Operation Stepping Stone 2026

In 2026, the situation in the eastern Mediterranean teeters on the brink of chaos.

A small fortress nation that still flies the red cedar flag is caught between a powerful southern neighbor, a terrorist-controlled zone to the east, foreign peacekeeping forces, and pressure from the great powers.

A military plan called Operation Stepping Stone is taking shape. The southern neighbor is preparing to advance into the border buffer zone, while another great power’s special operations forces launch covert operations along the eastern front.

Nadeem Saleh, an officer in the National Guard, only wants to keep his family safe on the edge of war. But when an eastern outpost is bombed, he is dragged back to the border. At the same time, a new lead suddenly surfaces about his sister, who has been missing for ten years.

On the other side, Delta team leader Ethan Mercer is ordered to enter the terrorist-controlled zone. He believes in procedures, authorization, and mission parameters, but gradually discovers that this operation was never just about counterterrorism.

The south opens fire. The eastern front burns.

Everyone says this country is nothing but a stepping stone.

But beneath the cedars, some people refuse to make way.