RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 68-4: Case Yellow (Day 17 - Capping off the Tour)

Author Notes:

Back to your regular scheduled chapter! First thing first though, big shout out and a warm welcome back to Captain Li1 Mainy! It's been a hot minute since we see the good Captain, eh? You can be granted said Captain rank too if you supply an appropriate amount of Tithe :D

The Monthly Recruitment Drive/discount is till up for grab for a few more days, just saying :)

Other than that... Yeah, seriously thinking about getting my mom into a therapy program next month, see if it can improve her physical health and all that... Can't bear to see her like that, you know?

Anyway, happy thoughts. The new RM chapter sure takes me some braincells, if only to paint a vivid picture of what's going on. Oh, and it's also inspired heavily by General Kemper himself, btw. So do give him a shoutout.

Pictures will be updated later.

Most important of all, don't forget to enjoy both the story and your day. Peace!

There are advanced chapters on Pa-treon for both of my fics, with a couple of special bonuses if you read the fine print :D

https://www.patre-on.com/Heartbreak117

https://ko-fi.com/heartbreak117/goal?g=0

Income goal 745/800 USD (The increase to 800 is now set to pay the hospital bills and sequelae)

For my fics:

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/55793/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich/

https://www.webnovel.com/book/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich_23809095505377305

https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9

https://www.scribblehub.com/series/1375924/in-the-grimdark-sector-with-a-system/

-------------------------------------------------------

Flying among a sea of clouds and stars, a large Belkan aircraft is making circle after circle in the open sky, awaiting either a call or something to happen. Featured prominently on either side of the large plane is a distinctive insignia: a WW1 gas mask and helmet, flanked on both sides by two MG08/18 LMGs with holy scriptures wrapping over the barrel shrouds. Beneath the logo, a Gothic-style scripture is proudly displayed, bearing the words: Blessed be my guns. Given the decoration and the addition of multiple gun barrels jutting out the left side of the airframe, it's easy to guess that this is but one of the many airborne gunships in the Belkan arsenal, albeit a more famously known one, the Kriegsdude.

The crew of the Kriegsdude has been on station for quite some time, hawking above Gdańsk even before the SOF soldiers even infiltrated the coastal city. They're there alongside a singular Barracuda UCAV, just in case Rampant 1 and 2 ever need to go loud and noticeable. However, given that the two SOF elements are already breaking away from Gdańsk with all objectives completed with nary an alarm, the presences of heavily armed aircraft above the city are made redundant. The crew of the AC-400 would have sighed in regret at yet another quiet mission if not for the comm request coming in from the U-141.

"Kriegsdude, this is Neophyte. SOF units are bugging out and we're in the clear. However, to prevent you from having your time and effort wasted for nothing, Command has cleared you to engage these targets. Your system will be updated for the specifics shortly. Happy hunting, boys. Over and out."

The communication was brief, but the crew aboard the Kriegsdude all heard it. They grow excited, of course, since what's the point of having enough firepower to level half a city if you don't use it?

"Well, ain't that interesting?" The Co-pilot comments. "We got kill orders on some of the coastal defense installations, barracks, and all of the torpedo boats in the harbor. Known Triple-As will be taken care of by the UCAV."

"Aww..." One of the Combat System Officers interjects. "No pummelling the big booties, eh? I even came up with my best pirate shtick... ARGH!"

"You suck balls, dude, so none of that." The Pilot turns back. "SOFCOM paid good effort to mine those destroyers, just so they can be detonated anywhere but inside the harbor. If we sink them all here, most of the harbor will be rendered a hazard for the Marines."

"So we ignore them and let them point their guns up at us?" A Special Mission Aviator asks.

"They won't be a threat to us if we do this fast." The pilot replies. "All of the targets are in one dense group. We can literally do this in one circle. Use everything we have on them in one go then we'll punch it out the here."

"That's right." The Co-pilot adds. "However, You will have to answer to ONI if you miss the targets and hit something you shouldn't."

"So hit hard, fast, but most important of all, accurate. Gotcha." The last Combat System Officer answers.

"Good. Lowering altitude now. Kriegsdude, moving to attack position." After the Pilot's announcement and the slight dip in the aircraft's angle of attack, the back of the targets spring to life

"Affirmative. Disengaging Master Arm."

"Ammo up for 105!"

"57 mm is locked and loaded!"

"Gatling is primed!"

"Gunslinger system is online and prepared for deployment."

"We're inbound from the East and we will egress from the West. Pick your target and engage however you see fit. Eliminate as many targets as possible."

"You got the 30, I'll take the 57. We'll use the 105 mm on targets of opportunity."

"Twenty seconds till we're on the money trail. Get one last good look at the AO as the Barracuda will drop off station for its own attack run."

"We got all the firing solutions and patterns cooked up in our heads, boss, just focus on getting the plane steady."

"Mark my word, if you fumble this mission, I will boot you off the rear ramp myself."

Soon enough, the Barracuda UCAV makes an attack run against the known anti-air sites of Gdańsk, dumping bombs and firing rockets in a blazing past. Using a combination of ballistic computer, laser designator, and GPS guidance, the Barracuda unleashes multiple ordinances at once on the inactive crew-served weapons. The guided warheads slam onto Gdańsk like a rude awakening amidst a night of pristine peace. The bright, earth-shattering explosions wake up many neighborhoods at once. Then the AC-400 starts banking left in a familiar pattern. Like a bird of prey, the gleam of its targeting system cast a shadow of death. Yet, the dark sky masks the shape of the warplane well, but it does nothing to damper the iconic sound of its four turboprop engines. Even if they're 3 kilometers above Gdańsk, Kriegsdude generates such a distinct audio signature that wakes up the last of heaviest of sleepers in Gdańsk. However, before the defensive soldiers can even make head and tail of what's going on, the guns aboard the Kriegsdude are already trained in the harbor below. Then, the sky splits in half.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTT

KADUNK KADUNK KADUNK KADUNK KADUNK KADUNK KADUNK KADUNK

Most of the torpedo boats are moored to a singular, large pier. Although this means that it's very easy to service and board these vessels, it also means that just a single swipe from the read beam of 30 mm tracers, zigzagging all the while, is enough to shred all of them. The multitude of shells means that some of them also hit and detonated the multiple torpedoes aboard these, well, torpedo boats. The culminating shockwave is enough to blow a gaping wound in the harbor of Gdańsk, rattling and showering the coastal area and nearby destroyers with shockwaves and fragmentations. Those sailors who were on patrol earlier don't even have a chance to withstand the attack, their bodies are sliced to pieces or are plunged into the cold ocean.

While the 30 mm Gatling is raking the military pier, the 57 mm autocannon unleashes its shells against the fortified positions around the coastline of the harbor city. A few scant concrete bunkers, housing either machine guns or old coastal batteries, have their roofs cave in before exploding outward in blasts of dust and fire. Ruggedly constructed as they might be, the 57 mm shells packed so much ass behind them that the antiquated constructions of the bunkers proved to be an ill-fitting match. After flushing the fortified coastline, the CSO directs its line of fire to the city walls, opening up on the watchtowers that will be looking over the daytime invasion point of the Marines. As dust and concrete fall and shower whoever is unlucky enough to be below the collapsing structures, the other CSO brings up the targeting sight for the 105 mm howitzer.

There are crucial military infrastructures like barracks, officer dormitories, and ammo storages in Gdańsk. Yet, not many of them are marked red for elimination, with nearly all of them codified in either blue or yellow, the no-shooting-unless-specified-otherwise colors. Those that are painted with the red 'TGT' markers, however, are fair games. Laying the howitzer on a barrack which shows the most activities so far, with its soldiers already gearing up for war, the CSO pulls the trigger.

BOOM

Set for point detonate delay, which is bunker buster mode for the uninitiated, the 105 mm shell slammed diagonally into the center of the building, breaking past two of its floors before exploding in the ground floor lobby area. The heavy HE warhead obliterates the soldiers in the middle of their war preparation before causing the collapse of the supporting pillars of the barrack. Ultimately, the whole building folds into itself, claiming an untold number of lives. As the 105 mm gun realigns itself for the autoloader to kick in, the CSO switches back to the 30 and strafes the entire barrack area that is marked for death. He doesn't intend to conserve munition since the intent is to cause as much damage as possible.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTT

In the seconds it takes for a new 105 mm shell to be mechanically slammed into the cannon breech, the two CSOs have brought about enough monetary and military damage to cause the collapse of Gdańsk. Already, hundreds of casualties are mounting in Gdańsk's military garrison. Returning the howitzer to its firing position, a SMA shouts.

"105 ready!"

"Got it!" A CSO replies, taking control of the large-caliber weapon and aligning its sight on a ammo storage that is barely far enough from a populated area. It's but an unfortified warehouse, so: "Fuze to impact... On the way!"

BOOM

The 105 mm howitzer recoils before it's once again detached from the sight and returns to the loading position. Meanwhile, the shell travels at a speed that is barely perceptible to the naked eyes from below but very visible in the targeting camera of the CSO. When the shell hits the thin, metallic roof of the building, the kinetic force behind it allows the shell to tear through the roofing before the fuze starts kicking in. Exploding midair internally of the munition warehouse, it takes but the blink of an eye for everything else to go off as well. A gigantic firework is lit in the middle of Gdańsk, the numerous shockwaves from which bring the fear of the Divines down onto the city's inhabitants. Due to the swift, yet incessant attacks, pandemonium reigns as Polanian soldiers and citizens don't know what to do. They hover between staying in the same spot or running straight for the streets, fearing that being immobile equals death. Those with a bit more of a brain dashes for the ground-based anti-air guns. Yet, when they understand that those guns were the first to be targeted, a sense of helplessness creeps in. The chaos and shaky morale turn for the worse when words pass around that their commanding General is gone, taken by the unknown, and his guards die without anyone knowing

If anything, it's the naval crew stationed Gdańsk that holds any semblance of order. They're acting frantic, sure, but they still have a sense of purpose, and most important of all, they still retain their naval weaponry. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they're being shelled from the sky by what seems to be a flying warship, the limited visibility makes identification a harder task than usual. The Polanian naval officers, at least those with the service age to back them up, know that they're being attacked by none other than the Belkans. After all, it's only the Reich and their voodoo magic that could field such a technological marvel and the two countries are antagonistic toward one another. Shocking or not, however, the fact remains that they must retaliate, and fast.

First comes the searchlights, waving around in the sky to try and paint the shape marauding the sky. Then comes the gun turrets aboard the four destroyers, with all of them pointing skywards. It will take some time to set up a firing solution, but the Polanians are confident that they will be able to light up whatever has been pummelling them hard moments earlier. Payback will be dished out in full... That is if the enemy flying warship ever returns.

True to their plan, Kriegsdude only makes a single circle above Gdańsk before kicking their props out of Dodge altogether. As experienced and decorated as they are, the crew of this particular AC-400 has none of the greed for valor that tends to consume contemporary soldiers. Knowing well their limitation and weakness, the Kriegsdude is already gaining altitude and is soon to be disappearing back into the sea of clouds. Below and behind them, the Polanian officers and soldiers can only gaze upward in fear, confusion, shock, frustration, and impotent rage. The most annoyed are the crews of the berthed destroyers, all of them thought that they would have the chance to retaliate, but fate laughs and spats at their determination. Either out of anger or sheer foolhardy, all four destroyers decide to undock themselves and swiftly give chase. Whether they can even catch a whiff of Kriegsdude or not, however, is a different matter entirely. More importantly:

Can they even safely go beyond the coast of Gdańsk?