16:49
Belarus–Poland Border
The battlefield burned in the twilight. Shells churned the earth, tracer rounds streaked across the sky, and the screams of men echoed across the valley. The sun was gone, leaving only firelight and muzzle flashes.
On the bridge of Athena, Mei braced herself against the command rail. "Status!" she barked.
Arina scanned her console. "Seven SAMs destroyed, five still active. Six AA batteries remain operational. Hunter 5's bird is down, but I'm getting comms that two fireteams survived the crash and are engaging on foot."
"Good," Mei snapped. "Get them extracted later. For now, keep them fighting."
Annabelle gritted her teeth as she banked the massive VTOL hard to starboard, evading a fresh burst of tracer fire. The Athena shuddered under the strain, metal groaning but holding. De Luca responded with fury, unleashing a hail of 25mm rounds into the treeline. Explosions rippled across the ridge where the enemy fire had come from, silhouettes flung into the air.
"Scratch another gun," De Luca muttered. His hands moved as if fused to the weapon controls, sweat streaming down his forehead.
Below them, the fight was desperate. Belarusian armor had forced a wedge into the FNA line, but every meter gained was bought with blood. RPGs streaked out of ruined houses, striking Typhoon APCs and flipping them into fireballs. Mortars dropped with terrifying precision, scattering SNA infantry.
The radio crackled. "This is Hunter 3! We're pinned near the east treeline, need air support—now!" Sajjad's voice was clipped but steady, drowned by the rattle of gunfire behind him.
"Copy," Mei replied instantly. "Annabelle, bring us east. De Luca, clear their line."
Athena roared over the treeline like an avenging beast. De Luca switched to the 40mm autocannons and cut loose. Trees splintered, bunkers shattered, and the entire ridge erupted in fire. The enemy gunline evaporated under the barrage. On the ground, Sajjad's men rose from cover and advanced, firing as they pushed the shaken FNA troops back into the open.
"Hunter 3 secured," Arina reported.
"Good," Mei said. "Where's Hunter 7?"
Arina keyed in. "They're holding the western flank. Heavy fire, but Elina's squad is still intact. They're asking for a supply drop—low on AT rounds."
Mei hesitated. Ammunition was tight, but morale was tighter. "Grant it. Arina, prep a crate. Annabelle, hold her steady."
Athena hovered as the ramp lowered. A crate of anti-tank munitions, marked with Task Force 7's emblem, dropped into the mud by parachute. Elina's voice came through seconds later, calm but determined: "Package received. Hunter 7, moving to intercept armor column."
On the bridge, Mei exhaled slowly. "At least they're still breathing."
---
17:22
The battle dragged on. The smell of cordite and burning fuel even reached the sealed interior of Athena. Mei's eyes burned from staring at the glowing map, watching red markers blink out one by one under her team's fire.
But the FNA refused to break. New mortar fire rained down, smashing into Belarusian trenches. An AA battery on the north ridge locked onto an MI-32, spitting a stream of rounds that shredded its tail rotor. The chopper spun wildly, crashing into the ground with a deafening boom.
"Hunter 2 down!" Arina cried.
De Luca swore and rotated the 105mm howitzer. His shell slammed into the ridge, annihilating the AA gun in a single earth-shattering strike. But it was too late for the chopper's crew.
"Two birds lost," Mei muttered, gripping the rail so hard her knuckles went white. "But the rest hold formation."
On the ground, Belarusian armor clashed with FNA mechanized units in brutal close quarters. Tank rounds echoed like thunder, and the horizon lit with orange fireballs. Infantry stormed ruined farmhouses with grenades and bayonets. The clash of automatic fire and the guttural cries of men locked in mortal combat carried up even to Athena's bridge.
Annabelle pulled the VTOL into another strafing run, engines screaming as De Luca's autocannons unleashed hell. Enemy lines broke under the withering rain of shells, men fleeing before being cut down. For a brief moment, the field seemed almost quiet.
Then AURA's voice cut through. "Warning: multiple missile locks. North sector."
On the screen, five SAM sites blinked in unison.
"Break!" Mei shouted.
Annabelle threw the massive craft into a violent dive. Missiles streaked past, flares drawing two away, but three kept coming.
De Luca cursed. "On it!" He toggled to the 220mm, locking on coordinates. The howitzer boomed, vaporizing one SAM site, then another. The third missile clipped Athena's wing but detonated prematurely, rocking the craft. Warning alarms screamed across the bridge.
"Stabilizers holding," Annabelle grunted, fighting the controls. "But we can't take too many more hits like that."
"Then we don't," Mei said coldly. "We finish them here."
---
18:05
The battle reached its peak. The field was chaos incarnate: burning vehicles, shattered bunkers, bodies scattered across mud and snow. The FNA line faltered under the combined weight of SNA infantry, Belarusian armor, and Athena's relentless bombardment.
Elina's voice came through comms: "Hunter 7 engaging enemy armor. Two tanks down, moving on third." Explosions thundered behind her words.
Sajjad added, "Hunter 3 has secured eastern flank. Advancing with Belarus armor."
Both squads were bloodied but alive.
On the bridge, Mei's eyes narrowed. "One final push. De Luca, burn the rest of their batteries. Annabelle, keep her steady. Arina, get comms out—we're pulling back once the line collapses."
De Luca laughed grimly. "Let's end it."
The 105mm howitzer thundered again and again. Each shot tore open the earth, erasing another SAM, another AA gun. The sky cleared with every blast. The ground troops seized the opportunity, surging forward with renewed vigor. SNA rifles cut down retreating enemies, while Belarusian tanks rolled unopposed through the shattered trenches.
At last, silence began to fall. The crack of gunfire faded, replaced by the crackle of flames and the groan of ruined machines. The FNA line was broken. Survivors fled west, leaving the dead and dying in their wake.
Mei stood tall. "AURA, confirm status."
"All SAM and AA emplacements destroyed. Remaining enemy forces retreating. SNA and Belarusian positions secure."
Mei let out a slow breath. "Good. Call it. We're done here."
---
19:14
Belarus Military Base, Synkovichi
The night was cold as Athena descended onto the floodlit tarmac of the Belarus base. Her VTOL thrusters kicked up dust and loose debris, shaking the nearby barracks. One by one, the surviving helicopters followed, their fuselages scarred and smoking but intact.
The ramp lowered. Annabelle shut down the engines, their deafening roar fading to silence. The crew unstrapped themselves, exhaustion etched on every face.
Mei walked down the ramp first, her boots hitting the cracked tarmac. De Luca followed, wiping sweat from his brow. Arina stepped out last.
Around them, Belarusian soldiers cheered. The sight of Athena returning from the firestorm, still intact, lifted their spirits. Sajjad's and Elina's squads regrouped nearby, bloodied but alive, weapons slung over their shoulders.
Mei looked across the battered but breathing men and women, then back at her crew. For the first time that day, she allowed herself a thin smile.
"Report to HQ," she ordered. "Tell them the line holds."
The night air was cold, the smell of war still heavy, but for the moment, Task Force 7 stood victorious.