Chapter 3: The Ants are Here (Part 2)

Continued from Part 1 of Chapter 3:

The Battle of Madison Island

Madison Island was thriving. People on the beach were making sand castles, surfing the waves, swam or just relaxed in the sun. Not far away was Port Delphinus where ocean liners, cargo ships and even navy ships (including the ORS Charon) docked. Naval personnel were on shore leave, either having breakfast or sleeping off whatever hangover they had last night. 

Officers Fletcher Aldridge and Larry Anderson of the MIPD (Madison Island Police Department) sat in their patrol car parked near the beach, admiring the people having fun on the beach. “I love the beach, Larry. My family used to go there to relax whenever we were visiting my grandparents.” commented Fletcher. Larry replied, bored as a gourd. “Yeah, man. We passed here every day on duty.” Fletcher rolled his eyes and playfully slapped him on the shoulder before commenting, “Damn, you’re no fun Larry.” Suddenly, Fletcher noticed something going on out in the distant ocean. “Larry, look.” Fletcher called out to his colleague.

Larry, in response, looked out into the distance. Their jaws dropped to the floor. Out in the ocean were the bastions. Half of one group was already on fire while the other was desperately trying to defend from the Antarean horde of planes with AA fire.

Concerned, they radioed to their station, “Dispatch, this is Car 014. We have a situation out on the ocean, and yes I mean out in the ocean, stand by… we’re seeing heavy smoke and flames coming from the Bastions.” Fletcher commented to the dispatcher. “Uh… come again Car 014?” The latter asked in confusion. “The Coastal defense towers! The Bastions are under attack by Antarean forces. The crew stationed there are attempting to return fire but are getting destroyed in the attack, so we may be facing an amphibious invasion of the city. Requesting order to evacuate the entire city.” Larry explained. “Understood,” replied the dispatcher. “Dispatching all units for immediate evacuation of the city and sending units to the beach for additional backup”

By then, it seemed like the navy knew what was going on at the bastions and began ordering all ships at port to be sent out to deal with the invaders. Air raid sirens started screaming to signal the evacuation and the police officers rushed out of their patrol cars to evacuate the civilians. The once carefree beachgoers looked far out into the ocean and saw Antarean ships and planes heading towards them, the bastions on fire. They panicked and hastily packed up their things before rushing to get off the beach to their cars. Fletcher began to shout to the people through the megaphone. “Citizens, this is not a drill, we are under attack. Please get off the beach and head to the east side of the island and head to the mainland.”

By then, more patrol cars came to the area as quickly as they could and helped Fletcher and Larry evacuate the scared civilians off the beach along with some naval crewmen who came to help. As the last of evacuees left, huge explosions rocked the area. The Antarean cruisers and battleships had arrived at Port Delphinus and begun bombarding their coastal defenses. A triad of shells hit the magazine of the Charon (which was yet to be deployed), causing a huge explosion that obliterated half of the port and flattened two high-rise buildings. 

The officers were shaken from the explosions. Fletcher and Larry in particular saw landing crafts heading their way towards the beach. The cops and the surviving naval personnel took up arms. Fletcher took out his C34 pistol while Larry grabbed an M1899 shotgun.

“They’re coming boys,” a police sergeant shouted. “get ready to defend this beach.” Then, the crafts landed. “Give 'em hell!” The officers and the personnel fired upon the invaders with shotguns, pistols and SMGs. Shokktroopers stormed the beaches towards the waiting defenders and provided their charging comrades with suppressive fire.

The police and the navy started to pick them off one by one, supported by police snipers on rooftops. Amidst the chaos of the battle, Fletcher saw some RL-V light tanks coming up on shore and quickly dispatched the Orionites. One aimed its gun towards them. “Get down!” He shouted to Larry as they ran from their car before it exploded into a flaming wreck.

The Shokktroopers, thanks to their numbers and experience from the Centauran War, overwhelmed the officers and naval personnel. The surviving four cops, including Fletcher and Larry were forced to retreat out of the city. “Come one guys, we need to get out of here!” Fletcher shouted. They hopped into the police van (which is the only vehicle not damaged in the scuffle) and Fletcher, being in the driver seat, hit the gas, bullets from the shokktroopers whizzing past or hitting the vehicle. 

As they drove through the city, Fletcher spotted a squadron of planes flying towards them in the rear-view mirror. His heart sank, for they were Antarean light bombers (with the unmistakable white paintjob and red triangle on their wings) and they began unloading their payload, bombs exploding all around them as they levelled buildings left and right.  

Fletcher’s brows went wet with sweat, Only God knows whether they will make it out of this city alive, or become buried in its rubble. But then he saw another squadron of planes and they began to engage with the other planes from the opposite direction. They were Orionite fighter planes from the inland Venator Airbase. The aerial fight distracted the Antareans long enough for the cops to make it to the outskirts of the city and speed towards the ports on the Eastern region. “Whew,” exclaimed Larry as he breathed heavily, “thank Jatkaa for the airforce’’s arrival to distract them.”

They reached the ports where people and cars were getting on ships that would take them to the mainland and the navy was overseeing the evacuation. “Guys, there’s the port!” Commented Fletcher, “And look, most of the ships had already left. If we make it there on time, we could catch up with the evacuation.” The officers entered the port and stopped inches away in front of an NCO. “What the hell are you guys doing here?! And where the hell have you been?!” He shouted, infuriated. Fletcher explained the whole fight at the beach and how they were saved by intervening Orionite fighters. The officer rolled his eyes uninterested at the cop’s yapping. “Hurry up you four, we don’t have much time. Get on the ships.” The four officers ran onto the last ship, which set sail towards the mainland, far from the chaos in Madison Island.

A week later, Antarean North Group was able to capture Madison Island, which included the airbase and what remained of the port. Civilians scrambled to evacuate to the Orionite mainland. The Invasion of Orion (which included the Battle of Madison Island) served as the pen that wrote the Orionite declaration of war against the Antares Imperium, thus marking the time for Orion to go “over there”.