A/N: All characters belong to their respective owners. This work was written for entertainment purposes only. Also, a big thanks to Heinkelboy05 for some help with this chapter.

Chapter 3: First Blood

March 24, 1935

Central Gallia, Principality of Gallia

A convoy of 5 trucks were driving on a dirt road towards the front lines. The war has been going on for 9 days and already, the Germans were not that far away from the capital of Randgriz. Everyday, the Gallian Army is being pushed and everyday more and more people are getting killed as the German assault continues to move along.

In one of the trucks, there were seven Gallian regular army soldiers talking amongst themselves. Some were expressing how excited they were to finally fight in the war while there were those who were veterans from the Great War that knew what was coming and tried to calm the young ones down. However, they were not the only ones in the truck. Occasionally, they would cast glances at a lone figure who was sitting by the end of the truck. Compared to the others, this man's uniform was different from theirs. Instead of the dark blue uniform that the regular army usually has, he was dressed in a more forest green uniform. HIs boots and webbing were also not Gallian standard issue and his helmet was dark green and in a more of a bowl shape rather than the usually shape of your standard Gallian helmet. Currently the man was breaking down his rifle and reassembling it, making sure that it was in good working order. Now, normally this would not be much of an issue but the Gallians knew who this really was: a foreigner, in particular an American.

Meanwhile, Andrew could hear the whispers about him and he just rolled his eyes as he can tell they just think that he shouldn't be here. Though, that isn't to say that he is not a bit excited to finally be back in the action. Though, he was still surprised to have gotten the orders.

Two Days Ago

"Are you serious sir?" Andrew asked, surprised at what he just heard.

"It's just what you heard. Effectively tomorrow, you are being sent to assist a Gallian regular army unit protecting a town from the advancing German forces. Unfortunately, you can't bring any of our firearms with you since they do not carry our caliber so you are stuck with using Gallian firearms," The lieutenant told Andrew. Andrew continued to look over his orders and still can't believe it. He had been annoying his CO about getting transferred to a combat unit, just not this way.

"Do we know which unit I am going to?" Andrew asked.

"The orders didn't specifically say. You are just to ride along a convoy delivering supplies and replacements to a unit in central Gallia. From there, you are to meet with a Gallian officer and assist her in the defense of the town," the lieutenant said.

"She?" Andrew asked.

"All the orders said was you will know who she is by being the one yelling out orders. Just make sure to show her the orders and for the love of God, don't punch the officer. I have orders specifically to remind you to conduct yourself accordingly," The lieutenant groaned.

"I can't promise anything," Andrew replied, causing the lieutenant sigh.

"Get out. And kick some kraut ass for us Gunny," the lieutenant stated. Andrew smirked and saluted the lieutenant. Once we left the office, he immediately went to his room and began packing, a part of him feeling excited but another part being scared shitless at what this will entail.

Present Day

Andrew sighed as he remembered that day. He was lucky that he was able to catch the last truck leaving to the front in time, though mailing a letter to his wife was a bit more important at that time. The small convoy arrived at their destination and Andrew looked out to see many civilians rushing to get out. He can see cars and trucks trying to leave with some civilians just basically getting out on foot. The look of fear on many of the adults' faces told Andrew all he needed to know how desperate this was getting. However, the look on some of the children was not of worry but excitement for some.

"Well, just goes to show how some kids are viewing this as some sort of adventure," Andrew muttered, remembering how he felt when he heard old war stories as a kid. He was brought out of this thinking when the truck suddenly stopped. Andrew got out of the truck and then helped the Gallian soldiers unload the supplies. Once that was done, Andrew began to look around for any sort of command post or someone who looked like an officer. As he walked around, he would notice some civilians would look his way before turning away.

"You would think they would be somewhat happy for some help," Andrew muttered. He finally found the command post, it was inside a church that was near the center of town. As he approached the church, he was stopped by two guards at the steps to the church.

"Hold it! Who are you?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Hi, I am a part of your reinforcements. I was supposed to meet the CO in charge of the defense of the town. I have my order papers here," Andrew replied. He pulled out his orders from his breast pocket and showed it to the guards.

One of the guards took a look at the orders. Once he could see that everything was in order, he said to Andrew, "Ok, looks good to me. You can go in, and if you are looking for the CO, it's First Lieutenant Damon." Andrew nodded at this as the two guards stepped aside. Andrew then climbed the stairs and entered the church.

Upon entering, he saw soldiers running about and from the chatter he was hearing, they were worried about an impending German attack. He saw that there was a group of people gathered around a large table with a map on it. He made his way to the table and once he was close, heard their discussion.

"We should have our defenses outside of the town. We need to make sure that those bastards don't step foot into the town."

"And what would you have us use as support?! We don't have enough tanks or anti-tank guns and we are running low on ammo."

"We still have civilians evacuating. If we don't act fast, they are going to be caught in the crossfire."

Andrew finally approached the table to see that three regular army officers and one militia officer were arguing on what to do. He looked and saw a woman that was around to be in her early twenties. She wore a dark blue tunic and black skirt, showing that she was a regular army officer. He also had armor plates on her knees for protection and she had on a peaked officer cap in the same dark blue color of her uniform. She had fingerless gloves on and Andrew noticed she had form-fitting boots that covered her black leggings which concealed her legs. On the right side of her hip was a revolver and on the other side was a sheathed officer's sword. Of course, the other officers were only holstering pistols which told Andrew that she was from an aristocrat family.

'Please for the love of God, don't let her be as bad as the other officers I had to deal with before,' Andrew thought to himself as the lady looked up from the map and at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" She asked Andrew. The other officers stopped what they were doing and looked over at him. Andrew straightened himself and introduced himself.

"Ma'am, Gunnery Sergeant Andrew W. Vandegrift, United States Marine Corp. I have been ordered to assist in any defense that the Gallian Regular Army needs. Here are the orders I am supposed to show you," Andrew stated, showing her the order papers. She took the papers and gave it a look. As she did so, the officers gauged Andrew. Of course, the regular army officers looked at him with suspicion and contempt but the militia officer looked a bit relieved to see Andrew.

"Hmm, General Eisler never said anything about this," The lady muttered.

"Well, this was last minute ma'am. And since it looks like you all need every able body person you can get," Andrew replied, noting the scarce amount of soldiers and militia he has seen so far.

"You do have a point. And since these orders did come from headquarters, then I welcome you to the frontlines. I'm First Lieutenant Isabella Damon, it's a pleasure to meet you," Isabella said, handing the papers back to Andrew and offering her hand. Andrew took it and shook it.

"Pleasure ma'am, but if it's alright with you, I prefer to refer to those I am fighting with by their first name. Is that ok?" Andrew asked.

"What kind of request is that? You are to address her-" One of the officers started but Isabella nodded.

"I have no issue with it. We are fighting side by side and I know many people won't risk their lives for strangers," She replied while at the same time sending a glare at the officer who spoke up. That shut up the other officer real quick.

"So, let's skip the rest of the introductions for now and focus on the coming battle. I heard you guys were having a hard time with the defenses of the town," Andrew asked, getting right to business.

"Yes, we know that a German Mechanized battalion will be reaching the town in a few hours. We were trying to see how we can set up the defenses but as you probably know, we are at an impasse," Isabella stated. Andrew took a look at the map. From what he can see, a good portion of the defense is in the outskirts of town with trenches, machine gun nests, and anti-tank guns spread out. He saw some light tanks were also sprinkled in but also noticed they were not in any cover.

"Ok, you won't be able to hold the city when the majority of your defenses are on the city outskirts," Andrew pointed out.

"If we don't have any defenses outside the city, then how do you propose we hold them off? If we don't hold them back at the city outskirts, then they will just waltz into the town," One of the regular army officers stated.

"But then who will be left to protect the town? The town watch? I'm sorry but from what I saw outside, they got their hands full with evacuating the civilians outside. And besides, how many troops do we have to defend the city anyway? Both regular army and militia?" Andrew asked. He was met with silence from the other officers until Isabella answered.

"Currently, we have a company of regular army troops as well as 2 militia squads. We also have the town watch who are not a part of the evacuation. So, in total we have about one hundred or so troops defending the town,"

"And we got a mechanized battalion,which can range between three hundred to maybe a thousand if we are unlucky. This is exactly why we need to bring the defenses into the city. For one, urban combat is not an easy fight and two, if they are going to roll in with tanks and armoured vehicles, the urban terrain will hinder their movement. I assume you guys have anti-tank rockets?" Andrew asked.

"We have lancers but not many rockets," The militia officer replied.

"All the more reason for us to bring our defenses into the city," Andrew pointed out.

Isabella looked at the map again. While it is true that they would need to hold onto the town long enough for the rest of the civilians to evacuate, they are at a disadvantage in the open. Urban combat would be the best bet to hold the town.

"Ok, so here is the plan. We will still have defenses on the outskirts of town to stall the Germans for a short time. Then they will fall back into town and take positions at these junctions," Isabella then points at three key positions outside of town, "Then once we see them bring in their armor, the outer defenses will retreat back into the city and draw the enemy into fighting us house by house."

"If I may," Andrew interjected, to which Isabella nodded, "Best we also begin setting up a minefield here," Andrew pointed to the road that was leading into town, "They would most likely use the roads for their armor so if we have any anti-tank mines, then I say we put them there."

"Hmm that would probably be a good idea," Isabella commented, looking to one of her subordinates who nodded and went off to get it done. After a few more minutes of discussion and no more questions, everyone went to finish up the defenses.

As Andrew was about to leave, he was stopped by Isabella and was asked, "Do you think we can hold this town?"

"Honestly, given the amount of soldiers that we have here and what is coming to us, plus they have air support most likely, I would say the odds of us holding this town are pretty slim but if we stick to the plan and bring them in then that would limit their chances to use artillery or air power," Andrew pointed out.

"Sounds like you have some experience doing this?" Isabella asked, curiosity filling her voice.

"I fought against rebels in Nicaragua during the Banana Wars and I saw first hand how to beat back an enemy in a town with small numbers. Only this time, we have tanks and some support. Back then, the best we had were machine guns and small mortars," Andrew replied.

"That case, can I ask you to help out with the outer defenses? I hate to admit it but many of those here do not have much combat experience and I will take all the help I can get," Isabella asked.

"You think that is a good idea? I mean, I am an American and we are not really liked here too," Andrew replied. While true that does not mean all Gallians hate Americans, Andrew has already dealt with many who do.

"To me, I don't care if you are from another country. Besides, America is also in this fight so to me, you are an ally helping out. Plus, I value those who have more experience in combat. So, will you take the offer?" Andrew was pretty surprised by this. From all his interactions with the officer corps for the Gallian Regular Army, all he has been met with were people who had privilege their whole lives, yet with Isabella, Andrew only saw that had respect and virtue in her leadership ways. She doesn't even look down on the militia, given what Andrew observed during the meeting.

"Well, if you are asking, then I would be honored to. Though, your soldiers better listen to me cuz we really don't have any time to argue about jurisdiction out there," Andrew pointed out.

"Done. I'll make sure that they follow you but also if you want to retreat or want to change the plan, relay that to me first," Isabella stated.

"Got it. Now, you know where your armory is."

An hour later

"Whoever is eating, can you please do it more quietly for the love of good?" Andrew groaned as the offender stopped eating and replied with a sorry before continuing, albeit a lot quieter.

The defenses have all been set and the engineers had finished setting up the minefield on the road and in the fields. Now, all they could do is wait for the enemy to come to them.

"How long do you think they will be here?" One of the militia members, a shock trooper asked.

'Not long but once they do, we will stop them," a townswatch member replied confidently, causing Andrew to scoff.

'I love your optimism kid," Andrew said as he pulled out a cigarette and lighted it.

"We will. Those bastards won't know what hit them," The same townswatch member replied, who Andrew concluded was probably sixteen.

"Kid, they got tanks and armored vehicles, we barely got enough rounds for the anti-tank guns and not to mention that their soldiers are the best trained in the world. Just count your stars if we make it through this alive," Andrew replied, taking a puff from his cigarette.

"Well, what would you know? You are an American. You haven't even fought against the Germans, let alone anyone else," the youth replied. Andrew gritted his teeth and was about to say something back until out the corner of his eyes, he saw the ground starting to shake. He turned to the east and saw the growing dust cloud approaching them.

"Well, so it begins," Andrew muttered as he cocked his rifle and aimed down his sights towards the incoming cloud. Everyone else also became tense and aimed their weapons at the approaching Germans.

Andrew glanced to his left and saw a girl, who was a part of the town watch given how her uniform only consisted of her civilian clothes and an armband that had the town watch emblem on it and was probably 16, shaking. The rifle in her hands was shaking and from experience, that is going to make her shots miss.

"Hey, take a deep breath," Andrew said out loud, still looking down his sights. The girl looked at him and then gulped. Shen then took a few deep breaths and finally her shaking stopped.

"Thanks. Sorry, I am just a bit nervous," the girl replied.

"Don't be sorry. It's completely normal to be scared during combat. If you weren't then I would be more worried," Andrew replied. He remembers his first time being shot at and let's just say, he is glad he doesn't remember most of it.

"Really? Are you scared too mister? You look like a vetern," The girl asked.

"Well, I only fought rebels in South America, not a professional army, so this will be a first for both of us," Andrew commented.

"Oh ok….. Um, if I may ask? Do you think that it's right for me to be here?" That question got Andrew to turn his head and he saw why she asked that question. The girl was not cute or anything, hell she looked cute enough that his younger brother might be interested in her, but what got his attention was her dark blue hair and a familiar design scarf around her neck.

'She's a Darcsen,' Andrew thought as he pursed his lips and then responded.

"From where I'm from, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or who you call God. If you are willing to fight and die for your country, I won't say no to that. So, to answer your question, then yes, you do have a right to be here," Andrew explained. This caused the girl to be surprised before continuing.

"Um, but for us, we have a creed that says-"

"Now, let me stop you there. While it is true that Darcsens take a vow to not do anything violent since you guys are blamed for the Darcsen Calamity, which to me is complete and utter bullshit, but that does not mean you can't defend yourselves. I have a wife that is Darcssen and she is serving as a pilot. So, you have to ask yourself if you want to be here," Andrew replied quickly. The girl nodded but still looked unsure.

"What's your name kid?" Andrew asked.

"Lina," Linsa responded.

"Well, Lina, if we survive this, I would like to continue to talk to you. It will help with your nerves," Andrew replied, sending a smile her way before the radio came to life.

"Our sniper is reporting that the first echelons of the German forces will be making contact with our outer defenses soon. Standby for an attack," A voice said over the radio.

"Yeah, I think the dust cloud made that abundantly clear," Andrew remarked. A few more minutes later, the Germans appeared over the horizon, approaching the town and Andrew got his first look at the enemy. Unlike the rebels he was used to fighting, the German infantry were more professional in their movements. They were approaching more carefully and at a slower pace, rather than the rushed movements of the rebels. These guys knew tactics and movement and they were also more heavily armed. Already, Andrew can see some of them were armed with some carrying sub-machine guns, the Schmeisser from what Andrew remembered from the weapons briefing at the embassy, and a few had light machine guns.

Then the vehicles started to appear. First came a Sd. Kfz. 222 light armoured car, armed with an autocannon and machine gun. This was followed up by a pair of . 251s, each with a machine gun that had a gun shield. This was followed on by the rest of the company.

Andrew gulped and said a quiet prayer and then he heard something. It sounds like a thump and then he heard the whistling and he knew what that was.

"INCOMING!" Andrew yelled as he grabbed Lina's head and forced it down as mortars started to rain on their position. Soon, this was followed up by machine gun fire and rifle fire. The attack had begun,

"Machine guns, open fire!" Someone yelled and the two machine gun nests that were set up in some buildings behind Andrew began to fire. They cut down some of the advancing Germans but soon the armoured car and halftrack were returning fire. Then, Gallian mortars in town began landing on the German forces attacking as well.

Andrew got his head back up and was about to return fire when he saw that Lina was not getting up. He looked down and saw that she was shaking.

"C'mon Lina, you just asked me if you deserved to fight. Well, now is your chance!" Andrew told her, the last part was a shout as the firefight got more intense. Lina looked at him, with tears falling from eyes, before she nodded and also got up.

"Remember your training kid and you will be just fine," Andrew said, saying the line that he has told many others before. Lina nodded and then began to return fire.

Andrew then took a breath and took aim with his own rifle. He looked for a target and found one: a German firing his machine gun with his ammo loader. He aimed for the ammo loader first, aiming at the man's head. Andrew took a deep breath, and then squeezed the trigger. The rifle bucked from the recoil but Andrew saw the result as the loader suddenly slumped forward. The gunner paused for a few seconds to see what happened and that was all Andrew needed to make his second shot and kill the gunner as well.

'You just killed two German soldiers, Andrew. No turning back now,' Andrew thought to himself as he continued to fire his weapon. The firefight was soon getting more intense as more and more Germans entered the battle. Andrew aimed his rifle at a German with a submachine gun. His first round missed but his second and third round hit the women's chest area, knocking her down. A German medic came up and began to drag her away as bullets flew over them.

About ten minutes after the battle started, Andrew a rumble and looked up and to his horror a tank was heading their way. It was a Panzer IV, Germany's mainline tank and it sported the short barrel 7.5 cm KwK 37 cannon with a MG-34 on top of the commander's cupola. It then turned its turret to one of the machine gun nests.

"Hey! Get the hell out of there!" Andrew yelled towards the machine gun crew. Upon seeing the tank, the machine gun crew began to evacuate but it was too late. The tank fired and hit the machine gun nest. Debris fell around the defenders as well as body parts.

"Ok, i think it is time that we finally fall back," Andrew stated and sure enough the radio came to life.

"All units fall back into the town. I say again, fall back into town,"

Andrew then looked over to Lina and said, "Alright, time to get the hell out of here."

"But we can't just let them waltz into town," One of the militia members still alive said.

"Either we leave or die here, your call. But I am not going to see people die for nothing," Andrew said, he then grabbed Lina's hand, surprising her, the the two ran back into town. Andrew glanced behind him to see a few people also falling back but there were still those who were staying.

The pair made their way through town and saw a blockade that was set up by some regular army troops. There were two anti-tank guns here and a machine gun nest in the middle. They crossed over the barricade and took up positions near the regular army troops.

"Hey, don't let that dark hair near me! She would just stink up the place," One of the regular army troops exclaimed. Lina bowed her head and Andrew was ready to say something when a voice beat him to it.

"Anymore of that and I am sending you to the rear," Andrew turned to see Isabella approaching them with a few more soldiers. She had a MAGs submachine gun and a few grenades on her belt.

"How is it on the other points?" Andrew asked as Isabella took position next to him.

"Your strategy is working. They are having a hard time advancing at the other junctions. This one is the only one we didn't have time to set up any defenses so they will probably push here," Isabella replied.

"Well, just our luck. Tell me you brought some lancers with you," Andrew asked.

Isabella shook her head saying, "We don't have many rockets left. We just have to rely on the anti-tank guns. There is another unit that is going to help secure our flank though," Isabella noted, which caused Andrew to raise an eyebrow.

"What unit? I thought everyone was busy," Andrew asked. Isabella didn't answer him and that just got him thinking more. But before he can answer, he heard an engine sound coming towards them. He turned and sure enough, coming around the corner was the Panzer Four, followed two squads of infantry.

"Guns, open fire!" Isabella ordered. Both anti-tank guns fired at the panzer. One round hitting in front of the tank, throwing up dirt and the second shot hit the tanks treads. The tank came to the stop but the turret was still in working order. It turned its turret to one of the anti-tank guns and round went high, hitting the building behind it. The anti-tank guns reloaded and fired again. Both rounds hit the tank, destroying it. The hatch opened and two crew members got out. Andrew wasn't the only one shooting at them and soon, both of them were on the ground, their bodies looking like swiss cheese.

Behind the destroyed tank, the infantry spread out and began firing at the barricade. Soon, a huge firefight began with both sides trying to outshoot the other. Andrew unloaded his rifle and got back into cover to reload. He saw Lina pulling out a grenade and throwing it. It landed in front of a door and exploded, killing a couple of Germans who were using the door as makeshift cover.

"You got a good arm kid," Andrew said, as he got back into the fight and fired his rifle, killing a German, who was trying to dash across the street to another building.

"Keep firing! We can't let them cross this point!" Isabella yelled over the sounds of battle. As Andrew was firing, killing a pair of soldiers, when he noticed a pair of Germans making their way to one of the anti-tank guns. He noticed one of them had a tube connected to something that looked like a backpack and Andrew's face paled.

"Hey! Get out of there! He's got a flamethrower!" Andrew yelled to the anti-tank crew. They turned to see that the Germans were in distance, and abandoned the gun. However, one was too late and the Germans fired the flamethrower. A jet of fire came out of the tube and burned the soldier. His screams of pain gave Andrew a shiver as the didn't stop. Andrew took aim and fired at the gas tank. The bullet hit the tank and the two Germans were engulfed in flames. Like the man they had just burned, these two also went to the ground screaming in pain.

'This shit never changes. No matter how many years have pass,' Andrew thought to himself as he refocused on the battle. He looked to his right to check up on Lina and saw her on the ground, clutching her arm.

"Lina!" Andrew cried out as he went to check on her wound. He saw that there was an entry and exit wound so the bullet went through.

"Ok, so good news is that the bullet went through so you are going to be fine," Andrew tried to reassure her as he pulled out a small med kit from his pack. She nodded but was biting her lip as tears fell from her eyes due to the pain. Once he applied sulfa onto the would and wrapped her arm up, he handed her rifle back to her and the both of them continued the fight.

As the firefight continued, Andrew noticed that the German numbers were increasing. Soon, they began to retreat.

"D-D-Did we beat them back?" One of the town watch members asked.

"No, they are regrouping," Andrew replied after realizing what they are doing. The Germans had the numbers and vehicles. They are probably regrouping and seeing where the weak points are before making another attack. Andrew sighed as he slumped to the ground next to Lina, took out a cigarette and light it. He blew a few puffs and offered it to Lina, who looked at it for a few seconds before taking it and smoking it too.

"So, how you feeling, kid? Besides the arm being shot of course," Andrew asked.

Lina handed him his cigarette back and said, "This is a lot worse than what my dad told me what happened during the Great War."

"Your dad served?"

Lina nodded, " He always described himself as 'A soldier so fierce, he'd kill a rose'. Heh, looking back on it, he was probably acting tough for me."

"Well, he would be proud. You were a part of a defense that actually held the Krauts back," Andrew replied as he took another puff. He looked around and saw Isabella a few meters away, talking over a radio and from the look on her face, she looked annoyed.

"Yeah, my family is currently in Randgriz right now so they are safe," Lina noted.

"Well, we just got to make sure that you stay alive through this war to see them again," Andrew stated. He then saw Isabella hand the radio receiver back to her radioman roughly and shook her head.

"Wait here for a bit," Andrew told Lina as he got up and walked to Isabella, who was giving orders to her subordinates. As he got closer, the group disbanded and Isabella still had that frown on her face.

"I take it, it's not good news," Andrew asked.

"I tried to request some reinforcements but was denied. I asked for artlerry but was also denied. Finally, it was decided that we are to retreat from town," Isabella explained.

"Well, it makes sense since we do not have the numbers to think about holding this town. And we won't survive without arty. What about air support?" Andrew asked.

"The Luftwaffe bombed the nearby airfields. They own the skies right now. I already gave the order but for some reason a unit on the other side of town is not responding. I know this is asking much but can you be my runner for this one?" Isabella asked, taking her canteen out and taking a drink.

"No problem. Ain't the first time I ran orders for a beautiful lady," Andrew replied, giving a wink. This causes Isabella to spit out her water and cough. Andrew laughed as she glared at him.

"Just joking kid. If you can't take banter like that, you are going to have a hard time on the frontlines," Andrew stated. He then gave her a lazy salute before leaving. He made his way to Lina first who had gotten up.

"Looks like we are leaving. Don't wait for me and get a ride out of town. I'll see you at the next defensive position," Andrew told her.

"Ok, um be careful," Lina replied. Andrew smiled and rubbed her head before taking off.

'Kind of reminds me of my little brother. Heh, shy but when things get tough, willing to step up,' Andrew thought to himself as he made his way to the other unit's position. As he approached the position, he turned a corner and was greeted with something he was not expecting. What he was seeing was about 4 tanks, 5 armoured cars, 3 halftracks and from what Andrew can see dozens of German soldiers lying dead on the ground, in various degrees of forms. There were a few fires on the ground and judging from the amount of bullet holes on the buildings and that not a single building was intact, this was a fierce fight.

"What the fuck happened here?" Andrew muttered as he walked over the bodies. He has seen some carnage before, but this was on a new level. He has heard, and witnessed the might of the German War machine, hell he just fought it today. But to see this much damage inflicted on the Germans was something else.

As he was making his way to the unit, he heard footsteps approaching. He turned towards the sound and then suddenly he felt someone run into him. Both of them fell to the ground and thanks to his training as well as to the fact that a battle just ended, he reached for his 1911 from his holster. As he brought it up, there was a flash of movement and then he felt a knife at his neck.

As the adrenaline finally subsided, he saw that the person who was threatening him was a woman. She looked to be in her early 20s. She has red hair but as it cascaded down, it turned white. She wore a white shirt with a black jacket over it, though she couldn't close it due to her… "chest". She oddly is also wearing a corset and red skirt. She had knee armor that was black with red and whit straps that meet her knee long combat boots. She had an ammo belt and a knife sheathed on her right thigh. Andrew gulped as he pointed his pistol at her stomach.

"Deutsche?" Andrew asked in German, thinking she was a German soldier, as he has never seen this type of uniform before on a gallian soldier. The woman pressed the knife to his neck and looked at him with a scowl as Andrew pressed the pistol deeper into the girl's stomach.

"Gallian?" Andrew switched to English. The woman then recoiled at this and took a step back.

"Oh….. um…. Are you an ally?" The woman asked.

"Sweetheart, do I look like a German to you?" Andrew asked, gesturing to his marine uniform.

After looking at his uniform, she began to turn red, sheathed her knife and said, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know that there were any Americans here!"

"Well, I am an odd one out to be honest. But anyway, I am looking for a Gallian unit that is supposed to be here. I suppose you are a part of that unit," Andrew asked. The woman was hesitant and was about to reply when a voice called out.

"No. 13, what seems to be the hold up?" Andrew looked behind them and walking up to them was a man and going by his dark blue hair, he is a Darcsen. He was wearing a flight jacket, again a bit odd, over a black shirt with a red design down the middle. He has a map case and a tool kit on his belt and a holster with a flare gun. He's wearing black trousers and combat boots. He also had a headset around his neck.

As the man approached them, he saw Andrew and immediately got defensive.

"May I ask who you are?" The man asked, his hand itching to the flare gun.

"Relax there buddy. I was sent here by Lieutenant Isabella to tell you guys that we are pulling back. We can't hold the town so we need to retreat. Though, judging by the damage I am seeing, you guys can handle yourselves," Andrew stated, gesturing around him.

The man gave Andrew a questioning look before realizing and then sighed, "It seems our radio is still knocked out from the fight. Understood, thanks for the message," The man replied.

"No problem but if I may ask, what was your guy's mission? I didn't see you at the briefing earlier in the day," Andrew asked. Both of them grew quiet for a few minutes when the man answered.

"I'm sorry but that is classified. We really need to go. Thank you for relaying the orders for us," The man replied. Andrew nodded and the two walked away towards a group of soldiers waiting for them, probably their unit. The girl would look back at him with a sort of sad look before looking forward.

"I wonder who they are?" Andrew asked as he massaged his neck. He then saw the rest of this unit and to his surprise, they all wore black uniforms, though to varying degrees. He noticed that their weapons looked pretty old. Many of them had bolt-action rifles and not the standard Gallian rifles. Some were armed with submachine guns and even pistol carbines.

"But damn was that woman fast. Never seen anyone move that quick and they must be really good to hold the Germans back with old equipment like that," Andrew said to himself. He then picked up his rifle and went back to the church. He arrived to see that everyone was getting out of town. He saw that Isabella was waiting by a jeep and walked over to her.

"Sorry for the wait," Andrew said as he approached Isabella.

"I was about to think you picked a ride with the other unit. C'mon, we are one the last ones to leave the town," Isabella said.

"By the way, who were those guys? They were wearing a uniform that I don't recognize," Andrew asked.

"They're the 422nd Infantry Battalion...well, what's left of it. The unit got hit pretty hard early in the invasion. It's barely even a platoon now," explained Isabella.

"Their uniform is a lot different from the militia and regular army. Are they some sort of special unit or something?" Andrew asked Isabella as the two made their way to a waiting jeep.

"In a way. They're a penal battalion. Made up of criminals from the military and civilian life. They get sent on suicide missions for High Command," explained Isabella, getting into the driver side of the jeep.

Andrew got into the passenger seat and the two drove off. Andrew then asked:

"Wait, so you guys actually have penal units? I thought only the Russians use those type of units."

"They haven't had those since the civil war. The Germans have some of their own. These guys call themselves the Nameless. Why, I don't know. I just know that getting sent to that unit is a death sentence in itself. From what I hear, they take the missions that neither the Militia nor the Regulars will do," said Isabella.

"Goddamn. Kind of sounds like they want the death wish or something. Still, the fact they survived this long means they are pretty good at what they do," Andrew replied, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. He offered one to Isabella but she refused it.

"Maybe. Honestly, I think it's just High Command's way of getting rid of troublesome elements. Give them wither a glorious death against the enemy, or a inglorious death on the firing line," she added.

"Hm, though, to be honest, given how you guys are being pushed back everyday, I guess any help is good help. Though, from what I briefly saw, it looks like they don't have much of anything," Andrew noted.

"They're a penal battalion. What did you expect? To the Generals they're just expendable. They leave the major hardware for the actual soldiers," explained Isabella.

"But of course, and look what is happening now. Sigh, god if something doesn't happen, this country won't last much longer," Andrew groaned.

Isabella gripped the steering wheel, and sighed, "I….. have to agree with that. With the way the war is going, we will not win."

Andrew sighed as well as he threw the cigarette out, "Look, I don't think we will lose. The Krauts are pretty much fighting everyone at this point except for a few and they are already biting more than they can chew. It's one thing to just fight one country, it's another to be fighting multiple ones, especially against the U.S."

"I hope you are right. Outside of the equipment and supplies, I was hoping for some more direct help," Isabella asked.

"Well, from what I recall, the Navy has some ships in England and my country is a bit more worried about the German forces in the Carribean right now, Once that is handled, I think my country will then shift forces to Europe," Andrew pointed out. Thanks to letters from his siblings, he found out that the 1st Marine Division is preparing for some landings in the Carribean and there is talk about forming some more marine divisions.

'Well, one could dream', Andrew thought to himself. He then remembered something.

"Oh, did Lina find a ride out?" Andrew asked Isabella.

"If you mean your friend then yes. She was able to board one of the last trucks leaving town," Isabella answered, allowing Andrew to breathe a sigh of relief.

"May I ask you something?" Isabella asked.

"Sure, why not?"

"Were you an officer in the U.S military? Your suggestions and understanding of tactics, I find it hard to believe that you are just some non-commissioned officer. Also, judging by your age, you don't seem to have served very long," Andrew sighed, he knew this question was going to come up eventually.

"Sharp as a tack. I was a lieutenant before coming to Gallia. Like I said before, I fought in South America before hitting an officer after he gave stupid orders. That led to me being demoted and sent here. And now, I am here fighting in a war that is probably bigger than the one my dad fought in," Andrew noted.

"I see. I understand where you are coming from. I too have had to deal with orders from people who have no idea what the situation really is," Isabella replied. Andrew glanced over and saw her hands grip the steering wheel.

"Well, the best thing is, we are alive and well. Now, we need to set up a good defensive position and hope for the best," Andrew said.

"Yeah, I know there is a tank battalion that we are going to be meeting with, at least we will have some armor with us," Isabella noted. As they continued to drive, Andrew looked out into the countryside.

"At that time, I did not know that we would be falling back every single day. No, I thought that there might be a chance that we might actually hold but instead, the Germans kept coming. And with the air force being nowhere to be seen, he also got hammered by the Luftwaffe. Everyday, we retreat, everyday despair kicks in for everyone. I have to admit, I too thought that this could be the end. However, that all changed when I arrived to one of the last lines of defense. That last line of defense was at the outskirts of a town called Vasel. Here, I would meet someone that not only will help change this damn war, but would also be a lifelong friend."

-Andrew Walker. Vandegrift.

Well, there you go everyone. Andrew' first taste of combat against a more serious enemy. Next chapter, we will see how America is getting into this fight as well for those who read my previous version, a few familiar faces. Until then, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! See you all later and stay safe!