By Pyro

PART I

ARM General David Jones was waiting patiently on his Command Vehicle. It was only two
weeks after the ARM resistance had declared itself an army. Seven years since the unofficial
start of the war, and already an assault was threatening the CORE Empire. He controlled his
troop trough a satellite link. He was leading a major campaign on CORE prime.
Commander-in-chief of the ARM airforce, Daniel Anderson, was with him. Anderson was no
stranger to the war scene of CORE prime. He was one of the few lucky ones to escape planet
Earth with his own body. He had introduced the concept of Seaplanes to the ARM, and began
researching a new type of Stealth technology, called STA - Seeing, Tracking, Attacking. They
were on the edge of a new discovery; the Hawk STA armed fighter.
The troops had crossed the galactic gate only two days ago. Jones was impressed at the speed
things were going, but he was surprised the CORE hadn't spotted them. Commander James
Watkins held credit for that. His Jammer tanks were creating enough noise to make a machine
go deaf, but he knew CORE would break trough. After all, they had more equipment and
personnel then the ARM.

What Watkins hoped would be delayed, landed on the base by surprise. Thousands of CORE
troops poured into the base, and swept it like a flood. The entire northern outpost was
destroyed, knocking the radar dead. In complete darkness, Jones commanded the survivors.
Reinforcements landed straight into a battle. The swarm of CORE troops kept advancing
rapidly. Brave men lost their lives defending the main base. The explosions could be heard miles
away. Pyro K-bots busted into the barracks, setting the sleeping soldiers on flames. The
screams of horror and pain combined with the sound of heavy artillery and machine guns to
create a living h.ell. Soldiers lied inside their K-bots dead or maimed, as tank crew led desperate
firefights against CORE vehicles. The superior armor CORE had outmatched the firepower ARM
troops could supply. Men were dropping like flies, 18-year-old privates and 40 year old
Sergeants as one. Seven years of resisting the CORE dominion had come to this for many
brave troops, as they experienced their first and for some, last battle. Obsolete Apache assault
choppers from the year 2010 fought along with state-of-the-art EMG machine guns from the year
2057, giving the ARM the small advantage of air superiority. Bombers deployed their charges
over helpless CORE soldiers, relieving some assault teams to do tasks with higher priorities. All
this changed when the CORE deployed a new weapon. It only existed on myths, and was
named after the indestructible hulk from the bible, Goliath. A tank crewman's nightmare, the
Goliath consisted of 2-inch wide armor, solid steel tracks and a 12-inch (diameter) cannon. This
monster was the size of two antique M4A2 Bradley tanks put together. It was coming, and there
was no stopping it.

Platoon three of the Bulldog division "Death Angels" advanced towards the incoming Goliaths.
-"All right, guys. Divide into Delta formation, load HEAT rounds! Remember to put the cannon in
AP (armor piercing) status. Let's wax 'em!" the division leader, "Death Angel 1" ordered.

The twenty tanks divided to Delta formation, consisting of a straight line. The psychological
impact of seeing twenty tanks heading at you was this formations main weapon. The Goliath
division commander apparently got the message, and organized his tanks to face the line, lining
them up in a triangle. A "green" gunner at Goliath 7 fired first. "Death Angel 5" replied with a
HEAT round, delivering a direct hit. After the smoke caused by the AP round dispersed, the
"Death Angels" were shocked to see only a small hole, from a round that could easily destroy
"The leveler", the most feared tank when rioting.

The gunner at "Death Angel 10" could only think he saw a smile at the Goliath, as a 12-inch
wide Plasma shell pierced the Bulldog's armor and exploded in it.

-"Oh, s.hit!" The tank commander at DA1 yelled. To his left, DA10 was up in flames. He saw
three crewmen escape.
After opening the hatch, they entered the tank.
19 tanks were left to face 5 Goliaths.
-"Sir, We gotta nuke 'em, Send in for an Air strike!" The DA10 commander yelled as the loader
loaded a 6-inch HEAT round to the cannon.
-"We're doing it! Driver, stop here! Gunner and Loader, Keep firing!" He ordered, as he reached
for the radio.
Six bombers hovered by three Goliaths, setting them in flames. The remaining two were
destroyed after the bulldogs fired at them about 6 rounds.

From a bird's view, the ground was just a very big crater. Every artillery shell misplaced, every
rocket that missed its target, every metal extracted from the ground caused it to lower its level.

After a long and exhausting battle that lasted 3 hours, the CORE offensive was pushed back.
Now it was the ARM's turn to attack, and they were gonna do it hard...

PART II

It is two weeks after the beginning of Operation Thunderbolt...
* * * * *
-"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAW!" Hawk pilot Adam Sanders cried out, seconds after
sending a Vamp to its death.
-"Go easy, Cap'n! We can't afford to lose ya!" CIC radioed.
-"Roger, Command! Please note that blue wing has scored another kill!" Sanders replied.
-"Blue leader, this is black leader! We've got Thunder type bombers coming in. Make sure the
vamps are all down before they swoop in."
-"Roger, Black leader. Tiger 5!" he yelled.
He tracked the missile as it followed the vamp. He managed to dodge it, and turned around. A
white tail of smoke emerged from the vamp. Two homing missiles were the source.
They closed in on Sanders...

U.A.S (United ARM Ship) Flagship the Barracuda (Crusader Class), was hunting a snake
submarine.
-"Communications, alert all friendly subs on the area. We're chasing what sounds like a Sage.
Tell them to stay away!" Morris ordered.
-"Aye, captain!"
-"Sir, The Sage had modified course, heading 7-9-8." Sonar said.
-"OK. Left full rudder!" Morris said.
-"Aye, Captain. Modifying course to 7-8-8" The Helmsman said.
-"Receiving transmission from U.A.S Porcupine, sir! Top priority from the Lurker"
Communications said.
-"On viewer."
-"Aye!"
The face of Captain William Henderson appeared on the screen. He looked worried.
-"Captain Morris! This is William Henderson. The porcupine is chasing a Slacker (Shark)
submarine. It's headed right at you. I suggest you break the pursuit after the Sage (Snake) and
defend yourself. It should be entering firing range in a few minutes. U.A.S Porcupine over and
out." Henderson said.
-"I copy that, Captain. Aim depth charges at the east. We have an unexpected visitor. Barracuda
out."
The massive depth charge launcher moved to the east. Sonar stations discovered a Slacker.
The biggest and last mistake the Slacker would do.

Five depth charges were fired. The great splash one made marked a clear hit. The Slacker rose
to the surface, showing itself to the mighty, 17-inch cannons. It wasn't long before the submarine
sank, after taking 2 plasma hits.

General Anderson waited in his Command vehicle. The assault was more successful then
expected. Engineering units were already deploying mines, building bailey bridges over rivers
and constructing a small outpost.
-"Jones, this is Anderson! We've established a stronghold! Send in the troops, we're heading
straight towards Lima!" Anderson radioed.
-"Roger that, Anderson! Keep up the good work!" Jones radioed back.

With the support ARM forces had, they advanced trough the beaches towards what once was
Peru. The fierce firefights destroyed small towns and reduced the local vegetation to ashes.
ARM held the entire southern part of Chile and Argentina up to the river of La Plata. The idea
was to gain control of the area surrounding Brazil, to capture the main gate on Brazilia. For this
to happen, Peru had to fall. ARM command was sure that Bolivia would surrender after they took
control of all the surroundings. Like a plague, ARM multiplied its presence in the South America
scenario, advancing northwards like a wild fire.
Commando raids destroyed dams, bridges and military bases, and caused panic deep behind
the enemy lines. All political solution with the ARM had failed, as other resistance groups joined
the fight, thus adding power to the ever-growing determination of the ARM.
City-based Firefights opened, as ARM soldiers advanced towards Lima.
After 17 hours of battle, The main gate on Lima was conquered.
Now ARM set their target on Bolivia...

PART III

Bolivian President Carlos Gonzales appeared on TV, to make a nation-wide statement to the
citizens of Bolivia.
-"Due to the recent actions of the ARM resistance group, we are forced to take military action.
As from this moment forward, we will resist all ARM attempts to conquer our country! It is not our
nature to surrender to terrorist threats, and we won't change that under any condition! As from
now, ARM forces have been declared hostile. The Bolivian army will take action against ARM
troops laying siege on our country! Long live the CORE!" he declared.
General Jones turned off the TV.
-"Such a small country with so much to lose... S.tupid S.tupid..." Anderson commented.
-"Yeah. Now we'll have to fight not only CORE elite but Bolivian militia!" Jones said.
-"All right. I'll have Watkins arrange his platoons, we can't play games with this people."
Anderson said. He stood up. It was a long trip from Central Argentina to La Paz, Bolivia.

In the meanwhile, Gonzales was already preparing his army for what he estimated would be a
glorious campaign.
Of course, he was wrong...
* * * * *
-"All right, listen up! This is the planning: we launch a simultaneous assault from Argentina and
Chile. After a few hours of fighting, 24 at most, we arrive at Potosi. Once we have established a
stronghold in Bolivian territory, Tank platoons storm Paraguay, conquering it in 5 days top.
About seven days after we have started our drive northwards, Brazilian terrorist organizations
are willing to commit random acts of violence deep behind enemy lines. Once all the surrounding
countries are up to their necks with trouble, we take Bolivia. The campaign should take no more
then 3 months. Any questions?" Anderson explained.
-"I have one, General." Watkins said.
-"Yes, general Watkins?" Anderson replied.
-"Lets consider the remote possibility that we can't conquer Paraguay. We'll have three armies
surrounding our men. Frankly, I don't think this will work." Watkins explained.
-"Good point general, but we have a backup plan. There is no point speaking to the Bolivian
people, they're f.ucking filled with national pride. Paraguay, however, has received an ultimatum.
They will ready their armies to an assault from the air. It will take them at least 2 weeks to
re-organize the entire militia." Anderson answered rapidly.
-"Good thinking... That's what the allies did about 110 years ago. Remind me about the casualty
number? Oh, yeah: 35,000 soldiers. We can't risk it. What if they have Goliaths?" Watkins said,
this time angrily.
-"We know they don't have any state-of-the-art weapons. More then 50% of the population's
patternisation were postponed, sometimes even canceled. They'll welcome our armies as
heroes!" Anderson finished.
-"Anderson, I'll follow this operation, only because you have 4-stars while I have only 3. Know
that I hold no responsibility for the faith of my troops, and you are totally responsible for our
safety." Watkins said.
It was obvious Watkins didn't like the plan. It seemed too easy to him. After losing about third of
his overall forces on the landing, he didn't really trust Anderson. He was guaranteed an easy
landing. Now 2,000 of his men were 8 feet below ground.
* * * * *
Three hours after the military discussion between ARM generals, the assault was launched.
ARM tank platoon #103, "Flaming Skeletons", lead the assault. Backed up by infantry divisions
25 and 209 they entered the Bolivian countryside from the mountains. Landing swiftly from their
Atlases, parachuting troops of the 288 Paratroopers division joined the incoming ARM troops. At
noon, 2 hours after the assault began, the "Flaming Skeletons" reached objective one: A CORE
munitions depot.
There was only one small problem. The depot was located right next to a school. Two AK k-bots
were the only guards, but the strategic location made the mission too difficult.
-"All troops, freeze!" The leader of the charge ordered.
At a safe distance of 23 miles, covered by massive jamming, the troops stopped.
-"Attention all units! This is 'Flaming Skeleton one', code name Tango. This is what we're gonna
do: I want a Samson to fire a missile that would explode about 500 yards from the depot. That
should alert the school and make them evacuate. As soon as they're all out, I want suppressing
fire on the guards. While that happens, I want a Diplomat to blow the thing up! MOVE OUT!"

A loud explosion was heard. The children, curious of what was happening, looked outside. The
teachers' response was to evacuate the younger population outside, to the shelters nearby.
After about ten minutes, they were all out. The AK K-bots had called for backup, as a Fink
passed almost straight over the ARM forces, which he hadn't noticed.

The only functional Diplomat Rocket Launcher that "Flaming Skeletons" had was aiming. After
precise calculations, it fired. The cruise missile, fired at about 600 MPH, was headed straight for
the depot. It exploded after penetrating the thin metal roof. The entire ARM assault force sat
back and enjoyed the fireworks, as the watched the two unlucky AK guards run around,
screaming while they melted slowly.

-"Alright, we had our fun. Time for Objective two: Free the children." Tango radioed to all units.
The task force moved according to the tracks left on the mud. While the tank division waited
outside, troops from division 25 entered the bunkers. PeeWee #17, piloted by Kenneth Brown,
led the platoon. As he entered a room in the bunker, he found a group of about 40 children
sitting in front of a Civilian type K-bot.
-"Hey, Kenny! Take a look at this!" A Warrior K-bot yelled.
-"What is it, Mike?" he asked, as he approached him.
The warrior pointed to a corner. He saw a drawing obviously made by a little kid. It pictured an
ARM soldier, with all the features of the 'bad guy', big, pointed teeth and large claws, a tail and
horns, and a CORE soldier, of course, being the 'good guy'. The CORE soldier was firing at the
ARM soldier, symbolizing victory.
-"My god... this kids have been brain washed!" Brown exclaimed.
He aimed his cannon at the K-bot's forehead...

PART IV

Kenneth Brown was aiming at the civilian K-bot that served as a teacher. He loaded a single
round and turned safety off.
-"Kenny, wait!" A warrior K-bot radioed.
-"I'm waiting. What do you want, Mike?"
-"If you shoot the teacher, the children will think all ARM soldiers are evil, that only want to kill
civilians." Mike said.
Kenny looked at Mike, then at the kids, then at the K-bot and then at the kids. He unloaded the
round and turned safety on. He lowered his rifle.
-"OK, I won't kill him. I want a perimeter surrounding the bunker and 5 men inside at all times. I'm
going outside to report our status." Brown said.
He moved his PeeWee outside, to where the leader of the task force was waiting.
-"Sergeant Kenneth Brown reporting. I have information, sir!" he radioed.
-"Permission to speak." The leader replied.
-"We found several children and civilian K-bots inside the bunker, no weapons. I suggest we
stay here until back up arrives. We're only 5 miles away from Objective 3, Potosi, so we can
help in case we're needed." Brown reported.
-"I like your idea, sergeant. Leave minimum staff, I'm radioing for a few Atlases. Dismissed." The
leader said.
Brown walked back to the bunker. The moment he arrived, a formation of fighters passed over
the ARM forces, firing at them. Brown rolled to his left, as his targeting systems aimed at the
incoming aircrafts.
As the fighters lined up for a second pass, the Samsons downed three. Brown damaged another
one before a burst of bullets got him in the chest, dropping him. The fighters lined up for a third
pass and then escaped.
In his K-bot, Brown was bleeding badly. A single shot had passed trough the armor, and missed
his heart by about 1 inch. He tried to stand up, but he couldn't. Everything was getting darker,
and the sounds outside became weaker. He never saw the medic teams arrive and rescue him.
Everything was black, and he could hear nothing.

-"Anderson, we have a problem!" Flaming Skeleton 1 reported.
-"Go ahead, Tango." Anderson replied.
-"We just got attacked by CORE fighters, that we never saw in the radar. My gunner's dead, and
we have about five men injured, one pretty bad. I thought you were supposed to clean the skies
for us!" Tango said.
-"We did clear the skies, from CORE aircraft. We never got a chance to destroy the Bolivian air
force! Check the symbol on the tail!" Anderson replied.
-"Yes sir, Tango out."
With the main gun offline, Flaming Skeleton 1 headed towards the debris of one of the downed
aircrafts. The tail had a small Bolivian flag next to a CORE symbol. The tank commander jumped
out of the tank, armed with a portable EMG.
He scoured the debris, and eventually found something that looked like a receptor. It read
"Made in Taiwan", so it had to be Bolivian.

After two hours of waiting, a new gunner arrived at Flaming Skeleton 1, putting it in fully
operational status. It was 12 hours until the 24-hour deadline. The tank platoon started moving
towards Potosi. After a twenty-minute drive, they reached the objective.
The tanks cruised down the streets, forcing the civilian population to close themselves inside
their houses. Here and there, a civilian grabbed a light weapon and ambushed the tanks. A
short EMG burst usually finished them. When they reached the main square, came the surprise.
CORE troops appeared out of nowhere, surrounding the unlucky tank platoon.

-"Well, well, well... what do we have here? If it isn't a terrorist division! I wish to speak to the
highest ranking officer." A raider tank said.
-"I'm Master Sergeant Lowell McLaughlin, Stumpy tank #120, 103rd tank platoon." Flaming
Skeleton 1's commanding officer said.
-"Mr. McLaughlin, you have managed your troops foolishly. You walked straight into our trap. I
just thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a commander fool enough to walk
straight into the wasp's nest." The Raider laughed.
McLaughlin didn't lose his temper. Instead, he ordered all troops to load HEAT rounds, asked for
an air strike and aimed at the Raider.
-"Thanks for the honor, Raider. Now, let me introduce you to my good friend, HEAT! Fire at will!"
McLaughlin said.
A single shell was fired at the Raider. It flied at a super-sonic speed, sending the Raider's
cannon flying away. After this cue, the entire platoon opened fire. The platoon fired at tanks,
while it brutally roamed K-bots. Spare parts and oil were flying everywhere, as both sides fired
at each other in a desperate city based tank fight. At the end of the bloody battle, ARM troops
claimed victory without losses. This was the first time ARM firepower was proven worthy.

After the fall of Potosi, Watkins was ordered to move towards Paraguay. Heavy artillery
destroyed the landscape, terrorizing the helpless civilians.
Paraguay was taken after 3 days.
The second part of the most complex campaign on CORE prime had begun, as ARM cannons
concentrated fire at Bolivia.

PART V

After a rather short battle in which the entire city of La Paz was conquered, ARM set their target
on Brazil.
The Brazilian government had announced an emergency meeting.
Congresswoman Juanita Gonzales was among the participating people in the meeting.
-"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a very big problem. Out options are limited and can be
destructive, so we must choose wisely. It is up to us to decide on the future of Brazil. We can
choose between staying loyal to the CORE, creating a military conflict between the ARM and us.
We can surrender to the ARM, and have our minds patterned back into human bodies, creating
a major crisis for CORE troops. We'll now hear pros and cons of both sides." The Chairman of
the Government said.
A K-bot stood up, and started talking.
-"I don't know what about you, but I didn't like myself as a human. People looked at me in ways I
hated because of my age, and because I weighed more then 30 pounds. After the patterning,
nobody looked at me that way again. We were all the same, and we were united. Crime went
down by at least 70% due to patternisation. Besides, we can't betray CORE. They are our
brothers, our own metal and oil. ARM is a terrorist group, desperate to get some attention. I put
my trust in CORE and all it represents, and I won't doublecross what I believe is true." He
finished.
Juanita Gonzales was one of the few civilians that despite they were offered to be patterned,
wasn't. It was almost a miracle that a non-patterned civilian reached such a high position.
-"I don't agree with my colleague's words. He speaks of all the good CORE has done, but he
forgot to mention the bad things. I knew people that were executed because they refused to be
patterned. He also forgot to mention a huge operation now occurring that can mean the end of
CORE. We can stand by them as winners, or heal our wounds after they destroy all we hold
dear. Frankly, I don't mind doublecrossing CORE. I'll be happy to cause the destruction of it,
and..." Gonzales started.
-"This is an outrage! A congresswoman speaking against the congress! This can not happen. I
demand that she's dismissed from the meeting!" a congressman interrupted.
As Juanita was getting ready to respond, the air raid siren was sounded. Everyone ducked for
cover, as the building in front of them exploded into bits.
An AK ran into the room, evacuating everyone in it. As soon as the last one got out, a bomb
landed on the building, killing everyone inside it.

Over the horizon, the ARM tank columns were visible. ARM command had taken advantage of
the resistance groups and gathered intelligence about several targets. Leading the tank column
in his command vehicle, General Anderson raised an ARM flag high.
Gonzales waited on the base of the building, smiling.
ARM now controlled the entire South American area.

General David Jones waited on Empyrean. The reports poured in, all saying the same: "We
control South America".
He knew he would get promoted for that. No assault had ever gotten so far. He smiled, and
lighted a cigar. Then came the KIA MIA and WIA reports. He looked closely at the figures:
1million KIA, 24,000 MIA and over 2.5 million WIA. That was bad, he knew that. So far, the
battles had been relatively easy, for they had the element of surprise with them. Operation
Thunderbolt had been a success, so far. The second part of the operation now began, taking
Central America. So far, the battles had taken place on mountains and creeks, but not anymore.
Now, dense jungle fighting combined with close naval support. U.A.S Flagship, the Barracuda,
would have another chance to prove itself. This time, pounding the shores of Panama and
Nicaragua. From the capital cities of the countries, Managua and Panama, a message was sent
to Empyrean.
They wanted a fight, and they would fight to the last man. ARM would have to force its way to
the main supporter, the independent republic of Texas.

-"Jones, this is Anderson. We're doing great. Hawk STA fighters are saving us from the U.S.
Bomb raids, but we've got Texas on them. Our tanks are waiting orders, and we're getting ready
for a full scale invasion."
-"Great. That's very good, Anderson. Our people have designed a new fighting tool. We call it
"Ranger". It's a cruise-missile ship. We trust your naval command will take good use of this ship."
-"You bet we will, Jones. I'll report back to you. Anderson out."

Anderson waited. The first ship crossed the gate. He smiled. Central America, here we come.

PART VI

-"Hey Sarge! Sarge!"
-"What is it, private?"
-"I've found something."
The Sergeant moved towards the private. The private pointed to the ground. The sergeant
cleared some rubble and discovered a Laser tower, Viper class. It was dysfunctional, and it was
mudded and had mold all over it.
The sergeant laid a grenade on it, and stepped away. When he was in a safe distance, it was
detonated. The same process was repeated all over Costa Rica as a pre-assault plan.

Hawk Pilot Adam Sanders was hovering over the Colombian border. A previous encounter with
a vamp had knocked him down from the air, causing him serious damage. The doctors weren't
sure if they could save his life, but due to advancing cybernetics technologies, he survived. He
wasn't happy about the fact they had to replace his entire left body with metal implants, but he
was alive. As he flew over the border, AA guns opened fire on him. He shifted his hawk left, fired
a missile at the source and returned for another run. Eventually he silenced the AA gun. He
enjoyed every second he could of the jungles, for he was about to be transferred to the Brazilian
front, now fighting CORE soldiers arriving by sea. He turned around to return to his base, as he
spotted a damaged Avenger. It barely stayed on they air, but that wasn't his major concern.
Behind him where 11 Aircrafts. He couldn't recognize the model. He radioed for backup, loaded
a Tiger 5 missile and locked on the Avenger.
-"Locked on Bug one... Tracking systems, on... Fire 1!" He yelled.
A speeding missile rushed away from the left wing, and smashed into the Avenger's front. It
exploded, sending the nose down first. The other aircrafts turned their attention to Sanders.
They fired at him with close-range Vulcan (Bullets, not plasma) cannons. The AA ammo looked
as big as grapefruits to Sanders as they passed at the sides of his canopy. He replied by using
his own guns. As he got closer to a Plane, he saw an U.S. flag.
-"Oh, s.hit." He said.
-"What is it Sanders?" CIC asked.
-"U.S. Fighters are coming in from Panama, sir. I've just downed an Avenger type fighter, and I'm
being persecuted! Requesting backup!" He yelled.
-"C.rap... I gotta inform Anderson. Orders are hold your fire, I repeat, Hold your fire!" CIC replied.
-"Roger, but how the he... S.HIT! Mayday! Mayday! I'm going down!" He radioed.
Sanders had no choice. He activated the eject chair. He sure regretted voting to pass a law that
allows pilots to shoot parachuting troops. Then he thanked g.od the law hadn't passed.
He sat on his chair and watched his Hawk STA fighter exploding in the jungle.

-"He what!?!?" Anderson yelled.
-"He downed an American fighter, sir. We lost contact with him five minutes ago." The Officer
said.
-"Get me the little M.other f.ucker alive, officer. I want to kill him myself." Anderson said.
-"There is a very good chance he's dead, sir. We are dealing with the best of the American Air
Force." The officer tried to explain.
-"I want him here in 48 hours, get it?" Anderson yelled.
-"Yes sir!" The officer said and ran outside to the Control Tower.
Anderson slammed his fist on the desk. He opened his drawer and pulled out a war map. He
surrounded with a red circle the entire Central America scenario. He drew blue arrows leading
from Colombia to the U.S, passing trough Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico. Then he made a green line, leading from Washington
D.C. to Colombia.
That was the route the American pilots would take to get to Colombia. He started setting up AA
arrays around the bases.
-"Jones, we have a problem." Anderson said.
-"What is it?" Jones Asked.
-"U.S has just entered the war. We can hold off the African troops at the Brazilian Front, but a
new front, we won't be able to manage it." Anderson said.
-"D.amn. That's a real big problem... What are you planning to do?" He asked.
-"I have considered retreating and regrouping, Jones." Anderson replied.
-"Not now! You can't do this to me!" Jones yelled.
-"Excuse me? Do this to who?" He asked.
-"To us." Jones quickly responded.
-"Jones, I'm pulling back my forces. Our casualties will be too high to manage." Anderson said.
-"Commander Daniel Anderson, Need I remind you of my rank? I am the leader of all ARM troops
in this sector. You will continue the fighting, that's an order!" Jones yelled.
Anderson didn't replied. Something smelled bad here. Every normal person would have pulled
back, but Jones didn't. All Anderson could do now is hope for a miracle.

PART VII

The miracle Anderson was expecting came in faster then he thought.
Russian Fighter-Bombers attacked Alaska, replying to the military decision of the U.S to attack
the ARM.
A lighting campaign has escalated into a major World War.
Watkins was fighting up in the north, on the dense jungles of Costa Rica.
His own troops were already pushing the CORE Brazilian task force. All was well...

-"KEEP YOUR HEADS DOWN!" Came the cry.
The ARM soldiers ducked for cover, as rockets screamed straight over their heads. A single
rocket smashed into a brick wall.
Watkins heard the 20 men on the building scream in pain and horror as they were maimed,
wounded and killed.
He loaded his own gun, An obsolete, heavy Vickers machine-gun. He mounted it on the top of
his tracked vehicle, and fired at the French-made Stormier, later to be known as storm. He
finished a twenty-bullet clip, but it came coming. He re-loaded.

The storm tracked down the command vehicle. It had already started firing sequence. Impact in
5...4...3...2...1...

Watkins ducked, as the missile passed straight over his vehicle. It exploded on a Bulldog tank.
He then fired at the Storm again.

The bullets hit a missile, setting the storm on fire. A small burst of fire sent the storm sky-high.

-"We've got one! Don't forget the mission! WE MUST SAVE OUR PANAMA INFORMER!"
Watkins radioed.
The assault troops, most of them regular troops, surrounded the CORE base. They walked out
of their K-bots.
If they were to save a human, best way to do it was to enter into human-sized holes.

Private Bruce "Flamer" Reed was the explosives expert on the mission. If he couldn't blow it,
nobody could.
He set the C-22 charges on the door, and sent the electric signal. A loud explosion unveiled a
horrible sight. The informer sat on a chair and beside him two huge guards. "Flamer" didn't panic.
He aimed his AP (Armor Piercing) C-120 anti-tank rifle. Two uranium bullets passed through the
bodies of the guards. Two corporals ran to the informer. One of them sprung him free.
The team evacuated, as "Flamer" set the charges.
Two minutes after the last man escaped an explosion finished all life within a 200 Feet radius
from the base.
Watkins reported operation "Panama Evac" successful.

-"We can't take this any longer! We must strike now!" Said the CORE regional commander for
the Panama sector, or CRCPS.
-"Should we strike too fast, we'll leave our bases on Africa undefended, an easy target. I say we
cut off their naval power first!" replied CORE naval commander, CNC.
-"Commanders, we must be smart... ARM is nothing but a mere terrorist organization! Our
scientists have been working on a new technology. It is called Cryogenics. It is supposed to
freeze the target and immobilize it. Of course, it works only on carbon-based life forms." Said
Science Command.
-"Excellent." replied CRCPS, smiling evilly.

Jones sat on his base in Empyrean. His last conversation with Anderson had taken place 3 days
ago. Many things have happened since then:
The fall of Costa Rica, the Brazilian Front had been closed, terrorists blew up the CORE agency
in Taiwan in the name of the ARM and so much more.
Jones knew ARM was winning. The Russian government had already began patterning back the
minds of its citizens and soldiers into human bodies.
Fighters kept harassing Alaska, as ARM troops pushed from the south. Already a fighting
scenario was set. He sat back, and lighted a cigar. He turned on the com-link and dialed the
code for CORE prime. Anderson answered.
-"General!" He said, surprised.
-"Yes, Anderson. Your last report was three days ago. I was getting worried." Jones explained.
-"Nothing to worry about, sir! Russia has already confirmed they accept the ARM policies, and
are working with us!" Anderson began. A loud explosion cut his words. For a few minutes, the
screen showed static.
Later it cleared up, and showed Anderson lying on the ground, bleeding.
The transmission was cut. Jones knew what happened. Terrorist acts are a game for two.
He dialed to Russian command.
-"Russian command? This is General David Jones. We may have a problem..." He said.

PART VIII

-"Set a perimeter! Spread out and check for other charges! Move out!" A corporal yelled.
Bomb squad teams ran all over the place. Anderson lied on the ground, unconscious. A medic
ran to him. ARM forces were spreading all over the base.

CRCPS commanded his forces straight into a Street Fight. ARM forces, specializing in
ambushes, landed a heavy hand on the command platoon. CRCPS, after being hit by two
15.8-inch rockets, was transferred out of his Goliath frame. Amazing, World War Two equipment
could still defeat the heaviest threat.

In Sweden, stealth satellites spied preparations for the Russian assault of the northern
countries. The red army would have a though time breaking trough their lines this time...

Sergeant Mikhail Petresko waited outside the military base of St. Petersburg. General Petrikova
had set the base in code 3, minor alert. For 5 hours now, missiles were fired towards the base
from the town of Imatira. No casualties for the moment, but MiG-34 fighters were already on final
preparations to attack. On the radio, he was called inside.
The situation was tense, and war could start every moment. This was something General Jenna
Petrikova knew. Intelligence showed entire divisions were mobilizing towards the border. The
base was set on code 1, War situation.

Back in Colombia, Anderson lied on sickbay. He examined the map. They were 40 Km away
from the border of occupied Costa Rica. He knew they'd fight with everything they've got. But
Panama was the last obstacle. From there, the way was open to Mexico, and they had more
then 80% support there. He ordered the junior officer to commence air raids on the disputed
sector. After a short salute, the officer left the building. Minutes later, Anderson could hear the
roar of the leaving aircraft. He then passed to the KIA, WIA and MIA report. To his surprise, only
soldier was added to the KIA list. MIA troops had escalated from 3,400 to 10,905. A quick
summation gave him the total numbers: 5,500,906 soldiers had entered the lists.
He passed over the WIA list, until he scrolled over his own name. He shook himself, and if to get
rid of a horrible sensation, but who could blame him? Reading your own name between
thousands of other unknown faces that by tomorrow may be dead, does make you think...

In Texas, cities lied in ruins. The U.S had accepted the state's wishes for independence, but
when it challenged them, they did it at their own risk. Women and Children sat on shelters while
men went out to fight that desperate diversion forced on them. Reinforcements would arrive
soon, they said. The war will be over soon, they said. Everything is gonna be all right, they said.
But nothing of what they said was happening. Civilians were being taken to labor camps.
Soldiers selected who will live, who will die. All what their grandfathers and fathers had fought
for in World War Two was being repeated, but not overseas, but here. Night raids, oppression,
resistance groups, it was all coming back.

Jones had initiated Operation Thunderbolt with three Generals, James Watkins, Daniel
Anderson, and himself. Now, he had involved over 17 countries in this mad assault. He could
bring and end to CORE with a glorious victory, or a humiliating defeat on ARM forces. He
needed support, badly, but a Rougpelt campaign was depleting his own resources. What would
he do?
End a victorious campaign on a forgotten planet or a bloody battle to end the terror reign of the
CORE? It was a lose-lose situation. He sent a message to the leader of the Rougpelt campaign,
Mark Stone, to speed it up. Further on the message, he was ordered to move his forces from
Rougpelt as soon as the planet was in ARM control. Jones was confident that after receiving
that message, Stone would speed things up.
Unfortunately, The terrain Stone was supposed to take didn't allow him to do that.
The future Operation Thunderbolt was at stake...

PART X

-"Altitude and fuel checks normal. We should be coming to London in about five minutes,
Sergeant." The hind pilot reported.
-"Remember your mission comrade. We only need 50 confirmed kills. Civilians included."
Petresko replied.
-"Agreed" Answered the pilot.
The Hind, a formidable enemy even to the deadliest aircraft, a prototype of something nicknamed
"Rapier". It was an old aircraft, the Red Army had used it in 2011 to defend Ukraine from
Afghanistan. Never did the mighty Russian Empire put so much in a single craft as now. The
entire future of Suburbia Strike, perhaps even Operation Thunderbolt, depended on this mission.
The pilot knew it. The man was sweating like a wild boar in a Californian Summer.
ETA was two minutes. The pilot's hands started shaking. He slowly opened the cannon hatch.
The co-pilot took control of the weapons system. ETA changed to 1 minute. The pilot began
tracking the numbers, and initiated the final countdown.
10...
9...
8...
The pilot released the safety on the cannon...
7...
6...
5...
Infrared locked on the City Theatre...
4...
3...
2...
1...
-"Open Fire!" He yelled.
The cannon began firing. The Hind's inner audio receptors were damaged from the strength of
the explosion. The pilot scanned the Theatre for life signs. A quick check revealed none. The
hind turned around, and headed back to Russia. He putted on some Russian Opera from 1920.
-"Victor, Command will be pleased!" The co-pilot said.
-"I know, Ivan. But I won't." The pilot replied, in a somewhat sad voice.
-"Why not, Comrade? We have 90 kills at least!" Ivan said.
-"Comrade, inside the theatre were twenty children." The pilot finally revealed.
Silence. Apparently the Co-pilot was as shocked as the pilot. The Hind flied to mother Russia,
were they would definitely receive medals. Medals with red ribbons. The same red as the blood
they spilled...

-"Suburbia strike is going according to plan. All that's left is for us to receive the order to
demolish Mexico." Watkins said.
-"Good going. I knew I was leaving a smart man as the CO of the greatest enterprise on history."
Anderson answered.
-"When are you coming back, Field Marshal?" Watkins asked. He was very careful not to
confuse Anderson's rank, since he was promoted.
-"I a few hours. I'll be coming with reinforcements." He said coldly.
-"Where are we getting our troops from?" Watkins inquired.
-"Rougpelt and Luschinfoggen." Anderson said.
-"So, we're getting veterans. Good, I'll need them. Watkins out." Watkins finished.
He walked to the office, and checked the KIA list. 7 more names were added.

Back in the Russian front, CICRF commanded an assault on Poland. Once again, the cold,
deserted sights of destroyed cities came back to the Polish countryside. A force of seven
PeeWees, or Pounders, as the Russians called them, was walking down one of the cities.
-"Area seems normal. Except several dead CORE civilians, I see nothing." PeeWee 501 said.
-"Same here." PeeWee 198 radioed.
PeeWee 745 was on the head of the group. He approached what was a suspected CORE HQ,
and started lifting the rubble. After lifting the third or fourth rock, a laser shot clean through his
torso.
-"GET DOWN!" Yelled PeeWee 198, second in command. The entire group ducked behind what
they could find. The only foreign component to the group, an American, started checking for
possible shooting positions. The pilot of PeeWee 745 crawled out of the frame, and began
inspecting his wound.
-"Corporal, I think I've got a shooting location! In the tower, over there!" The American yelled.
The corporal checked it himself. He zoomed into the area. There he was, reloading. A CORE
K-bot, widely used in the early years of the wars, called "Swifty" for its skill at ARM soldiers
killing.
-"Swifty, 3 o' clock!" The Corporal exclaimed.
The PeeWee, having less armor but much more Firepower then the Swifty, was the ARM contra.
The Corporal fired a single shot, throwing the CORE soldier to the ground in a huge fireball.
The American soldier rushed to the pilot of PeeWee 745. He exited his own frame.
-"Private! What are you doing?" The corporal yelled.
The American kneeled down the man.
-"Adam... What are you doing?" The injured man said.
-"You ain't gonna die, Vladimir. Not while I'm here." Adam said.
-"Adam, I am wounded. A fatal wound. Leave me here. Please." The injured man begged.
-"No, I won't! You aren't gonna die, you hear me! You Ain't gonna die!" Adam said.
Vladimir smiled. Adam knew he was making him feel better.
-"Come on man, sing with me! My eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord..." Adam
started singing.
Vladimir laughed.
-"You are a good man, Adam. Promise me one thing..." Vladimir started saying.
-"Yes? Vladimir, what?" Adam asked.
-"Promise me... you're gonna win this war." He said.
-"We are going to win this war, you mean." Adam said.
There was no reply. He tried shaking Vladimir so he would wake up. The Russian soldier didn't
move. Adam unknowingly started to cry. He grabbed Vladimir's chip and held it on his fist. Never
had he hated the CORE so much. Never had he lost such a good friend. The corporal ordered to
bury the soldier properly, as a hero deserved.
-"Adam, are you alright?" The corporal asked.
-"Yes, Corporal. I just wanna go get the CORE and kill as much of them as I can." Adam replied.
-"Adam, he's dead. Killing more won't bring him back." The corporal tried to calm Adam down.
There was no use. Adam started walking towards the sunset.

PART IX

Mark Stone received the tenth message from Jones, all saying the same thing: Speed up!
He was doing his best, and a final assault was needed. Preparations were almost finished, as
an unpredicted meteor shower commenced hitting the planet's surface. Stone's bunker took a
direct hit.

Anderson was being sent back to Empyrean to re-plan the operation, leaving Watkins in charge.
A mid-40's, tall, thin man, with a heavy English accent, Watkins wasn't very sociable, but heaven
knows he was a great commander. He planned a bold assault, Suburbia strike. If executed
properly, this assault could bring the end of the war before Christmas. He contacted Russian
general Jenna Petrikova. She arrived two hours ago.
Along with Texan General Billy-Ray Martin, Watkins would explain his plan.
-"Glad you could make it, General." Watkins said.
-"Enough chit-chat, I'm busy. Explain your plan." Petrikova replied.
-"Fine. All right, in our current situation, this is what we must do: Texan forces will punch a hole
through Mexican defenses, by the same time we cross the southern border. Your forces will
send Air raids to Stockholm and Oslo. The combined assault should bring NATO into action.
Once they enter the fight, attack Britain. America and other countries will have to send
shipments with medicines and supplies. Our lurkers will sink 'em. Eventually, we will wear out
our enemies' resources, leaving them vulnerable to assault. CORE prime should be conquered
by December 20th, 2058." Watkins concluded.
-"Very good plan. Today is July 2nd, general. An assault on the U.S. on July 4th would be
advisable!" The Russian general pointed out.
Just like the Arabian armies surprised Israel in it's lowest, so would ARM forces strike the only
worthy rival in the first stage of Operation Thunderbolt. The political maze created by Anderson
was coming down, as the walls were no longer needed.
The South American expeditionary forces had 48 hours to become the ultimate fighting machine.

Texas received the message sent by Billy-Ray Martin. Every chemistry-knowing man was set to
build bombs. The strongest men became soldiers, as the weaker men became Intelligence and
Command officers. Women and Children joined efforts, and worked on factories. Hackers
entered computer circuits and sabotaged them. An entire nation was mobilized, as the Russians
prepared their own strikes. Suburbia strike, unlike others, was bound to be successful.
* * * * *
American Civilian K-bots celebrated their Independence Day, unsuspecting any activity. People
walked out to the streets, and cheered. Fireworks filled the air, in a great atmosphere of love
and happiness.

When the first missile landed, the city of Los Angeles never knew what stroke it. The famous
Angels Gate, founded in 2020, lay in ruins. Civilians lied on the streets, as missiles kept falling.
Skyscrapers where set on fire from the explosion and shock waves caused small earthquakes.
Several K-bots were swallowed to the depths of CORE prime. Pictures sent via satellite
revealed pictures similar to the state of LA from across the world. Europe and America were
under assault, perhaps the heaviest ever since the North Atlantic dispute, which caused the
meltdown of Greenland and the destruction of Iceland.

ARM tanks were now entering the cities. PeeWee K-bots came second, "cleaning" the cities
from offenders. Before dawn, Oslo and Stockholm were no more. The huge cities, from a high
population of at least 30,000,000 dropped, leaving less then 1,000 on every city. Russian tanks
poured from the fragile border, and covered the snowy landscape. Suburbia strike was a partial
success. It now depended on NATO...

The expected response didn't take long to arrive. Napalm-charged bombers hurried to the tank
columns. SAM launchers hidden in the snow took care of them.
-"Funny" Said Sergeant Mikhail Petresko "After all this years, you'd hope NATO would learn to
check a zone before they strike."
-"True, Sergeant. Let us use the s.tupidity of our opponents against them. The Hind Choppers
should be shredding to pieces civilians in the United Kingdom by now. Send out the Lurker
submarines." Said the CIC of the Russian front, or CICRF.
-"Yes, Commander!" Petresko replied.
He radioed some commands in Russian to the Base. It was freezing outside, but the fire of the
explosions kept the zone warm. Petresko could hear a soldier say:
-"Happy Fourth of July!"

PART XI

All over the Russian front, the skies were never quiet. The loud noises of jet engines, the
thunder of distant artillery and the cry of wounded soldiers filled the skies.
Russian Forces had succeeded in pushing all the way to the poorly defended neighbor
countries. Although CORE rapier raids had reduced the Red Square to ashes, the morale was
high, and the targets set.

In the meanwhile, in Germany, the commanders of the CORE prime Defense Corps were
meeting.
CICAF, the American commander looked beaten up. He had sustained severe damage on a raid
on his outpost, and from his open armor you could note that.
-"Fellow officers, first, I'd like to welcome you to Germany. As we all know, reports from the front
lines are far from relaxing. Here's some video footage." The CORE prime Commander said.
The CORE emblem turned into a video projector.
K-bots were covered with blood, missing an arm or a leg. Children were starving, looking for
their parents upon the unlucky ones who were killed. Charred remains of CORE aircraft. ARM
POW camps. The European commander looked closely at the POW picture, recognizing a man
who had killed two of his Goliaths.
-"In order to end these horrible sights, our scientists have discovered a new, powerful weapon:
Cryogenics. A prototype of a new K-bot, the "Snow Storm" has already been built. On screen."
The commander said again.
A storm K-bot painted Black and Yellow appeared, and aimed its single laser at an ARM
prisoner.
A single burst was fired.
The prisoner started shaking, as if he was being electrocuted. When he stopped shaking, he fell
to the ground, frozen.
-"As you see, this is our ultimate weapon. A few of these K-Bots are enough to turn the tides of
this war..." The commander concluded.
* * * * *
A small patrol of ARM troops without K-Bots was passing through the remains of Veracruz. One
of them kneeled next to a fellow soldier.
-"Dead. Must have been on the first wave." He said.
His partner nodded. They passed a burning jeep, with three corpses in it. The two men
approached it. Despite the fire on the jeep, the bodies were cold, as if frozen. One of the
soldiers turned around, and yelled.
The two men opened fire on the K-bot with their M-16 rifles, only to find themselves frozen a few
minutes later...

-"What!?!? How on Empyrean can we lose an entire platoon on friendly territory!?!?" Jones
slammed his fist on the table.
-"We don't know, Sir." Anderson replied, frightened.
-"Sergeant, communicate me with HQ on CORE prime and get me Watkins online ASAP!" Jones
ordered.
-"Aye sir!" The sergeant replied and ran to the communications port.
-"Jones, we control the Rougpelt system and thee Centauri Battle is practically lost. I would
suggest sending our boys to re-enforce the CORE prime assault. This could mean the
difference between losing the war or kicking the c.rap out of central consciousness." Anderson
said.
-"Not even if h.ell freezes over, Sub-General. We are going to get Central Consciousness and
the main Patterning Center at the same time!" Jones said.
-"Comm-link up, General!" The sergeant yelled.
-"On screen. Commander Watkins, explain to me, how did you manage to lose 12,000 men MIA
on friendly territory?" Jones yelled.
-"Not MIA, general. We recovered several of them, who were WIA, the rest were KIA." Watkins
corrected.
-"The point is, we lost the entire 85th platoon, Watkins. What happened?" Jones said, inpatient.
-"CORE saboteurs, planted a bomb in the middle of the Argentinean Nuclear Reactor. The blast
wiped our 10 miles, including a nearby abandoned CORE base were the Platoon was
practicing." Watkins explained.
-"I am very annoyed at you, Watkins. Execute the rats responsible for this act. That is an order,
commander." Jones said.
-"Aye, general." Watkins said.