Chapter LXXXIX: Siege of Limansk Part 1, The Breakthrough

 The ghost town of Limansk had turned, once more, into a battlefield. Unlike during the Clear Sky's ill-fated expedition northwards many years ago however, this time the stakes were higher than ever. The Zone remained a threat to humanity, but with the possible utilization of the Duga antennas as psi-emitters, the entirety of Europe and Russia was in danger. Thus, despite Sin's heavy lockdown over the city, fighters from all over the Zone had answered the call to arms. Ecologist commandos, merc operators, Redemption penitents, Clear Sky pathfinders and veteran stalkers protected the last lifeline of sanity, the bridge to Limansk.

For Boris, a coherent picture had long since grown hazy and distorted. He had divided Redemption forces into task forces, playfully named Kolbasa, Maslina, Cheburek, Blin and Pelmeni by Dima and Dimuha. Dima, Dimuha, Vityukha and Sanyok had taken command of the four other task forces, while Boris would lead the main offensive down the main road towards the Radiowave Institute to distract the Sin forces and allow the others to push unopposed. He no longer knew what the others were doing however. His squad was assembled on the parking lot next to the entrance to Red Forest, awaiting orders.

Micha Bustard, ex-bandit in a exoskeleton, would be his sergeant this time, using his VSK to pierce even the heaviest armour. Toha Sharp-Sighted in his Berill suit would be their marksman, sporting his heavy SV-98 rifle. Rogue still wore his Sunrise suit and Sphere helmet, but his PKM would come in handy. And finally, Vova Shaman, a new addition to Redemption, would cover the role of a medic and shotgunner simultaneously. Boris had bought some new gear and while he still had his trusty kukri, the RPD and Fort-500 had been swapped in favour of the more modern M16A4 with integrated grenade launcher, ACOG sight and bulky hand guard accompanied with the USAS-12 shotgun.

• Everyone ready? Gear prepared, plans understood, testaments written?, Boris asked as his massive Nosorog-clad frame dwarfed his troopers. The soldiers nodded.

• Molodets! To battle then. You know what's at stake, you know why we are doing this. The fate of Europe is at our hands. It is time to redeem ourselves once more!

• Just a second more, commander, a voice came from behind him, one that Boris did not recognize.

Boris turned to look at a Dutier, a tall man in a Skat suit and new Sphere-12 helmet. Next to him was another one in the rare Duty NBC suit, a suit not often seen with the inhabitants of Rostok as it mostly served as artefact hunting equipment, something Duty was not fond of. The Skat wearer greeted Boris and introduced himself as Captain Orlov, his companion being lieutenant Veselov. For some reason the name of the lieutenant ringed a bell in Boris' head, but he shook it off as an oddity.

• We heard of the ceasefire and asked Voronin about it while travelling through Red Forest, and he told us to head here to see if we could help. More Duty forces are on the way too, Orlov explained.

• Well, you can join my squad then. Other squads are already on the move and you'd have a hard time catching up. We'll try to capture the gastronom and the barrier park, Sin forces should be relatively light, Boris replied, chambered a shell into his shotgun and waved for the others to follow.

The initial patch of ground was relatively safe for the ground to cover. Despite the heavy urban fighting during the last few weeks, the main street was still rather empty. Puddles of Witches Jelly and fallen trees dotted the pavement between the abandoned vehicles, but no Sinners presented themselves. They passed a building still smoking from earlier battle, three shaken up but resolute stalker defenders waving to them. The thick fog mixed with smoke hid the gastronom down the street, and Boris ordered Micha to take the lead with his silenced weapon. Boris would follow suit, rest of the squad hiding behind the two armoured giants.

The quiet crackling of fires and periodical spurts of gunfire hid their approach, and the Sinners only got a moment to react when Micha's VSK spat out a large bullet from the smog into the head of the Sin watchman. A panicked scramble towards arms broke out, and with the element of surprise still in effect, Boris leaped forward and emptied the entire drum of his terrifying shotgun into the Sin patrol. Buckshot filled the air, small pellets striking into the lightly armoured defenders, piercing their flesh and causing grievous wounds. Others emerged from the veil of mist guns blazing. Only one of the Sin survivors managed to raise his weapon, but Orlov's SVT cut him down in seconds.

The defenders near the Barrier anomaly had been alerted however. Two Sin squads, heavily armoured and armed. The thick overgrown foliage, still present despite the arrival of winter, blocked them from spotting Boris' squad and he barked orders to them to take cover behind sandbags, a wrecked Kavz bus and the gastronom staircase and upper floor. Orlov and Veselov rushed up to the second floor, Rogue placed his PKM on the left sandbag and Toha took aim, standing on top of the Kavz engine block. Micha, Boris and Vova prepared to counter-attack.

Everything turned into chaos when the confrontation came. Heavy bullets and shrapnel from the Sinner's KS-23s and Ash-12s smashed into the barricades and the bus, sending sparks and dust flying. Low, growly orders came from the large Sinner in an exoskeleton, sporting one of the nasty 12.7 mm assault rifles. Clearly the leader, Boris thought to himself as he avoided a swarm of bullets, ducking his head behind the car. Micha rushed out and crouched behind one of the park benches, his VSK a scythe of death as one Sinner after another fell down. Boris smacked another drum into his shotgun, grimaced as a bullet struck his helmet and bounced off, and rose up, rushing to help.

• Fucking hell, Micha, wait for me next time, Boris panted after ducking to cover.

• Hey, you told me to lead, so I did.

• Can't fault that logic. Now, let's try to make it behind that UAZ van, we can lob grenades from there.

Micha nodded and followed his leader when they scrambled to the more suitable cover of the rusty car. The bench turned into dust seconds later when a Gauss gun round struck it.

• Fuck, a Gauss gun. Stick your heads down everyone!, Orlov shouted over the gunfire.

• I'm on it!, came a reply from Toha.

A singular loud gunshot erupted from his sniper rifle, and Boris could hear the bullet crack as it passed him and Micha afar. A grunt of pain followed by an accidental discharge of a Gauss rifle followed. The Sin leader groaned in anger and rushed forward, flanked by two of the most heavily armoured survivors. Toha fired his sniper again, having cycled the bolt, and the bullet struck the monster of a man that was the Sin leader, but it did not stop him. His behemoth of a rifle fired back and Toha ducked to cover, the bullet denting the bus roof before continuing further down the street.

• Missed me, bitch, Toha quipped and jumped down.

Boris and Micha sensed an opportunity as the Sinners seemingly became more agitated, and when their rush towards the Redemption lines continued, the two stalkers opened fire. The zealot closest to them got most of the punishment and fell down, shot to pieces. The leader turned to face them and his exo soaked up the damage like it was nothing. The last Sinner fell to concentrated fire from the Dutyers and Rogue, but the leader saw only Boris.

• You! Infidel commander! Face me and die! I will crush you beneath my feet, he growled loudly.

• Tempting proposition, here's a counter-argument!, Boris screamed back and emptied his entire magazine into the Sinner who was now charging him.

The fanatic staggered under the fire before taking a few shambling steps and collapsing at Boris' feet. But as Boris looked at him, he did not see a face in pain or with fear. All he saw was a look of utter contempt and hatred. A faint sound of grenade pin clattering on the floor could be heard. The world exploded around him in dirt and dust.