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ArmA 3's Prologue is set one year prior to the events of The East Wind. Players assume the role of U.S. Army infantryman Sergeant Conway of NATO's multi-national peacekeeping force Task Force Aegis.

Deployed to the Mediterranean island nation of the Republic of Altis and Stratis, TF Aegis have been tasked with providing counterinsurgency training for the Altis Armed Forces (AAF), as well as maintaining an uneasy ceasefire with the local guerilla movement known only as the "FIA".

Summary[]

One year before the events of 'The East Wind', NATO peacekeepers and government forces conduct joint training exercises in The Republic of Altis and Stratis.

Prologue 1

Adams' and Conway's first look at Virtual Reality.

Sergeant Conway and Staff Sergeant Thomas Adams are testing out the new Virtual Reality (VR) system obtained by the U.S. Army.

The duo run through a series of basic tasks ranging from moving and shooting to confirm that the gear and system were working properly. Adams also flies a helicopter and fires a tank's cannon. The testing is a success, and both Conway and Adams return back to reality in order to meet their next batch of AAF recruits.

Prologue 3

Conway demonstrates basic marksmanship to the recruits.

Starting with basic firearms training, Adams provides Conway with target posts to shoot (in the form of CSAT soldiers no less). Conway then performs a series of manoeuvres to demonstrate the importance of stances on aiming and (to Conway's great reluctance) the effects of fatigue from sprinting excessively.

« Adams: 'What is the Sergeant doing?', I hear you ask. Well, in all honesty, I have no idea. Although, I think we can all agree, it's quite a sight to behold.
Conway: Fuck you, Staff Sergeant!
Adams has Conway demonstrate the effects of fatigue by making him run in circles
»

Not long after, their training session is interrupted by an urgent radio call from another squad of AAF troopers. Adams attempts to ascertain their situation, but the squad is ill-equipped and has neither a map nor GPS to identify their position. Annoyed by their incompetence, Adams instructs them to identify nearby landmarks to narrow down their area.

He has Conway use a map to demonstrate how to mark grid references. After a brief moment of struggling from the AAF troopers, Adams and Conway are able to triangulate their position to a nearby house just on the outskirts of Syrta. Leaving the recruits behind, Adams and Conway round up two other peacekeepers and mount up onto their MRAP with Conway as driver.

Prologue 4

Adams and Conway arrive onto the scene.

« Conway: Christ...
Adams: What the hell happened here?
AAF Squad Leader: We were on patrol. We were attacked.
Adams: And these people? They attacked you?
AAF Squad Leader: Yes.
Conway: You ever heard of excessive force!?
Adams: Cool it, Sergeant.
Conway: Staff Sergeant, they're just civilians!
Adams and Conway question the AAF patrol's lack of proper conduct
»

Adams' fireteam eventually arrive at the AAF squad's location. The squad leader states that they were dealing with a band of suspected guerilla sympathisers, though they had no actual tangible evidence to prove their guilt and merely executed most of them on the spot.

Prologue 6

Suspected weapons caches at the house.

Appalled that the troopers had not even bothered to verify whether the civilians had any weapons on them, Conway rummaged through the buildings to locate signs of contraband.

Conway does however, eventually stumble upon a small cache of weapons and relays this sighting back to Adams, seemingly "justifying" the AAF patrol's actions.

« AAF Squad Leader: You see? They were a threat!
Conway: Yeah, and I'm "sure" they just attacked you for no reason.
Conway discovers the caches
»
Prologue 7

COL MacKinnon briefs the duo on their next set of tasks at the Ministry of Defense in Kavala.

A week later, the government and the FIA have agreed to a sit-down in Kavala in the Ministry of Defense (MoD). As a gesture of goodwill from the government, they agreed to allow a small delegation of the guerillas to travel through into the city without harassment.

TF Aegis were to oversee the meeting's security to ensure nothing went wrong. In reality, they had no actual control over the situation and their presence was merely symbolic.

« The AAF and FIA consenting to a sit-down within the country's Ministry of Defense. I don't know who thought that was a good idea...
Adams
»

Adams and Conway are suddenly called upon by Colonel Andrew MacKinnon (callsign Broadway) to locate a missing AAF security convoy which had failed to report in on schedule at the city's checkpoint. Boarding a helicopter, they were quickly flown to the outskirts of their last known position and disembarked in a nearby grove.

Prologue 7-0

The NATO peacekeepers and FIA guerillas in a tense standoff.

The convoy is sighted by Adams, but it's already clear from their position that the convoy was in dire straits; all of the vehicles were wrecked and corpses of AAF troopers could be seen from afar.

Just metres out from the convoy's position, FIA guerillas emerge from the brush and Adams shouts at them to stand down. But the guerillas refuse to comply and attack the peacekeepers, forcing Adams and Conway to return fire.

Prologue

The mortally wounded AAF trooper.

After eliminating the surrounding guerillas, Adams and Conway rushed to the convoy. They discovered only one survivor; a heavily injured AAF soldier leaning against one of the trucks. Conway immediately attempted to stabilise his wounds while Adams requested for transportation from Broadway.

Less than an hour after Adam's call for help however, the wounded trooper passes away from his injuries just as a squad of NATO peacekeepers arrive. Shortly after, a CSAT helicopter also lands nearby to investigate the situation. The reinforcing squad motioned to "take care of them", while Adams and Conway are ordered to return to Kavala, having been informed that the peace talks had gone haywire.

2015-11-04 00036

AAF checkpoint engulfed in flames.

Aboard the helicopter back to Kavala, their worst fears are confirmed as they spot an AAF checkpoint alight and numerous other plumes of smoke across the city's skyline. Broadway reports in that according to the AAF's commander, the FIA guerillas had "thrown themselves" at his men and were forced to "retaliate".

Broadway instructed Adams and Conway to get on the ground at the MoD to verify the conflicting reports, and to take control of the situation. They boarded one of the waiting MRAPs and proceeded to drive through the city.

Encountering nothing but utter destruction, death and chaos left in the wake of the failed sit-down, bodies of troopers, guerillas and civilians alike could be seen littered throughout the city. The peacekeepers grow increasingly disgusted as they witness countless AAF troopers mistreating detained guerilla survivors.

Prologue 8

Corpses litter the streets of Kavala.

« Conway: Hey! What are you doing? Hey, asshole, I'm talking to you!
Phalanx: Is there a problem here, Sergeant?
Conway: What's the problem? Your men are abusing these prisoners.
Phalanx: This is none of your business, American.
Conway bickers with the AAF officer at the scene
»

Upon arrival at the MoD, they are outraged by the sight of several guerillas being lined up against the wall as AAF troopers stand ready to execute them by firing squad. Conway orders the AAF officer - callsigned Phalanx, to cease their actions immediately. Phalanx refuses to comply, stating that Conway and the rest of TF Aegis had no legal authority (nor right for that matter) to interfere in their affairs.

Incredulous at the officer's outright refusal to stand down, Conway begins to threaten the officer but is immediately ordered to back off over the radio by Broadway. Conway protests against Broadway's decision but reluctantly complies. Unable to halt the executions, Adams and Conway can do little but walk away in disgust as the guerillas are shot one-by-one.

« Conway: What? Sir, if I may-
Broadway: Negative, 1-2, you are to stand down. That's an order. Confirm, over.
Conway: ... Solid copy, sir. Out.
Phalanx: It was a "pleasure" doing business with you, Sergeant.
Conway is ordered to stand down
»

As the months pass by following the incident, TF Aegis' mandate would be gradually rescinded as the tensions between the peacekeepers and their AAF counterparts grew. One year later, the peacekeepers would be prevented altogether from stepping foot onto the Altian mainland at all, and would be restricted to just the smaller island of Stratis instead.

With relations between both sides at all-time lows, it was clear that the peacekeepers of TF Aegis were sitting on a powder keg. Only one spark would be needed for the hostilities to begin...

Timeline[]

Reality Check (10th May, 2034)[]

« Now for something completely different. »

SSG Adams and SGT Conway undergo testing on the Army's new Virtual Reality (VR) training system.

Common Denominator (10th May, 2034)[]

« NATO peacekeepers conduct joint training exercises with members of the AAF. »

Back in reality, Adams and Conway guide a squad of AAF troopers through basic training, teaching them proper firearms handling, basic marksmanship and fatigue management.

Diplomatic Relations (10th May, 2034)[]

« Members of the AAF require assistance from NATO peacekeepers. »

Before they can finish their training, Adams and Conway are interrupted by an urgent call from another team of AAF troopers. They have encountered suspected guerilla "sympathisers" and require immediate instruction. Commandeering an MRAP, the peacekeepers drive straight to their location at a remote house in the hills. There, they discover that the troopers have already unlawfully executed most of the detained civilians.

Rising Tensions (17th May, 2034)[]

« The AAF and the FIA agree to a dialogue in the former capital, Kavala. »

Fighting between the FIA guerillas and the AAF have momentarily cooled off, and both sides have agreed to negotiate a proper ceasefire at the Ministry of Defense in the city of Kavala. Prior to the meeting, Adams and Conway are tasked with investigating an AAF convoy which failed to report in on schedule. On arrival, they are immediately fired upon by FIA guerillas and soon discover the convoy with only one survivor remaining.

Damage Control (17th May, 2034)[]

« NATO peacekeepers returning to Kavala discover that the situation has gone from bad to worse. »

For an hour, Adams and Conway attempt to stabilise the survivor's injuries while waiting for backup. But the trooper perishes from his wounds by the time help arrives. They are soon recalled back to Kavala, having been told that the talks broke down after the FIA had "thrown themselves" at the AAF. Driving through the streets of Kavala, Adams and Conway are disgusted to find the AAF rounding up survivors and carrying out summary executions. Worse yet, the commander of the AAF himself is ordering the executions in person. Conway bickers with the commander but is ordered to stand down by COL MacKinnon.

Achievements[]

  • Arma3-achievement-firstdeployment
    First Deployment
    • Beat all five missions of the campaign.
  • Arma3-achievement-kia
    K.I.A.
    • A merit badge for incompetence, this achievement can be obtained by getting Conway killed by enemy fire in any of the missions.
    • The FIA insurgents in Rising Tensions are ideal for this achievement. Ignore Adams' orders and run straight for the insurgents.

Trivia[]

  • The Prologue was not initially available on ArmA 3's launch and was only added after the release of the free Bootcamp Update as part of Game Update 1.24.[1]
  • The main protagonist of The East Wind, Corporal Ben Kerry, makes a cameo appearance in the Prologue as the driver of Adams and Conway's MRAP in Damage Control. Chronologically this marks his first actual appearance, though he has no spoken lines of dialogue.
  • It is the only campaign in ArmA 3 that has a forced difficulty preset.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. van 't Land, J.J. 2014, SPOTREP #00029, Arma 3, viewed 31 December 2020, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00029>.

See also[]

Campaigns
Cold War Assault Resistance (1982)Cold War Crisis (1985)
Armed Assault Armed Assault (2006)Rahmadi Conflict (2006)Royal Flush (2007)
ArmA 2 Harvest Red (2009) [ Eagle Wing ] • Silver Lion (2010-2012)Operation Arrowhead (2012)Operation Crimson Lance (2012)Operation Black Gauntlet (2013)
Tactics Operation Tempest (201X)Operation No Deal (201X)
ArmA 3 Beyond Hope (2026)Prologue (2034)The East Wind (2035) [ Survive, Stepping Stone, Adapt, Win, Steel Pegasus, Altis Requiem ] • Remnants of War (2034/2035)Apex Protocol (2035)Old Man (2038)First Contact (2039)
Mobile Ops Liberator of Lignos (20XX)
Entries are listed in canonical order from left-to-right.
[Brackets] denote campaigns taking place concurrently within the same time period.
Italics denote spin-off or non-canon campaigns.
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