07-09-2020, 07:18 AM
Tupicchi Imperial Airbase
Ten miles west of Xohuayán, Manauia Island
On the tarmac of the largest airbase on Manauia Island, four Ihuamec helicopters squatted like a quartet of particularly bloated frogs. Unlike the sleek Huacamal attack helicopters or the daggerlike Itlanan and Apacan fighter planes that also called Tupicchi Airbase home, the Ihuamec was an ugly beast. The heavy transport and utility helicopters were the burly, hardy workhorses of the Imperial Army and Air Force. They did everything from transporting soldiers to the battlefield (and ferrying wounded soldiers back to the rear), to carrying mass amounts of supplies back and forth and serving as a form of fleet transport.
The four Ihuamec helicopters at Tupicchi were about to add another particularly ugly entry into the platform's long history of Xiomeran service. At the orders of Governor Mapilzin, they had been outfitted to carry out his threat to begin defoliating the island. A group of Xiomeran workers was finishing the final retrofitting of the helicopters.
Watching from the jungle surrounding the airbase, a single Teyatia scout noted the final preparations. Having seen enough, he slipped back through the jungle.
---
Ayamomac, Manauia Island
"We cannot wait any longer. We have to do something," Tanqui said flatly.
The Teyatia leader had received the report from his scout at the airbase. It had caused a huge alarm among the Teyatia who were gathered in this small settlement, roughly twenty miles from Xohuayán. No one had thought that Mapilzin would be so reckless, or so brutal, as to actually carry out his threat to destroy an entire jungle ecosystem to bring their rebellion to heel. But the reality was confronting them now. Within a day at the most, Mapilzin would have the ability to wipe out huge swathes of the island at his disposal.
Tanqui laid out a map of the area around the airbase for the fighters to review. "There is an outer perimeter fence, and then an inner perimeter fence. We have to get through both sets of fences without alerting the military police who will be guarding the base. There are regular patrols around both sets of fences, but to our benefit, they're a bit too regular - as in predictable. We will have about ten minutes to get through each set of fences to avoid detection. This means once the outer patrol passes, we have to get through the fence, cover our tracks, then run like hell to get to the next fence and get under cover. Then repeat that, at the inner fence. After that, it's a relatively easy run to the helicopters. But we have to avoid any aircrew or security between the inner fence and the helicopters. If we manage to pull that off, we have explosive charges that can send the helicopters straight to hell. After that, though, we can't expect to make it out of both sets of fences after the big boom. We may have to be prepared to fight our way off the base."
Tanqui looked around at the mix of Teyatia, Lauchenoirians, Milinticans and Xiomerans who would be leading the attack on the base. "Your unit leaders will give you further guidance and plans before we move. Do you have any further questions?"
As he expected, there were many questions, most of which he could not answer. All he, and the Teyatia, could hope was that the Imperial soldiers and airmen on the other side of the Tupicchi perimeter fence would be as equally confused when the balloon went up.
Ten miles west of Xohuayán, Manauia Island
On the tarmac of the largest airbase on Manauia Island, four Ihuamec helicopters squatted like a quartet of particularly bloated frogs. Unlike the sleek Huacamal attack helicopters or the daggerlike Itlanan and Apacan fighter planes that also called Tupicchi Airbase home, the Ihuamec was an ugly beast. The heavy transport and utility helicopters were the burly, hardy workhorses of the Imperial Army and Air Force. They did everything from transporting soldiers to the battlefield (and ferrying wounded soldiers back to the rear), to carrying mass amounts of supplies back and forth and serving as a form of fleet transport.
The four Ihuamec helicopters at Tupicchi were about to add another particularly ugly entry into the platform's long history of Xiomeran service. At the orders of Governor Mapilzin, they had been outfitted to carry out his threat to begin defoliating the island. A group of Xiomeran workers was finishing the final retrofitting of the helicopters.
Watching from the jungle surrounding the airbase, a single Teyatia scout noted the final preparations. Having seen enough, he slipped back through the jungle.
---
Ayamomac, Manauia Island
"We cannot wait any longer. We have to do something," Tanqui said flatly.
The Teyatia leader had received the report from his scout at the airbase. It had caused a huge alarm among the Teyatia who were gathered in this small settlement, roughly twenty miles from Xohuayán. No one had thought that Mapilzin would be so reckless, or so brutal, as to actually carry out his threat to destroy an entire jungle ecosystem to bring their rebellion to heel. But the reality was confronting them now. Within a day at the most, Mapilzin would have the ability to wipe out huge swathes of the island at his disposal.
Tanqui laid out a map of the area around the airbase for the fighters to review. "There is an outer perimeter fence, and then an inner perimeter fence. We have to get through both sets of fences without alerting the military police who will be guarding the base. There are regular patrols around both sets of fences, but to our benefit, they're a bit too regular - as in predictable. We will have about ten minutes to get through each set of fences to avoid detection. This means once the outer patrol passes, we have to get through the fence, cover our tracks, then run like hell to get to the next fence and get under cover. Then repeat that, at the inner fence. After that, it's a relatively easy run to the helicopters. But we have to avoid any aircrew or security between the inner fence and the helicopters. If we manage to pull that off, we have explosive charges that can send the helicopters straight to hell. After that, though, we can't expect to make it out of both sets of fences after the big boom. We may have to be prepared to fight our way off the base."
Tanqui looked around at the mix of Teyatia, Lauchenoirians, Milinticans and Xiomerans who would be leading the attack on the base. "Your unit leaders will give you further guidance and plans before we move. Do you have any further questions?"
As he expected, there were many questions, most of which he could not answer. All he, and the Teyatia, could hope was that the Imperial soldiers and airmen on the other side of the Tupicchi perimeter fence would be as equally confused when the balloon went up.
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