Chapter 119: Saint Petersburg
St. Petersburg, 12:45 pm
Grand Duke Henry was having lunch with Maria and Alice Shaing, respectively stepmother and half-sister of Shin Hyuga Shaing, commander first of the Knights of St. Michael and then of the Knights of St. Uriel. In the dining room, on the left side wall, a flat screen television had been set up which was broadcasting the BIN (Britannia Imperial Network) news.
"We connect live with our correspondent Malty Melromarc, from the city of Lincoln, in central England, where European General Schmelman Bach has set up his headquarters. Malty, do you receive me? " Asked a woman in her thirties with long blond hair tied in a long ponytail that reached her back and blue eyes that an overlay labeled Vladilena Balalaika. After a few moments, the image of a girl with red hair tied in a tail, green eyes and lipstick materialized on the screen. She was standing in front of the ruins of a church, brandishing a microphone, and was in the company of General Bach and a girl with long pink hair tied in a long braid and blue eyes.
"Loud and clear, Balalaika! I find myself in front of St. Hugh's Cathedral, or at least what remains of it, and I am in the company of General Schmelman Bach of the Army of Europia and his assistant Firenda. " The redhead replied.
"How is the situation?"
"The city is substantially under the control of allied troops, even though it has been heavily damaged by fighting between human and alien forces. Now I will ask General Bach a few questions. "
Having said this, he turned to the graduate:
"General, can you give us a summary of the war situation?"
"We have full control of Lincolnshire and the neighboring counties, the enemy is putting up a desperate resistance, but at this rate, with President Leila in London and Scotland in Esdeath's hands we will have the game won in a few weeks." The blond man said.
"And speaking of enemies, I know that they have caused you many difficulties. Can you explain the reasons for this? "
"First of all, they die hard. Small arms are ineffective against them, while heavy weapons and anti-tank rockets, such as Javelins, are very useful. They also use laser and plasma weapons, which instantly disintegrate the target. They made us sweat a lot ... "
"And what about their means?"
"They use tanks and frames, like us. But their vehicles are faster, and like hand-held firearms they fire lasers and plasma. I heard that one of their tanks destroyed 7 of our Leclercs and 8 British Abrams tanks before being shot down by the intervention of Rafael's knights."
"In short, serious losses."
"True, but despite that we are gaining ground."
"And what about aviation?"
"Before starting the landings we launched a massive air offensive, hitting the airfields and shooting down enemy fighters, bombers and flying fortresses. This allowed us to gain dominion over the English skies. However, enemy squadrons show up from time to time, from Ireland, Iceland and the North Sea. Our radars detect them, and they are easily intercepted and annihilated by anti-aircraft or by fighters and knightmares. "
"Okay, but doesn't it seem strange to you that alien aircraft are not equipped with stealth technology? We have it, so they too, who are more advanced, should have camouflage systems. "
At that moment a noise from above alarmed the journalist, who looked up at the sky, assuming an alarmed expression.
"Don't worry, they're a couple of our Eurofighers ..." Firenda reassured her, smiling cordially.
"Thank goodness ... But now answer my question, general." Said the redhead girl.
"They probably expected a lightning-fast victory: sudden attack, on a global scale… They were convinced that if they took us by surprise they would easily defeat us. They were wrong. "
"Ah, I'm so worried about Shin ..." Maria said.
"Me too ... I don't want him killed." Her daughter supported her.
"Lord Shaing is an experienced fighter, both with knightmares and hand-to-hand. He knows how to take care of himself. " The Grand Duke reassured them, and then added:
"What really worries me is the high number of casualties our army is suffering ..."
The offensive to rid Britain of aliens was proving to be rather difficult: the reptilians were putting up a strenuous resistance, defending every inch of territory with their claws: they fought city by city, street by street, house by house. Each battle cost thousands of deaths on both sides, including human civilians living in alien-occupied areas who were employed as slaves.
If the liberation of the British Isles is so bloody, how bad will that of Africa, the Middle East, China and other territories be?
Henry wondered.
Meanwhile, the interview continued on TV.
"You said there are different types of reptilians, right?"
"Yes… They are divided into classes: the soldiers, 2 meters tall and sturdy, with dark green skin. They are the ones who actually hold power in their society, as they contribute to the expansion of the empire and defense. The main offices, including that of the emperor, are held by members of this class. "
"And the others?"
"We have workers, about 1.73 meters tall, who take care of manual work. They are used in sensitive sites, as commanders do not trust human slaves. They have black skin. Then we have the pilots, the scientists and other classes. "
"But how does you know these things?"
"I interrogated a couple of prisoners."
"Are you saying that those creatures know our language?"
"They learn it easily. Their learning ability is equal to ours, if not superior. " Firenda answered her.
"I understand… And what about the auxiliaries? We know that the reptilians force other alien species to fight for them. "
"Some fight to the death, others change sides and join us as soon as they get the chance."
Malty was incredulous.
"Are you saying that aliens fight alongside Earthlings?"
"Yup." Schmelman simply replied.
"But don't you think it's imprudent?"
The blond waved a hand casually.
"Up to now they have not caused us problems."
"Aliens fighting alongside us? It's a joke, right? " Maria asked, scandalized.
"Not at all, Miss Shaing. And they are proving to be valid allies. " Replied the Grand Duke.
"But it's dangerous!" The woman protested.
"If that were the case, we wouldn't have welcomed them into our ranks, I guarantee you."
"I hope so ... Already the alliance with Europia irritates me, let alone the one with extraterrestrial creatures."
"To defeat the reptilians we need all the help we can get. It is necessary to leave behind old conflicts and prejudices, if we want to win this war we must fight together against the invaders, and not among ourselves. "
Though still suspicious, Maria nodded. This was not the time for fratricidal struggles, which would have favored the reptilians and harmed the earthlings.
"Changing the subject, you were kind enough to invite us here to the palace." She said, genuinely pleased.
"It is an honor for me to host Lord Shaing's (adoptive) mother and sister. That boy is one of my best commanders, it is fortunate to have him in the service of Euro-Britanni. "
Meanwhile Alice thought:
Who knows what the big brother will be doing right now ...
