"I was always compared to my elder sister. That's why I looked up to him, to the person who was—by all accounts—peerless." — Yukino Yukinoshita.
[27th of May, 2149 Anno Astrum]
From a distance, purple storm clouds approached our position. There was no thunder to be heard, nor winds to be felt. The storm was entirely mechanical, and what noise it made was no more than the flapping of minuscule wings which made up the swarm.
We stood inside the remains of what was once a thriving city—now abandoned since the beginning of the war—ready for battle. Vegetation had made the concrete jungle their home; were it not for the upcoming battle, game animals could often be seen roaming the cracked asphalt roads.
My palms sat comfortably on the familiar twin-stick controls, my feet itching to step on their assigned pedals. Here, in the driver's seat of the M4A3 Vánagandr, was the sole place I felt in control. My life—and the life of my gunner—was in my hands.
There was—of course—the dread of never returning, or becoming responsible for the death of your comrade; but compared to my life outside, this was the only place I truly felt comfortable with all of my being.
Others said that was simply my Onyx genes speaking for me. As proud warriors, the Onyx yearned to be on the battlefield. I would never entertain that notion, however, as that would mean I was never in control, powerless to the hands of fate and lineage. No, I was here because I could. This was my decision, mine alone.
"Comms are going down soon, switch your speakers on everyone."
"No need to remind us every time, Hayato. Seriously…"
"He's made it a habit now because of who exactly, Kakeru?"
"Shut up, it was that one time, okay?"
My squadron members chattered in the background like they always did before an engagement. There wasn't any need to silence them, the nearest squadron would be too far away to hear their chatter at the current volume. The infantry company escorting us never minded either.
"Echo Leader to Alpha Leader, we've... se...t up on the spe...cified loc...tion, Cap..tain Yukin...shi..ta," the jamming was beginning; signal-disrupting Eintagsfliege (mayflies) were upon us, blanketing the sky in dark purple. What was once a bright sunny day turned dark and cold.
"Good, fire at will, Lieutenant Shirogane."
"Ro..er th..t," the other end of the line went silent.
"It's always so eerie before an engagement, I can never get used to it… How about you, Yukinon?" a voice came from my Feldreß' (mech's) gunner seat.
"I'm not that bothered by it, Lieutenant Yuigahama."
"Ehh, you really are strong, Yukinon!"
"I don't think that has anything to do with it…"
Loud feedback swiftly echoed from the large speaker some distance before us; from the line of outposts manned by our mechanized exosuit infantry. "Sight Platoon to all units. Legion force spotted. 60 Ameise (ants), 60 Grauwolf (gray wolves), 60 Löwe (lions), and..." a faint whisper of disbelief was picked up by the speaker before the officer finished her report. "20 Dinosauria… ETA 17 minutes… No Self-Propelled Mines spotted!"
A pronounced gulp could be heard from behind me.
"That's gonna be a problem, isn't it? They sent a whole battalion after us, twenty Dinosauria included..." Lieutenant Akabane commented.
"A problem? Dude, we're practically doomed!" Lieutenant Tobe replied. Despite saying it in his usual hyperbolic tone, there was no doubt he sincerely meant it.
While defeatist, it wasn't a particularly wrong assessment. The Legion never sent more than a small strike force—three squadrons at most—to assault our position. Casualties still occurred, but it was manageable. We could not know why they suddenly wished to rush at us with 200 units, twenty of which were Dinosauria.
The sighting of a single Dinosauria alone would shatter the morale of most greenhorns. I would never forget the first time we faced one, not everyone survived that engagement, and that was the norm. As Lieutenant Yuigahama would usually put it, the Dinosauria were the enemy's boss units.
Our regiment-sized force was nearly 1500 soldiers strong, but many of those were infantry, unable to match the heavy class units in battle. Our armored battalion was only 154 in number, a quarter fewer than our immediate enemies.
"This is Command speaking. Stay calm and proceed as we've always done. 21st Battery, begin firing at their line. I also want all anti-air units to disperse the Eintagsfliege every fifteen minutes," the distant boom from the command room's speakers could be heard even from here.
"Roger that, Colonel," the 21st Artillery Battery relayed back with a boom of their own. The loud communication of speakers only happened before the battle or in the case of emergencies, the rest of the engagement had to be fought with a volume only your unit could hear.
Soon after, the howitzers were ignited into action and their shells exploded amidst the ranks of the Legion. Effectiveness was low, the Tank Type Löwe and Heavy-Tank Type Dinosauria were heavy-class units, mostly able to take the attack without losing operational capability, save for perhaps a true direct hit.
The light-class Scout Type Ameise and Dragoon Type Grauwolf were fast and deployed in a loose formation, making them difficult targets.
Despite that, any artillery was better than no artillery.
"Sight Platoon to 21st Battery, hit confirmed on point 23-27. 10 Ameise, 6 Grauwolf, and 2 Löwe downed. Another Löwe lost its turret. Fire further to the northeast."
"21st Battery to Eyes, copy."
"Sight Platoon to all units. Skorpion fire incoming, evasive maneuvers!" The Legion's howitzers began firing high-explosive shells of their own, a caliber of 155 mm to be exact.
The scout had recommended evasive maneuvers, but in reality, most units were already behind the cover of abandoned buildings.
Minutes passed as the howling of artillery raged on both sides, chipping away what little they could of their enemy's forces.
"Sight Platoon to all units, the enemy is entering city boundaries. Commencing retreat. Keep your heads high, everyone. Glory to the two-headed eagle!"
With the final speaker message from our scouts delivered, the battle would begin in earnest.
[The Federal Republic of Giad's Western Front Digitized Personnel Files]
[Confidential]
First Name: Yukino
Last Name: Yukinoshita
Sex: Female
Age: 24
Date of Birth: 3rd of January, 2125 Anno Astrum.
Place of Birth: Sankt Jeder, Capital Territory, Giadian Empire.
Race: Pureblood Onyx.
Hair Colour: Jet-Black
Eye Colour: Jet-Black
Rank: Captain
Unit: 11th Army Corps, 21st Independent Regiment, 21st Armored Battalion, Boreas Squadron.
Position: Boreas Squadron Leader
Post: FOB 21
Highest Formal Education: Sankt Jeder University, Bachelor in Business Administration.
Background: "Ms. Yukinoshita is the second daughter of the Yukinoshita Clan's main branch, which chose to side with our Federacy during the revolution. It was expected of their family to join the military for the war against the Legion." —Colonel Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Comment: "Ms. Yukinoshita lives up to the expectations of the Yukinoshita Clan, both as a pilot and commander, despite playing too by-the-book in my personal opinion. While she is still very much a newbie with only a year of active service, it is impressive how she can simultaneously pilot and command with her limited experience. I would have recommended she switch to a gunner position if I hadn't seen her in action." —Colonel Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Even from inside the thick framework of the Vánagandr, the screams of our consort infantry vehicles could be heard left and right. The less protected mechanized infantry was no match against the Löwe or Dinosauria, but were necessary components of our army nonetheless; lest we fall victim to the missiles of the Grauwolf.
"All infantry units fall back. Disembark and get to higher ground," I commanded. I was not their direct superior, but my position allowed me the privilege.
"Are you sure, Captain?"
"Listen to her, we won't be of any use on ground level. Lug as many rockets as you can and get to the highrise!"
"Yes, sir!"
We provided the infantry suppressive fire as they took shelter in the abandoned buildings; even if they fell, their Úlfhéðnar exo-suits should be enough to dampen the impact. Their safety was not guaranteed, but it was exponentially safer than holding the line against the Legion's tank units.
The Legion sent two of its Dinosauria to the sector we were defending; most of them were sent to the sectors further north. The Dinosauria advanced without any care for the projectiles propelled towards them, as if they were mocking us for our inferior firepower.
Our 120 mm guns were by no means weak, but we would require—at the very least—half a dozen accurate rounds in order to down one of those heavy tanks at this distance.
They had weak spots in the form of vents right below the front of the turret, with another on its rear. The Legion unit would lose operational capabilities should the shot land, but successfully aiming at them was easier said than done. Many of their consort units blocked our sights, leaving only their humongous cannon exposed.
That being said, it was no issue for the berserkers of Vambrace Squadron.
"Tch, those show offs sure are late."
"Come on, don't be like that. We can take it easy now."
"Focus, you two."
From the west—behind the enemy—emerged the alpha wolf. The octopedal machine charged into the fray, skidding across the asphalt in maneuvers impossible for most to replicate. Without slowing down, the gunner fired the cannon, disabling a distant Löwe with a single well-placed shot between the body and turret.
The lone Vánagandr continued to close the distance daringly; one of the Dinosauria which had been a thorn in our side was soon rendered inoperational by a close-range anti-tank warhead. The Dinosauria was not even given the chance to turn around.
Alpha Leader of Vambrace Squadron—Pilot Hikigaya and Gunner Tomozaki—was revered as the most foolhardy pair of the 21st Independent Regiment.
Naturally, where the alpha went, its pack followed. They dealt with the enemy in similar close-quarters engagements, although their skills were not comparable to that of their leader. I would never admit it aloud, but I was envious of them, to be so free of fear, or rather, to have conquered it in its entirety.
With the encirclement complete, we crushed the rest of the Legion in our designated sector. The infantry atop the decrepit buildings, as well as Echo Platoon's grenadier crew, began raining down explosives on the trapped Legion.
My Boreas Squadron handled the lighter units of Ameise and Grauwolf, while Vambrace would continue their close-quarters engagements against the remaining Löwe.
"Vambrace Alpha Leader to any available units, requesting distraction fire against the other Dinosauria. We can't get close when its aggro is on us."
"Boreas Alpha Leader speaking, consider it done, Zakizaki." Lieutenant Yuigahama responded. She poised our unit's armaments—both the 12.7 mm machine guns and the 120 mm smoothbore cannon—on the enemy. I switched the Vánagandr's legs to stabilization mode, preparing to subdue the constant recoil.
We managed to have the Dinosauria's AI prioritize us and turn our way. By then, its fate was sealed. The alpha wolf emerged from its cover and executed the heavy tank using the same point-blank shot.
If this was a battle between humans, the enemy was sure to retreat after their leader units were taken out of commission. But the Legion was an unfeeling robotic army, and no such rout occurred. Thus, more lives were lost than ideal during the cleanup.
"Chief Hikigaya, how many raids have you executed?" I asked.
"Two already, Captain. Boreas sector and Shotel sector. We've got enough ammo for one more, though it'll be cutting it close."
"If that's the case, make use of our extra ammuni—" a rhythmical beeping noise suddenly came from the internal speakers.
"You got that too, right? That code is… Glaive Squadron's distress. We'll go ahead and back them up. Don't worry about us and focus on reloading."
"Sorry… we're always leaving the dangerous tasks to you."
"We're Vargus (beastmen), Captain. It's to be expected."
The Vambrace Squadron sped off towards the north, leaving just as fast as they had entered. My squadron remained idle until our consort units completed our reloading.
"I wonder if Zakizaki ever gets motion sickness when riding with Hikki…" Yuigahama pondered.
"Sergeant Tomozaki has been with him for quite a while, I'm sure he's used to it… Also, what's with the nicknames?"
"Oh, we've been hanging out a lot, you know? Zakizaki's such a good shot, right? I just wanted him to teach me. And watching Hikki slide around in the simulator is fun too, you should come, Yukinon."
"They allow you to spectate their simulator time?" I asked.
"Sure, for a beastmen unit, they're pretty chill… Well, not all of them, Bakubaku has that attitude."
"Bakubaku… You mean Corporal Bakugou?"
"Yeah, he's always going on about how I'm a bitch or something. But I guess he can be fun in his own right."
"Lieutenant, I think you're the only person who can say that buffoon of a Corporal is fun."
[The Federal Republic of Giad's Division of Armored Forces]
[Information Available to the General Public]
[Army] 2 Corps: 100,000~ Soldiers (General)
[Corps] 2-5 Divisions: 20,000-50,000 Soldiers (Lieutenant General)
[Division] 3 Brigades or Regiments: 10,000~ Soldiers (Major General or Brigadier General)
[Brigade] 5-6 Battalions: 3,000~ Soldiers (Colonel)
[Regiment] 1 Armored Battalion, 1 Infantry Battalion, 1 Artillery Battery: 3,000~ Soldiers (Colonel)
[Battalion] 5-10 Squadrons: 120-240 Feldreß: 240-480 Soldiers (Lieutenant Colonel)
[Squadron] 6 Platoons: 24 Feldreß: 48 Soldiers (Captain, Major, Warrant Officer, or Master Sergeant)
[Platoon] 2 Sections: 4 Feldreß: 8 Soldiers (First Lieutenant or Sergeant)
[Section] 2 Feldreß: 4 Soldiers (Second Lieutenant or Corporal)
[Unit] 1 Feldreß: 2 Soldiers
[The Federal Republic of Giad's Military Ranks]
[Information Available to the General Public]
[Commissioned Officers]
-General (O-10)
-Lieutenant General (O-9)
-Major General (O-8)
-Brigadier General (O-7)
-Colonel (O-6)
-Lieutenant Colonel (O-5)
-Major (O-4)
-Captain (O-3)
-First Lieutenant (O-2)
-Second Lieutenant (O-1)
[Warrant Officers]
-Warrant Officer (W-1)
[Noncommissioned Officers]
-Master Sergeant (E-6)
-Sergeant (E-5)
-Corporal (E-4)
[Soldiers]
-Private First Class (E-3)
-Private Second Class (E-2)
-Private (E-1)
The battle still hadn't ended even two hours later. Our northernmost squadrons had been decimated. They fought with fury until their final breath, inflicting enough enemy damage for it to be considered an almost equal trade, numbers-wise at least. A human life could never be equal to that of a central processing unit.
Not a single squadron—not even the cheetah-like Vambrace, who unfortunately had to reload after they reinforced Glaive sector—could support them in time, each held up at their own sectors. It was at times like these where I wished we had even two squadrons capable of their feats, or perhaps even faster machines would suffice.
Now, our regiment had to face their force of fourteen Dinosauria. Alone, they were formidable. With more than half of a squadron of them, they could be considered a walking fortress, and they continued to march unphased.
Four of them had set their turrets southward, deterring our flanking force—that was to say, us—from making a move. The rest of the Dinosauria advanced eastward towards our final line of defence, along with a few platoons of consort units that accompanied their march.
My squadron, along with Chief Hikigaya's Vambrace Squadron, was not part of that final line.
Our anti-air guns desperately shot the heavens, hoping to disperse the purplish-silver clouds of the signal-disrupting Eintagsfliege. "C...in… Come...in...Va...ce... Sh.t… Sta...ilize already. Come in, Vambrace! Status report!" The voice at the other end of the radio desperately called out, indiscriminately contacting all available channels. The signal became clear as the fury of the anti-air guns increased.
"Vambrace reporting," Chief Hikigaya replied. "A strike force of fourteen Dinosauria, three platoons of Löwe, and another two platoons of Ameise is headed your way. That's all I saw though, they might have joined up with other units.
"Four of the Dinosauria were pointed towards us, we can't flank them like this without some pretty bad losses.
"As for our force, I've got Boreas and what's left of Glaive Squadrons with me, but Glaive's rigs are in no condition to fight. I've sent Shotel Squadron and our infantry your way, Colonel, have they arrived yet?" he finished his report with a question.
"They have arrived, Hikigaya," she confirmed. "Across Vambrace and Boreas, how many units are available?"
"We've got fourteen rigs, Boreas?"
Even Vambrace has been whittled down to fourteen, losing four units in this battle alone. It's certainly impressive for how long they've operated without reinforcements, but soon they would fall under half the members required to maintain a squadron. Not that my squadron was safe from such a fate.
"We have fourteen Vánagandrs as well, Colonel," I reported.
"..." the Colonel paused. "We'll fall back and engage them in the marshes."
"No, wouldn't it be too late by then?"
"You're referring to the artillery?" I asked.
"Yes, once they get over Volks Hill and into the marshes, their Ameise would probably gain sensory data on our base. It's not concrete evidence or anything, but their Skorpion battery has been silent since the melee began; they're probably moving them up."
There were reasons why our FOB (forward operating base) hadn't been obliterated by the enemy's artillery. One was camouflage against aerial surveyors, the other was an extensive perimeter security system to ensure the Legion's ground forces weren't able to send scouts to our territory.
Letting them into the marshes wouldn't guarantee they would see our base, but Chief Hikigaya didn't want to take that chance. This was a first for us, as we had always finished the engagement within the borders of the city.
Colonel Hiratsuka sighed, "It seems that Sight Platoon agrees with your judgement, Hikigaya. They know those sensors best… Can you snipe the Ameise from there?"
"No, we don't even have a visual on them anymore," he replied.
Silence was born from the thinking of minds, or rather, from the strengthening of our resolve.
Our victory condition was to eliminate the Ameise. If we succeeded, then our base would be safe, as neither the Dinosauria or the Löwe had particularly advanced sensor equipment.
We could then lure them into the marsh and eliminate them using our own artillery. Or perhaps the Legion's retreat protocol would activate, sparing us the hassle.
"In any case, we don't stand a chance against fourteen Dinosauria head-on. Unfortunately, our line has to be spread even thinner after you brought the threat of the Ameise to our attention."
"Sorry 'bout that," he said sarcastically. Colonel Hiratsuka ignored it, or possibly missed his tone entirely.
"... No, I should be the one apologizing… Hikigaya, Yukinoshita, let me ask for the impossible." She had neither addressed us by rank nor with honorifics, wording her order as a request.
I considered it sweet of her, but most of the military brass thought that it was her one weakness as a commander.
There wasn't any need to stall; if anything, we needed to complete the operation as fast as possible. I resolved myself, affirmed by a "Let's do this," from Lieutenant Yuigahama.
"Then let us do the impossible. Chief, what are your orders?"
"Wait, I'm in charge? Captain, you are aware of your own rank, right?"
"Yes, but I'm also aware this rank was obtained through vacancy. I should still be a Second Lieutenant according to pre-Legion protocol."
"I agree with her," the Colonel chimed in. "You understand anti-Dinosauria tactics better than anyone. You're taking charge of this operation. Boreas is yours to command."
He acquiesced, "... Fine. There's no going around them, so listen up everyone."
The plan was to assign a platoon of Vambrace to each Dinosauria, with Boreas left to provide suppression fire. As the vanguard, the Vambrace Squadron was to desperately perform a melee charge, a tactic rarely seen after the age of gunpowder.
It was unfortunate, but targeting the Dinosauria's vents from a distance their 155 mm cannons couldn't reach was virtually impossible for even the best of our sharpshooters.
The charge would have each platoon rush a Dinosauria in a close formation initially. Once they possessed the attention of the Dinosauria's sensors, their formation would expand into a spacious square, forcing the enemy to recalculate hostile priority.
While Vambrace took their charge, we would stay behind them and provide supporting fire, hopefully further confusing their priority calculations. Putting the Legion's AI into disarray for even a decent amount of time wasn't possible, and there are bound to be unfortunate losses, but Chief Hikigaya had faith his squadron could succeed even when separated into platoons.
In any case, Once the four Dinosauria defending their flank were eliminated, we could have our sharpshooters move ahead and eliminate the Ameise before they could divert more Dinosauria to close the gap.
It was a plan that excessively weighed on the Vambrace Squadron.
The Dinosauria had also destroyed all of the surrounding buildings and were heading into open terrain, giving our vanguard minimal cover. Without the buildings, neither could we send grenadiers to rain down explosives.
"May I give an opinion, or rather, a request?"
"Go ahead, what do you have, Akabane?" the Colonel responded.
"Let my section join one of their platoons. With only fourteen, Vambrace can only fill three platoons with two rigs to spare," he explained.
"Hikigaya? What do you think?"
"... Alright, you'll be with me. Don't expect me to defend you though, or to even be alive after this operation is done."
"You're quite blunt, aren't you Chief?" Lieutenant Akabane commented.
"If my orders don't prioritize safety, then it's better if I'm honest with my crew rather than lie possibly moments before their demise."
"What happened to 'preserve morale above all else'?"
"That's what they teach you in officer academies, is it?"
Other voices pitched in from both sides, forgetting the fact our superior officer—a Colonel no less—was on the line with us.
"Heh, we Vargus don't run with our tails between our legs. It would bring shame to our ancestors."
"What can ya expect from those city boys, Chief? You gotta feed them sweet little lies to get them to follow orders."
"At least we actually follow orders. Whose reputation is it for being wild and uncontrollable?"
"We, the mighty wargods of Vambrace!"
"Shove that cringy wargod shit up your ass Yoshiteru."
"Comrade Katsuki, whose side are you on?"
"Seems like you've got a mutiny on your hands, Sergeant."
"Do we really have to work with you bastards?"
"That's our line, asshole!"
"Umm… Yukinon, shouldn't you stop them?" Lieutenant Yuigahama asked.
"No, let them have their fun."
The two squadrons shared their over-the-top exchanges, either becoming riled up or chuckling at the absurdity of it all; it was somehow fitting for the situation. What Warrant Officer Hikigaya said was correct, if only downplaying the severity. This operation did not prioritize safety, it forwent it entirely to the point of being suicidal.
I believed at the very least the operation was guaranteed to succeed. The fight was between twenty-eight Vánagandrs against four Dinosauria. Four Dinosauria was much more manageable than fourteen, and we had numbers on our side.
However, losses were also inevitable in a match-up such as this one. To order your soldiers to march to their deaths could never feel like the right decision, even if it was the only option. Perhaps off-field commanders would be able to make such a decision with no remorse. I would like to believe I was not one such commander.
We could not hear the worst of it from inside our metal coffins, but the rhythmic boom of our cannons was extraordinarily loud. There wasn't a shred of a doubt that any poor soul outside of a Feldreß would have been deaf by the end of this operation. That was to say if they weren't deaf already.
As sixteen Vánagandrs rushed the enemy in four platoons, twelve of us formed a curved line one kilometer away to unleash a barrage of unrelenting support fire. We forced our cannons to their limits.
No matter how furious our assault was, our rounds could not hope to pierce their armor at this range. At most, we could disable a few legs or even their machine guns, but that was fine.
Unfortunately, the Ameise platoons were still nowhere in sight.
The enemy force had its priorities split into two fronts, one facing our final defence line, and the other facing our flanking force. Their hands were tied and locked into their respective battles, but that advantage didn't amount to much in the face of their overwhelming firepower and tenacity.
Nevertheless, Vambrace Squadron, plus First Lieutenant Akabane's section, continued to advance. Their charge was naked and unsafe. We no longer possessed the cover granted by the ruins of Volks, nor was there any form of natural cover between them.
Vambrace was still 1400 meters away, and the M4A3 Vánagandr's off-road cruising speed was 100 km/h, leaving approximately 40 seconds before they were in effective range. That was an excruciatingly long time for a charge across no man's land.
The four Dinosauria did not take long with selecting their elimination targets. One of them fired its 155 mm cannon at Chief Hikigaya's Vánagandr, who fortunately was able to dodge the first round. As a matter of fact, all of Vambrace was able to dodge the primary salvo; it was the secondary volley from the coaxial cannons that caught them.
While Chief Hikigaya was able to safely maneuver away, three of his comrades from the other platoons were disabled by the Dinosauria's 75 mm coaxial cannons, and were then easy targets for the primary cannons.
"Shit, Delta Four disabled!" "Charlie Leader disabled!" "Bravo One disabled!" The echo of loud speakers traveled across the battlefield as the head gunners made their reports; wireless communications were disrupted once more by the Eintagsfliege. Despite the use of the word 'disabled', there was little chance they were alive. It was only a formality, as we could not confirm nor deny their survival.
Soon enough, however, we were blessed by a stroke of fortune. "Vent hit confirmed! Fourth Dinosauria eliminated!" First Lieutenant Hinami reported with a tinge of celebration in her voice.
"Nice one Aoi!" "Hell yeah!"
She was one of Boreas' marksmen, and against all odds, she placed one of her shots at the weak spot.
Another Dinosauria exploded in the distance, "Hit confirmed, first Dinosauria eliminated. We'll be heading your way, Mimimi."
"Accurate as always, eh? Fumiya~."
Lieutenant Hinami's shot seemed to ignite Vambrace's competitive spirit, as no later had Sergeant Tomozaki made his own shot, albeit at a much shorter distance, and eliminated his designated Dinosauria. As a result, two Dinosauria remained…
My eyes widened.
Instead of aiming at the rapidly advancing Vambrace, the Dinosauria's cannons faced our way. Why? My voice was nearly caught in my throat, "Evasive maneuvers everyone!"
Unfortunately, despite possessing a decent top speed, as fast as a tracked tank on roads, a Vánagandr was abhorrent at its initial acceleration. The roars of the Dinosauria's mounted guns overlapped with the reverberation of my speakers. Before many of us realized, two of our comrades' Vánagandrs were torn to shreds. There wasn't a chance they survived that.
"Bravo Three and Four KIA… Why… Why are they firing at us?!" Lieutenant Miura cried; she pronounced Pilot Ooka and Gunner Yamato, as well as Pilot Fujisawa and Gunner Honmoku, to be deceased. Fortunately, we weren't close enough where their coaxial cannons would be a problem like it was to Vambrace.
"Captain, a platoon of Löwe is headed our way," Lieutenant Shirogane reported. Had the Legion ever considered giving us respite?
With how close our vanguard was to their firing range, the result wouldn't be pretty. While their main cannons were of a smaller caliber than a Dinosauria, it also meant their rate of fire was higher. A Löwe was easier to eliminate than a Dinosauria from range, but it was able to just as easily eliminate us. I had to redirect fire towards them.
"Boreas will take care of the Löwe, focus on eliminating the Dinosauria."
"Roger that, Captain!" Vambrace's deputy—Sergeant Kawasaki—replied.
"All units, begin closing the distance," I ordered. It was earlier than planned, but necessary.
"Let's show them the might of Boreas! For Bravo Platoon!" Lieutenant Tobe characteristically raged. Other shouts of encouragement, anger, and desperation soon could be heard, even from the usually stoic and quiet members.
"Keep moving, even at the cost of accuracy, don't let them hit you!"
"Can't this piece of junk move any faster!"
"Die already you scrap metal scum!"
Ten octopedal machines scrambled to eliminate the Legion's tanks. Against our better judgement and the screeching of our Vánagandr's limbs, we forced them to the limit as Vambrace did.
As Vambrace finally closed in on the final Dinosauria, victory was assured.
Far away in the heavens above, a raven flew. It wasn't any old raven, but rather one whose 'wings' spanned at least one hundred meters. A raven made entirely out of metal.
A Rabe—the Legion's aerial surveyor model—calmly assessed the battlefield.
'The battle was lost,' thought the Legion commander.
The commander was neither fully human nor artificial intelligence, but instead, the vestigial minds—souls, if such a thing were to be believed—of the war dead. This Legion commander—known as a Shepherd to the forces of humanity—was special, for he oversaw the entirety of the Legion's central forces. Other commanders existed, but he alone commanded the largest territory in the middle of the continent.
'Once they were sandwiched by the force led by the one codenamed 'Atlas', and the four Dinosauria assigned to repel them were defeated, the rest of the strike force could not hope to fight a two-front battle. Not against 'Atlas'. Not against an entire regiment.' That was what the commander surmised.
The operation's objective was to gain intel on a Federacy base, one which had been a thorn in their side ever since it was built two years ago.
The base was self-sufficient; while the soldiers would no doubt complain regarding their daily ration of nutrient paste should they be cut off from the supply chain, they would ultimately survive, even with an entire regiment's worth of mouths to feed.
The base was also mostly underground, with the sections above ground being shielded from the Rabe's sensors by natural and electromagnetic camouflage. Neither could the Rabe fly closer, as it would be shot down by anti-air installments. This was why they attempted to force their way to the base with Dinosauria, which allowed the Ameise to scan the area safely.
With the failure of the operation, their artillery plan was no longer viable. Blind Skorpion bombardment was unrealistic, and their railgun unit—the Morpho (butterfly)—had to stay its trigger until the large-scale operation planned for two months later.
Even if they could deploy it, the Morpho would still be firing blindly, which was very inefficient for the railgun's barrel. It wasn't ideal to need the railgun for another front, only to find its barrel needed to be replaced due to stress after bombarding only a single sector.
Still, that forward operating base must fall.
The Legion's directive was simple. Destroy the enemy. It didn't matter when or how, it simply must be done. If they could not do it now, then at the very least, they would take the steps to realize their goal.
No Face to Freya: Mission is considered a failure, proceed with the bombardment, friendly fire approved.
Freya to No Face: Is our goal not to assimilate Atlas?
No Face to Freya: Negative, prioritize the elimination of the Volks ward base and its personnel. Atlas is a secondary and optional objective.
The Legion considered Atlas—the leader of Vambrace—to be a threat, but not one to be hung up over. He wasn't on the level of Báleygr—the psychic that could track their movements. He would be a valuable asset to have as a Shepherd, but also one they could just as easily go without.
No Face could sense Freya's hesitation, not through her tone—voices sent through the Legion's network were roboticized—but through her delay. She, much like other Shepherds—Dullahan or Pale Rider were good examples—held an obsession or grudge from when she was alive. That obsession involved the one codenamed Atlas, the man Freya knew as Hachiman Hikigaya.
No Face could not sympathize. While he knew of his family—his wife and daughter in the Republic—he could neither remember their faces or voices, much less hold an obsession.
In the end, Freya's programming did not allow her to disobey the command of her superior.
Freya to No Face: Order received, commencing bombardment.
If Freya could not oppose the bombardment, then she would at least try to leave his brain undamaged.
The combined forces of Boreas and Vambrace—as well as the two remaining units of Glaive—gathered their Vánagandrs together; out of the twenty-eight units present before that battle, eight did not return.
"We… we did it," Lieutenant Tobe tiredly whispered into his speakers.
Indeed, we had annihilated four Dinosauria and an additional platoon of Löwe. Frankly, it was lucky they only inflicted the same casualties as we did. However, they could simply manufacture more, whereas we could not replace our comrade's bodies and souls.
I could hear Lieutenant Yuigahama sniffling behind me, attempting to keep composure. She understood now wasn't the time.
We were all exhausted; the adrenaline had since left us, leaving behind heavy hearts as well as heavy muscles. That was all the more reason I could not stay paralyzed. Do not ponder, do not let yourself be absorbed. That can wait for after.
"We can't celebrate yet," I said, "We need to finish the battle and support our main line."
"Agreed, our main line won't last forever…" He hesitated, "Captain, I'm transferring command back to you," Chief Hikigaya replied with a disheartened, tired voice, as if he could not hold the authority any longer.
That tone was not exclusive to him, but his voice alone sent me chills, possibly due to the weight of his skill and authority. Even the most bigoted and anti-Vargus of our soldiers silently respected the chief, if nothing else.
He shouldn't have said that, not in that way.
After crawling a sizable distance eastward, we set our barrels upon the rear of the Legion line and began firing. We prioritized the four remaining Ameise. Our 120 mm cannons possessed a clear sight of them and unleashed accurate volleys of HEAT (high-explosive anti-tank) rounds. It did not take long before all of them were destroyed.
The Legion's main strike force still held eight Dinosauria at their disposal, with more than two dozen consort units surrounding them. Thankfully, they were fighting an uphill battle against the rest of our regiment positioned on Volks Hill.
The Eintagsfliege were beginning to disperse, parting to reveal the twilight sky. Wireless communication channels became clearer. Even so, there was little chatter to be heard.
Considering the length of the engagement, their ammunition and energy would soon run out, and either their retreat or resupply protocol would activate. We turned our sights towards the Legion's support units—the Tausendfüßler (centipedes)—to ensure they had no choice but to choose retreat rather than resupply. We could not allow them to continue the battle.
Vambrace Alpha Leader swiftly shifted position in a jumping motion, as if responding to instinct. "Scramble!" Chief Hikigaya shouted.
Rapid explosions could be heard from behind us. The ground before us shook as dirt burst into the air. The Skorpion's howitzers were brought into play once more. The enemy's shells possessed a blast radius of up to 15 meters, and it was clear to anyone that some of us were caught in the zone. It would be fitting to say they were too accurate for their first salvo.
The M4A3 Vánagandr—or generally any armored unit, human-piloted Feldreß or Legion—couldn't survive direct impacts from artillery rounds. From the looks of it, they were indiscriminate, destroying even their own force—Dinosauria included—just so they could exterminate us.
"Lieutenant Hayama, Chief Hikigaya, status report!" I ordered through the radio using my returned authority. My stomach churned as the Legion continued to bombard both us and our main force.
"Not good, Captain. Both units from Glaive were directly hit, along with the units towing them—Delta Leader and Delta One."
"Two units from Vambrace, Captain… Fucking hell."
"All units, fall back to base!" a transmission was sent from command not a moment later; a full retreat was called.
"Wide panzer wedge formation! Break through the enemy line and maintain momentum. Don't stop those limbs for even a second! Echo Platoon, watch for the artillery!"
"Roger that!"
"You heard her, Vambrace. Fill in the gaps."
"Leave it to us, Captain!"
The combined Boreas-Vambrace force did as they were told, quickly organizing themselves into the standardized formation. One mixed platoon of six units as our spearhead, one mixed platoon of four as the center, Echo Platoon's two units as the rearguard, and two sections on each wing guarding our flanks.
I was placed in the center, while Chief Hikigaya and Lieutenant Akabane took it upon themselves to lead the vanguard.
"Ten shells incoming, calculations predict impact in the next fifty meters!" Lieutenant Shirogane reported.
"Increase formation width, evasive maneuvers!"
"Tch, why the hell are they even targeting us? Are a few detached units important targets to them?"
The Skorpion's shells were slow enough to be observed, yet nonetheless broke the sound barrier. We widened our formation in preparation for their impact. The signature bang could be heard following their explosion. They struck too close for comfort, too close to be humanly possible on moving targets.
"Direct hit on Boreas Charlie One… no possibility of survival."
"Damn it!"
"So that's why the Eintagsfliege dispersed…" one of Vambrace's members muttered as if they had a revelation.
"Sergeant Tomozaki, what do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Have Lieutenant Yuigahama look to the sky and zoom as far as she can on any flying object she sees, aside from stray Eintagsfliege, of course."
"Do it, Lieutenant. Send me the feed."
"Roger, Yukinon!"
Her gun camera's feed became visible on my screen, placed to the left side so as to not hinder forward vision. I didn't focus on it for long, but I could tell the small silvery dot in the twilight sky was an aircraft.
"A Rabe?"
"Hexactly, Captain. It's gotta be sending their Skorpion battery real-time data on our location," Lieutenant Hinami confirmed.
"There's nothing we can do about it except move faster," Chief Hikigaya pushed his rig's acceleration to the limit. "Look alive everyone, we're closing in on their remnants."
The hangars of FOB 21 were hectic; tools clanked from their containers as mechanics rushed to repair less than 90 defiled Vánagandrs fresh off of the fires of battle.
Many were caught in the blast radius of the artillery, lightly damaged at best and destroyed at the absolute worst. We lost somewhere in the range 60 Vánagandrs in that battle, and that was only the losses of our armored battalion. I couldn't imagine the casualties our infantry suffered.
While none were lost facing the remnants of the Legion strike force, four of our Vánagandrs were caught by the artillery during the retreat. Our slow trek through the marshes cost us valuable time. Time the Skorpion battery used to strike.
Our losses left Boreas with seven units and Vambrace with five. Our squadrons were guaranteed to be dissolved and reassigned.
In contrast to the loud shouts of the maintenance team in an attempt to coordinate, the operators who returned were mostly silent. An oppressive atmosphere of grief wasn't always present after a battle, but I've experienced it enough to the point I've grown used to it. Grieving for the dead was natural, but I had no time to dwell.
"Fuck!" A shout could be heard across the hangar, followed by a hefty bang against what sounded like a Vánagandr's composite armor.
"Oi, you damned beastman, don't go fuckin up the rigs further."
"Mind your own business, geezer!"
To nobody's surprise, it was Corporal Bakugou. At this rate, a fight between him and the mechanic was imminent. It wasn't my problem to deal with, as heartless as that sounded, it was Chief Hikigaya's.
"Chief, I'll report to the Colonel for you. Just make sure you submit the digital report before the day is over."
He turned his head lethargically, "Ah? Yeah, uh, thanks. I'll leave it to you." He looked at the clock on the hangar wall, its hands both pointed at eight. "Shit, it's already this late?" he mumbled. It was disconcerting to see how off-kilter he was. As Lieutenant Yuigahama would probably put it, his bad vibes dragged everyone down.
I couldn't stand to see it.
"Boreas Squadron! Let's go," I ordered. To see only thirteen of them follow my lead… my stomach was not cooperating. My gut could not help but feel like rotten scrambled eggs.
"I'll be reporting to the Colonel. The rest of you will eat dinner and go straight to bed… and before I forget, thank you. We might be shuffled after this, so I'd like to apologize and thank you all."
"There ain't a thing you have to apologize for, Captain. Shit happens…" Lieutenant Tobe trailed off.
"I'd be the first to admit that you can be a bitch, Captain. Kakeru's right, don't go saying sorry, it pisses me off."
"Yumiko, that's too harsh."
"Sorry, Yui, just… let me blow off some steam."
"Speaking of steam, a warm shower would be nice right about now," Lieutenant Shirogane sighed, all too clearly trying to alleviate the tension.
"Yes, that does sound nice," Lieutenant Hayama replied.
Usually, a conversation would seldom suddenly die once Hayama entered. This time, the conversation indeed did halt with his comment. Neither Lieutenant Miura nor Tobe opened their mouths to reinforce their platoon leader, nor did a response come from Shirogane's Echo Platoon.
Even the most talkative of us could not find the strength to reply. The silence made the long corridors of our underground base feel ever longer.
There would soon come an intersection in our path; straight ahead led to the cafeteria, and right would lead to Hangar-2, where the vehicles of the mechanized infantry were parked. It was also the place where the Colonel disembarked from her command car, and thus the hangar her office was closest to.
I clicked the heel of my boots and sharply turned to face my thirteen comrades, the sound subconsciously forced them to recoil, stop, and stand at attention.
"This is where we part for the evening, I'll be going to the Colonel to give my report."
Deputy Lieutenant Hayama let out a small gust through his nose, smiling lightly, "Leave this bunch to me, Captain," he saluted.
I returned the gesture and went on my way.
I entered Colonel Hiratsuka's office; at her desk she sat, equipped with a stern face and a lit cigarette. She took one look at me and loosened her body, possibly feeling now wasn't the time to be uptight and strict to a subordinate with shattered morale.
I saluted, to which she simply signaled to stand at ease.
"Excuse me, Colonel, but Warrant Officer Hikigaya had issues to deal with and cannot attend. He will submit the digital report later… Where are the others?" I asked.
Each battalion commander was required to report to the Colonel after a battle. Due to a shortage of field commanders, Colonel Hiratsuka was personally in charge of the 21st Armored Battalion, which left the leader of the 21st Mechanized Infantry Battalion and the 21st Artillery Battery in the hands of other officers.
This meant a total of nine officers would be required to report to the Colonel after a battle, seven being from each of the armored battalion's squadrons.
"I told them only the digital report was required for today. I don't need to burden them any further," she puffed her ashen smoke.
"That explains why you're smoking… So how come I didn't get the memo?"
"That's because I had something to tell you and Hikigaya. Since he's not here, you can leave as well. I can tell you tomorrow."
"... Can you really not divulge it now?"
"I don't like to repeat myself, and I'm sure you would like some shuteye as well right now… Well, I can tell you this much I guess…" her voice trailed off.
"Tell me what?"
She shoved her cigarette butt into the ashtray, twisting for what she liked to call 'maximum satisfaction'. "This morning, I got a request from the Research Bureau—more specifically Major Yukinoshita—asking for me to transfer two certain squadrons to the Research Bureau's 1028th Trial Unit. In exchange, HQ will prioritize our reinforcements."
She said my family name, the name which she usually called me, that much was true. However, the rank was one step above mine.
She continued, "While it was the Major who forwarded the request, the thing was signed off by the Western Front's Chief of Staff, the commander of the 177th Armored Division, and the Research Bureau. I can't refuse something like that. Now go, shoo, dismissed," she smiled playfully, as if she had forgotten I was her military subordinate.
I furrowed my brows, "What is she planning?"
Colonel Hiratsuka chuckled, "You tell me, Haruno's your older sister."
Author's Note:
Don't you just love it when you look at something you've worked on and thought, "Maybe this isn't it?"
I severely underestimated how hard it would be to write 86 style battles with a limited perspective. Maybe next time I'll write them in 3rd person omniscient.
Anyway, welcome to my Oregairu x 86 fic, or more like multiple anime x 86 with the Oregairu cast as the focus.
I've already written another 10,000 words on top of this prologue which isn't even done yet, expect that sometime next week or so.
This will be an ensemble cast story. Next chapter is from Hachiman's perspective.
Thank you for reading.
— Ryoukoso, waiting for Federacy uniform Shin and forever rejecting Oregairu Shin.