The man next to him bowed his head in understanding, nodding, ‘Jawohl, Herr Major…I will have the men briefed.’
Kelb raised his hand, indicating there was more, his jaw stiffening in determination, ‘No soldier is to leave his position unless designated to protect the engineers…once we have isolated their armour it will be destroyed as their infantry are decimated behind…then the Ukrainian tanks and APCs will advance. A victory is needed to turn the tide and provide hope…these Morgons need to taste ultimate and devastating defeat.’ The officer stiffened resolutely, ‘There are no reports of their aerial fighters in this area as yet…we will strike them hard and offer no mercy…kill their wounded and any of them that attempt to surrender…’ The major grinned ironically, ‘Even though we have been told they never give up…this night they will.’
The commander raised his glasses once more, his eyes straining as he stared through the lenses into the distance, his voice lowering, ‘Better brief them quickly…we will have company very soon.’
Time is shortening: Northern Russia
Juri Medvedev’s eyes strained in the intense cold as he pushed through the small door, the flat roof coated in a heavy layer of dusted snow, fragments of debris and broken brick scattered across the shattered upper storey, two of the other emergency exit rooms half destroyed from stray shells and the heavy fighting. Edging forward, the young commander glanced across the other rooftops nearby, one square block slightly higher in the distance, the building he was on rectangular along with most of the surrounding buildings.
Clouds of dense acrid smoke suddenly billowed across the rooftop, the officer’s head ducking as smouldering embers swirled in the rising heat, several apartments burning fiercely below across the estate. Raising a hand before his face as protection, he stepped further, tightening his grip on the automatic rifle as he heard the hissed warning before him, ‘Stay low…something is going on…’
Emerging from the acrid cloud, he exhaled heavily, glimpsing the prone soldier through bloodshot eyes, the man laying behind a shattered fire escape, his arm waving frantically for the officer to get down. Medvedev dropped instinctively to his hands and knees, noticing the other sniper at the opposite corner of the roof, the man staring into the distance through his rifle scope.
His eyes widened as he slowly looked round, flames seeping from several of the apartments on the higher square blocks, the darkened hulks of tall buildings obscuring any distant view to the east and west. The city skyline glowed brightly in the distance to the north, muffled gunfire and explosions seeming to surround the blocks, the commander’s eyes narrowing as he considered the fighting to be only a couple of streets away. Then a billowing fireball in the distance, a rumble shortly afterwards followed by another, Russian long range artillery firing into the city from the far south.
His body stiffened as several closer shots rang out, the muzzle flashes from the taller building and another further north, his eyes straining as he briefly glimpsed a shadow on the higher roof waving frantically. Then a gasp from before him, the sniper turning in adrenalin fuelled excitement, ‘Flashing lights between some of the buildings…I think the enemy are moving up…’
Two muffled explosions ahead, then another…the sniper hissing further as a distant shriek of anger reached their ears, ‘They have reached the trip wires…there are others…’ Further muffled crumps and another shriek as gunfire erupted, Morgon forward units having tripped hidden mines, a firefight commencing on the outskirts of the residential estate.
Then heavier gunfire, louder explosions as Morgon rockets began to impact on the outer block, flashes erupting as the detonations spread across the block frontage, the remnants of a Russian infantry company desperately returning fire. Smoke and dust billowed upwards, obscuring the tall apartments, distant shouts and gunfire resounding further.
A jolt of nervous energy shot up Medvedev’s spine, bright lights suddenly surging upwards further north and into the night sky ahead, his head lowering as the roar of engines swept towards them, the twin lights from three large Morgon armoured hunter drones sweeping across and between the darkened buildings.
A flash of light as a rocket swept from one of the vessels, the missile burning brightly before smacking into the tallest building, the structure seeming to visibly shake as flames erupted across the frontage, searing through corridors and apartments, a large flaming acrid smoke and debris cloud billowing into the cold night sky. The lights moved in the sky, panning across several other buildings and rooftops, the Morgons scanning the blocks for signs of life.
Further dust poured and billowed from the rooftops and balconies, the intense downdraft from the drone engines obscuring visibility almost completely as the defenders shielded their eyes and darted for cover. Acid shells smacked against the building fronts, several onto the rooftops as the Morgon craft swept forward, heavy machine guns pouring fire onto and into the buildings below, the flashes illuminating the officer and his men’s faces through the haze.
Shouts of panic as the snipers darted from their positions, Medvedev’s shoulders grabbed roughly as he attempted to rise and dragged forcibly towards a low shattered building, one of the snipers shouting breathlessly
