Operation Cascade

It was 1957, somewhere deep inside Soviet Russia...

Our air-mobile infantry platoon of 40 elite spetsnaz (all with their skills set to 100%) was tasked with investigating a secret research facility on Altis that went dark. Officially, we were sent to investigate the base and find out why, but we were armed to the teeth and ready to storm it by force, expecting some armed hostile presence to have surprise-attacked the base and eliminated the base personell. I, Sergeant Morthon, led first squad (codenamed VIPER-1). My brother, Lieutenant Commander Aco, took the role of platoon commander (codenamed STANISLAV) and commanded the rest of the platoon through high command, which were two additional reinforced weapons squads and a support/medical element (codenamed VIPER-2, VIPER-3 and TEEGR-4, respectfully).

As the mission maker, I had some expectations... For example, I read about the demons’ ability to throw cars and I activated that feature and scattered some random civilian and military vehicles around the base. Seemed like fun to witness how that works. I also placed a small, scattered garrison force inside the research base so we could hear some gunfire as we approached it to set the mood. The idea behind the mission design was to destroy a device to stop the spawning of said demon units. Our platoon had access to heavy artillery batteries and CAS jets for additional fire support. It would be a fun, but challenging CQC mission with a fun twist and probably not without casualties, but I prepared for the worst and brought plenty of men. We were, by all means, going to crush our enemies and achieve our objectives. The reality, however, turned out quite different...

The mission started a click away from the research base, our platoon already embarked on an in-flight squadron of Mi-8 transport helicopters and an Mi-24V attack chopper that carried STANISLAV and the platoon leadership element. The Mi-8s would leave as soon as they dropped our platoon off, but the Mi-24V was to loiter around the base as a recon and fire support element, barraging targets with its rapid-fire 12.7mm autocannon at will.

As we approached the base, higher leadership (codenamed SOKOL-1) revealed to us that our objective was to clean up the result of an experiment that went wrong involving some kind of experimental portal technology. The device went hay-wire and was teleporting creatures from worlds beyond into our realm at random. Even though the circumstances were extreme, we were going to approach this mission as if it were any other and use proper formations, discipline and our understanding of modern warfare tactics gained through our extensive soviet military training.

As my chopper approached the base, the first thing I noticed was that the whole base was on fire! (Which surprised and startled me, even though I was the mission maker. BlastFX made it beautiful to behold, though...) As the choppers touched down, I ordered my men to disembark. It was near midnight, but the sky was clear and the moon was high; so we were able to see relatively well. The fires from the nearby base also helped. As I got out, I oriented myself and started to observe my surroundings and witnessed the glorious sight of 40 shadowy russians armed to the teeth disembarking from intimidating choppers and gathering in an open field, while the moon sits high in the background in the dark night sky. It looked like a shot straight out of a war movie. While the teamwork and the coordination between players is what makes ARMA so great to me, it is these un-scripted small moments of awe that make ARMA infinitely amazing.

I tell my brother and platoon commander over my squad radio, “STANISLAV, this is VIPER-1. My men are on the ground and we are ready for your command, tovarish. Over.” In the most stereotypical World in Conflict-inspired russian accent I could produce.

I turn my gaze to the base once more, waiting for a response and determined to follow the directions of my platoon commander to the letter and return the facility to righteous soviet control!

“Understood, VIPER-1, hold and wait for VIPER-2 to catch up and then advance together on the main entrance on my signal. Your squad will go in first. STANISLAV, out”, Lieutenant Commander Aco replied.

And then as the choppers take off, it hit me.

Total. Silence.

I had expected to hear intense fighting from within the base as the garrison would fight a slow, losing fight against the invading hostiles but instead there was nothing, which really surprised me. Two full minutes haven’t even passed since the start of this mission. I think to myself; “Hmm, odd.”

I continue my deployment and I observe my troops completing their return to formation after the chaotic disembarkation from the choppers. But wait.. I witness the silhouette of a motion-less, helmet-less, unarmed man in front of me, huddled between my men who are wearing helmets that are easily recognisable even in the dark. He looks strange... His arms are oddly lowered and he just looks plain off. His visage quickly reminds me of a zombie and my eyes widen as I put the dots together and raise my AK with GP attachment towards him! I think to myself “WHAT. How long has he been standing here?!?” and I scream over the radio (using the god epic TFAR mod): “WHAT THE.” But even before I pull my own trigger, the russian soldier next to me opens fire, but not on the shadowy figure in front of me, no... BUT ON THE WHOLE FUCKING HORDE OF SILHOUETTED MONSTERS POURING OUT OF THE BURNING BASE IN FRONT OF US.

Chaos ensues, as the bulk of the platoon opened fire at their own peril!! Monsters mix in between the formations and bullets from all kinds of calibers whiz by in every direction!

I realised then and there that the whole base must have been slaughtered in SECONDS instead of minutes at the start of the mission and that I killed us all by making this apparent suicide mission. I realised then and there how fucking unprepared we were... I realised that we were, in fact, about to become 'the massacred military force' in the opening scene of some clichéed action horror movie that sets up the film and the heroes of the movie later hear about in one vague line...
Something like: “We sent a whole platoon to investigate, but they too vanished. So its up you! ... Somehow.”

I panicked and opened fire at random into the pitch-black mass of darkness, wanting to survive somehow.
My brother, who ended up several hundred meters away from us because the Mi-24Vs AI pilot just decided so, panicked over the radio, replying to my screams of “WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK!!” which were interrupted only by loud gunfire feedbacking through my mic and his radio with “What the hell is going on over there!”.

In the aftermath, he would remark how the light fog reduced my battle to mere flashes in the distance from his point of view and he couldn’t see what was happening.

The last things I saw and heard before my body was thoroughly shredded to bite-sized pieces, were my soldiers getting surrounded by lightning-fast shadows and screaming in agony and the nightmarish growls of demons from nightmarish realms beyond as they were all killed in front of me. They were not only on the ground, but in the sky too! Jumping dozens of meters high right on top of our position, pouncing on my troops. I never even tried running simply because they ran so fast it seemed pointless, and then...

“Morthon was killed.”

I could only hear my brother’s experience through his muffled shouting through the walls of our house as my teamspeak was automatically muted by TFAR because I had died.

The wanton gunfire had stopped by now..

“WHAT’S GOING ON! RESPOND!”

Silence for like ten seconds...

“WHAT THE FUCK! AAAHHH!!”

*Several gunshots*

“Aco was killed.”

THE END.

And that, my attentive soviet grandson and/or daughter, was the story of how my first ever mission created with this addon ended in like 30 seconds after touchdown in an utter, complete disaster. A true massacre and the beginning of dark times for the world as the portals of hell remained open and demons kept pouring in unchallenged...

I ran to my brother’s room and we laughed and giggled while reflecting on WHAT THE FUCK had just happened!

Oh, ARMA...


Tldr; We died. Also, don't make a mission filled with DEMONs.

Also, I feel the strange urge to model a UFO now...