Our part will be underway. Indonesian amphibious forces will seize the Mashirah Island and the nearby coastal city of Khaluf and Duqm, in UCC-occupied Oman by both sea and air assault as part of Operation Poseidon, amphibious landing in the Arab Peninsula.

"Tomorrow will be our day.. Coalition forces are ready to storm the Peninsula from the sea to open a third front. We need to take the pressure off any Anti-UCC resistance in the mainland as well as the airborne forces dropped on a few areas in the region, especially, Dubai... Our part will involve the establishment of a beachhead in the city of Khaluf and Duqm as well as capturing Mashirah Air Base in the nearby Mashirah Island. Multiple landing craft and LCACs will be rushed in straight into the region. Resistance is expected to be fierce, especially from the elite 1st Armored Division "Caliph's Own" and the 10th Mechanized Infantry Division "Cubs of the Caliphate" both from the Quds Legion, part of the II Quds Legion Corps, which in turn is attached to it's 9th Army, over here. Usage of CBRN and any mass destructive weapons must be expected as well as their usual drone swarm. And so we were authorized to call for our space assets, with discretion. Furthermore, another elite armored division of the UCC, the 6th Armored Division 'Sulaiman the Magnificent' was put in reserve."

We also learned that command had given Qatar to Iranian forces; while Kuwait will simply be assaulted by combined Iranian, Free Iraq, and US forces from land, Bahrain to India, and in Yemen, the element of Filipino 1st Marine Division will land in the reinforcement of YDA allies alongside Korean 2nd Marine Division "Sea Dragon" and the 2nd Marine Brigade from the Iranians. The Pact? they are focusing in Northern Yemen, Africa, and the Syrian front instead.

"There will be three sectors allocated to our part of the operation, the Operation Jayawijaya, in memory of the original aborted op back in the day; Batik, Songket, and Tenun, which the latter is the Mashirah Island."

".. 3rd Marine Division will be tasked in Batik along with the US 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.. 1st Marine Division in Songket, with 42 Commando Royal Marines... and 2nd Marine Division will be in reserve and as reinforcements, but a detached battalion landing team from it will be tasked in air assault in Tenun along with Malaysian Army 12th Marine Brigade and US 21st Marine Expeditionary Unit.."

The entire carrier air wing was then briefed in their specific roles. The 112th will be the first as a deep penetration strike unit into a town in Saudi Arabia called Thabloten to interdict reserve enemy armor division that will surely be deployed upon the first sight of the landing force. If the UCC can't stop our landing force closer to the coast, the way to Saudi Arabia will be wide open thanks to the armor-friendly desert terrain.

Our desire to end the war before the Centennial celebration will be a reality.

"Alright, people, to your squadrons, get yourself ready!"

...

Thanks to allied units were drawing the drones into action, our six-ship formation managed to reach the town almost unopposed. But as always, we must expect more.

I am leading Sea Knight 2, with Snow as an overall commander. Behind us, Indian Navy Falcon flight with eight Abhayas plus four more sixth generations; four IAF Tempests, callsign Viper, and the 13th Squadron of our Air Force. The former penal unit now legitimized.

"Take a look, everyone. It's the Peninsula." Snow said to us.

"Yeah," I muttered quietly. Watch out Riyadh, here we come.

We were only about five thousand feet up, but the lower the clouds were still eye level. Allied planes loomed over the land and sea like some ominous angel of death.

"This is AWACS Ligor. We're about to back our airborne troops that had just landed to seize the key bridgeheads ahead of the landing. Commence attack!"

"Be advised.. this is Falcon lead.. we're reaching our destination, prosecuting ground targets."

The Sulaiman Armored Division was huge in number but their supplies were stretched thin.

"Coalition airborne troops have landed almost everywhere when that authorization will come? Both the 1st and 10th are heavily engaged with the paras, which had their own armored vehicles.. and airstrike... We are critically short on supplies sir.. Dubai is close to falling.." a brigade commander reported to the overall divisional CO.

"General, UNC fighters and drones sighted!" reported another brigade commander. But it's too late. Two Capung drones were the first to fire at my command and took out a couple of SAM vehicles, meanwhile, the Indian naval aviators caught a pair of patrolling F-15Cs and immediately downed the Eagle with a volley of long-range Indian-made Astra missiles.

One drone took a hit from a SAM vehicle and was destroyed, but not long one of the 13th' IF-33F two-seaters knocked it out of commission, in a close range with guns, a testament to their less disciplined origin.

"Sir... I think we're facing a squadron with Fishnet in it.." reported a soldier who managed to get a nice view of my squadron's insignia.

Snow then ordered us to activate our TLPs and we spread out to began strafing the air defense and armored vehicles nicely parked on the desert.

"Padlock 2-1, missile away"

"Padlock 2-2, fox three!"

"Viper 1-1, fox two.. splash one Eagle"

"Sea Knight 102, coordinates received, fox four!"

We caught their desperate chatters in the process.

"Dammit, we're not gonna die here, not on my watch!" swore a Caliphate NCO.

"Where is the Air Force? We're sitting ducks here!" reported one enemy officer.

The division was virtually stripped bare from its air defenses.

"3rd Battalion, we need to regroup with the brigade HQ!" called one of the enemy battalion commanders.

"Forget about the counterattack!" ordered the Sulaiman Division commander.-Concentrate on staying alive!

"Padlock leader to all units, we got bandits, 2 o'clock, four Typhoons.."

"Padlock 1-3, fox two.. splash one Typhoon.."

...

"Maru, Maru, Maru!" (circle in Japanese)

The ships and ESDs disgorged its LCACs and other landing crafts upon the signal. Operation Poseidon, the second phase, has begun...

...

"This is Ligor... the marines have landed, update so far, casualties still acceptable, continue the attack... Wait. we have a new set of drones, ID Saegheh, incoming!"

Twelve drones head towards the 13th Squadron, and the AEW spotted them in a timely manner. Ligor soon vectored us into the oncoming threat. The Indians also called a similar situation, in which the Viper flight head left to intercept the threat.

"Arm TLP then spread into pairs." Snow ordered.

"Regroup on me, don't let those sixth-gen folks hogging all the credits," said Padlock 1-1. The former convicts began to fire their missiles into the oncoming drones, destroying it or scattered it right into the range of our directed energy weapons.

"Sea Knight 201, slash!" Another Saegheh went down.

Desperate radio chatters came from the enemy as our remaining drones and allied squadron strafed the enemy troops. Cluster munitions hammered the armored vehicles, AGM and laser-guided rockets dealt with light vehicles, supply areas, especially combustibles like fuel and ammo, and those who hid amongst the town or those who dug in. Moving vehicles were hounded by laser strafing as well as SPICE and JDAM guided bombs, carried respectively by the Indian and our aircraft.

In addition, we sent them a few cruise missiles from submarines and ships.

I've shot down four drones in a laser sweep while Snow got three. But Padlock Squadron has their share as well.

"You're looking good.. keep this up" exclaimed the impressed Major Aris.

"Roger, Snow.. who downed 10 drones first, one bottle of Ichi-Ocha. Agree?"

"Anything than beer is right for me. Fishnet. Especially as we're already got wives back home." just as AWACS Ligor reported. "All Coalition aircraft, the mission was a success... wait a minute, faint unknown contact, presumed hostile..."

Sixteen HA550s were just twenty miles north of the Coalition fighters, sporting a digital multi-tone brown camouflage. In addition, twenty Sofreh Mahi laser drones followed the elite manned pilots.

"Beware, people, we have confirmed Fishnet is present in the area. He's as good as the Angel of Azrael." piped the squadron overall leader, Colonel Bilal Atay; with confirmed 90 kills and served from the beginning of the UCC campaigns in the region and in the European theater of the war. A week ago Bilal voluntarily accept a demotion from Brigadier General back to Colonel to return to command duty after a stint in the training command.

"Let's see if he lives on his reputation, Colonel," told one of his wingmen, Capt. Zahi Amrani.

"Remember the rule.. prioritize older types. Mubaraks, we'll going to make the infidels pay for stepping foot in our Holy Land.. commence laser attack!"

"Roger, boss."

...

"Hit the deck!!"

The AI voice warning on an imminent laser attack is a signal for us to scatter as a familiar beam 20 miles away streaked through the sky. But four Coalition pilots were not so lucky.

Including Sea Knight 301. Major Tulus Wardoyo.

"Fucking assholes!!" was all his wingman Captain David Sela could shout as his leader's plane got vaporized by the laser.

"There must be another squadron with -550s.. damn I thought it just the test-eval squadron.," said Snow while I am evading another beam from one of the newcomers. "Damn that intel!"

"Be advised, multiple high-speed contacts... Sofreh Mahi drones!" warned AWACS Ligor.

"We're losing drones and men out here!" called Padlock 1-3. "Are there any reinforcements?"

"Stand by... all squadron, focus in evasion and defensive engagements as we're connecting to missile trucks and other reinforcements... "

Everybody got goosebumps on their own as they recognize the bandits as Helwan HA550s.

"This is what we're trained for, protect our older-type fellows!"

"Roger!" replied all remaining Sea Knight members, followed by the Viper flight. "Take out the drones first!"

Two drones zig-zagged towards me, and I evaded their laser as they fired. The two attempted to ambush me from another direction, above and below, but the AI can only do so much with the humans, as I dodged another cannon and missile fire from the Sofreh Mahi drones.

Just in time my wingman Milky arrived and her pulse laser cannon destroyed a drone.

"Nice shot" that's the only word I can told her as I then forced a drone to overshot my plane before two AIM-10s finally downed it for good. Not long my radio crackled with "Viper 1-4, Fox four" and "Splash one Helwan"

"Watch out!" I warned Milky as another beam from the Helwans streaked through the sky. Soon me and her obtained a visual contact with two of the manned fighters, looking after the Indian Tempests.

"Mubarak 3-2 to 3-1" reported a UCC pilot to his leader. "We got Fishnet in our sights, but we need to go closer. We can't use lasers too much anyway."

"That's what I want to say." The Helwans then charged straight at me and Milky; we avoid them and fired our AIM-122s in lock on after launch mode.

"I'm hit!" Mubarak 3-1 called.

"Mubarak 3-2, 3-1 can you hear me?"

Then I saw the stricken fighter had it's canopy jettisoned and a tell-tale ejection.

"Splash one," I reported.

"Oh no, you don't!" Milky growled and I followed her chasing the wingmen; trying to regroup with his fellow Helwans.

"Sky Knight 1 has been hit!" called Sky Knight 102.

My blood froze upon hearing the report of Snow got hit.

"Lead here... Just a couple of their 30mm hit on the wing that's not critical... still combat-capable.. Fox two!" Then "Splash one Helwan."

He really got steel guts.

As I downed one more Sofreh Mahi, at the other side, suddenly laser warning alerts blared upon the Mubarak Squadron's cockpits.

"Evasive actions!" ordered Mubarak leader.

Two more HA550s plus three Sofreh Mahis were lost in a laser volley fired by the newly arrived 103rd "Trident" Squadron also with IF-37s, the rest managed to evade. Indian Navy manned Rafale Ms plotted as missile trucks dispatched to a relatively safe range from the battlefield further saturated the sky with a barrage of Meteors before breaking off.

I can see two more Sofreh Mahis exploded by the missile hit and three Helwans damaged.

"Reinforcements!" I exclaimed in relief.

"You're closer to bingo, head back to the boat, Sea Knights".-said Trident 121, the leader. Indeed my fuel gauge is approaching bingo.

"We'll take care from here!"-said Trident 122.

"Understood, Sea Knights, return to the carrier." piped AWACS Ligor.

Pretty soon we caught the conversation between Mubarak pilots suggesting they're running out of fuel, but then in the open channel, an address from Colonel Atay.

"Infidels, don't you dare to think this is over. We'll be back, and stronger than before!"

As we're heading back to the carrier with Ram air turbines active to conserve fuel; Snow called me.

"I only got seven, you got six drones.. I hope our next sortie we can sort out the rest." Damn him, I told myself; his jet is the most dinged up among us. Nevertheless, my reply was the following. "The fight still on, 101."

"That's what I like to see Fishnet.. for sake of the memory of 301.. we have to keep fighting. He's a model naval aviator to the end, people.. That's all."

"Ligor here.. I agree with your word, Snow. We still have duties to be done; we can mourn him later on." replied the AEW.

As we approached the carrier, Snow ordered us to keep our formation.

"Sea Knight 101 to Sriwijaya... in the memory of Major Wardoyo.. requesting permission for salutation pass."

"Granted." replied the air boss.

I barely know Major Wardoyo, callsign Wheelspoke, but I thought about his family now; especially as he's married like me and with children.

"Join me.." said AWACS Ligor "in saluting Major Wardoyo" Sea Knight 302's plane peeled off to the right as we passed through the carrier.

Upon landing, we were told that the battles for the coast are still on, with the winning side is ours. Heavy casualties, but we're progressing and two separate reports confirmed that the units of 301st Marine Amphibious Brigade had linked with our 3rd Airborne Brigade, while the American 82nd Airborne landed nearby had also being relieved as the report said by the elements of the 6th Marine Expeditionary Brigade of the US 1st Marine Division and 14th Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Armored Division "Spearhead" landed in Silver Beach, 25 miles east of Batik Beach where our 3rd Marine Division and the reinforcing element from the 2nd Marine Division incurred significant losses in the process, almost as bloody as the Omaha Beach or Tarawa.

...

What do you think about this "Operation Overlord?"