AN: Back with another update, which thankfully didn't take anywhere near as long as the last one, which I'm sure you're all glad about. Big thanks to A.D. Fields, author of Ripped Away, for allowing me to bounce a few ideas off him and get his expert opinion.
Also, a small shout out to KaitoTheSingleExistence, whose guess about the meaning of this story's title was almost exactly right. But don't worry, I won't spoil the surprise. I'll make sure to explain at the end of the relevant chapter, just in case you guys don't spot it. It is a pretty in-depth thing to figure out.
Anyway, enough rambling from me. Let's get straight into it.
11th of February, 2017 a.t.b.
1st Person, Matthew's POV
10:26 pm
Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
It was about halfway into the flight, while we were still crossing over the Atlantic Ocean. Cornelia, Guilford and Darlton had all retired to bed by that point, leaving me sat by myself in the main cabin. Not unlike how I usually was back home, I just didn't feel particularly tired yet. That or I just couldn't sleep because I was too busy thinking about what we were likely heading into. Unlike the others, I'd never been involved in anything worse than what qualified for me as a schoolyard fight, much less an actual battle between actual armies.
Because of this, I found myself reviewing all the latest intelligence reports that had been compiled regarding the Middle Eastern Federation's military strength and movements along the border area, using one of the table-mounted computers. For the most part, their forces were comprised of entirely conventional units, primarily main battle tanks, infantry and light VTOL gunships. However one part of the report made for far more interesting reading.
The Federation had apparently managed to design and produce its own Knightmare Frame, although calling it such was a stretch. Standing over eleven metres tall and weighing a little over ninety metric tonnes, the design, codenamed "Bamides", was more akin to a land battleship design from the 1920s-1930s than a Knightmare. The design consists of a large torso set on top of three legs in a tripod configuration, with two legs at the front and a single leg at the rear. Despite its somewhat unusual design, the Bamides boasted some rather impressive features. Its principle armament was a single, large caliber artillery cannon, clearly designed to take out heavily armoured targets at long range. At the same time, it also sported a pair of side-mounted machine guns and two packs of missile launchers on its back. In addition, it utilised hover engines for movement, giving it excellent mobility over sandy terrain.
"These things could definitely cause us some real problems. The terrain around the border area is almost entirely flat desert, which gives the Bamides an enormous advantage. They can start firing on us long before we can start firing back. And if they can force us to attack them head-on, then our own tanks will be wiped out in no time." I thought.
And if the Bamides weren't enough of a problem, the last part of the report made things even worse. While the Bamides were formidable, they had clearly not been designed with anti-Knightmare combat in mind. Their long-range cannons would be virtually useless against such mobile targets, while their machine guns and missiles were only slightly more suitable. However, Britannian Intelligence operatives based in the E.U. had discovered that the Europeans had secretly been developing their own Knightmare Frame, and had potentially supplied some to the Federation.
From what the operatives had managed to learn, the E.U. Knightmare was referred to as the "Panzer-Ameise", which in English translated as "armoured ant" or "tank ant". Although shorter than Britannian Knightmares, the Panzer-Ameise weighed almost a full tonne more, due to possessing very heavy armour. It was armed with just two anti-tank guns, fitted in place of normal forearm units. Although this limited the Panzer-Ameise to primarily ranged combat, the selection of the anti-tank guns, which possessed a reasonable rate of fire, would give the Knightmare very good defensive capabilities, especially if a number of them were to coordinate their fire. Unfortunately, while the intelligence operatives had confirmed the Federation had received a number of Panzer-Ameises from the EU, they'd been unable to discover exactly how many units had been delivered.
"If these reports are true, then we can only hope there aren't many of them. If the Federation was to deploy a large group of Panzer-Ameises to engage our forces and keep them pinned down, at the same time they could position the Bamides well behind the front line and use them to provide heavy support fire. And if that were to happen, I don't see how we could win." Deciding that it was no good worrying myself about the issue any further, I shut down the computer I'd been using, which hid itself away inside the table. I couldn't be bothered with making the short trip to one of the beds, so I just reclined my seat back and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep shortly after.
12th of February, 2017 a.t.b.
1st Person, Matthew's POV
6:21 am
Near Ismailia AFB
"Ismailia Tower, this is Imperial Shuttle Two-Foxtrot-Charlie on final approach. Please confirm."
"Copy, Imperial Shuttle Two-Foxtrot-Charlie, this is Ismailia Tower. We have you confirmed on final approach to Runway 1-1."
I yawned slightly as I adjusted myself in my seat, while buckling in for the landing. I'd had a fairly good sleep despite electing to sleep in my seat, and had just woken up a few minutes ago. By then, Cornelia and the others had woken up as well and already seated themselves, with Guilford sitting across the table from me.
"Good morning, Matthew. Sleep well?" he asked, flashing me a friendly smile.
"Morning to you too, Guilford. Surprisingly, I did, despite staying up 'till after ten." I replied, failing to suppress another small yawn.
"May I ask why you were up so late?" Guilford inquired.
"Just looking over the intel reports. At least I've got an idea of what to expect." I replied.
"What did the reports say? I haven't had a chance to read through them myself." Guilford asked, his expression hardening slightly. I gave the knight a quick rundown of what I'd read, focusing on the key parts of the reports, as I noticed Cornelia and Darlton were also listening. He seemed to pay particular attention when I began talking about the MEF's Bamides, but was surprised when I explained about the E.U.'s involvement.
"I suppose we should've expected this. But still, it's surprising that the E.U. would lend support to such a new nation so quickly." Guilford stated.
"Well, given that they've seen how effective Knightmare Frames are, they'd want to see how theirs perform in real combat as soon as they can. And it's not like anyone can accuse them of aggressive action, since all they're doing is selling weapons" I commented, to which the Knight nodded.
"True enough. And whatever the case may be, those new Knightmares could present a big problem for us." Guilford replied.
"Guilford, my Knight, are you saying you doubt my chances?" Cornelia asked, her voice stern, though I could detect a trace of good-natured jest as well.
"Of course not, your Highness. It's just that this is the first time we've faced other Knightmares in combat. While they may not be as capable as our Knightmares on paper, I can only guess how they'll perform in battle. I suggest we exercise a degree of caution until we know exactly what we're dealing with." Guilford replied.
"True, this will be different to all of our previous battles. And your concern is noted. But our enemy will still be defeated" Cornelia replied, before turning to me. "Thank you for that report, Lieutenant. Good to know you're on top of things."
"Not at all, your Highness. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't unprepared. And I'll do my best not to let you down." I replied.
Cornelia smiled faintly. "It's your first time in actual combat, so no one's expecting a miracle from you. And given how your training with Guilford has been going, I'd say you have nothing to worry about. Besides, for the most part you'll be remaining with myself on-board the G-1, unless you're needed." She explained.
"I understand." I replied. I couldn't fault Cornelia's reasoning. Unless it was absolutely necessary, there was no point in sending a novice like myself into battle, especially not when the Princess had plenty of experienced soldiers to call on.
8:40 am
Ismailia AFB, Main Briefing Room
Just under two hours later, the four of us were currently standing inside the base's pretty sizeable main briefing room. It had taken surprisingly little time for our shuttle and the numerous transports to land, although it thankfully turned out that the process of unloading everything apparently didn't require our attention. Instead, Cornelia had made her way straight here, with Guilford, Darlton and myself in tow. We were greeted on our arrival by the base's commander, General Nicholas Anson, a somewhat stern, but calm-looking (AN: Hope that makes sense) dark-haired middle-aged man.
"Princess Cornelia, welcome." The general said, his voice not dripping with arrogance as I'd come to expect from many Britannians like him. Clearly they weren't all self-absorbed pompous jackasses, not that I'd ever say that out loud.
"General Anson, has there been any change to the situation?" Cornelia asked, apparently ignoring the general's greeting and cutting right to the chase. For his part, General Anson didn't seem fazed at all.
"None so far, your Highness. Honestly, I'd expected the enemy to make some sort of move before you arrived." He replied.
"Yes, clearly they aren't as formidable as they would like us to believe. Have you managed to learn any more details on the enemy forces?" Cornelia asked, to which the general nodded.
"Of course, your Highness. Please, over here." He replied, leading us over to what appeared to be a large map-reading table. However, as we approached, the surface of the table changed to display a large map projection, showing the entire northern Sinai Peninsula and most of Israel and Jordan. Currently, the border between Britannian territory and the newly-formed MEF was located roughly where the border between Israel and Egypt should've been. The Britannian territory was displayed in blue, while the MEF's was shown in red. "As it stands, no element of the enemy's force has made any move beyond assembling at the border. By our estimate, they've assembled approximately one hundred and fifty tanks, one hundred and eighty VTOL gunships, and fifty thousand infantry. We've also determined that they've deployed around fifty to eighty Bamides, although we can't be certain of that."
"And why is that?" Cornelia asked, her voice slightly incredulous. "They're not exactly small."
"True, but the enemy appears to be very adept at camouflaging the positions of these units, so it's difficult to determine how many there are. For the same reason, we've been unable to locate any of the Panzer-Ameise units that they've received." Anson explained.
"So, they think they can fool us, do they?" Cornelia asked, smirking slightly. "General Anson, alert all personnel! We're moving out immediately!" At her command, the general and all the staff jumped to attention.
"Yes, your Highness!" Anson replied, before turning to the rest of his men. "You all heard the Princess! We're moving now!"
"Yes, my Lord!" came the chorus of replies.
26th February, 2017 a.t.b.
10:14 am
Near Jabal Halal, in the Sinai Peninsula
Just over two weeks later, I found myself standing within the bridge of the G-1 Base, as the massive mobile command center rumbled its way through the desert near the Jabal Halal area of north-eastern Sinai. Since arriving in the region, we'd already encountered and engaged the Middle Eastern Federation's advance forces in battle four times, soundly defeating them on each occasion. The MEF had been the first to make an aggressive move, with their forces advancing into Britannian territory in the northern Sinai Peninsula. Despite this, Darlton, Guilford and I had noticed something odd. In each of the four battles, the MEF's forces had consisted solely of tanks and gunships, meaning we had yet to encounter any of their Knightmare units. Cornelia wasn't concerned by this fact, saying that the enemy would be forced to deploy their Knightmares soon, as we were beginning to close on their territory. However, I found myself getting increasingly concerned as we entered the Jabal Halal area. Here the terrain started to change; shifting from flat, open desert to wide valleys flanked by short mountain ranges. Terrain that would favour the long-range Bamides and Panzer-Ameises.
Today, we were preparing to launch yet another attack against the MEF. Our scouts had just confirmed a large concentration of MEF tanks and other vehicles on a ridge-line twenty kilometres away. Cornelia had ordered all of our Knightmares to deploy, ready to launch the attack on her command. Our force consisted of fifty Sutherlands, led by ten Gloucesters from Cornelia's Royal Guard, with Guilford and Darlton leading them. I was remaining in the G-1, currently stood in front of the main map table with a handful of other officers, with a second, larger map up on the main display at the front of the bridge area. Cornelia herself was sat on her throne at the back of the bridge, looking slightly down at the rest of us. Just then, the earpiece in my right ear beeped, indicating I had an incoming message.
"This is Lieutenant Gavin. Any news?" I asked, activating the "talk" function.
"Lieutenant, this is Sapphire One reporting in." came the reply. Sapphire One was the call-sign for one of our scout VTOL gunships, which had been sent out to confirm the enemy's location and strength before the attack began. Once we received their final report, the attack would begin.
"Confirmed, Sapphire One. Any change to the situation?" I replied. Despite my reservations, I felt myself getting slightly excited. The past few days had shown me the thrill that came with battle, especially the thrill of winning a battle, and I'd come to relish the feeling. I was beginning to see why Cornelia took so much pride in her abilities, and why she clearly enjoyed her job.
"My Lord, we've just confirmed the enemy has deployed approximately one hundred Panzer-Ameises to their front line. It looks like their tanks are withdrawing from the battlefield." Sapphire One replied. So the MEF was finally deciding to send in their Knightmares as well. And not only that, they now had us slightly outnumbered.
"Copy, Sapphire One, good work. Return to base." I replied, before turning to face Cornelia. "Your Highness, we've just confirmed the enemy has deployed approximately one hundred Panzer-Ameises to the front line, and their tanks are now withdrawing from the battle." I could see Cornelia eye's glinting at this news.
"So they've finally decided to take us seriously, have they? No matter." She replied, rising to her feet. "All units, commence the attack! Eradicate all MEF forces!"
At her order, the large force of Britannian Knightmares charged forward, kicking up a huge cloud of dust in its wake. As the terrain here was still very sandy, all the Knightmares were equipped with Sand Panels, allowing them to easily glide across the soft ground. I watched intently, as their markers skimmed across the map, approaching the MEF's position. Within minutes, the two forces met head-on, with the MEF holding still as our force charged toward them.
"I can't say I'm surprised they aren't moving. The Panzer-Ameise is definitely better suited to the defensive role." I thought. Just then, while our units were still some distance away, we received reports that the MEF Knightmares had opened fire. As our forces pressed forward, we began taking occasional casualties, but so far it was nothing to be very concerned about. The Panzer-Ameises were proving formidable, but we'd expected that to be the case.
However, as I watched the battle continue to unfold, something began to worry me. The MEF's Knightmares had formed a single line, stretching roughly one kilometre across the valley where the battle was taking place. Suddenly, I noticed that our units in the center of the line were starting to make progress, forcing the Federation's Knightmares to begin to fall back. But at the same time, both of the enemy's flanks were holding firm, not giving any ground at all. As I continued to watch, I suddenly realised what was happening.
The Federation forces were pulling off a classic double envelopment, otherwise known as a pincer movement. As their center units pulled back, the wings simultaneously began to push forward. Thankfully, our own flank units were able to hold of the enemy's wings, preventing them from completing the pincer. But although we'd managed to hold the enemy off, our force was now surrounded on three sides; it could no longer manoeuvre, and we were beginning to take more and more casualties. Suddenly, one of the officers next to me cried out.
"We just lost contact with Rowland's unit! They've been wiped out!" he shouted. A bunch of "Lost" beacons appeared on the map, indicating the loss of four Sutherlands all at once. Seconds later, two more units were destroyed, despite them being apparently safe from immediate enemy fire. Not only that, these last few casualties had happened too fast for them all to have been the work of the Panzer-Ameises.
"All units are reporting heavy bombardment! Coming from the north!" one of the officers exclaimed.
"Impossible! There aren't any enemy artillery units in the area!" another officer protested. Suddenly, the answer hit me.
"That's it!" I exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to look at me.
"Lieutenant, care to enlighten the rest of us?" Cornelia asked. I turned to face her, nodding in reply.
"Yes, your Highness." I replied. "It's a brilliant move, if I may say. I believe the Federation has positioned a number of Bamides some distance behind their main front line. The role of the Panzer-Ameises wasn't to destroy our forces, rather they were intended to box our units in and hold them in place, thus allowing the Bamides to provide accurate long-range bombardment. It's fortunate that our forces were not completely surrounded, otherwise the situation would be even worse."
"And I assume you have a plan to deal with this situation?" Cornelia inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I believe so, your Highness. As it stands, our forces will likely be wiped out unless they manage to break through the enemy's forward line. If we were to hit the enemy flanks from both inside and out at the same time, that would cause the flanks to collapse, thus allowing our forces to overwhelm them and break out. They would then be in a position to destroy the center of the enemy line, which in turn would leave the Bamides wide open." I explained. As I finished speaking, one of the senior officers stepped forward.
"Just who do you think you are?!" he yelled, his voice incredulous. "Our forces are in no danger of-" he continued, only to be interrupted by Cornelia herself.
"No, the Lieutenant is right." She stated, rising from her throne once more. "Lieutenant, head down to the hangar. You and I will head out and see if we can't rescue this operation."
"At once, your Highness!" I replied, stamping by boots together and snapping off a salute, before heading on my way.
Soon after, I'd made my way down into the G-1's reasonably spacious hangar, and settled into my Gloucester's seat. I'd already had a few hours in the simulator, mainly just to get used to the different cockpit layout to the Glasgow. The only real difference was a redesigned center console, with a lot more buttons and switches, and the control rails, which were now only attached at the front of the cockpit. The controllers themselves were a lot better, with a much more ergonomic design that I could comfortably wrap my hands around. As I closed the cockpit hatch, one of the technicians came through over my earpiece.
"Lieutenant Gavin, all preparations are now complete. Your unit has been equipped with an Assault Rifle as the primary weapon, with a Large Cannon on each forearm, as per your orders." He explained.
"Good work." I replied, as I felt myself being moved into the G-1's left-side catapult. If we were going to make this work, every second counted.
"Launch preparations complete, Lieutenant. You may launch when ready."
"Acknowledged." I replied, gripping the controls firmly. I took a few seconds to calm myself, my breathing having gotten slightly erratic due to my nervousness. "This is Lieutenant Gavin, Gloucester, now launching!"
At my command, the catapult fired, launching my Gloucester forward as if I'd just been rear-ended by a freight train. As I cleared the G-1, I instinctively engaged my Landspinners, my unit having already been fitted with Sand Panels, and as soon as I hit the ground, the Gloucester took off. At the same time, I spotted Cornelia's unique horned Gloucester just ahead of me, its signature cape flapping behind it, a large, golden lance in its right hand. I increased my speed slightly, drawing level with the Princess' machine.
"Alright Lieutenant, since this is your plan, how should we proceed?"Cornelia asked, as she came through over the vid-com, the small window displaying itself on my right-hand screen.
"We need to hit both of the enemy flanks at the same time. That will guarantee we cause the greatest disruption among the enemy forces." I replied. "If hit them on the right, then I'll hit them on the left. We also need to alert Guilford and Darlton, so that they launch their attack as soon as we open fire."
"Very well, Lieutenant. I'll inform Guilford and Darlton now. I'll let you know when I'm in position."Cornelia replied, before peeling off to the right, heading around a low hill in her way. I steered slightly in the opposite direction, putting me on course to outflank the enemy on the left-hand side. Bringing up the battlefield map, I could see that I had another ten kilometres or so before I would be in position to attack. That gave me a minute or two in which to figure out exactly how I would attack.
From the intel I'd read, the Panzer-Ameise did possess relatively thick armour, but nothing that the Assault Rifle couldn't penetrate. And as long as I kept moving, they'd have a hard time hitting me with their slow-firing Anti-Tank Guns. I'd also have to take them out quickly, to avoid having a number of them firing at me all at once, which was when they seemed to be the most effective.
A few minutes later, and I could now see the battle. And things didn't seem to be going too well. While the vast majority of our forces were still intact, they'd sustained reasonable casualties in the time it had taken me to arrive. But now, the tide of the battle would hopefully swing in our favour.
"Princess Cornelia, do you copy? I'm in position." I announced. The reply came seconds later.
"Very good, Lieutenant. Commence your attack!" Cornelia commanded, her voice full of power and authority.
"Yes, your Highness!" I shouted, rushing forward as my finger closed on the trigger. Instantly, the gun in my Gloucester's hands roared to life, unleashing a torrent of fire on the nearest Panzer-Ameise. The heavy armour-piercing rounds blasted through the Knightmare's back and cockpit, quickly transforming it into a blazing wreck. Immediately I saw the Sutherlands nearest to me open fire as well, concentrating their attack on the other Panzer-Ameises near my position, no doubt the units on Cornelia's side were doing the same. Unfortunately, my initial success now meant that some of the enemy Knightmares were now turning their attention on me.
Knowing that remaining a stationary target was pretty much suicide, I yanked the controls to the left while pushing down on the pedals. The Gloucester responded smartly, dashing away from my current position just as the nearest Panzer-Ameise opened fire, several heavy rounds impacting the sand where I'd just been. As I traveled away, I turned around and fired another burst. The rounds caught the unit that had just fired at full in the front, shredding the frontal armour and tearing the unfortunate machine in half. I barely had time to register this fact, before I swung around to the left and fired again, downing a third Panzer-Ameise just as it managed to train its guns on me.
A few minutes, and another three or four successful kills later, I cried out in surprise as a few well-placed shots hit me Gloucester. Thankfully, the rounds had only destroyed my rifle, instead of hitting the main body. A quick glance at the map told me that my plan was clearly working; the enemy flanks had been almost completely wiped out, with just a few handfuls of stragglers left.
Deciding that our forces could deal with the remaining flank units as well as the center of the enemy line, I was off again, tearing my way further north. We still had the Bamides to deal with, and I didn't know exactly where they were. Their fire could still prove dangerous, especially now that they didn't have to worry about hitting their comrades.
"To all units, this is Lieutenant Gavin. I'm heading north to locate and destroy the enemy artillery units." I announced, just to make sure that I wouldn't get reprimanded for breaking away on my own.
"Lieutenant, it's Guilford. I've confirmed your report with Princess Cornelia, and should be joining you shortly. Good luck."Came Guilford's reply.
As I continued on, a massive shock-wave rocked my Gloucester, as a shell impacted the ground and exploded not far to my right. Letting out a grunt from being thrown around slightly in my seat, I quickly looked up again and could just now make out a silhouettes of at least ten Bamides positioned well behind a ridge-line that I was now cresting. They'd clearly spotted me, and were now proceeding to rain down a storm of fire on my position. I immediately took evasive action, throwing the Gloucester left and right, trying to keep myself as unpredictable as possible. Working in my favour was the low rate of fire of the Bamides' guns; they could only fire every two or three seconds, making it considerably easier to dodge their fire. At the same time, I readied the two Large Cannons that were affixed to my Gloucester's forearms. Although not the usual way for them to be wielded, this configuration for the Large Cannons had been trialed on Glasgows during the invasion of Japan, and it had proved to be very effective, especially if you needed to wield two cannons at the same time.
Unfortunately, I was still not yet in range to start firing at the Bamides, and their aim seemed to be getting better. To buy myself some extra time, I started occasionally firing one of my cannons into the ground ahead of me. The resulting impact and explosion each time threw up a huge cloud of sand, temporarily obscuring my position for a few seconds, making it nearly impossible to accurately track my movements.
Finally, after about a minute of constantly dodging incoming fire, I moved within the Large Cannons' firing range, and immediately began blasting away. My first two shots were dead on target, striking the lead Bamides right in the front-right leg. Said limb was destroyed, causing the entire unit to topple sideways, before landing heavily on its side. Another pair of shots penetrated the front armour, blowing the main body to pieces. As I proceeded to open fire on the next one, I saw on my map that Guilford and a pair of other Gloucesters had just arrived, and were proceeding to engage the other side of the line of Bamides. The hulking behemoths stood no chance against us. Their greatest assets, their cannons, were all but useless against such small, fast-moving targets, especially at such close range. At the same time, their armour simply wasn't strong enough to withstand shots from point-blank range. In no time at all, the Federation's entire rear line had been completely wiped out.
Now that things had finally calmed down, I could finally catch my breath. My hands ached as I released my previously tight grip on the controls, while I could now feel the film of sweat that had accumulated on my back, underneath my shirt. As I sat still for the next few seconds, I could feel myself smiling. This was what real battle was like…the exhilaration…the rush. I couldn't deny that some primitive part of me yearned for this feeling…and the rest of me did as well.
1:49 pm
G1 Base
About twenty or so minutes later, I was once again stood within the G1's Knightmare Frame hangar, idly watching as the technicians gave my Gloucester a thorough going over, seemingly checking everything including the paintwork for damage and signs of wear. I meanwhile was letting my body cool down a bit, occasionally taking a gulp from the bottle of water one of the men had handed to me when I arrived back. I'd accepted it graciously, having not realised until then that my throat had gotten slightly dry. Then again, I'd just participated in actual military combat for the first time in my twenty-two years of life, so it didn't surprise me too much that I was feeling a little parched.
"I guess that's something I'll have to get used to." I thought, just as the sound of approaching footsteps to my left caught my attention. Turning my head, the source of the noise turned out to be Guilford. The knight was once again dressed in his usual attire, having had ample time to change since he'd arrived back a while before I had, as I'd elected to head back at a slightly slower pace to let my body relax a bit.
"Lord Guilford, can I help you?" I asked, snapping off a quick, slightly sloppy salute. For his part, Guilford didn't make any comment, other than returning my salute.
"Yes Lieutenant, you can. Princess Cornelia has requested you be present for the debriefing. Especially since it was your plan that may have just saved our forces." He explained.
"Of course, Lord Guilford. Although I think saying I saved our forces is a bit of a stretch." I replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of my neck.
"Those weren't my words Lieutenant, Princess Cornelia said them herself. And she isn't the kind of commander that gives out such high praise very often." Guilford replied, turning around and motioning for me to follow. "In any case, we'd better head up to the debriefing now. So don't take my word for it, you'll hear for self soon enough."
A short time later, the two of us arrived on the bridge, to find both Cornelia and Darlton (standing to Cornelia's left) waiting for us, along with a handful of other officers. As we entered, I could see the princess briefly turn her gaze to us, more specifically to me, before looking away again. Probably making sure she wasn't seen looking at me, who was just an average soldier compared to her. At the same time, I noticed some of the officers glowering at me as I walked in. One of them was the same senior officer who'd spoken out against me when I'd suggested my idea, and I assumed the others were of the same mind, and had simply elected to keep quite at the time.
"Not my fault their pride's hurt. Holding pride above all else only brings you defeat when it comes to war." I thought, making it a point to ignore their gaze. Guilford and I approached Cornelia's throne, kneeling before her as we had previously.
"Rise Guilford, Lieutenant." Cornelia ordered. The two of use rose to our feet again, our backs ramrod straight. I knew I wasn't going to be yelled at, going by Cornelia's positive reaction to my suggestions thus far, but when there were others in the room apart from her, Darlton, Guilford and myself, it always felt like she was about to reprimand you for something. "Lieutenant, General Darlton has already provided us with his assessment, as has Guilford. Is there anything you wish to add?"
"Nothing at present, your Highness." I replied, my voice staying level. I'd finally managed to get to the point where I could speak to Cornelia in front of others (i.e. officers, nobles etc.) without feeling nervous anymore.
"Very well, then." she replied. "Lieutenant, I have so far heard nothing but glowing praise from both General Darlton and Guilford, as well as from many of our other pilots. They all agree that your timely assessment of the situation prevented us from taking far greater casualties, to say nothing of your remarkable performance in the field. In light of this, I, Cornelia, hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Do you have any objection to this?"
"None at all." I replied, feeling my heart swell with pride. "Thank you for such an honour, your Highness."
"Princess, you can't be serious!" a voice behind me cried out. Instantly, I could tell it was the same officer who'd spoken up earlier, who clearly hadn't learned his lesson yet. Even I knew, you do NOT speak out against a princess like that.
"Silence!" Cornelia roared, causing the man to shut up immediately. "Major Forsyth, if we had followed you earlier 'suggestion', we would still have won the battle, but lost half of our forces in the process[1]. Unlike you, the Lieutenant Colonel actually had the patience and common sense to assess the situation and suggest the appropriate actions. Seeing as he is know your superior, you will show him the respect he deserves. If not, your career WILL suffer, am I understood?"
"Yes, your Highness." Major Forsyth grudgingly replied. I honestly had to suppress some laughter at the sight of this prideful man being brought down a peg or two, and the fact that I, the one he'd spoken out against with such fervor, was now his superior. Oh, I was going to enjoy that.
AN: And with that, Chapter 4 is now done!Hope you all enjoyed this story's first taste of combat. It was honestly rather easy to write that part, since I'd already figured out roughly how I wanted the battle to go.
For those of you that may not have realised, I actually based this battle partially on the Battle of Marathon, specifically the double envelopment manoeuvre used by the MEF forces. It's also where I got the idea of how Matthew would suggest countering it. Historically, such a manoeuvre could've been defeated if the Persians at Marathon had been able to employ their cavalry to hit the flanks.
In the next chapter, we will be joining the events of the story. Hope this isn't too much of a spoiler, but it will basically be set around the time of Suzaku's arrest, just before his trial. Cornelia will be sending Matthew ahead to Area 11 to oversee things until she arrives. I'm mostly doing this because it'll be fun to have Matthew chew out Jeremiah and Kewell.
AN #2: Also wanted to mention this, but I've got a couple of ideas for two spin-off fanfics for this story, and I wanted to get everyone's opinion on them:
Idea #1 – A New Signature, A New Valkyrie: As you may be able to guess by the title, this story would for all intents and purposes be the same sa the story you're currently reading. However, the difference would be that the OC (me, as it would still be a Self-Insert) is somehow turned into a girl in the process of being thrown into the Code Geass world. At present, my character design has my OC looking like Soma Peries (Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - Second Season Appearance). In terms of genre, they would be the same as this story, with my OC paired this time with Guilford.
Idea #1 – A New Signature (Black Knights Route): Sort of got this idea from Code Geass: Lost Colours. In this story, the OC is the same as in A New Signature, but this time ends up joining Lelouch & the Black Knights instead of Cornelia and Britannia. Not sure if I'll do this with my OC still a guy or turned into a girl (different design to Idea #1), but I've pretty much decided they'll be paired with Kallen either way. Also, my OC in this version may/may not be given a Geass, depends if I can think of a good Geass power to use. Please do suggest any ideas for potential Geass powers if you have any. I promise to credit you if I use your idea, or if your idea inspires an idea of mine.
[1]: It's pretty obvious, but "Major Forsyth" is a clear shout-out to "Ciaran Forsyth" from Code Geass - A Brave New World, one of the two stories that inspired this story. Please understand that my treatment of Major Forsyth is NOT representative of my view of Ciaran, I think he's a great character, but the name just seemed to work well here.