but they slowly pushed forward towards the border. Teresa kept a close eye on the infantry and shot every head that popped out of the cover of the tanks.

"They never learn, do they? Doesn't matter, more for me." Teresa said before licking her lips.

Johann waited on Jeremy's signal as the tanks drive past the building they were on. Jeremy counted down in his head as he slowly put pressure on the trigger. The enemy's unaware of the impending doom that's about to befall on them.

"Boom." Jeremy mumbled as he fired the rocket and hit the tank's engine.

Johann soon fired his rocket and hit the engine of the tank at the very back of the line, creating a blockade on both ends of the street and trapping the other tanks in between. They made a killzone by shooting down on the Russian soldiers but they were fast to react and began going inside the buildings to clear them out. Johann ordered the others to retreat to the alleyways while he holds their position. If they don't move fast then they'll get overrun by the sheer number of the enemies. The Russians were known to be fierce fighters so they had to be really cautious as they try and retreat all the way back to the border.

"Phillip, lead the men back and rendezvous with Johann and the others. I'll try to hold them off for as long as I can." Jeremy ordered Phillip as he took his gun.

"I'll be waiting for you to get back, Sarge. We'll gold the gates open for as long as we can." Jeremy replied as he gathered the rest of their squad.

Jeremy then rushed towards the stairs and kept his barrel pointed towards the bottom of the stairs as he heard heavy footsteps and inaudible chatter from around the corner. One of the enemy soldiers tosses a grenade up the steps but Jeremy picked it up and threw it back down to them. Once the grenade exploded, he ran downstairs and began spraying the dazed enemies.

"Time to do what I was tasked to do." Jeremy mumbles as he took off the sling of the satchel charge.

He ran out to the street and tossed the explosives underneath a tank before running down the street and dodging enemy fire. Johann saw this as he peeked outside the window and began tossing grenades and shooting at the enemies to distract them. This bought Jeremy some time and he was able to retreat to a safe location.

"It's my turn now." Jeremy muttered as he pulled off the prosthetic arm and drawn his pistol.

He jumped out of the window and landed on top of an enemy, stabbing him right in the chest upon impact. Johann then slashed and shot his way through the street in a graceful and deadly manner. Teresa from afar covered him, shooting any enemy pursuing behind him and keeping him safe till he falls back to the rendezvous.

"He's getting all the action again. This is honestly so boring and unfair." Teresa mumbled as she looked down the scope with a frown plastered on her lips.

"Where's Johann? Shouldn't he already be here?" Jeremy asked the others.

"He told us that he'll just catch up." A soldier replied.

"What? Missed me already?" Johann butted in from out of nowhere before chuckling.