Operation Trebuchet II: Allegiance
40 years after the Great War
Londinium
As mentioned previously on our program, much of the information relating to Operation Trebuchet remains classified, with some information not due to be released to the public for another 60 years. However, we are aware of the key events that transpired during the incident.
One thing that may come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with the incident, is that the Allied Kingdom did not immediately begin their assault on the Francois ships docked in the port city. At the time it was still hoped that the garrison and fleet commanders could be persuaded to join the forces of the Free Republic. Thus, De Lugo's men entered the city to attempt as many as possible to their cause before the attack began in earnest.
It is known that fighting and civil unrest occurred between the two Francois factions as the supporters of each clashed in the streets. However, in the early stages of the operation, the Albion Fleet did not interfere in these skirmishes; instead, Admiral Winters bided his time and waited to see if De Lugo's men would be successful.
– Andrew WTN Special Correspondent
September 25th Unified Year 1925 13:00
Port of Turus, Eastern docks outskirts
Damn, they're here already, thought Tanya as she ducked into one of the many shadowy narrow alleyways that dotted the skyline of the port city; doing her best to smother her mana signal as she darted from cover to cover. A sound drew her attention upwards, as a squad of François mages to passing overhead and she pressed herself further into the shadows in an effort to remain hidden. She needn't have worried however, the mages were too busy broadcasting a call to arms to the city's so-called "loyalists" to notice her, but there was no such thing as being too careful in this sort of situation.
She had decided it was best to avoid confrontation for now if possible. They hadn't had the time to liberate their ammunition from the truck before they left so only had what Wilhelm had snuck into De Juin's command centre for them. Until Weiss arrived, they would have to choose their engagements wisely or risk running out of firepower.
She waited a moment as the mage's passed before letting out a sigh of relief. They were too engrossed in parodying Wilhelm's psychological tactics and observing the chaos they'd unleashed in the city streets to notice two Imperial mages hiding in the backstreets. While they watched the riots, she and Visha could get around the city without too much trouble if they were careful. By using the anarchy around to distract any unwanted attention and using every piece of cover they could find they'd managed to creep up on where most of the enemy were concentrated.
She could see why small groups were favoured when it came to infiltration.
Tanya signalled her adjutant to join her. They'd been staggering their movements so that each could keep an eye out for potential threats as the other sprinted to their next hiding spot and from Tanya's vantage she could see it was safe for her aide to proceed. However, they were in dangerous territory at the moment, so Tanya thought it wise to call a halt and assess their situation before proceeding further.
When news of the mages first arrived, she had suspected a trap and Tanya had been prepared for a fight if necessary. However, De Juin had done everything in his power to convince them that approaching forces had nothing to do with him and, to his credit, seemed genuinely horrified about how De Lugo's mages had interrupted the negotiations. He'd even provided a radio so they could report the situation to Romel and Weiss. Wilhelm must have been right about the man's lack of options.
Tanya had expected an assault on the command centre itself and had initially been worried about how she'd manage to get Wilhelm and his "retainers" out of there with only her and Visha's flight gear. She had no desire to repeat the humiliating action of carrying the brat out again. However, the mages had a different tactic in mind and if anything, the situation was worse than if they'd simply attacked head-on.
It seemed that not all of De Juin's troops were the rational people she had hoped them to be, and the Free Republicans had decided to spread their insanity to the less fortunate. Much like Wilhelm had done back in Letzenbourg, the Francois mages had started broadcasting desperate pleas to the soldiers and sailors within the port city. After hearing their countrymen ask them to join De Lugo and evacuating the city, many had started switching sides and sporadic firefights had erupted in the streets as the deserters were dealt with.
Worse still, the Allied Kingdom's fleet had sailed closer and although it had not fired, it had launched air wings that circled the city threateningly. Right now, it was difficult to know friend from foe but at least she knew reinforcements were nearby.
Weiss and the rest of the 203rd could be here within ten minutes and with the port under threat, Romel would doubtless have the rest of the force with them as soon as possible. However, she knew she couldn't allow them to come into the city blind. Although she'd prefer to have a few more bodies between her and the republicans, she knew that asking them to assault without some knowledge of who or what they were up against would be suicidal.
So, with Romel's blessing and orders to do what she could to secure the docks, she'd reluctantly volunteered to scout out the enemy's disposition.
She'd been reluctant to leave Wilhelm unsupervised, but without his flight gear, there was little he could do to assist. However, it did at least mean that he and Zerbist sisters could keep an eye on General De Juin. Although he had been reasonable enough to open negotiations with the Empire, there was no telling how he might react in unreasonable situations like this.
"Where too next?" Visha asked in a whisper as she took cover beside her.
A good question, they'd managed to get through the picket before the Free republic had closed off the eastern docks, although only after an unpleasant detour into the sewers. As loathed as she was to admit it, De Lugo's men were quite efficient and had worked quickly to cause disruption in the city and set up a foothold. However, they were now well placed to begin their intelligence gathering operation; if they could get a decent view.
"We need to get higher." She returned quietly, looking for any potential way onto the nearby building.
"What about those?"
Visha gestured towards a pile of discarded crates piled up next to the neighbouring building. It was quite possible that she would be able to use them as a platform to clamber onto the rooftop. Tanya however looked at it with dismay, there was no way she would be tall enough to get up there unaided.
"I'll give you a boost ma'am" her adjutant replied as though reading her thoughts and Tanya felt herself redden slightly with embarrassment as she nodded for her assent to the plan. It was humiliating but necessary to progress the mission. At least only Visha was here to see it; she would have to take measures to ensure the girl's silence later.
A few moments of struggle and a glare that warned Visha about the danger of sniggering and they were up on the roof and able to gain a better vantage point over the captured portion of the docks. They settled in place and Visha passed her a pair of binoculars as well as pulling out a pair for herself. Fortunately, the overzealous guards at the command centre had not seized them along with the ammunition and after taking a moment to focus the eyeglasses, they looked out over the deteriorating situation down below.
There were sporadic gunfights throughout the city, but these were not currently the focus of Tanya's attention. The Free Republican mages had captured and set up a beachhead on the easternmost wharf where they were furthest away from any possible reprisal from De Juin's forces. As she glanced around the area, she noted that all the nearby ships and their crews were either frantically preparing to sail or being boarded by those loyal to De Lugo's warmongers.
They had the area locked up tight and were using it as a stronghold to spread their influence outwards. Forces loyal to De Juin had started moving in to contain the threat, however, even from this distance, Tanya could see their hearts weren't in it. Like their revolutionary ancestors before them, they were questioning the wisdom of their current leadership.
Fortunately, the western docks containing the Francois battleships were still in what Tanya could dubiously describe as under allied control. For the moment their loyalty meant that at least half the port was in safe hands and she could focus on how best to tackle the problem of the infiltrating mages in the east.
"Ma'am, down there." Visha piped up, drawing her attention back towards the closest dock.
She didn't need her binoculars to see the Francois radioman as he rushed from one of the turncoat destroyers towards a group of mages making their way towards them along the docks. The radioman called out and the group turned before one broke from the group and approached the radio operator, marking him out as the superior officer in the company.
Tanya seriously considered opening fire on the man there and then. By his actions, this man had just marked himself as one of the leaders of this little raid. The Republicans had gotten better at not painting their officers as targets since the start of the war, some had even forgone the stupid red trousers, but it was all but impossible to hide the behaviour of a leader from a patient observer. One good shot and they might have been able to end this quickly.
She didn't dare risk it however, they were mages and in the middle of a warzone, it was a safe assumption that they would keep themselves protected with a barrier at all times. Meanwhile, both she and Visha had very limited ammunition, even with the element of surprise it was possible the officer might survive an assault before they ran dry. Additionally, there was still the rest of the company of mages. If they attacked, they'd have nothing to defend themselves against retaliatory attacks.
The only way of attacking the officer with a decent chance of success would be to use artillery spells, however, summoning so much mana would give away their positions immediately and their target would likely take cover. They would have to content themselves with intelligence gathering for now.
The officer grabbed the radio handset and began speaking to the sender on the other end, likely the Albish fleet commander sitting comfortably on one of the ships offshore. Tanya swore under her breath, wishing she could listen in on the transmission. However, this was not Dacia, neither the Republic nor the Allied Kingdom were foolish enough to leave their transmissions unencrypted.
However, she was close enough to just make out the man's voice from here. Perhaps it was worth using a tiny piece of mana for an amplification spell. It was a little risky, but she hoped that with so much activity in the air from the enemy mages, her small signal would be subtle enough to be undetected by any detection equipment nearby.
She touched her fingers to her lips bidding Visha to remain silent before fixing her gaze on the officer below. Very carefully she summoned forth enough mana for the spell and brought her orb close to her ear, tensing in anticipation that an alarm might be raised. Since the enemy did not immediately converge on them, she could only assume that her gamble had paid off.
It took a few moments for her to fine-tune the spell, it wasn't often you used it on anyone but yourself and it was challenging to correctly target. However, after a few moments, a tinny-sounding approximation of the mage's hummed quietly from her computation orb.
"Yes we have a beachhead Admiral, but De Juin has yet to tip his hand. I don't dare redeploy any of my mages yet."
The mage spoke in Albish and with more than a little frustration in his voice, it was clear that things were not all roses and sunshine between the two allies at the moment. More importantly, though, the mage had implied that the Admiral wanted him to move some of his mages, but why?
"I understand that Admiral, but as I said General De Juin has not made his move yet and the mana signals are still outside the city. I would advise sending your marine mages to intercept."
Tanya froze for a moment at the mention of mana signals, fearing for a moment that her spell might have exposed their position before realising she could not be the culprit. Judging from the reported location, Weiss and the remainder of the battalion had been detected by the fleet. She had yet to order Weiss in, but she had told him to prepare to advance, evidently, they had been spotted.
"I realise that would leave the fleet less able to defend itself from magical assault Admiral." The mage continued, still struggling to hide his frustration. "However, we know these are the only mages the enemy has in the area, intercepting them at range means neutralising that threat before they are even close to your ships."
The man-made a good point, even if it wasn't entirely true in this situation. As far as the enemy knew all the Imperial mages were still far out of range of the Allied Kingdom's ships, if she were in the mage's shoes, she'd likely make the same suggestion. She should warn Weiss to expect company.
She would have liked to have been able to capitalise on their mistake, but Wilhelm and company had no mage gear and on their own, there was little she and Visha could do against even a single ship, let alone a fleet. She'd had experience fighting against naval craft during a training exercise with the Imperial navy before the 203rd had been redeployed to the Rhine. It had been a tough job; a ship was all but impervious to mage fire. The armour was too thick for artillery spells, while armour piercing fire did not cause nearly enough damage to the behemoths.
With a battalion of mages, they'd managed to identify a great deal of weaknesses in the ship's defences, particularly with its anti-air net. They'd found that this left the vessel open to attacks on the deck, allowing the mages to cover it with flames, or to board it, an effective but potentially risky strategy, depending on how the crew were armed.
However, she highly doubted the Allied Kingdom would make such elementary mistakes. Unlike the Empire, they had been a great naval power for hundreds of years and had the experience to back up their industrial capacity. They had been the first to begin utilising mages on their ships so it was unthinkable that they would not have already seen the vulnerability to them. And with only her and Visha attacking, she really didn't see how they could even put a dent in them.
"Ma'am! Incoming mages from the fleet!" Visha reported breaking Tanya from her thoughts as the Francois mage also began speaking once again.
"Thank you, Admiral, in the meantime, I'll have my troops begin laying the explosives to destroy the harbour after we evacuate.
Crap! They want to destroy the docks! Tanya cursed inwardly as both she and Visha ducked against the rooftop to hide themselves from the passing Albish mages. Romel had been clear, of all the objectives within the city, the docks were the most strategically important and needed to be captured with as little damage as possible.
Romel had done a fantastic job of managing his resources but as they strayed further from Illdoan territories, it would be difficult if not impossible to keep up with the logistical strain caused by their ally's inefficiencies. The Illdoans had been painfully slow with their transfer of supplies, almost seeming to purposely drag their feet when delivering them slowing their advance. It was hoped that if they captured a port for the Empire, ships and supplies could be sent directly to it, shortening the supply line and reducing their reliance on the Illdoans.
Their destruction would be a major blow to the war effort in the southern continent. Worse still, if she was not seen to at least try to do something to prevent their destruction she would be considered derelict of her duty, they might even brand her a coward and have her punished accordingly. She shuddered, cowards got the worst jobs in the military and they were thrown from the promotion ladder permanently. She couldn't allow that to happen, she had to be seen to do something, anything!
But what could she do? There was only her and Visha and they had limited ammunition. Weiss would be tied up with the Commonwealth mages and it would be hours before Romel arrived, by then it might be too late. She ground her teeth with frustration, she had to do something to slow down the saboteurs on the docks.
"Lieutenant, send Weiss a warning about the mages. We're heading down there to take out the demolition crews. We need to be quiet though so no magic unless necessary." She ordered, half expecting her adjutant to think she'd gone insane.
"Understood." She replied with conviction. Tanya almost believed her, Visha had come a long way since they were first on the Rhine. She could even pretend to accept the insane expectations that their job demanded without letting her true feelings show her supervisor. She'd go far in this organisation.
"Ok, let's move out."
September 25th Unified Year 1925 14:00
Turus Government building, General De Juin's command centre, conference room B
Will stared through his reflection and he peered out of the open window of the Francois conference room. He did his best to ignore the pensive frown staring back at him in the windowpane in favour of watching the urgent panic of both soldiers and civilians as they ran around like ants whose nest had been kicked. It felt strange to feel so calm while chaos descended on all sides.
The negotiations had been halted, the news of the De Lugo's forces entering the city had rightly meant that General De Juin had more urgent matters to attend to. However, since he was now busy seeing to the defence of his city, Will was left without any real role in the drama rapidly unfolding in the port town. He felt oddly disconnected from events, as though he were nothing more than a spectator.
Upon hearing the news of the approaching enemy, Tanya had left to report on the disposition of enemy forces. Or rather, she'd left after a small argument about leaving him with as a potential hostage for De Juin. However, they had both agreed that it was better for her and Visha to contribute to the coming battle by scouting for Weiss and Romel. Without any mage gear, he had little to contribute in that regard so leaving him behind was the only viable option. Besides, he was more than capable of looking after himself.
It had made him smile how worried Tanya was about his safety though, he felt rather pleased about that. Particularly since he was sure that Sophia and Christina would see to it that they walked out of here without any problems, they'd already made the arrangements. However, it was nice to know that Tanya cared underneath her cold, professional exterior.
Unfortunately though, being left behind made him feel at a bit of a loose end, there was little he could do to contribute at the moment.
He'd been left in the conference room with words that were the diplomatic equivalent of "please stay out the way." As an Imperial diplomat, the Republicans wanted him out of their hair while they tried to maintain some semblance of order and although he could have probably talked his way into observing from the command centre, he'd seen little point. Any important decisions would be hidden from his ears anyway. He'd decided it would be easier if Sophia sniffed out any relevant information, so both Zerbist sisters had surreptitiously slipped out of the conference room to run some "errands" for him.
Meanwhile, he was stuck here feeling bored.
He allowed himself a small sigh. He felt annoyed but somehow unsurprised by the turn of events; as if some part of him had been expecting something to go wrong. He had never quite shaken the feeling of unease he'd experienced before Alealamayn and he wondered if it was the same misfortune that had followed him here.
It was frustrating, he'd been on the cusp of giving the Empire what it wanted from the odious little General and finally proving to Tanya once and for all how instrumental his contributions were to both her and the world at large. He'd been a little worried about the potential to shorten the war but he was certain of success in the negotiations and had been confident that he could still pay the monster it's due. In the meantime, he could enjoy some praise and adulation from his commander for once, perhaps she might even help him with his debt.
But of course, something had to spoil it though, didn't it? Things never went straightforward for him anymore. He wondered if it were simply bad luck or if that Thing had somehow been involved.
It was difficult to tell, but regardless, it wouldn't matter now. Even if De Juin won, his credibility as the leader of the republic would be damaged and the Empire would need to utilise more of its resources to prop up his regime. Even the best result now would be underwhelming compared to what it would have been and probably wouldn't do much to convince Tanya of his good intentions. She'd probably contrive some reason to blame all this on him.
He sighed again as he listened to the distant sound of gunfire from somewhere in the city outside. Accompanied by the sound of one of De Lugo's mage's broadcasting his pleas for the loyalists to switch sides and evacuate the city with them.
That was another thing that annoyed him, although part of him wondered whether he should perhaps be flattered. The Free Republic were using the same tactics he had used in Letzenbourg to turn De Juin's troops and the sailors against each other. It wasn't as elegant as his own finely crafted broadcasts, but it was proving to be effective nonetheless. It seemed that he had lost his monopoly on psychological warfare.
He wondered how many had been converted to De Lugo's cause by the transmission. Or rather, how many had questioned De Juin's leadership and switched sides. He suspected that many believed De Juin when he said that the only way for the Republic to survive was to make peace with the Empire. After losing their homeland, they could be forgiven for thinking it was time to throw in the towel and consolidate what they had left, but General De Juin was not the most charismatic spokesman for the cause.
De Lugo meanwhile, although not especially well-liked, was gaining a reputation as a firebrand who would do anything to regain the Republic. He branded himself as an uncompromising maverick that refused to be put down. Despite Tanya's belief that anyone believing that they should continue fighting had to be insane, Will could see why people flocked to him. Even if they did not like the man, they liked his message of defiance. It was better than what was promised by De Juin.
Sometimes it was better to cling to a vain hope than give in to a fatal certainty. Wasn't that what he had been doing?
He supposed it was inevitable that the two sides come to blows, although he wished De Lugo's attack dogs had waited until after Will had successfully proven his diplomatic prowess. Both sides had their hardliners, their loyalists, their faithful that fought for the ideal rather than the man in charge. One way or another they had to clash, the other side could not be allowed to spread their misguided beliefs.
Now, these faithful fought each other fervently, each believing their cause to be just and the only way of saving their precious Fatherland. They bought a zealotry usually reserved for the worshipers of the monstrous God that kept him hostage. He wondered if they prayed to him for victory.
"So many faithful souls, you must be itching to join them." Ludwig's voice mocked and for a moment, his alleged brother's face replaced his own in the reflection in the window. He felt a stab of panic before quickly composing himself, twisting the sudden anxiety into a cold rage against the spectre.
"Go away! I don't have time for you now!" Will growled quietly, glaring at the apparition and willing him to be silent. He wasn't here, he was just a hallucination. Tanya was right, he was just tired from overwork and the strain was catching up with him. That was the only reason he could see him, the ghost didn't exist. Ludwig was dead.
Despite that, Ludwig stared back at him with a smirk although mercifully remained quiet. The man was right, part of him yearned to be out amongst the fighting, he was missing the ideal opportunity to pay part of his debt.
These François soldiers were not simply following orders, they fought for what they believed to be right. They weren't simple draftees or professionals that had joined up for a career or to make a living, they really believed in what they were fighting for. So much so, that many were now willing to fight against men that they stood shoulder to shoulder with a few hours ago. These must be the "faithful souls" that the monster demanded as payment, what else could they be?
Yet he was stuck here, unable to do anything to pay the evil god back.
He resisted the urge to draw his sword and check the number and ground his teeth with frustration before crossing to the table to liberate some refreshments abandoned by the Francois officials. All he could do is wait until the 203rd arrived with some spare mage equipment. In the meantime, a snack and a drink might chase away some of the fatigue, and by extension his so-called brother. Perhaps if he read some of the discarded documents it might help distract him until either they arrived, Tanya returned, or the sisters completed their work.
His thoughts, and the canapé he'd been struggling to stomach, were interrupted by determined sounding boot steps approaching the door to the conference room. Soon after the door swung open, neglecting the good manners expected of one visiting a VIP, and revealed an officer accompanied by two guards. All armed and all ready to use said weaponry at a moment's notice.
"Prince Wilhelm, I'm going to have to ask you to come with us. We're taking you into protective custody." Said the officer with his hand gripping the pistol in his holster.
Oh, I see how it is thought Will with amusement. De Juin thinks he can use me as a bargaining chip with whichever side he decides to switch to next, does he?
He forced himself to remain calm and adopted a mask of innocent confusion, at least he wouldn't be bored anymore.
They must have thought that with Tanya and Visha gone he was defenceless and unprotected, a foolish mistake at the best of times. Additionally, due to Tanya's earlier insistence on entering the building armed, the guards had completely forgotten to confiscate his computation orb and sword. He didn't even have to use his hidden spare! It was amazing how sloppy these colonial troops were with their security.
Since your making things so easy, I might as well have a little fun.
"I don't understand, I can't leave now, I have to wait for the General to return." He replied, acting the part of the worried and dutiful prince while doing his best not to burst into a fit of laughter. "I have to stay here to conclude the negotiations, I need to end the war!"
He was probably overacting a little by this point, but it seemed to have the desired effect as the guards shared an uncomfortable glance with each other, they hadn't signed up to arrest children. The officer, however, who Will had identified as a captain by his insignia, was slightly more professional and was unmoved by his performance and Will afforded him a moment of begrudged admiration. If not for his current situation the man might have had a long and, if not successful, at least uneventful career.
"Be that as it may, you are to come with us. We have already apprehended your aides." He continued as two more guards appeared in the doorway with the restrained Zerbist sisters in tow.
For a moment Will felt a twinge of concern as he saw them, however the quick glance he shared with Sophia reassured him that everything was under control. Despite the guard holding her arms behind her back, she was ready to react at a moment's notice. She and Christina also had their computation orbs, however unlike him, they had surreptitiously kept theirs hidden in case Francois security managed to display some form of competency.
They'd been over-cautious, De Juin and his colonial troops had once again shown their incompetence. They had mistakenly believed that without the terrifying Devil of the Rhine for protection, the rest of them would fall easily. They'd underestimated both him and the sisters, a mistake that they would not have the chance to repeat.
"And what if I refuse to cooperate?" He replied with a grin and dropping the innocent act, there wasn't much point maintaining it for these men. A glance at Christina told him that she too was ready, but Will funnelled a small amount of mana into his computation orb and prepared an enhancement spell in case he needed to act. He did not tense however and projected an air of outward calm.
"We will use force if necessary." The captain continued injecting a hint of threat in his voice that made Will's smile widen.
"I think not." He replied, giving the sisters the signal to act.
As one, the pair each slammed into the guards holding them against the wall, causing the men to lose their grip on them as they were temporarily stunned. Next, in one elegant motion, Sophia lifted a foot and launched a boot into the stomach of the second guard before slamming an elbow into the back of the man's skull, knocking the man to the floor. Soon after, her boot dropped down and made contact with the man's neck, causing a loud sickening crack to echo around the room as the life fled his body.
Meanwhile, Christina opted for a less showy approach and smashed the palm of her hand into her opponents Solar Plexus, causing him to stagger backwards as he found himself unable to take a breath. She grabbed the man's rifle as he struggled, swinging it around and smashing the man in the face and knocking him out.
By now the first two guards had regained some of their senses and were raising their weapons, while the captain was turning to react to the commotion behind him. They were not quick enough however, as Sophia dropped low, grabbing a discarded combat knife from the fallen guard at her feet before launching herself towards her once captor. While, Christina had brought her liberated rifle around and plunged its bayonet into her opponent. Both men died, leaving only the captain, who turned just in time to find Will's sword burst through his chest from behind.
Will, decided he had been wrong about the captain, his career was always destined to be short. The first thing any soldier learns is: never turn your back on an enemy.
He felt his smile wane as the man fell to the floor, he felt sorry for these men, they had never stood a chance. He hadn't really needed to intervene at all, Sophia and Christina could have easily dispatched the captain without him, but Will had reacted on instinct. Perhaps Ludwig's earlier goading had gotten to him, he'd had no reason to get his hands dirty, it wasn't a good look for a diplomat to be covered in blood.
"Your orders, Your Highness?" Asked Christina, projecting her usual sense of calm purpose despite the carnage at their feet.
"I suppose we had better let Tanya know what is going on." He replied thoughtfully summoning a portion of mana for a communication spell. "Major Degurechaff, please respond."
"This had better be important." Tanya's hushed and annoyed voice replied through his computation orb. "The communication spell doesn't use much mana but you're still risking detection."
"I know commander, but I thought you should know our friend De Juin is getting cold feet." He replied briskly, ignoring the mild rebuke. "Don't worry though, I'll see to it though and maybe I can help prevent any more turncoats going over to De Lugo."
"What are you –" The girl began but he cut the transmission, she didn't want to be detected after all and he knew she'd probably argue with him if she told her. They didn't have time for that.
He turned to the sisters, noting with pride that the two professionals had already looted anything of use from the dead soldier and were waiting patiently for him to decide their next move.
"Well then." He began returning his sword to its scabbard. "I think it's time we saw to it that General De Juin honours his obligations to the Empire, don't you?"
September 25th Unified Year 1925
Turus Government building, General De Juin's command centre
General Alphonse De Juin paced the command centre like a caged lion and felt just as trapped and frustrated. How could things go so drastically wrong so quickly?
Despite what his critics said about him, he did truly believe that peace with the Empire was the only way forward. They had been defeated, anyone could see that. Now all they could do was negotiate a favourable peace agreement, one that the Empire desired as much as they did. However, De Lugo seemed hell-bent on sending more of their people to their deaths, on angering the Empire further which could only lead to harsher terms for the Republic.
It was for the future safety of the Republic he had decided to negotiate a separate peace. It was for the Republic that he had stepped forward as their leader so he could salvage what he could from De Lugo's mess and finally receive the recognition he deserved. However, things had not progressed as well as he had hoped.
"Report!" He barked in the vain hope that the situation had somehow become more favourable in the last few minutes.
"We estimate approximately 25% of our forces have crossed over to De Lugo's separatists." One of the analysts replied uncomfortably under De Juin's gaze. "Mostly the sailors and those stationed towards the eastern docks, but we have reports of groups deserting across the city."
De Juin found his frown deepen, Admiral Gensoul had warned him that although he and his senior officers were loyal to his cause, there was growing discontent amongst the rank and file of the naval crews. They felt they had not had the chance to strike at the Imperials, with many believing De Lugo's ludicrous promises of a reinvasion of the homeland. They believed their ships would lead the vanguard; all De Lugo would lead them on was an expedition across the River Styx.
"Most of them are bottled up in the eastern docks although our forces have fired on the deserters in the city. De Lugo's mages and the Albion Fleet have yet to engage directly however, we believe Colonel Vianto wants to win over as many of our people as possible."
And it's working, De Juin added to himself, continuing to pace the room angrily. It would be a domino effect, the more people that turned the more people would feel comfortable leaving with them. Worse still, those firing on the traitors were likely damaging their cause more than promoting it. More would turn against him before this was all over.
His chance to save the Republic had been thwarted. Perhaps he should have been more compromising in the negotiations in order to rush them through, he'd known the Albish fleet was out there. However, he'd not wanted to appear a weak leader, he needed to get the best deal possible for the republic if he was to maintain the integrity of himself and his people.
It was too late now, he'd be lucky to have a handful of loyalists left after this and once he found out he'd been negotiating with the Empire, De Lugo would target him next. That left two options, align completely with the Empire, and risk his credibility as a leader and loyalty of his men, or attempt to bargain with the Allied Kingdom.
He knew there was no love lost between De Lugo and his Albish allies. Much like he was able to negotiate a separate peace with the Empire, he might be able to negotiate with the Allied Kingdom for protection. De Lugo would be forced to back off or risk endangering his supplies, in the meantime, De Juin could rebuild his power base.
Of this plan, he was fairly optimistic, after all, he had control of a strategic port in the southern sea and the loyalty of most of a sizeable fleet; something that the so-called rulers of the waves couldn't ignore. Additionally, he would give them one more little gift to sweeten the pot: a certain Letzenbourg prince.
After their defeat at Alealmayn, the Allied Kingdom wanted a victory to put in their despicable tabloid newspapers. What better story than the capture of one of the emperor's relatives? Better yet, one that represented the opposing party of a nation which they hosted a government in exile? They would be clambering to deal with him. It wouldn't take long for the guards to safely take him into custody, he was only a boy after all. Once in his grasp, he could contact the Albish admiral to ask for a meeting.
Suddenly the doors of the command centre burst open, causing everyone to turn in alarm as three figures appeared in the doorway. Although surprised, and mostly only support staff, his men reacted quickly and drew their weapons and aimed them at the intruders, calling for them to identify themselves. De Juin recognised them immediately however, he'd spent half the morning with them, especially the shortest of the three.
"General, we've come to lend you our support in these trying times." Prince Wilhelm called as he entered the room, flanked by his now armed aides.
One of his men panicked and opened fire on the group, causing a chain reaction as the rest of the officers followed suit. De Juin took cover behind a nearby desk and desperately shouted for his men to cease fire, he needed the boy alive as a bargaining chip and the Empire would never trust him again if the boy was killed in his custody. However, the sound of gunfire was too much, and he could not make himself heard over the din.
There was the sound of a struggle followed by silence and De Juin risked a glance over his makeshift cover. What he saw was impossible, the three figures stood unharmed as his entire support staff lay unconscious or dead across the room. His eyes met Prince Wilhelm's for a moment and he found the boy on him in a fraction of a second.
He fell backwards as, with inhuman strength, the boy shoved him backwards to the floor, grasping him by the throat.
"Did you think we were helpless just because the dear Major was away?" He hissed with a humourless grin lacking any sign of his previous naive and innocent tone. "You'd have probably been safer if she was around to protect you."
How was this possible? They were supposed to be unarmed! We should have taken them easily! He thought as he tried to catch up with yet another hasty turn of events. The answer came to him soon, however, as he saw the glowing computation orb around the boy's neck. Don't tell me we were foolish enough to leave them their computation orbs?
As if sensing his thoughts, the boy looked down at the glowing jewel on his chest before returning his gaze to the General with a cruel smile.
"Yes, you and your men have proven to be quite incompetent in the security department, we'll have to keep a close eye on you during your stewardship of the Francois people."
"W...what?" De Juin stammered as he tried to unpack the boy's words from his threats. The young prince's smile changed again as his mask of innocence returned and he released the man's throat.
"You will of course still be leading your people, won't you general?" The boy asked innocently, although he was certain he wasn't expecting an answer. "But first we'll have to do something about these rebels on your doorstep."
The General blinked with confusion, as the boy relaxed his grip and glanced around the room.
"Unfortunately, your command centre seems to be damaged, but you have two wonderful battleships in the harbour we can use instead! Then we can send out a rousing message to all your loyal soldiers." The boy continued cheerfully lifting himself off De Juin and wandering off towards the doorway.
One of the prince's aides, the maid whose name he had forgotten for the moment, appeared at his side grabbing a shoulder and helping him to his feet. He tensed involuntarily as he felt a sharp prod behind his back; he didn't need to glance back to realise it was the barrel of a gun, likely even his own pistol.
The sound of footsteps rushing towards the room echoed outside and for a moment De Juin dared think he might be saved from the prince and his bloodthirsty band. A squad of guards came rushing around the corner and looked on the scene with shock before raising their weapons, however, they found themselves pausing as the prince rushed towards them.
"Thank goodness you're here! Some of those traitorous mages came and attacked the command centre and killed everyone! Isn't that right General?" The boy said like a worried and excited child before turning to him with a threatening look in his eye.
His eyes darted between the prince, the dead soldiers and the now confused looking guards. It was a weak excuse on the part of the prince, there was nowhere that the phantom mages could have appeared or disappeared too. However, the guards looked over the scene in front of them nervously, they wanted to believe that the lie was the truth.
However, the boy's falsehoods relied on his cooperation, if he denied it the men would turn on the brat. But was that wise? Were there enough of them to take down the three mages? He wasn't sure.
He knew the magic users could be vulnerable if you could get a shot within their defensive shell, but they could enhance both strength and speed beyond human levels with a simple formula. He'd already seen them take down a room full of soldiers, would the guards get a chance to react? Worse still, the third one had somehow disappeared from sight, who knew where she was or what she was planning.
He felt the barrel of the pistol in the maid's hand press into his back once again, and he decided that if he were to survive it would be best to go along with the prince for now.
"… yes" he nodded dumbly, not trusting his mouth to say anything more.
"Weren't you just telling me you were planning on setting up a new command post on the Battleship Bretagne?" The boy continued staring him in the eye in a way that told him he should take up his part in the act now or there would be dire consequences.
"Indeed, go and organise a car for myself and our guests." He continued recovering slightly. If he could get the prince and his flunkies to the Bretagne, there would be more than enough men to take the three down. Until then he would have to bide his time and play along. "And organise a guard detail to escort us, the enemy may return."
The guards saluted before attending to their designated duties. He wondered if he may have been pushing his luck with the last part, particularly as he heard an annoyed sigh from the woman at his back. However, he wanted to make sure he had as much help as possible when the time came to recover the initiative from the little prince and his henchwomen. The boy simply smiled and nodded at him, however, before gesturing that they should leave.
"Please lead the way, General."
He reluctantly complied, taking his place in front of the small group. The second aide, dressed in a Letzenbourg uniform had reappeared and the maid had hidden her weapon from sight. However, he could feel the two women's gazes on the back of his neck and he knew they were watching him for any moves as the little prince fell in by his side.
The boy casually chatted as they made their way through the building towards the garages at the rear, commenting on paintings or architecture that they passed. It was amazing how he managed to remain so calm and relaxed considering the attempted capture and the utter bloodbath he and his aides had caused in the command centre. He himself barely managed to keep the mix of emotions he felt from his face.
It was almost as though the boy beside him was a different person from the one that had threatened him only minutes ago. He'd heard stories that the boy suffered a mental illness in his youth, he now began to wonder if the claims he was now mentally stable were mistaken. It felt as though he were dealing with two contradictory personalities.
They finally reached the motor pool and De Juin was unsurprised to find both the prince and his aides entering his staff car as the guards formed up a convoy around them. He was their hostage, at least for the moment, but he was certain he could turn things back to his advantage once they met up with Admiral Gensoul and his forces.
However, one thing bothered him. Why go the battleships at all? True his command centre in the government building had been left in a bit of a mess but the equipment had still been mostly operational. They could have continued whatever they were planning without further endangering themselves.
"I quite liked the touch with the guard escort, it helps give the impression you're still in control." The boy said as the car pulled away and began the journey to the docks. The uniformed sister had taken over the job of driving, while the maid sat opposite him beside her master with her pistol laid carefully across her lap. The prince casually reached into his pocket as he spoke revealing a notebook and a pencil as he began scribbling something down "Although I assume you were hoping to try something foolish either on the journey or at the Bretagne yes?"
De Juin cursed inwardly at the boy's words. He knew what he was planning, he must have had some countermeasure ready. He needed to act carefully.
"What is it you want of me, Your Highness?" He said eventually, realising his only option was to negotiate. "Why do you want to relocate to the Bretagne?"
The boy paused in his writing for a moment and looked thoughtful before returning to whatever interested him so much in his notebook.
"I've only ever seen a battleship up close once, when I was studying at the war college. The SMS Prinzregent Adalbert, one of uncle's new dreadnoughts, was being launched, so we went to visit." The boy began sounding slightly whimsical as he spoke while De Juin's frowned in confusion; surely this wasn't simply to for a spoilt young boy's enjoyment. "It amazed me just how huge and powerful it looked, not to mention the amount of firepower it carried; it was like an ocean-bound artillery regiment. I confess I was overawed by it, maybe even a little afraid."
The boy paused his righting and stared directly into De Juin's eyes and for a moment the general thought he saw a little flash in the green orbs.
"I realised that uncle's dreadnought was a symbol of the Empire's power, it's hardly any wonder most of the superpowers have been scrambling to build more. You have two such symbols sitting forgotten in your dockyard."
The boy smiled and returned to his writing as De Juin tried to digest the little prince's words.
"I know about symbols general, they are very useful and very powerful; sometimes I play the part of one myself." The boy continued finishing his scribbling and passing him the notebook. "As for what I want from you, I want you to read this to your people and I want to broadcast it. It isn't my best work, but it'll do. My associates will see to it that it is heard across the city."
De Juin's eyes widened as he read what the boy had written in the notebook. It was a speech, not a terribly long one, but one that would tie him irrevocably to the Empire. He would lose any flexibility when it came to negotiating with the other side and it would all but prevent him from creating any other options for himself. He'd be committing himself to a side in which he'd tried to turn on less than an hour before.
"I'm willing to put aside the little misunderstanding back at your headquarters." The boy went on as though reading De Juin's disquiet. "You will be allowed to lead a government based in Lyon under Imperial supervision, you will of course be a neutral party in all further conflict. In the meantime, The Empire and its allies will continue to occupy the northern part of the country until the Allied Kingdom make peace and General De Lugo's rebel elements are dealt with."
De Juin's mind raced, after all this he was still being trusted to lead the occupied Republic? Surely not! But then, who else did they have? They needed him. The General began to reassess his position, true he would be tying himself to the Empire, but the Empire was winning and there was nothing that suggested this would change any time soon. Maybe he didn't need to sit on the fence.
The boy turned and looked at him with a look of innocence that almost looked alien now he had seen the boy without it.
"You can still be the man to take your people home, General." The boy's eyes seemed to bore into him pleadingly before his expression turned dark. "Or you can be the man that seals the fate of the Francois Republic forever. It's your choice."
September 25th Unified Year 1925 16:00
Eastern Docks, underneath refuelling jetty 4B
Tanya cursed her slight frame as she used all her weight to drive the stock of her weapon into the oesophagus of the soldier she had just knocked over. Choking the man to death silently would be much easier if she could put a little more force behind it but her small size made the task much more difficult than it should be. As it was, the poor bastard had to suffer a much less efficient end than he might have otherwise, all because Being X had burdened her with an irritatingly small body.
Usually, she would have used magic to enhance her strength so that she could finish the man off quickly and without issue. However, she was still concerned about being detected, particularly since she was now hidden amongst what was mostly enemy-controlled territory. Since she and Visha were so low on manpower and supplies, she had wanted to avoid confrontation whenever she could and they were taking down the enemy quietly when they believed it was otherwise unavoidable.
She also couldn't simply leave the task of dispatching the guards to Visha, Tanya had to set an example for her subordinate, and it didn't look good to delegate all your work to those below you. Besides, Visha couldn't have been too much heavier than her, aside perhaps in the chest, so she was likely having just as much difficulty without the aid of magic augmentation.
The final splutter of life drained away from the man underneath her and removed her machine gun from the man's neck as she rose to her feet, displeased with the inefficiency of her kill.
She turned and saw Visha finishing off her own opponent with a determined look on her face. She felt rather proud that her subordinate was putting on such a show of professionalism under the circumstances. Tanya would have felt incredibly annoyed if her manager had demanded she sneak around docks with little ammo to disarm explosives, in which neither of them had much training defusing. However, despite a little look of disgust as she slit the throat of the soldier setting up the detonator, Visha had managed to maintain a relatively calm demeanour despite their dreadful situation.
It had even made Tanya pause before complaining about it. If a conscript who never wanted to join in the first place could put up with this, what did it say about her own professionalism?
She glanced around, making sure that all nearby threats had been adequately dealt with before joining Visha over by the explosives. She frowned at the device strapped to the steel upright of the dock foundation as she approached, this had been the third that she and Visha had attempted to disarm so far and annoyingly none have them had been the same.
Like most modern militaries, the Francois used some sort of plastic explosive for their demolition, although the exact make and composition of this substance varied from nation to nation. Unfortunately, however, it seemed that no one had told the engineers planting this device that it was preferable to standardise how such devices were rigged up and it had been a tense guessing game to remove them from the docks.
Additionally, Tanya, like most mages, had limited experience with these sorts of explosives. It was exceptionally rare a mage would ever need to use them; they could normally summon enough firepower without them. She and Visha were left with little knowledge of how to deal with these things and Tanya had nothing in either lifetimes to draw on to help her in this situation.
"I think we're in luck, they don't seem to have connected the detonator to this one yet." Visha observed with obvious relief.
Tanya shared her subordinate's feelings on the matter, it made things easier if the device wasn't ready to blow. However, they still had the problem of disposing of the explosives themselves, they were known to be quite volatile, it was still possible that something else might set them off if they left them here.
"Throw it in the water like the others." She ordered, trusting her lieutenant to deal with the problem while she risked a look above the wharf. She wasn't sure if the seawater would disable the explosives or not, but she reasoned that it would at least lessen the blast. They could always send some experts to take a look once they'd captured the port.
After a quick check to make sure the coast was clear, Tanya pulled herself out of the underside of the pier and quickly took cover beside the wall of a nearby storehouse. She took a moment to make sure her presence was not noticed before reaching for her binoculars to check on the situation further along the dock.
She frowned as she looked over towards the Free Republic's side, one of the destroyers was already making sail and exiting the port towards the Albish fleet. No doubt it was already filled with turncoat soldiers and looted supplies; the situation wasn't improving on that front.
She moved her gaze around to the larger eastern docks where the battleships were moored. The pair hadn't moved and as far as she knew had not declared for the Free Republic but there were signs of increased activity around the vessels. She wondered what it might mean. Wilhelm had said he was going to do something to keep De Juin's loyalty, but he hadn't said what and she had not dared risk detection by contacting him to find out. However, if the two battleships switched sides, it was all over.
Suddenly a loud squeal, like that from a microphone, screeched from the closest battleship. Accompanied by what Tanya had learned to be the same magical broadcast that Wilhelm often used to amplify his voice. Tanya tensed as she waited for what might be coming, had De Lugo's separatists already captured the battleships? Were they ready to declare themselves the victors?
"Attention all Loyal sons of the Republic! This is Lieutenant General Alphonse De Juin, please listen to what I have to say. We have been betrayed by our own countrymen! Pierre-Michel De Lugo is a traitor to the Republic!"
The familiar voice of General De Juin echoed through the port and Tanya allowed herself to relax a fraction. Evidently, Wilhelm had not liked seeing his own tactics used against him and had decided De Juin should fight fire with fire. Or rather get the General to do it for him. She should have known the boy would find some way to cause trouble.
"Just hours ago, agents loyal to De Lugo entered the city to loot and pillage from the noble people of this city, spread their falsehoods and turn you all against each other! Worse still these traitors opened fire upon the loyal members of the Turus garrison. Opened fire against their own brothers in arms, whom they swore to protect upon joining our great military! Are these the acts of a patriot?"
Tanya almost wanted to laugh out loud. Although technically the statement wasn't false, it was stretching the truth to the extreme. The Francois turncoats had indeed fired on De Juin's forces, but only after the Turus loyalists had gunned down any trying to desert. As for pillaging and looting the city; the question of exactly who owned the François supplies here was up for debate at the moment.
"De Lugo is nothing more than a craven warmonger, a man that allowed our homeland to fall due to his incompetent leadership. A man that instead of fighting to protect the freedom of the Republican people in their time of need, fled like a coward to install himself as a dictator!"
Tanya began to recognise the style of the rhetoric. These were not De Juin's words, these were Wilhelm's, rebranded to fit the scene. The impression she had gotten from the General earlier didn't match the words being spoken now. It was like listening to a speech from a bad action movie rather than the dull words of a politician.
"His so-called free republic is nothing like the namesake he has given it! His freedom is silencing those who disagree with him, just as he has tried to silence your fallen comrades. His Republic is in name only as he rules over it like the kings we once fought so hard to free ourselves from!"
She could imagine the boy standing by the man, prompting and coaching the General as he spoke the words that weren't his. She could envisage him cheerfully acting as the director of this little show and enjoying every moment as the world paused to listen to the performance.
However, as she glanced around, she saw that his efforts weren't in vain. Many of the Francois troops had halted their work to listen to the broadcast and were staring towards the battleships as the general's voice invaded the air. They were at least listening to the words the General was being fed, although, if they were swayed by them, she could not say.
"He exiled us from our home so that he could seize power and crown himself! He prevents you from seeing your loved ones by continuing a war designed only to line his pockets and grow his own power! How can he call himself a true citizen of the Republic?"
She suppressed a laugh again at Wilhelm's overdramatising of the situation. True, De Lugo was a fool for continuing the war, but she doubted he was setting himself up as a dictator. It would have been much easier for them if he was. The man was no Napoleon and the Republicans were notorious in their unruly behaviour when it came to political figureheads. If the Francois really thought he wanted a crown, they'd have him on the guillotine by the end of the day.
"If we stand against his warmongering tyranny we can have peace, we can have prosperity and we can return home! I call on all loyal sons and daughters of the republic to look at the last true bastions of freedom. Look at the great ships Bretagne and Richelieu, the crews of these mighty vessels stand ready to defend the Republic from all tyranny."
The mighty batteries of the battleships began to move as their names were spoken aloud; as if saying their names had somehow woken them. It seemed as though all eyes in the city stared at the mighty vessel, Tanya included as the mighty guns slowly but surely aimed themselves squarely at eastern docks. Directly at the beachhead established by De Lugo's mages and more worryingly, frighteningly close to her position.
"Will you answer the call to defend it too?"
A distant roar answered the question and for a moment Tanya feared that the Francois battleship had fired on her position. However, her fear was quickly replaced as she realised the situation had just gotten much worse.
It hadn't the Republic that had answered Wilhelm's call, it was the Albion Fleet.
Authors Notes
Hi everyone and thank you all as always for reading, reviewing, follows and favourites.
For those of you that left a review on the last chapter, I apologise for not replying to those that I can. I did read them and very much appreciate the feedback, however, I realised upon uploading this that I had forgotten to send a reply. I will try harder in future to respond.
Second, for those that read the Authors notes of the last chapter, you may have noticed that cut out the link to the artwork by Jebi. So, if you visit Deviant art and search for the user: Lord0Solus
you will find the full cover of the Saint and the Purpose of Conflict by Vickers-Vimy-1919. Additionally, there is now the Letzenbourg flag and Christina and Sophia which I'd love more people to see.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
Xanen