[IC] Valkyria Chronicles: Lions of the South

[Lennon79]

Evan's enthusiasm was a bit too strong for Alonso and he found himself leaning ever so slightly backward to escape spitting range. The older man was right though, he knew; the Imperials hadn't pulled their punches in Rinneheim and there was no reason to believe they would start now. Gallia was the underdog in this pit and her soldiers had better start getting used to it. 'I'll take that point. Hell, I guess we did take down a proper tank without lancing it; that can't happen often.' Alonso's eyebrows raised slowly at Evan's reply about the tank. He had known that the tank had been taken out by an IED, but hadn't been told who was responsible. He glowered as Evan explained, already suspicious of their new engineer. 'Glaive, wasn't it? I dunno man, there's something wrong about that broad. You seen that gun she's got, the pistol? Looks like an Imp gun to me.' Alonso leaned forward, muttering darkly. 'She don't sound local neither. Now I don't wanna be yelling spy, but something don't add up.' The malice in his eyes made it clear what he would want to do if Glaive did turn out to be an Imperial agent. No quarter for traitors or spies, burn the fuckers alive.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dammit, did I spook her? Shouldn't have come out so sudden, should have... With Sykora looking like a deer caught in the headlights, Harald's mind raced as he tried to come up with a way to calm her. Without any real knowledge of the girl, it wasn't gonna be easy. 'At ease Brenna, we're off duty now. Please, just call me Harald.' He sparked up a new cigarette in as calm a manner as he could muster, giving Brenna an encouraging smile as she finally replied. 'That to- Rinneheim? Really?' His eyes narrowed as he studied her features, trying to place it among the myriad faces he had committed to memory as a police officer. They hadn't met, he decided, at least not as officer and criminal. The up-class (or at least non-Darcsen) bakeries of the town had been pretty much off-limits to him even in uniform, so chances were that they had never crossed paths before. 'I guess it makes sense that there would be a few other locals in the company. You might recognise me; I was a constable in the GPC? Only darkhair on the force?' He tried to lighten the situation up with a little self-deprecating humour, but he had no idea how she would take it. If Brenna had been a part of Rinneheim's less tolerant strata...

[Kitsune]

After finishing up in the barracks, having put on a new uniform but removing the top half so that she only had a tank top on, she started to make her way over towards the common room. Her hand playing with the cap in her hands, spinning it around a few times before reaching the door, though as she did she stopped dead in her tracks as she heard voices. She didn't know who it was by their voices alone but one thing was clear they were in the middle of talking about her, and the more they spoke the more she waited... Maybe she could have just left back for the barracks it may have been better to distance herself from them. No, she was not going to just avoid what she wants to do because of these people. Lifting and placing the cap onto her head she moved into the common room on the last few words that they spoke, her eyes tracing along the pair, more sharp than ever before. She moved towards the cabinets to make herself a drink, choosing not to speak a word for now.

[caliban22]

Sam's Post Sam watched as the others talked, oblivious to her presence Sure not like I'm here... she thought to her self as she sat in her chair. After a few moments she got up and headed to the door. I'm gonna go see if there is any one interesting to talk she thought with a smile ------ Paul's post Paul awoke with a start. Some one had made a loud noise near by woke him up with bang. "Fuck..." he muttered softly through dry lips. Paul fully dressed was hot,dehydrated and uncomfortable. As Paul got off his bunk he stripped off his uniform leaving only his pants fatigues and under shirt. I need water he thought as he headed off to find some water. A short while after having found water Paul found himself at the common area. After entering the common area Paul noticed a few of his squad mates milling around arguing and doing various other things. "Hey" he muttered softly to Evan and Alonso "The hell is with the sour look?" he asks Alonso

[Raven_Operative]

Lilly's Post

Lilly nodded when she was told to be more at ease. "Very well, Corporal Stichler." Despite her words, though, Lilly didn't seem to have relaxed in the slightest. The idea of improperly greeting someone of a higher rank (even if they told her it was fine) seemed foreign to her, as her aristocratic upbringing dictated that she should be acting prim and proper at every occasion. "Then if you do not mind, I will accompany you, Corporal. ... Eh, actually one moment please." As Celeste started walking towards the showers, Lilly hurried back to her room to grab a hair brush, before following after her. She had originally (grudgingly) put off straightening her hair for fear of missing out on a chance to socialize with the rest of the squad, but it appeared that she could do both now, while she waited outside the shower room door. Leaning against the wall outside the entrance, Lilly started combing her hair and trying to get all the knots out of it while she chatted with the Corporal through the cracked open door. "Corporal Stichler, if I may be so bold as to inquire... Where are you from? It seems as though the squad is composed of people from many different parts of Gallia."

Evan's Post

Evan shrugged at Alonso's mention of the possibility of Alex being a spy. The concept was laughable to him. A spy sent to keep an eye on the common militia? Absurd. And the reasoning behind it was based on an accent and a pistol. Evan just leaned back into the couch and held up his hands. "I dunno kid, but dial back the paranoia a bit, would ya? Besides. You use an Imperial rifle and lance. What does that make you? Twice as Imperial?" Evan chuckled to himself as he said the last bit. Imperials (despite them being the enemy) didn't really bother him, and besides, they made some damn fine armoured vehicles (minus their accursed shifters). Darcsens were the only ones that actually bothered him. "Eh, I joke, friend, but-" He was cut off by a rather sharp look from the object of their discussion as Private Glaive entered the room. Switching topics to avoid the awkwardness, Evan hurriedly greeted her with a small wave. "Evenin', Glaive. Nice work with that tank, back there, by the way. Rarely have I seen such a fine demolition. You manage to make it out of that mess?" Before he could get a reply, Paul walked into the room behind her, causing Evan to turn and greet the second newcomer. "My my, we're getting quite a crowd. More the merrier! Evenin', Dresdner. How'd you make out in the field?" Evan scootched over to the side of the couch to make room in case someone else wanted to sit down. It would hardly be fair to take up an entire sofa with his rather large frame.

[Slypheed]

Celeste

The private ran off, to get something no doubt, but she still felt like Lilly had said that just to get away. So when she had caught up branding a brush, she couldn't help but smile a little. Lilly had opted to stay out of the showers. An idea Celeste internally supported, but had kept the door cracked open to talk. She just hoped none of the males would think to barge in. Last thing she wanted to do was knock someone out then fiddle with the dreaded paperwork she heard so much about. She'd have a lot to learn as a last minute Corporal. Her thoughts interrupted when Lilly asked where she was form. "I was born in Randgriz, lived there for about twelve years. Then moved in with my grandma and lived with her for the next eight years. Now, I live here till the war is over or until I'm killed" The last remark made Celeste shiver a little, she didn't want to die, she wanted to protect her grandmother and see her after the war. Her thoughts shifted and she hoped Lilly wouldn't ask why she went to live with her Grandmother.

Brenna

Brenna only relaxed a slight bit. She wasn't at attention anymore, but her body was still obviously stiff. The earlier thoughts still running through her head. And it took her some time to get them out of her head, which seemed to be timed when Harald had asked if she recognized him. She pieced it together, she had seen a Darcsen in uniform at a distance, never passing him in the streets though. She nodded slightly "Yes" she took note of his freshly lit cigarette. She never had a desire to smoke one, and never planned on smoking one in the near future. Brenna tried her best to relax, but was having troubles.

[caliban22]

Paul Paul chucked as he sat down " Evening Evan ,Got two scouts and a shock trooper before A sniper and some one else got me." he said as he felt his neck "Sniper round to the neck...hurts like hell." he muttered as he put his legs up on the coffee table in front of him. "And a several round to the knee and stomach." he said with a chuckle "Then again were never meant to win." he said softly "I mean this under strength squad against a combat ready squad with a tank?" he said looking over at Evan "seems a bit to hard, with only one lancer we were playing a very dangerous game not having a back up...what if this were a real battle? a good many of us would have been killed!" Paul's voice was obviously annoyed and frustrated the volume of his voice slowly became greater as he talked until he began to yell. finally after a few minutes Paul stopped talking slowly his temper began to ease.Do any of them know how close and how easily they could have ended up like squad one? he thought to himself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Sam had some how slipped out without anyone noticing, as she left she walked past a window only to hear The Voice of Evan and then Paul's voice as He entered Paul! she thought quickly as she crouched almost instinctively as the sound of his voice I forgot he was in our squad! silently She listened to Paul's rant. Paul is really mad? I know this is war but whats wrong with him? squad four had only suffered minor casualties unlike other squads in other areas, this squad had been lucky to get off so easily... Gently as she listened Sam fiddled with her dog tags. from time to time they jingled as they brushed against each other. "Paul had never been so angry before..."Wait when I first saw him he was dirty and looked like the devil had taken a bat to him...why? Paul's uniform had been covered in blood, dirt, dust, and his uniform and armor was torn and dented. He himself had noticeably more blood then the rest...Had he been cut off? or had he been trying to save some one? Sam slowly leaned against the wall "That is rather unlike Paul to just Snap like that...one second hes fine and then he just loses it? I hope Paul is okay."

[Lennon79]

Alonso relented little in the face of Evan's scepticism, unwilling to let go of his deep-rooted suspicions. Imperials were all backstabbing murderers; it had been hard enough to accept that his commanding officer was one even after the old man had proven his loyalties. How was anyone supposed to trust a dirty Imp, even a suspected one like Glaive, without some proof of their sincerity? Evan just couldn't see the facts and Alonso suspected the others would be the same... 'Joke all you like, but Imps are the enemy and I'll treat them like it.' The older soldier tried to laugh it off, but pulled short when the potential Imp herself made her presence known. Alonso leaned back into the sofa, subjecting her a deeply suspicious glare as he tried to spot any hint of betrayal in her eyes. Glaive wasn't impressed though and the sharp look in her eye looked more like indignation than fear... Still not enough proof though; he would be ready if she tried to put a knife in anyone's back. Another voice broke him out of his reverie and Alonso realised that he had been staring at the woman for some time. 'I, uh... I have a sour face.' He tried to lighten up, for their sakes more than his own. 'I didn't get much chance to do anything today. Fucking snipers.' Draining away the last of his coffee with a conflicted expression, Alonso soon excused himself and retired to his bunk. It was hard, being surrounded by so many strange people... Almost like none of them knew right from wrong, friend from foe. The boy rolled over and tried to put it out of his mind.

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Perhaps Harald had been overoptimistic when expecting a deeper reply from Brenna, but he was beginning to understand why she hadn't introduced herself to the squad earlier. He was alright with reclusives, at times finding their company quite relaxing, but Harald wasn't sure if Brenna's anti-social nature would last in their new environment; the squad's shared facilities were all communal. With only two bunk rooms, one male and one female, she wouldn't be able to stay isolated forever. But that was a problem for another day, he decided. He had done enough to unnerve the girl tonight. 'Well... One day we'll go back there. Maybe I'll have enough from my militia wages to buy a house. One day.' He paused for a long moment, peering aimlessly up into the night sky, remembering simpler times, the vibrant Darktown nightlife and long beat patrols in the early hours. '... I think I'll have an early night. You shouldn't stay up too late either; tomorrow's training is a step up from today. Night'o, Sykora.' With that, Harald flashed a warm smile before heading back into the barracks, and bed.

[Kitsune]

Glaive broke her gaze away from, the man as he started to move off. She knew that this was not over by a long shot, but it was good enough for now to relax her battered body, she did not like to be so tense around people like that. Her shoulders relaxed a little as she started to calm down. Grabbing a cup she started to answer Evan as she was going around to fill it up with some juice."No problem." She was so blunt about that, as if he should have been thanking her, though she did not really meant it as such. As she turned around with her drink she continued. "I may have taken it out but I failed to make it away and was peppered at firing squad" They really did not like the fact that she had taken out their tank like that, pretty much embarrassing them. Hey at least they had that to their name, even if they did still lose. "So I did not make it out without a scratch. By the way.. What do you think of our commander?"

[Raven_Operative]

Lilly's Post

Had Celeste known what Lilly was thinking, she would have been greatly relieved. The topic of her grandmother was completely overshadowed by the remark about possibly getting killed. "Oh..." Lilly went silent for a moment, saddened by that depressing thought. She slowly combed her hair, planning out what she was going to say. "Well... I am sure that we will be fine. For one of his race, Sergeant Harald seems to be a competent leader. He did manage to lead squad four out of Rinneheim with no casualties. I am certain that our chances of surviving the war are significant." Lilly spoke in a calm and measured tone, choosing her words carefully and deliberately. To anyone else it would just seem like a slightly more formal version of her typical elegant speech, but the reality was that focusing on the words she chose prevented her mind from straying back to something she would rather forget - the battle of Rinneheim. Forcing a more happy and less somber tone, Lilly decided to speak of her origins for the sake of continuing the conversation. "I, myself, hail from my family's estate north of Eindon. As I said in the meeting, my father owns a collection of arms factories, and I was raised to be his heir." Lilly smiled, pausing her brushing as some memories started to surface. The rare days where she was able to leave the estate and travel around were some of her favorite memories. "The town and country side there is very pretty, and there was a beautiful river only a short distance away from the estate. My family maintained a small cottage there for summer trips. I wonder if we'll ever get to see it. Maybe Sergeant Harald would let us visit there if we ever get vacation leave!" Resuming her brushing, Lilly let out a girlish giggle as she envisioned the squad relaxing at the cottage on a day off. It certainly was a much better mental image than that of them constantly in battle.

Evan's Post

Evan was shocked by Paul's sudden outburst. He wasn't sure what had gotten into the kid, but what ever it was, it was not good. He was obviously frustrated. Or scared. Or angry, and Evan didn't know which. "Hey it's alright, kid. That's what training battles are for. Even if we couldn't hope to win that battle, we all still learned something from it, right? Real war isn't any different, so we've got to train for every situation, even if it is an impossible one." Clapping Paul on the shoulder, Evan stood up. "I'm sure we'll all do better next time." He somewhat undermined what he said to Paul when Alex spoke up and asked what he thought of their commander. Stretching and pacing around the room a bit, he only replied with a non-committal "No comment.". Eventually he did elaborate, though, not wanting people to get the wrong impression. "He's a Darcsen, and I'm really not seeing any examples of prime leadership coming from him. Then again, this was only our first day, and..." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, before continuing. "We didn't exactly follow his orders to the letter in that battle, so... No comment. You?"

[Slypheed]

Celeste

"Would be a nice change of pace with all the combat we'll see in the coming days." Celeste smiled. "I wouldn't mind just relaxing, listening to the leaves rustle in the wind, without the worry of tomorrows training or missions." She finished up after speaking. Walking out of the showers in a simple tank top and shorts. Her uniform draped over her arm, and hair properly straightened. "Well, I'd like to get some shut eye. If you're of a similar mind, would you like to follow me?" She had a smile on her face "I won't be offended if you want to socialize with a few of the others before you go to bed." She walked off to the bunks.

Brenna

Brenna waited for a few minutes after the Sergeant left, before she let out and exhausted sigh. She looked to the bench, and chose to slouch into it. She needed to relax for a bit before she could walk to the bunks. With everything being communal, she was sure to have many more encounters. Brenna had been lucky to slip by in the showers. After a few minutes, Brenna stood up and went to the bunk room, falling asleep almost immediately once she laid down on a bed.

[Raven_Operative]

Lilly's Post

Lilly had just managed to finish straightening her hair, when Celeste left the shower. She decided not to take her up on her offer, though, as Lilly wanted to meet a few more people. Maybe chat with Private Glaive. "If you have no objections, Corporal, I would like to talk with a few more people. It would be good to get to know more of the squad." With Celeste's permission, Lilly saluted and then turned to head towards the common room. It was getting late, but other people might still be there.

...

Apparently the squad had been far more tired than she had anticipated. When Lilly got to the common area, she found it empty, with everyone who had been there before having already gone to bed. Shrugging, sat down at one of the chairs and gazed out the window. The sun had already set and the moon was high in the sky, providing just enough light to write or read by. Lilly didn't want to go to sleep just yet. She was tired, but there were a great deal of things on her mind. She decided to write a letter home, both to inform her father and aids that she was still unharmed, as well as to request supplies and clear her head. Writing had always helped to calm her mind.

"Dear Father, I am writing to inform you that I still live..."

...

The letter took longer than Lilly had expected, taking nearly two hours before she was satisfied. She smiled as she folded it up and headed back to her room. Her father would no doubt be pleased to hear that she was safe, and her butlers and maids would probably be interested in learning of what she had been doing in her training. She even had included a humble request for supplies from her father, explaining the situation of how the militia squads were relatively poorly equipped and needed to seek out their own benefactors. Her father had not approved of her joining the militia in the slightest, but she doubted that he would let that petty grievance cloud his judgement. He could probably spare a crate or two of rifles and munitions for them, the only question was how long it would take for them to arrive.

Sneaking into the female quarters, Lilly crept past the occupied bunks as quietly as she could, not wanting to disturb anyone's rest. Eventually she came to her bed located on the bottom bunk at the far end of the room. Placing her letter into her footlocker to be mailed tomorrow, Lilly lay down for the evening, hoping to be able to get a good rest for the next days training. This was not to pass, however, as her sleep was disturbed by constant horrifying and violent nightmares. She was going to look very haggard tomorrow, indeed.

Evan's Post

The rest of the group seemed to be of a similar opinion to him, but everyone was tired. Not much conversation sparked up after that, and it didn't take long for people to start trickling back to their bunks to bed down for the evening. Eventually, Evan decided to follow suit, waving goodbye to Alex and heading through the door. "G'night, Glaive. See you in the morning."

After trudging up the hallway and into the male sleeping quarters, he set about in search of his bunk. It turned out his bunk bed was on the upper level, and was directly over top of Alonso. "Night, Kid." Evan's booming voice echoed through the room, a bit louder than he intended, no doubt startling the boy who seemed to be half a minute away from nodding off. Clambering up the wooden latter, he fell onto his bed with a thud, falling asleep nearly instantly. Despite not acting like it, he actually was exhausted from the days work.

[Lennon79]

0700 March 29th 1935 EC
Squad Four Barracks, Fort Breda

Standing by the open barrack door smoking the day's first cigarette, Harald allowed himself some degree of satisfaction at how much his squad had improved over the last week. Every soldier could pull a ten miler, then immediately set up to hit a target at three hundred foot while under fire. Well, in theory... Simulating enemy fire with chalk rounds wasn't ideal but most of them knew what it was really like anyway. Even Harald himself was dreading proper combat, not least because he had privately noted his own marksmanship score to be below average... A loud snore jogged the Sergeant from his reverie and Harald cast a long gaze into the barracks. Today's exercise would be their last, if the rumours were to be believed. Some major action had been reported in the north; mysterious giant vehicles and other weird shit. Apparently the Militia had lost an entire regiment in the are; just gone, with no communications, nothing. How much of it was baseless rumour was debatable, but if there was one thing an old copper learned, it was there there was always a grain of truth out there somewhere. He stamped out the fag end and checked his watch; time to rouse the squad and get some brekkers.

---

Three hours later the squad stood in a rough semi-circle around their Sergeant on the edge of the training arena. Across the field, hidden from sight by a copse of trees stood Squad Six, bedecked in the finest armour money could buy. Whoever was supplying them had serious cash, the lucky bastards. 'This time around, the plan will work.' Between Harald and Celeste they had managed to mock up a reasonably good map of the area on the ground, with bullets and ammunition pouches substituting soldiers and tanks. 'From what we observed in the last match, Squad Six will focus on supporting their tank while getting it into a good defensive position. Even if we take the fastest possible route though the centre, they'll have time to fortify their positions enough to fuck us over completely. So. We can't win conventionally, which leaves us with only one option.' Motioning to the Corporal, Harald used the butt of his rifle to move a number of the bullet markers around, seemingly at random. The two of them had discussed it earlier and the idea they had come up with was unorthodox to say at the least. '... Divide and conquer. Step one, separate the tank from her escort. Step two, blow the tank and retreat, baiting the soldiers into pursuing us. Step three, lead them into preprepared firezones and cut them down.'

The actual details of the plan would be less well organised, as the squad would need to split into pairs and launch hit and run attacks on the enemy's flanks to break up their formation. Taking down the tank itself would be fairly easy; with two lancers positioned on opposite sides, they could cut it to ribbons. It was luring the enemy that held the most risk. 'We have one advantage over Six. I was able to uh, acquire a box of radios. Enough for everyone. We'll be able to keep in contact even if we get split up, which we will have to for this plan to succeed.' With nine footsoldiers in the squad there would be four pairs, five if they left the APC behind. There were a total of thirteen in Squad Six, two of whom were in that tank including their Sergeant. Pairing the squad up arbitrarily would be a mistake, so... 'Choose a partner for the exercise and stick with them at all times. Sorry Carn, no APC this time but you've got a special job. Unhook that MG from the turret and stick with me; we'll set up a good killzone for the rest of you to use. Any questions?'

[Slypheed]

Celeste

She sat on the edge of her bed. It wasn't the best sleep she's ever had, but she'd get used to it eventually. Looking around the room, Celeste decided to think about the past week of training. It was brutal, but she was getting good at switching from her lance to her rifle. She was also learning how to command, something she had little knowledge of when joining. She still wasn't the greatest at it.

---

It looked like it was a rematch against Six. About a week of training to be put to the test against a unit that has, collectively, seen more action than Four. They had their tank again, but her and Harald had thrown a plan together. It was a gutsy plan, one that required everyone to be on board and follow. But it would hopefully bring down the tank with little to no casualties, then bait the rest into a favorable area to take them out.

The Sergeant had motioned to her. Celeste hadn't really been thinking about what to say, and couldn't think of something on the spot. So, she stood there in a somewhat awkward silence, keeping her composure. Harald had continued anyway, she sigh internally. Once Harald had asked for questions, she spoke up. "I'd suggest me and Private Bons be in different pairs. We'd be more effective hitting the tank from two different flanks rather than from the same flank. Confuse the tank and make it focus only one of us while the other can keep hitting it." She knew if the two of them were in the same pair, they'd be pinned by the tank and unable to take it out. "So, who wants to be my Partner in this Skirmish?"

Brenna

The beds felt surprisingly comfortable to Brenna, and being someone who could wake up rather early, she was able to get some alone time before the days training forced her to be around others. She was able to isolate herself in the common room, she began to write a new story, no doubt having to start again anyway when the war ends. Brenna had an idea of how Rinneheim would look once they went back, most of the houses in rubble, and the houses that did survive would be ran-sacked for any valuables or food, and useless items burned. She felt that her paintings and writings would be considered 'useless'.

---

Another Skirmish. The surprising fact was that it was against the very squad that had defeated them with ease after the first day of training. Brenna hoped the match would be much more interesting this time around. And Harald's plan seemed promising for some interesting action. Celeste also spoke up, although it wasn't after the Sergeant had motioned to her, rather after he asked if there was questions. But her statement made sense. The Lancers being split would have a higher chance of taking out that tank than if they were paired. But Brenna looked around the group, debating on who she wouldn't mind being paired with. There was two options. Lilly or Glaive. She'd wait it out to see who was still available after most of the pairings were done.

[Trinais]

8pm on a weekend seemed the perfect time for a massacre at The Crossroads. By his counting, Eyes could see a full column of Imperial troops advancing three hundred meters ahead. From their position inside the treeline, he could track them, count them and re-count them again. A hundred infantry. Two supply trucks in the rear. Two APCs in front.

"Beast, gimme one ten degrees right."

Beast's arm gripped the high-explosive round, sliding it into the barrel of Thunderous. 'High Explosive' was relative, as Thunderous itself was a relic of the First Europan War, and the shells tended to explode with all the force of a modern grenade. Still, the distance they shot put them one up over the Imperials they were going to shoot.

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

Thunderous shuddered, the barrel of the tank kicking back and discarding the shell.

Eyes watched through the periscope as the blue contrail of the ragnite explosive landed in the middle of the advancing column of Imperial soldiers. The men were advancing in parade formation- damn parade formation- heading toward St. Courain village like conquering heros. The shell that exploded dead center in their column dropped an even dozen men to the ground and sent the rest scattering for cover.

"Hit! Dear Valkyr, that was beautiful, gimme another eight degrees right on the APC!"

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

More gas, more heat. The explosive shell landed on the side armor of the front transport, just barely missing the exposed ragnite engine.

"Beast, load up an A-P round and put it in the cockpit up of front one! Pedal, rev the engine then put some fire down with the co-ax!"

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

The A-P round fired off as the tank engine sparked to life, striking the side plates of the lead APC and puncturing through the other side. Pedal's light machine-gun fired tracer rounds over the road, keeping the Imperial soldiers pinned in the ditch.

"Beast, ammo count!"

"One A-P, one smoke, two Explosives, Eyes!"

"Save the smoke and load Explosive-"

The impact on Thunderous' hull shook the crew from their perches. Pedal's machine gun fire arced wildly skyward, Beast dropped the explosive round to the floor with a loud "FUCK!" and Eyes fell off his command chair, knocking his head on the hull of the turret. His vision blurred and his tongue tasted copper and salt, his nose filled with the smell of sulfur and Ragnite.

Lancer.

"- got rockets! Eyes, Pedal, we have to go NOW!"

"Orders, Eyes?"

Eyes slid up into his chair again. Not dead yet. Still not dead yet.

"Militia in town can fight the infantry but we're all they got against the APCs." Eyes slid the turret periscope down, lining it up with the barrel. In the center of the road he saw the pile of Imperial bodies their first round had left. The remaining hundred infantry were ducking for cover in the ditch behind the road, but he could see the Lances being passed forward from the burning APC. "Beast, gimme the A-P. We gotta take the last one out!"

"Fucking crazy," she said, sliding the orange-tipped A-P round into the breach. "Clear!"

"Wait... Pedal, gimme three round burst on the front APC."

Eyes watched through the periscope as the tracer rounds followed after the rat-tat-tat of the old machine gun.

That's what, two hundred meters?

"Call it Eyes."

No, two-fifty. Two-fifty. Aiming for two-hundred will put it in the dirt.

"Eyes! Lances! Lances are bad!"

"Traverse turret three degrees right, one up."

Please let me be right!

"Ready!"

"Fire!"

"FIRING!"

The AP Round soared out the barrel, cutting into the front engine compartment of the APC. The body of the vehicle was still intact, the front armor too thick to allow the round much penetration, but the engine was toast.

"Oh, I could kiss you-"

"DON'T!"

"Beast, gimme smoke. Pedal, full reverse! Time to leave."

The engine pulled the tank back as, just as quickly as the A-P round had been fired, a pair of Lance rockets were fired from the prone infantry. "BRACE!"

The explosion rocked the front armor but even ol' Thunderous had generous plating there. The second hit landed below them with a loud SNAP! and CRACK!

And then they stopped moving.

"Pedal, full reverse!"

"Go Pedal, go!"

Pedal gripped the levers, sliding the tank from reverse into forward, then back into reverse.

"No traction, Eyes. Treads have been hit."

Dead in the water. Thunderous, you treated us good.

"Eyes, we have to bail! We've only got the smoke and Explosive rounds left!"

"For once I'm inclined to agree with you, Beast. Put the smoke down on the road. Everybody grab your gear and check your ammo. We huck it through the woods."

"Clear!"

"Fire!"

--------------------------

72 HOURS LATER

"So what'd they say?"

Eyes kept his hands in his pockets, approaching Pedal and Beast on the hillside. The skirmish range below was nearly set up but without a vehicle the tank crew wouldn't be expected to participate. Just observe.

"Congratulations," Eyes said, fishing a pair of small boxes from his pockets. He tossed one at each of them. Pedal caught his and opened it. Beast let hers fall on the ground, taking a sip from a steel flask.

"Bronze Star of the Home Guard." Pedal removed the pendant from his box.

Beast stared. "Huh. Shiny stuff. What's it mean?"

"Fuck all," Eyes said. "It's a new decoration, hot off the presses. They're fucking giving those away to any militia who survive encounters with the enemy. Morale booster. That's it. The St. Courain militia all dropped their guns and ran when that column reached them, so it's likely not a big incentive."

"Can we trade them for a new tank?"

"Nope. Tanks are at a premium right now. All going to the regular army. If we ever get a new one, it'll be one of the First War models again."

"Shit," Beast said. She slid the flask cap shut. "Melt it into bullets?"

"Not easily. Likely against regulations."

Beast uncapped the flask and tipped it upside down. Nothing fell out. "See how much I care?"

"Sure I do, your highness."

"If you don't want it," Pedal said, "I'll wear it for you."

Beast looked at the driver, his own medal pinned to his chest proudly. She scowled and grabbed her own box, popped it open, and looked at the ugly star inside.

"We traded Thunderous for these."

"Yes. We traded Thunderous for these." Eyes dropped onto the grass between the two tankers, eyes fixed on the skirmish field below. Best not to get too comfortable. We're probably gonna get pressed in with the grunts before too long...

[Bright_Ops]

Ever since the Empire had marched into Gallia, the Gallian military forces (Both Militia and Army) had been suffering loss after loss and it was getting painfully clear that if this pattern was allowed to continue then the war would end in an overwhelming Imperial victory long before the sons and daughters of Gallia would have a chance to organize a proper defense of their nation.

This had been the center point of Captain Alexander of the Gallian army's speech to his combined army and militia forces. A veteran of the First Europan War, Captain Alexander had devised a plan of action that would stall at least one of the Empire's advancing armies and earn Gallia some time to train solders, supply them with arms and armor and drive out the invaders once and for all.

The plan itself was simple; Two trenches, one dug forty meters behind the other. The Militia forces would be bunker down in the first trench while the Army would bunker down in the second. News of what had happened with the St. Courain militia had reached the ears of Captain Alexander and his forces surprisingly quickly and a grave edict was handed down: Any member of the militia that turned and fled their trench without an order to pull back would be executed for treason and cowardice on the spot.

When the hammer of the Imperial column arrived and smashed into the Militia trench, some members of the militia attempted to call the Captain's bluff and flee only for everyone else in the trench to discover that Captain Alexander was not one to make idle threats. With retreat denied and only one course of survival open to them, the Militia forces fought like cornered demons against the Imperial onslaught. As time passed the body count of both sides started to rise, countless Imperials and brunt out tanks littering the ground in front of the trench while what had started out as the entire 9th Militia Regiment, 5th Company had been reduced to less then a squad.

The sound of gunfire still echoed through the air over Private Macdonald's head as he glanced over the top of the trench to spy the next tank that needed to be dealt with before ducking back down and moving along the trench a little in order to avoid the bead of any Imperial snipers that might still be left. A part of him couldn't help but be grateful to the Army snipers that had taken up positions somewhere behind their trench that had been given free reign to counter snipe, but despite the fact that he hadn't heard sniper fire coming from the Imperial side of the trench for a while now it was just as likely that they were just waiting for their chance to strike again.

Once he was a somewhat safe distance away from where he had popped up to check for targets, Andrew rose over the trench again at an angle; It was another trick that he had picked up from one of the sergeants earlier in the battle to angle yourself so that while you were aiming your lance, your lance was in-between your head and the incoming fire. His gaze finding the light tank he had sighted earlier and doing his best to ignore the pitiful stream of bullets that were still flying, Andrew lined up his shot and fired it off before ducking down. While he didn't see the rocket hit, the explosion that followed was much larger then if just the rocket had gone up.

Letting out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding, Andrew was in the middle of reloading when he noticed the sound. Or rather, the lack of one. The sounds of gunfire had ceased completely. This meant one of two things; either everyone else in his company was now dead or...

It was a bit of a risk to look up over the trench to see what was happening, but it was one that Andrew felt he needed to take. There were plenty of dead or dying Imperials to see and there were a number of wrecked tanks whos broken hulks scarred the landscape, but Andrew's attention zeroed in one the few remaining Imperials that were currently in the process of running away.
.......................................................

Sitting a little ways away from another group of what looked like other militia members, Private First Class Macdonald sighed a little as he looked out over the field were this practice battle would be taking place. Dressed in his uniform, two medals adorned his chest. One of them was the Bronze Star of the Home Guard, but the second was the Silver Lance; During the final battle of the 5th company, survivors of the company and witnesses from the Army had been able to confirm that he had personally ended three tanks and aided in the destruction of two more. He had honestly lost count after a while, more focused on keeping himself and those around him alive as much as possible then anything else and that had meant killing enemy armor.

The 5th company would be rebuilt in time, but the survivors of its first incarnation had been reassigned to other companies to help bring them up to strength. In a rare show from the Army, Captain Alexander had given the 5th militia company full credit for their heroic and zealous defense and the defeat of one of the Empire's vanguard armies The whole thing smelt of propaganda to him; An attempt to whitewash the disgrace of what had happened at St. Courain while restoring the faith of the general public at large in the Gallian Armed forces. As long as the rest of the company had gotten the honors that they were due, Andrew couldn't bring himself to object.

All he could do for the time being was watch how his future squad performed.

[Raven_Operative]

Lilly's Post

Lilly felt absolutely terrible, looking more zombie than soldier. Her uniform and equipment were all in order, the morning's inspection had seen to that, but she looked like she was about to fall asleep and the massive black bags under her eyes definitely did not help her appearance. It was probably because she had not been sleeping... well... almost at all since they had arrived at Fort Breda. Leaning against a tree for support, Lilly just barely managed to concentrate enough to understand the plan. It was risky, and though she had started to gain more respect for his abilities, she still doubted Sergeant Harald's ability to pull it all together. When he ordered them to pair up of their own accord, Lilly tiredly shoved herself off the tree and straightened out of her slouch.

Who would she go with? She had already fought with Private Glaive and PFC Sykora, so she felt like she could work well with them, but going with Corporal Celeste would mean a slower pace that would be less draining on her. Shaking her head, she discounted the last option and mentally chided herself for being selfish. No, she may be exhausted but that was no excuse for cutting corners and taking the lazier option. She liked Celeste and thought they could fight well together, but for now it would be best if she paired up with either Brenna or Alex.

"Private Glaive? Private First Class Sykora? Would either of you-" Lilly brought a hand up to her mouth as she yawned, before blinking a few times and continuing. "Would either of you like to accompany me?"

Evan's Post

Evan chuckled as Harald mentioned that they would not be bringing the APC, before answering in his typical boisterous voice. "Yer breakin' my heart, Darcsen! Alright, I'll get the gun ready for us." Evan wasted no time in hustling over to the APC, climbing aboard, and starting to undo the mountings for the machine gun. He gave the armored side of the APC an affectionate pat as he did so, whispering "Next time, girl." as he did. The APC was lightly armored, so he saw why it would be more of a liability than a boon in an open field battle, but he was still disappointed that he was being taken out of his preferred environment: The sardine tin that was the inside of an armoured vehicle. Clearing the chamber and finishing off the last of the bolts, with a grunt, Evan yanked the gun off of it's mounting and heaved it onto his shoulder to carry it.

Grabbing the tripod stored in the back of the APC and a crate of chalk rounds, he hauled his load back over to the group and began to mount the gun. If it was already attached to the tripod, it might be more awkward to carry, but would also be faster to set up, he reasoned. Despite his impressive strength, though, carrying an entire crate of bullets as well as a 30lb machine gun and tripod was going to severely limit his mobility. The Sergeant had better be able to defend him until they got set up, otherwise this was going to be one short skirmish for him. "Alright, Darcsen. Got what you asked for. I'm gonna be slow moving with all this gear, though."

[Kitsune]

A cool morning breeze brushed over Alex's face as she stepped outside of the barracks, waking her up just that little big more, though it would be hard to tell given she still retained her normal sharp expression. Placing her cap onto her head she gave a small nod to Harald before she set off jogging.

-------------------

Three hours pasted, and a shower, before they were all gathered for their final exercise. Alex listened to what plan they had in mind and she could not help but wince at it a little, it was so unlike the type she was taught but then again she was never told how to work with being outgunned before. Thinking with her head down for a moment she had to wonder what her role was going to be, though before she could speak her part on the matter Lilly asked if she would like to pair up.

"Sure, if you wish we can go together. You have proven you are skilled enough over the course of training."

She almost made it seem like Lilly had reached a goal high enough to even be considered working with her, though that was not really Alex's intention she was in fact trying to praise Lilly on her hard work. Either way she still went back to speaking on the matter of who was doing what with Harald.

"I would like to volunteer to help bait the soldiers, or at least provide covering fire for those that are."

Right dab in the middle of everything, it took little thought for her to want that placement...

[Lennon79]

A certain stoniness crossed Harald's expression as Carn replied, showing no compunction toward disrespecting his superior's race. He had grown used to it, as had all Darcsens, but this was the military; what Carn had done was technically insubordination... Harald would have loved to send the bastard on a ten mile hike for that or a hundred pressups, but he was glumly aware that the only way to get his squad's respect would be to earn it and not just demand it like any other Sergeant could. He sighed as his partner unlimbered the gun, turning to the unpaired members of the squad. 'Time's up kids. Bons and Meyers, Sykora you're with Dresner, Stichler... You go with Glaive and Jatmoore.' It wasn't ideal and he would rather allow them to choose their own partners, but time was ticking and the Squad Six was ready to begin.

'Alright then. You guys follow Stichler's group toward the centre of the arena, then split off to outflank the enemy. Ideally we'll need one lance on either side to take down that tank, but no heroics please.' He gave Glaive a sly nod. 'While ingenuity is always appreciated, stick to the plan this time. But if things go tits up, then go ahead. Just make sure you all use those shiny new radios.' The Sergeant nodded to the squad and began loading his weapon; Bons did the same, sliding the first chalk charge into his training lance. He understood his part in the plan but had never really talked to Lance Corporal Meyers before... He found himself both nervous and awkward in her company, not least because their combat roles were so radically different; he needed to be up close to hit that tank where her rifle was useless and visa versa. Regardless, he thrust one hand out formally. 'Looking forward to working with you, LC.' Before he got his reply the tannoy blared, signalling the start of the exercise; the squad took off at a run, Harald leading Carn directly forward toward the thin tree line while the rest of them headed left to circle around. Alright then, Bons told himself firmly. No fucking up this time.

Harald ducked low under the first set of branches, going from crouch to prone as he and Carn approached the far side of the copse. Ahead of them, perhaps four hundred metres away, the enemy tank was advancing to their left. If it continued on it's path, it would soon come into contact with the rest of the squad; just as planned. The tank didn't have as many escorts as he expected though... Once Carn caught up, Harald quietly gave instructions on were to set up the MG and radioed Stichler to update her on their new killzone's location; all the others would need to do was track back across where the tank had come from. That would drag their pursuers right into Carn's sights. But first things first; they needed to off that tank and Harald needed to find their missing foes...

[caliban22]

Sam Smiled slightly as she ran with the rest of the squad. Alright I Have two options...one I can set up off on my own and pick off the enemy squad most likely keeping them pinned until they find me....or two I follow the bons and follow him and most likely get hit by troops trying to protect the tank...I think option one is my best bet. Sam radioed her plan for approval from the squad leader. Each step was tough since as a sniper she didn't really move much from her position unless its been discovered. "What I wouldn't do to have been a tanker... This running sucks!" she muttered to her self as she forced herself to keep running. You know those bushes cover most of a dip in ground...maybe I could use that as a place to set up. she thought to her self.

[Raven_Operative]

Lilly's Post

Not wanting to waste any time (and risk getting any more drowsy than she already was), Lilly took off with her group, heading straight down the center before flanking off to the side. They had to slow their pace somewhat so that Corporal Stichler could keep up, and that resulted in them arriving later than they would have hoped to their position. As they continued circling around, Stichler's radio crackled to life, informing them of the Sergeant's position. Oh no... Lilly looked back and saw that they were almost directly ahead of the machine gun. They needed to keep moving further to the right.

Suddenly, a rumble and the glint of shining metal caught Lilly's eye. "t-Tank!" She shouted to the group as loudly as she dared, before dropping prone. The rest of the squad did the same, hoping to avoid the tank noticing them.

...

Had they been seen?

...

A minute passed, and the tank made no sign of aiming at them or changing course. I suppose it didn't see us, Lilly thought to herself before whispering the all clear and beginning to crawl towards a small mound covered in long grass. It was not their planned or ideal position, but it was probably the the best place they could reach via method of stomach.

...

Actually, this position wasn't half bad. Lilly peered through the grass as she waited for the rest of the group to catch up, and saw that they actually had a clear line of fire on the tank. It was only a slightly elevated mound, but it would provide cover and the grass provided camouflage for them until they started shooting. As Glaive and Celeste caught up, the tank's escorts started coming into view. One... Two... Four... Five. Five infantry were escorting the tank directly. It looked like... Two scouts and three shocktroopers. Or maybe an engineer. Lilly couldn't quite identify the fifth one, due to the distance, but she could say for certain that at least half of squad six were in their sights.

She relayed this information both to her partners and the Sergeant over the radio, before moving over to allow Celeste to get into position. Switching the safety off on her rifle, Lilly rubbed her eyes, yawned one last time and looked over at the group. "Is everyone ready? It is time to act."

Evan's Post

Evan followed Harald across the field, albeit at a much slower pace (the darcsen had to wait up a few times). Running across the battlefield was one thing, but trying to sneak an APC's machinegun into position without being noticed was another challenge altogether. This irritation only increased as the Sergeant apparently expected him to crawl under the bushes with his machine gun. When they got to overgrown sections like that, he had to get Harald to bend some of the branches back for him so he could do some sort of awkward crouching shuffle through the brush.

When they eventually got to their spot, he dropped the crate of ammunition and slung the gun off his back, setting it up quickly and feeding it a belt of munition. Fortunately squad six didn't seem to have noticed their approach. "Alright, Darcsen. She's good to go." Evan clapped Harald on the shoulder, before moving over to assist in feeding the belt once they started firing. Remembering what happened to their two scouts in the previous battle, he hoped the tank would be taken down before they needed to reveal their position.