A Boeing B-52H escorted by four F-16s were flying their usual patrol route carrying 20 AGM-86 ALCMs each carrying a 150 kiloton W80 thermonuclear warhead. The B-52 had a major malfunction and diverted to RTB for emergency landing. In the process, the B-52 crashed in the mountains of the Boreal Forest in American Alliance Canada. The four F-16 escorts loitered until a KC-135 operating in the area could make contact, but it and all four escorts were shot down by the American-Nomengedon Alliance, a well-trained, well-funded, and well-equipped UTEN-aligned insurgency group in the Americas. Azreal’s Sword, a UTEN chaos insurgency group at the time operating in Boreal West Group’s AO, linked up with the local ANA who were able to shoot down the KC-135 with multiple MANPADs, the F-16s using a mixture of M2 BMGs modified to fire 13.2mm HEs, NSVS-12.7s firing a mixture of BZF-46, BZT-44, and 12.7SN rounds, as well as a single ZPU-2 attached to the rear of a Ford F-450. The F-450 was able to take down two F-16s before another located and destroyed it, but was subsequently shot down with the last jet by a hail of 12.7 and 13.2mm fire.

Azreal’s Sword, aware of the flash operation undertaken by the ANA, linked up to assist in the hopes of acquiring sensitive material from the B-52H, KC-135, and the F-16s. The ANA was only after the 20 warheads, while UTEN could remain absolved from any future nuclear incidents having not touched any themselves. Special Operations Forces Medical Support Group – Unique Circumstances Division, SATCOM Delta, and Team Blue Blood’s Juliet and Kilo detachments are deployed to the area alongside Army Rangers Canadian Division who pull security while Kilo and Juliet focus on rescue and recovery. This group is coined Task Force Rainbow.

Both sides have similar goals: reach the B-52, rescue/detain any survivors, obtain or destroy any sensitive equipment, grab the nukes and make haste. Azreal’s Sword is responsible for special handling of sensitive equipment while the ANA will take care of the all else allowing UTEN to be absolved of any responsibility for downing or recovery of American nuclear assets. Should the ANA succeed, they will have 20 150kt nuclear weapons at their disposal, potentially necessitating a second Operation Neutrality.