“Wrong choice..idiot..”

[INTERCEPTED RADIO TRAFFIC — MENES BORDER GUARDS]

LOCATION: Menes Forward Checkpoint 17-B

TIME INDEX: 04:12–04:14 (Local)

STATUS: TERMINATED

SOURCE: Menesian Border Guard Emergency Net

NOTE: Transmission ends abruptly. No survivors recovered.

[04:12:03]

GUARD-1:

Checkpoint Seventeen-B to Command—uh—movement in the fog. Multiple heat signatures. Not Myrian.

[04:12:11]

COMMAND:

Confirm identification. Do not engage unless hostile.

[04:12:18]

GUARD-2:

They’re... they’re not answering hails. No markings. Gear’s heavy—too heavy.

...Command, I think these are—

[04:12:27]

—DISTANT AUTOMATIC FIRE—

[04:12:29]

GUARD-1:

CONTACT! CONTACT! EAST TREE LINE!

That’s—those are belt-fed—!

[04:12:33]

—SUSTAINED MACHINE GUN FIRE—

—METAL IMPACTS—

[04:12:35]

GUARD-2 (shouting):

GET DOWN—GET DOWN—

They’re walking it in, they’re not stopping!

[04:12:41]

COMMAND:

Seventeen-B, pull back! Reinforcements en route!

[04:12:44]

GUARD-1:

Negative! We’re pinned! They’re—

Jesus, they’re advancing into the fire!

[04:12:49]

—LOUDER MACHINE GUN—BRASS IMPACTS—

[04:12:52]

GUARD-2 (breathing hard):

That’s Velksan fire—Command, that’s Velksan doctrine!

We didn’t even declare—

[04:12:57]

—EXPLOSION—

—SCREAM CUT SHORT—

[04:13:01]

GUARD-1 (panicked):

They’re at the wall! They’re—

I can hear the links hitting the ground—!

[04:13:05]

UNKNOWN VOICE (calm, distorted, foreign accent):

Cease transmission.

[04:13:07]

GUARD-1:

WAIT—WAIT—WE’RE BORDER GU—

[04:13:09]

—SUSTAINED FIRE—

[04:13:12]

—OPEN MIC—STATIC—METAL CLATTER—

[04:13:18]

—SILENCE—

POST-INCIDENT NOTE:

Checkpoint 17-B was found two hours later.

Two bodies found dead.

Walls perforated.

Brass casings stacked like gravel.

This is an Invasion.

So gear up and we move in 0600 hours. . .

We aren’t letting them win. . .

[END COMMUNICATION]

VELKSAN MILITARY PERSONNEL FILE

Name: Irina Volkova
Callsign: “Anvil”
Nationality: Velksan
Faction: Velksa
Unit: VGRU Attached Heavy Weapons Section
Role: Machine Gunner / Suppression Specialist
Age: 27
Height: 170 cm (5'7")

OVERVIEW

Irina Volkova is not fast.
She is not subtle.
She is what Velksa uses when they want a building emptied, a street sealed, or a mage pinned until airstrike.

As a VGRU-attached machine gunner, her job is simple:
lay down so much fire that the enemy cannot think, move, or cast.

Velksan doctrine doesn’t expect her to survive every engagement — only to ensure no one on the other side does.

APPEARANCE

• Stocky, muscular build from years of carrying heavy weapons and ammo

• Short black hair tucked under helmet, often sweat-soaked

• Focused, aggressive expression under fire

• Soot, brass, and burn marks permanently staining her kit

• Rarely smiles; almost never speaks during engagements

She looks like someone who’s been inside burning buildings more times than she can count — because she has.

UNIFORM & ARMOR

Helmet:

• Velksan composite combat helmet (dark gray)

• Quad-tube NVG mount (Velksa-manufactured, white phosphor)

• Integrated headset & boom mic

• Reinforced helmet rails for counterweight and battery pack

Body Armor:

• Heavy plate carrier with Level IV ceramic plates (front/back)

• Additional soft armor cummerbund

• Shoulder and groin protection modules

• Dark gray/black Velksan standard uniform beneath

Load-Bearing Gear:

• Machine gun ammo pouches (100–200 round belts)

• Spent-link dump pouch

• Medical pouch (tourniquet, clotting gauze, morphine)

• Stimulant injector (standard Velksan issue)

• Utility knife and multitool

PRIMARY WEAPON

PKP PECHENEG (7.62×54mmR)

Irina’s main tool is suppression — and the PKP delivers it brutally.

Configuration:

• Factory heavy barrel with integrated cooling shroud

• Bipod-mounted (used prone or braced on windowsills)

• 100–200 round non-disintegrating belts

• Simple ruggedized iron sights

• Occasionally fitted with a low-profile red dot (Velksan field modification)

• Sling-mounted for rapid repositioning

Role in Combat:

• Suppression of infantry and battlemages

• Area denial during urban assaults

• Pinning targets while VGRU assault elements maneuver

• Firing through walls, furniture, and cover without hesitation

She fires until the barrel smokes — then fires some more.

SECONDARY WEAPON

MP-443 GRACH (9×19mm)

Issued as a last-resort weapon when the PKP runs dry or combat gets too close.

Configuration:

• Standard iron sights

• Weapon-mounted light (Velksan domestic model)

• Two spare magazines carried on vest

The Grach is used sparingly — Irina prefers problems she can solve with belt-fed fire.

COMBAT STYLE

• Aggressive suppression, little regard for collateral damage

• Will advance under fire if ordered, PKP firing from the hip at close range

• Uses volume of fire to break morale, not precision

• Relies heavily on Velksan combat stims to ignore pain and exhaustion

Against Myrian battlemages, her job is simple:
don’t let them finish the spell.