The Frontier Sea

I'll start deleting useless messages so as not to relegate Bythesas' QoTD ten pages back

The Denouement

Reports delivered to press agencies all accross Fronterra by the SVA state that along with the final destrcution of the last pockets of Osowiecsian resistance in the western mountains, the SNRF's military command has suffered a crippling blow after the reported kidnapping of General Imran Lievechenko, and regiments upon regiments of troops all over Statosnat have become unresponsive towards the central government, who despite attempts to round up any dissidents, more and more protests, civilian and military start poping up all across Statosnat. The SVA has not released any type of statement yet, but with only a few days having passed since its creation it will have to make a greater effort to be able to consolidate Statosnat in any near future.

No dissident group inside Statosnat has yet made clear any of their stances, but if this situation goes on, it will make the collapse of the SNRF inevitable. However, and until said event, the central government has remained firm on its policies on traitors, and has gotten to executing and brutally dispersing any protests or acts against the SNRF's government structure.

Alexei placed the newspaper he was reading aside, and looked out the passenger window, the view of the dawning forest refreshing and contrasting to staying inside his house in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, surrounded by policemen. "What a waste!" he thought, as even with all the vigilance he was shot regardless. Even with this ensuing chaos in his motherland, he guessed Dmitry and him would be safer in the base his subordinates had set up inside the conifer forests of the south.

As the military jeep moved through the forest road, they were met with a checkpoint, a ragged flag of the SNRF hoisted on a tree by the side of the road. It was a rudimentary checkpoint, a wooden palisade with some sandbags, and a small cabin where an uninterested soldier layed dormant, at least he seemed to. When they were spotted arriving, he and the rest of soldiers walked up to the jeep, that stopped just in front of the barrier blocking the road.

Dmitry, turing the engine key and shutting the engine down, lowered the window of his door and stared at the soldier looking at him. Both were quiet for some long seconds before Dmitry reached to the copilot's seat and pulled out a folded flag of the SVA, along with a sheet of paper, that looked like an official document.

"Here. You were expecting us, am I wrong?"

The soldier nodded as he gave Dmitry the flag back, and read through the document.

"How was the crossing?"

Dmitry answered, his eyes visibly tired.

"Uneventful, as we expected. Is everything ready?"

The soldier signaled for the barrier to be raised and gave Dmitry the document back.

"Apart from some patrols here and there, the chaos has given us some breathing room, you are safe here. Regarding the foreign weapons, everything arrived in time and safely, thanks to some... help, we got on the border, heh."

Dmitry chuckled and nodded, as he took the document and left it back on the copilot's seat.

As the Jeep's engine started back up, it soon left the checkpoint behind, and after 5 minutes or so of an unmaintained forest road, it finnaly arrived to a set of cabins, garages, and sheds built together, with defenses set up around them, barbed wire, sandbags and observation points in some trees' trunks. The Jeep parked in front of a larger cabin, a flag of the SVA hanging from a pole beside its entrance.

Alexei stepped out and he was met with the fresh air, the humidity of the forest, and the sounds of engines rumbling and soldiers chatting and walking by.

Dmitry also stepped out of the jeep, stretching his arms right after closing the door.

"Well, here we are Alexei."

"Mhm. How much time has it been? An hour, two, or so?"

"Probably, but we had to move early in the morning or we couldn't have crossed as smoothly as we did.

Alexei nodded as he yawned, and a uniformed man exited the cabin and walked up to them.

"Alexei, Dmitry! Glad you made it safely, of course, we had no doubts of that."

The three chuckled and Alexei cleared his throat.

"It's always good to see you, Mikhail Mikhailovich."

Mikhail gestured towards the cabin.

"Follow me, we have things to discuss, old friends."

As Alexei followed Dmitry and Mikhail, his gaze wandered to a modest garage with an MBT inside, several mechanics and soldiers working on it, and he thought, "This is progress, hm?"