5/19/2026 The elite CHU unit is mobilized to the small yet strategically vital town of Al Asfrahar. Their mission is to secure the settlement from the slowly advancing FCSZA forces and gather intelligence from the local population regarding the current condition and movements of the FCSZA. 5/20/2026 A small contingent of 20 CHU operators lands near Al Asfrahar at Ajawud Airport aboard a Vespacian C-17. From there, they begin a 30-minute Humvee convoy toward the town. Upon arrival, the operators attempt to establish communication with the locals through translators. After hours of negotiation, they successfully convince the townspeople to assist in constructing defensive positions. As night falls, the exhausted operators settle in for the evening. 5/21/2026 Intelligence reports estimate that FCSZA forces will arrive within a week. The CHU operators divide into two groups: 10 operators are sent on a long-range reconnaissance mission expected to last at least a day. Meanwhile, the remaining operators stay behind in Al Asfrahar, training local volunteers in the use of sidearms and basic defensive tactics. 5/22/2026 The recon team fails to return as scheduled. Worse still, a large portion of the CHU’s ammunition and supplies is destroyed in an accidental fire caused by one of the locals. With supplies critically low, the operators radio nearby CIFSZ-occupied Fort Wikeb'an, requesting an emergency supply convoy. The remainder of the day passes with little progress and growing anxiety. 5/23/2026 The recon team is still missing. A returning radio transmission informs the operators that the incoming supply vehicle was destroyed by a landmine before reaching the town. Growing desperate, CHU operator Jonas Harterstein disobeys direct orders and leaves Al Asfrahar alone in an attempt to locate the missing recon party. 5/24/2026 Neither Jonas nor the recon team has returned. Only nine CHU operators remain in the town. At approximately 2:43 PM, while several operators are asleep, horrifying screams erupt from beyond the outskirts of Al Asfrahar. Believing it may be the missing recon team, the operators rush toward the disturbance. However, the moment they step outside, operators Matthias Untabar and Michael Hersonne are gunned down by charging FCSZA forces. The remaining operators scramble to their defensive positions. Marksman Revnier MaChallote scales the roof of a small building with his bare hands and begins firing into the advancing enemy, reportedly killing approximately 23 FCSZA troops. Across the town, CHU operators methodically pick off charging attackers one by one. Fortunately for the defenders, the enemy assault lacks machine-gun support. Eventually, the attack collapses and the FCSZA forces retreat. Knowing another assault is inevitable, the operators radio for a supply helicopter carrying ammunition and food. They also request an aerial reconnaissance helicopter to search for the missing recon team. 5/25/2026 The townspeople begin arming themselves using old Cold War-era rifles discovered in a nearby shack. Later that morning, the supply helicopter successfully arrives, though the reconnaissance helicopter returns empty-handed after failing to locate the recon team. Soon after, another wave of attackers descends upon Al Asfrahar, this time supported by aging Soviet-era IFVs. The CHU operators possess no anti-tank weaponry, leaving them dangerously vulnerable. The townsmen, however, improvise with homemade Molotov cocktails. Working together, the operators and locals disable at least five IFVs by hurling the incendiary weapons onto the vehicles. Their rubber tracks ignite, immobilizing the armored vehicles and forcing enemy troops to dismount directly into exposed kill zones. The second assault is ultimately repelled. Near the end of the day, a second reconnaissance helicopter finally discovers the missing recon party. None of them survived. Their bodies are found scattered across the jungle floor, presumed to have been ambushed by FCSZA IFVs. Back in town, the surviving operators receive the devastating news. Realizing only six of them remain combat-capable, they seriously consider requesting a CIFSZ C-130 evacuation for both themselves and the civilian population. A heated debate erupts among the exhausted operators. The argument is abruptly interrupted by heavy FCSZA artillery fire. Mortars devastate the town’s defenses and severely wound several locals. As the bombardment ceases, a massive force of FCSZA troops launches a full-scale assault on Al Asfrahar. Despite inflicting heavy casualties, the defenders are eventually overrun, and brutal hand-to-hand combat erupts within the trenches. Armed townspeople join the fight, managing to reclaim the trenches at the cost of three civilian lives. ( continued on noted and credits )
Overwhelmed and running out of ammunition, the operators retreat toward the center of town where the remaining buildings offer limited cover. The situation turns catastrophic: attackers pour over barricades while civilians are shot down in the streets. Then, without warning, thunderous explosions rip through the skies above. CIFSZ air support — primarily Neuvellonian aircraft — descends upon the battlefield, devastating the attacking forces with precision bomb strikes. Unable to sustain the losses, the FCSZA commanders finally order a retreat. Once again, the attackers vanish into the wilderness. 5/26/2026 Three operators are discovered missing following the battle. After hours of searching, the missing operators would eventually be found inside a nearby shack, each dead from gunshot wounds to the head. A single pistol lay abandoned on the floor beside them. Only three CHU operators now remained: Revnier MaChallote, Sam Ellerwald, and Thomas Loupièr, alongside 14 surviving locals. Knowing there was no longer any hope of holding Al Asfrahar, the operators radioed for a CIFSZ C-130 evacuation at nearby Ajawud Airport. To reach it, however, they would have to survive a dangerous journey through territory likely crawling with FCSZA forces. By approximately 12:00 PM, the convoy was prepared and the evacuation drive began. Ten minutes into the journey, disaster struck. One of the jeeps, driven by Sam Ellerwald, was suddenly hit by an RPG fired from an unknown position within the jungle. The explosion instantly killed Sam and two locals riding alongside him. The remaining four survivors scrambled from the burning wreckage and sprinted toward the other vehicles as heavy machine-gun fire erupted from the treeline. The convoy accelerated out of the ambush zone at full speed. At roughly 1:00 PM, the survivors finally arrived at Ajawud Airport. However, the evacuation C-130 was delayed by nearly 30 minutes. To make matters worse, reports confirmed that FCSZA forces were rapidly closing in on the airport. Understanding that someone would need to hold the attackers back, Revnier and Thomas shared their final goodbyes with the civilians before leaving the airport terminal and taking defensive positions near the entrance gate. Within five minutes, the FCSZA assault force arrived. With only ten minutes remaining before the C-130’s expected arrival, Revnier and Thomas unleashed a desperate but ferocious defense against overwhelming odds. Reports later estimated the battle to have been two men against nearly 100 attackers. Despite the impossible situation, the two operators managed to hold the line. Finally, the roar of engines thundered overhead as the CIFSZ C-130 descended onto the runway. Vespacian troops rushed the surviving locals aboard the aircraft while Revnier and Thomas continued fighting outside the perimeter. Moments later, Revnier suddenly emerged from the smoke and bushes surrounding the gate and sprinted toward the plane under enemy fire. Thomas, however, never appeared. According to Revnier’s later account, Thomas had remained behind at the entrance outpost, ordering Revnier to run for the aircraft while he manually detonated a hidden cache of C4 explosives. The massive explosion obliterated the outpost entrance along with the advancing FCSZA troops, killing Thomas instantly and buying enough time for the evacuation plane to escape. Aftermath. Following the battle, the Teutonian military awarded Revnier MaChallote and Thomas Loupièr the highest military honor in Teutonia. The Battle of Al Asfrahar became a grim reminder of both the brutality of the FCSZA and the devastating cost of the conflict. Internationally, the FCSZA faced humiliation for requiring over 1,000 troops to eliminate a force of only 20 Teutonian CHU operators and local volunteers. Combined with their heavy casualties, the defeat reportedly pushed elements within the FCSZA leadership to begin considering peace negotiations and even possible surrender conditions.
