AN:So based on an idea I had a while ago, I asked one of my favorite artists on dA, Soundwave3591, about possibly writing snippets, if not a whole story, of a battle in his RWBY AU, Mother Maiden:The Second Great War. This battle takes place during the early push of Atlesian forces under the New Path into Vale itself. And how they get bogged down in Mt. Glenn.
Enjoy and if you want to see more, leave a review. And to Soundwave, thanks and I hope I don't disappoint with this! Enjoy!
4th of December. 20 ARR. Mountain Glenn
A 4-wheeled lightly armored Jeep, known as the M35 4x4, carrying two soldiers in brown uniforms sped past ruins and roadblocks where other soldiers manned heavy emplacements. Stones and debris crunched under the wheels as the vehicle rushed past allied checkpoints and several Sniper nests. All around them, the ruins of the Necropolis that was Mountain Glenn towered overhead, memories of what this city once was supposed to be. Empty office buildings were now alive again with infantry units of the Vale Royal Army, being fortified, secured and booby-trapped for the oncoming push.
Nearly a month ago, Atlesian forces under the New Path government had entered Vale, approaching Mountain Glenn, which had, by that point, both turned into a Fortress and remained a Necropolis. Commandant Dmitry Malinov's orders were loud, clear and direct. The forces within Mountain Glenn were to hold it until their last dying breath, or until reinforcements would be gathered and sent to defeat the New Path forces. Not much later, as New Path troops made headway into the city by breaching the outer walls, they fell into the trap devised by the Commandant and that fell under orders of the General that now defended the city.
The tunnel-collapsing explosion that had more than easily wiped out almost a whole Atlesian tank division and many smaller Infantry and support units had given the inexperienced, rookie troops of the Valian Royal Army a morale boost. With many enemy tanks buried and with several more out of commission, fighting began in earnest later in November. Even now, one could hear the exchange of gunfire going on not far from here.
The M35 returning to base carried two youngster officers, a man and woman of the VRA. Lieutenant Ashley 'Ash' Biely held close her Bolt-Action rifle, a Model 88 Rifle, as she was riding shotgun while her trusted comrade and second in command, Sergeant Auburn Rosales. Some would call this weapon made of wood and steel antiquated. According to Ash, it still did its job well enough.
Ashley was a wonderful girl. She had short raven hair in a Pixie cut as well as amber eyes and was a beauty to behold. Her dirt-brown Valian Army uniform hugged her slim, petite frame well. On top of her head was a standard-issue Vale steel helmet which gave plenty of protection while not limiting visibility. On her helmet, Vale's crest was emblazoned in a deep shade of red. The twin axes crossed in front of a shield, from the bottom of which a laurel wreath reached midway to the edges.
Auburn, a handsome young man himself, had bright golden hair, with a fringe off to the left which turned into a shade of orange at its tips. He wore a grey-brown cap over said hair.. The boy held close a Tammy Gun, the Valian .45 ACP Submachine Gun. The Tamerlane Arms 2928 Submachine Gun had wood furnishings, a wooden fore grip built underneath the long barrel. Said barrel had at its beginning several serrations that went all around it, stopping at about a fourth of the way through. It also had a detachable long box magazine able to hold about 30 rounds. The M88, on the other hand, was a bolt-action rifle which held about 5 rounds in its in-built Magazine.
Rosales racked the bolt of his SMG, then gazed around at the soldiers scurrying around in the main square of the town, where several tents had been set up as an advance post. Ash brought the vehicle about and hit the brakes in front of a tent which covered an entryway into the underground tunnels that traveled from here all the way to Vale City in itself.
"Here we are." Ash said with a calm demeanor, taking the keys out of the M35's ignition and jumping out of it on her side. Auburn followed her, then said "Let's make this quick. The others are waiting for us back at the front line." and the two trekked down the stairwell, which was lit only by oil lamps and a few scarlet dust-powered lights. The descent into the first part was short, but what came afterward was more shocking. The underground city built by the Mt. Glenn survivors in a last ditch attempt to stop the Grimm was occupied by a great deal of Valian troops. In the center of it all resided the Command Post for the Garrison. And in it, General Marigold Pattern.
Two Guard troopers holding M88 rifles stepped aside, letting the two Squad officers enter into the CP.
General Marigold. The woman, true to her name, had short hair, caught in a bun and colored to be her namesake. Her eyes of a piercing Amber gazed down at maps of Mt. Glenn and its vast underground Tunnel system. The maps were marked with possible entry spots and where mines and explosives had been placed just in case. The woman wore a long overcoat, brown, with golden detailing and inlay, as well as a row of ribbons and a medal on her chest.
With radio chatter in the background and about 3 or 4 more Squad officers from the same front as Auburn and Ash, Pattern was giving directions on where each squad should be to hold back the coming Assault. Looking up for a second from her maps and planning, the woman was soon greeted by the two officers of Squad 34, their postures straight. They saluted the General, which she returned and said in a more gruff voice "At ease. Status report?"
"The 34th is still holding, ma'am. No casualties so far, but the Atlesians are really trying to drive their light troops and mechs down our throats." Ashley reported. "Not to say it's working... But we're making them pay for every bloody inch."
"Good... Any Paladins on your side?" She then asked them.
"Negative ma'am. Surprisingly." Auburn returned, then added "But they're still sending a lot of Knights forward and we're running out of AP ammo for their more heavily-armored soldiers by the time they get there."
"Mhm..." The woman took a thinking pose, rubbing her chin. "The M10 Assault Gun given to you. Is it still active?"
"It's loading HE shells and firing whenever it catches any larger units trying to get in. But I think that Grau may soon run out of ammo in that thing too." Ashley noted, crossing her arms. "That's all for now, ma'am. We just need Ammo delivered and we'll be golden for the time being..."
"... Understood. Dismissed, all of you. Get to your squads." Marigold ordered all the officers present. With another salute, the group walked off. The General's aide walked up to her and said "It's a good thing we've got the tunnels to Vale still free."
"This is gonna be a battle of attrition from here on out." Marigold sighed "Good thing the Commandant was so ambiguous with the orders." She then smirked "Keep the defensive perimeters in place. Secure the main boulevards and have Anti-Tank guns at the ready. I doubt the man leading the assault on Mt. Glenn is an actual moron. He may send his own tanks and more Paladins over soon..."
"Yes, madam General. I'll relay the orders to the troops." The aide told her calmly. She nodded, then waved him off and looked over all the breaches in the walls of the city. Artillery bombardment, light troops to test the lines, then sending the big ones. She knew von Gelb's Modus Operandi... This was gonna be a battle of wits between them.
She was determined to win it, though. By any means.
The Frontline. Near the Walls the City.
The piercing howl of Artillery shells echoed from the surrounding fields. Explosions rocked the walls and machine gun positions rained hellfire down upon the enemy. In the trenches, Valian riflemen raised and fired their weapons as Atlesian troops advanced behind Paladin mechs and their legions of Knight-340 Atlesian warrior droids moved forward, firing bursts from their multitude of weapons.
The Valian trenches were under severe duress, especially here, on the Eastern side. Two men manned an M19 Medium Machine Gun and were laying down suppressing fire from their concealed position. Atlesian forces moved fast and their Paladins, armed with all kinds of weapons, however, seemed to be doing the job. Rockets screamed overhead and slammed into a squadron of Vale Rangers that advanced to reinforce the Trench.
Sixteen survivors out of 25. 9 Dead and giblets of the boys everywhere. Gods fucking dammit. The officer of the Rangers squad, a Lieutenant by the name of Krasniy, stood up and jumped into the trench, hauling an M40 Assault Rifle with a bayonet on its tip. He aimed the rifle up, then fired a burst. The three shots pierced through an Atlesian soldier's midsection and sent him tumbling down into the trench, blood spilling from his stomach. To finish him off, Krasniy stabbed the man through the open portion of his helmet with the bayonet, then removed it from the corpse and fired.
The Atlesian soldiers, clad in their snow-white and black uniforms, quickly moved in. The bullet-proof vests on their chests didn't do much against 7,62 rounds, but they were still plenty to halt pistols and smaller rifles and weapons with lower muzzle velocity. The man watched as his troopers joined in, firing weapon and fighting tooth and nail with the Atlesian troops.
A Paladin bearing a 105mm Cannon lumbered toward them, its thundering steps leaving marks in the mud. The Officer gasped, then called out "SCATTER!" as the cannon roared. The shot went over his and his comrade's heads, slamming into an M9 heavy tank. The tank had its turret flung far into the sky by the high-impact Dust cannon. Now it remained nothing more than a wreck, burning from the inside out. Krasniy growled, then ducked in cover and signaled his rocket trooper, a private with an M240 LAW, to fire at the Paladin.
The soldier jumped to his feet at the order, aimed down the canted sights of the weapon, yelled "CLEAR BACK!" and fired. Smoke plumed from the back of the launcher and the rocket hurtled out of the muzzle, leaving a contrail of smoke behind it as it flew meters in seconds. With a loud boom, it slammed into the right side of the Paladin AT unit, sending it staggering back and leaving a mighty big hole in its arm. Krasniy swore. It was not dead yet.
The New Path forces' response was the Pathmakers opening up with everything they had at the position. The Private was caught in the hail of fire from the Atlas counterattack and was soon put down, six holes through his belly and two through his head. He dropped his LAW onto the dirt, gasped a last breath as blood foamed at his mouth and died in a puddle of blood, next to several others.
Enemy troopers, one carrying an Energy Rifle, soon pounced into the trench and started clearing it out. The MG Nest exploded in a shower of fire, shrapnel and gore behind Krasniy as the Paladin had realigned its gun and fired. The still-smoking barrel turned toward another defensive position as more Pathmaker forces poured into the trench. No choice here but to fight.
Aiming his rifle at the nearest one, Krasniy switched to semi-automatic and fired. Four shots put down a man and a fifth wounded another. One of his men hauling an LMG opened fire, sweeping the area ahead with fire. Several Atlas troopers fell, dead and dying, bleeding from every wound caused by every bullet shot. The artillery, meanwhile, wasn't relenting. Two missiles from an Atlas battery arched overhead and hit a building in which Snipers resided, collapsing the years-old structure with all the men inside and kicking up a dust cloud.
Vale troops were fighting at about as close quarters as could be. Rifles chattered, guns roared and artillery screamed.
"This isn't good..." Ashley observed, getting out of he M35 and grabbing her rifle. Up ahead, the burning remnants of the trenches and a collapsed building told them that Atlesian forces were about to push through. Back at their posts, the two soon joined with their squad nearby, within a building. After climbing 5 flights of stairs to the Sniper's nest, Ashley barked out "Status report!" to the one man here.
"Paladin with a heavy cannon took out the first line's MG nests. Atlas Pathmakers poured in afterward. Vale Rangers pulled back. 12 left alive, including a very wounded officer. But they took over 60 whiteys with'em" The Sniper said mechanically, gazing down the scope of his M88. Ash gritted her teeth, then looked to Auburn and ordered "C'mon. We'll need to man our station." before moving back down the stairs quickly...
Just in time to see the Pathmaker infantry pouring in. Ashley halted in the middle of the Valian outpost, ran toward an MG and manned it, then told to her squad "MAKE THEM PAY FOR EVERY FUCKING INCH!" before racking the bolt of her weapon and feeding a 12,7mm round with a satisfying click. She looked down the sights behind the steel shield of the weapon and started pouring it on them.
The Atlas troops took cover between the rubble of the city, with three Paladins and light armor advancing behind them. A Vale SaV-38 Armored Car opened fire with its 20mm cannon. The shells bounced off the New Path mech. Squad 34's riflemen opened fire on the infantry, Machine Guns kept up the fire and rounds struck the walls, kicking up concrete and dust.
From behind the walls of the building, Auburn fired with his SMG toward Atlas troopers moving at them. The men ran, firing their weapons and an energy rifle's shot slammed into the wall, boiling a bit of it away. The Sergeant signaled the other troopers carrying SMGs and rifles to stand back, then ducked in cover as more bullets scraped his cover. He fired blindly to his right, then stood up and ran toward the others. Ashley, he saw, was still manning the HMG and firing out of an almost-empty 200-round bag at them.
An Atlesian trooper with a bayonet attached rushed the woman. She growled, then took out her combat knife, dodged and stabbed the man in the throat. With a slice, she splattered blood onto one of his comrades, before grabbing him and stabbing him too. She looked back to Auburn, who nodded and raised his SMG, firing bursts. The girl rushed back, rifle in hand as Pathmakers poured into the building. Firing rifles and SMGs at each-other, the Pathmakers and Valian troops found themselves in CQC.
On the other side of the road, the surviving Vale Rangers met the enemy from the windows of a former commercial building. Krasniy, though wounded, kept his men together, those few still alive. The man had been shot four times, twice in the left arm, once in the leg and once in the gut. He had no qualms about it, however, as he kept up his barrage of fire from the AR. Looking at his men, Krasniy called out "MALINOV'S ORDERS! KEEP THEM IN MIND AND FIGHT!"
"URAAA!" The Soldiers responded, both Valian recruits and the Rangers. Their weapons didn't halt their fire, not even as Atlesians poured into their building. Across from them, Krasniy could see Squad 34 fighting in melee range with the enemy. With her revolver drawn and bayonet in hand, taken off the muzzle off her rifle, the woman stood her ground with her men. Atlas troops tried fighting their way up the stairs, but grenades and rifle fire greeted them. Explosions sent body parts flying, among which a hand that landed in front of Krasniy, that of an Atlesian trooper. He turned himself around and aimed at the incoming threat, firing, despite his wounds, with both hands on the weapon.
Two Valian soldiers died in front of him, one shot, the other stabbed by a Pathmaker's bayonet. He avenged the young boys that died by pelting the fucker with what remained of his magazine, before removing it, taking out a fresh one and quickly slamming it into the weapon, feeding the round by hitting the bolt. Within a second, the man was reloaded and firing from his prone position into the thicket of enemy forces on both the outside and inside.
Flinging grenades, firing their weapons and throwing punches, the Rangers pushed into the Atlas troops with impunity, firing their weapons while two medics hauled their wounded out of there and out to the roof. Krasniy, meanwhile, clambered to his feet and started limping, while firing his rifle into the enemy. The Atlas troopers weren't going to be taken out that easily though, with many of them still exchanging fire with the Valian troops.
"It's like a tidal wave of white..." Auburn noted, readying a grenade to throw down the stairs. Ash fired her revolver, a sign of agreement, then looked over the side, to see the troops at the barricades still holding the line as best they could, even with two Atlas Paladins stomping toward them. She saw two missiles fly off from LAWs. Both impacted a single Paladin dead-center... And tore through its middle. Droplets of blood flew with the Dust and oil as the Paladin detonated, the shockwave knocking down some Atlesians and killing others, whilst making the second Paladin stagger. The Knight-340s, meanwhile, advanced on, firing their weapons with impunity.
"We're in for the long haul, Auburn..." Ash noted, reloading her revolver as the others kept up the fire. Auburn sighed deeply and said "Aye. That we are." before reloading his Tammy Gun and firing more and more into the targets that advanced...
Atlas Command Center.
Field Marshal von Gelb, commander of the Atlesian Army tasked with securing Vale, looked down the binoculars from his improvised Command Post on Hill 323. The artillery bombardment from the heavy guns had ceased and now the Infantry and Light Armor advanced in full. The tanks he kept in reserve lay ahead of him. Heavy Tanks, such as the Beowulf-III, lay in wait for the upcoming offensive. The New Path general had over 20 of said tanks in his command currently... 10 of them were off fighting the Valian tanks and Vacuo-designed vehicles that assaulted their flank after that wretched ambush.
"Status of the troops pushing into Mountain Glenn?" He demanded from one of his aides.
"Facing severe resistance, sir. The outlying defenses are fully manned, as expected." The soldier reported. von Gelb continued to look at his troops surging forth. He sighed, then said "Keep the advance up. We must take the city no matter our losses." and he looked up at the cloudy sky. The clouds were so close, one could practically touch them. That impaired flight for the aircraft and, by definition, halted them from utilizing Bullheads and Attack Aircraft.
"Prepare to deploy armored vehicles to support the push." He ordered. "Have the long-range artillery resume bombardment. Keep the Valians on their toes."
"Sir, yes sir!" The Aide responded, gong to work on relaying the orders via Radio.
The Valians had settled in for the long grind. A battle of attrition. Every single ounce of that territory was going to be hell to fight through and with troops diverted to fight against the tank divisions that tried to flank them after the Trap, his odds of making true with his promise of surrendering Vale within fewer than 6 weeks was going to be broken lest he finished them all now...
He sighed, lowering the binoculars as the heavy self-propelled artillery of the base opened fire once more. The cannonade of rounds from the 132mm self-propelled guns was something that none, not even he would forget soon... He heard the door slide open and knew very well who'd come to visit him. Looking back, he gave a fake smile to the men clad in all-red Atlesian armor, then said "Ah... The Pathmaker Guard. The Huntsman Killers."
"How may I help you, gentlemen?"