Republic of San Magnolia
The First Armored Division of the Republic of San Magnolia, a division formed solely of the Eighty-Sixth Sector's Defense Squadrons and the newly-minted Infantry Brigades made up of Alba, marched down Victory Boulevard in parade formation, toward their mustering area. The Federacy of Giad had finally sent in the plans for the new vehicles of the Allied Armies' Mechanized Corps.
The newest Feldreß of the Corps was what some locals referred to as the Juggernaut Mark-II. An up-armored and more mobile variation of the Juggernaut, it was also twice as large and carried the newest anti-tank weapon developed in conjecture with the UNSC's staff and scientists. An eight centimeter magnetic accelerator cannon firing tungsten-coated armor piercing fin-stabilized ammunition and Fin-Stabilized Tandem-Warhead High-Explosive Anti-Tank rounds as a secondary ammunition type. What with the rounds lacking common chemical propulsion, there was no casing needed, meaning there were several more rounds in the magazine.
The four-legged Juggernaut Mark-II, also referred to as the Reginleif by the Federacy observers, was a sleek design. Painted a steel-grey color as it was still fresh out of the factory, with layered armor at least two centimeters thick at the cockpit area and reinforced legs with specialized anchors, the machine also had a specialized suit undergoing testing that would allow the operator to link directly to the machine and utilize their helmet to aim and fire. The mech also had specialized explosive-reactive armor and a 'Trophy system' installed. Four tubes of projectile protection that had an almost three-sixty degree coverage of the vehicle and could stop just about anything the advanced sensors picked up.
Behind the main force of Juggernaut Mark-IIs, there was the upgraded and new heavy mechs of the Alliance. Mass-produced by the UNSC aboard the Phoenix-class vessels up above, the six-legged M4A4 Vánagandr TUSK Platforms rolled forward. Mounting a hundred-twenty millimeter high-velocity cannon and twin fifty-caliber MGs, the Vánagandrs had seen a slew of upgrades, ranging from specialized composite armor 'cheeks' at the front of the vehicle to ERA plates on the sides and legs, giving the impression of scale armor lining the legs of the machines. The twin MGs were mounted in automated CROWS-style automated systems. These mechs all wore San Magnolia's coat of arms.
And even further behind them, resided the armored transports that had been taken out of production by the San Magnolians after the losses suffered during the early Legion War almost a decade ago. Eight-wheeled, seven-meter long, 2 meter wide and 3 meter-tall amphibious transports nicknamed 'Bucephalus', the M72A1 AFVs were fast, wheeled, agile and resistant to anything up to and including the cannon mounted in their automated turrets. The thirty millimeter autocannon mounted in the turret fired rapidly at around 300 rounds per minute and had an inner magazine of 200, meaning it was to be used with short, controlled bursts. Mounted beside it was a Wire-Guided ATGM system of UNSC origin, part of the modernization program of the vehicle.
Lena regarded the marching force from within Castle Blancneige, a smile on her face as she straightened out her hair and listened to the cheers of the population, all of whom seemed elated to see the New Army. She had decided to dye a red streak on the left side, in memory of those they've lost and in honor of the living. Her callsign was also no longer 'Handler One'. Command had openly changed it to the familiar nickname given to her by the ODSTs during training's last legs.
She arranged her black uniform's collar and looked upon the eagle pins on the collar. Though still concerned over the fates of the Eighty-Six, the woman had been reassured that the three activated divisions, each of around fourteen thousand men and women of Alba and Colorata descent, would be more than enough to secure the borders properly once more and perhaps begin a pushback against the Legion.
She craned her head over to the right as a report played on the television in the hall of the HQ. She walked up to it, to listen in, and saw a new reporter. A younger woman, part of their class of officers and with her hair caught in a bun on the back of her head. She spoke softly and openly, "For those just joining us on the air, hello, fellow citizens. Today has marked the rebirth of the San Magnolian Army's First Armored Division, Sixth Motorized Infantry Division, Seventh Mechanized Infantry Division and the newly-minted Hundred-sixth Security Division. The First, Sixth and Seventh have now joined the First Army, under the command of General Karlstahl and his staff and are set to reinforce the Eighty-Sixth Sector's UNSC First Infantry, Third Marine and Sixth Armored Divisions, with the Juggernaut Squadrons of the First Armored being re-divided among their old FOBs."
"With the rebirth of the National Army and the scheduled activation of at least ten more Divisions of Mechanized and Armored varieties, the San Magnolian Ground Forces are looking at a resurgence unlike any ever seen before by our nation. Following, them, the Air Force is said to be receiving a suite of new designs to be built locally, within the factories of the Eighty-Five sectors. If you want to know more about joining the Air Force, contact your nearest recruiter now, for the chance to fly for the future of the New Republic and her allies..."
"Sounds like the UNSC's really working to get our things fixed," Stated a familiar voice. Lena turned her head, only to be met by a smirking Annette, now sporting the rank pins of Captain on her collar. She and Lena both saluted each-other, smiling, then Annette said, "C'mon. The siblings wanna have tea before you start guiding the newest units we have."
"Heh," Lena smiled, "Did they miss us?"
"Matt complained a lot, apparently," Annette nodded. She looked over to see Dustin talking with a bunch of the new officers that had undergone the same training as them, then smiled and waved at him. He waved back happily, then continued talking. Dustin Jaeger now wore the rank pins of a First Lieutenant on his collar. The two girls smiled at the lad, before letting him talk to his subordinates.
As the two marched into the building's R&D section, they found the place had received several substantial upgrades, including new computer systems, a holographic display in the center to allow for visualization of everything from blueprints to weapon upgrades and a new asset. Doctor Helen Anders greeted the two girls with a nod, then saluted them and said, "Colonel, Captain. Just in time."
The two saluted back, then looked to see the Twins working behind the doc. Matt poked his head out from behind the doc and flashed a smile, inquiring, "Colonel! How was training?"
"Painful," Lena chuckled, but subconsciously felt for the scratch scar she had on her head. The man nodded, then waved them forth, while Doctor Anders continued her work.
Matt said, "Well, now you know what we went through," to Lena as he and his sister seemed to be pulling up data on some of the newer weapon developments made by the UNSC armament designers aboard the fleet. He said, "Check this out..." before lifting a holographic window with what looked to be an automatic grenade launcher on a tripod. He said, "This is the M460 Automatic Grenade Launcher. Generally adapted for use on the Falcon helicopter platform as a side weapon, we've run a few tests on it while y'all were away."
"And we managed to figure out ways to allow combat teams to have one of these around," Sam stated, "Alongside its EMP grenade function."
"Nice," Lena smirked, "We're going to see this thing mounted on a lot of vehicles, I'm imagining."
"Not just vics, ma'am," Matt remarked, then brought up an EXO Suit design. The exoskeletal combat suit was a standard-issue piece of equipment in use throughout the Federacy's armed forces and seemingly adopted by the UNSC. The new design of Exo made it look like a power armor piece. Lined with kevlar and light titanium alloy plating, the Exoskeleton had also received a new power source meant to allow it to operate for much longer than standard.
"Courtesy of the arms bureau of the Federacy of Giad, the new Exoskeleton Suits designed for operation by infantry and the crews of the Vánagandrs, nicknamed the Mark Three by the staff due to them watching Iron Man and drawing the parallels, is a weapon system designed to allow the operator to carry any weapon available in the arsenal of the Allied Nations short of actual cannons," Sam explained.
"... And you guys are gonna slap a Forty millimeter automatic grenade launcher onto it, aren't you?" Annette raised a brow.
Sam and Matt both grinned. Annette chuckled, then looked to Lena and said, "Looks like life went on without us for a while, huh?"
"Sure does," Lena nodded. She looked over to doctor Anders and asked, "What about you, doctor? What're you doing here?"
"Helping further develop the Para-RAID device's capabilities... By the way, captain von Penrose, you and your father have my highest regards for managing to create and upgrade this thing," She stated, causing a slight wince from Annette and Lena. She hummed, then continued, "It's possibly one of the most advanced pieces of technology ever fielded by humans in terms of communication. Upgrading it and learning its ins and outs has been my priority and the priority of the entire fleet science staff for a while."
"Take it the project for the rail weapons went only as far as the mag cannons on the tanks?" Annette asked.
"We've been working on making the mag weaponry fit into infantry equipment, but it's gonna take a while," The woman shrugged, "Until then, we're working on at least making it Exo-portable..."
"So, a grenade launcher and an anti-tank mag weapon," Annette sighed, "Sounds like we may as well do away with our various mechs and just let troops fight in Exos."
"Nah, we need the mechs," Sam replied jovially, "Shit's cool."
"Agreed," Matt voiced, before sighing and sitting himself down, "Well, I'm done with my part of the project... Hey, Annette, you mind helping me with something?"
"Sure thing," Annette nodded. She looked to Lena and said, "Guess the tea can wait 'till after work, eh? Take care of yourself, Colonel," then patted the girl on the shoulder, before moving to help the man. She smiled, nodded to the staff of the R&D section as they also came in, then left to find the Handler rooms. There, she saw operational staff, both UNSC and San Magnolian, entering their rooms as they prepared for the daily check and patrol with their assigned task forces.
Entering her own room, Lena activated her Para-RAID system, linking herself to a newly-minted squadron formed from two combined, understrength units of the Eighty-Six. It was nicknamed the 'Queen's Guard', based on the nickname she had received. Generally, the squadron, lead by Shiden Iida on the ground nowadays, proved useful in night combat thanks to their specialized Reginleif/Juggernaut Mark-II variants.
She hummed, looking at the drawing in her pocket for a moment. The letter left by Spearhead...
She sighed, then looked forward and brought up the operation area map, stating aloud, "Queen's Guard forces, this is Bloody Reina. Apologies for being late, but some of my friends wanted to catch up to me. It's a pleasure to work with you all and I hope we will get along with the entire Division that's coming to support you, ladies and gentlemen. Let's start with introductions..."
Federal Republic of Giad
Shin looked over the newly-built Juggernaut Mark-II he had received for their training operation within the Special Officer School. An interesting design, albeit strangely too new. The two arms at the front had his standard favorite, the twin high-frequency blades. Gazing back, the man was allowed to survey the operations of the newly-upgraded Federacy Vánagandrs and the infantry beside them.
Tracked Scorpion tanks acted as 'the enemy' in this operation, all of the vehicles being loaded with live ammo. The objective of the warring parties was the elimination of the other's 'Command post', a large silhouette target of a building that needed to be hit center-mass by the high-caliber ammunition or 'sabotaged' by an infantry platoon that reached the target area.
This entire operation took place in the middle of a massive encampment known simply as the Gunnery Range. Up above, rotor blades cut through the air and jet engines screamed as Federacy and UNSC Air Craft crew a unified Combat Air Patrol over the area, each of them armed with standard issue XGBU-12 Electromagnetic Pulse Directed Attack Munitions.
Pelicans and Federacy transports rolled around the Forward Operating Base, the closest one to the Front Line against the Legion, bringing in more equipment from the orbiting fleet and even targeting systems and freshly-produced EMP cannons to mount onto more Gremlin vehicles. The UNSC really was going all out on the second phase of deployment.
Above him, a Longsword loaded with a particularly dangerous payload flew up, its engines sending gusts of wind throughout the training range as it boosted up and out toward the upper atmosphere. Damn thing was carrying a nuclear weapon that they'd forgotten to unload before their jump over to the planet. It was one of the Longswords that hadn't seen much flight time.
Another Longsword squadron flew in above, alongside a pair of Shortswords. The former was part of the same squadron that had dropped those EMP bombs on the Legion forces around Dullahan and disabled the Eintagsfliege swarms. Shin was almost awed by the sheer presence the UNSC had brought to the planet now that he had a single moment of rest to think about it.
He gazed upon the air force and the massive display of military power that the UNSC was giving just by upgrading their equipment. He blinked, his eyes locking again onto the 'Reginleif' behind him, developed in the span of six months and tested for the better part of all of them to ensure that the upgrades would bring enough survivability for the operators. Beside them, the newly-minted upgrades for the heavy tanks and even some of the LAVs the UNSC were bringing to bear to resupply the beleaguered defenders...
"Yo, Shin," He heard a voice call out to him and turned to see a white-haired young man with glasses. Eugene, clad in the Federacy's olive-drab tanker uniform and with his helmet under his arm, greeted the young man with a wave and a smile, then stated rather calmly "Didn't think I'd see you in officer school so early. Thought you would still undergo the vetting process."
"Colonel Rovinești saw fit to talk to Lieutenant-Colonel Wenzel. They moved the process along..." Shin turned around and extended a hand to Eugene. The young man gripped and shook it firmly, nodding. Shin gave him a once-over, then said, "Vánagandr Corps, huh? How are the new upgrades for the tanks? I see the new armor packages for the TUSK program were already added..."
"According to most officers and other servicemen who've been working on the things, they're an improvement and a half," Eugene noted, "Apparently the composite armor 'cheeks' added to the front survived shots from the 120mm cannons of our own vehicles, so..."
"So, survivability's been enhanced and that may mean casualties should drop," Shin replied, looking at the Vánagandrs as the vehicles trudged forth, engaging each-other and the Scorpions in CQC, where the lighter and smaller tracked vehicles thrived. Meanwhile, UNSC Marine platoons and their supporting Federacy infantry teams met each-other in similar endeavors of hand-to-hand combat and absolute simulated insanity, the boys and girls laughing together as they threw jabs and punches at each-other or fired stun ammunition from up-close, like some big paintball game or party.
"What does TUSK stand for, anyway?" Eugene asked, "I know it's standard UNSC terminology, but..."
"Tank Urban Survival Kit, I think. General upgrades for the vehicle to better survive close quarters combat within the confines of city streets. Added explosive reactive armor, smoke and electronic countermeasures and better maneuverability," Shin answered, then looked back and said, "I think the stuff strapped to the Juggernaut Mark-II is pretty much a TUSK as well."
"It is... And it's Reginleif, captain Nouzen," Spoke a familiar voice. The two men turned to the right, snapping crisp salutes at Lieutenant-Colonel Wenzel. She smirked, her lilac eyes glimmering in the sun as she approached the two. Saluting back, she said, "Both of you, at ease. Cadet Rantz. Good to see you're adapting well to the arduous training of the Federacy's Feldreß Corps."
"Ma'am," The boy replied, smiling.
"And cadet Captain Nouzen," The girl nodded to Shin, "How goes it on your end? Are the new mechs as responsive as the old ones?"
"They are slightly more sluggish thanks to the added equipment," Shin stated bluntly, surprising her. He added, "I'd like a higher power-to-weight ratio and better mobility. Maybe remove the TUSK packs from them. Otherwise, the mainline equipment and enhanced mobility provided by a non-TUSK vehicle is better than the standard we had before... And the armor of the new Juggernauts is good."
"Reginleifs," She replied, while Eugene looked to her.
"Juggernauts," Shin said blandly. Eugene had turned to him, surprised at Shin's laissez-faire attitude toward an officer.
"Reginleifs..." Grethe rolled her eyes, then sighed and stated, "Nevermind... We'll upgrade the hydraulics and engine. It's a pretty common request across the board, actually... But the TUSK package remains installed, as do the rest of the extra defenses. We made the damn thing with survivability in mind, too, not just speed and firepower, Captain Nouzen."
"Understood... Take it the Republic's own Eighty-Six Processors have been asking for similar upgrades?" Shin quirked a brow up. Grethe simply gave him a nod, then looked over to the machine that had been offered to Shin for testing. Of course, it had the high-frequency blades that Captain Nouzen was so well-known for. She hummed, looked to Shin, then smirked.
Shin knew what the woman wanted. He had no reason not to comply, honestly. He looked to Eugene and said, "We'll talk later. Lieutenant-Colonel Wenzel needs me to show her how the machine performs..." before the two officers departed. Of course, Shin was aware of the request that the good Captain was going to give. He knew a person's tells, especially a high-ranking officer's.
When Shin began his test-run, to show the speed and agility of the machine were lackluster, he pushed the vehicle to top speed. Though slow at first, the vehicle caught speed before the first turn on the secondary field. Charging forth, Shin powered the machine's legs, turning off the inhibitors in the system and lunging out toward the right, redirecting his momentum and allowing himself to speed up twice as fast as when he started, but still with a middling speed compared to the less-armored Juggernaut Mark I.
Each turn looked far more sluggish, far more heavy than the gracious movements that the Federacy and UNSC recovered from their damaged machines. Shin sighed, feeling himself roll ever-forward with the four-legged machine, but still slower than he'd have wanted to go. After finishing the course(in a whopping 10,1 seconds, one must add, which was the best score by a large margin) and offering his last bit of insight to a surprised and somewhat annoyed Grethe, Shin was allowed to leave and rest for the day.
He sighed, looking out at the world beyond the training base's walls and thinking to himself just how the Republic was doing. He'd been allowed to read reports about the Republic's rearmament procedure and how the UNSC was assisting not just them, but everyone else. A visible sight in the upgrades and new vehicles the Federacy alone had received. He sighed, hearing footsteps, then said, "Theo."
"How?" The artist of the team asked, approaching the boy and sitting himself down.
"I can tell your pace," Shin replied blandly, looking at the blonde-haired young man, "Something up?"
"Came to check up on ya by order of our glorious Executive Officer, Raiden Shuga," Theo smirked, then looked out beyond the walls, "Gonna be fun to go back..."
"Mhm..." Shin murmured.
"Think we'll get to see the Republic again?" He asked, "See what the hell the Major and her team have done to it while we were away?" and then he smirked toward Shin, somewhat smugly stating, "Y'know, how bad they fucked up," while working to gauge his commander's reaction. Theo was also trying to be the joker of the team, seeing as Haruto and Lecca were busy right now.
Shin sighed, looking to the boy with narrow eyes and Theo replied, "Chill, man, I was joking..." before noticing that Shin wasn't angry. Quite the opposite, really.
Shin looked ahead and said, "I'm sure they did fine..."
Theo snorted, "Pff. Course they did... It's the Major, after all."
"Yeah," Shin nodded, leaning back.
"Say... Did you tell HighCom about that crap near the border?" Theo inquired, looking to Shin. The man seemed confused for but a moment, just before Theo clarified, "The old Piggy FOB, pit stop we made near the Old Border?" and he saw Shin's eyes apparently light up as the memory came back. He nodded, then shifted uneasily and staying quiet. Theo huffed, then said, "Yeah... Would rather forget that shit myself..."
"The Lieutenant-Colonel mentioned a day ago that they're already sending it up the Chain," Shin noted, "Admiral Nakano should find out about it within the next few hours."
"Hope they sand-blast it with MAC rounds. That place ain't got any right to exist with all the shit we saw in there," Theo remarked, then sighed, "You good, Shin?"
"Hm?" The young man looked to his comrade. Theo looked at him, clearly concerned.
"Are you good? I'm asking because we've done the job... Your brother can rest now. Whatever's next is unknown. I'm asking if you're alright with not knowing what to do right now. Not having any set goal..." Theo noted, then paused and shrugged, "Well, aside from going to find the Major and getting a nice cup of tea and some sweets with her, but that's a whole 'nother thing for later on..."
"Our job and current goal right now is to secure the Federacy's borders..." Shin noted, "Something big is coming. We need to be ready to repel it."
"Let command know about that one, too?" Theo raised a brow and Shin nodded. Of course, his CO wouldn't leave anything out of a report given 'word-of-mouth' to their superiors. The boy chuckled, stood up, then said, "Alright, boss. Let's go... Raiden's gonna get pissed you're late for dinner again," Before extending a hand to Shin. The young man took it and found himself hefted up. Theo nodded, then showed him to follow.
"... You still didn't answer if you're good."
"I'm fine."