Second Battle of Presidia
- This article is about an in-universe event. For the in-game mission, see Presidia (mission).
- "All callsigns, commence the offensive. We are the descendants of those who would not be ruled, show them what that means."
- ― Independence Force HQ
The Second Battle of Presidia[1] was the last major battle of the Cascadian Conflict, spearheaded by every operational Cascadian Independence Force unit and ally with the intended goal of retaking the Cascadian capital of Presidia from occupying Pacific Federation forces.
The battle was long and arduous, with both sides giving their all to maintain control over the city, and resulted in much of the city being turned into a warzone. It was nearly finished with the complete annihilation of all Federation forces in-country when a ceasefire was signed. However, the battle was rendered almost completely pointless when the rogue Crimson 1, unaware of the ceasefire,[6] detonated several cordium warheads downtown, killing millions including the entirety of the CIF's operational military and almost every Federation troop left[1] and soon perhaps taking the rest of the city with it.[2]
Prelude
- "We don't know how this battle will be won, but it ends in the complete and utter devastation of either us or them. Cascadia is our home, and Presidia is its heart. The flag that flies over it at the end will decide all of our fates."
- ― CIF unit briefer
After cutting off the Federation's sole remaining supply route and destroying most of their naval forces in-country in the Pacific Ocean, the CIF made preparations to retake Presidia and end the Cascadian Conflict, starting by blockading their capital for at least one month as part of the decision to drag out the siege long enough for the Federation defenders to be too weakened to defend. However, as a ceasefire was secretly being worked on yet kept secret to all but the upper echelons of both sides, the rebels decided to take all of their forces that they had into the capital.
Presidia was now deeply fortified against attacks of every form, comprised of Federation units that had survived to this point and refused to withdraw when they had the chance. The operation, codenamed Manifest Destiny, was divided into four parts:
- Land: Ground forces would be pushing into the capital from inland, surrounding Federation Ground Forces troops. They would begin eliminating every trace of Federation piece by piece.
- Air: The last of the Federation Air Force in Cascadia would be airborne resisting the advance as long as they could before being shot down.
- Sea: A Cascadian Coast Guard contingent led by the CIFS Eminent Domain would be eliminating the last of the Federation Navy in the North American continent, and then move in to shell Federation emplacements in the city.
- Endgame: Once all forces were in position, the rebels would push all the way into the port to finally kick the Federation out of their country proper, ending the war.
Hitman Team of Sicario would be leading the final push, picking whatever part of the battle they felt like engaging. Despite the CIF trying to scavenge leftovers from the Federation in previous battles, they relied a lot on Hitman's air support. The battle, overall, would be climatic, with either side facing total devastation and their fates decided final. The Federation, meanwhile, despite major drawbacks such as all of their remaining ships being damaged from previous battles, was ordered to hold as much as possible until the ceasefire was signed; the capital holding, to them, would salvage a small piece of victory from the abyss of their crushing losses.
Ronin, Sicario's SOF which survived the Cascadian Calamity Event unbeknownst to their compatriots, had been spending the days leading up to the liberation pinging Federation defense units, as well as inciting firefights in conjunction with Cascadian partisans.
Battle
- "Monarch, take Presidia!"
- ― Dominic Zaitsev
Sicario Commander Arnold Frenken, leading and bellowing the aerial charge, engaged outer ground forces firsthand, quickly dispatching them. They then engaged Federation fighters above, resulting in a chaotic furball with some Federation planes being mercilessly swatted out of the sky and running out of ammunition with how deprived of supplies the Federation was. Airships were shot out and recklessly collided into the buildings below, ground forces taking care to avoid their debris. Soon, the Federation lost the war in the air, and they sent out their ships to engage the rebel fleet, which opted to meet the Federation halfway.
Once the Federation Navy was sent to the ocean's bottom, the Endgame phase began; Ronin revealed itself to their allies above as an unrelenting last push ensued. Federation command moved its units to defensive phase lines and locked civilians inside buildings by force under threat of being shot. Rebel infantry was held up as priority, taking forward positions, and the rebel fleet moved in to provide artillery support for the advance. They were instructed to show no mercy as the Federation gave up their chance to surrender days ago, helped by the fact that there were no more reinforcements on the scopes as far as they were concerned at the time. However, the ceasefire was signed and called in just as the CIF closed in on the Port Authority Building, the last stronghold left in the city, and all units on both sides were immediately ordered to cease fighting.
Aftermath
- "All units, stand down, I repeat, stand down! This is what we've been looking for!"
- ― Captain J. Griffiths
Despite the sudden ceasefire, Federation units became conflicted on the next order of business, even with their Prime Executive giving a direct order to evacuate the country right here and now. In response, Federation command blockaded roads to major installments and ordered troops to discard all identifying equipment and run for it to the harbor.
The victorious rebels were sent a transcript of the ceasefire, being made to read it out to make sure. The Federation regretted not having it signed an hour prior, while on the other side, the recently battle-worn fighters were skeptical of whether the war was truly over, believing it to be a fraud, though they were still ordered to watch over the Federation withdrawal.
Soon after, however, Crimson 1, now flying a PW-Mk.I and unaware that the war was over already,[6] opened fire indiscriminately on all units in the area, ignoring warnings to hold fire. He also set off cordium warheads in Presidia, causing another major geothermal disaster on the world's hands, killing millions, and voiding the ceasefire. It would not be until he engaged Monarch and was slain for good that the war ended proper.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Cascadian Calamity Event (AC 432).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 21: Kings (Transcript).
- ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 14: Open Season (Transcript).
- ↑ Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Campaign Mission 19: Red Sea (Transcript).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: The Cascadian Conflict.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sector D2. (2020). Project Wingman [Video game]. Humble Games. Files Archive → World Entries: Cascadian Conflict Ceasefire.
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