Stronghold: Invasion

By John Hyland IV

It was early morning when the enemy began shelling the surveillance outpost on Hill 926. They sent out a message to their headquarters but were told that they were not under attack. Then a sudden blizzard swept through the valley, slowing down the enemy advance. During the blizzard, the twenty-six soldiers stationed at the outpost began making plans to leave. Then their plans changed, and they chose to remain on Hill 926.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781684568246

Book preview

Chapter 1

It was late in his shift at the remote outpost on Hill 926 in the Dragon Valley when he spotted something on the monitor. The monitor was connected to a camera that monitored the valley area north of his position. He could not believe what he was seeing on the screen. It was a large force of armor and infantry coming down the valley. He estimated that at least four legions were heading his way. His blood pressure almost doubled, and his breathing became rapid with both excitement and fear as to what was about to happen shortly.

He wasted no time in sounding the alarm to wake up everyone at the outpost. The proper thing to do was call his team leader first, but he felt that there was no time to waste. The phone rang in the bunker; the caller ID said it was Sergeant Alexander.

He picked up the phone; his hand was shaking so much that the phone almost fell from his hand, and before he could say who he was, Sergeant Alexander cut him off saying, What in the hell is going on? Why did you sound the alarm before contacting me, Specialist Hendon? You better have one hell of a good reason for this.

Specialist Hendon calmly responded with Sergeant Alexander, the enemy is moving at least four legions through the valley heading south. I make out at least three armor legions with, so far, one infantry in support. He wanted to say Is that enough for you or would you like more?

Sergeant Alexander almost dropped his phone when he heard and then comprehended what was just told to him. He could not think for several seconds.

Sergeant Alexander regained his composer and told Hendon to keep monitoring the situation and that he would be up there shortly. At the same time, Sergeant Alexander was getting dressed and waking up anyone not already awake. He was yelling that this was no drill and that everyone needed to get to their assigned areas.

The outpost was made up of several buildings: the bunker, two barracks building, the mess hall, and three storage buildings. Also there was an extensive underground set-up in case there was a siege of the hill. The post was manned by a compliment of twenty-six. Sergeant First Class John Hill, Non-commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC), and Staff Sergeant Michael Jordon, Assistant NCOIC. They were in command on this hill. There were four teams made up of four soldiers and two teams made up of five soldiers.

Sergeant Alexander was coming from his room in the barracks located the furthest away from the bunker. He had to walk past the other barracks along with the mess hall then climb up 226 steps to get the bunker. When he reached the steps leading to the bunker, he was met by Sergeant First Class Hill, and as they were ascending the steps, Sergeant Alexander briefed Sergeant First Class Hill on what Specialist Hendon told him.

Sergeant First Class Hill could not believe what he was hearing and said, This has to be a mistake.

When they reached the bunker, they were slightly out of breath because what should have been about a four-minute trip was done in two minutes and thirty-six seconds.

When they reached the section of the bunker that housed the monitoring section, Specialist Hendon was busy at trying to calculate the size, direction of movement, and types of units. Helping him with this was the rest of the team, Specialist Bagger and Specialist Wilson. No one paid much attention when the NCOIC and their team leader walked into the room. Normally, the duty of monitoring was left to just two, but they were in the process of making upgrades to the system.

Sergeant Alexander had made his presence known by shouting, Someone better talk to me before heads roll!

This got their attention for a brief moment because everyone looked up from the assigned task, but it was Specialist Hendon who spoke. Sergeant, since I spoke with you last, the numbers have changed. There are now six legions, equal number of armor and infantry. The armor units are in the lead, and they have just entered their end of the valley some seventy-eight kilometers away. They are heading in the general direction of south at a slow rate. There is a gap forming between the armor units and the infantry. From what we can see, it appears to be the 3rd armored legion with the 13th and 17th in support. We have been unable to determine the infantry units, they are too far away.

Very well, go back to what you were doing, Specialist Hendon, replied Sergeant Alexander. With that, both sergeants stepped out of the way and walked over to the map on the wall. They were plotting all the movements of the enemy were plotted on a map, whenever they heard someone calling anything out.

Sergeant Alexander asked one of the operators to adjust the camera to scan the skies over the northern entrance to the valley. When he received several stares from those in the room, he stated he wanted to know why there was no air strike to precede this maneuver. All thought about it quickly, and before anyone gave the order, the view on the monitor was changing to show the skies. It was there that he got his answer. There was a major weather system over the region that was most likely grounding the air strike. So far, the system seemed to be stalled over that area. Sergeant Alexander was relieved to see that the weather system had stalled but was concerned that it may start up at a later date. One of his biggest fears was that the enemy would wait until the system passed over them, and then they could use the storm as a screen.

Chapter 2

The rest of the personnel at the outpost were scrambling to get everything into position. They were also wondering if this was another drill. Well, that question was answered when they were issued other weapons other than their personal weapons. Most of what was being issued were anti-armor weapons. They were also issued more than their usual load of personal ammo packs.

It was about ten minutes after the first alert went out that all posts were manned and ready. Many of the personnel were still wondering if this was still just a drill. They received their answer shortly after all reported on station. They received word that the enemy was amassing in large numbers at the north area of the valley. This was a violation of the treaty.

Sergeant First Class Hill was very pleased at the rapid response time. He also informed them that enemy had just moved six legions into the valley at this time, and more were expected to join these six. Also at this time, he was trying to raise Fleet Command concerning the recent events.

Back in the bunkers’ radio room, all efforts were being made to make contact with Fleet Command.

X-ray 33, this is Mike 26, over, Sergeant Alexander called on the radio.

There was no reply. He made several attempts on that frequency, all with the same results. His frustration was mounting because this was not the first time he had trouble with fleet command. Sergeant Alexander then changed to his on-command frequency.

Whiskey 47, this is Echo 96 over.

Echo 96, this is Whiskey 47, over.

Whiskey 47, this is Echo 96, SALT report, over.

Echo 96, this is Whiskey 47, send it, over.

Whiskey 47, this is Echo 96, line 1. Six legions, line 2. Moving south break, line 3. CS-2645-8865, line 4. 0535z, over.

Echo 96, this is Whiskey 47, roger, stand by.

Echo 96, why did you not make contact with X-ray 33, over?

Whiskey 47, we were unable to make contact on primary and secondary channels, over.

It was several minutes for a reply to come. But the message was not what he wanted to hear. He was instructed to make contact with fleet command because that was the standing order. But the 2nd Division along with the 12th Brigade (heavy) and 26th Brigade (mechanized) would be en route to Hill 926 immediately. But it would take at least twenty-six hours for the leading elements to arrive at their location.

The 4th Planetary Defense Force was in command of all the units in this region, including the outposts on the border, and was located almost two hundred miles away from their forward bases. The 4th PDF consisted of six divisions, six artillery brigades, and four aviation battalions. This was the result of the command orders from 1st Fleet Headquarters. The reason for these outlandish orders came from Admiral Broderick. This admiral had never thought too much of these Planetary Defense Forces. He thought they were inferior to his elite force. So to punish these so-called inferior forces, he would put them on the border like these outposts. He also tried to keep them spread out as much as possible. He also disrupted their lines of communication by making all radio communications go through fleet command.

At this time, Sergeant First Class Hill made it back to the bunker and was informed of the troubles they were having reaching Command. Sergeant First Class Hill tried to make contact with fleet command. Once again, no one answered the radio calls. Sergeant First Class Hill then decided to try and use the emergency channel to make contact.

X-ray 33, this is Mike 26, over.

Nothing.

X-ray 33, this is Mike 26, over.

Mike 26, this is X-ray 33, you are on the emergency channel, and you must use the primary channel.

X-ray 33, we tried, but no one answered on the primary, over.

Mike 26, you will get off this channel right now, over.

This really infuriated the sergeant, but he had the radio switched back to the primary channel. Then he tried once again to make contact, with the same results. So the sergeant gave up on the primary and went to the secondary channel. Again, the same results as with the primary channel. The sergeant’s frustration was mounting by the second. The hell with these jackasses at Fleet Command, they are nothing but a bunch of sorry-ass losers who would run away from a bunch of campers if confronted. His comments were directed at no one, but all around him did not disagree with what he was saying. He wanted to say more, but he chose to keep his thoughts to himself.

Chapter 3

During this time, more information was coming in from the bunker’s surveillance room. It seemed that the Keltorics had moved up a rocket and missile battery. From what they could tell, these batteries could reach them with no trouble, as well as cause a lot of damage. There appeared to be roughly eight missile launchers and ten rocket launchers. Both launchers could launch six missiles or rockets at a time. The reload time for these weapons was unknown, but it was estimated to be ten to fifteen minutes.

The missiles appeared to be the Exsleant M45R. The missile was sixteen feet in length and weighed 652 pounds with the warhead of 250 pounds. The warhead contained a high explosive that could create a crater that could be at least ten feet deep and fifty feet wide. The warhead could be configured to explode with an air burst. Most of the missiles were configured for an air burst because this could cause maximum casualty and damage.

The rockets were of the Sweagtiker T12 model. It was roughly the same size as the missiles but only weighing 450 pounds. The warhead weight was a hundred pounds. The warhead was designed for air burst only. This would cause maximum casualty but not much in the way of damage to structures designed to withstand such types of explosions.

The enemy was moving the missile battery to the western section of the valley and the rocket battery to the central section. Twenty minutes later, both batteries appeared to have arrived in their location and were setting up. Another fifteen minutes and both batteries were set and ready.

Specialist Wilson told Specialist Hendon about the situation about the missile and rocket batteries. He was then told to alert the outpost and for them to take the necessary action. Unfortunately, there was not much in the way of protection, air defense artillery, from a missile or rocket attack. The only thing they had on their side was they would be able to see the launch and would have around ten minutes to find cover.

At 0705 hours, both batteries were set up and ready for action. Also at the same time, two of the armor units were set up just across from the small ruins on the west side of the valley. The last of the armor units was set up in the center section in the valley. They were on their side of the demarcation line along with one of the infantry units who were almost in position with that armor unit. The other two infantry units were deploying on the east side of their valley.

The movements were being monitored by the soldiers of Hill 926. They had been closely watching the movements and then relaying to Sergeant First Class Hill. He in turn would relay the information to his commanders in the 2nd Division. He should have been talking to fleet headquarters, but he was unable to make contact through the proper channels. And since fleet headquarters refused to listen to anything they wanted to say.

It had been several hours since the first alert was sounded, and the men on the hill were becoming restless with just sitting around. So the order was given to go to condition Yellow level two. This level allotted the men to stand down slightly. They were allowed to relax and stand down from constant alert. They were to maintain their close distance to their fighting positions. The men were allowed to get something to eat and get some rest if they needed it too.

Also the vehicles were relocated because of the missile threat. They were relocated further down the hill on the reverse side, hopefully out of harm’s way. The entrances to the underground bunker complex beneath the rear barracks were opened. This was for a fast entry into the bunker areas.

The enemy launched the first missile borage. These first missiles were aimed at the upper bunker complex and were intended to blind the outpost. The rockets were also being launched. The missiles would arrive at their targets within five minutes. The primary targets would be the observation bunker, barracks, vehicle compound, and fuel depot. The rockets’ targets would be for the personnel in the open.

Along with this strike, the armor units began their part of the invasion plan. The two legions would move from their current location, heading south along the river. Their mission was to attack any unit along the mountain range on the western boundary until they reached Hill 926. The one legion on the east side of the valley would attack on the west side of the valley, with the same mission as the other two legions on the east side.

The three infantry legions would proceed down the center of the valley. To be able to keep up with the armored units, some of the infantry units were mechanized. Their primary mission was to gain control of Hill 926. Then they were to use the hill to monitor all movements of the enemy.

Chapter 4

There was a unit close by who was monitoring the radio net when they heard all the radio traffic concerning the actions at Dragon Valley. This unit consisted of a field artillery company and a supporting infantry company. They were heading back from qualifications from a nearby range. They were about twenty miles away.

They attempted to make contact with the unit on Hill 926.

Echo 96, this is Alpha 12, over.

A minute later, a reply of Alpha 12, this Echo 96, over was heard on their radio.

Echo 96, do you require assistance? asked Specialist Thomson from 164th Field Artillery.

Alpha 12, we are now under missile and rocket attack. They have hit our observation bunker, barracks, and vehicle park. Break. They have also have both armor and infantry units heading our way, over, answered Specialist Hill.

Echo 96, we are about twenty miles away. Break. We will set up when we are three miles away. Break. That should be within two hours. Please advise if units are out in the area, over, responded Specialist Thomson.

Alpha 12, roger, not at this time, we will take all precautions, out, replied Specialist Hill.

Meanwhile, Sergeant Alexander was making arrangements to send two teams out to some of the remote sites to keep an eye on the approaching units. The units he wanted to send out were teams 5 and 6. Both teams were made up five members. One of the sites was located on the side of Mount Tere; this was located on the west side of the valley just north of Hill 926. This location was close enough that any team could get back to the hill before they could get into trouble. The second site was on the face of Mount Sku. This site was also close to the hill.

The move occurred about twenty minutes before the missile and rocket attacks. This move was indeed lucky because the observation bunker was severally damaged. There were no casualties because they were able to relocate to the secondary site. But they had lost most of their surveillance equipment. All that was left were the portable radar units and the long-range optics. Two of each unit were out in the field with the two teams.

It took both teams about nearly an hour to get into position. They were set up and monitoring their sectors of responsibilities. One of the equipment they were using was the portable radar unit. This unit could scan out about eighty kilometers and pick up targets in areas where the primary unit could miss. Both teams were unaware that the main bunker had been hit and the primary detection equipment was out of service. They also had with them a high-resolution camera that could focus on objects the size of a vehicle up to thirty-five kilometers away and personnel almost thirty kilometers away.

Chapter 5

Commander Burleson was in the communication room when the radio call from the outpost on Hill 926 came in. He told the radio operator to ignore all calls coming from this location. He told the operator this was a drill that he not worry about. The radio operator did as he was told, but when the commander left, he recorded all that was said just in case.

This same operator began to scan the net for more from this unit. Because it just didn’t seem the proper way to run a communication station. He wrote down the commander’s name, time, and date this transpired. During his scan, he picked more radio traffic concerning the very same outpost. He listened and wrote down everything he heard. He was not sure if he should report this to anyone, so he waited. Also before he left, he fixed it that any and all radio traffic concerning Hill 926, or any of the call signs he had noted, would be logged and kept on the radio’s computer under the file in the trusted documents section under AF retuning guide.

The radio operator Petty Officer O’Neal got off duty ten minutes later, so he was not on duty when the second attempt was made by the same outpost. But it was recorded on the file AF. The oncoming radio operator was given orders to not monitor that particular radio frequency due to disturbance, and units on these particular nets were too busy playing around.

The commander reported back to Admiral Broderick that all was taken care of; there would be no record of any radio traffic coming from Hill 926. He also told the admiral that all fleet units were instructed to deny anything when the subject of Hill 926 came up.

That is very good, Commander. Please inform the others that it has begun and to be prepared when the time comes. Also contact Captain Ramsey and arrange a meeting with the other commanders. Make sure everything else is in place, said the admiral.

Yes, sir, I will make sure it is done, replied the commander. With that, the commander turned and headed back to his office to do what the admiral had ordered him to do. It took him about ten minutes to get back to his office and to make the necessary phone calls. He took a small break to wonder what was happening out at Hill 926. He thought the admiral’s plan was a very good plan and was going according to schedule.

The admiral continued his walk through the gardens, running over his plan in his mind. He was still trying to figure out how the Planetary Defense Force received the orders to man the outpost along the borders with the Keltoric. This outfit was nothing more than a bunch of idiots not fit to wear any uniform, especially the uniform of the Fleet. The 1st fleet was the elite of any unit in this sector or anywhere else. Every time he thought about this subject, he became so furious and angry that he could kill the first PDF person he came across. This anger came from the fact that his beloved 1st Fleet has lost several exercises with the PDF. He claimed that the PDF cheated and that they were not suited to shine his damn boots. He would make complaints about their uniforms, the state of their living areas, the equipment, and their leadership as well.

To that end, he had ordered all of his commanding officers to refuse all requests made by any PDF no matter the circumstances. All of these commanders had been embarrassed by the PDF at some point in time and held grudges against many of the leadership in the PDF. Many had shown open hostilities toward anybody in a PDF uniform or wearing any insignia dealing with the PDF.

Chapter 6

The Planetary Defense Force was formed roughly fifteen years ago by several fleet units. These units that made up the PDF were made from the fleet units consisted of the 2nd, 4th, and the 26th. The reason for the major split was due to the fact that the previous commanding officer of the fleet headquarters showed too much favoritism to several of the fleets. These fleets were the 1st, 5th, 7th, and the 13th. These fleets were routinely given easy assignments away from the combat zones while the others were constantly in the combat zone. But it was the 1st, 5th, 7th, and 13th who were receiving all the commendations for action they were not a part of.

So the commanding officer of the units that felt they were being unfairly treated secretly contacted the powers above the fleet HQ. They arranged for the delegates of the secretary of defense to observe that all that they were telling them were true. So the delegates agreed and remained with the three units for a period of six months to observe. After the six months were through, the delegates presented their findings to the secretary of defense. The Secretary of Defense, Ms. Kimberly Wright, listened to her people and studied all the documents that were given to her for several days. Her decision was to form the Planetary Defense Force, comprising of the three units within the fleet.

Before the commanding officer at Fleet HQ could say this was unprecedented, she reminded them all that roughly seventy-five years ago, there was the PDF. But a group of admirals persuaded some in Fleet Headquarters, along with those from this office, and decided that the PDF should be reassigned to the Fleet. That is how it became just one fighting force under the command of the fleet for seventy-five years. I have also checked my historical notes, and it seems the 2nd, 4th, and 26th were the units from the last of the PDF. It seems that the PDF were being dismantled at least thirty years prior to the merging of the two forces. At one point in time, there were no less than six major units comprising the PDF. Several of these units were disbanded while others were absorbed into the fleet.

So she decided to reform the PDF and to strip all combat awards from the 1st. The 5th, 7th, and 13th fleet and give them to the proper recipients: the 2nd, 4th, and 26th. This move outraged those of the disgraced units. But the men and women of the newly formed units were pleased with the way things turned out.

Over the convening years, the newly constituted PDF preformed outstandingly in all categories, even those made up by the former fleet commanders. Those commanders who chose not to retire vowed to bring down the abomination created by the secretary of defense. Over the years, the resentment