Chapter 187: | 187 | Coastal Landing
"What the-" One of the fisherm couldn't believe his eyes. The long-awaited battle for dominance had finally begun. And unfortunately, there were at the middle of it. Doom consumed their hearts, not one of them could utter a single word as despair seeped into their mind.
"We need to go back! Otherwise, we will be pummeled deep into the sea by their fleet." A fisherman cried out, not wanting to stand there and simply die. Upon hearing his words, many of them got out of their trance. None of them wanted to die, so they instinctively followed his words.
But before they could ev make a move, the old fisherm glared at them. His gaze was cold, unimpeded by death that was knocking on their front door. He gave them an important warning. Words that would bring upon their survival from untimely deaths.
"While the island would sooner or later become a battlefield, acting in haste would kill you faster than the Terra becomes one." It was a warning that resounded in their hearts. The fisherm, who trusted the old man with their lives, decided to cease their activities.
"Calm yourselves and see them for who they are. We are but innocts dragged into this unruly war. That much they would clearly see. Otherwise, ev if we ran away, we would still be amongst the bodies that would shape the battlefield." The old fisherman continued, his gaze onward.
The panicking fisherm finally regained their calm. They glanced at the incoming fleet of steel and accepted whatever conclusion that fate throws at them. On the other hand, Jett stared at the fleet with no hint of fear in her heart.
The old fisherman noticed her fearless gaze and felt confused. Ev the bravest would feel a tinge of horror upon seeing such a sce. She appeared to be determined and clearer than ever before. It made him curious about what thoughts laid in her mind.
"Do you not feel afraid, young Jett?" The old man softly asked the young lady before him. He wanted to hear her answer, her thoughts about the dooming situation they found themselves in. "I do feel fear, but more than that, I feel hope." She responded with a smile.
"The United Navy... They consider themselves as liberators. Most that considered themselves as such are either hypocrites or idealistic fools. But I have a feeling that they would be neither."
"No, there's no doubt that they are neither." Jett didn't know where this confidce was coming from. It felt as though a part of her mind has be unlocked. Was there a reason for this? Maybe something connected to her past.
She remembered awaking as a human slave in the house of her masters. Her idtity has be deeply graved into her mind as though always reminding her of who she was. But there were times where her memories wouldn't correlate with one another.
Times where some parts of her experices throughout her life had be blacked out.
"I see. Perhaps, there might be hope in this dooming circumstance of ours." The old fisherman muttered under his breath, turning his gaze towards the metallic warships that were getting closer to them. None of the fisherm bothered to make an escape or ev resist the incoming vessels.
They simply stood still and watched as the United Navy became nearer.
Several LCACs carrying armored vehicles along with companies worth of soldier sailed past the group of fisherm. Following them from behind were Landing Crafts loaded with tanks, ammunitions, and supplies. Finally, zodiacs with squads of soldiers came along piercing through the waves.
The northern waters of the southern coast became rougher by the momt. The fisherm were forced to hold tightly into their fishing boats as it heavily swayed from left to right. Some of them ev lost their balance, falling to the deck of their fishing boats.
Above the landing force were Ospreys flying in unison along with Chinooks succeeding behind. Inside these aircrafts were platoons and companies of the United Army partaking in the coastal landing of Terra's south.
The fisherm could only watch as the landing force sailed through them as though they were invisible from their eyes. Many of them sighed in relief as they thought that their lives would be lost in the southern shoals. However, their relief wasn't long-lasting.
A horn blew outward echoing throughout the surings. The group of fisherm became tse as they glanced at the direction of the sound. It was th they saw a frigate heading towards their direction. Fear quickly croached into their hearts.
It made them wonder if it was destiny teasing them with hope and wrathfully giving them despair afterward. What a sadist. Such were their thoughts. As the metallic warship got closer, the fisherm braced themselves for their deaths.
However, it seems that their expectations had fortunately failed them once again. The frigate halted right beside the fishing boats as its personnel threw boarding ladders towards them. They wer't immediately killed, but they kept their expectations low, not wanting to despair much more longer.
As the Marines sured the fisherm, the commanding officer of the frigate soon boarded the fishing boat. He stood tall with a cold and scrutinizing gaze, observing the tiny vessel of the fisherm. After surveying his surings, his eyes locked onto Jett.
The fisherm immediately noticed the captain's behavior and quickly stood in front of Jett without a tinge of hesitation or delay. Despite their wildly beating hearts, they simply couldn't let the man in front of them touch the young lady.
"We won't let you touch her. Ev if we die by the hands of your soldiers, we die by our own terms." The old fisherman uttered to the captain with calm. In his eyes, it was better to die satisfied, than die like a dog.
The captain was surprised by the behavior of the fisherm. The Marines swiftly reacted and were about to point their rifles towards the group of m. But before they could do so, the captain raised his arm and halted them from continuing ev further.
He looked towards the old man and finally oped his mouth. "I am Captain Vokshod of UNS Zarya, a Commanding Officer of the United Navy."
"Usually, we would have captured you for further interrogation. But since you have delivered a vital personnel of ours. We will consider you an ally to our cause." Wh they heard the words of Vokshod, they became ev more confused, wondering what the hell was happing.
...
Meanwhile...
In the southern coastal defse line of the island of Terra, the colonial guards became restless after the bells of war resounded throughout the defsive fortification. Their adversary had begun a Total Invasion towards their south, attempting a Coastal Landing.
"Load our coastal cannons! Line up our archers! Maintain our supply lines!" The orders of several colonial commander across the lgthy defsive line echoed. The situation in the coastal defse line was becoming hectic, but it was ev wors wh the fleet of steel had finally emerged near their coast.
"Complete our preparations fast! And contact the capital for reinforcemts! If we fall, our emies will be besieging the last stronghold of the Colonial Dominion of Terra!" A colonial commander cried out, urging his m to be faster.
The UNS Trinity of Solace, which in the eyes of the colonial guards, was a steel leviathan, soon oped its broadside to them. Some of the colonial guards froze in fear, their hearts palpitating from despair. However, others managed to complete their orders.
"Our coastal cannons are ready, Sir!" Such words brought hope to the despairing colonial guards. The colonial commander felt the heavs aiding them in their deavors in resisting the invasion of the heretical organization, the United Navy.
"Good, fire a salvo! Destroy their tainted ships!" Without any hesitation or delay, the colonial commander ordered the bombardmt of the invading warships in the southern coast. The colonial guards operating the coastal cannons immediately aimed towards the monstrous warship unveiling its broadside.
But before they could fire a single cannonball, a thunderous roar resounded from the northern waters of the southern coast.
*BAM!!!* *BAM!!!* *BAM!!!* *BAM!!!* *BAM!!!* *BAM!!!* *BAM!!!*
They were a momt too late. The UNS Trinity of Solace began to op fire at the southern coastal defse line. The colonial guards watched as the shells of the modernized battleship pierced through the air. However, such shells soon exploded mid-air, revealing the runic shields scattered throughout the southern coast.
*BOOM!!!* *BOOM!!!* *BOOM!!!* *BOOM!!!* *BOOM!!!* *BOOM!!!* *BOOM!!!*
Large explosions shrouded the heavs above the southern coastal defsive line. The shockwaves brought about by the explosions devastated the eardrums of those near it, deafing them for a long while.
The colonial commander sighed in relief, but noticed some cracks in their shielding. The runic shields constructed by the Magus Tower in the southern coast wer't the best of qualities. Most resources were spt buffering the capital city and the Magus Tower's defsive infrastructures.
"Counter fire!" He yelled out, prompting the operations of the coastal cannons to begin counter bombardmt towards their adversaries near the coast.
*BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!* *BANG!*
Several coastal cannons fired onward. Their cannon balls supported by runes pierced through the air and swiftly impacted the northern waters of the south. They smashed into the southern shoals, splashing seawater near by.
The United Navy were fortunate that of their coastal cannons had no supporting devices that assists accuracy. Otherwise, casualties might start to appear before their coastal landing.
"Load it fast! Don't hesitate to fire!" Many of the colonial commanders were roaring their orders despite the silce of their m. It was a sign of what they felt, the despair that desired to consume their heart.