Chapter 7: Of A Might Divine
Alnus Base, Intel Division
D-Day + 33 days, evening
"Sir! We have a message from RCT3. They are requesting assistance in defending the town of Italica." an operator reported.
"What? Details!" his superior demanded.
"Upon arriving in town, they were met with resistance. A very large group of bandits are attacking the town and they expect another attack this night. Lt Itami accepted to aid in the town's defense. They need help as soon as they can get it. It also looks like a member of the Empire's royal family is there – Princess Pina Co Lada. She's the military commander of the town atm."
"Sent this immediately to Gen. Hazama!"
General Hazama's office
"Colonel Dietrich, I am glad you came so quickly. I have a mission for you. You have been briefed previously about our moves." Hazama stated.
"Yes, Herr General! Garrison Italica and establish an FOB there. I will do my best." Dietrich replied.
"You will still operate without the 5 tanks I've assigned to the recon teams for the time being. 15 tanks should be fine considering we are up against a military equivalent to medieval European armies. Plenty of LAVs and M113s, MANPADS (man portable air defense system)… you get the picture. Defending the city and the surroundings should pose no problem with the manpower under your command. Helicopter support is always at your disposal. Securing the region is top priority."
"Understood. I'm also taking the British military music band with me."
"Very well! You get two AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters too. I wish you well fortune, colonel!"
"And sir… I take it RCT3 will be under my command while at Italica, right?"
"Yes, Colonel. Why?"
"It just happens so that RCT3 has attached to it a few British soldiers, one of them broke the regulations and had zero interest for morals."
"So news reached you too?"
"Yes. Command back home wants him arrested and I will do just that. May I ask why he was not put into jail as soon as we learned about his 'exploits'?"
"I don't know, Colonel. LtCol. Robert insisted that he will deal with this. Alistair is under his command."
"The CO of the British detachment sympathizes too much with his men. General, please address this issue or I will fill a complaint against him for incompetence." Dietrich spoke as he left the office.
"Prussian honor… yet you are still right." Hazama thought to himself.
Despite the fact that all these countries sent in troops to help Japan because they all had close friendly ties to each other, doubled by the promise of obtaining resources from the Special Region through commerce and mining resources, some of the high ranking officers did not get along with each other's character.
The British, Canadian and German units had an hour to prepare for the mission ahead. They formed up in a column with the tanks leading, APCs and IFVs bringing up the rear, intercalating trucks with soldiers and supplies.
"Soldiers, march!" Dietrich ordered through radio from atop his command APC.
Italica
D-Day + 34 days, 3am
"Itami, why the hell did you agree on taking this post all by ourselves?" Al asked, visibly irritated by something.
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me, lad! No support. Just us. We could be overrun and killed and then she comes along with her soldiers and loots us after the battle. Who knows what is going on in her mind."
"She is leading the defense of Italica. I thought of that too. But that won't be the case. It'd look too nice to be true. A gateway with no lights…nothing… we have our NVGs (night vision goggles). It's a bluff but it may very well work in our favor. Plus…we have reinforcements underway."
"Who did they send?"
"Everyone. British, Canadian and German personnel has left Alnus and should reach Italica soon. Garrison the town, secure the region, establish FOB. We have to hold out until they get here."
Just as Itami was finishing his last words, Shino came running at him.
"What's wrong, Kuribayashi?" he asked.
"Bandits spotted! Marching down the eastern road. We need to hurry there!"
"Have you informed Erwin?"
"Yes, sir. He is waiting for you."
"Al, go get Tomita and Jackson. Shino, get up on that tank. Make ready for combat. If the bandits don't make a move on this gate or the south gate then the rest of RCT3 can reinforce the eastern walls. Make haste!"
Rory, obviously feeling left out, jumped in on Itami's shoulders. "Aren't you forgetting about me, Youji?".
"Of course not, Rory." he nervously smiled.
In just two minutes, Hussar Three left the western gate with Itami, Rory, Kuribayashi, Tomita, Alistair and Jackson riding atop of it.
"RCT3 actual to Alnus Base or whoever else can hear me, the east gate is under attack."
"Turn the music on, Franz!" Erwin ordered his gunner. And then, from the speakers mounted on the sides, music started flowing.
Italica's Eastern Gateway
Pina was atop the battlements with Grey, Norma, Hamilton and the militia. She was nervously following the 800 bandits preparing to attack the town. Her militia ready to loose the arrows at the brigands at her command.
"There are just too many of them!" a worried Hamilton's voice stated.
Grey was furiously trying to come up with tactics. "Maybe we can make them bleed out in street fights. A tight formation can hold on in narrow streets."
Norma was the calmest of them all. Was he stupid or just very disciplined before the dire situation they were in? He just reached for his sword and lifted it up in the air with his right hand. "Make ready!" he shouted. Just as they were starting to lose hope, the sound of music, engine and metal could be heard behind them. Hussar Three, the Leopard 2A6, arrived at the eastern gate.
Ob's stürmt oder schneit, ob die Sonne uns lacht,
Whether it storms or snows, or the sun smiles on us,
It was the famous 'Panzerlied', the song of the German tankers from WW2 that was coming out of the speakers.
Erwin was full of energy and so was his crew. He asked his comrades to get down. "Everyone, please get down and watch the show from up there" he pointed his finger at Pina. "Hussar Three is charging out."
"What are they doing?" was the question on everyone's mind.
"Erwin, take care out there. We will give you covering fire."
"No need, Itami. Preserve your ammo for those who get past us. Take defensive positions. OPEN THE GATES!" he commanded.
"What!? No! Do you want to let them in?" Pina scolded him.
"Princess, open the gates for me and I can save you a lot of trouble. You can close them after I move out."
"What is he trying to do?" Grey was asking but nobody answered. Then Pina ordered: "Open the gates!"
Everybody jumped off the tank and ran up on the wall. Alistair was following Erwin with his eyes. "That guy really wants to take it on the chin for us." he muttered. Then he watched as Erwin drew out a sword that looked like those from the 19th century, most certainly a cavalry sword. "Where the hell did he got one? And how did he sneak it up here!?"
Erwin raised his arm up high, pointing the blade to the heavens. As he was singing along with his crew and with the speakers, he lowered his right hand slowly as the gates opened for him. Up to the point the sword was pointing to the bandits. The engine roared like a mighty feline preparing to attack.
Mit donnernden Motoren, zu schnell wie der Blitz,
With thundering engines, too fast as lightning,
Dem Feinde entgegen, im Panzer geschützt.
Towards the enemy, sheltered in the tank.
Voraus den Kameraden, im Kampfe ganz allein, ja ganz allein.
Ahead of our comrades, In the fight all alone, yes all alone.
As the lyrics went on with the music at maximum volume, the tank moved forward and rushed outside, the gates closing behind them.
"What is that music?" Pina kept asking while watching Erwin's tank charge alone like a mad man. "He will die!"
"That is wrong. He and his crew are in the safest place once could be right now – inside the mighty Leopard 2. And their song… that is the song of the German tankers, the 'Panzerlied'." Alistair gave her the answer.
"What is a…tanker?" Pina asked in return.
"Tankers are those who valiantly charge ahead in their tanks, the riders of the land emperors! The riders of the tanks. God bless them! Those bandits are as good as dead."
Hussar Three barely made it 20 meters from the gates before sending an HE shell at the enemy lines. Everyone jumped at the boom of the 120mm smoothbore cannon. The defenders followed the HE round, shining in the night like a tracer, as it cut through air and fell among the former soldiers, now bandits, sending shrapnel and death in a fiery detonation. The consequences on the human body was horrific – flying pieces of people, hands, legs, organs and blood. The carnage was intensified by the howling of the coaxial MG3 machinegun. 7,62mm rounds found targets everywhere among the enemy lines.
"Woah! It can summon magic like that?"
"He is going to go through their ranks! Archers! Loose arrows!" Norma shouted
"Hold it, you idiot!" Jackson jumped. But everyone fired. "Try only to take down those who make it past the tank! You might hit Erwin while he's still outside the hatch!"
Pina's ears were ringing and hurting but they were recovering. Hussar Three's cannon and machinegun fire was easy to tolerate when it wasn't going near you. She watched with her jaw dropped as everything the bandits threw at the steel chariot bounced off its armor – arrows, bolts, spears. RCT3 members have set up firing positions on the walls, covering as much ground as possible. "Try to save ammo! We might have to shoot a lot of them." Itami instructed his men.
"Vorwärts Männer!" Erwin shouted as he raised his right arm like a napoleonic era hussar, curving it and preparing to cut down some infantry. The bandits formed up in a formation similar to the phalanx. „If you bastard bastards think you can stop my tank with that..." Erwin's last words were needless. The tank rammed through the shields and spears, splintering them to bit, and crushing the men beneath its tracks. The meat of those caught exploded under the pressure of 60 tons of beauty and death. Blood and flesh painted the tracks red. Hussar Three discharged death from its cannon and MG3 everywhere as it cleared a path among the bandits, leaving crushed and mutilated bodies behind. Many of the bandits recognized the sounds of death – the very same thing happened back at Alnus.
„Is this the power of the iron elephant? Of the iron chariot that helped defeat the dragon? Is this what happened to the heavy cavalry at Alnus? Nothing could withstand its power." – those were Pina's thoughts. She was scared by the power she brought inside the walls. What if they would ever turn on the town? She felt lucky she could get their help in defending the city.
„Shit! Here they come! Open fire!" the defenders opened fire on the advancing bandits. Rory jumped down, smiling and laughing with a psycho's look in the eyes. „Shit, Rory's loose. Rory! Don't get yourself killed!" were Itami's words at her, but Rory was slicing everyone who she thought to be expendable.
The dead kept piling up and the Sun was rising, bathing the blood stained fields and walls of Italica in the morning's light. Colonel Dietrich's column was close to the city. He was able to see the smoke rising and distinguish the sound of cannon fire in the distance. „Everyone, hurry up! Leopards, deploy in attack formation! IFVs form up as a cleaning force behind the tanks. Leave nothing alive! Infantry and APCs will wait in reserve. Hurry up!"
Up on the eastern walls everyone was fiercely fighting to defend the town. Many bandits got passed Erwin. He turned his tank and started running circles and running over as many as possible. Bauer was complaining blood started to block his view.
Shino was engaged in close quarters combat with a bunch of bandits while the others gunned them down. Pina ordered a full retreat behind the wooden palisade built inside the walls. „Retreat while you can!" she shouted to RCT3 members. Hearing her, everyone rushed down the stairs and left the gateway undefended. Norma and a few of the militia were caught up and left behind. They were slain in a moment. Norma got a spear in his back and a sword in his liver. His armor was good but not the best. The broadsword was designed to pierce steel plate and it pierced his armor, dealing the fatal blow. Norma died shortly and was thrown from the walls. The Rose Order of Knights suffered its first casualty in combat.
Then, out of nowhere, two AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters descended upon the bandits close to the wall, setting everything on fire with HE warheads and cutting down foes with the Gatling gun mounted beneath.
Jackson on radio: „Cavalry is here, lads!". They sighed in relief when they heard him and noticed the choppers. All RCT3 elements were on their way to the east gate to aid in the defense. Inside the gates fighting broke out. Pina, tired, pulled back with her knights as Rory made an appearence inside the walls and started chopping down more bandits, their numbers rapidly declining. The two helicopters made a fly-by over the walls, clearing them with cannon fire. Then, one broke off formation and headed to the east and one to the west, went above the buildings and positioned itself above the defenders' heads.
"RCT3, this is Hunter 1. Any friendlies must retreat in 10 seconds behind the second line of defenses. We'll kill what is left behind."
Itami relayed the instructions to everyone. He had to go recover Rory by force. Just as he made it to his platoon, the Gatling gun roared to life, raining 20mm rounds on the bandits.
"BBRRRRRRTTTTTTT!"
Yeah! The distinctive sound of a Gatling gun. Nothing compared to the A-10s Avenger 30mm gun. The knights' jaws dropped again to the ground when they witnessed the Cobra unleashing hell.
"What… Iron Pegasus with people riding it… What is this? The iron elephant and now this? Brutal firepower… total destruction. Thunder and death… Just as King Duran said."
Shortly, more distant cannon fire could be heard in quick succession followed up by numerous explosions outside the walls. Curious, everyone wanted to rush up the walls to see what's going on. Wherever one tried to step he'd step on a corpse or the remains of a corpse. Pina held her hand at her mouth when she felt like throwing up at the gory sight that awaited them up on the walls and below the walls. The only ones who felt like walking through a park were Rory, Sgt. Jackson and Lt. Alistair.
When the four knights saw the events unfolding outside they couldn't believe their eyes. "There's more of them!" Hamilton shouted. "They are charging in. Gods! In all my years of service in the Imperial Army…I haven't seen such a terrible battlefield."
Dietrich's tanks were charging in a chevron formation. They scattered the last bandits or shot them. Behind them, IFVs and APCs were slowly making their way to Italica.
The Slaughterfest of Italica would remain in history as one of the most one-sided engagements ever. It was early in the morning when Combat Unit Europa, name given because of the soldiers' native continent, arrived with its full numbers at Italica. Dietrich came out of his command APC. He had a good look around before ordering his men: "I want Lt. Kalb here immediately. Tell the British music band I want them right here ASAP. Four more Leopards behind Erwin's will be here. In front of the column I want the singers. And in front of them, leading the parade will be the flag bearers. I want to see the flags of Japan, UK, Germany and Canada. Flag bearers – singers – infantry – tanks – five LAVs / IFVs – five M113s. Fast! Hey you there!" Dietrich was calling out to a platoon of 6 LAVs with soldiers riding on it "Get here, in formation in the column. We are going to parade through this city in thirty minutes."
Everyone was dragging away the dead and rounding up the few prisoners. Pina, Grey and Hamilton were around Norma's body. They put him on a rock and covered his body with an Imperial flag.
Grey breaks the silence: "It was fortunate to have the men in green… the JSDF as they call themselves… here to help us. I don't think the town could have survived."
Pina, still looking down on Norma's body: "But was it wise, Grey? Have we not brought upon the town of Italica a destructive force comparable to that of gods?"
Hamilton: "Princess, they agreed to help us. They seem well intended people."
Pina: "We shall see how well intended they are. Now that their army is here…"
They then turned their eyes to the main street leading to the eastern gate. A lot of noise was coming from there. When the three nobles came out of the mansion's yard they saw a lot of people on each side of the road cheering at a column of soldiers marching through the city. "What on…?"
(Small British fanfare now singing Scotland the Brave)
They first saw four soldiers carrying the flags. "Are those their flags?" they asked each other. "I've definitely seen two of the flags on their uniforms. They even have music bands in their army?". After the bearers came the fanfare and behind them was Third Recon Team parading through Italica's streets in their battle uniforms, painted red by blood and brown by dirt. Behind RCT3 was Colonel Dietrich in a Humvee in his field uniform saluting the civilians. He was followed by infantry and heavy and light armor. The parade made a tour around the mansion on the streets before coming to a halt. The fanfare is now singing Amazing Grace.
"Itami! What is the meaning of this?" Pina asked Itami who was still standing at attention with the others.
"I'm sorry, Princess. But you will have to speak to my superior. He's that man over there. Colonel Dietrich." Itami replied and made an eye gesture to show where Dietrich is.
"They look so great! These soldiers are killers but also look great at the same time." Rory said.
"Many from Alnus came here." were Tuka's thoughts.
Lelei: "I didn't know they had so many and powerful weapons."
Pina approached Lelei to ask for her assistance to facilitate communication with Colonel Dietrich. The two then approached the German officer. Lelei will be translating for each other.
Pina: "I wish to know who you are, seeing you're the one in command of these soldiers."
Dietrich: "Name's Karl Dietrich. I'm a Colonel in the Bundeswehr, the armed forces of Germany and commanding officer of the Special Region Combat Unit Europa."
Pina: "Are you vassals of Japan?"
Dietrich: "No, young girl. We are friends and friends help each other. Who am I speaking with? I've introduced myself and it'd be nice if you could tell me your name."
Pina: "Pina Co Lada, Third Princess of the Empire and commander of the Rose Order of Knights."
Dietrich: "Pleased to meet you, Princess!" spoke as he reached out a hand.
Pina nervously asked Lelei "Why…is he asking me if I want to be his wife?". Of course, Lelei translated her question.
Dietrich let his hand down. "I'm sorry. It was not what that meant for me. Back on Earth this is how people greet each other. I don't know if I'm supposed to bow or something like that, I have never met someone with royal blood before."
Pina: "I… I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. So…colonel. What is it exactly that you are doing right now, marching through the streets of Italica like that, with your flags and music?"
Dietrich: "Princess, may I ask how old you are?"
Pina: "Nineteen years old."
Dietrich: "For such a young girl to be the commander of a military order. And on top of that of royal blood too and out here in the province, even in the thick of it."
Pina: "You have women soldiers too, don't you?"
Dietrich: "Yes, we do. But not one who is part of a royal family. To answer your question, Princess, we are just parading through the city we helped defend. To tell you more, I first have to speak to whoever is in charge of Italica. Are you?"
Pina, stupefied: "PARADING!? No, I'm not in charge. That would be Countess Myui. Please follow me to her."
Myui, Pina, Grey, Hamilton, Dietrich and Itami will decide the future of Italica together.
AN: Chapter seven is here and eight is being written. Please leave your opinion via reviews :D they are much appreciated and help me perfect myself. Opinions and ideas are gladly accepted.
