Kidou Kishi Warviour
(Mobile Knight Warviour)
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Strike Witches, nor the initial setting.
Chapter 7: Reunion in the Snow Part 2
Koltsovo Airport. January 20, 1946; 0354 hours
That early morning, a GAZ-67 and two US6 6x6 cargo trucks were in the middle of the runaway of Kotlsovo Airport. The Fusion Wanderer was visible and prepared to launch.
From the GAZ-67, Mio Sakamoto, Ichiro Miyafuji, and Sumuru Nikan got out. Out of the US6 behind the GAZ-67 were Gantulga, Tohoro Alin, and Pang Baicun while Nadiya Mikolvjina Movchan, Roman Leonidovich Klimov, and Vitaly Borisovich Barkov got out of the second US6.
While Alin and Pang respectively wielded a PPSh-41 and a 3-Line Rifle, specifically the original M1891, Nikan and Gantulga respectively wielded an SVT-40 battle rifle and a PPS submachine gun. Ichiro, due to his claim that he had been in a war, wielded a 3-Line Rifle. Nadiya wielded a PPS like Gantulga.
All had intercoms on their right ears. This was to allow everyone to inform each other of updates throughout the operation.
"Listen up," instructed Sakamoto. "The Fusion Wanderer will deliver you deep into Stavrosian-held territory. Until Generals Petrov and Ryazanov's respective forces attack, it'll continuously fly above the Caspian Sea. When the attack begins, I'll signal you through intercom and as we've discussed, there's nothing to worry about with regards to Stavrosian anti-air defenses as the Fusion Wanderer can avoid being detected. Junior Sergeant Movchan will get out first in her Land Striker before the Fusion Wanderer will drop you off. While the attack is underway, all of you are to find that supply base and escape with the truck. I'll give the signal as to when my team has successfully retrieved the Mobile Knights with this."
Sakamoto showed a smoke grenade to the Manchurians and the Orussians. Nikan and Gantulga looked carefully as they need to remember it being lit.
"As for you," said Sakamoto as she turned to Ichiro. "Do not get yourself killed."
"Roger that," replied Ichiro.
"All I can say for now is good luck."
Ichiro, the Manchurians, and the Orussians began to board the Fusion Wanderer. Sakamoto re-boarded the GAZ-67 and it, along with the two US6s, left Koltsovo Airport.
#
Perm Governorate; near the border with Chelyabinsk Governorate. 0703 hours
The convoy had arrived at a forward operating base. Sakamoto, along with Lu Ulhicun, Sakda Muke, Ksenia Mikhailovna Koshkina, Yakov Olegovich Bazin, and Nikolai Iosifovich Yaroslavsky appeared before Petrov, Ryazanov, and another Orussian officer who appeared younger than Ryazanov. The two Manchurians and the three Orussians with them also had intercoms in their respective right ears.
"You made it," said Petrov. "I presume Senior Lieutenant Sumuru's team is waiting for the attack to commence?"
"They are," answered Sakamoto.
"Your team will be working with Colonel Loza here," added Petrov as he introduced the younger officer to Sakamoto's team.
"An honor to work with you, Major Sakamoto," said Loza.
"Same here. I heard about your exploits in the last war."
"We'll begin our attack in an hour," continued Petrov. "Colonel Loza agreed to have two of his tanks for each of those EMP Nets G-n Khyber provided."
"Shall I show you which tanks have those nets?" asked Loza.
"Wouldn't hurt to see them before the operation begins."
Loza left Petrov and Ryazanov with Sakamoto, Ulhicun, Muke, Ksenia, Bazin, and Yaroslavsky following. The Fusoan, Manchurians, and Orussians arrived at where one net was located in which was connected to two T-34 medium tanks. The net appeared to be five meters in length, creating a considerable gap between the two T-34s.
"I was thankful G-n Khyber told us to use our T-34s," said Loza. "At least I wouldn't have to sacrifice our Emchas for this plan to work."
"Pardon me, Colonel, but we still have our Emchas from Liberion?" asked Ksenia.
"Da. She's a fine tank. It was a miracle the last war ended so abruptly. I'd rather have died with it had the war kept on going."
"Colonel, are the rest of your unit ready to conduct the operation?" asked Sakamoto.
"They are. As I was told, your Witches are to lure those Mobile Knights into these nets."
"But the Mobile Knights cannot appear unless the attack begins."
"I see. I do have a question, though?"
"Yes?"
"What do we do after we've gotten these weapons from our enemy?"
"We signal Khyber and Senior Lieutenant Sumuru's team. While the attack is underway, they're to find a truck that can carry the Mobile Knights. We can simply withdraw after that as the Stavrosian equipment's all we're here for."
"Alright, I'll stop here. It's an order so I have to carry it out. However, should my men be in danger, I will have to deviate a little."
"I'll leave it to you, Colonel. Are the Striker Units ready?"
"Last I heard, they should be."
"Thank you," said Sakamoto before facing Ulhicun, Muke, and Ksenia. "You heard him, head to your Strikers now."
"Yes, ma'am," replied Ulhicun, Muke, and Ksenia in unison with a salute before leaving.
"Also, you along with Ryadovoy Bazin and Ryadovoy Yaroslavsky will ride with me in my Emcha."
"Got it."
#
Fusion Wanderer; Above the Caspian Sea; 5,000 meters. 0725 hours
The Fusion Wanderer was now flying on top of the Caspian Sea as part of the plan. The Orussian and Manchurian soldiers looked at the windows behind them as if they were children after they had been given a new toy by their parents. Vitaly Borosovich Barkov, by contrast, looked at the ceiling of the plane then toward Ichiro Miyafuji. Eighteen years old, Barkov had black hair and green eyes yet he hardly looked eighteen.
"G-n Khyber, how did you even build such a plane?" asked Barkov. "I doubt Liberion could even build such a plane like this."
"I can't tell you that," answered Ichiro. "Maybe some other time."
"Khyber, how will we find this supply base?" asked Nadiya Mikolvjina Movchan.
"The captain will take us there. I've told him."
"When will the attack begin?" asked Sumuru Nikan.
"In forty-five minutes. We just have to wait for Major Sakamoto to notify us."
#
Perm Governorate; near the border with Chelyabinsk Governorate. 0756 hours
The tank units of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps were prepared to move into Chelyabinsk Governorate. Most of the tanks were T-34s but one particular unit had "Emchas" – M4 medium tanks. During the Second Neuroi War, the United States of Liberion provided materiel for both the Britannian Commonwealth and the Empire of Orussia through its "Lend-Lease Program". The M4s, called "Shermans" by the Britannian forces after the Liberian general, were also called "Emchas" due to its designation.
On one M4, Mio Sakamoto, Yakov Olegovich Bazin, and Nikolai Iosifovich Yaroslavsky stood at the rear. Sakamoto carried a PPS while Bazin and Yaroslavsky carried 3-Line Rifles. Colonel Loza had his upper body through the front turret hatch using his binoculars to see what was ahead.
"Major, I have a question?" asked Loza without looking at Sakamoto.
"Yes?" asked Sakamoto.
"Why are you out here?"
"It's all too strange to easily explain but Khyber promised me all the information about the Stavrosians."
"I'd like to know who and what they are too. I've heard that they could be human due to the reports about the weapons they used but from that proclamation, I doubt they could be humans like we are."
"I guess we have to find out ourselves in less than two minutes."
"We're to move once the Katyushas have been used."
Silence filled the area that was soon to be a battlefield. Loza resumed looking through his binoculars.
"Major, I have a question too," added Yaroslavsky, a man in his early twenties with brown hair and blue eyes. "Why do you suppose the Stavrosians made that proclamation?"
"To scare us I suppose," answered Sakamoto. "They probably wanted us to surrender to them easily. I doubt all of it, especially when they can control the Neuroi."
"I agree," interjected Bazin, a man as old as Yaroslavsky but with blond hair. "It seems too good to be true."
"Like I said, we'll find out."
Suddenly, the sounds of roaring engines are heard. Because they were at the rear of the M4, Sakamoto, Bazin, and Yaroslavsky heard the roars as if they were about to be run over. In front of the tank unit, an explosion occurred as Loza saw through his binoculars.
"That means we move!" shouted Loza before turning to his left then right to signal other tank commanders.
Sakamoto began to use her intercom by pressing it.
"Mi- Khyber, are you there?" asked Sakamoto over her intercom.
"Sakamoto Shosa, has the attack started?" asked Khyber on the other end of the intercom.
"It has."
"ATAKA!" shouted Laza followed by the roaring engines of tanks.
However, before the tanks began to move faster, Witches in both the air and in the ground charged first. The ones on the ground used Striker Units based on the T-34, M4, Britannian Matilda, and Karlslander Panzerkampfwagen IV tanks and were alternatively called "Tracked Legs". One of those Witches was Ksenia Mikhailovna Koshkina, who used a T-34 Medium Tracked Legs with her familiar being that of a Borzoi dog as she had its ears and tail.
In the air, Witches in the air belonged to the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps, who primarily flew with Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. Witches in this unit flew with Striker Units based on the Yak-9 fighter and older fighters such as the La-5 and the MiG-60; the latter being an earlier Striker Unit variant of the MiG-3 for Witches. Lu Ulhicun and Sakda Muke were among these Witches, respectively using the Ta-152 high-altitude Striker Unit and the i-225 Striker Unit.
Inspired, the 9th Mechanized Corps' tanks increased their speed. Sakamoto, Bazin, and Yaroslavsky faced the direction the tanks moved to.
#
Fusion Wanderer; Above Chelyabinsk Governorate; 5,000 meters. 0806 hours
"I've told the captain that the attack has started," announced Ichiro Miyafuji to Sumuru Nikan, Gantulga, Nadiya Mykoljivna Movchan, and Tohoro Alin. "Red light in five minutes. Senior Lieutenant Sumuru?"
"1st Airman Tohoro, please prepare Junior Sergeant Movchan's Land Unit," ordered Nikan to Alin.
"Roger that," replied Alin followed by him and Nadiya standing up and leaving.
"Wait, you'll need this," said Ichiro as he gave a bag containing a parachute to Nadiya. "You'll need to land with it."
"Roger that," replied Nadiya before she and Alin left.
Both Alin and Nadiya arrived at the hangar bay for the Fusion Wanderer. A trolley without a handle hosted Nadiya's Tracked Legs, a T-26. Nadiya removed her boots, put on her parachute, and put her PPS down in order to put on her T-26 and when she was finished, she looked up to Alin.
"1st Airman Tohoro, could you please assist me in getting into my Striker Unit?" asked Nadiya.
"How?" asked Alin.
"Hold on," said Nadiya before she laid on the deck. "Now lift me up but not too high. It has to be high enough for my legs to reach my Striker Unit."
"Roger that."
Alin then approached Nadiya at her left. He then gently grabbed her underneath her knees and behind her breasts. Afterward, Alin lifted Nadiya and after the latter made a sound, the former saw that Nadiya was at her desired height and moved her to the T-26. As Nadiya's legs were brought to the top of the Tracked Legs, a blue light glowed as her legs entered the Tracked Legs.
"Thank you, 1st Airman," replied Nadiya. "Now, I need you to give me back my PPS."
"Roger that," replied Alin before he grabbed Nadiya's PPS and gave it back to her.
A ringing sound was made. Alin found a telephone behind him and rushed to it.
"Yes?" asked Alin. "This is 1st Airman Tohoro. I've finished loading Junior Sergeant Movchan into her Striker Unit."
"This is the captain," said a male on the other side of the phone. "We will be decreasing our altitude. Please sit on anything while we decrease altitude. Everyone else onboard have been notified."
"Roger that," replied Alin.
Alin did as the captain requested and crossed his legs as he sat on the deck. Nadiya remained still because of what she heard. Immediately, the Fusion Wanderer's altitude decreased. Shaking erupted as the Fusion Wanderer changed directions, causing Alin to find something to hold on to.
"Attention, this is your captain speaking," said the male voice Alin talked to earlier. "We've decreased our altitude to 20 meters. I will be turning on the red light."
Alin got back up and resumed looking at the ramp just as the bulb above it glowed red. He then pressed his right leg toward the trolley.
"Are you two ready?" asked Nikan.
"We are," answered Alin.
The bulb above the ramp glowed green. The ramp began to open with Nadiya strapping her PPS across her body and Alin preparing his right leg for the kick he needed to do.
As the ramp was fully opened, Alin kicked the trolley as hard as he could with Nadiya immediately pulling the string as the trolley flew off the Fusion Wanderer. Nadiya then slipped off the falling trolley and as she did, pulled her parachute and began to glide into the ground.
In the Fusion Wanderer, the ramp closed. Nikan approached Alin.
"1st Airman Tohoro, we're to sit down at the passenger cabin," said Nikan. "We'll be decreasing altitude again before we're to rendezvous with Junior Sergeant Movchan."
"Roger that."
#
Chelyabinsk Governorate. 0819 hours
Nadiya began to land on the snowy ground with her T-26 Light Tracked Legs. As she succeeded in landing, she removed her parachute and began to wield her PPS again.
Before moving, Nadiya looked to her surroundings. Other than a clear sky and snow below and forests beyond her, there was nothing else to see.
"Junior Sergeant Movchan, please respond," said Ichiro over Nadiya's intercom.
"This is Junior Sergeant Movchan," replied Nadia. "Khyber. I've landed successfully. I see no enemies for now."
"We're coming to you."
Behind Nadiya, the Fusion Wanderer stopped. The Lifter Beam began to drop off Ichiro and the rest of Nikan's team one by one. After Nikan, Gantulga, Pang, Klimov, and Barkov got off the plane, Ichiro did so last. The Fusoan, Manchurians, and the two Orussians spotted Nadiya and rushed to her.
"We're here," said Nikan to Nadiya.
"How are you holding up?" asked Nadiya.
"We should be fine," answered Ichiro as he used a watch with an empty meter on its screen. "This watch I invented doesn't indicate any Neuroi miasma so we should be fine."
"You built such a watch?" asked Barkov.
"I did for this mission. It's only a prototype, though."
"What now?" asked Pang to Ichiro.
"From what I detected, there's a supply base past this forest."
"How much time does everyone else have?" asked Gantulga.
"Not much. Because of how large this attack is, those Stavrosians will throw everything they got at us."
"Then we best move," ordered Nikan.
#
0824 hours
Elsewhere, the battle raged in the snow and the air. The Orussian forces battled the Neuroi they were familiar with but to their bemusement, they were simply Small-Types. These Small-Types were commonly called "Flying Goblets", which get their name as they were goblets placed upside down. In the ground were the "Three Leggers" as they only had three legs.
Despite the high casualties they were taking, the Orussian forces were able to advance and destroy as many Neuroi as they could see. The Witches in the battle contributed much to the advance, saving as many Orussian soldiers as they could. Yet, behind one M4 used by the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps, Mio Sakamoto looked around herself with concern filling her face.
"Major, what's wrong?" asked Yakov Olegovich Bazin.
"This is too strange," answered Sakamoto. "We're just fighting Small-Types. Not a single Medium-Type nor a Large-Type. We're not seeing any Turtles either."
"Doesn't matter," interjected Colonel Loza without looking at Sakamoto, Bazin, and Nikolai Iosifovich Yaroslavsky. "We're winning but those Mobile Knights have yet to appear."
"Hold on, I'll try contacting Khyber," said Sakamoto as she began to use the intercom. "Khyber, are you there?"
No response came from the other end of the intercom. Sakamoto was able to tell despite the guns being fired.
"… Major, what is it?" ultimately replied Ichiro.
"Have you found that truck yet?"
"I have. It's exactly what we need. I'm also seeing Mobile Knights getting their ammunition."
"Then you best hurry. The Orussian forces here feel as if they can take back Chelyabinsk as we've only encountered Small-Type Neuroi."
"Got it."
#
0839 hours
Elsewhere in Chelyabinsk Governorate, Ichiro Miyafuji and Sumuru Nikan's team were hiding in a forest near what appeared to be an abandoned Orussian military base now used by Stavrosian forces. Nikan saw through his binoculars what appeared to be two men talking to each other.
"G-n Khyber, I'm seeing what appear to be two Stavrosian soldiers," said Nikan. "They appear to look human. Not only that, they have weapons that look like ours. However, they seem to cover their entire bodies easily.
"We can steal as much of their corpses later," replied Ichiro. "We need someone to draw their attention while the rest of us charges at that facility."
"I'll do it," said Nadiya Mykoljivna Movchan as she appeared behind Ichiro and Nikan.
"Are you sure?" asked Ichiro.
"We're pressed for time here," interjected Nikan. "Do what you need to do, Junior Sergeant. We'll handle the rest."
"Roger that."
Both Nikan and Ichiro ran two meters away from Nadiya. As the former two got away from the latter, the feet of her T-26 Tracked Legs moved to its rear and in its place, tank threads touched the ground.
"Here I go!" shouted Nadiya as she began to wield her PPS and charge toward the Stavrosian base.
Gantulga, Pang Baicun, Roman Leonidovich Klimov, Tohoro Alin, and Vitaly Borosovich Barkov joined Nikan and Ichiro.
"We follow in five minutes," ordered Nikan. "Prepare yourselves."
#
0843 hours
The 9th Guards Mechanized Corps and the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps continued their attack. The number of Neuroi began to diminish but this sapped the initial boost in morale as with Sakamoto, they began to realize that there was something else to what the Stavrosians and the Neuroi planned as there were only Small-Types from the latter.
As a result of their success, the rest of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps began to follow the tank units. They consisted of units using ZSU-37 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, motorcycles, trucks filled with infantry, and ambulances.
In the air, Sakda Muke saw objects coming toward the Orussian forces. She felt that she get closer but she also felt that was too risky. Lu Ulhicun then joined her.
"Sakda, was is it? asked Ulhicun.
"I don't know, Ul," replied Sakda. "They look human but I doubt they're Witches like us."
"I'll contact the Major," said Ulhicun before using her intercom. "Major Sakamoto, please come in."
"What is it, Lu?" asked Sakamoto on the other end of the intercom.
"Sakda detected something approaching us."
"Thank you for the warning," replied Sakamoto before turning to Loza. "Colonel, we have incoming."
"Do we?" asked Loza. "Could those be the Mobile Knights you've talked about?"
"They could be. If they were Neuroi, Sakda and Lu would have identified it themselves."
"Major, those objects we spotted are coming in fast!" shouted Ulhicun over the intercom with Sakamoto resuming her attention to it.
"Withdraw now and lure at least two to the traps!" replied Sakamoto. "Avoid as much as you can!"
"Roger that," said Ulhicun before she ended contact.
A T-34 exploded to the right of the M4s. Another T-34 was then hit. Sakamoto, Laza, Yaroslavsky, and Bazin saw vehicles of an unknown design approaching. They appeared to be tanks yet the turret was elevated above the chassis and with two smaller guns located on the left and right of its main gun.
"… What kind of tank is that?" asked Loza as he saw the new tank.
"Must be Stavrosian," answered Sakamoto. "Colonel, I need to help Lu and Sakda lure the Mobile Knights to the trap we laid."
"Do what you must. I'll see if I can cover you."
"Bazin, Yaroslavsky, with me!" shouted Sakamoto as she got off Loza's M4.
As the two Orussians got off the M4, they began to abandon it and find the fastest vehicle that could help them. In the midst of this, the tanks began to engage each other.
#
0847 hours
Elsewhere, Ichiro Miyafuji and Sumuru Nikan's team began their attack. Mostly, it was Nadiya Mykoljivna Movchan that did most of the attacking by constantly moving around the entire base and firing, with or without hitting any Stavrosian. Ichiro and Nikan's team charged and fired at any Stavrosians that they could find.
Although they were firing at the Stavrosians, everyone in Nikan's team was surprised that the Stavrosians aimed their weapons like they are. Ichiro, however, moved toward a garage and Nikan saw him.
"Barkov, Tohoro, can you go with him?" asked Nikan as he pointed at Ichiro.
"Da," replied Barkov with Alin nodding in agreement before the two rushed to join Ichiro.
Nikan resumed firing the Stavrosians, even managing to shoot one of them. However, he managed to see that after the Stavrosian collapsed into the ground, red light engulfed the body but Nikan had to ignore it and continued firing.
#
0850 hours
For the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps and the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps, the battle was now a losing one for the Orussian units. The former began to lose tanks to what the Stavrosians had while the latter began to lose planes and Witches as they fought the Mobile Knights.
Mio Sakamoto, along with Yakov Olegovich Bazin and Nikolai Iosifovich Yaroslavsky, rushed to find a vehicle fast enough to take them back to the border with Perm Governorate that hadn't been destroyed nor had fled.
The search ended as the Fusoan along with the two Orussians found an ambulance getting wounded vehicle crewmen inside. Sakamoto rushed to the driver's seat with the driver seeing her.
"Do you have wounded with you?" asked the driver.
"Net," impatiently replied Sakamoto. "My men and I need this vehicle."
"Sorry, I ca-"
"Now!" shouted Sakamoto as she aimed her PPS at the driver. "I also suggest that the both of you join the wounded. I'll handle the driving."
Both Orussians did as the Fusoan forced them to do and got off the front seats. The driver then gave Sakamoto the ambulance's keys and she boarded the driver's seat while Yaroslavsky joined her.
"Good, you're here," said Sakamoto to Yaroslavsky. "I need you beside me."
"Da," replied Yaroslavsky before he sat beside Sakamoto.
The two men Sakamoto forced out of the front seats were lead to join the wounded by Bazin. After Sakamoto started up the engine, Bazin himself followed the two other Orussian soldiers before the ambulance moved.
Ksenia Mikhailova Koshkina appeared before Loza's M4 to protect it from the Stavrosian tank it was fighting. She deployed her shield. Loza then got out to face Ksenia.
"Koshkina, if you can, withdraw and help Sakamoto. She left with Yaroslavsky and Bazin to help Sakda and Lu."
"But what about you?" asked Ksenia.
"Never mind us. We'll deal with that tank. I'll follow as soon as I can and signal everyone else to do the same."
#
0852 hours
The battle in the Stavrosian base had ended. Nikan, Gantulga, Pang, Klimov, and Nadiya joined Ichiro, Alin, and Barkov inside the garage as to where the truck was kept.
"This is the truck you were talking about?" asked Nikan as he looked at the truck.
"Da," replied Ichiro. "I even got the keys."
Ichiro brought the keys to the truck behind him. The design hardy impressed everyone present but the trailer unit was empty.
"What about the corpses? You said we can take them."
"At least five. We best hurry, however. The Stavrosians will send troops here."
"What about their guns?" asked Barkov.
"Them too."
Everyone but Alin began to collect corpses and weapons. Barkov grabbed a dead Stavrosian's weapon and began to look at it. He was curious to know why the weapon he was holding looked like the weapons used by him and League of Nations soldiers from across the world. What puzzled Barkov further was that the magazine wasn't visible but above the muzzle, he saw that he can see its rounds as the magazine was transparent.
Now where is that safety? wondered Barkov as he looked at the weapon.
Barkov found where the trigger was located but he found a small oval-shaped switch. Behind the switch was a white circle with an "S". Barkov pulled back the switch, now seeing a red circle with an "F".
There's the safety switch. How do I unload its magazine?
Bakov looked at the magazine again. The magazine ranged above the muzzle until the stock. As he looked closely behind the trigger and the safety switch, he saw a button behind the magazine. As he pressed it, he saw that the magazine was loose. He then put the magazine back and resumed looking, where he saw that both sides of the magazine had the same buttons.
"Oh my God!" shouted Gantulga, interrupting Barkov.
Everyone inside gathered Gantulga. The latter carried a dead Stavrosian but to the shock of everyone but Ichiro, the Stavrosian's face was that of a human female with fair skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. However, the "woman" had her skin, already appearing to be pale, touching the bones.
"… Is that… a girl?" asked Nadiya.
"What else do you think it could be!?" exclaimed Klimov.
"That… is a Stavrosian, right?" asked Pang.
"It is," answered Ichiro.
"… But how?" asked Nikan.
"I don't know but if you've collected enough we best hurry."
"G-n Khyber, I noticed something odd about this weapon," interjected Barkov as he showed the weapon he picked up. "Despite the design, it has a safety switch like our guns do. Hold on, I'll remove the magazine and I'll show you."
Barkov found the buttons behind the magazine and pressed them. As he did, he removed the magazine with his left hand and strapped it through his right hand in order to use it to remove a bullet. After getting a bullet, he gave it to Ichiro with Nikan and Klimov looking closely.
"It's… just a regular bullet," said Klimov. "But the length is different."
"Throughout the fight, those weapons fired like those automatic rifles Karlsland troops have," added Nadiya. "G-n Khyber, what does this mean?"
"Again, I don't know. We better hurry."
Everyone but Ichiro resumed getting corpses of dead Stavrosians and their weapons. Barkov, after loading the magazine of the weapon he got, loaded it into a compartment with beds behind the front seats. After Barkov finished, everyone else loaded the corpses they could find into the same compartment.
"What now?" asked Nikan to Ichiro.
"We wait for Major Sakamoto's signal," answered Ichiro.
#
0903 hours
Sakamoto raced as she saw an MK-02 Legionarius with its Flight Pack pursue both Lu Ulhicun and Sakda Muke. The Legionarius fired its rifle but Muke used her shield to protect both herself and Ulhicun.
"Major!" shouted Ksenia as she appeared beside the ambulance.
"Koshkina, what are you doing here?" asked Sakamoto.
"Colonel Loza asked me to assist you."
"Very well."
"INCOMING!" shouted Yakov Borosovich Bazin from the rear.
"Above!" added Ksenia.
Both Ksenia and Sakamoto saw that it was another Legionarius pursuing them. However, it flew at a lower altitude than the Legionarius pursuing Muke and Ulhicun.
"I'm turning!" shouted Sakamoto. "Koshkina, shield us as much as possible."
"Da."
Sakamoto turned left. As the Legionarius fired its rifle, Ksenia used her shield to protect the ambulance.
In the air, Ulhicun and Muke continued to flee and protect themselves from the Legionarius pursuing them. Ulhicun then found that they're near one of the two T-34s with an EMP Net.
"Sakda, I have an idea," said Ulhicun.
"What is it?" asked Muke.
"Keep that Mobile Knight busy. I think I can disable it without destroying it."
"… Fine."
Ulhicun flew ahead of Muke, forcing the Legionarius to pursue it but Muke fired her Type 99-2. As she intended, the shots didn't hit but got the Legionarius' attention to her. It began to pursue to Manchurian Witch.
Meanwhile, Ulhicun came to the T-34s whose D-5T cannons had the EMP Net attached to the tanks. One Orussian tank crewman opened up his T-34's hatch to see Ulhicun.
"You're Lieutenant Lu, right?" asked the Orussian tank crewman.
"I am," answered Ulhicun. "Listen, I need your help."
"We know but that Mobile Knight is too high for us to use the net against."
"Listen to me, I have an idea and I need your help."
#
0906 hours
"How long can I keep this-" lamented Muke until the Legionarius' rifle rounds, which were chambered at 30mm, cut her off and forced her to evade it.
"Sakda, are you there?" asked Ulhicun over the intercom.
"Yeah. Whatever it is, you better hu-"
"On my way there now! Keep it busy but have it lower its altitude."
"Got it."
Muke continued to fly while evading the Legionarius. Unbeknownst to the latter, Ulhicun carried the EMP Net and observed how to throw it at the Legionarius. As she saw Muke diving further down with the Legionarius following her, Ulhicun began to pursue it.
As they both dived into the ground, the Legionarius fired its machine guns found at its hips but Muke blocked the shots with her shields.
"NOW!" shouted Ulhicun as she threw the EMP Net at the Legionarius.
As the net caught into the Legionarius, it began to emit its electromagnetic pulse. This began to affect the Legionarius' power that it was forced to land.
Elsewhere, the ambulance Mio Sakamoto forcibly boarded continued to evade the other Legionarius. However, Nikolai Iosifovich Yaroslavsky, seated beside her, saw that they're near another pair of T-34s with an EMP Net.
"Major, I have an idea!" shouted Yaroslavsky to Sakamoto.
"It better be good!" replied Sakamoto.
"Get me close to those T-34s. I think we can hit that Mobile Knight with the net you provided but it will need its attention focused elsewhere."
"… Fine. It better work, though."
Sakamoto drove the ambulance near the T-34s. Yaroslavsky forced himself out of the ambulance to the T-34s while Sakamoto moved away to keep the Legionarius focused on her.
"PRIVET!" shouted Yaroslavsky as he ran to the T-34s. "PRIVET!"
"Chto eto!?" asked a tank crewman who opened up his T-34's hatch.
"I'm… " partially said Yaroslavsky as he was had used up too much energy rushing to the T-34. "Ryadovoy Yaroslavsky. I need your… help."
"With what?"
"That!" said Yaroslavsky as he pointed to the Legionarius pursuing the ambulance Sakamoto was driving. "Major Sakamoto is in that ambulance and she has that Mobile Knight's attention. Maybe was can catch it from behind with the net."
"Alright. Get in."
"Spasibo," said Yaroslavsky as he got to the rear of the T-34.
"Yaroslavsky, are you there?" asked Sakamoto over the intercom.
"Da. I'm with the T-34s with the net."
"Get them to move. I think that Mobile Knight has my attention now."
"Seems like we have to move, right?" asked the tank crewman.
"Da," replied Yaroslavsky.
"Milyutin, I need you up here?" shouted the crewman followed by another crewman opening the hatch of the T-34 on the left.
"What is it, Leskov?" asked the opposite crewman.
"We need to move now! There's that Mobile Knight in front of us and Major Sakamoto needs us to use that net on it."
"Got it."
Both crewmen closed the hatches of their respective T-34s. As Yaroslavsky sat down, the engines started and as a result, the T-34s began to move.
Sakamoto continued to divert the Legionarius' attention to her with Ksenia using her shield to protect the ambulance. The T-34s with the EMP net began to get closer with Sakamoto noticing.
Good, thought Sakamoto. We just need to keep that Mobile Knight focused on us.
Sakamoto, despite driving, grabbed the smoke grenade Ichiro gave to her earlier. The Legionarius fired its machine guns again with Sakamoto getting out of its way.
Problem is, if we keep this up, that Mobile Knight will remain in the air and the EMP Net won't be able to get it.
"Koshkina!" shouted Sakamoto to Ksenia. "I have an idea."
"What is it!?" asked Ksenia.
"Use this!" again shouted Sakamoto as she threw the smoke grenade at Nadiya. "Blind that Mobile Knight."
"Got it."
Ksenia then pulled the pin off the smoke grenade and threw it at the Legionarius. The smoke, which was colored purple, blocked the Legionarius and as a result, its pilot wasn't able to see Ksenia nor the ambulance. This forced the pilot, a male, to land the Mobile Knight, still unaware of the two T-34s with the EMP Net.
"We got you now!" said the T-34 tank crewman named Leskov.
As the Legionarius landed, it saw that Ksenia and the ambulance escaped. However, the T-34s were close and as the pilot was notified, he was too late to fire as the EMP Net caught the Legionarius, disabling it.
Sakamoto and Ksenia, seeing that the Legionarius was caught by the EMP Net, stopped and saw what happened. They turned back to join the T-34s.
"Good work," said Sakamoto as she got off the ambulance and saw Letrov open his hatch.
"Spasibo," replied Letrov.
"The two Orussian soldiers whom Sakamoto stole the ambulance from got off the rear with Bazin. Sakamoto saw them and simply gave them the key she took from them.
"Thanks for your assistance," said Sakamoto.
Without saying anything, the two Orussians got back to the ambulance and left. Sakamoto resumed facing Letrov and Yaroslavsky.
"What now?" asked Yaroslavsky.
"We wait."
#
0925 hours
However, for the rest of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps and the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps still fought the Stavrosian forces. However, the latter had brought more Mobile Knights, turning the battle into a retreating one for the former two Orussian units.
The ZSU-37s fired their 37mm air defense gun but they couldn't hit the Legionarii attacking them. In the air, the Il-2s fared no better. Even with Witches protecting them, the Orussian aerial units were being picked off by Legionarii.
Far away from the retreating Orussian troops, a lone truck drove as fast as it could. Tohoro Alin drove the truck with Ichiro Miyafuji beside him. Sumuru Nikan, Gantulga, Pang Baicun, Roman Leonidovich Klimov, and Vitaly Borisovich Barkov seated wherever they could sit that was safe. Beside the truck was Nadiya Mykoljivna Movchan who saw the retreating Orussians and as a result, went to Ichiro.
"G-n Khyber, why aren't we helping?" asked Nadiya.
"We can't," replied Ichiro. "We need this truck intact and I doubt small arms can be of any help at this point."
"… Then I'm going."
"What!? You'll get yourself killed!"
"You got your truck and I can imagine that the purple smoke was Major Sakamoto getting those Mobile Knights. We're done here!"
Nadiya began to turn away and moved to the retreating Orussians.
"What do we do?" asked Alin to Ichiro.
"Leave her," answered Ichiro. "She got us this far, we owe her for that."
Nadiya neared the retreating Orussians. She then saw one Legionarius aiming for Loza's M4 and as a result, aimed her PPS at it.
"I'm over here!" shouted Nadiya as she aimed her PPS.
A second later, Nadiya pulled the PPS's trigger. The 8mm rounds hit the Mobile Knight, diverting its attention to Nadiya. As a result, the other Mobile Knights started to focus on the Orussian Witch, forgetting the other Witches and armor it was fighting.
"What's going on here!?" shouted Loza as he opened his M4's hatch.
He looked around and saw the familiar blue-colored circle with symbols that made the Legionarii flock to it. He knew it as a Witch's shield.
Who's the Witch foolish enough to do that? incredulously wondered Loza. In any case, we best help her.
"Everyone, I ask that we aim everything at the Mobile Knights while that one Witch is distracted," said Loza over his headset.
The surviving M4s turned their turrets to the rear. Crewmen from the surviving T-34s and ZSU-37s did the same upon seeing what the M4s were doing. As a result, 37mm, 76mm, and 85mm rounds were fired at the Mobile Knights. One Legionarius was destroyed while the rest had their legs disabled and were forced into the ground but were still functioning.
Nadiya saw what had happened. She then saw Loza using his right hand to come to her and did so.
"You're Junior Sergeant Movchan, aren't you?" asked Loza.
"Da," replied Nadiya.
"What are you doing here? Where's Khyber?"
"He got his truck. He's on his way now to Major Sakamoto as she signaled that she got the two Mobile Knights."
"Then we'll join her."
"But what about them?" asked Nadiya as she pointed at the remaining Mobile Knights in the air.
One Legionarius saw the retreating Orussian armor but it began to leave. The other Legionarii followed, confusing the surviving Orussian forces. Despite that, they too withdrew. The armor on the ground, seeing the remaining Mobile Knights withdrawing, opted to continue withdrawing as well.
#
0939 hours
The truck Ichiro had taken arrived to see Sakamoto, Yaroslavsky, and Ksenia beside the Legionarius they disabled with Letrov and Milyutin's respective T-34s behind them. Ichiro and Alin got off the front seats and rushed to Sakamoto.
"Is that the truck?" asked Sakamoto.
"Hai," replied Ichiro. "As I predicted, it can be used to load the Mobile Knights into it. You did well."
"How do we get it open? As you said, the EMP Net might prevent the Mobile Knight from being used."
"We found some sort of a crowbar meant for Mobile Knights," answered Ichiro before turning to Alin. "1st Airman Tohoro, please get it."
"Roger that," replied Alin before he rushed back to the truck.
"Wait, where's Movchan?" asked Sakamoto as she saw Nadiya missing.
"She… left to help Colonel Loza and his men."
"What!? You let her rush to her death!?"
"She saw her fellow Orussians in trouble. I'm sorry."
"PRIVET!" shouted a voice both Ichiro and Sakamoto knew.
To the relief of both Fusoans, it was Nadiya Mykoljivna Movchan. The latter then stopped before the former.
"Junior Sergeant Movchan, you made it!" exclaimed Ichiro.
"They saved me," replied Nadiya as she pointed to the remains of the armored unit with Loza's M4 joining them.
"So that's the Mobile Knight?" asked Loza as he opened his M4's hatch. "How are we going to bring it back with us?"
"1st Airman Tohoro's on it," replied Ichiro.
Alin grabbed the crowbar Ichiro mentioned. It was longer than the usual crowbars anyone was familiar with, which made it suited for opening a cockpit of a disabled Mobile Knight. As he began to open it, everyone heard loud knocking, which surprised them,
"There's someone in there!" shouted Loza.
"Yaroslavsky, Bazin," said Sakamoto to the two Orussian soldiers.
Without saying anything, the two Orussian soldiers nodded and rushed near the disabled Legionarius. Alin continued to open it and as he did, a man came out.
"That's a Stavrosian?" asked Loza. "It looks like a hu-"
However, Loza was cut off by the Stavrosian shouting and bringing out a pistol that looked like something humans had. As a result, Bazin shot him. This horrified Sakamoto as the Stavrosian, who laid on the snowy ground, bled red like a human being.
"… What did you do that for!?" asked Sakamoto.
"I… " incompletely replied Bazin before something cut him off.
Everyone now saw red light envelop the dead Stavrosian. The body began to shake but not for long. Afterward, the body appeared to be thin with the armor appearing heavier than it.
"It was like this in the base we raided," said Ichiro. "1st Airman, please show them."
Alin returned to the truck and opened the rear door behind the front seat. He grabbed the corpse of the female Stavrosian soldier taken from the base and carried it to be shown. Sakamoto widened her eyes upon seeing the corpse.
"… Is that… a woman?" asked Sakamoto as began to kneel on the ground.
"Yes," answered Ichiro.
"This one is also human," said Bazin as he removed the helmet worn by the Stavrosian he shot, showing a human male face.
"… We've been fighting humans like us?" asked Loza.
"HEY!" interrupted Sakda Muke as she appeared.
"Lieutenant Sakda, what are you doing here?" asked Nikan as he rushed to her. "Where's Lieutenant Lu?"
"She's guarding the other Mobile Knight we captured," answered Muke before she saw the two dead Stavrosians. "… What's going on?"
"We'll talk it about later," answered Sakamoto as she got up.
"Wait," interjected Ichiro. "We need to get that Mobile Knight moving."
"… Right," agreed Sakamoto as she grabbed one of the two devices Ichiro gave her earlier and rushed to the Mobile Knight.
Alin resumed using the crowbar to finish opening the cockpit. He saw that the cockpit door had a hinge, realizing how it opened. He opened as far as he could, allowing Sakamoto to crawl inside the cockpit.
Sakamoto then found the seat for the Legionarius and turned to sit on it. She saw that there were pedals for each leg but she was focused on the controls, which amazed her. There were foot pedals like those in a car and the controls resembled that of a fighter plane. However, the Mobile Knight couldn't operate as Ichiro warned should it be exposed to an electromagnetic pulse, necessitating Sakamoto to use the device.
As Sakamoto planted the device near the ignition switch, the Mobile Knight began to power up by closing its cockpit door and standing up, amazing everyone present.
"Good day, Major Sakamoto," said a male voice. "This device is to provide power and assist you in piloting this Mobile Knight. Shall we begin?"
"Sure," replied Sakamoto.
#
0954 hours
Alone, Lu Ulhicun guarded the Legionarius she disabled earlier. However, she began to see another Legionarius and a truck approach. As she aimed her MG42, Ulhicun saw Sakda Muke rush to her.
"We got it!" shouted Muke. "We got it!"
Ulhicun stopped aiming her MG42 and let Muke approach her.
"You did?" asked Ulhicun. "So who's inside the Mobile Knight?"
"Major Sakamoto."
"I see."
"We have to stay here a little longer and guard the area. According to Khyber, the Mobile Knights fly because of something called a 'Flight Pack' and in order to get that other Mobile Knight to fit in the truck, we need to have it removed."
"Got it."
The Orussians and the Manchurians began to guard the area. Meanwhile, Sakamoto through the Legionarius she is piloting removed the Flight Pack from the other Legionarius Ulhicun disabled. Afterward, she carried it to the truck with Ichiro's help. However, banging was heard, disrupting everyone.
"What was that?" asked Gantulga.
"I've been hearing it while waiting for all of you," answered Ulhicun. "I assumed it to be the pilot and when I asked, I heard a male voice shout 'Get me out of here!'."
"He'll come with us then," interjected Ichiro.
Sakamoto resumed taking the disabled Legionarius to the truck. She then opened the cockpit as everyone gathered to Ulhicun, knowing what to say to her.
"Lieutenant Lu, there's something you need to know," said Nikan.
"What is it?" asked Ulhicun.
Everyone then told Ulhicun about the dead Stavrosians. She listened with curiosity and fear as to what she learned. Despite that, Ulhicun didn't let the information shock her. The engine of Loza's M4 started, bringing the Iron Thieves' attention to it.
"It seems that you're done," said Loza. "I'll be going now."
"Thank you again for your support, Colonel," replied Ichiro.
"I sure hope we can win this war by having that thing mass-produced," said Loza before closing his hatch.
Afterward, the M4 began to leave the area along with the four T-34s that carried the EMP Nets. The rest of the Iron Thieves, sans Nadiya and Ksenia, began to board the truck before leaving. However, Pang began to see something.
"What is it, Corporal Pang?" asked Nikan.
"Something's coming," answered Pang.
Everyone looked at where Pang was looking. Sakamoto, using the Legionarius, was able to see farther than everyone could. She was both surprised and concerned about what she saw as it appeared to be a human yet he or she was in a strange armor that was black and red with spikes coming out of its back with red-colored tips. Sakamoto, per the instruction of the device, magnified what she saw and now, she was horrified as she saw that the humanoid figure approaching them had hexagons.
"It's a Neuroi!" shouted Sakamoto as she opened the Legionarius' cockpit.
"What do you mean?" asked Ichiro.
"It has hexagons on its skin!"
"We best leave!" added Nikan.
"We'll deal with it!" announced Ksenia and Nadiya as they rushed to fight the newly-identified Neuroi.
"I'm coming too!" added Muke before joining the two Orussian Witches.
Both Ksenia and Nadiya began to open fire at the Neuroi. However, the Neuroi quickly evaded their shots and it got close to Ksenia. Suddenly, it grabbed her in the face with its right hand and lifted her up.
"Let her g-" incompletely shouted Nadiya.
What interrupted Nadiya was a flash of red light. Ksenia screamed in horror and it was heard by every other Iron Thief. As she arrived, Muke did nothing as she was unaware of what was happening and what would happen if she interfered.
The flash of red light vanished. However, the Neuroi now held a physically weakened Ksenia Mikhailovna Koshkina in front of it. It then formed its left hand into a fist and punched right through Ksenia's chest. The Neuroi then threw Ksenia's corpse away and turned its attention to Nadiya.
Nadiya, after seeing what happened to Ksenia, was unable to fight. She fell into the snow and tried to crawl to safety. However, Nadiya was letting fear win as she was unable to move, allowing the Neuroi to get closer to her.
"Hey!" shouted Muke before firing her Type 99-2.
The shots hit the Neuroi but to no avail. The Neuroi then turned to Muke and flew into the air toward the Manchurian Witch. At that instant, the Neuroi had grabbed Muke by her neck and like what it did to Ksenia, a red light appeared. Gantulga, Bazin, and Yaroslavsky rushed to help Nadiya.
"We have to go now!" shouted Gantulga.
"But… " incompletely said Nadiya.
"The Lieutenant's as good as dead," added Bazin. "We need you to leave your Striker now."
Reluctantly, Nadiya did as Bazin asked and removed her T-26. Bazin carried her like Alin did hours ago and the four left just as the flash ended. The Neuroi then sliced Muke's body in half.
"Everyone, get out of here now!" shouted Sakamoto. "I'll hold it off!"
"You'll die!" shouted Ichiro.
"Just go! You need that Mobile Knight delivered to safety."
The rest of the Iron Thieves, sans Ulhicun, did as Sakamoto ordered and started up the truck. Sakamoto began to use the Legionarius' machine guns at the Neuroi. Despite the lack of effect, the Neuroi's attention was now focused on Sakamoto, allowing the surviving Iron Thieves to escape.
Afterward, another chase began – this time in the air. Sakamoto kept on firing the machine guns but the Neuroi evaded the shots.
It's very fast, thought Sakamoto. And the way it fought… It can't be a Witch-Type.
The Neuroi neared Sakamoto's Legionarius but the latter evaded it.
#
Perm Governorate. 1010 hours
The Iron Thieves had managed to return to Perm Governorate with the Legionarius in the truck Ichiro and Nikan's team had stolen. Loza, Petrov, and Ryazanov saw them approach and as the truck stopped, Ichiro got off.
"Colonel Loza told us everything," said Petrov as Ichiro approached him. "Now what?"
"It's Major Sakamoto I'm worried about now," said Ichiro.
"Why?" asked Ryazanov.
"There's a new type of Neuroi out there and she's fighting it alone."
"That's suicide!" shouted Loza.
"And I'll go to help her," said Ulhicun as she faced the direction of Chelyabinsk Governorate again.
"Wait, Ulhicun, don't go!" shouted Nikan.
"Don't stop me, Nikan."
"Allow me to come with you. I have an idea."
#
Chelyabinsk Governorate. 1017 hours
I better hope Miyafuji-hakase and the others made it, though Sakamoto while evading the unknown Neuroi.
As the Neuroi was close enough, Sakamoto fired the machine guns again but the Neuroi evaded the shots. The latter saw that she was out of ammunition.
Damn it!
The Neuroi charged at Sakamoto again. While she evaded it again, Sakamoto saw that the Neuroi would catch up to her as she no longer had ammunition.
Suddenly, the Neuroi enveloped itself in red light and charged at the Legionarius again. As Sakamoto tried to evade it, this time, the Neuroi had caught up and as it charged right through, an arm fell off.
"Major, are you there?" asked Lu Ulhicun over the intercom.
"Lu, what are you doing here!?" asked Sakamoto "I thought I told you to leave!"
"I have an idea. Just get that Neuroi on the ground."
"… I guess I have no choice."
Sakamoto raced to the ground with the Neuroi following it. As the former landed, so did the latter. The red light that engulfed the Neuroi vanished and at that instant, Sumuru Nikan tackled it with Sakamoto seeing it. Ulhicun joined as well.
"Major, go!" shouted Ulhicun.
"Was this your plan!?" asked Sakamoto.
"Ba- I mean, Senior Lieutenant Nikan brought dynamite. He'll blow himself up but it isn't just him. I'll take that Neuroi out with us too."
"That's stupid!"
"You don't have much time! That Mobile Knight is more important than the both of us at this point."
"… Thank you for your sacrifice," said Sakamoto before she flew off.
Both Nikan and Ulhicun struggled to prevent the Neuroi from leaving. The dynamite on Nikan was almost lit and the Ta-152 used by Ulhicun began to emit a blue light.
"Nikan, I'm glad to have met you," said Ulhicun.
"Me too," replied Nikan. "Maybe if reincarnation is possible, I hope we meet each other again in the next life… without you having magic."
"And I hope we have more than one lifetime to love each other."
As Sakamoto continuously flew back to Perm Governorate, a blue light filled the sky behind her. It was shown to Sakamoto through the monitor of the Legionarius' console with Sakamoto closing her eyes with tears falling out of them.
#
U.S.S. Mayflower. April 14, 1946; 2249 hours
"… I'm sorry you had to do that," said Shinta Himemiya to Mio Sakamoto in the present on the U.S.S. Mayflower's flight deck.
"Is that pity I hear?" asked Sakamoto. "It should be Lu and Nikan to pity. They did that because I knew about their tryst. Will you do the same with Miyafuji?"
Shinta had no retort. Even if he did, he couldn't have been able to justify it as he couldn't easily see if he can easily define his relationship with Yoshika Miyafuji.
"What happened to the Stavrosian who was trapped in that Mobile Knight you put in the truck?" asked Shinta to change the subject.
"When we opened the cockpit of that other Mobile Knight the pilot came out and grabbed Gantulga's pistol to kill himself," added Sakamoto to change the subject. "We returned to Manchuria immediately afterward and began to analyze the Mobile Knights. After that, we publicized what we found to the ambassadors from Liberion and Karlsland. Then, Dr. Miyafuji and I traveled to Helvetia to discuss reverse-engineering the Mobile Knights with the League of Nations."
#
LN Armed Forces Headquarters, Geneva, Helvetia Commonwealth. February 21, 1946; 1125 hours
When the League of Nations was founded, the world's armed forces were to answer to a unified command once the Neuroi appeared again. As a result, the League of Nations Armed Forces was created and like the organization as a whole, it was headquartered in Geneva.
The League of Nations Armed Forces is divided into three – the League of Nations Army, the League of Nations Navy, and the League of Nations Air Force. All three branches answer to the Chairman of the Armed Forces, who talks to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations on military matters.
In a certain room in LN Armed Forces Headquarters, Mio Sakamoto and Ichiro Miyafuji were seated on one side and three elderly men in uniform sat on the other side. The three men were the respective chairmen for each of the three branches of the LN Armed Forces. One was a Britannian officer serving as the Chairman of the LN Air Force, another was a Fusoan officer serving as Chairman of the LN Navy, and one was a Liberian officer serving as the Chairman of the LN Army.
In front were two men; one in uniform and the other in civilian formal attire. The former was the overall Chairman of the LN Armed Forces while the latter was the Secretary-General.
"You mean to tell us that you, along with Manchuria and Orussia, devised this operation to steal a Stavrosian Mobile Knight, without telling the rest of the LN?" asked the LN Army Chairman.
"I'm not denying it," replied Ichiro. "We're here today to ask for your help in having the Mobile Knight reverse-engineered and mass-produced."
"Why don't you get Orussia to do it?" snidely asked the LN Air Force Chairman.
"Because neither Orussia nor the both of us can do it alone," answered Sakamoto. "We know that the Tierra del Fuego, northern Africa, and southern Asia have fallen to the Stavrosians and the Neuroi."
"And if we don't act soon, they'll take the rest of Southeast Asia," added Ichiro.
The LN Armed Forces chairmen talked amongst themselves about the defeats in the territories the two Fusoans spoke of. The Secretary-General watched but remained silent. He coughed to signify that he wished to talk, forcing the chairmen to be silent themselves.
"Mr. Khyber, if we agree to this plan, will you help us further?" asked the Secretary-General.
"I will," replied Ichiro. "However, I know that you don't have the facilities that can build Mobile Knights. The Stavrosians have plans to convert the manufacturing facilities in Chelyabinsk for their equipment. However, I do have a facility that can do so."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" asked the LN Air Force Chairman.
"I can't do it without funding nor additional resources. I don't intend on leaving the entire process to my facility. I do need a company who'll handle the assembly and the eventual mass-production."
"Very well, I'll agree to it," said the LN Navy Chairman.
"Shall we place a vote on it?" asked the LN Armed Forces Chairman.
"Yes," said the LN Navy Chairman.
"Before I cast my vote, I have one question," interjected the LN Army Chairman.
"Yes, General Eisenhower?" asked Ichiro.
"Do you have a name for this project?"
"Warviour."
"… Really?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing. What does it even mean?"
"It's a combination of 'Warrior' and 'Savior'."
"I saw in the papers you submitted that you need to build three prototypes. What will be the names for the other two other prototypes?"
"Warviour will be for the prototype focused on melee combat. The prototype dedicated for long-range bombardment will be called 'Wardier'; a combination of 'Warrior' and 'Bombardier'. Another prototype will be focused on reconnaissance and communications support and it will be called 'Wardar'; 'Warrior' and 'Radar'."
"If you put it that way, I vote yes on it," announced the LN Army Chairman.
"What about you, General Harris?" asked the LN Armed Forces Chairman to the LN Air Force Chairman.
"No," replied the LN Air Force Chairman. "I find the name silly. That, and I don't think many, especially in my Royal Air Force, would pilot a box of metal that can manipulate arms and legs, even if it's like a Striker Unit without a Magic Engine for men to pilot."
"In any case, it's two to one," announced the LN Armed Forces Chairman. "Secretary-General?"
"Agreed," said the Secretary-General before facing Ichiro and Sakamoto. "I'll make sure you get funding but you'll need a company to handle the assembly of the prototypes and the first mass-production models."
"I know of one company," announced Ichiro.
#
U.S.S. Mayflower. April 14, 1946; 2327 hours
"And that's how Miyazaki Industries was selected to assemble the prototypes," said Sakamoto in the present. "How Dr. Miyafuji had them delivered to Shinkyo, I'd like to know."
"I'm impressed he gained connections to both the Orussian and the Manchurian governments," said Shinta. "What about Yoshika-san?"
"As I warned, please watch your interactions with Miyafuji."
"Ryōkai," replied Shinta. "However, I have a question?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"That Neuroi you fought in Orussia, what did it look like?"
"Why are you asking?" replied Sakamoto with suspicion in her tone.
"… I'm curious," replied Shinta.
"It looked like a knight from Medieval Europe but colored black. It appeared to have eyes that glowed red and it filled itself with red light."
"… I see. Thank you," replied Shinta with a salute.
"Now, I have one more question: Miyafuji-hakase claimed he knows someone who knows about the Stavrosians and the Neuroi. If I didn't know any better, that would be you."
"Ichiro-san isn't the type to lie but I can't tell you."
"And why not?"
"I… "
"Say no more," said Sakamoto as she raised her right palm to aid in silencing Shinta. "If you don't wish to tell me now, that's fine. If you do, just approach me."
"Hai desu."
"You're dismissed," ultimately said Sakamoto. Whatever you are, I will find out.
Translations
Emcha (Russian; not an actual word) – a nickname for the M4s Orussia received. An explanation will be found below in the A/N.
Da (Russian) – "Yes"
Ataka! (Russian) – "Attack!"
Net (Russian; pronounced "ni-yet" with the "I" silent and the "Y" emphasized) – "No"
Privet (Russian) – "Hey"
Chto Eto? (Russian; pronounced "sh-to eta" with "A" pronounced silently and fast) – "What is it?"
Spasibo (Russian; pronounced "spasiba" with the "A" emphasized) – "Thank you"
Panzerkampfwagwen (German) – Armored Fighting Vehicle
A/N:
As for "Perm Governorate" and "Chelyabinsk Governorate", they were real administrative divisions of Tsarist Russia. Given that Orussia is basically Tsarist Russia with weapons developed by the Communist government that came afterward, it made sense to use the administrative divisions Tsarist Russia used in real life. Yekaterinburg was part of the real-life Perm Governorate when it was established in 1781. When the Tsarist government was dissolved in 1917, the family of Tsar Nicholas II was taken to Yekaterinburg and a year later, he and his family were executed there by their Bolshevik jailers. A year later, Perm Governorate was then split into two; the eastern half where Yekaterinburg was located at was now the center of the newly-established "Yekaterinburg Governorate" but that ended in 1923 when it became part of the newly-formed Ural Oblast. Chelyabinsk, originally a part of the Orenburg Governorate, was temporarily a center of a newly-established governorate of the same name until it was also incorporated into the Ural Oblast in 1923. In 1934, the Ural Oblast was then dissolved with Yekaterinburg, known as Sverdlovsk at the time, and Chelyabinsk becoming the respective centers for two newly-established oblasts bearing their names. In 1991, as the Soviet Union dissolved, the city was named Yekaterinburg again but the oblast is still called Sverdlovsk Oblast to this day.
Like with Ryazanov, Colonel Loza is a real-life Soviet officer; Dmitri Fedorovich Loza. He was known to have fought in the Soviet advances into Ukraine, Romania, Czechoslovakia (modern-day Czech Republic and Slovak Republic), Austria, and Manchuria. His unit in the 6th Guards Tank Army, the 5th Mechanized Corps, was put under the 6th Tank Army in February 1944. In September of the same year, the 6th Tank Army achieved "Guards" status, becoming the 6th Guards Tank Army with the 5th Mechanized Corps becoming the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps. The 9th Mechanized Guards Corp seen in this chapter is the same one, complete with the M4 Shermans it received through Lend-Lease.
The M4's nickname by Orussian soldiers, "Emcha", is what Soviet tankers called the M4 in real life. "Emcha" is an abbreviation of "Em chetyre"; the latter meaning "four" in Russian.
Loza being glad that T-34s are being used to carry the EMP Nets instead of his M4s is based on how real-life Loza didn't speak favorably about the T-34 because it was loud that it can be heard for kilometers and that the M4 had an auxiliary gasoline engine to start up the batteries as a T-34 needed its engine to run fully at 500 horsepower to start its battery.
"Three-Legger" was a name I simply invented for the three-legged Small-Type Neuroi fought by the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps. That Small-Type was only glimpsed at in the Africa Doujinshi, specifically volume 3 of Witches of the Sphinx. The Flying Goblets fought by Ulhicun, Muke, and the 1st Guards Assault Aviation Corps were also from the Africa Doujinshi.
As I said in the previous part, Nikan managed to do it with Ulhicun. How was the latter able to fly? All I can say is that the two Manchurians managed to work their way around that.
As for that new type of Neuroi that appeared humanoid, I'll just say that there's more of it in later chapters, rendering Nikan and Ulhicun's sacrifice meaningless.
References to The Terminator:
1. The smaller guns at both sides of the Stavrosian tank's turret, along with the turret higher than the chassis, is based on the HK-Tank.
2. How it killed Ksenia is based on how the T-800 killed the second of three men it saw after arriving in 1984 Los Angeles.
3. Muke shouting "Hey" before firing at the Neuroi to no effect, in which it kills her afterward, is based on how Hal Vukovich shouted "Hey" before firing his M16 at the T-800 only for the shots to have no effect and it killing Vukovich.
The structure of the League of Nations Armed Forces was that I had NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in mind, specifically where the Chairman of the LN Armed Forces reports to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. However, the Armed Forces being divided into the LN Army, LN Navy, and LN Air Force and that each branch has a "Chairman" in charge is of my own invention.
As you can see, I again used Dwight Eisenhower as he made an appearance in Strike Witches: The Movie. As to why I made him Chairman of the LN Army, I figured that was most suited because of the contributions the United States of Liberion provided during the Second Neuroi War. Like Pavlov in the previous part, as well Ryazanov and Loza in this part, I didn't give Eisenhower a forename because I didn't want to go with "Donald", which he was given for his aforementioned animated appearance. Likewise with General Harris, who is supposed to be British Royal Air Force general Arthur "Bomber" Harris.
I might have to take a break with the story proper due to how much I came up for this chapter. As I said in the previous part, I came up with so much for this chapter that the document file for this one would be at 109 pages if you include these author's notes. I do plan on releasing "Liner Notes" that shed more on the lore for this fanfic so please be on the lookout. I will provide a link as to where to get them in my account profile.
