The Great Northern Road
Alaykan-Edofasian Border Checkpoint
3:27 PM local time
Midwinter
The Great Northern Road was a feat of engineering. It's wide lanes paved flooded with bright white light from the lamps above carved through the rocky caverns that snaked their way south from the sea. It ran into the northern frontiers of both nations connecting them by both road and rail. The checkpoint in happier times was busy with tourists and trucks moving people and goods over the mountains to popular snowboarding lodges. These were not happier times. Military lorries loaded up with fighting men from Edofasia were being accounted for by grim MPs. Gone were the passenger trains. Now bullet trains hauling artiliary pieces and assorted supplies were being inspected.
Hill 3701A
"Tell me O'Ferrell why are we gathered here?" "Hush a bhuachaill, hush and listen!" replied a solider. His cheeks glowing red from the bitter cold wind that wept across the mountainside "I bear orders from the captain to get us ready quick and soon for we must be together at the rising of the moon" laughter arose from the squad of ten men. "I said hush up now! Orders say we're going to be patrolling this section of mountains here for rebel forces ahead of the main Defense Force." A younger man with a slight accent spoke up "I heard they've moved an entire mechanized division up the mountains" O'Ferrell scoffed "I doubt ol Hestia moved a force like that in. This will be a few month deployment at worst. Pushing those rebs put of thier mountain bases will leave them totally exposed" the whir of a helicopter cut the conversation off. The men climbed aboard. Bwing flown out deeper into the mountains.
This scene was common throughout a 30 mile area around the northern border and The Great Northern Road. Keeping that supply line open was the primary defensive objective of Edofasian forces. Foot patrols and attack helicopters were meant to force the rebel forces to retreat out of their mountain tunnels and bases. Isolating them as they went. In the south Edofasia''s Oblast was on lockdown. Becoming the GHQ for the whole operation.