March 12th 1935, Fortress Premsel
"Gentleman, i have superb news. Not only were we able to capture this fortress and most of its supplies, as an added bonus, the majority of the secret documents regarding imperial plans and troop movements from the last month came into our possession. This means, that we know the rough location of each major imperial unit up to March 9th. Nonetheless, our task is not finished yet. We have yet to capture the industrial sectors of Kijell to further hinder the imperial war effort. Any questions?" Harold asked while he looked around the room. He knew fully well nobody would ask a question until the discussion for the next operation started. "Dismissed. Oh, and Machlot, try to find out if we can recover the howitzer. Three other ones got encountered by different units and the one here seems to have taken the least amount of damage. If we get into a better shape, it would be a nice display piece for HQ." Harold waited two minutes for everyone to leave before he focussed on the map again. Kijell, due to its significant industrial capacities, will probably get defended like a proper fortress, … almost impossible to capture without heavy artillery... HQ would probably understand the need for a bit more firepower…
March 12th 1935, Imperial Airship LS-04 "Schuttlanz"
Valentin looked down. Three, maybe four kilometers were between him and the ground. The chief engineer had told him that that so far "only" one of the LT-II-class air ships had crashed, but that hadn't really helped much. There was still something unsettling about this height. At least combined with the fact that there was no solid ground under his feet. He took a deep breath before returning to the officers table. Colonel Lindtmann was discussing something with presumably the captain of the air ship, whom he recognized as the Commander he had seen in the supply base a few days earlier. Some other officers seemed to play a card-game he didnt recognize while Kehlers was sitting away from everyone else, reading a book. Valentin had taken a glance at the title and it seemed to be a fantasy novel about a flying fortress, based on the title. As much as he would have preferred being with his men, he knew, that it was rather unlikely to be permitted. Noncommissioned officers were almost like a different "class" after all, at least in the eyes of most officers. He eventually opted with sitting with Lindtmann and the other officer. "May i join in?" "Of course. I was just talking with Commander Strais about some of the recent developments on the front. It appears, that the Federation has started a series of offensives practically everywhere. The spearhead of the attack seems to be headed by some units from Edinburgh." Colonel Lindtmann said. "Oh, this is actually a good opportunity to tell the Commander about your experiences. You lived there for a while until last year, if i recall correctly." "Of course. I mean, i wouldn't really call myself an expert, but i was able to get an impression of a couple of things." Valentin gulped. He always had felt a bit like he had been sent there to spy… maybe he should leave out certain things…
April 20th 1934, Brinckman Barracks, Hadleigh, United Kingdom of Edinburgh
Valentin sighed as he looked down the balcony. He wasn't exactly made for this type of events. Not that he didn't appreciate the invitation to this… what was this actually? A dinner party? A ceremony in honour tonight's special guest? Some other festivity? He didn't actually know. And where the hell did Justin go? He knew that Valentin would be lost without him. At least he didn't stand out too much, so the probability of anyone chatting him up was rather slim. Maybe if he just kept staying away from the more crowded places…which would mean that he wouldn't be able go to the buffet, so that might not be the best idea either…
Wait, was that Justin over there? He walked towards a group of people at a small bar table next to a staircase. Jep, definitely Justin. He was accompanied by three men, two of which were wearing mess dress uniforms. Valentin got a bit closer and waved at Justin to signal him that he was there. in return, Justin gestured him to come over to them, which prompted the three men to turn around. "Oh, look whos joining us. Gentlemen, may i introduce you to Captain Martinek? Captain Martinek, these are Colonel Biraul and Lieutenant Colonel Vismare from the 5th Grenadiers and Mr. Sanders from the Forus National Arms Factory. We were just discussing what is the logical next step in the evolution of artillery. Mr. Sanders here believes that the gun itself has to become more mobile." "That is indeed correct. With the shift of warfare into a more mobile direction, lightweight weapon systems will eventually become the norm." the man said. "Oh. Interesting that you mention that. Captain Martinek is sort of an expert on this topic, given his field of specialisation." Justin explained. "Oh is that so?" the civilian, Mr. Sanders asked. "Care to elaborate?" "Well, you see…" Valentin began, but one of the other two officers interrupted him before he could finish.
"Excuse me Captain, but what exactly is your specialisation?" Valentin gulped. Exactly this type of conversation is what he was trying to avoid. "Well, i am an artillery officer. Mountain artillery to be specific…" "Mountain Artillery?" The man then asked, visibly confused. "I don't recall ever hearing of any mountain artillery units in our army…" "Oh, that reminds that i forgot to mention it. Captain Martinek is the Empires military attache assigned to the Federation. He has only been in our lovely country for a month though, before that he spent most of his time in continental Europa."
Justin explained. The officer, seemingly surprised, was about to say something before he would in turn get interrupted by Mr. Sanders. "The Empire, huh? Well, if you don't mind, let's engage in a little thought experiment, shall we…?"