2 July 2034, 1134 hour, Cirebon City, West Java Province.

PFC. Handy Jayakusuma, 2nd Squad, 1st Platoon, A Company, 190th Pelangi Nusantara Volunteer Infantry Battalion, National Volunteer Force

"Enemy sighted, get that APC!"

As cavalrymen of the Siliwangi Div. were halting their advance on the main axis, Brigadier General Darsono Road, - a bit of explanation, here in the Indonesian Army, heavy armored infantry using tracked IFVs are part of the cavalry branch and those people were wearing black berets, while the term mechanized infantry, part of the rifle green beret-wearing infantry branch is solely referring to units using wheeled APCs like Anoa and Kobra - we're making sure nobody can sneak past it, and not in a passive fashion, with right now, we got another house to house combat around settlements on the right flank of their advance.

Such halt by the heavy cav was due to the need of engineers - including some foreign volunteers - to began installing concrete barriers in a hope of impeding the rebels' movement, added by restriction of artillery use out of a need to reduce further damage to a major city of the nation.

Right now, we were still locked in fierce house to house combat in Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa Street in our mission to cover such work not far from the main throughfare which was the Brig. Gen Darsono Road. Multiple flight of drones - our own and foreigners alike had identified possible nodes of enemy resistance around this particular light commercial and residential area.

From our position around an abandoned Mixue ice cream restaurant, we could see more Jihadists charging. On it's rooftop, my Maximi are on the ready, and on the other building nearby. Janice has gotten her SS3 ready. And here comes nothing!

I fired "Theresa" on short burst for more accuracy, pinning them down and killing some. In concert with the APC firing it's machine guns and 40mm grenade launchers, it detonated many of the Jihadi's suicide vests.

"Hold your position until the barriers arrive, and then, cover the engineers as they are working. Out." that's what the company HQ said. The whole platoon had soon finished taking up position on cleared buildings and houses, helped by some local guides-cum-resistance fighters with their older guns like the SS1 and the M16, as well as foreign supplies like a pair of M4 carbines from the good old Uncle Sam.

I remembered how on the eve of the battle, their videos on how they liberated terrorist hostages - especially children - went viral on social media, guided by heavily kitted men that we recognized as Special forces.

"Jamming system green" called Sgt. Stephen, confirmed by our IFS screen. Now they will have trouble bring their unmanned air force. But our own quadcopters has been tinkered for exactly this scenario, even those who are commercial grade.

The aero-scout squad began their work, their explosive-laden copters were meant to complement military grade kamikaze drones in dealing with high value targets.

"One RPG gone, good job!" shouted the Lieutenant on the radio after one of those drones prosecuted the main threat to our armor and even the said concrete barrier being deployed - RPG.

Janice's SS-3 were also intermittently engaged, as one, two, and more rebels were unlucky enough to be on her sight. Then, came a message from the Stryker crew as it's machine gun raised upward.

"Be advised, we got a rebel drone that seems to be immune to our jamming... engaging"

While the drones are being engaged, a fresh wave of rebels were smart enough to exploit the window of opportunity avoid exposing themselves or advancing towards the Indonesians in a suicidal charge for martyrdom, supported by mortar fire.

"Requesting fire mission at 49 MBN 279 805," said Ramlan into his radio.

"This is Kilo 3-6, mortars inbound, standby,"

A battery of 81mm mortars immediately fired and managed to decrease the amount of fire, while not as much as we desired.

"Strike is moderately effective Kilo 4-3, need heavier firepower," piped Ramlan.

"Understood"

To support the heavier mortar battery, their recon operators opened the act with their own quadcopter drones, four of them, hardened against enemy jamming, just in time as rumble of diesel echoed from the rebel lines.

"Incoming enemy armor!"

They are now committing the former military men who defected to the rebels, as well as some foreign fighters. I still wonder how our supposedly solid border got breached by those bastards.

Those drones were not ordinary ones, either, as more joined the swarm from the other directions, some began engaging the rebel ones. Such dogfight was then followed by explosions, and the rumble of engine stopped. The heavy mortars, whose fire was corrected by the drone-carried laser painters stopped their advance.

Somewhat, with small arms fire were still somewhat effective, and one regular army man got hit and had to be evac'ed.

"Fire in the hole!" Rudi announced as he fired his M320, I hope it hit the one who had just shot Private Maulana, the said wounded regular.

"They want revenge, but we will stop them, keep firing, it might remove the schizophrenia from them!" barked Stephen as he took his turn to fire.

Then a battery of 120mm mortars fired on, silencing the rebel force holding several government buildings and private business premises near our positions.

Soon after the barrage cleared, Rustanto called us "All 1st platoon, vacate your current position and regroup, We're advancing" I soon gathered upon a Kobra belonging to B company of the 2-301 when the Lieutenant positioned himself.

Suddenly...

"A cessation! A cessation!" said a soldier near the said 8x8 IFV. Later we can see up to 30 NII rebels approaching us, walking with guns over their heads, defying risks of being shot by their own comrade for surrendering (or in the leaflets dropped over Cirebon before the attack, "ceasing resistance").

"All units cease fire, we have enemies ceasing resistance. But if anyone of them tries to fool us or their comrade shoot at them or try to blow us up, engage at will," said Kujang 12. Snipers and sharpshooters are on full alert for such contingencies.

The Kobra nearby us quickly moving forward and it's 30 mm turrets swivel for targets. Another Kobra on the other side of the road also aimed it's autocannon, pelting the nearest LRT station in front of the mall with high-angle cannon fire to take out possible ambushers. The 2-301 Battalion CO also had requested drone recon to help in target acquisition. Then, when the officers processing their surrender, the drone operator called, "Warning, the enemy had set up hell cannons and AA guns near Living Plaza Mall, the bird is taking fire so we're withdrawing from the combat area."

Minutes later, "BOOM!"

"Hell cannons, get down!" said a Siliwangi soldier. Altered gas cylinders filled with explosives, similar to what we had encountered back in Rangkasbitung. Luckily we managed to deliver the POWs.

"No way to flank it, damn, we're going to wait until the barrage lifted" said Captain Wuwur to the 2-301 B company CO, Captain Alan Sanjaya.

"Kamikaze, got some kamikazes up"

As the barrage began to falter Wuwur and Alan ordered their forces to advance and passing a large intersection. The forces kept their course straight into the Darsono road and finally saw an empty lot near the Living Plaza Mall, where NII rebels had set up improvised mortars, heavy MG positions and two 23 mm ZU-23-2 AA gun.

"Let's get it done already" said Alan to Wuwur.

Siliwangi soldiers later set up two Pindad SM2 (FN MAG) machine guns on tripods facing the road and soon opened fire. The volunteer's 1st Platoon A company meanwhile flanked the mortars from the Taman Pemuda road, passing several abandoned buildings backed by a squad of HANRA fighters embedded in our ranks. We sneaked low, quietly, and also backed the wall of a government office nearby to avoid detection. Rudi and Agnes had loaded their underslung grenade launchers. Then we reached the empty plot and soon, Lt. Rustanto ordered.

"Fire!"

2nd squad leading the assault by Rudy and Agnes firing their grenade launchers which exploded, destroying two out of five mortars deployed and a 23mm AA gun with their crews - those that were not yet destroyed already by our kamikaze drones.

The fact compounded by the reality that the enemy has not covered their cannons adequately, with wooden boards and shallow foxholes for the mortars. Infantry guarding the cannons who engaged the regular Siliwangi soldiers attempted to return fire on the 1st Platoon, but outgunned and outnumbered, they soon either killed or retreated. Concussion grenades completely destroyed the rest of the NII's artillery assets in the area.

"Reporting all hell cannons and AA guns confirmed destroyed!" called Lt. Rustanto on the radio.

"Good, let's advance and take that mall."

Soon after, survivors inside the mall popped out and opened fire. A pair of Black Panther tanks led the way towards the mall and firing it's machine guns backed by Kobra's autocannon fire - and some more multicopter drones entered the glass windows and the ensuing explosions.

"3rd platoon going to enter the mall, get yourselves ready! The rest, engage the enemy outside the complex, watch out for the boom!" said Capt. Wuwur.

"Let's clear that mall, people!" said Capt. Alan to his soldiers.

An NII machine gun opened up from the rooftop of the mall, Later an Kobra moved forward and did their thing "Enemy MG has been eliminated".

"Sniper!" said a Siliwangi soldier when a high powered bullet scratched his helmet.

"I see 3 men," said a regular army sniper who was hidden somewhere in the buildings near the mall. He later aimed his Pindad SPR-2 .50 cal sniper rifle and fired three times. "All enemy snipers down. Such amateurs" said him.

Suddenly a loud voice of engine were heard across the road. "Get ready, the rebels have scrapyard panzers and captured vehicles here." Said Captain Wuwur.

Two NII armored double-cabin pickup trucks with improvised remote-controlled MGs charged at the loyalist column and was disembarking infantry riding atop it before heavy machinegun fire from the Black Panthers easily dispatched the rebel trucks. Later another group of two armored dump-trucks arrived, firing it's machine guns.

One of them even managed to fire a smuggled Iranian made Raad anti-tank missile which is a copy of a very old Soviet design, AT-3 Sagger (9M14 Malyutka) which were countered by the Iron Curtain APS installed in an Anoa supporting the Korean-made tanks.

"Clear the backblast," said Abe, which immediately fired his RPG-32 and destroyed one truck. A K2A1 tank fire destroyed the second truck, this time with the main gun.

"More armor!!"

An armored NII pickup truck rolled around a corner from a street nearby supporting the remaining infantry engaging us and advanced down the road firing its machine gun, several Indonesian soldiers were shot up but the improvised AFV quickly destroyed by one of the Kobra's own AT missile.

"Target down," said a friendly sniper after downed a suspected NII field commander leading his jihadi fighters. The fighters are smart enough to fall back but my MG fire mowed down several of them during the rout. Later, three captured, obsolete AMX-VCI tracked APC commandeered by NII and equipped with slat armor were sighted and head straight at our formation.

"Definitely an SVBIED," said one officer.

But out of nowhere, I can see AT rockets flying, later identified from a government building housing regional electrical utility office, and dispatched the bomb with a massive explosion. But the attack was not over, we can still hear vehicle engines approaching our position.

Finally, a flight of FA-50 Fighting Eagles flying overhead and dropped US-supplied GPS-guided JDAMs upon approaching scrapyard panzers. After the FA-50s retreated for rearming and refueling, four French-made Dassault Rafales arrived from the west of our position and dropping it's guided bombs and missiles toward its targets such as improvised armored vehicles and rebel artillery and air-defense positions near the area the RPG launch originated, plus further kamikaze strikes, targeting opportunes.

"Yeah, way to go Air Force!" cheered William upon saw the jets striking their targets.

"Alright, excellent work ladies and gentlemen, all units advance, the mall has been cleared," said Capt. Alan. By the way, the 3rd squad which had lost their MRAP after striking an IED had obtained a replacement flown by a Chinook helicopter, which also followed by NH-90s resupplied us one hour ago. Upon passing the utility office a squad of heavily armed soldiers embedding themselves in our rank, leading the advance as a recon party. After I saw their patches, I can conclude those people who saved us were also Army Raiders. And I think those guys are the ones who called the airstrike. What a good day!

......