Chapter VIII:
The word "retreat" can be "offensive", from the military point of view, since many consider that an extremely important battle has been lost and that entails a series of problems such as logistics, the sending of reinforcements to try to recover the lost ground and other matters in question. Yes, that is how that concept sounded to the Kankers, who had to order the immediate withdrawal of their troops to the Eastern Front of Orussia, where a good part of them were still fighting to conquer the oil fields and industries. They could reverse the situation but there was also another much more complicated objective: The "Witches" had arrived and the defeat in the Battle of the Provisional Capital had been a heavy blow for them, added to the awakening, the civic-military uprising that was unleashed in both countries, where waves of lightning attacks were launched to expel the "Shadow Neuroi", making them pay dearly for their crimes, especially the "cleansing" in the villages, towns and cities along with the young people who were separated from their families to be turned into slaves of the Kanker and to work in the factories where they forged weapons and machines along with the mines of different minerals to improve their technology and scientific research.
From the destroyed gates of that city that served as a "replacement" for the original capital of Orussia, where countless remains of the invading armies could be seen razed and burning, covering everything in a spectacular bonfire, Double D watched how a group of soldiers were dynamiting several war machines that had been abandoned by the enemy. Deep down, he would have liked to know a little more about this civilization and its technology, but he quickly put the idea out of his mind. It was not worth it. It was then that he ran away, one of the members of the "Imperial Corps of Engineers" asked everyone nearby to take shelter because they would detonate those weapons left by the enemy. The boy felt that someone placed a hand on him and when he turned around, he discovered that it was Sanya. The girl from that country beckoned him to accompany him and when they were away from the area in question, a fierce roar was felt, shaking the windows of the buildings and houses that had not been damaged by the fighting.
The battle had resulted in victory for them and their Allies. Thanks to the arrival of the Armies of Suomus and Orussia, things had begun to improve, but from their point of view, especially Commander Wilcke's, this was barely a "rest". There was still a long way to go, war-wise, so the Peach Creek boys were giving themselves a few moments to regain strength, eat well, train, as well as have some leisure time before heading back to the front.
On the way, Sanya noticed her boyfriend holding her hands, clinging to her body, not wanting to let go for a moment. Many say that in times of armed conflict, they cling to what they love the most. A friend, their partner, their family. They fear that they will never see them again and that intellectual boy knew it. Taking a deep breath, he could feel the albino's cheeks turning a deep crimson color as she snuggled her head against his left shoulder and stroked his hair.
- Hey, Sanya.- The boy's voice sounded as if it were a whisper, one that traveled through the deserted streets of a city covered by snow and the cold of winter. A city where only the two of them, being separated by a corner or a busy avenue, could see each other, they tried to communicate but the hustle and bustle of the cars, the incessant noise that seemed to play a cruel joke on them, prevented them from getting closer and getting to know each other better. That obstacle, from the point of view of reality, was the war. The two had gone from being simple friends, Comrades in the struggle to being a couple together with Eila. For the black-capped boy, who knew all too well his failed attempt to get a girlfriend from what happened with Nazz long ago, where the other boys in the neighborhood joined in, it caused a real pain in his spirit about some possible failure, one mistake and it would all go down the drain.
Still, he felt the warm hands of the girl from the Empire of Orussia. A warmth that coursed through his body and fueled his spirit to keep going. It hadn't worked with Nazz, he didn't want to think about it with Marie either. That was a thing of the past, the blonde deserved to be with someone else and the other was better left unmentioned. He felt those hands on his, he swallowed saliva. Damn it, his nerves were going to betray him and play a trick on her, but he decided to bite the bullet, put aside that fear and start forging his way to the future with those two girls.
It was then that, taking the albino's hands, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes and knelt before her.
- I don't care what happens from here to the Future, I swear I will make you both happy, Sanya. I'm not afraid of what happens on the battlefield either, I'll be willing to do anything, even to protect them with my life.
And for the first time he noticed that Sanya was beginning to let go of the silence that surrounded her. Charlotte, Lynne, Yoshika, Kevin, Nazz and Mio noticed that situation, so they chose to take another street, avoiding interrupting that moment. Eila, on the other hand, watched them from a small four-story building, which she checked to make sure there were no people trapped, and from there she went to that place.
Sanya, in turn, did not want to remain silent, silent, but wanted to share what was coming from the depths of her heart. It was crying out to her to do something. That was the most beautiful thing a boy could offer to a beautiful girl like the albino, but feelings can be treacherous. They turn against you, you want to speak, to express yourself to the person in front of you but you don't succeed. You end up, as a consequence, having a bad time and that was not part of the girl's "plan". Soon, she raised her head and took a deep breath. The air entered her nostrils until she felt "refreshed" by what she was about to do.
- Double D.- She heard the girl speak and she paid attention.- What you said is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in my life but...- At that moment she felt that she could be making a mistake or not. The thoughts weighed on her head like a mountain yielding to the inevitable onslaught of Nature, but even so, she held his hands tightly and looked him in the eyes.
At that moment, their hands stopped holding each other, they changed position and from there they noticed, both Eila and the others, that Double D and Sanya were hugging each other tightly. Neither of them wanted to separate and they could tell that this was a tender moment between the two of them. The Orussia girl sank her head against the intellectual's chest and noticed that the aforementioned girl's eyes were moist with tears. They were not of sadness or desolation, but of another kind of emotion, one in which both she and Eila were well acquainted in this regard.
- I feel...honored to have you by my side, Double D. From the first day we met," she began to speak, dropping that secretiveness of hers.- I couldn't stop looking at you when we arrived at Peach Creek. It was as if there was something very special about you, I don't know, but what I recognize is that you are a very special boy: You have a very big heart, you are honest and hardworking, you don't want any of your friends to suffer or anything to happen to them. You are the voice of reason and yet, despite so much suffering, you keep going. You don't care if defeat hurts or is worse, you want to prove that you are not useless and that is the most valuable thing a person like you can have as a "treasure".- Added the girl, who wiped her tears.
- All my life I tried to overcome that obstacle that I would never get a girlfriend, that I would be alone but, I recognize that that changed the day they appeared. It wasn't with Nazz or Marie Kanker, but with you and Eila.- The silver-haired girl heard him, smiled and walked down to where they were.- During those years, I tried to hide all traces of emotion for someone I could share my life with.- She said.
He noticed the presence of the Northern European girl. His heart felt a deep warmth that took away the fears and loneliness of the past. Everything was nothing, from it he learned from his mistakes, from his stumbles to have a Present with the path to the Future assured. The silver-haired girl walked up to him and the three of them shared a strong embrace. He took a deep breath, he didn't want to let them go, he acted like the gentleman he was: polite, confident, and courteous.
- I love them.- The boy released the burden that had brought so much "weight" to his heart. Since those mistakes of the past, he had never again felt any emotion towards the subject of love and finding a partner. Now he was sure of what he would do and it was then that he kissed them both on the lips, deeply, feeling time stop.
Perhaps God, or whoever was involved in the whole thing, was giving them a time of peace. One where they could recover from their wounds, heal and then be ready to return to the battlefield.
Both Ed and Erica, as well as Eddy with Francesca smiled at seeing their friend in that situation. The short boy nodded his head and left them alone for a while.
Minna and Trudie also noticed that scene. The Commander was happy for that intellectual boy, however, that happiness would be short-lived. They had settled in the provisional government building, where they had established their headquarters along with the radio operators and the "Operations Room", where any movement of the Kanker was followed. The redhead poured coffee for her friend and herself, enjoying its warmth in the cold that afternoon and with repairs underway.
They had recently had a meeting with the Generals of both countries and were now focused on locating the enemy. Immediately several reports began to arrive about what was happening in Suomus and Orussia at that very moment. Minna read them and nodded silently, she recognized that what was so long awaited for all of them had begun.
- Well.- She took another sip of coffee and then rested it on the table.- It seems that the Kankers have awakened the sleepers of Suomus and Orussia. There are a lot of clashes and losses of territory for them, even in the Capital of the second nation, where it seems that they are about to give in. I must admit that they, even being the enemy, were great strategists but they made the mistake of opening many fronts and that led to their destruction.- Said Minna, closing her eyes and filing the documents in a folder, since they were of utmost importance for the next operation.
Trudie looked at her and noticed that her friend was much more serious about it. After what had happened in Karsland, both the Commander and the brown-haired Lieutenant wanted to see the three sisters in prison, convicted of all the crimes. A part of them wanted the "Death Penalty" to be used but that would be something that would bring no relief to them or those who lost everything. Trudie sighed, she knew very well that the best thing, for the victims, was for the Kankers to receive life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. They were a danger, they knew that very well but the trials against them would come. There was still a war to win.
- Well.- Heard the dark brown Minna's voice, who took a deep breath, took a third sip of her coffee and then settled into her chair to talk to the Lieutenant.
- What's going on?.- Trudie asked her friend.
- I've been reading the latest reports from the front and...- She paused. The dark brown's heart was pounding for what could happen, so she was gathering enough courage to face the possible danger: "There are civil-military uprisings, armed, by Suomus and Orussia, a real awakening that the Kanker themselves provoked with their crimes", she announced those results.
- Excellent!.- Celebrated the girl from Karsland but the Commander stopped him just in time.
- Even so, the "Shadow Neuroi" still occupy a good part of the Center and, above all, the East of Orussia, where, according to these reports, they are preparing to conquer the oil fields and the industries that were moved to that place, because the government did not want to lose them.- Said Minna seriously, leading the other to imitate that gesture.
- I see.- Trudie understood the situation they were in.- Our chances are still half-hearted, if we want to win all the territory and expel them from Europe, to carry out the last campaign, then we have to be 100% practical. We will have to lay our cards on the table and initiate the next move before they do something crazy.- She said and Minna nodded her head.
- And we will do it. Everyone already knows what has to be done, so, for these hours, let them rest: tomorrow will be a new day in the battlefield.- Added the redhead and from there they put an end, for a short time, to the work.
Meanwhile, at the Kanker sisters' Headquarters, the latest results obtained by their henchmen were being evaluated and the data were not very encouraging. Lee contemplated this and pursed his lips, as a sign that they would have to recompose the "Lines" affected by the defeat in the "Provisional Capital". In addition, the "Awakening" of Suomus and Orussia was causing them another big problem, since the Armed Forces and the civilians were pushing the "Shadow Neuroi" from their positions, especially on the border and it was feared that, sooner or later and if they did not launch a fierce counter-offensive, they would have an encirclement in the West, preventing them from leaving and turning the East into a "swamp", a "quagmire" from which they would have to fight to the end.
- We can still win, we only have to move the Divisions that are cantoned in the North, near the Carpathian Mountains and from there we can get the East in a few days," Marie showed that idea of hers but May was not very convinced.
- The Northern Front is a "House of Cards", the slightest move that goes wrong will end up sinking us. I am receiving encrypted messages from my forces there and they can no longer do anything about the advance of the Suomus and Orussia military, they are crushing them and, to top it off, we can't direct surprise attacks over the Alps and Apennines against Romagna and Karsland either, as the "Witches" are stationed in the "Provisional Capital" of Orussia. A bombing attempt over there will be the end for our fleet.- Commented the blonde with a serious tone and moving her hands over the holographic map.
- What do you suggest then?.- Asked the dark blue haired one but the other one was silent.- Lee, do you want to contribute something?.- She asked but the other one was also very focused on her thoughts and plans for the future.- Shit, I never thought that a strategy like terror, the same one we use against civilians and military, would bring, as a consequence, an awakening in both countries. If we want to continue with this war, and it is obvious that we will, we must change tactics. I don't know, maybe just conquer and not attack civilian populations.- Marie proposed, but that was nonsense that reached Lee's ears.
- Did I hear wrong, do you want to run out of slave labor and allow "Resistance" groups to form?.- The redhead questioned.
- No, of course not, but I think we will have to look for a better tactic. Maybe setting fire to the urban areas with all of them inside, I don't know.- She shrugged her shoulders and went to answer a call.
Lee saw her walking away and went to where May was.
- I don't think Marie's idea is a bad one.- The blonde backed up the aforementioned woman.
- We will discuss it in the future, not now. Listen, both of you.- Lee asked for the attention of both sisters, who stopped their activities.- I have just received a very important report: The "XIX Shadow Neuroi Army" is surrounded in the South of the Carpathian Mountains and cannot advance to the East of Orussia. At the same time, the "V Elite Group" has had to withdraw a quarter of its forces to protect the West from a possible enemy offensive. It is not confirmed but I fear that this will become more complicated and more with those "Witches" that are raised with the others.
- Fuck!.- Shouted the blonde with fury and hit the table.- We had it closed in the South, what happened?
- Believe me, it's better that you don't know.- Suggested the redhead and then showed, on the holographic map, a series of red "Crosses", which showed the defeats suffered until recently.- We still have good "Reserves" in the Northeast and Northwest of Suomus but we will have to move them in the "Sixth Hive" in order not to suffer casualties with respect to the enemy. I have to add that our factories and laboratories will continue to create more hosts but we must protect them from enemy bombardments - He asked to take note of these points and they listened to him.- If the "Witches" and the idiots of Peach Creek want war, then we will give it to them. We will reverse the situation, whatever it takes!.
[Well, a chapter that had romance and concluded with an extremely tense moment. The Kankers are preparing for the "All or nothing". A future counter-offensive in Eastern Orussia is about to take place.
Get ready because, now, we will only have two more chapters left and this week I will be finishing "Arc VI".
On the other hand, I will continue translating this story into English. Thank you very much for your reviews, friends. I send greetings and thanks to all of you, especially to Matfix and Franco M. Romano.
Take care and have a happy Sunday from me, Comrades.
See you next time].
