Sierra Company

## **Ballistic Crayons**

Created during the Battle of Withcottistan in July of 2020, Sierra Company was formed from members of many different units in a need to arrange at least a platoon’s worth of men into a capable fighting force. Initially sporting Multicam and patterns, and a wide array of personalised weapons, Sierra was far from its final form. The Company would see numerous changes in the coming months- both in uniform, and personnel.

Now, easily recognised by their Marine Corps issue MARPAT uniforms, the members of Sierra Company commonly display a good sense of camaraderie, and high morale, with overtly American symbolism and patriotism, from proudly displaying the stars and stripes, to bayonet charges. Known users of aggressive tactics, and clear inter-squad communication, Sierra have developed a reputation as a competent and reliable group, who have gained the attention of many training officers throughout their progress.

## **Training**

Today, the members of Sierra Company have over a year of experience under their belts, with tenure at numerous Training Facilities:

**Urban Training Facility 4-209: *’The Town’***

*A dusty old town that could easily double as the set of a western film. Strap that big iron on your hip.*

**Rural Training Facility 4-510: *‘The Pines’***

*Two large forts surrounded by sprawling pine forests, where there’s an enemy behind every tree.*

**Rural Training Facility 4-270: *‘The Tanks’***

*A large embassy atop low, rolling hills with armored vehicles scattered across them. Hope you brought AT.*

**Close Quarters Training Facility 4-207: *‘The Edge’***

*Tight corridors, dark shadows, and plenty of sightlines. A test of one’s reflexes and speed.*

**Close Quarters Training Facility 4-506:  *‘The Cross’***

*Borrowing from recent history, this dark and moody pretend jungle will have Fortunate Son ringing in your ears.*

## **Estonia Deployment**

Estonia. A prosperous land in the Mediterranean, known for being home to a rich deposit of Lanthanum, and a hotspot for contention over such a precious resource. Such conflict has generated a split government, the Republic of the Northern Ranges (RNR), represented by the mountains of which they are based in, and the Confederacy of Southern Sands (CSS), represented by the coconut trees that cover their territories.

As tensions rose over the rights to the Lanthanum deposits, the situation gained national interest, and as the first shots rang out, the international community began to pay close attention, and even offer military assistance. The United States Government initially sided with the Confederacy of Southern Sands (CSS) under the premise that the Republic of the Northern Ranges (RNR) was encroaching upon sacred land (see also: Birth Log). This saw Sierra Company take action against other Coalition Forces that the Republic of the Northern Ranges (RNR) had called upon to assist with the escalating situation within Estonia’s borders, despite major outcry from the global political community.

Even in the face of mounting pressure, Sierra Company still deployed against Coalition Forces on one occasion: OPERATION: *Dominion Rising*. After the completion of this operation however, the US Government would re-align itself with the RNR, after it was discovered that the CSS was only claiming the land for its natural resource deposits of Lanthanum. With the US leaving them in the dust, the CSS quickly secured an alliance with the Russian Federation, securing troops and resources to assist against the RNR and its Coalition aid. As conflict increased in and around the newly dubbed ‘Disputed Zone’, Sierra Company’s First Platoon under Sierra 0-1 and Sierra 1-1 saw increased deployment into hostile territory in retaliation against the CSS advances on the RNR’s Lanthanum deposits and refineries. This increased combat time saw Sierra involved in numerous operations across the Estonia Campaign.

## **OPERATION: *Dominion Rising***

In the early days of Sierra Company’s time in Estonia, they found themselves assisting the CSS in an operation against the RNR.

During the operation, First Platoon was tasked to secure the crash site of an aircraft that had fallen victim to Anti Air fire. RNR forces had already mounted a considerable defence around the site, including a machine-gun tower, making direct assault problematic at best. In an attempt at a pincer manoeuvre, Sierra swung wide of the area, and set up an attack from the west, whilst the men of Tundra Company from the Russian Federation Army launched an attack from the North.

On the signal of a hand grenade detonating, both attack groups charged, pushing forward with momentum that the RNR forces could not stop. Thanks to the efficient triaging of injuries by Corpsman Payne, Sierra Company was able to continue rolling into enemy territory, eventually claiming the plane back from the RNR forces, and retrieving intelligence that was left on-board.

Following this, Sierra Company withdrew to a small military stronghold dubbed: Fort Lang. This would be the site of a lengthy hold-out, as the RNR forces laid siege, believing they could still recover the captured intelligence. However, the intelligence had already departed with the other CSS forces, who had retreated further to safety as Sierra held the line. After a few hours of intense fighting, RNR forces withdrew, presumably from the assault losing its tactical viability as time went on.

The conclusion of this operation would be the catalyst for the US to change sides in the conflict of Estonia, as the captured intelligence from the downed aircraft revealed the true intentions of the CSS, which did not align with the ideals and interests of the United States.

With their extraction skills proven, Sierra Company was temporarily withdrawn from Estonia for another, more clandestine mission.

## **Bolivia Incursion**

In an unusual move, Sierra Company was deployed discreetly to Bolivia, to assist the Drug Enforcement Administration, with locating contraband linking back to cartel crime lord El Jefe, and then extradite El Jefe to the US for trial. Due to a miscommunication with a logistics officer, Sierra was unaware that their mission was to be covert, and all members were forced to deploy in full USMC attire, as opposed to a more subtle and civilian appearance. This caused issues throughout the operation, as they were easily identified as Americans.

After hours of searching the Bolivian countryside for illicit substances, liaising with civilians, and even holding talks with El Jefe himself, the Marines and DEA were unsuccessful at capturing El Jefe, and were forced to withdraw from the region as local military forces began to swarm the area, loyal to El Jefe.

## **OPERATION: *Rampart***

Escalation in Estonia’s Disputed Zone called for Sierra Company to be redeployed to the region, this time assisting RNR forces to capture an Artillery Battery that had been seized by CSS forces, who planned to use unconventional rounds against the RNR.

With only a fireteam of 6, Sierra 1-1 and his men captured the Battery, and proceeded to hold off two waves of counterattack before RNR reinforcements arrived to assist in battle. It was during this hold-out that Sierra was able to make use of the Artillery against CSS forces, thanks to the guidance of specialist operators who had temporarily attached to First Platoon for this operation.

With the Artillery position successfully captured, Sierra Company, and by extension the RNR, was able to level the playing field ahead of a major operation.