AN: A few minutes ago I realized, that I had accidentally posted the wrong chapter, for which I apologize with all my heart.
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Imperial Palace
February 2017 A.T.B.
In the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire, Pendragon, the mood is among the ordinary, non-noble inhabitants of the city, civil and military officials or even nobility currently residing in the capital. The reason for such a unanimity of the divided society was the recent news from the war front with the EU. A crushing victory in Egypt. An operation involving two elite formations, Knights of the Purple Rose and Order of Michael. Of these two formations, while the Order of Michael was considered an elite formation for a long time, the Knights of the Purple Rose had to prove their elitism as a completely new knightly order. What, on the other hand, led to the euphoria of the townspeople and the military is the fact that the architect of this success was Prince Lucius vi Britannia, who had long aroused the respect and adoration of the common people and the army, especially from the low and middle ranks. Even quite a large part of the nobility had immeasurable respect or even adoration for him. In fact, the triumph of the Purple Prince was so great and significant to the Egyptian campaign that people almost started celebrating it in the streets, despite quite a lot of losses for both Knights of the Purple Rose and the Order of Michael, which were quite big, as they reached a total of as many as 35% of pilots and 57% of machines.
But no matter how great the losses on the Empire side were, the general public was more than pleased with the present situation and with the direction the Egyptian front was taking.
In the office of the Prime Minister of the empire, the mood reigning both in Pendragon and the rest of the empire affected everyone present. Schneizel el Britannia himself was very proud and pleased not so much with the success of this operation, but with the fact that his younger brother was making so much progress and that he had done something so bold. In fact, the Prime Minister spent much of yesterday's day just reading fairly extensive reports on his younger half-brother's success and how victory was ultimately achieved. By an extremely risky attack, only worthy of a real gambler. Nevertheless, deliberate risk was necessary in the war to be fully successful.
"It seems that the campaign in Egypt is slowly coming to an end, and this is creating a number of new problems in the future that may arise in the future." An extremely powerful and absurdly muscular officer, General Dozle Zabi, stated. Thanks to his long, successful service and political connection, he managed to gain not only the rank of General, but also the position of General Inspector of Empire.
"I have to agree with the General." Another man in the office, Earl Kanon Maldini, the Prime Minister's personal assistant and a longtime friend of his, interrupted. One of the best analysts Schneizel had met in his entire life. "We are faced with the real prospect of taking over the Suez Canal, which in turn will give us a border with the Federation of Middle East. The likelihood of an attack by the FME and driving us into a war on several fronts is more than real at this point. Although I have no doubts that we will ultimately triumph, at the moment we do not have enough strength in that area to fight off any attack that must come sooner or later. "
In addition to the Prime Minister, the General Inspector of Empire and the Prime Minister's personal assistant, two more people were present in the room. Deputy Prime Minister Gihren Zabi, who has remained silent so far, and Earl Lloyd Asplund, Director of the Engineering Corps Camelot, who has also remained silent so far, despite the constantly present and slightly goofy smirk on his lips.
"Gentlemen, I appreciate your concern, but you don't have to worry about that." The prime minister replied nonchalantly and seemingly without, which earned him shocked looks from the General and the assistant. Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister smiled coldly at his statement, while Earl Asplund did not seem to have the slightest interest in it. "There are quite plausible predictions from OSI and our political analysts that Chancellor Verrat will soon ask us for a ceasefire for several months. This will give us enough time to deal with the FME and bring in large enough reinforcements to deal with the potential. an EU offensive, at least in that part of the world. "
After all, the General Inspector of Empire was not convinced on this point. "After all, it is quite a risky plan that, in the event of a defeat, could cost us a lot of lost soldiers, or even a defeat, despite our technological advantage over the enemy."
"This scenario is questionable." Deputy Prime Minister Gihren put in calmly, and he got the attention of all the people here. "Given the level of losses, they would have had to regroup and get reinforcements from Europe, and that would take a long time and be a challenge to United Europia's logistics. With that in mind, if we pushed their armies into the Suez Canal, it could enable us to sign a ceasefire quickly, and then a swift attack on the FME, whose army is even worse than the other two powers. "
"All of this assuming that the Federation of Middle East can even be classified as a superpower in any sense of the word." The prime minister muttered derisively, which caused a wave of giggles among the people gathered here. It wasn't even an open secret that the FME was a power in name only, and only at best.
In fact, the Federation was only a poor shadow of the former power. The collapse, paradoxically, began with the sudden unification of all the countries of the Middle East into one cohesive state, all due to the whim of the local elite in the 1950s. Unlike the Chinese Federation or the Holy Britannian Empire, it was not a power built for generations, but only a whim of the elite who wanted to unite their existing countries into one power, whose economy and army could ensure the security and preservation of influence of Sheikhs, Emirs, aristocrats and Caliph, the latter of which would be the central figure of the entire state. However, the first problems began at the very beginning, because the economies of individual countries, despite being interconnected, were not even ready for such a quick and violent process of unification. This almost led to an economic collapse and financial chaos that could not be resolved until the 1970s. It was then that alternative energy sources began to gain popularity, such as wind farms, solar panels or power plants and engines, based on technologies using Sakuradite as a focal point. It was also a period in which the energy industry, based on oil, natural gas and coal, was completely supplanted within a few years. This was a real disaster for the FME, which was based on oil exports in its economy. There was an economic recession, a collapse in the value of all local currencies, and only thanks to an extensive apparatus of the secret police, Caliph was able to maintain power over the state. After all, nowadays it was an extremely poor area, full of corruption in the administration and the army. It was highly questionable that the country would pose any direct threat to the Holy Britannian Empire. Not to mention the fact that the army of this country was at best equipped with outdated equipment which, despite its effectiveness, could not be fully used, given the low morale of the soldiers and the terrible quality of the officer cadre.
"That's more than a true statement." General Zabi replied, and continued to be quite skeptical about the plans of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister for this power. "However, be honest with me. Why are you actually assuming a federation attack on our troops."
"Since the Emperor has expressed a strong desire to aggress against the Middle East, OSI will most likely orchestrate some incident that will one way or another lead to war." The prime minister replied impassively or in any color in his voice. In reality, however, he was annoyed at having to follow his father's orders, without knowing what he should be up to. "Regardless of my assumptions, the decision has been made and I can only prepare for the worst-case scenario that we will have to deal with in the future."
Nobody said anything to his comment, because the open secret was the fact that the Emperor started wars and projects whose rationality was literally low. While the plan to build the first-ever and self-sufficient city in Antarctica had some logical foundations, such as the search for Sakuradite deposits, which, according to geologists, were supposed to be quite a lot there, the beginning and continuing of this long war with Europia United was deprived of even the smallest signs of logic. Especially since the empire was fighting at this point and up to that point to conquer Africa, a continent heavily exploited by the EU, which still remained backward and underdeveloped, both economically and in terms of infrastructure, which in some, especially poor regions, was reduced to only to what has been delineated by trucks or draft animals.
"But no matter how we have to fight and with whom, we should talk about the development of our Knightmare Frame, which will play a key role in every coming conflict." Gihren started and thus moved on to the next topic that was soon to be touched upon, namely the development of the panzer infantry equipment. Then the Deputy Prime Minister drew attention to the Director of the Engineering Corps Camelot, who had so far remained largely silent and only occasionally allowed himself quite malicious comments. "Dr. Asplund, I think you should share with everyone here your conclusions and ideas for next-generation machines that will help us maintain a decisive technological advantage over the enemy."
"Thanks, Gihr." The engineer replied nonchalantly, with his usual tone of voice and without the slightest attention to convention, thereby showing his lack of any social skills. In fact, each of the four other people here had a fairly warm and non-malicious feeling towards him. The main reason for this was that it was hard to take this man seriously. "As for the development of our Knightmare Frames, I am in the final stage of work on the first seventh generation machine, which will at the same time surpass all the ones created so far. Apart from the issues such as improved control systems and machine speed, there are also a few new additions. "
"For example?" The General Inspector of Empire asked, without in any way concealing his great and ever-growing curiosity in this matter.
"For example Maser Vibration Swords, or simply vibrating the blades. Regardless of the exact nomenclature, the fact remains that this is a type of weapon that uses a combination of extremely high oscillation rates and temperatures in order to increase the cutting effectiveness of the weapon , thus causing the gray material to suddenly become red. " Dr. Asplund replied, a proud and almost haughty smile on his lips. "Not to mention Blaze Luminous. The first ever energy shielding system, or the fact that in the design of the Z-01, I chose to use massive amounts of Sakuradite, which was scattered all over the surface of my wonderful Knightmare."
"Forgive me, Doctor, but this last feature makes the machine a technically sophisticated bomb." His doubts on this point decided to express Earl Maldini, clearly concerned about the functionality of this extremely expensive and advanced machine. "If I am not mistaken, Sakuradite is highly unstable and explosive. Destroying just one limb, or a single, well-aimed hit, should then trigger a chain reaction and ultimately cause detonation."
But Dr. Asplund did not seem to care at all, and only let out a few chuckles, much to the embarrassment of everyone else present.
"This is not an option that would ever happen on a real battlefield. In fact, I anticipated it and took steps to effectively counteract something like this. In short, I ordered the installation of appropriate systems and protections inside the structure that effectively negated the occurrence of such an eventuality. The other problem is that the costs forced me to abandon the Cockpit Ejection System. "
His latest statement elicited an almost immediate reaction from General Zabi who was absolutely shocked by this fact as well as by the lightness with which he was made aware of it.
"You ignored the safety of the pilot just to make this prototype the most advanced machine in the world ?!"
"You can be calm, General." Dr. Asplund replied, without the slightest hint of fear in the timbre of his voice. In fact, he seemed even more cheerful and relaxed than usual. "I allowed myself to take this risk because of a simple factor that seems to elude you and anyone else who might consider it insane."
"What?" General Zabi asked, even more confused than a moment before. Earl Maldini also expressed a similar surprise.
"Z-01 Lancelot, will never be defeated in combat." The Doctor replied, absolutely sure of his words and without any sign of the slightest doubt. "Never. I advise you to remember this one simple fact, and you will fully understand my reason for doing so."
For a brief moment, there was total silence among the people gathered here. All because of the confidence of the Director of the Engineering Corps Camelot, which was almost bordering on arrogance. All this silence was broken by the laughter of the Deputy Prime Minister, who seemed to be amused by this show, which in his worldview can undoubtedly be described as faith in his own abilities.
"You seem to be absolutely convinced of the overwhelming advantage of your prototype over everything else." Gihren stated with a cold smile on his lips. Meanwhile, Dr. Asplund just nodded in response to his words. "In that case, I also have my hope in the possibilities of this prototype of next-generation machines. I think that further investment in your projects may prove beneficial to the empire and our technological dominance over the other powers."
Later in the meeting, there was a discussion between the people gathered here about the possible - although at this point it is only a matter of time - to create, on the basis of the prototype Z-01, machines that are slightly less advanced and can be mass-produced. The main person responsible for some of the ideas that arose on this occasion was General Dozle, who proposed the implementation of several innovations for mass-produced seventh generation machines. Ultimately, however, everything was reduced to thoughts and ideas that would not be implemented into mass production anytime soon. The reason for such emphasis on this issue was that the backbone of the main force of the Imperial Panzer Infantry was still an antiquated RPI-13 Sutherland. Anytime soon, it wouldn't make much difference. In the long run, however, and with the major powers deploying completely new and much more advanced Knightmare Frames, this could have had disastrous results for future campaigns.
Politics became the next topic of discussion. Before this happened, however, General Dozle and Dr. Asplund left the Prime Minister's office due to their complete lack of interest in political matters. Regardless, however, immediately the main topic of conversation became the question of the decline in importance of the faction la Britannia at the imperial court, due to the ineptitude in managing Area Eleven, by the faction's candidate for the next Emperor.
"A few more incidents, such as the recent riots in Nagasaki, resulting in the loss of a large portion of the local garrison, and Prince Clovis and the entire faction of la Britannia will be compromised." Deputy Prime Minister Gihren said contemptuously, but without the slightest sign of amusement at this situation, and the reason for it was rather obvious. "Regardless, however, his ineffective way of dealing with the rebels may embolden them to launch outright rebellion against the power of the empire."
"We can't let that happen." Earl Maldini put in, with a rather sullen expression and timbre in his voice. "If something like this happens, we will only encourage the Chinese Federation or even Europia United to open invasion. Japan will become a war zone again and our main source of access to Sakuradite will be cut off."
They both looked at the Prime Minister, who, under the pressure of their gaze, could only sigh deeply and began to rub his temple.
"I am well aware of this, but it is not something I have much influence over. The final decision to appoint each viceroy rests directly with the Emperor, and he does not show the slightest desire at this point to deprive my little brother of his present position. . "
The Prime Minister's answer prompted his assistant and Deputy Prime Minister to exchange glances. Neither of them had to make even the slightest squeal, for they both understood each other without words. There were no secrets between Earl Kanon Maldini and Deputy Prime Minister Gihren Zabi, and their relationship could be described as a relationship between two people who trust each other. Although it was not a friendship in the slightest, but only a purely professional relationship.
"So we have to deal with the current situation in that region of the world without hoping for an improvement in the quality of the manager of that region?" The Deputy Prime Minister's question was purely rhetorical and clearly gloomy. He, like the other two, hated collaborating with useless and incompetent individuals in the field to which they were assigned. "Wonderful, I just hope that at least the economic situation and the mood of the Britannians in Area Eleven remains stable."
"We don't have the slightest cause for concern on this point, Gihren." Schneizel answered him calmly and without the slightest sign of doubt. "While his efforts to appease the Elevens population are hopeless, his image and Piarist among the Britannians are impeccable. Additionally, he has succeeded in stabilizing the region's economy and making it profitable."
"Hope it doesn't change." Despite all the assurances from the Prime Minister, Gihren remained clearly skeptical about leaving a man with little military competence in the position of Viceroy of Area Eleven. "While Prince Clovis may have amazing acting talent and some management skills among other finances, he should not have power in a place where good judgment, peace and knowledge, however minimal, about the military and tactics are essential."
"I perfectly understand your concerns, Gihren." Schneizel returned to his usual cold-blooded and calm demeanor, which was by no means a mask made to hide his true intentions. "However, as I mentioned earlier, without the Emperor's decision, there is little I can do against my little brother. Regardless, however, it seems time has come to address the issue of someone much more gifted who is part of the royal family. "
The deputy prime minister immediately smiled at this mention, as it was clear that the conversation had just moved to a much more pleasant ground for everyone. Earl Maldini had and expressed similar feelings. Indeed, ever since Prince Lucius vi Britannia, the second most important pillar of Coalition vi and el Britannia, started his career in the army of the empire, talking about his progress has always been something very interesting for everyone involved. The reason was extremely simple, Lucius' enormous talent in many areas. Primarily in logistics, strategy, tactics, Knightmare Frames piloting and combat with the use of melee weapons. After all, it was hard not to see some flaws, his character. Above all, and from the Prime Minister's own perspective, Lucius seemed to have an enormous, almost fanatical, commitment to modernity and powerful machines, or experimental technologies. But it never turned into the extreme that one or more extremely powerful machines could win the war.
"Prince Lucius took a great victory over Europia United, you could even call it the 'vi Britannia Miracle'." Earl Kanon Maldini said with obvious satisfaction, both in the tone of his voice and in the expression on his face. In fact, he had always really enjoyed reading about the progress of the Purple Prince. "The main supply point and supplies for EU troops in Egypt have been destroyed. Many Knightmare Frames have either been destroyed or suffered enormous losses, all due to the chaotic way of sending battalions into battle without concentrating any of them into one and the same. a decisive force that could put an end to this operation. "
"That's true." He admitted that Schneizel was more than pleased with Knights of the Purple Rose's hugely successful debut, and with the consequences of such a successful debut. "At the moment, Lucius has become a real national hero and the main subject of the most serious newspapers, television and internet portals."
"It is also not without significance that its success will attract masses of volunteers to the order, often with years of experience on the front lines, or true patriots of the empire, inspired by this feat and the reputation of Prince Lucius." , like a recent victory, may affect domestic politics and provide a stable position to a man who at that moment could build his power base in the army of the empire without any obstacles. "I have no doubt that the Knights of the Purple Rose will soon be expanded which would otherwise be impossible. "
"I was briefed on this this morning, and Lucius told me personally about the way he was going to expand the order." The Prime Minister's words aroused and surprised both his interlocutors at the same time. Neither of them had the faintest idea that Prince Lucius could have made that decision so quickly. "Basically, the Knights of the Purple Rose will be divided into corps of about six thousand men each. The corps will be made up of five regiments, one thousand men each. The regiments will be divided into battalions and those into companies. This even, without taking into account the one and very small logistic regiment assigned to each of the corps and technicians. Everything will be concentrated, about Knightmare Frames and mechanized infantry with rocket artillery. The latter two, as support and complement to the offensive capabilities of the entire corps. "
"Everything seems to be designed to provide maximum offensive and adaptability to the ever-changing situation on the chaotic battlefield." Gihren commented on the very essence of this new division, which in fact was supposed to be quite a large decentralization of power, while maintaining a high ability to coordinate actions, which, however, only Schneizel knew at that moment.
"In fact it is so." The Prime Minister admitted, then began looking for a remote control for a large monitor mounted on one of the side walls of the office. Soon, the entire issue was to appear on one of the main Britannian news channels on television, devoted exclusively to the issue of 'vi Britannia Miracle'. "The number of KMF companies alone will be limited to ten machines to facilitate the command of the commander. In addition, there will be three standard companies per battalion, plus a fourth, larger and battalion command company, with a Major as commander, and an additional two Knightmare Frames and pilots for better protection of the commander. "
All this information was properly analyzed and processed by Earl Maldini, who was definitely pleased to hear such a reasonably reasonable division of command and an overall new structure within Knights of the Purple Rose. "Everything we've been told sounds like a sensible and deliberate handing over of the initiative to field officers, while maintaining a well-organized and clear command structure."
"In the Roma that Lucius and I did, he told me that our army's problem was too much doctrine and front-line command centralization, leading to inflexibility when confronted with the enemy." In the next few seconds, Schneizel found the pilot, and with one finger movement and a single raise of the hand, he activated the monitor. "Now, however, let's focus on enjoying his great success and beginning to take total power over the military zone."
It didn't take long for the screen to activate and the main issue of Britannia Today was displayed.
Personally, the Prime Minister could not have been more proud and at the same time pleased with his younger brother, whose abilities were, for such a young age, to say the least amazing. Schneizel personally had no doubts that if Lelouch were still alive, together they could form a triumvirate and rule the empire in a completely indivisible way. After all, the current situation between him and Lucius was not the worst. Although it was the Purple Prince who had the most key allies in the coalition, such as Duke Alexander Krushevsky and Marquis Degwin Zabi and his children, who managed to gain often prominent positions in the military structures of the OSI government like Gihren. In addition, quite recently, the president of the Sudetengebiet concern, Ferdinand Kluge, joined the group of Purple Prince supporters and both of them are to take up the cooperation of the former concern with Flash Robotics in the near future. Even so, and despite Lucius' power in the industry and production of Knightmare Frames, Schneizel still had quite a few trump cards up his sleeve. First of all, he held the office of Prime Minister, which gave him control over the government and the ministry of war to an extent that was second only to the absolute power of the Emperor. Additionally, Schneizel, thanks to his numerous political activities and the support of his mother, was able to form a network of quite impressive political connections that included the military, financial and administration. Ultimately, and taking all these factors into account, it was Schneizel who still retained the power in power at court and in politics. He is still the Prime Minister, he was the center of power of the vi and el Britannia coalition. Still, it was Schneizel and its power that remained the fuel for the train that both headed towards the future. Perhaps the future as undisputed rulers of the Holy Britannian Empire.
Regardless, however, the Prime Minister decided not to bother with these minor issues anymore and focused entirely on watching the news release that might have reinforced the intended effects of the victory.
Paris, United Republick of Europia
General Staff
February 2017 A.T.B.
"The brave knights of our great empire have managed to break through the defenses of United Europia in Egypt," said the short-haired and navy blue-jacketed TV presenter as she reported on the latest and first feat in the history of Knights of the Purple Rose. excited, telling about it. "The breakthrough came two days ago, a few dozen minutes after midnight and with the accompaniment of artillery, which blunted the enemy's defense."
In the office owned by General Gene Smilas, the oval and usually tropical landscape screen was switched this time to the main issue of Britannia Today, on one of the main broadcasting stations in the empire and, in fact, the whole world, provided that the human was equipped with a suitable antenna for receiving the appropriate signal.
However, the General was not alone in the office, as were also present, Colonel Franz Malcal Junior, and his younger foster sister, a few minutes ago promoted to the rank of Colonel, Leila Malcal. Both foster siblings were summoned to Paris shortly after members of the General Staff learned of this disastrous defeat for the Egyptian theater of operations. The first was Leila, who was personally interviewed not only by members of the General Staff, but also by the War Minister, who attended the meeting. In fact, it was a few hours of hard labor during which young Lady Malcal was interrogated and basically hunted like an animal. Apparently, they were looking for a scapegoat to blame and blame for the disaster. This was likely, especially since Franz Malcal Sr. was an outspoken and one of the most powerful critics of the Chancellor and his clique. However, none of the members of the General Staff apparently realized what material the blonde teenager was made of, because Leila hadn't collapsed for a short while and was able to successfully turn around and use arguments against the accuser. Franz Malcal Junior had quite a similar story. When what could at best be described as a farce of the commission was humiliated and deprived of the possibility of plunging the bride down, and then the Lieutenant Colonel, very soon her older half-brother was remembered. However, the attempt to blame him ended with another and spectacular failure. Especially since rumors of an attempt to blame the hero of the republic for the failure resulted in riots in the streets of the largest cities in Europe and brutal clashes with the police. As a last resort, members of the General Staff and War Minister were forced to publicly apologize for this farce, and as an apology and at the request of General Smilas, promote a blonde teen.
As for the General himself and his role in this farce, he first of all tried to present him as a reasonable and rational arbiter who temper the absurd aspirations of other officers and officials present in the room, or even point out the absurdities in their conduct, possibly in arguments. In both cases, there was a lot of absurdity and abuse. Due to the wide leakage of successive sensations into society, the whole circus was defined and reduced to only two words, 'Scandale Malcal'.
Ultimately, the trio ended up here in the office of a man whose public appreciation eventually began to rise, while embarrassing and ridiculing the members of the General Staff. As for the purpose of their meeting, it was primarily the desire to jointly assess this new threat and to thoroughly analyze who they are actually dealing with. Although Prince Lucius vi Britannia was well known in the world and in military circles, still within the Order, he had a whole host of subordinates or close associates. Getting to know them could have resulted in the development of much better tactics to counter this extremely great threat.
So General Smilas, Leila Franz Junior, watched and listened to the broadcast with great attention, because it was not an option at this point to miss even the most precious detail. However, the first minutes of the report did not make too much impression on them and it was boring - at least for them - to provide mostly well-known facts. It could only be exciting for people who either didn't know much about it or didn't even have the slightest idea of the extent of the defeat suffered by United Europia's army in Egypt. Regardless, the trio still set out to listen to what the empire's station had to convey to its citizens, as it might at least give them a new perspective.
Over the next few minutes, the presenter and new people appearing on the screen, such as former military personnel or experts in international affairs, repeatedly spoke on the subject.
"The destruction of the central supply point and depot means that United Europia's troops defending Egypt will soon not even take an equal fight with our army. Currently, the commander-in-chief has two options, or he will retreat towards Cairo and shorten the line there. There is no third option. "" The guest and former Imperial General, whom Smilas knew from his youth, when the two met several times at parties in Paris, spoke. The general was merely a Major then, while the retired General was then a military attaché.
Later, the report went on to discuss and introduce the military commanders responsible for the success of the empire. This happened to the clear surprise of the whole trio, who rather expected that the only one presented would be Prince Lucius vi Britannia himself. Apart from him, there was also presented someone whom neither Leila, Franz, nor General Smilas had known so far, the Grand Master of Order of Michael, Sir Shin Shaing, who made the best impression on them. Even in the photo, the man seemed to them to be honorable and composed. However, the interview only took place with Purple Prince.
"Success, although unquestionable and forcing our enemy to retreat by the alternative of annihilation, would not have been possible if it had not been for the sacrifice of all those brave men who gave their lives that night for the most sacred cause of fighting for the Holy Britannian Empire." Lucius said in an interview, and his passion and fire in his words was all too visible. While the Purple Prince was known for his remarkably calm and refined demeanor, he was no stranger to passionate speeches, the proof of which has just been presented. "We've lost many experienced pilots, too many despite the scale of our success. However, will this stop us from continuing to fight and continue our great fight? Not! Their death is, above all, an encouragement to fight even harder and endure even greater hardships, because we will fight, we will change, we will evolve until the future of this world is ours. All hail Britannia! "
After an interview with Purple Prince, Leila and Franz had decidedly mixed feelings. First of all, one question popped up in the minds of the two foster siblings. Who exactly is Lucius vi Britannia? A fearless conqueror? A ruthless politician for whom war is just a bloody politics? A fanatical believer in social Darwinism which the empire seems to embody? Or maybe just one of those people who simply accept the reality they find and only try to get something for themselves on the terms they have found? There were many questions, but virtually no answers to this point.
Moments later, the program went into an interview with individual Knights of the Purple Rose officers. This was somewhat surprising for the foster siblings, because usually the knightly orders in Britannia had no ranks but only functions. With this particular formation, everything seemed to function very differently. Knights of the Purple Rose, at first glance, kept discipline and order typically military, which suggests only one thing.
"It looks like the new order is going to be more of an elite formation than a typical knightly order." Leila stated at one point which met with attention from the other two present here.
"It might be correct." Franz replied, in whose mind the implication had undergone some and quite considerable expansion. "Britannia has primarily prepared all its doctrine and divisional lineups, primarily with a view to waging large-scale conflicts and keeping a drunken population in check, using only the size of local garrisons. However, elite units that could act in a variety of ways and perfectly adapt to changing circumstances on a chaotic and erratic battlefield. "
No further words were spoken as interviews with the subordinates of the Prince began. The first was a handsome young man with purple hair and an angelically smooth face. In fact, he looked like a prince in some fairy tale, but his calculating eyes demolished this facade effectively for any more skilled observer. He was quickly recognized as Colonel Garma Zabi, the youngest son of the Marquis Degwin Zabi, and as it soon turned out, the officer responsible for the order's logistics. His speech was smooth, and most of all he expressed his deep satisfaction at allowing the members of the order to fight at the highest possible level. The second was a broad-shouldered dark-haired man with blue eyes and a firm gaze. He was the captain of Lucius' guard, Ciaran de Revil, another noble and grandson of the recently deceased Duke, Gustav de Revil. Above all, he seemed to be a man of honor, calm and firm, without the slightest hint of availability or a fondness for fighting. In addition, his words were primarily a praise of both the fighting imperial soldiers and opponents, who, in his opinion, tried to stop them until the end. The third and last, but not the least interesting, that was taken for the interview was a tall blond man with long hair who, however, covered his eyes through google. He was the most mysterious of the four presented and it was impossible to read any emotions from him. Especially since his answers to the questions asked by journalists were, above all, laconic and did not allow for elaborating the topic. It is as if the man had no thoughts of his own about the event.
The interview ended a few seconds later after the losses were summed up. Honestly, Leila and Franz were totally amazed at how great the losses were suffered by Knights of the Purple Rose. Although these numbers were not catastrophic, the mortality rate among pilots during this special operation was still high.
Moments after the interview was over, the reception of the television signals was terminated very quickly and the view from the tropical islands returned, giving the whole room a warm and cozy atmosphere. It was a strange return to reality, which however resulted in an almost immediate conversation between the trio.
"It was instructive." Franz stated, in a rather frivolous way, despite the obvious gravity of the situation. After a while, however, his tone and timbre changed. "But it doesn't change the fact that all four of these people are both our enemies and republics, and must be defeated or destroyed if there is no other alternative."
"Well, Garma Zabi seems to be the least formidable of them all." Leila stated, completely convinced of the rightness of her opinion.
"Garma Kills." General Smilas repeated when he recalled all the information he remembered about this teenager. Contrary to appearances, the interview had a fairly large database of information about him and other people. "The youngest son of the Marquis Degwin Zabi. Born at the cost of his own mother's life, who could not stand the hardships of another childbirth. He attended, like the other three, New Colchester, which he completed with high marks and lots of praise, for quite a lot of attention to detail or organizational skills. "
"The same cannot be said of the other three." Franz, a bit gloomily, interjected, and like the others, he was well aware of who was the immediate threat in Knights of the Purple Rose. "Ciaran de Revil and Char Anzable, also known as Full Frontal."
"The former is, as you already know, the commander of the Prince Lucius Guard, and he was famous above all for keeping an endangered section of the front in South Africa less than a year ago." The general informed the two of his charges without emotion and calm, until it came time to present information about the latter. "Captain Char Anzable, on the other hand, until recently at least, was in command of one of the companies that was part of the Knights of the Purple Rose battalion under command. We know the least about him, of all the most important assets of Prince Lucius. The only thing that our people were able to find and dig into the files of the Britannian army, is his peasant origin and the fact that he has been hiding his eyes under goggles for all time, which gives him an aura of mystery. However, it is difficult to determine whether it is a voluntary choice or rather a matter of some eye disease. Regardless, he is well known for his use of fairly simple but perfectly executed maneuvers that boil down to frontal and extremely aggressive attacks. After all, he is no stranger to improvising and using different, more sophisticated ones, as long as the situation forces him to do so. "
"Plus, it's about the Purple Prince itself." General Smilas continued, but as the conversation turned to this particular man, his expression became even more serious and the severity in his eyes increased several times. "Like his older twin brother, Prince Lucius, he was proclaimed a genius in his childhood and was destined to do great things. His fame and recognition, as in the case of the two previous ones, was inextricably linked with the empire's campaign in Africa. If I had to mention one of the Prince that deserves the most attention, it would be his incredible flexibility in battle, his talent for piloting Knightmare Frames, and putting a lot of emphasis on protecting his subordinates' lives. However, I am not sure about his strategic abilities, as he has never led any campaign, army or group of army. His only serious command at a strategic level is that of the VIII Britannian Corps. However, it was for about two weeks, limited to the defense of recently captured territories, and it happened at all, with the deaths of all senior officers. "
Leila processed all the information she had just obtained for a while, and it didn't matter in the least who exactly was the subject of the analysis. It was more than clear to her that she, her foster brother and General Smilas would soon have some really powerful opponents to defeat. No, they are already facing the necessity to face some really powerful opponents. All this, without even taking into account the most important element of this machine that they will have to deal with.
"Simply put, Prince Lucius vi Britannia, despite all the time it has been spent learning about his weaknesses or secrets, is still a totally wild card." She stated, unhappy with this fact. Like any sane commander in the history of the world, Leila preferred to be sure who she was dealing with so that she could apply the most appropriate tactics at the right moment to win her victory. "It is not a very comforting thought."
"Unfortunately." General Smilas replied, also not impressed by the state of knowledge about this young man. "Prince Lucius graduated from the military department of New Colchester as the best graduate in college history. His skill in piloting and commanding the battlefield has been proven more than once. Besides the Prime Minister of the Empire, Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia, Lucius is one of the most powerful adversaries. which would cost us a lot of lost soldiers and resources to defeat, but there is an alternative. "
Franz Junior raised his eyebrows in surprise, but at the same time was genuinely intrigued by the implication of these words. "What exactly do you mean, General?"
Smilas saw that the two foster siblings were genuinely intrigued, so he decided to enlighten them and present the latest revelation. "Prince Lucius, and Chief Engineer Carl Tallgeese, are involved in the Knightmare Frames development project, which is built around the KPR-00."
"KPR-00?" She asked, surprised, Leila, but at the same time was unable to recall or associate the name with anything else. "I'm not sure I've ever heard that name."
"This is the newest machine that the pilots in your unit have encountered." The general decided to inform her of this fact, and then elaborated on the topic. "KPR-00, also known as Tallgeese. Named after its creator and was built around the Alexander series. Unlike our sixth-generation series, however, Tallgeese was designed and built at a reasonable pace. machines are no match for this prototype, at least not in battle. "
"In that case, give the soldier and frontline commander the appropriate instructions in the event that this steel beast is encountered." Leila made her conclusions much faster than she could have thought, which made her older foster brother giggle, and with him the General. It was a few moments before the young blonde realized her mistake. "Please forgive me."
"You don't have to apologize to me, Leila." The amused General replied. "Your conclusion, although undoubtedly correct, does not take into account one very important point. Many soldiers and field commanders will want to hunt down this machine and kill its pilot first as soon as news of it spreads. Many of them will neglect all precautionary measures just for the sake of promotion or glory. Not to mention the fact that it does not solve our main problem, which is the program for the development of these machines and the creation of equally powerful structures, based on KPR-00. "
This gave Franz Junior a chance to ask the question that had been tormenting ever since he knew about the whole thing. "Do you know anything about the other machines designed on the basis of Tallgeese?"
The general nodded, then proceeded to his detailed explanations. "The first and based on the KPR-00 Tallgeese is the KPR-01 Mass, a base model with less impressive specifications, at least compared to the KPR-00, which is primarily intended for construction or engineering work. However, it is so universal that a typical offensive variant was developed on its basis, the KPR-01 / S or simply the Stormtrooper, and so far we have established that, even in the worst conditions and in experienced hands, this machine may turn out to be a terror for our pilots. The second variant is KPR-01 / SC, Stormcommander. Originally, it was supposed to be a typical commander variant and its name was to be Commander. However, Chief Engineer Carl Tallgeese was about to come to the conclusion that such a concept was highly insufficient and set out to create a very specialized machine concept for both aces and assault commanders. "
"It all looks as if Prince was intentionally intent on putting as much emphasis on an extremely aggressive offensive as possible." A fairly quick conclusion of Leila came.
"In fact it is so." General Smilas nodded affirmatively, while remaining calm and unemotional, despite realizing how dire the situation of Europia United is and how much it is constantly starting to deteriorate. "But my empire sources are reporting something much worse. Prince Lucius intends to lead the expansion of Knights of the Purple Rose into an elite and powerful assault force that will be able to break through literally any stretch of the front. Such power could successfully ensure victory at the lowest possible cost, if only the opponent failed to counter this tactic. "
At this point, however, Leila only grew increasingly suspicious. It was hardly surprising, because the General had really vast knowledge, too much.
"How do you actually know all this, sir?" She asked, and her demeanor made it clear to both men that she would not be satisfied with any other answer than just answering the question directly.
Meanwhile, both the General and her foster brother cast fairly unequivocal glances that betrayed some unspoken question. Should they answer? It was mainly Franz, he had the most doubts about it, because Leila was still seventeen, who was only going to be eighteen this year. Nevertheless, that single nod from the General made the whole thing clear and made it clear that the man had a great degree of confidence in her.
"We have a very important and valuable informant inside the Holy Britannian Empire." He spoke after a short while, thus meeting her expectations. "We are not exactly in what area of the empire, this man is located. In fact, we don't even know his true identity, and aside from clearly disliking the empire, we only know his nickname, Wizard. But that's it. "
To say that Leila was confused by all these revelations is like saying nothing at all. Moreover, she was shocked, because even in the most daring thoughts, she was never able to imagine a situation in which people who were her authority had to resort to the help of people whose loyalty could not be even in the slightest degree certain.
"With all due respect, but you're gaining information from a man you literally know nothing about." She stated quite neutrally and which could not be taken for an insult or an accusation at all. Regardless, however, she was internally utterly terrified of this, due to the amount of things that could potentially turn against them all, due to the use of this kind of source. "Nothing is known about this man except that he is antagonistic to the empire and that his nickname is Wizard."
While these were statements, both Franz and General Smilas nodded once. Leila, however, paid no attention to it and continued. "Using the help of someone completely unknown, whose past and personality we don't know, can also well explode in our face. What if it is a Britannian spy whose mission is to gain trust high in the army command or among politicians, then at a crucial moment, mislead everyone and allow the empire to win a decisive battle? "
The question, while it was completely in place and led to much deeper implications than it might seem at first glance, did not significantly affect either Colonel Franz or the General. The latter merely stroked his chin and, in the meantime, formed an answer in his head, then decided to speak.
"Leila, while your points are perfectly in place and may turn out to be true, we don't have much of a choice." He replied stoically, calmly, but at the same time with a certain amount of tiredness in his eyes. "Britannia is victorious on all fronts, in Egypt and West Africa. While the war has not yet reached North Africa, much less Europe, it is only a matter of time at this point. Needless to say, apart from the technological advantage, the empire also has a much larger resource base. We need anything that might give us an advantage over the empire in the future, so me and Franz took the risk. "
The blonde-haired teenager's keen eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, and the reasons were more than understandable. "Does anyone else know about this mysterious informant?"
Her question met the General's immediate nod. "Apart from us, there is also a small group of people in Europia United who, like me, decided to engage in the renewal of the EU and all the values that inspired the great revolution."
This revelation did not surprise Franz Junior, who to some and limited extent was quite well aware. In fact, he was familiar with the matter and had limited knowledge of it. Meanwhile, for Leila, it was something completely surprising. As long as she had been trained and properly instructed in political matters, she was aware, she was absolutely unaware of the existence of such a thing, especially in the face of the increasingly progressive interference of the state in the lives of individuals.
"What exactly is this circle of people?" She asked at one point, after a short while and carefully processing the newly acquired knowledge. It was clear that the question was not directed at the General, but instead at her older foster brother, whom she obviously trusted much more.
However, Colonel Franz Junior could only shrug his shoulders for reasons that soon became more than obvious. "Don't ask me because I don't know much about all of this. The only thing I know is that our father belongs to this group of people. "
His words brought her gaze to the General and a longtime mentor this time. Nevertheless, Gene reacted to everything in an extremely calm and relaxed manner. Only quite jovially and crudely smiled, waited a few moments, then spoke and announced the most important things to him.
"Franz is telling the truth, Leila, about the lack of exact knowledge. In fact, while I was planning to bring the two of you into this structure slowly and without unnecessary rush to give you time to prepare, the sudden and ever-changing situation forced me to completely change my plans in this regard. " His words interested even the elder of Malcal's siblings, which was a signal for the General to continue. "Let me put it bluntly, the political situation in the world and inside the republic requires decisive action on the part of people who want to save what is left of our democracy and freedom. Old ideals as the war progressed began to degenerate, opening the way to the top of populists who use the crisis for their own benefit. That is why I, your father and a few more people decided to create an informal association that brings together individuals who are powerful in terms of political, financial, military or pure authority. The Magnificent Seven, that's our name. "
"You risk a lot by telling us all of this here, General." Replied Leila, who at the same time had become a little more nervous than she had just been, and so was her foster brother. "How can you be sure that one of our employees has not installed a wiretap here? Talking here in your office is probably the riskiest thing you can imagine at the moment. "
General Smilas, however, made little of these remarks, and his lips lifted again in a smirk. "Darkest under the lantern, Leila. Besides, if you find it naive on my part, you should rather take into account the fact that I am beyond suspicion. If it were otherwise, I would have been arrested a long time ago, because all this time the evidence gathered should be more than sufficient to order my arrest, torture, show trial and execution. "
Leila was a bit appalled by the calmness with which the General spoke about his quite possible fate, in the face of potential premises as to his anti-government activities. "After all, you should be more careful, because the waves of fate have recently been extremely chaotic and more volatile than I ever wished, sir."
To her great surprise, Gene didn't react at all, and only a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
"Perhaps, but these are the requirements set for us by the times in which we live." He replied, but his gruff demeanor was gone, replaced by utter, strict professionalism. "But as to the matter of your full initiation, I will not say anything until I have obtained an oath from you that you will remain loyal to our cause."
While they were both quite outraged by this requirement, Leila spoke first, and not in the calm manner she had been so far. "After all our acquaintance and basically role for me as a surrogate father, you are demanding an oath of loyalty !?"
Franz, too, was disgusted with such demands on his part, despite all their rationality and legitimacy. As with his adoptive sister, he was very outraged. "Leila is right! Not only were you practically our second or adoptive father in both of our cases, General, but at this point you also require an oath of allegiance from us !? "
It must be fairly admitted, that the GEneral accepted all these accusations with a straight face, showing no understanding or any other emotions on his part, which almost echoed inside him. It was true that this man's demand was very excessive, especially in view of his relationship with his siblings. Nevertheless, he couldn't afford to take any more unnecessary risks and decided to talk them out of it.
"He understands the reason for your outrage very well, Leila, Franz, but it is the final requirement on my part if you want to get on with this." He replied briefly and without any problem or stutter, which was a sign of his hard demeanor. "There is no other alternative in this case, because he is well aware of what the given word means to all of you. Plus, I can't afford to take any more risks than what I have taken now. "
Leila crossed her arms defiantly, then looked straight into his eyes and narrowed her eyes menacingly. "And why not just walk away and go straight to the Chancellor's Palace and then tell him about everything we've heard here, in exchange for the power and the opportunity to change United Europia like this?"
Franz Junior just nodded in support of her words. Gene seemed almost offended when he heard everything his protégé said a moment ago. The reason was very easy to guess for anyone who was even slightly interested in politics and had contact with the most important person in Europe.
"Because if you did, Chancellor Verrat would have you arrested almost immediately on charges of treason, conspiracy or the like." He replied dryly and without the slightest hint of emotion or hesitation in his voice. For he was well aware that this was how their action could end. However, there was also another reason why the General had no doubts as to exactly how the two would eventually behave. "Besides, I know as well as you do, that even if the Chancellor did not order your arrest and gave you what you want, it still would not give you the slightest opportunity to change the republic for the better."
Gene saw a sensible hint of skepticism in their expressions, so he decided to break it as soon as possible and not let the slightest hint of doubt remain in them. "Not to mention the fact that if you got high positions, regardless of your ideals, you would be forced to fight for their livelihood. And when a man starts to act like one while living with pigs, he becomes another."
Both of their adoptive siblings, Leila and Franz, had no doubts whatsoever about the truthfulness of these words as something that would almost certainly happen in their case, and in fact would be inevitable. So there was only one thing left for them to do, to give their word of honor.
"You have an oath that I will not reveal anything." Franz said, and a moment later more or less the same was repeated by Leila, who, however, was still unsure about the rightness of the act. Despite trusting her almost foster father and mentor, she still was not sure what the true motivations of the group were. people to whom the General wanted and basically started introducing them.
Gene was clearly pleased with this turn of events. "Excellent, that's ample for me to introduce our modest group, the Magnificent Seven. But all in good time, as there are a few more things we need to discuss and your flight to Egypt will only be in two hours. "
"Our?" Franz, surprised, asked, not the first time, during this conversation. "If I remember correctly, I have no assignment in Egypt at the moment ..."
Before he could continue, however, the General cut him off with a smile on his lips and joy in his voice. "So far no, but from today and on my recommendation of you as a man extremely loyal to the republic, you have been promoted to the rank of General."
To say that the siblings did not know what to say is like not to mention absolutely nothing about it, but they did not have the opportunity to express their amazement in words.
"Your new role will be to act as the supervisor and semi-in command of the Wyvern unit, which will be significantly expanded with more departments in the near future. As for Colonel Anou, he was sent to the mainland for treatment. Later, he will almost certainly be posted to some less stressful job. " Gene added after a moment, which once again surprised the two. "Congratulations and I trust you will perform all your duties in an exemplary manner."
"Of course, General." Franz, whose surprise turned to a sincere, but at the same time extremely moderate, joy, replied. "Regardless of these congratulations, however, I would like to know the exact answer to another question. What exactly will happen to the divisions in Egypt?"
"Most likely, many of them will not be able to withdraw, and all because of the lack of fuel. But most should still be able to retreat north on their own. " Although it was not tragic information, the mood grew noticeably thick, especially at his next words. "To General Badoglio, he is going to sacrifice those divisions and battalions that are unable to withdraw to buy enough time to retreat to the rest."
"This loser is going to sacrifice the life of ordinary soldiers to save what's left of his career ?!" Franz literally exploded, in a show of emotion that neither Gene, nor Leil had ever seen before.
General Smilas, however, managed to overcome his surprise fairly quickly and to respond. "While it is undoubtedly disgraceful, there is simply no better solution in the current situation. If we were to try to ensure a safe retreat with all of our divisions, we would probably suffer such great losses that the remnants of our defense in East Africa would simply fall to pieces. Thus, we would lose the Suez Canal and perhaps even a complete retreat from Africa would be necessary. "
The foster siblings took the explanation with grim understanding, and without the slightest hint of joy. There was no need to look very far for reasons, for the thought of leaving soldiers like them to the mercy of the empire's army made them feel more than mere disgust. Regardless, however, there is still much to be done and the General has not fully finished his speech.
"After all, General Badoglio will not be able to maintain his career, let alone the position of commander of this army group." He continued, and then an undoubtedly proud smile appeared on his face, then his gaze fell on Franz Junior. "This task, about getting our troops out of this dire situation, will most likely be entrusted to you."
"Me?" The newly promoted General asked in response, and even pointed to himself, while his attitude was definitely tense.
"Exactly." Gene replied without hesitating a bit in his answer. "You have proven your intellectual competences to me many times, and the Chief of General Staff is ready for literally any solution, just to save our troops in this part of the world. With them, however, he intends to save his reputation and a government that is constantly losing what remains of public support, which, as things stand, will only create a great power vacuum. There are quite realistic forecasts suggesting that a new political force will emerge that will be able to introduce some changes to our republic. Perhaps even the coming changes may save our democracy and restore strength to all those values for which all these wars and bloody revolutions took place at the beginning of the nineteenth century. "
At this point, one more fact became clear to the two foster siblings, this time concerning the group of people to which General Smilas belonged. They not only have strong political, financial and military influence, but at the same time face a real chance to overthrow Chancellor Lawrence Verrat and replace him with their own man. Taken together, these facts made it clear to the two that the defeat in Egypt could prove to be a catalyst for change for the better for United Europia.
"If you don't have anything else to discuss with me, than you can go and wish you safe travel. As for the factory issue, I will have a much more detailed discussion on this soon. " General Smilas said goodbye to them warmly before saying the sentence that became the greeting and hallmark of the Magnificent Seven. "Europia Prevail."
"Europia Prevail." Leila answered first, and a moment later Fraz repeated the same greeting. Moments later, the two siblings saluted and left the General's office, then headed for the nearest elevator, which was about a hundred yards away.
"What do you think, Franz?" Their march continued smoothly and undisturbed until the newly promoted blond-haired Colonel decided to pose the question to him. After all, her words left her lips softly, and it was a clear sign to her brother that this conversation was to remain between them.
"What do you mean, Leila?" Franz asked in response, who was still somewhat surprised by his unexpected promotion with the opportunity to receive so much responsibility for human life and the course of the campaign in eastern Egypt. "The number of topics discussed forces me to ask you to clarify the question."
"Everything." Leila replied, and at the same time so quietly, in such a way that no one would pay even the slightest attention to them. "Literally everything."
Her foster brother sighed softly, and as he marched, he considered the answer he should give to his foster sister. While he might have started a long and complicated tirade on this subject, he nevertheless decided to give a simple but honest answer, without any half-truths or the use of evasive phrases.
"I do not know. I just don't know. " He replied, and the tone of his dignified and still young voice made it clear that he was as confused and lost as his sister. "Although I do not doubt the sincerity of the General's intentions, I do not trust this group of people because I do not know virtually any of them."
Internally, however, Franz scolded himself for speaking openly about such sensitive issues in a place such as the General Staff Building. Officers, non-commissioned officers or soldiers who simply performed their duties in this place, related directly to their functions, often strolled along the metallic corridors. Nevertheless, how they would react to hearing this type of conversation was already extremely debatable and difficult to assess. Consequently, the newly promoted General simply cast a rather unambiguous glance at her. "We'll talk about it later."
Leila just nodded, besides, she still hoped to ask her foster brother a few more things. Among other things, the steps they should take on this Knightmare Frames factory. However, all this could wait, because at that moment they did not have the means or the possibility to adequately counteract such a threat. First of all, upon their return, they would have to complete the process of replenishing Delta and Afla troops, which had suffered catastrophic losses in the last battle. However, they shouldn't have a big problem with that, all because of the above-average organizational skills and staff selection. Leila herself also developed these skills significantly, so there was not the slightest fear in this regard. What required their special attention, however, was the promotion of suitable people to officer ranks and the assignment of commanding positions to suit their abilities.
However, the step-siblings did not intend to deal with these issues until they were on board the plane.
It didn't take long for them to walk to the elevator, so they got there very quickly. Also, they didn't have to wait too long, however, they had to share the middle with two other people. One of them, Franz recognized, as a Lieutenant Colonel who had served and participated in the suppression of revolts in Africa many years ago, under Reinhard Goldenbaum, when the man was still a military man. On mentioning him, Franz Junior couldn't help but think. What if this talented military man remained in the military and became Chief of General Staff?
Under these circumstances, the elevator door closed and the short walk downhill began.
AN: Hello, dear readers. Today, I will show you the little a less important chapter, which is primarily to show some changes and reactions of the world to the recent success of Knights of the Purple Rose. Also, I wanted to create foundations for the events in the next chapter, which will be quite a lot.
You probably already figured it out, but I will let myself to said it now. Yes, everything slowly tends to a confrontation between Lucius and Leila. Actually, this will be more like long rivalization, betwen this two outstanding minds. Initially, I planned to make two great battels betwen them. First, in Fort Naguib. Second and creating resentment between them, would have place in Cairo. Third and final, in Alexandria. In their last confrontation, many characters would died, also Leila, Akito and Shin. Hovever, I decide to make it much more interesting and no so decisive as it might seem.
I thanks you fo all reviews and I encourage you to comment in further. I wish you all the best and see you in the future.