polemos:campaigns:many_in_freedom:events:operation_leviathan_down_the_battle_of_ravenhold [Earth Sphere]

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====== Operation Leviathan Down ======
Operation Leviathan Down was the Agathos Reform Coalition code name for the Battle of Ravenhold, where a combined ARC and Filonian force sought to prevent the USC from advancing further into the Agathonian interior. The USC fielded the majority of the 1st Army Group against the defenders, supported by the MARCS-class chip //Salvation//. Allied forces fielded roughly an army-sized collection of units from a variety of coalition factions, also with MARCS-class support in the form of the //Reconciliation//. Overall troop count saw allied forces outnumbered approximately three-to-one. DGCL rangers were used heavily in the course of the battle, particularly during Operation Ruby Fall, the sub-operation code name for a large airborne effort that saw several regiments placed behind enemy lines in an attempt to commandeer AAA assets to target the //Salvation//.

^Start Date  |242/01/03  |
^Main Objective  |Destruction of USC MARCS-class ship //Salvation//, Halt advance of USC's 1st Army Group  |
^Mission Status  |Complete - Mission Success  |

===== Deployment =====
Members of Seraph Squad, at least at the outset of the battle, were attached to the UFPF's newly formed 1st Airborne Regiment. They executed a HALO jump using conventional parachutes. While heavy casualties were taken by the regiment as a whole (as well as other airborne units), Seraph Squad landed scattered across battle sector Ro-303 with only minor injuries. The squad fought or evaded small USC infantry detachments that had been sent to intercept them and rendezvoused at the hamlet square of Quibham.

===== Primary Target =====
Seraph Squad continued to nearby Gotham Park where their primary target, a portable AAA battery similar to the Black Widow, was installed. After reconnoitering the area the rangers round a small USC fire base had been setup to defend the most obvious angles of attack, as well as a sniper hidden atop a nearby Ferris Wheel. Launching their attack, Seraph Squad called for an artillery strike on the Ferris Wheel, but it was intercepted by the AAA battery. The ranger Nexus was able to dispatch the commanding NCO with a long range rail gun shot, however.

Acting as a shocktrooper, ranger Ruckus charged the enemy positions and disrupted their lines. Nexus neutralized the sniper while the rest of the squad picked off targets of opportunity. The battle descended in a grueling slog for each inch of ground, but the membership guard eventually routed and the remaining regulars were eliminated. Though they suffered minor injuries, Seraph Squad successfully secured the site. Nexus hacked the AAA battery and trained its entire payload, some 8000 micro-missiles, on the //Salvation's// drone swarm.

===== Hornswatch Mill =====
Their primary objective complete, Seraph Squad moved to battle sector iota-485 to join the rest of the 1st Airborne Regiment and assist with their next objective. On their way they learned that the primary defense lines at the river Fhanis had fallen, and that allied forces were regrouping at the outer bailey.

Col. Petros Mappanisia had secured Hornswatch Mill, an ancient watchtower for Ravenshold that had been converted to a large windmill. Though his unit had met heavy resistance from the USC's 93rd Mechanized Infantry Division, he held his ground rather than retreat to friendly lines due to the fact that the mill housed a USC battle network nexus point. Federation IWAR engineers were working to disrupt the USC center battle group for as long as possible to provide maximum effect to the front lines. This had given the enemy time to encircle his position, however.

Reporting in after reaching the site, Seraph Squad offered their assistance. Col. Mappanisia ordered them to cross the lines and hunker down at the mill since an attack from the rear would be effective, but could bring the entire division down on the squad afterwards. They would help hold the line until the Colonel saw their odds of breaking out of the encirclement reach a tipping point, when he would order a focused counter attack and a general retreat back to allied lines.

As Seraph Squad approached the USC lines, the //Salvation// launched an all-out attack with their drone swarm against the //Reconciliation//, trying to overwhelm the ship at close range before it could ready another main gun attack. With a full volley of micro-missiles from the //Reconciliation// in return, the fighting caused a roar of explosions that deafened all on the battlefield - a precious opening for the rangers to make their breakthrough.

They used this opportunity to attack a support company near their position, disabling a battlefield server bank and killing a communications officer in the process. Using the additional confusion and the lull in fire across the line they crossed over into the Hornswatch perimeter. There they met Col. Mappanisia and assisted in a tactical analysis for the regiment. The unit would hold the makeshift fort while the IWAR team finished installing and training an Attack AI in the USC network node. Afterwards the unit would attempt to punch out of the encirclement and regroup with the main coalition front line.

After assisting where they could in the command center, Seraph Squad reacted to the main attack by the USC in the north-west section of the perimeter. They assisted a squad of federal paratroopers hold the line against a heavy infantry charge, making quick work of them using machine gun emplacements and a highly lethal strafing run from the Gatling gun of an A-6J 'Cherub' CAS aircraft. The USC retreated momentarily. Before their second advance, however, the coalition battle network broadcast news that the outer bailey had been breached, and ordered all units to the last viable defense line of the inner bailey. Presumably due to USC IWAR psy-ops, the broadcasts also began to include private feeds of the //Reconciliation// RSIC and supposed conversations by the Strategos and Filonian generals discussing preparations to begin a general retreat to allow the //Reconciliation// to escape, possibly to fight some resistance campaign from exile.

USC mechanized troops made a second attempt to breach the Hornswatch perimeter with IFV and armor support. Seraph Squad led federation forces, and again with assistance from CAS were able to hold the line. During the fighting new revelations came to light. Reiko Eleythos, popular figurehead of the war effort, had not evacuated Ravenhold and refused to retreat, saying "My family and I were born free, and will not live as slaves. Tonight we must make our first victory of many, or will here suffer our final defeat.” With renewed purpose the federation infantry was able to hold off the mechanized advance until the Rangers of Centaur Lance were able to bring armor into the fight and drive the USC back. With the new armor support, the 1st Airborne Regiment broke out of their encirclement to the southeast and started heading to reinforce the inner bailey.

Seraph Squad, prioritizing speed, left the 1st Regiment behind and used the hover armor of Centaur Lance to move at break-neck speed towards the outer bailey. They received orders from Col. Mappanisia to re-take a large railgun bunker that overlooked the main breach that the USC was using to access the outer levels of the fortress. Along the way they were ambushed by a squad of USC Shadows hiding on the road with cloaking shrouds, including a Shadow Titan. An errant rail slug from one of the MARCS ships crashed in the midst of the fighting, however, and gave Seraph Squad the opportunity to turn the tide. After mopping up the Shadows they continued to the outer bailey.

===== Outer Bailey =====
Mounted on one of the hover tanks of Centaur Lance, Seraph Squad arrived at sector Delta-302 and charged headlong towards the bunker. While the rest of the lance focused on the USC armor and walker elements that guarded the bunker, the tank they were mounted on crashed into the middle of the infantry defenses. Despite heavy casualties and through great effort, they were able to kill several titan frames and the rest of the USC regulars guarding the entrance to the bunker.

After securing the entrance, Seraph Squad quickly secured the interior while Centaur Lance dealt with the inevitable counter attack. After clearing the Railgun room they liberated the weapon from USC hacking, and began firing on the USC forces streaming into the castle, effectively trapping several USC divisions from reinforcement.

After holding the bunker for several minutes, the //Reconciliation// announced it had enough charge for an 80% main weapon discharge. Firing its Hyper-Railgun, this time the shot hit several generators. The //Salvation// broke apart at the central bidge, and each half thundered as it crumbled to the ground. Death Lights mixed in the wreckage as tens of thousands died in the same moment.

===== Aftermath =====
After the //Salvation//'s destruction, 3 USC divisions in the outer castle surrendered rather than face destruction by the //Reconciliation//. The rest of the USC forces began a general retreat to the west.

The //Reconciliation// began advancing to the northwest to leave the battlefield. Using a broadcast message with a light-burst signal backup, it read "Strategos Actual - Army Group South to advance west with all haste. Liberate Filos. Liberate Artheniapolis. Reconciliation will join Army Group North and confront //Gelaunth//."

Finally, as the battle wound down, the large Filonian flag atop the citadel was lowered unexpectedly. For a moment there was fear that a Shadow unit had torn down the flag for the morale loss of taking the 'historic fortress' but the flag that replaced it was not from the USC, but the Federation's flag with a second start duct taped on. The message was clear - at least some Filonian defenders of Ravenhold would support re-unification of Agathos and Filos under the Rovlin constitution.