Mistaken Invasion

Mistaken Invasion is a parody not to be taken seriously, barring the introductory exposition regarding Imperial Army airmobile units. All facts conveyed there are true.

Intro and Disappearance
Air mobile.

That was really the only to describe Imperial Army airmobile divisions. Fully equipped and armed, these units would be transported completely by helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, escorted by Air Force fighters, and delivered right into a combat zone. Vertical envelopment. In the modern galaxy, it was the name of the land combat game. As with all other military schools of thought, the Eteno were light-years ahead (sometimes literally) of their rivals and allies. Battle-tested and proven helicopters and planes effortlessly carried the burdens of the hundreds of thousands of men in a division, as well as their vehicles and supplies. Braving ground fire or hostile aircraft, vast formations would insert crack Eteno troops into battle. Some would parachute, leaping into the shattered skies below them, followed by supply palettes and vehicles. Others would be carried by helicopter close to the action, and abseil down into the glory of battle. Cargo carrier helo's could land in areas seized by Eteno infantry, and deposit the tools of war to be used in the violent conflict.

Support from the air came not only in the form of supplies and vehicles, however. Armed to the teeth, helicopter gunships would rake ground held by hostile forces with guns, rockets, and missiles, quick to provide support anywhere in the battle. A bit higher in the sky, lumbering fixed-wing gunships would cast down bolts of destruction upon the heads of enemy forces, directed by the keen eye of the Imperial Army cavalry scout, or the camoflauged sniper inserted days before.

Once an airmobile unit was fully organised and guaranteed further support, they would press the attack without mercy; never would enemy formations be given the opportunity to catch their breath or regain their balance. From the wee hours of the morning to the pitch-black of night, heavy tanks would rumble over the soil followed closely by infantry, trodding along tirelessly to bring the fight to the enemy, regardless of the cost.

 The bold tactics of airmobile units and their frequent success led to their definite immortalisation in the annals of history. Recorded in the enlightening pages of literature, the subtle strokes and colours of the canvas, or the stimulating melodies of song, airmobile units shall live on long after they are rotted away from disuse. It is not just through art that they shall be remembered, for their valor and triumph is visible by merely looking at a map. Vast swathes of Eteno territory, recovered and won, are much of the time in the possession of their short-statured owners in no small part due to the actions of airmobile units.

 All of this combined is the reason that the first wave of the attack against Asylum was comprised exclusively of the most veteran airmobile divisions. Forming part of the first wave was voluntary, given the extremely dangerous nature of the attack against such powerful Kklxin positions. Yes, the Council of Generals had given choice to the Imperial Army's trillions. With an enthusiasm that eclipsed that of all other volunteering units, fifty airmobile divisions heeded the call, prepared to resort even to threats to secure a place in the first ill-fated wave of attackers. With the whole of the free galaxy firmly behind the 'courageous fifty' as they were called, the divisions' members prepared themselves with the same undying enthusiasm shared by all airmobile units. Perhaps the full weight of the battle ahead never really made itself apparent to the divisions until their arrival around Asylum, but for those who had second thoughts, it was already too late.

 The thousands of aircraft supporting and of the 105 th Army Airmobile sped low over the water. Tiltrotor transport and gunship helicopters hugged the tumultuous sea behind a formation of naval patrol bombers. Transport planes and medium and light bombers filled the skies above, escorted by Luca and Defender IAF fighters. Far above the cloud layer, three RNSLB strategic bombers lumbered above the main attack force, loaded with heavy bombs. Soldiers and pilots said nothing as they approached probable death for their Fatherland, absorbed in their own minds on all manner of things. Some remembered spouses and fiances, possibly for the last time. Others pondered the statistics of Kklxin defenses, or considered the inaccuracy of any possible orbital gunfire afforded to them. The accuracy of orbital bombardment had increased little since its origins hundreds of years ago, and still remained a dangerous and ineffective method of fire support. Most all of the airmobile soldiers and pilots wished that that was not the case, but some conjectured that they wouldn't have thought so while under an atmosphere blockaded by Kklxin or Harbinger guns.