The Kingdom of Reedia, situated to the west of Akol, is relatively small as compared to Akol. It emerged after a rebellion by the former governor and the present king of Reedia, Ratna Devarai who with his army took control over the Reedia Governate of Akol and established the kingdom and the Devrai dynasty. It was around twenty years ago. With years, Reedia has established itself as a powerful military and has trade connections with many other neighbours, most of them being Akol's rivals. Over the years, this small kingdom has prevented the westward expansion of the Empire. The 11th longitude which forms the border between Akol and Reedia is also one of the most guarded borders. About 700 km long, this border is marked by tall fortified walls, hundreds of checkpoints and dangerous traps hidden throughout the no man's land. Incidentally, the Black Forest margins the southern border of Reedia and the South-Western border of Akol and both of the nations are in an indirect fight for the control of rich and vast resources of the Black Forest. Espionage and counter-espionage missions are carried out extensively in this region by both of these States and all due to which the Empire is very keen on controlling the rock formation rich in iron not only because of the resources but also to create a new border front to add pressure on the Reedian Kingdom and because of which this mission was haphazardly sanctioned by the Secretariat of Defence headed by Roy Ambitious who is currently running up and down to Emperor's office to make him name recognised and to get a ministerial post.
Here, all the nine squadrons of the Z-Class division finally arrived at the White Room with representatives from other classes of SPC, the Engineer Corps and the Garrison to discuss the strategic plan for the capture of the said target. With Major Raisena of the 1st Division of the Z-Class squadron at the chair, the meeting commenced. Various strategies were discussed and ideas were analysed. Information from the scouts who had identified the region was also discussed and analysed. After hours of discussions, 3 strategies emerged as the front runners. The first one was put up by the Major's squad: They suggested that the Z-Class division would lead the mission, clearing the forest and making a trail which the incoming squads would follow. This will be in this order. The S and A class will clear the remains left by the Z-Class and the other division will assist the Engineer corps in laying the road and also protecting them from the monsters and other dangers like soldiers from Reedia. The second strategy was a bit different. It was suggested by the 3rd Z-Class Squad. They said, that instead of moving in separate groups according to hierarchy, which is also risky, it would be much better if we all moved in groups with a mix from each of the divisions so that each group would be able to support each other. For example, the nine Z-Class divisions will be divided into three groups with 3 squads each along with 4 companies of S and A class and a proportionate amount of Engineer and Garrison companies for assisting the SPC companies. This will make 3 separate armies which will head towards the target and will also reduce the risks and provide adequate division of labour. The last strategy was proposed by Leutiant Lunana, of the 2nd Z-Class squadron. She supported the plan of the 3rd division with added modifications regarding the movements of different squads. She suggested that instead of three groups moving independently of each other, one of the groups will act as the lead group with the two others acting in parallel to the first group acting as decoys to lure the monsters towards them so that the leading group will move efficiently without delays. Also, instead of using the usual smoke signals, the groups will communicate via special sound signals to avoid detection by the enemy soldiers and the monsters alike. The leading group must move fast and covertly in arrowhead formation while other groups will closely follow the leading group. In the case when the leading group faces trouble, the other groups will assist so that the leading group can move efficiently. To summarise, the auxiliary groups will detect the presence of monsters and enemy soldiers and will give appropriate signals to the main group. We will avoid fighting as much as possible until we have successfully established control over the target and secured a safe supply chain for our troops. We will avoid wasting resources as much as possible.
As Lunana was finishing, a representative from the Engineer Corps stood up. He said, "So, basically one of the three groups which will be formed, will lead the mission while the other two will work as auxiliary groups providing information about the monsters and soldiers and ensuring a safe passage without fighting. It is a good plan but I think that it will put too much pressure on the auxiliary groups and there is no guarantee that the situation will be the same as predicted. It is also very possible that the main group may not receive the signal or it may misinterpret it as we are using sound signals which we are not used to. What is your say on this topic?" Lunana responded, "It is a valid question, and regarding whether the auxiliary groups will have more pressure or not is something I cannot predict. All three groups will be facing the same pressure and I suggest that we should conduct mock drills in the Redia Forests which is relatively safe before heading out. I suggest that we perform at least 10 mock drills before heading out. This will also help us sort out different groups." The gathering approved the plan by majority vote. Major Raisena stood up and approved the strategic plan. He ordered his steno to draft this plan and send it as soon as possible to the Director. He said that the teams will be decided after the Director approves the resolution and that everyone must reach the border town of Mauria as soon as possible so that the mock drills can be started. Also, as per the intel reports, there is currently no sign of Reedian presence in the forest. But they cannot take risks. The Directorate wants the mission to be started as early as possible, within a month or so, and we have to keep that deadline in mind. Everyone signed their consents and Operation White Rocks was approved. Only the approval from the Directorate was required. They had three days to prepare and leave for the Mauria. 'Sufficient time' mumbled Al-Mar.
Down the bustling evening streets of Maida, heading towards his home, Juto noticed a familiar figure moving quickly across the streets. At first, he didn't give a damn about who it was and what it was doing. But, as soon as he spotted another figure 5m away heading towards the same location, he felt something was going on. Being a part of Queen's, the nation's intelligence agency, he was quite vigilant, observing suspicious people and foiling their plans. He was also placed in SPC to provide intelligence about the SPC's motives as the SPC was also a powerful force and to prevent something like a rebellion from happening. As he followed the two figures, making sure that no one took notice of him, he arrived at a small fountain. He could see that there was some exchange of dialogue going on between the two figures but he couldn't make out. 'Better inform the higher ups' he thought. On the other side, a masculine voice was speaking, "So, how was the plan, the Operation White Rock or whatever you call it, and what to do about the guy who is peeking from that building?" to which a feminine voice replied, "most of the parts of the plan were according to our predictions, nothing to worry about, and about that person, he is my squadmate and just a joke, he can't do anything, nothing will happen even if he reports."
"You look confident, anyways remember the plan, we have to succeed, understand".
"Got it"
This brief exchange was over, Juto, as mentioned by his suspicious squadmate was clueless. He knew that he had seen that person somewhere but he couldn't make out. The only thing he could make out was a red watch that person wore. 'Where have I seen it? Where?', but no success.
Standing at the stairway of her house, Al-Mar was searching for her keys. After finding them, she entered the newly bought spacious bungalow. Her parents will be arriving the day after tomorrow. With a heavy sigh, she wondered whether she should do something about the event or not. She sat on her couch and opened her journal, logged today's entry and opened the Emergency Managements in Medicine textbook beside her. Down on the streets, one could hear the dogs fighting and the cats meowed