Tristain Academy of Magic, 1041 hours
"So does this mean that we'll finally get to see some action?" Lionel asked Julius as they strode towards Alviss Hall.
"I'd say so, Captain. Are all the officers assembled? And are Major Hudson and the KRH present as well?" Julius inquired.
"Yes, Major, all officers are accounted for," the young captain replied.
"Good, good." Julius opened the doors to the dining hall and walked in, with Lionel close behind. The room fell silent as Arnhem Company's commander joined his men while Julius continued to make his way towards the front of the formation.
More than a dozen pairs of eyes settled on the major as he took a short moment to gaze at everyone present before he spoke.
"Gentlemen, I've received word today that Albion has been overrun by the Reconquista, with Cromwell being the driving force behind this rebellion. The nation has changed its name to the Holy Republic of Reconquista, and as of this morning, they have declared war on Tristain. If we're to have a chance of getting back home, no matter how slim that chance is, we are going to conduct Operation Guidepost in a show of support to Tristain. Make no mistake, lads, their equipment and tactics may be obsolete by our standards, but you are to still exercise caution, as they have mages in their ranks."
He swept his eyes over his men again before he continued.
"You're all professional troops, and I expect you to act like it. Even if we're no longer in our world, I still expect each one of you to follow the Geneva Conventions."
Before he could continue, the doors of the dining hall opened to reveal Louise. All of the British officers watched as she strode inside.
"Sir Julius, is it true? You're going to war against Reconquista?" the mage inquired, her face etched with worry.
"You have to keep in mind, Louise, we made a promise to protect you. We have no idea how many men the Reconquista have amassed, but despite our seemingly small force, we more than compensate for this with our weapons and warfighting doctrine," Julius reassured her.
"He's a Gandálfr, Louise, which means that partner here is true to his word," Derfflinger chimed in.
Louise blinked in confusion. "Gandálfr?" she repeated.
"Yes, I'm talking about the legendary void familiar, and this means that you're a void mage," the sword clarified.
Confusion turned to shock as the pink-haired mage struggled to process this new piece of information before she was cut off by Julius.
"We don't have time for this, we have more pressing matters to focus on. Namely, how we're going to stop the Reconquista," he said.
Louise was silent for a few seconds before the door opened again, this time revealing a Tristanian soldier clad in armor. Upon seeing Julius, she made her way towards him.
"Am I correct in assuming that you are Major Julius Sickles?" the Tristanian asked.
The major tensed. "I am. And who might you be?"
The Tristanian bowed in greeting. "Lieutenant Gabrielle Augereau, 3rd Life Battalion, Musketeer Knights. I have come bearing a request from Her Highness, Princess Henrietta, to aid in repulsing the Reconquista invasion of Tristain."
The major raised an eyebrow. "Perfect timing, then, that's exactly what we're planning to do right now. When and where are the forces of Reconquista going to strike?"
"If our estimates are correct they'll most likely make landfall and capture the town of Tarbes within one or two days, sir," the musketeer responded.
Daniel stepped forward. "What's their current strength? How many men are part of this invasion force?" he asked.
Augereau shook her head. "I'm afraid I do not know the total strength of the invasion force, but their numbers have to be somewhere between 50,000 to 57,000. We have nearly twice the number of men, but only 42,000 are available for combat. That may increase to 44,000 if Her Highness decides to include the Musketeer Knights in the order of battle."
The officers were silent for a while before Julius spoke again. "Capt. Green, the map, please."
Christian stepped forward and unrolled a large map, which he had procured from the academy's headmaster, before placing it on the floor. Julius motioned for the musketeer and his three company commanders to gather around as they studied the map.
"There's a hill off to the southeast of Tarbes. How far away is it, and how high is that hill?" Julius asked, indicating the location on the map.
"Four hundred and twenty-one yards in height, and four-fifths of a league from the town itself," Augereau responded.
Julius made a quick calculation in his head. "Perfect. That'll give us a commanding view of the battlefield. Lieutenant Augerau, you are to inform the princess that my forces will occupy that hill. Maj. Hudson, what do you say about merging our units into a single battlegroup?" he asked Marcus.
The Hussar merely smiled. "I was thinking the same thing, Maj. Sickles. That would be a sensible move."
"Alright, then. Now, here's the plan for Operation Guidepost. I want all mortars on the summit of Hill 385 facing west. Twelve Challengers are to position themselves five hundred meters further downrange. Arnhem and Blenheim Companies, along with the Coyote, will set up a further hundred meters ahead of the tanks, and the remaining six Challengers, along with Chindit, Arroyo, and Dettingen Companies will stay behind with the mortars to either act as a reserve, or to counter any flanking maneuvers. Is everything clear so far?"
The room buzzed in a chorus of affirmations.
"Maj. Hudson, you will assume temporary command of the battlegroup until I arrive on the scene. You'll move out tomorrow at 0300 hours to Hill 385 with the entire battlegroup. Questions?"
"No, sir," the officers responded.
Julius took one last look at his men before concluding the briefing.
"Get your men and equipment ready. Dismissed."
As the British officers departed, he called out to Lionel and Augereau.
"Bristol, Lieutenant Augereau, stay behind for a moment, please."
Lionel and Augereau stopped and turned to the major.
"Capt. Bristol, are you qualified to operate the Coyote?" Julius asked.
Lionel shook his head. "No, Major, but I believe that Kgn. Brunswick is."
Julius nodded in approval. "Good, good, have him drive you to the Tristanian palace and coordinate with Lt. Augereau and the princess on the deployment of our troops. See if you can convince her to have the city of Tarbes evacuated, we don't want civilian casualties during the battle."
Lionel snapped off a salute. "Understood, Major."
Returning the salute, Julius dismissed his subordinate and the musketeer.
Louise was silent for the entire duration of the briefing, a hint of worry etched on her face as she saw Julius shift from his usual affable personality to stoic and impassionate. On one hand, she felt relieved that he and his men volunteered to fight alongside Tristain, but anxious on the other hand, wondering if a single battlegroup would be enough to help turn the tide of the invasion. With these thoughts occupying her mind, she left for her room.
Outside Alviss Hall, the courtyard was buzzing with activity as men prepared their weapons and equipment. Infantrymen zeroed in their sights and tank crews made last-minute inspections of their vehicles. As the seconds to Operation Guidepost drew ever closer, the men strengthened their resolve as they thought of home and their loved ones.
Tarbes, 0831 hours
Henrietta did not stand alone in the face of Reconquista's imminent invasion. As soon as she had first learned of Cromwell's plan to invade Tristain, the news had spread quickly to other parts of the nation and even to Tristain's protectorate, the Grand Duchy of Guldenhorf. Its ruler, Grand Duke Eberhardt von Guldenhorf, had promised to send assistance to its ally, a promise that Guldenhorf would fulfill as soon as the Tristanian troops guarding the Tristanian-Guldenhorf border informed their counterparts of the latest developments.
All was silent save for the rumbling engines of the Challengers and the Coyote as the Lancastrians marched west in a loose column behind the tanks. Fifty meters ahead of the British battlegroup, the Guldenhorf First Army marched to the sound of fifes and drums. The Guldenhorf contingent, under Feldmarschall Ludwig von Bülow, consisted of five infantry regiments, the 1st (Großherzog von Guldenhorf), 8th (Thiele), 9th (Graf von Holtzendorff), 12th (von Kalckreuth), and 19th (von Schwerin) Infantry Regiments; three cuirassier regiments, the 5th (Kronprinz von Wittenberg), 7th (Landgraf von Bittenfeld), and 11th (Tresckow) Guards Cavalry Regiments; Guldenhorf's famed dragon knights, the Luftpanzer Ritter's 2nd Life Guards (Prinzessin Beatriz); and three artillery batteries, the 4th (Zastrow) 5th (von Reitzenstein), and 8th (von Arnim) Artillery Batteries. At the vanguard of the allied formation, the 44,000-strong Tristanian 3rd Combined Army, which included the Musketeer Knights (1st through 5th Life Battalions) in its order of battle, advanced in tightly packed columns, their regimental colors waving defiantly in the morning breeze, bringing the total allied strength to 50,000 men and 91 guns.
As the forces of three nations made their way towards Tarbes, the Albionian espionage network under the Dukes of Wellington and Northumberland were already hard at work on coordinating Tristanian militia units, which they had raised as soon as they had Henrietta's permission. The recently-formed units conducted delaying actions against the invading armies. On the early afternoon of the previous day at Le Havre, the 20,000-strong Reconquista Second Army, marching at the vanguard of an invasion force numbering 62,000 men, had been fought to a standstill, facing surprisingly ferocious resistance from fifteen Tristanian militia regiments, totaling 12,000 men. It was only after four hours of bitter fighting when the Reconquista First and Third Armies arrived on the scene and surrounded the Tristanians from the south, southwest, and northwest, forcing them to retreat east, although at the cost of 2,297 casualties (103 killed, 718 wounded, 91 missing, and 1,385 taken prisoner) and 13 guns; the Tristanians had suffered 4,167 casualties (806 dead, 1,743 wounded, 657 missing, and 961 prisoners of war).
High above the Tristanian airspace at Dieppe, the Royal Tristanian Navy, with a squadron of two first-rate and five third-rate ships of the line, raced to intercept hundreds of Reconquista transport ships, only to be met by an escorting Reconquista fleet nearly twice their strength, and in the ensuing engagement, the Reconquista fleet smashed through the Tristanian battle line, with two Tristanian third-rates, RTNS Saint Michel and Duc de Lorraine, destroyed within two hours, while the first-rate, Tristania, suffered moderate damage before the rest of the squadron was forced to withdraw. Reconquista casualties included two second-rate ships destroyed, HRRS Indomitable and Glorious, and a third-rate, Incorruptible, was severely damaged.
These had been but some of the many reports that Henrietta, decked out in her battle armor, had received the night before just as she was about to set out and personally lead her armies into battle alongside Louise. Every battle won by the Reconquista over the beleaguered Tristanians only reduced the number of combat-capable troops that the invaders had and further disrupted their timetable as the main Tristanian armies and their allies raced to occupy Tarbes before the invaders can capture the town and seize control of the crossroads that converge there. The Reconquista's situation was further exacerbated as Tristanian resistance fighters, under a few dot-class and line-class mages, formed up and destroyed several key bridges spanning the Meuse and Loire rivers, forcing Cromwell's men to take a longer route.
As the Tristanian and Guldenhorf armies entered Tarbes and began fortifying the town, more than a few eyes glanced back as the British battlegroup veered southwest and began their ascent on Hill 385. Both Halkeginian contingents, unsure and skeptical of what a force numbering less than a thousand men could do, would only have but a few hours before they bear witness to the full might and overwhelming firepower that the British would soon unleash.