"The Declaration of War from the Empire had come sooner than expected and the Imps had already taken Ghirlandaio within the week... We were up Early, travelling toward Bruhl to help Welkin get his sister to Randgriz. It was a long road after all, but we got to Bruhl awfully early. Sun was still shining and the birds were chirping.
Me and the Sakura-sou Squad found ourselves pretty much escorting the boy, with our rifles hanging by our backs and all, clad in GVC Uniforms. Even though I just dropped out of Randgriz Uni for it...
The squad had honestly gotten pretty big and all, what with Simo, Kolkka and Matt joining us on the way there. We were given access to a Gallian Halftrack to transport our luggage and gear with, so that saved us the trouble of hauling heavy bags of ammo into the town ourselves. Of course, our School Bags were there as well, because screw carrying bags with books over weapons... There was a war on after all. Alas, what we were about to be greeted with in Bruhl was not a particularly good thing, but it'd give us the first taste of combat in a while... We'd been fighting in border skirmishes on my free weekends, both against the Krauts and against the Imps, so that gave me and the Sakura-sou guys some experience in the matter...
The fact of the matter was, we were in deep trouble before we even joined the Militia, so stand fast everyone. This story is not for the faint of heart."
-Prince Alexander of Hohenzhollern-Zigmaringen, in his memoirs of the Gallian-Imperial-German War-
Bruhl. 20th of March 1935.
How long had it been since he went down this path? Five, six years? Welkin couldn't recall. He knew he'd been around Randgriz finishing up University for so long it made him think he wouldn't recognize home. He was mistaken, though. The dirt road that led to Bruhl had remained nearly unchanged. Same beaten path with no vegetation, the hills of green and the occasional Windmill here and there. It was all just a perfect reminder of home. Beside them, a blue creek with water running made the soothing sounds that kept the squad relaxed for most of the road. The boy inhaled and the fresh air of the countryside filled his lungs, before he exhaled again and looked back with a smile.
Matthew Siegfried, the son of House Siegfried, friends of Princess Cordelia herself, as well as her late parents, walked with him, a Gallian-2 slung over his shoulder and two clips of ammo in the pockets of his black coat. The boy ran a hand through his black hair, arranging some of the spiky, more rebel bits of it back into place, before they instantly plopped back up, making the boy sigh. His azure eyes scanned the horizon, thanks to his enhanced training keeping him on his toes. The boy'd joined the travelling band of warriors and the son of the famous General Gunther before Alexander and Sakura-sou squad came to pick them up.
"I see Matthew is still as careful as ever." Commented a calm voice from the back, making Welkin look to the man. A soldier clad in a Gallian Volunteer Corps uniform with the Finnish flag on his shoulder, Simo Hayha, known among many as the White Death, or the Imp Hunter, walked beside his sister, who was a forehead below him. The two looked like twins, both with white hair and bright aquamarine eyes. Whilst Simo was the more calm of the two, Kolkka couldn't help but be excited. She'd heard about Isara from Welkin a while ago, when she and Simo first got their permission from the Border Skirmishes.
"Have to be, Simo." Matt replied swiftly, keeping his eyes peeled. "The Imps are said to have advanced pretty fast from Ghirlandaio, what with Damon's retreat and everything. Could be near us as we speak."
"Or you're just paranoid, Matt." Said a voice from beside the halftrack. Glasses on his nose, brown eyes staring at the side of the vehicle and with an SMG strapped to his back, Mitaka Jin, the playboy of the squad walked safely close to the military vehicle. From aboard the vehicle, the silver-haired boy felt a tap on the top of his head and looked up, to be greeted by the face and chest of his childhood friend, the ginger-haired Misaki Kamiigusa. The girl smirked and said "Nah. Matty's fine. Though I'd be glad if there were no incidents durin' the trip."
"That may be hard, considering Siegfried's continuous streak of premonitions. Remember? Ragna said the same thing back in Randgriz Uni." Answered the voice of the Halftrack's driver. Ryuunosuke sighed, his dark-blue eyes peering down the road. The street was actually pretty lively, apparently, as the crew found themselves in the need to reposition and go off to the side, right in front of the Halftrack, as Civilian Trucks moved fast to get out of the village, with civilians close beside them.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just drop the subject." Matt said, sighing as he looked about. He then looked ahead, to Welkin... To see him by the river, writing in his little notebook. The boy sighed, rolled his eyes, then chuckled and ran ahead, showing everyone to go on. Simo and Kolklka followed him, weapons slung on their backs, then knelt beside Welkin. Simo said "Come on, Gunther. We ain't got the time for you to be drawing..." He looked at the stream, to see three fish swimming up stream "The salmons..."
"He's right, Welkin." Matt said, patting him on the shoulder.
Simo's ear twitched as he looked back, arranging his blue Volunteer Corps coat on. He drew his Lahti L-35 Pistol from his hip, aimed it toward some bushes in the middle of the road, then yelled "Come out of hiding!" Making everyone stop and draw their weapons. Three people, a girl and two kids, emerged from the cover of the bushes. The woman had brown hair and chestnut eyes. She lowered her weapon, then sighed in relief and showed them her uniform. Bright blue with stripes and a Bruhl insignia on her chest. A Gallian Town Watchman uniform... The kids should've given it away with their helmets.
Simo lowered his pistol, then said "Sneaking around there, miss?" with a hint of smugness, holstering the gun. "Almost had us thinking you were an Imperial spy."
"Sorry about that, Corporal." The girl said, smiling. "Didn't see your uniforms there for a second and thought the same thing." And she pointed to Welkin "Who is he?"
"Him?" Matt asked, pointing at Welkin, who just now stood up. He smiled, then said "This is Welkin Gunther, son of General Belgen Gunther..." And he looked back at the stream, with a smirk "And a big nature freak." To which the girl gasped, looking at Welkin. He waved to her, then said "Hello." calmly. She waved to him, then nodded and looked to the Halftrack, on which Jin and Misaki rested, binoculars out, and asked "Are they okay?"
"Must've heard something." Kolkka said, walking toward them and drawing her Springfield 1903 rifle. She pulled the bolt back, loaded a stripper clip into the rifle and set the bolt back in. Alicia walked toward Matt and Welkin, then looked to Matt and the realization hit her like a train, making her stagger back in shock. "Y-You... You are..."
"Matt Siegfried, at your service." The boy mockingly saluted.
"The son of Belgen Gunther and the heir to the Siegfried Family's legacy..." One of the two boys in the back said. The other one smirked and they high-fived, holding the old Gallian-1s by their hips and pointed at the ground. Matt nodded to them, then said "Defending Gallia proudly, I see, boys!" happily, making both of them salute crisply. He chuckled, saluted back and looked to the stunned Alicia, whose facial expression was screaming 'Pure shock'. He snapped his fingers, making the girl with ponytails and a strange red cap shake her head, then sigh. "This is too much..." She said, then looked to the two of them "What brings you two and your entourage into Bruhl anyway? We aren't a big town and nothing major usually comes out of this place... Well, except for some people."
"We're here to take my sister to Randgriz." Welkin answered her. Alicia's brow raised at another realization. "So... The Darcsen girl living in the mansion at the far east of town is... Wha?"
"Yep. Isara's his stepsister." Matt said, looking about, worried again. Alicia nodded, then said "Okay then... I'll talk to the commander of the Bruhl Town Watch via radio and explain to him the situation. We can provide escort, or at least a few extra hands aboard the Halftrack." happily volunteering herself and her two subordinates to help. She extended her hand toward Welkin and said "I'm Captain Alicia Melchiott, Bruhl town watch."
Welkin shook her hand, then said "I'm Welkin Gunther. Pleasure to meet you, Captain Melchiott."
Before things could get any more sappy, the group heard gunfire echo through the hills around Bruhl, making everyone fall to their stomachs and take cover. Simo and Kolkka moved toward the bushes, aimed their rifles and fired back. The gunshots came from atop the hill, a thing to which Alicia immediately turned around, only to spot soldiers clad in steel plate armors moving down toward them and firing away. Four soldiers moving out in the open field... Not a smart idea... Alas, they were Imperial soldiers...
Alicia immediately saw one's helmet flung clean off by a bullet and looked to the two in the bushes. Simo and Kolkka... The two fired with such precision it scared the young girl. She stood up, aimed her rifle and fired too, toward one of the ones running for cover. Bullets hit at his feet, tearing grass and dirt out, but missing him narrowly. He hit the brakes, turned his rifle around and scoped Alicia in... Before the staccato sound of a mounted Machine Gun cried its guttural roar. The Imperial soldier fell, gunned down as bullet after bullet hit him, tearing him apart. The girl's eyes widened as she looked at a young man, with jet-black hair and yellow eyes, manning a Gallian Maxim MG mounted on the back of the halftrack. Beside him, a girl with blonde hair and tangerine eyes stood up, firing away from her Gallian-2 Rifle. The girl was of Asian heritage, as well as the other two who dropped out of the Halftrack.
Simo's sniper barked again and a bullet tore through the third Imperial's neck, sending him into a flying spin. He fell with a thud and clank against the dirt and rolled down the hill, his body lifeless, his blood leaving a dotted trail on the grass as he spun. He scoped in the fourth one, who was running over the hill, glanced toward his sister, moving only his eyes, then said "All yours, Kol." calmly, to which the girl grinned, then Responded jovially "AYE, AYE!" And squeezed the trigger. The hit scored, the Imperial spun and blood spattered the ground ahead of him.
The golden-eyed boy looked up from the sights of the Maxim as its barrel was smoking from so many consecutive rounds being fired, scanned the surroundings and, finally, he yelled "AREA SECURE!" Before jumping out of the vehicle, Mags M1 drawn and looking around. The girl followed him, dropping out of the vehicle and walking behind him, keeping her eyes peeled, but her expression unchanged. That of simple seriousness. The boy looked to Welkin and Matt, who both were on the ground, with Matt holding his Colt 1911 Siegfried model drawn, and helped both boys up, dusting them off.
"Probably only a scouting party." Said the SMG-toting boy, cocking the weapon's feeding bolt back and adding a round into the chamber. He smirked, then said "Guess we're gonna be using our weapons after all."
Matt nodded, then said "Aye. Sure looks like it... Have Ryuu, Jin and Misaki unload the ammo bags and carrier rigs. We're gonna need all the ammo we can get if they sent a four-man scout team." He looked to the blonde-haired Japanese girl, then said "Mashiro, you and Alex go and help them." And, finally, he looked to Welkin as the two ran off to comply with the orders, then handed him a second 1911 by the barrel, extending the pistol's grip to him and finishing off with his classic smirk and adding "Keep yourself alive too, Welks. Can't have your brains blown out of your head here." To which Welkin responded with a nod and grabbing the pistol and cocking its top cover back, feeding a fresh round into the chamber.
Alicia ran to Matt and Welkin, returning from the side of the two kids in the Town Watch, then said "They're fine... And you lot are armed..."
"Travelling through a country at war without weapons is suicide." Matt smirked, nodding to Alicia "Good to know the two kids are fine. C'mon. You said something about a Town Watch Commander."
"Yeah." Alicia nodded, then pointed at the farthest hill to the North, where a house was situated "That house there. It serves as the Town Watch HQ, sir." And she raised her rifle and loaded a fresh clip in. "The Imperials came from the East side. That means they must already be near by your house, mister Gunther." She then said, pointing at the hill. Welkin nodded, then looked to Matt and said "How do we do this?"
The Siegfried boy smirked, then asked "How else, mate? We split our squad. Half of the Sakura-sou crew comes with us, other half escorts Captain Gallia and her Squadmates to the HQ and starts explaining the situation." He then turned around and walked to the Halftrack, where the squad was dropping out and started explaining the situation. Welkin smiled, sighed and said "Thank God he's around. We need a good strategist."
Alicia walked beside him, looking at the squad, then the final realization hit her like a hammer, looking at Simo and Kolkka. "You... You guys have the White Death and Snow Fairy with you?!" To which Welkin responded with a chuckle, then nodded and said "I'm friends with a whole lot of interesting people, I can say that much."
"I can tell..." Alicia murmured, then she smiled and looked to him "Well, you still need an escort to take you to your home, don't you?"
Welkin nodded, to which Alicia, holding her smile, answered "Okay then. That's my cue. Have the half that's going to the Town Watch HQ take the kids off our hands and explain the situation to the Commander." And she examined her rifle, then continued "I'll be behind you and the ones going with you to your mansion."
A droning noise emerged overhead and the squad immediately scrambled to man the turrets of the Halftrack as Air Raid sirens cried from the town. Four Maxim MGs, two at the front and back and two at the sides, aimed up as, from above, a squadron of enemy attack planes dived toward Bruhl. In the far distance, the town could be seen. The squad had been to distracted to notice it... The massive windmill spinning in the center continued to move, but the Imperial aircraft, Iliyushin IL-2 Attackers, dived toward the town. The olive drab tops and the blue, countershaded bellies appeared and the planes' massive wings had weapons peering out of them. Bomb bays opened on the attacking aircraft and their cannons and machine guns began to roar...
Blue explosions blossomed across Bruhl's buildings and machine gun fire punctured the streets, windows and walls of houses, everything being cut to shreds, as well as the few Civilians still inside, whom scrambled to run away. Alicia watched on, with horror... A dozen people were on the streets, gunned down by the enemy's heavy weaponry. 20mm Cannons and 7.92 MGs became a staccato symphony of death and the whistle of bombs sounded off as the last three fighter-bombers peeled away after dropping the payload... The explosions tore through the old mill in the middle of town, shattering it and sending its bricks flying everywhere. Bruhl was ablaze with fire...
The Maxim MGs opened fire as the Imperial planes flew overhead, cutting through the armor of the first two and destroying a third's fuel tank. Its engine began to sputter, but the planes just kept moving, ignoring the other ground targets they could just as easily have gunned down. What was that supposed to be? A message? Something the Imperials wanted to tell the people of Gallia? 'Surrender, or else be destroyed'... Whatever it was, it made Matt, Welkin and everyone else itching to pay the enemy back fully. Matt growled, then he looked to Welkin and yelled "I'LL BE TAKING KOLKKA, MISAKI, JIN AND RYUUNOSUKE TO GO TO THE TOWN WATCH HQ! WE'LL BE TAKING THE HALFTRACK!"
"Alright!" Welkin nodded, looking to Alicia. He nodded to her and she nodded back, still horrified, then waved the kids forward and said "Get to the halftrack, guys! Get out of here and back to HQ!" And she saw Simo, Alex, the girl by the name of Aoyama and Mashiro walk up to them, all of them with their weapons drawn. Simo nodded and said "We're right behind you, Gunther." Alex adding "You can count on us." With a smug grin and Mashiro finishing off with a nod and raising her Rifle. Welkin nodded, then said "Follow me, everyone... I know a shortcut."
The groups started moving, taking their separate roads. The Halftrack, with Matt's group, took a side road around town, to get there faster, while Welkin, Alicia and the others found themselves forced to go through town. Welkin, pistol drawn, waved Simo forward, with the man carrying his trusty modified Finnish Mosin Nagant taking cover by a wall in front of everyone. He knelt, steadied his rifle and scoped in the town square, where the remains of the Bruhl mill littered the streets... A squadron of Imperial Soldiers, formed of four scouts, three Shock Troopers and a Sniper, was patrolling the streets, followed by the Imperial T34 with the 76mm short-barreled cannon. The tank was painted an olive drab with Imperial Stripes on its side. The Ragnite radiators on its back, small slits through which the warm air escaped, shining blue, with electricity arcing off them and an incessant buzz, alongside the revved engine's thrum.
"We don't have the guns to take them out." Simo whispered to everyone. He waved them forward, then pointed at an alleyway and said "We could go around the houses, evade the enemy patrols..." And Welkin nodded "Good plan... Let's avoid unnecessary confrontations with the Imperials." And he then signaled everyone across to the Alleyway. They performed a leapfrog maneuver. Where one member went and the others covered, repeating this until only Welkin was left and the tank was awfully close to them. Thankfully, the enemy tank crew hadn't spotted them before they vanished into the shadows and nor did the Imperial Infantrymen.
Moving through, the squad swept through the area with their weapons, the squad ran past dead bodies of civilians and the destroyed housing around them and finally, after a few minutes of bobbing and weaving through the empty alleys, the squad found themselves at the eastern exit out of town. Welkin was leading the platoon and he raised his hand, signaling a stop, then looked to Alexander and Mashiro and pointed forward. The two nodded, then moved ahead and looked around, before giving the thumbs up. The road into town was clear, so the squad made headway out and through the small forest resting at the east side of town.
Aoyama looked to Alicia as she moved beside her, then said "You're... Probably wondering what a bunch of Japanese, guys who are supposed to be your and the Empire's enemy, are doing helping you out..." With a bit of worry. Alicia nodded, then said "I am following the saying 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth'... We're facing both Imperials and Germans, so this has me thinking things could go sideways on all accounts..."
"I'd have personally gone with 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' there, but agree to disagree." Simo patronized nonchalantly, receiving an icy glare from Alicia, which he ignored. The man was used to that kind of death stare from the Russians, or the damned Imperials as the world called them nowadays. And the cold was his natural habitat after all. He smirked as they kept on running.
A few minutes into the run, the squad began to slow down, both thanks to being tired and to Welkin showing them to keep it slow. They were at the edge of the forest and, ahead of them, lay the open road that lead out of East Bruhl. The squad now moved at a snail's pace as ordered by Welkin, whilst keeping an eye on the road. Simo, Welkin and Alicia spotted it ahead. A relatively small mansion, a very big house and the home of Welkin before he went to Randgriz to study. On the main road right in front of it, an Imperial staff car resided, with two guards posted at the front door, their MPI-3s cradled in their arms, eyes watching through the slits of their helmets for any enemy.
"Two guards? Huh." Alex murmured in a whisper, grinning as he shouldered the SMG. "Should be easy pickings."
"There might be more inside." Aoyama said, cradling her pistol. "At least there are no tanks..." And she shuddered, thinking of the enemy T34s. Alicia glanced toward the girl, pointed at her, then asked "What's up with her?" And Mashiro immediately answered in a dull voice "She is afraid of enemy tanks... The girl developed this fear since basic training in Japan... Where they ran them over in trenches with heavily-armored German tanks from a Lend-Lease program..."
"Best part about that, she's a Lancer." Alex said, then he chuckled. Alicia's eyes widened as she looked at Aoyama, who became flustered and said "Alex, you can be such an asshole at times!" In a hushed whisper, her voice squeaky. The Watch Girl sighed, rubbing her eyes, then watched Simo draw his Lahti L-35, stand up, aim it and fire... It was different though. Both shots were silent and the bullets still hit the enemy, splattering their brain matter, steel and skull onto the walls near the door and on the door itself. The boy lowered the pistol by his hip, removed an extension of the barrel and set it back into his pocket.
"Let Ryuunosuke know his modification for the pistol works." Simo said in a clear, normal voice now, rather than a hush. Everyone else stood up, with Alex patting Simo on the back. The boy added "Good shot, man." And walked out of the bushes beside Welkin and everyone else. The last two girls, Aoyama and Alicia, both walked out and looked down both sides of the street, before going beside Welkin. The boy opened the door slightly, pushing the muzzle of the Colt through it, then looked about. The hallway was clear, so far so good. He opened the door slowly, then set both hands on the pistol and walked inside, followed by Simo, with his pistol drawn and by Alex, while the girls remained outside. The three boys leaned against the wall to the middle door... There were three doors on this hallway. One on the right, one in the middle and one on the left... From the middle one, noises sounded off as if a struggle was ongoing.
Alex nodded to Welkin, who nodded back, giving him the go. The boy raised his SMG with one hand and pushed the door open ever-so-slowly with the other one. Inside, two Imperial soldiers held a young girl at gunpoint. The girl's definitive traits were the dark-blue hair and eyes, as well as the shoal she was wearing over a green dress. The girl was a Darcsen... Isara Gunther, adopted daughter of the Gunther family and Welkin's sister. The two Imperial soldiers spoke to each-other in Russian, the mainstay language of the East Empire. Alexander could partially understand what they were saying.
"What do we do with the girl?" The one on the right, the officer asked, arms crossed as he looked to Isara. The other one sighed, drew his pistol, then answered quickly "Too much trouble for a POW Camp... Plus, she's a Dark-Hair... I say we just shoot her here and tell command it was an accidental weapon discharge." To which the Officer nodded and gave the go-ahead... The man on the left raised his pistol toward Isara, then said "Sorry kid, nothing personal." as he cocked back the hammer of the Tokarev. A gunshot echoed in the room and a croaking sound was heard... The officer looked at Isara, who was still alive, then cocked his head to the left. Shock washed all over him as he saw his soldier, shot in the back. The Imperial dropped the pistol, fell to his knees and then, face-first to the floor.
Alexander placed the SMG's barrel to the back of the Officer's neck, then smirked and said "Tally-ho, Tovarisch." Then he squeezed the trigger. A .6 second burst. Two shots escaped from the SMG, tearing through the man's helmet and head almost immediately. He fell to the floor with but a single clank from his armor, dead before he even hit the ground, blood soaking the rug and the wooden floor of the house.
Welkin, Alexander and Simo walked in, with Welkin running to his sister and hugging her. He looked to her, then said "Hey, Isara. Good to see you're okay." To which the 16-year-old smiled and nodded, then said "All thanks to you guys." As she looked at everyone else come in. Mashirou, Aoyama and Alicia stepped in, covering the door and Alicia waved to the girl, then said "Hello, Isara."
"Ah, hello, captain Melchiott. Good to see you're okay!" Isara smiled.
"You two know each-other?" Aoyama asked, looking at Alicia, who nodded, then said "We passed by each-other several times in the Bruhl market. I'm also an apprentice baker, so I tend to sell the bread made by my mentor and, sometimes, myself there... And Isara here's been a faithful customer." And she smiled to the Darcsen girl, settling her rifle on her back.
"So, this is a downright family reunion, then." Alex said, going toward one of the windows overlooking the front porch of the place. Aoyama sighed, then nodded and said "Yeah, he can act like this at times." And she moved toward the door, pistol drawn, and locked it. First the outer door, than the inner door, thus forming whatever kind of a barricade was possible. She then walked beside Alexander and looked out the same window, while Simo scrambled with Mashiro to cover the other windows, opposite, that overlooked a field.
Alicia looked to Welkin and said "Hey, Welkin. Isara. Is there some way out of here? I think the Imps and their T34s may be closing in on us." With a hint of worry. Isara looked to Welkin and Alicia, then nodded to the girl and said "Yeah, there is a way to get us out... Though it may be risky."
"Two Imperial tanks and another staff car spotted! NKVD officer aboard." Reported Alexander, aiming his SMG. Alicia looked to Isara, then said "I think we'll take it! Better than dying in here!"
Isara nodded, then showed everyone to follow her and she ran to a side door within the living room of the place. Everyone stepped away from the windows and formed up with her as they went through a hallway and into the place's darkened Garage. In the middle of it, a tarp lay, covering some massive object. None could tell what it was, but they still followed. Isara moved toward a bunch of shelves, then withdrew a box of Grenades. Rusty-looking stick grenades used by the Gallians in World War 1. Alex knelt beside the girl and the box and grabbed a pair of grenades, then said "Well... At least this gives us a fighting chance." quite calmly. He looked to Isara, then asked "Do they still work?"
"Yes." The girl nodded. "I've been maintaining the gear in this garage with utmost care. While they may seem a bit rusty, these grenades are useful still."
"Nice." The boy said. Isara wanted to add "There's also-" before the lot were forced to dodge bullets entering through one of the front windows, right behind them. Simo took cover behind the shelf where the grenades and tools were located, aimed his Lahti and fired two shots at the bastards. Both missed... And Alicia became angry. She yanked one of the grenades out of Alex' hand, pulled the safety pin from below the stick, removing two wires, then yelled "HAVE SOME OF THIS!" And she cocked her hand back and, with all her might, threw the grenade right through the window. An explosion thundered outside, followed by screams of pain and Aoyama smiled, then said "Good arm." To which the girl replied with a smile and a nod.
Isara sighed in relief, then looked to Welkin and pointed at the tarp, adding onto the conversation "Help me with the tarp, Welks... We'll need what's under it if we're to win this." And making Welkin nod. Alex aimed his SMG at the window, looked to Welkin and Isara and said "We got you covered, you two! Go!" Before they opened fire on the window, keeping other Imperial troops outside pinned with short, controlled bursts and good shots from their rifles and pistols.
Welkin went on one side of the tarp, while Isara went on another as the covering fire continued. Alicia walked beside them and watched them nod to each other. "NOW!" Isara yelled, yanking hard, with Welkin following suit as they pulled the tarp off of... An armored vehicle... It was an incredible, massive-sized heavy tank... The Tank, with a Gallian model to it as well as a Darcsen pattern, had a white noble on its side... And a massive low-velocity 82mm Cannon mounted in its turret.
"That's..." Welkin's smile appeared, wide and warm "Our dad's tank..." To which Isara smiled and nodded "Yes... The Edelweiss."
"That's... What?" Alicia murmured in surprise, followed by Alex cheering in Romanian and Simo's grin. Aoyama staggered back in fear and shock, before she was caught by Alexander, who pushed her ahead. He looked to Isara and said "Good plan, kid! We'll smash right through the Imperials' line of defense outside!" And he pushed a protesting Aoyama aboard as she yelled "NONONONO~! I AM NOT GETTING IN THAT!"
"Dammit..." The girl murmured, nearly crying as she lay on the floor of the tank, in a fetal position and with her head on Mashiro's lap. The girl patted Aoyama on the head and sighed, unamused. The vehicle was bloody cramped with so many people aboard. Alexander was sitting nicely next to the girl. Back to back, actually, leaning on each-other, while Simo was sitting beside Isara with Alicia. Welkin was manning the tank's cannon and turret. Welkin looked to his sister, arranging his com headset on, then said "Through the door, Is! Now!" And the girl put the tank into 6th, literally launching them out through the door, knocking some Imperials over AND Skidding to a halt right next to the forest, turning to a 90 degree angle and facing the Imperial T-34s.
The NKVD officer gasped. A tank? How could this be?!
Inside the vehicle, Alicia smirked, looked to Isara, then yelled "I got an idea here... RUN THROUGH THEM! MAX SPEED!" And Alexander protested "You NUTS? It's tanks we're facing here, Captain Gallia! Get your mind out of the gutter!" And he stood up. Alicia pushed him back down, then said "Listen... The enemy tanks are far enough apart for us to get through! Just trust me, wouldja?"
Alexander looked around the vehicle, receiving nods from his allies as to the plan... He sighed, then relented "Fine..." And grabbed hold of something. Isara kicked it into sixth again and the engine purred... She said to everyone "Hang on tight! We're going through!" And she let go of the breaks, propelling the tank forward at full speed. Outside, the Imperial forces scrambled, with both T34s traversing their turrets and guns to fire... One got a shot off and the round bounced off the front of the tank, while the other shot and missed. The Gallian Tank's cannon boomed, hitting beside the enemy truck as it tried to move away and partially lifting it off the ground, whilst also creating a cloud of dust in front of the Imperial Gunners. The NKVD officer's car backed off as the Gallian Tank burst through the defenses and down the road.
"Where to now?" Welkin asked, looking to Alicia. She nodded and said "To get your friends... And talk to my commander. The Town Watch Headquarters."
...
Within the Town Watch HQ, the situation couldn't be more quiet. Matt had just walked out of the conference room and let out a long sigh, then looked below, to the sight of Misaki, Jin and Kolkka talking, Misaki with her usually hyperactive demeanor, while Ryuunosuke worked on the vehicle. The guy always resembled a girl. From up close, from afar, the Darcsen boy nicknamed the Dragon by Misaki was a mystery that eluded even today's advanced science. The boy mostly preferred to be alone as he dealt with repairing the Halftrack or some other Gallian Vehicles, even cars, when alone.
The boy walked down the stairs and out of the building, to the courtyard, then said "Hey, guys." making the trio currently talking swivel about. Misaki smiled, then ran toward Matt and asked "So, how'd it go~? Did the old guy wanna listen to you?" with her hyperactive demeanor. Matt sighed, crossed his arms and shook his head, then said "Sadly no. The actual leader is gone out of town to get the army and now this guy that's leading them wants to jump right into hell and drive their rusty tanks out into the fight... Though there's no engineer around to repair them aside from Ryuu."
"Aw, man..." Misaki sighed, crossing her arms and pouting.
They heard a warning blare from the watchtower. A tank incoming... Matt gasped, drew his pistol and watched everyone stand up and grab their weapons, aiming them down the path. Matt gasped, seeing the tank's turret, then yelled "STAND DOWN! STAND DOWN! IT'S THEM!" With a wide grin on his face as the Edelweiss itself stopped ahead of them. The hatches opened and the crew started piling out of the vehicle, weapons on their backs and gear in their bags, only to be greeted by their friends and by the Town Watch.
"So, you got it, eh?" Matt smirked, extending his hand toward Welkin, who shook it and nodded. He pointed to Isara and said "Without her help and her maintaining the Edelweiss, we wouldn't have made it..." And Matt's smile widened, then he walked toward Isara, extended his hand and said "Good to see you alive and well, Is." To whch she nodded, smiled back and said "Likewise, Matt... Looks like we're in for a war."
"True to that, kiddo." The boy nodded, then he looked around and sighed, glancing toward the rusted-out Gallian Type-36c Tanks. This was gonna be a long battle to defend Bruhl until the last of the Civilians evacuated and he knew that all too well... Good thing they were all around. Him, Alexander, Sakura-sou squad and everybody else. At least, with the Town Watch, they could rearm and fight too...