November 24th, 6 PM
It had been over 400 years since the borders of the region of Ikaranara were threatened by an external force. There was, of course, the Great War, but it had been an internal revolution that had done the Father States in. No, to have an enemy on the border of the Ikaranarean heartland was unprecedented. And unprecedented times would be met by unprecedented measures.
The generals sat in a meeting room. Their primary objectives were so, so simple.
Recapture Atrissian Tzara and prevent civilian casualties.
Every person in that room knew that the veneer of simplicity was a deadly lie. If it were a state, maybe it would be that easy. But they had nearly 50 years of foresight. They may have had 3 divisions all ready to cross the borders, and an additional one-and-a-half divisions from their Losavral and Pasten allies, but those numbers meant nothing if all the men got killed.
They wouldn’t just be facing terrorists. No, they’d be facing Terra Firma, an organization that had evaded and eluded even the Izaakians from who they hailed. Their ferocity and infamy were only surpassed by that of the Reizen Independence Movement.
The issue? Ikaranara had fought the RIM before. Terra Firma was new ground.
The communists were strong on their own, and having Terra Firma on their side meant that Ikaranara couldn’t just mount an offensive. The terrorists would turn the land into a killing field, and every inch gained would be paid in blood. That was an unacceptable outcome. Ikaranara was past the age of sweeping offensives. They would be careful, quick, and overwhelming when they struck. They would be the ones drawing blood.
There was still a sense of unease when the orders were given to start the operation. But they were in too far. The war had already started, and it was going to happen whether they liked it or not.
And so, they gave the order. Operation “Axaltra” was on.