RULE BRITANIA! PT. 2

June 15th, 1912.

The British are strengthening their hold at Alnus Hill, with the military building a fort atop the hill. The Coda village refugees, Rory and Tuka, was placed under the care of 5th Recon Company's commanding officer, Lieutenant Harold Alexander, as an informal punishment from his Regiment's Commanding Officer.

Harold, along with members of the 5th Recon Company and of the Royal Engineers, set up shelters and supplies for the refugees. With the arrival of the Coda refugees, many BEF and BDEF soldiers had mixed feelings for their perception of the refugees. Some were neutral, but most were negative, mostly due to the aggressive British propaganda, which depicts Saderans as one journalist puts it: 'The Saderan is made to be barely human in appearance, but beastly in nature.'

But none of them, physically attacking the refugees, as it's immoral (considering that nearly all of the refugees were orphans), and the British Military Police officers will go down harder on an attacking soldier, than a Falmartian whore with STDs… wait a fucking minute! I didn't write that shit!

Deadpool: I wrote it in, because it didn't have enough jokes in it.

Author: GODDAMN DEADPOOL! It's not even funny!

Anyways, over the next few days, the refugees began to settle in.

Tuka was a sight to behold, as she's an elf, something that only exist in fantasy. But it was noted by Harold and several British Army doctors, that she was suffering mental detrition, possibly from the fact that she witness her entire village being slaughter (one of the first well-known cases of PTSD). They try help her as best they could and make her realized that her father is dead (sometimes she thinks that Harold is her father).

Leiei while continuing her tutoring by Cato, she sometimes goes around, questioning the British soldiers on everything, from British culture and history to mannerism and behavior. Some of the soldiers were suspicious of persistent questioning, but put it down to the Leiei's questioning as youthful inquisitiveness, rather than malevolent reasons.

And Rory, although having an body appearance of a child, many soldiers were terrified to go even near her, as they said that she gives off an 'aura of death' (unsurprising, considering that Rory is the apostle of Emrory, the god of war and death). And she constantly harassed Harold, often quite sexually, much to Harold's furor.

As the Coda refugees settle in at Alnus hill, they began to collect dragon scales, from the downed dragons from the two Battles of Alnus Hill. They were surprised that the British didn't collect the valuable dragon scales (Some of the soldiers did collected some dragon scales, but as souvenirs to send back home). The British did collected some of the dragon scales to see if they can use them as body armour as it can resist rifle fire, only to find them too heavy and too limited in numbers to be used practically as body armour, so they left the dragons to rot.

The refugees collect all the dragon scales that they can find, and asked the British if they can sell the scales at Italica, as a source of temporary income (either that or prostitution, which heavily frowned upon by the British and Coda refugees, considering the refugees hasn't reached puberty and what diseases they may have).

The BEF's commanding officer, Field Marshall Douglas Haig wanted to deny this request, as the refugees don't need to pay back the British, and trading with the locals wasn't the original mission of the BEF or the BDEF.

This is when the rightful leader of Italica, Count Colt Formal, came into the equation. When we last left off Colt Formal, he was interned in Great Britain, greatly helping the British understand the Saderan Empire works, politically, militarily, socially, and economically.

A few months ago, he was the enemy, but now, he was a potentially important ally for British, because his city of Italica, is an important transportation hub for those who come from the southern vassal states, to go up the Saderan capital of Sadera, and vice versa. So if the British capture the city, they can cut off the Saderan Empire from it southern vassal states, making it easier for the British, to convince the said vassals' leaders to join them as independent allies (The tactic of divide and conquer), rather than stay as Saderan vassals.

The British decided to send back Count Colt, as he wanted to return to Italica, to tell his citizens that he'd survive the Battle of London, and explain why it's better to be an ally of the British Empire, rather than be a vassal state of the Saderan Empire.

So Count Formal, the 5th Recon Company, Falmartian refugees (Tuka, Leiei and Rory), along with two other recon companies (BEF's 6th and BDEF's 4th), marched to Italica. When they'd arrived, they see the city has seen heavy fighting, with the walls, being pot-marked with holes.

The Italican defenders, backed by a small number of Imperial Saderan Rose Knights, led by Saderan Princess Pina co Lada, was exhausted from several days and nights fighting the bandits. They, and acting Italican governess, Colt's daughter Myrui, was shocked to see Count Colt alive and well, with the 'men in brown' closely following him. Colt asked Pina, to allow entrance for him, the Falmartians, and the British soldiers.

Pina and the Rose Knights had no choice but to let them in, because refusing to let them in, will make the more numerous Italicans very angry, and because Italica have sustained repeated bandit attacks, was in desperate need of defenders. So they let them in.

After a tearful, but happy reunion of father and daughter, Count Formal, Lt. Harold and the other British company officers, was given the current situation at hand by Pina co Lada, being that bandits are attacking Italica in ever greater numbers.

This worried the British, as they have about 400 soldiers, plus a few hundred Italican militiamen, against a bandit force of around 15,000, many of whom, are deserters of the Imperial Saderan Army. Even with their modern weaponry, Harold and the other British company officers, thinks that the best course of action is to help defend Italica, along with the Saderan Rose Knights (who are technically, the British still at war with), and the Italican militiamen, while requesting for more BEF and BDEF soldiers to bulk up the defense.

Harold dispatch a messenger for Alnus Hill, with a letter basically stating that they have arrived Italica, but they will be soon besieged by tens of thousands of bandits, and sent desperately need reinforcements as soon as possible.

The messenger arrived a few hours later, and reach the nominal BEF commander, Douglas Haig. Haig was not pleased at the situation that Harold gotten himself in, but after debating with his peers and John French about what course of action to take, and hearing about Count Formal's intentions, Haig orders a BEF infantry regiment, to quickly march to Italica, and help the defense there. Haig also will bring more reinforcements as soon as the next morning, if Italica holds.

Meanwhile, the British at Italica, along with local Italicans, began preparing or repairing defensive barricades, and setting up machine guns, with one company taking the north wall, one recon company taking the west wall, and one recon company taking the south wall, with the cavalry being dismounted, and the vehicles guard the entrances.

Night falls, and the reinforcements arrived, much to everyone's tense relief. The commanding officer of the BEF regiment, took command, and help finish the defensive works that 5th, 4th and 6th recon company, and the local Italicans started, reinforcing the wall that's are weakly defended, to prepare the eventual bandit attack.

An hour past, and the bandits attack, with the British soldiers pouring bullets into the bandit bastards and then some, killing in the thousands. Men kept rapidly firing their rifles like possessed demons, cutting down waves upon waves of bandits, as the bandits try to advance through their dead. Machine guns kept on firing throughout the night, in fact the water in the water jackets in the machine guns ran out, and soldier resort to using their own urine to cool the machine guns, while Italicans ran to get more water.

The British were surprised that Rory somehow, was in the thick of the action, slicing and dicing bandits until they look less appetizing than the cornered beef that the soldiers been given for their rations. Numerous times, she had entire limbs chopped off, and Rory just regenerate them and carried on like as if nothing had happen, much it the shock of the British.

The Rose Knights did defend here and there, but were generally ineffective due to having short-ranged weapons.

At the break of dawn, the British, along with Italicans (the Rose Knights did little to help with the siege), they destroyed the attacking bandit force. With the exception of a few surrendering, many of the bandits were executed by the British. Other British reinforcements arrived, and relived the defenders.

The defenders that had been killed, they were given respectable funerals, while the bandits has the less than unceremonious disposition of being buried in mass graves, with no grave markings or such.

As the British soldiers begin to bury the dead, repair the walls, and heal the wounded, Count Formal and Brigadier-General Allen Par, sign a treaty, in which the city of Italica will switch sides, and benefits from the other (British, a strategic holding and trade, and Italica, not getting destroyed and trade).

This is when Count Formal announced to his people, that the Italica has switch sides, and are now allies of the British, much to the delight of everyone, except Pina and the Rose Knights, who were outraged at the Count's betrayal, but they can't do anything about it, as the British has guns, and the people of Italica on their side. Pina and the Rose Knights has none of these.

Pina and the Rose Knights are in a weird position, though they were the enemy, they're not prisoners. But that will soon change. The Rose Knights had outside reinforcement, in the form of other Rose Knights led by a aggressive, hot-headed knight named Bozes, who came to Italica to help defend it against bandits.

They attacked, captured, interrogate, and execute a British infantry section, but keep the section's commander, whom they also brutally interrogate. The infantry section was monitoring traffic along the north road. The Bozes-led Rose Knights carried the unfortunate bastard to Italica, and once they reached Italica, demanded to let them in and the British to surrender to them, with the British section commander, being held at knife point.

This sufficiently pissed off the British, as they're not going to surrender the town to some up stuck, pompous knights, and they shot Bozes in the head, and then proceeded to cut down the Bozes-led Rose Knights with rifle and machine gun fire, their armour and shields, superlatively useless against the British overwhelming modern firepower.

Somehow, the section commander survive the onslaught, with the only injuries that he'd sustained, was from the interrogation. All the Bozes-led Rose Knights, didn't, being annihilated to the man (or woman).

After that, the British quickly sent out a search team, and found the remainders of the British section, some being decapitated, some with missing limbs. The section commander told Allan, that they were brutally torture for information. This disgusted and angered the British, whom Allen order the quick disarmament and arrest of the remaining Rose Knights in Italica, including Pina, just in case they have any funny ideas, and prevent the Italicans lynching them because they thought the Rose Knights to be no better than bandits.

A few weeks later, Harold, the Falmartians, and select members of the 5th Recon Company, was ordered back to London for a British Parliament inquiry. Pina was freed on order to bring along, just to bring a Saderan representative along.

As they arrived through the GATE, Pina and Falmartian refugees were flabbergasted at the world the British came from.

Pina was shocked to see the world that the British came from, the world filled with buildings that even Sadera's best architects and engineers can't possibly dream of.

But she also saw the propaganda posters, and was even more shocked that the British viewed the Saderans less than humans, and more like animals, no, more like rabid dogs that need to be put down. Of course, there was angry British people that was along the journey, putting up signs such as 'baby killers' and 'child eaters' being the most common.

Seeing the shock on her face of the British people's raw anger, Harold Alexander explain to Pina in layman terms, that the Saderans, her people, came to rob, murder and rape, and that the British Empire will not tolerate such behavior against their own people. (And of course, ignoring all the times that the British indulge in such things when they were empire building).

We don't know what Pina is feeling at the time. Did Pina felt shame for Saderan soldiers' behavior? Felt fear for the British wrath upon the Empire? Is begging for forgiveness, too late to save the Empire?

We never know, as they walked into the British Parliament's House of Commons, and as soon as the representatives settle down, the Parliament's inquiry begins. The inquiry was led by Home Secretary, Reginald McKenna. This inquiry, will forever shape the people of Earth's perception of Falmartians (Not all Falmartians are Saderans, and not all Saderan are evil sort of thing).

The inquiry first question Tuka, and asked if her ears were real, thus proving elves are real. Tuka's ears are certainly real, and she showed it, by flicking it. When asked about the Flame Dragon, Tuka burst into tears, telling how her entire village was destroyed by the Flame Dragon. Realizing that further inquiry with Tuka will be fruitless after that, and Harold explaining that she has traumatic memories of the Flame Dragon, she was dismissed, and wasn't asked again.

There were many unanswered question on how the hell the British will kill a Flame Dragon. Apart from a few that know, the British military is researching and developing better ways to kill a Flame Dragon, with armour-piercing bullets for machine guns, faster and heavily-armed planes, and heavy towed or vehicle mounted anti-aircraft guns.

This also benefits the British, as they're sort of getting to grips on how modern warfare works. In a way.

Anyway, we getting derailed, back to the inquiry. Then Leiei was question, about her being a mage and what it is. Parliamentarians and journalists alike look on in shock, as Leiei, with the gesture of the hand, levitates books a few meters up in the air. This moment was taken by news photographers, undeniable proof that magic does exist. After answering some questions about Falmartian magic, she was dismissed.

Then Rory was brought into questioning, and everyone was, apart from the Falmartians and 5th Recon Company, was creeped out by her aura of death, and the fact she was carrying a scythe. She was question of what is being an apostle is. They were skeptical when she claimed to be over 900 years old and having regenerative abilities, but 5th Recon Company prove Rory's latter claims, as they witness it during the Battle of Italica, where they saw her arms and legs being cut off, and she regenerate them, and continued on like as if nothing has happened.

Harold had a silent laugh, as major religious figures are going to have a fit when they hear about these claims, coming from a 9-year old (physically speaking) girl.

Then Pina was brought into questioning. Now, this is where the inquiry goes ugly, from a civilized inquiry to a furious interrogation, against a naïve princess. When she announced her name and title of being a princess of the Saderan Empire, she was booed and jeered on by the Parliamentarians, until the Speaker of the House of Common, James Lowther, restored order.

First, the Parliamentarians question Pina about the Bozes-led Rose Knights, and the incident they have caused, with them torturing and executing British soldiers who was forced to surrender, which clearly violated the Hague Convention of 1899.

Pina replied that Bozes and the knights Bozes led, was to relive Italica, and the Saderan Empire don't have something similar to the Hague Conventions, as the Saderans did as they pleased and what's necessary.

This last statement, prompted First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, put forward question to Pina, of what happened to the British civilians that captured in the Battle of London.

The naïve Pina fell into a trap, as she stated that the Saderans use slaves, as hard labor, as domestic labor, and the women they were used as sex slaves (The most wicked and most vile of things that a man of civilization, according to the British, would do).

This was the bombshell, and was made worse, as Pina stated it in a way that she though was normal thing to do in Saderan society. If the booing and jeering was bad enough, it was now turned into furious heckling, hissing, and defamation, with Parliamentarians calling her a 'vile barbarian' and such, forcing for the speaker to practically scream to restore order.

The journalists present, took and wrote everything in, knowing that the newspapers will be selling like hotcakes.

This lambasting had shook Pina, as she thought that her empire was righteous and good, but that perception was shattered. Then she was placed in prison, until the conflict was over. She knew that her older half-brother, Saderan Crown Prince Zoral, has kept a forced entourage of female sex slaves, whom he sadistically rape at his wicked, unending vices. She sadly knew that he's going to be tried and executed by the British for this and more, and she can't do anything about it.

The others, the Falmartians and Harold, toured around London, taking in the British buildings, British culture and history, and of course, British food (not the greatest highlight of the tour). Their final stop, is the temporary memorial for the victims of the Battle of London. Teddy bears, flowers and letters is staked at the memorial, intended for someone that was a friend, a brother, a lover, a wife, or a son, whose were murdered in the Battle for London. Rory can only prayed for the poor souls, whose lives were robbed short by vile cruelty. Then, they return to Falmart, to see the BEF and BDEF getting ready for something big.

Because, the BEF and BDEF is working on new offensives, with talented staff officers, such as Australian Colonel, John Monash and Canadian Colonel, Arthur Currie, help with execution of the BDEF's offensive plans. The two offensives was a mixture of old, proven battle tactics, and new, innovative stratagem and equipment, with the BEF's offensive goal, is to decisively destroy the Imperial Saderan Army and march on Sadera for a quick end to the war, with the hope to capture top ranking officials of the Saderan Empire.

And the BDEF's offensive goal, is to convince Saderan's southern vassal states, to join them as independent allies, and help rid them of any Saderan military units stationed in said vassal states.

The offensives began on 5th of August, 1912, armored cars and aircraft going ahead to scout the land ahead. BEF units move north to Sadera, destroying effective resistance along the way, but not yet finding the main body of the Saderan Army. The BDEF is encountering similar, if more success than the BEF, managing to establish contacts with Saderan's southern vassal states, and working on the idea of the vassals being independent states.

The offensives terrified the Saderan senate, so Molt was began to force conscripting children, mercenaries, and criminals into his army, whilst continuing his scorched earth policy, increasing its brutal treatment of people who refuse to destroy corps, slaughter their stock, or poison their wells. This led to several peasant revolts, which were brutally crushed, with eerily similar to the Battle of London, men strung up in their trees, bodies of raped women and decapitated children scatter across the village squares.

The British often arrive to the aftermaths of these massacres, had journalists and war photographers brought along. They were horrified to witness these wicked, wretched, vile acts, and saw that the Saderan royalty, government, and military, are the true evil, not them, the Saderan people. There were some survivors, all of whom are children, and they're treated and taken care of by the British.

Such news reached the British people, and it help slowly change their perception of the Saderan people, but not their leaders, who were the real problem.

At this point, after Pina was presumed dead by the Saderans, and the beginning of the British offensives, caused a empire to become that more devided. The Pro-Peace Faction was led by Prince Diabo el Caesar. He maybe remembered in history as a shrewd, manipulative master of politics (similar to German politician, Otto von Bismarck), because he realized how dangerous the British was, and wanted a peace with the British, where the Saderan Empire retain a good amount of influence.

However, opposing them was the Pro-War faction, led by top-ranking 'idiots' as modern historians will title them, mostly out-of-touch and shit-for-brains politicians, generals, and members of the Saderan Royal Family. Zoral supported this faction, as he believe that the Saderan Empire will prevail over the British, and will eventually conquer the British, and the world that they come from.

Oh boy, they are wrong.

Sorry for the long delay, just that school, homework and a mild form of writer's block, plagued me. There will be a third and final part of RULE BRITANNIA! coming soon... ish.

QnA:

Chaszcz - Fair criticism, as yes, there were no proper self-propelled AAs in OTL 1912. But I thought of this first incarnation of a SPAAG was an on the spot idea, which was rushed, to meet the dragons that the Saderans have fielded. Also, I haven't put in tanks, as their first incarnation was too slow to keep up offensives. The British are possibly working on it at this time, but it isn't going to field against the Saderans anyway, as it will have minimal effect on the outcome.