January 9, 1941
We've been cooped up in Appledore for a while now… I knew suspension meant being away from the frontlines but I never thought that it meant we'll be so far away from the battlefield.
I was expecting something along the lines of logistical work in the forward bases or supply bases or some other errand boy stuff, not the entire squad getting bored doing nothing in a Federation city! We weren't even allowed to take a single step outside the base!
For the past few days, we've been staying at the local garrison inside the city, which is right next to the Parliament Building.
Talk about politicians literally breathing down our necks!
Are those politicians just planning on letting us rot in their country while the war rages on?
Speaking of politicians, we haven't even met our new 'commanding officer'. Yeah right… Way too nice of a title there.
January 24, 1941
General Barredo finally came to meet us!
I haven't seen him in weeks. I almost thought he got shipped back to Gallia.
He had us gather by the briefing room. I guess we'll finally be introduced to the politician.
"Nice to see you guys again" the general said "Anyway, I gathered you all here to introduce you to our new… commander"
I noticed that the general hesitated there for a moment. He was trying so hard to sound professional.
Nevertheless, our CO finally enters the room.
I never expected anything less… A tall man, looking to be around in his late 30s, wearing a black Victorian suit complete with a top hat and cane.
He's really wearing the part of a stereotypical politician.
His face had no beard or moustache though.
He looked at us with his head held high.
I can feel him looking down on us, literally and figuratively.
"Hello" he said in a formal tone "I am Romel Johnson. I will be your commanding officer starting today. I expect you all to follow my orders to the letter"
"So you're gonna order us to our deaths then?" Desmond interrupted
"Watch your tongue, convict. I'll be the one calling the shots here and you have to follow them"
"Ha! Ohoho. I'll follow your orders alright but I'll follow them in my own terms"
"I had a feeling you'll be insubordinate… Which is why I took the liberty to doing some background checks on you"
"Heh… So?"
"Kalis"
"What?"
"I know about Kalis"
Desmond stands up. "How did you know that?"
The politician smirks and chuckles. "MI6 is very… efficient"
"What's your game here?"
"Follow my orders and there will be no problems"
Desmond grunts before sitting down.
This was a first… Desmond never caved like this before…
Kalis… I know that it's a place somewhere in the Empire but what does that have to do with Desmond?
He's a Gallian convict that was active only in Gallia. What's a location in the Empire have to do with him?
"Now" Romel continued "If there are no more interruptions, I would like to begin briefing you on your next mission"
"Next mission?" Franko wondered "I thought we were supposed to be suspended from combat"
"Not anymore. I made the call to return you all to combat"
Heh… And here I thought we'd be doing logistical work behind the lines for the next few months…
Romel points to the world map taped on the wall behind him. "Since you all have been behind the frontlines for some time, I must brief you on the latest developments. On January 20, the 32nd Armored Ranger Corps broke through Zarasai and now, they're beginning to take the city of Lendorf. The Imperials have locked down the city and have begun using the railroads to evacuate vital personnel, prisoners, and supplies. There is a prisoner currently incarcerated in a prison camp near the city. He is a… political opponent of the Emperor and a known critic of him"
"You want us to rescue this critic" Edna said
"Correct. His name is Andrei Raikov. There is a catch though. The prison camp is behind enemy lines and the Ranger Corps is still fighting to secure Lendorf. Specifically, the camp is near the Cabu River and only a small stretch of open road is between Lendorf and the prison camp"
"What's the plan then?" Jane asked
"You will be guided by the local resistance through the countryside. They will also dedicate troops in this raid so no need to worry about being undermanned"
Romel then places a drawn map of the camp on the table in front of us. "This operation will be conducted at dusk. That means stealth is an absolute necessity"
He then places a photo of a middle-aged man sporting a moustache and a goatee. "Your main objective is to find and rescue Andrei Raikov. If he dies during this operation, then all of this would be meaningless"
"What about the Imperial forces near the camp?" Franko asked "I don't think they'll just sit there and watch as their prison camp burns"
"The resistance will handle the roadblocks. They'll keep the Imperials from Lendorf at bay. There is also a bridge at the rear of the camp. The resistance will place explosives on it and detonate it as enemy reinforcements cross it. Once you rescue the prisoners, the resistance will escort everyone back to our lines. If all goes well, Lendorf will be surrounded on both sides and that city will be ours for the taking. Any more questions?"
"Do we have air support?" I asked
"No. All aircraft will be used in Lenford's siege"
"How about my tank?" Marian asked
"This is a stealth mission. Your tank will be very hard to conceal even at night so you must deploy on foot. Any more questions? None? Then get ready to deploy by tomorrow"
Romel quickly left the room as we all stood up.
"He's cheery…" Rain sarcastically said
"We're gonna be taking orders from him now?" Aria said with disdain
"I don't like him" Desmond added "He has this air of perceived superiority over us"
Aster sighs as he approaches us. "I guess Gallian nobles aren't the only ones that are so stuck up"
"Well we have no choice" General Barredo interjected "He's our commanding officer now"
"You're just going to accept it like that?" Franko asked
"It's either that or we don't see combat. I don't know about any of you but I want to be in the frontlines, fighting alongside the others"
"Argh. You have a point…"
Well… I didn't really expect any more than those reactions… Romel had his chin up high and literally looked down on us in the entire briefing.
I'm no stranger to these kinds of people, though. I lost count on how many people, politician or not, would look down on me just because I'm a Darcsen.
Don't know if I should consider that a blessing or not… Now that I think about it, I don't know if I managed to get used to all these letdowns or if I'm just too tired to even notice anymore.
January 25, 1941
After about 4 hours, we finally reached Zarasai. From here, we'll be taken by truck to the frontlines near Lendorf.
Last time we were here, Imperial soldiers were still holding onto the positions on the other side of the lake.
Now, this place is full of Federation troops. Although, I did notice a large camp on the way to the frontlines.
That front gate… Gave me flashbacks to that concentration camp my old squad found 5 years ago.
I hope that isn't a concentration camp… If it was… Well, I hope the prison guards were treated fairly…
After another hour of travel, we finally reached the base camp in the outskirts of Lendorf.
As we get out of the truck, a guy approached us. He's almost as tall as General Barredo and he looks like he's in this early 30s. No beard though, only a mustache.
"General Barredo?" He asked
"Yes?" The general answered
"Lieutenant Abel Ainsworth, grenadier!" he continued after a salute "Commander Johnson assigned me and 3 others into your squad!"
"New blood, eh? Where are the other two?"
"They are waiting with our guides, sir"
"Right. Let's get to it"
Following General Barredo, 2 other Federation soldiers approach us, one of them being Darcsen.
"These are the other two who will be joining the squad" Abel said
The Darcsen steps forward first. From the looks of it, he seems to be around in his late 20s.
"Private Pietro" he said with a salute "Lancer"
"Corporal Luis Mertens" the other soldier said stepping forward with a salute "Scout"
He looks around in his early 20s and he has bandages covering almost the entire right side of his face.
I don't know why but the second I laid my eyes upon him, I had this deep dark feeling at the pit of my mind. It's almost as if seeing his face infuriates me for some reason… And I'm getting this feeling of déjà vu.
I don't really like the idea of hating someone off the bat without a good reason at all. But I can't help but feel this anger for some reason. Have I met Luis somewhere before? The Civil War? Or 5 years ago?
Impossible. I never met anyone like him before. So what's this deep resentment I feel?
"Hold on" General Barredo said "Where's the 3rd soldier?"
Abel sighs. "I'm sorry, sir. She's has a tendency to wander off"
"Why?"
"With respect, she's a gun nut. She worked in a weapons factory before it was destroyed in an Imperial bombing run last year. I'll look for her, sir"
"You do that. We need all the soldiers we can get. By the way, you're all Gallian?"
"Only Luis sir. The rest of us are from the Federation. Our dossiers should be given to you within the day"
"Right then. As for everyone else, take a break. We'll be leaving in about an hour"
That's nice. We get to take a break before marching behind enemy lines. I don't know if I should be concerned because I'm really eager to get back into the fray. I guess I really got bored these past few weeks in Edinburgh. Although, I do hope we don't encounter the army we fought in Perm… I still remember the forced promise I had to make.
With dark thoughts circulating around my head again, I decided to take a smoke in a corner of the camp while writing this entry. That is until Renee approached me.
"U-Um…" she said meekly as I finish lighting my cigarette
"What?" I asked
"E-Everyone is gathering over there"
Renee then points to a crowd just a few meters ahead of us. "Looks like Command sent us new guns"
"Let's go check it out then" I answered as we both walked towards the crowd, my cigarette still lit and hanging in my mouth
We approach the crowd as a blonde-haired woman, wearing an Engineer uniform, starts opening the boxes.
"Hi everyone!" she said with an enthusiastic Assenian accent "Command's brought us some new toys! I'm Sergeant Lynette Arnaud and I'll have the pleasure of briefing you all on your new toys!"
Her accent seems a bit odd to me… Haven't heard many people who sound their 's' with a 'z' and 'w's with 'v's. Judging from her enthusiasm and seeming expertise on guns, I'm guessing she's the missing soldier Abel was looking for a few minutes ago.
Anyhow, Lynette begins opening the crates, starting with the rifles. They were brown and kind of looked like the Gallian rifles I used 5 years ago. I was about to ask if we're using old rifles until Aster beat me to it.
"Wait" he said looking at one of the rifles "These look like Gallian rifles! We're downgrading our equipment or something?"
"They look like Gallian" she answered "But they're not. They were developed in Federation territory by the Ljungmans Verkstäder Company. These are called AG-42s. They're semi-automatic and behave like Gallian-S Rifles so Gallian scouts and engineers should be right at home with these guns"
Up next are the submachineguns. The design of which is much more different when compared to the OG-43 and the Mags submachineguns. The gun has a wooden stock and forearm grip. It also came with either a stick or a drum magazine. This gun's design reminds me of General Barredo's submachinegun.
"These are Thompsons. Unlike the Federation's Robinson and Gallia's Mags, these guns use .45 ACPs. Packs a real punch and recoil but suffers at long range. As if shocktroopers need to engage hostiles in long range anyway"
Sniper Rifles next. These rifles are also a bit of an oddity for me. The entire rifle looks like it's mostly made of wood with the metal parts hiding inside. The scope, instead of being placed after the bolt, is placed on the side.
"These are M1 Garands. Semi-automatic. 8 rounds, all packing a huge punch. Gun's been tested to be reliable. The scope on the side may feel a bit odd for veteran snipers but a little practice and some adaptation should rectify that problem"
Next, the lances. These ones look a bit similar to the Federation SB9. Hard to really see any difference since the gun itself looks really similar to the old models Roswell used. But the rockets are what took my attention. They don't look like the regular lance rockets we used. They look more like torpedoes with a sharp tip.
"Next are the M6A3 for the lancers. The lances are basically an improved model, mixing some design features of the SB9 and M2EQ. So we have a lance that can fire these new rockets and is much more accurate to boot! These babies may look like SB9s on the surface but they're a huge improvement from the old armaments 5 years ago!"
And finally, the mortars. I've seen stationary mortars before but this is the first time I'm seeing these portable infantry mortars. I heard they were used a lot 5 years ago so either the Empire didn't use their entire arsenal on us or these mortars were brand new at the time and only a few soldiers were trained in their use. Because of that, I can hardly make any comments on these mortars other than there being 2 different designs.
"And finally, the Elias MA15 and the Hartman MS16. These kinds of mortars haven't been in the field for too long so we didn't really get much into developing new models but hey, don't fix what isn't broke, right? These two babies are each unique in their functions. The Elias is for anti-tank purposes while the Hartman is for raining death on the infantry"
I must say these guns are all impressive. I'm actually itching to try out my new rifle on the shooting range. Getting new stuff is part of the joys we rarely get in war…
"Lynette!" Abel shouted as he cuts through the crowd "There you are! I've been looking for you!"
"Ah… Lieutenant…" Lynette said, clearing her throat while slowly walking back with her hands behind her back "I… um… I was just helping unload the new equipment and-"
"You think I'll buy what you just said? We both know the real reason why you came running to these boxes!"
"Ahahaha… There must be some misunderstanding, sir…"
"You are not going to run again, are you?"
Lynette nervously laughs as Abel finally pushes through the crowd and begins to move faster.
"Grenade!" she shouts as she throws a smoke grenade at Abel.
It lands on his feet and a thick white smoke quickly begins to envelope the area.
"Oh no" Abel said "You are NOT escaping me with this same tactic again!"
Abel then sprints forward but trips on an AG-42.
"You think a smoke grenade is all I have?" Lynette taunted as she runs past Abel
She emerges from the smoke and cuts through the crowd quickly.
"Lynette!" Abel shouts as he gets back up and runs on the same direction Lynette just went.
I must say. This entire thing was quite entertaining. Seeing new guns and seeing a rare comical moment in camp. Although, I do hope Lynette isn't that insubordinate once things get serious…
I guess we're spending our free time practicing with these new guns. After all, the last thing I want during a battle is my gun not cooperating with me because I don't know how to handle her.
After an hour, the general had us gather together.
I was right. Lynette is the missing soldier.
"Sergeant Lynette Arnaud!" she said with a salute "I'm looking forward to seeing these new guns in action!"
She's just as enthusiastic in her introduction. Our squad sure is growing ever since this whole war started. I just hope, at least, most of us will make it out of this war alive.
We used the mountain trail to slip past the Imperials around Lendorf. We had to reach our destination before sundown so no breaks.
A couple of hours in, the sun is starting to bake me. I can feel the sweat all around my body. Hard to believe that it's almost the end of January. Kind of weird since it should still be spring. The hot days shouldn't start rolling around until March but what do I know about the climate in the Empire?
Everybody else seems to be quite adapted to this kind of heat. Hell, Desmond, Franko, and Gen. Barredo are hardly showing any sweat. I'm also handling the heat well but those 3 make this march look like a morning walk. I can understand our guides being ahead of us since they're locals but those same 3 are walking side-by-side with them.
I guess even if we all served in the army and militia… there are still some level of disparity between each of our abilities and skills.
After about 3 hours, we finally reached the end of the mountain trail. Just a few meters away is the main road. If I remember correctly, this should be where the resistance would establish one of the roadblocks.
"This is it" a resistance fighter said as we all gather behind a cliff "The camp should be a short walk from here"
"Alright" General Barredo said as he draws an outline of the camp in the mud "Let's recap. The prison camp is 800 yards long and 600 yards wide and this single road connects it to Lendorf. The resistance will establish roadblocks near here to prevent enemy reinforcements, from the city, from reaching the camp. The rest of us will be split into two companies, F and C. F Company will surround the camp on the sides and rear while C Company will take position near the front gate. I'll lead F Company. We'll be the ones to start the party. Our first objective is to take out the perimeter guards and destroy the barracks. Once the firing starts, C Company will charge through the front gate and split into two platoons. One is in charge of assaulting the officers' quarters and destroying the nearby tank shed. The other will not prioritize fighting. Their priority is to rescue the prisoners, especially our designated target. Any questions?"
Abel raises his hand. "General. North of the camp is a military encampment. Once the fighting starts, enemy reinforcement will start to pour in from across the river"
"The resistance has that covered. They'll be planting time bombs on the bridge. It won't completely destroy it but it should lessen the waves of enemy soldiers coming in. I'll be detaching some men from F Company to fend off the reinforcements. Also, we will all be moving through a corn field to reach the camp. Make sure not to get spotted. The sun is still up. The attack will be begin at exactly 7:30pm. No further questions? Alright. Let's form up and move out!"
After a few minutes of planning, I was surprisingly assigned to C Company's 2nd platoon. That's not surprising part though. For some reason, General Barredo made me the leader.
"Why me, sir?" I asked
"Out of everyone in your squad, I think you're best suited in the role" the general answered
"But…"
"Ah!" he interrupted "I may not be the CO of a battalion anymore but I'm still in charge of our squad so follow my orders, soldier."
"Yes sir…"
I'll be in charge of rescuing the prisoners while commanding Doss, Marian, and Luis. I'm not really that much of a leader and given what happened in the last battle we fought, I'm really surprised that the general would consider me for this role.
As the resistance prepares the roadblock, I approach Doss, Marian, and Luis.
"U-Um…" I uttered after a deep breath "I guess I'm leading our platoon"
"Don't be too nervous" Marian replied as she checks her Thompson "We've all fought together before"
"Yeah" Doss added "We'll rescue those prisoners no problem"
Although Doss and Marian are encouraging me, Luis quietly stays behind them. He doesn't even look at me.
"Hey" I said, approaching Luis "You're the new guy, right? I'm Denzel. Pleased to-"
I stretch out my hand but Luis simply stares at my hand then at me, his eyes either show disgust or frustration. I can't tell for sure what he's thinking but his eyes shows me the same disgust and anger thrown by many other racists against me and my kind.
He didn't need to tell me anything. I know exactly what's going on in his mind. I guess even the civil war couldn't end racism. So this is what my gut was telling me…
At around 6pm, we reached the corn fields. The place was thick but our movements were loud, that's not even mentioning that anyone with a keen eye can see the corn moving from afar.
All the scouts in C Company were instructed to keep an eye on the sentries. If even one spots us, all bets would be off. We'll be attacking that camp head on.
It's sheer suicide if you ask me. After the corn fields, there's a dried up rice field in front of us before we can reach the gate.
As we reached the end of the corn fields, we all went prone and started crawling the rest of the way.
It didn't take long for a Resistance scout to signal us to stop. He aims his rifle at an Imperial sentry. The Imperial was aiming his rifle right at us.
"Did he spot us?!" I thought with dread
Everyone was uneasy but we were holding onto our guns, ready to make a mad charge.
Seconds go by. The two still haven't put their guns down.
Finally, the Imperial lifts his gun and turns around. I breathe a sigh of relief before continuing our crawl.
Again, another sentry grew suspicious. And again, we stop with one soldier ready to fire.
And finally again, the Imperial turns around. If we keep this up, we wouldn't make the 7:30 deadline. The sun was starting to set but the Imperials still had a good line of sight over the rice fields.
Coming up with an idea, I pick up my radio. "F Company. This is C Company. Do you read?"
"I read you" the general responded "What's going on?"
"Our company has had a couple of close calls. Imperials nearly spotted us"
"Same here. These sentries have good eyes"
"Sir. If I may suggest, can we call in some aircraft?"
"Why?"
"The planes flying overhead may be enough to distract the sentries"
"Try it then. Anything's better than risk getting spotted or delayed"
"Yes sir"
I quickly change the frequency on my radio. I didn't contact command. No time. There's only one person I know who can help and it's a good thing that she's flying nearby.
"Red 1. Red 1" I said "Do you copy?"
"Well. Well" Sora replied with a bit of enthusiasm "Haven't heard your voice in a while. You calling me at this time, though, means you need something. What's up?"
"We're trying to infiltrate a prison camp just north of Lendorf. We could use a plane to distract the guards here"
"I'm guessing you didn't ask command nicely first?"
"No"
I heard Sora chuckle a bit. "Roger that. I'll see if some of us can fly overhead but… It won't exactly be an airshow"
"Copy. Thanks, Sora!"
"No problem"
At that time, Sora and her squad were engaging Imperial Yaks and BF-109s just above the city. It was another attack conducted by the army to distract the Imperials from the prison camp. I hope she can spare at least one aircraft to help us. We can't keep up for long with all these close calls.
I informed General Barredo of the development. He commanded all of us to stay put until a friendly plane would fly above.
Finally, by sundown, the sound of plane engines echoed around the area.
A P38 flies above us. That was when I realized that I didn't really think this through. If there was even a single enemy plane behind that P38, they could've spotted us and compromised the mission anyway. Luckily, there wasn't a single BF-109 or Yak or I-16 behind him. Thank god it didn't come to that…
That P38 flew above the camp for a good 15 minutes, distracting all of the Imperial sentries in the camp.
This gave us the opportunity to resume our crawl. With the sun gone, it was a bit easier to sneak through the rice fields since all we had to do was make small movements and avoid searchlights.
At around 7pm, C Company hid in a ditch just a few yards from the front gate. We were in position. Now we just need to wait for half an hour.
7:30pm:
F Company still hasn't started the assault. They're currently implementing radio silence since they're the closest to the sentries. Part of me wonders if we should begin the attack or not… We can't keep hiding from searchlights forever.
Finally, 10 minutes later, we heard the shots! F Company had begun their assault. The searchlights and Imperials quickly turn to the source of the gunfire.
That was our opportunity!
We rose from the ditch and opened fire on the guard towers, cutting down the Imperial sentries before they could even react. Playing it safe, I ordered Marian to shoot the searchlights as I advance to the front gate.
I tried breaking the lock with the butt of my rifle. It didn't budge. So I drew my M1911 and aimed it but a shot from inside the camp knocked the pistol from my hand.
I quickly aimed my rifle and opened fire on the advancing Imperial scout. Good thing these rifles were semi-automatic since I missed my first 2 shots.
"Here!" a Resistance fighter said, handing me his Tokarev
I grabbed it and shot the lock as the others break the gate down.
We charged into the camp, quickly splitting up.
1st Platoon headed straight for the officers' quarters, catching the Imperial Officers off-guard. They were barely able to grab a pistol when the platoon came knocking at their door. 1st Platoon actually looked like a firing squad when they attacked the officers' quarters.
With the Imperial officers neutralized, Roswell and Pietro ran to the nearby tank shed.
Roswell notices a military truck, containing Imperial infantry at the back.
He fires a rocket, hitting the driver's seat. With the driver dead, Imperial soldiers pour out of truck's back but they were all cut down one-by-one.
An Imperial assault tank then bursts from the shed but Pietro aims for the radiator and fires. His rocket hit its mark, destroying the tank.
Meanwhile, General Barredo and his men entrench themselves near the camp's rear as Imperial reinforcements, from across the river, arrived.
It didn't take long for the time bomb to explode, destroying the bridge and decimating the Imperials. But the bridge was still intact enough for small squads to push through.
Imperial reinforcements still came but their waves were fewer in number, not to mention that General Barredo and his men were waiting for them.
"Abel!" the general commanded
"Yes sir!" he replied as he and another Resistance fighter fire their mortars at the enemy reinforcements.
Back in my squad, we encountered minimal resistance as a few Imperial soldiers were heading towards the prisoners, most likely to execute them.
I ordered Marian and Luis to provide cover fire while me and Doss head towards the prisoners.
To my surprise, Luis has been following my orders down to the letter. I thought he'd be insubordinate. I wonder why then did he give me that look hours ago? Eh. I'm not one to question these kinds of good things.
Thanks to their support, me and Doss managed to reach the prisoners' quarters. I kick down the door as Marian and Luis follow us inside.
The prisoners were screaming and crawling away from us. The rooms weren't lit so they couldn't see our faces or uniform. They thought we were Imperials, getting ready to execute them. One prisoner even punched me when I grabbed his arm.
"Wait!" I shouted "We're with the Federation! Calm down!"
"No! No! No!" a prisoner shouted "I'm not going out of this camp! None of you look like Federation soldiers!"
Luis then brings out his flashlight as he tries to get a Darcsen prisoner out.
"Let go of me!" the Darcsen shouted as he kicks Luis "Let go of me you racist piece of shit!"
Luis pauses for a second before shouting back. "Calm down! You're getting out of this camp, one way or another!"
He then pulls the Darcsen with great force through the door, the Darcsen was flailing the entire time.
Outside, the Darcsen tries to cover his face, as if getting ready to endure being beaten. But Luis didn't lay a hand on him. The Darcsen slowly but carefully puts his hands down and looks up.
Under the light of the moon, the Darcsen could finally see the uniform.
"You are Federation…" he said as he collapses to the floor "Oh… Oh… Sorry… I…"
"It's alright" Luis replied "We're here to rescue you"
The Darcsen breathes heavily as he nods.
The prisoners finally realize who we were and cooperated.
We gathered everyone outside for a moment as they caught their breaths. The sight of these prisoners gave me flashbacks of an old painful memory. The Imperials were still as brutal as ever towards their prisoners. These men looked like they were hardly fed and the injuries… It must've been hell… Nonetheless, we gotta move soon. We have a mission to fulfill after all.
"Does anyone here know who Andrei Raikov is?" I asked
"That is me" a middle aged man, matching the pictures, replied
Unlike the other prisoners, he seems a bit fitter. I guess he's a new addition here or else he'd be as malnourished as everyone else…
"You're the Emperor's critic?" I asked
"Da"
"We're here to rescue you! Let's get everyone out of this camp!"
"We will follow you"
The more able-bodied prisoners, Andrei included, all grabbed an Imperial weapon as we evacuated everyone from the camp.
Outside, Resistance fighters were loading the prisoners on wooden carts pulled by horses.
"General!" I said over the radio "All prisoners evacuated!"
"Roger!" General Barredo replied "All units! Fall back! We're getting out of here!"
Once everyone was accounted for, we began our march back to Federation lines. Since we were using carts, we had to use to main road.
I had to admit that I was pretty nervous marching in an open road but every time we hear enemy planes fly by, our own would swoop in and swat them away. I find it a bit funny because of the old saying "someone up above is looking out for us".
After about an hour of marching, we reached the Federation camp. We unloaded the prisoners and left them to the medics. General Barredo and Andrei heads towards the radio while the rest of the squad scatters around the camp.
January 26, 1941
I woke up earlier than usual today. It's 4am but the moon and stars are still up. You don't see constellations like these in the city.
It's kind of funny that the skies are so clear and clean at night while in the day, the skies are filled with smoke and bullets. I can't even tell the difference between clouds and smoke. Since I can't sleep anymore, I might as well take this opportunity to take in this rare sight.
Coincidentally, I bumped into Aster while doing my impromptu morning walk. He was sitting on the ground, smoking near the armory. His eyes were closed the entire time he puffed a smoke. I wonder what he's thinking about. I feel that I shouldn't disturb him but I couldn't just leave him alone…
"Aster?" I said approaching him "Isn't it dangerous to smoke near the ammo boxes?"
Aster looks at me for a moment before staring at the ammo boxes on his right. If I didn't know any better, it looks like he just woke up.
"Oh…" he replied as he stood up and dropped his cigarette on the ground before crushing it with his boot "I didn't notice the ammo boxes there. Thanks, Denzel"
"So… Why are you awake so early in the morning?"
"I could ask you the same question. But to answer yours, I usually wake up at this hour"
"Do you at least get enough sleep?"
"I've been doing this routine for 5 years. My body's used to it"
"Alright…"
What an awkward conversation… I get the feeling I interrupted something. Aster seemed to be in another world with the way he smoked that cigarette. You don't see many people smoking a cigarette without at least opening their eyes at times.
Now I feel a bit bad for disturbing him. I admit that I am curious on what he was thinking about. But I'm betting that it's something so personal that I shouldn't pry.
"Well. Well. Well. I guess I'm not the only one awake at this hour"
I turn around. "Desmond?"
The gang leader waves his hand at us. "Morning"
"Heh" Aster said "I never pictured you to be the morning person, Desmond"
"Well. A lot has changed since my days at the orphanage"
"Orphanage?" I wondered
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you" Desmond responded "Me and Aster here are from Riverwood's Orphanage. You can me and him are childhood friends"
"Whoah! Really?"
"Yep. I spent some time in Riverwood after my parents died"
"Wow…"
"Anyway, Aster" Desmond said turning to him "I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation. You should really be getting some sleep when you can. No telling when the war will force us to stay awake for days"
"That's true…" Aster replied with a sigh "But no matter how hard I try, I still end up waking up so early in the morning"
"Are you still thinking about Croix and the others?"
Aster pauses the second he heard the name. Croix… I overheard Aster talking about that person last year. Must be a dear friend who died during the Civil War or the 1935 Invasion.
"Sonia told me all about your guilt…" Desmond added
"What?"
"Sorry. I had to pry but she didn't tell me outright. I had to work for that information so don't take it against her"
"So you know…"
"Aster… You can't keep beating yourself like this… Your friends are worried about you and-"
"I know, Desmond. I know. I heard Sonia and the folks from Riverwood tell me that same line so many times that I've memorized every word in that sentence"
Desmond sighs. "Yeah… Had a feeling everyone else would be trying to talk some sense into you. So… What are you going to do, then?"
"I don't know… Croix, Paul, Cooper, Flunky, and Morris are all dead. They're not gonna come back no matter what I do. I've tried, Desmond. I've tried to live happy to honor their memory but…"
"I get what you're saying but I don't think you've fully moved on like you claim to be"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not about to say some cliché crap like you should 'move on' or 'let time heal you'. I believe that you should face your pain. Acknowledge it as something that exists and that it is causing you a lot of pain. But eventually, we have to get back up and make a choice. Life's not gonna hit the brakes just for one bastard crying in a corner"
"That's easy for you to say… You had almost two decades to process your grief… I've only been allowed less than half of the time you got…"
I'm actually surprised that Desmond's giving some sage advice especially considering his life before the war came knocking at our door. Life has its way of surprising me, I guess.
"I get what you mean. Your life I guess but I hope you take my-"
Desmond cuts himself off and quickly draws his M1911. He pushes me and Aster out of the way fires his pistol. His shot hits an Imperial soldier in the head.
"An Imperial?!" I said as a couple more Imperials opened fire on us
"Shit!" Aster said "How the fuck did they break through the frontlines?!"
"No use thinking about it!" Desmond said returning fire "Come on! Get some guns from the armory! We got Imperials to kill!"
Me and Aster quickly grabs some guns and a radio from the armory as the Imperial soldiers surround the camp. The way they did this attack was almost the same way we did our raid on the prison camp yesterday.
It didn't take long for the alarms to sound, though. At least we didn't suffer the same fate as the Imperials in that camp.
"All units!" General Barredo said over the radio "Imperial forces have breached the camp! They're likely after the prisoner! All able-bodied units are to head to his barracks and secure him!"
"Barredo!" Desmond said grabbing my radio "Desmond here. Me, Aster, and Denzel are close! We'll take care of the prisoner!"
"Solid copy! I'll direct the rest of the squad to counterattack!"
"Aster! Denzel! Let's move!"
We quickly left the armory to a few allied soldiers and headed towards Andrei's location.
The general was right. The Imperials are after him but it's still weird that they're able to conduct an operation like this at the literal last minute.
After fighting through a couple of enemy soldiers, we were close but the closer we got, the more ferocious the soldiers were. They were really trying to keep us from advancing. I also noticed that most of the enemy soldiers were scouts and shocktroopers so they didn't really have a full arsenal in this attack which suggests that this one was hastily made.
Still, this isn't looking good! I spotted several soldiers completely ignoring us while running towards Andrei's barracks, exactly how C Company did last night.
"Denzel! Desmond!" Aster called "I'll provide cover fire! You two make secure Raikov!"
"You're not planning on going out in a blaze of glory, are you?" Desmond asked
"I don't plan to. But if it's my time, it's my time"
"… Fair enough" Desmond said as he pats my shoulder "Let's go, Denzel! On your mark, Aster!"
Aster nods. "One! Two!" he shouted before breaking cover. Me and Desmond quickly run through the Imperial soldiers as Aster accurately neutralizes some of them.
We ran as fast as we could, taking down only the enemy soldiers in our way while ignoring the rest.
As we neared his barracks, an Imperial soldier tackles me to the ground. I quickly grab his arms as he tries to jab a knife down my throat.
"Denzel!" Desmond shouted as the Imperials began opening fire inside the barracks
"Don't mind me!" I replied as I manage to push the knife away from me "Save Andrei!"
Desmond nods as the Imperial tries to stab me. I take a step back and draw my pistol.
The Imperial pushes my arm away as I pull the trigger. He thrusts his knife forward but I quickly grab his arm. We both struggle to gain the upper hand.
I quickly knee him in the stomach, causing him to recoil. I wrestled my right hand free and pistol whipped him in the head. His helmet falls off.
I quickly aim my pistol at him but I hesitated for a moment. The fires around us illuminated his face. He looked so young… I'm guessing no older than Marian. But what got me were his eyes… Those weren't the eyes of a soldier simply doing his job or someone trying desperately to survive… Those were the eyes of someone consumed by revenge.
"Who are you?" I asked, still pointing my pistol
"You don't remember?" the Imperial replied "Dachau"
My heart sank… That word… How does he know about that?!
I began to breathe heavily as dark memories began pouring into my head.
"You think you dark hairs are the only victims in the world?! You think you're the only ones that can't commit heinous acts?!"
"No… No! It's not what you think!"
Seizing the opportunity, the Imperial soldier lunges towards me. Caught off-guard, I tripped as I took a step back. I grab his arm and quickly punched him with my right fist.
He falls to the ground as I attempt to grab his knife. He responds with a punch to my face. I fall back into the ground as he tries to stab me once again. And again, I grab both his arms.
"I will avenge him!" the Imperial shouted as he slowly begins to overpower me
As the knife was dangerously touching my neck, a bullet pierces the Imperial's skull. Blood splatters in my face as he falls to the ground, killed instantly by the shot.
I was too shocked to even move. I continued staring at the dead Imperial. My mind wrought with so much guilt that I could go insane at any second.
"Denzel!" Desmond said as he runs to my side "Are you ok?"
I wasn't responsive. I could feel my consciousness fading.
"Denzel! Denzel!"
The next thing I remember was waking up at the barracks. It was empty but outside was far from quiet.
As I stepped outside, I could clearly see the sun was starting to rise. How long was I out? I continued to look around the camp. Everything seemed to be back to normal, save for a few destroyed boxes and tents here and there.
It was at that moment that I ran into Edna.
"Denzel!" she said "Are you ok?"
"Y-Yeah…" I replied holding my head "I'm fine… What happened?"
"You lost consciousness during the fighting. I was about to check on you. General Barredo's going to brief us"
"L-Let's go then"
"Are you really ok?"
"I'm fine, Edna"
I was still feeling a bit light-headed at the time but I can't give myself special treatment especially in times of war. Naturally, once I reached the others, everyone asked me if I was ok, except for Luis.
"Are you fit enough to fight?" General Barredo asked
"Yes" I answered
"Ok then. Allow me brief you all on the situation. You all know of the attack earlier this morning. An Imperial Special Forces squad raided our camp. Their mission was to assassinate Andrei Raikov. Luckily, thanks to Desmond, Denzel, and Aster, they were unsuccessful. I just got word from command that the resistance informed them that the enemy is loading the last batch of supplies as we speak. They immediately order Phase 2 to commence"
"Phase 2?" Jane wondered
"Phase 1 was to rescue Andrei Raikov. Phase 2 is to get him inside one of those trains in Lendorf"
"What?!"
"A group of resistance fighters managed to infiltrate the train's security detail. They should be the ones guarding the back carts. That's where we'll insert Raikov. And to keep the Imperials distracted, a full offensive has been ordered. Right now, the 32nd Armored Ranger Corps is fighting in the city. The bulk of our squad will support the assault while a small dedicated team will escort Raikov through the city and make sure he reaches that train. Be warned. We must not reach the vicinity of that train station before Raikov gets on board. If we do, the enemy may opt to get the train moving so keep that in mind!"
"So who's escorting Raikov?" Desmond asked
"Desmond, Edna, Rain, Pietro, and Denzel. You're their leader, Denzel. You'll escort Raikov to the train. The rest will be with me in supporting the Rangers"
"What?" I responded "Me, sir?"
"Yes"
"But…"
"We don't have time! The battle is already underway so we have to get Raikov on that train!"
Lendorf
6:00am:
While everyone else is fighting the main Imperial force, our team was deployed just at the edge of the city. General Barredo taught us a route that'll help us evade most of the Imperials. It involves us walking through the city limits in the east, through narrow alleys, and a coalyard before reaching the train station.
Man… The fighting was so loud, I swear that it sounds like it's happening right next to me.
We were careful not to rouse suspicion, choosing only to engage Imperial soldiers that were I our way. It's a good thing everyone was following orders, even Edna and Desmond weren't fighting as usual. I guess when push comes to shove, we all get serious…
We made it to the coalyard without much trouble. Before entering, we all went against the wall as I took a peek from the gate. It was an open area, save for the mountain of coal strewn all over the place. Imperial soldiers were scattered around the area and an Sdkfz 223 is sitting right in the middle.
There's no way to get past them… The area is too open to simply crawl through and a single shot is enough to alert everyone there. Not to mention that the sounds of battle are getting closer. We don't have much time before the Imperials decide to bail.
"What do we do, Denzel?" Desmond asked
I had to make a decision… Both are risky… If we go in guns blazing, the Imperials will be alerted to our presence and they may opt to get the train moving. It's still a wide sprint before we can reach the rear of the train station, where the resistance would handle the rest. Going at it cautiously is also just as dangerous, if not impossible. There's no way to sneak past these soldiers.
"Denzel" Edna called "What now?"
"We have two options" I answered "We either go guns blazing or we try to sneak past them"
"Sneak past them?" Desmond responded "There's no way we can get through the coalyard without being spotted"
"I know… But if we go guns blazing, it's going to be a race against time"
"I can do it" Andrei responded "I can run"
"Are you sure?"
"Da. We all must contribute to this victory. I am willing to take the risk"
"Is everyone else ok with this?"
Everyone nods. I then looked around before turning to Rain.
"Rain" I said pointing to a nearby tower "Get on top of that building and provide sniper cover. On my mark, you take out the enemy infantry near the tank"
"I copy" Rain replied as she headed towards the stairs
"Everyone else, form up. We'll be in for an intense fight. Pietro. Get that lance ready"
"I'm in position" Rain reported over the radio
Once again, I took a peek. 2 shocktroopers and a scout were near us while a squad of shocktroopers, scouts, and an engineer are near the tank.
"Do it!" I commanded
Rain complies and she takes out 2 enemy shocktroopers before we burst from cover and opened fire on the enemy soldiers near us.
We easily gunned them down but the Imperials quickly turned their sights on us. The armored vehicle unleashed a barrage of machinegun fire, forcing us to go prone.
"Enemy troops have reached this far!" an Imperial soldier said over the radio "Inform the commander!"
Pietro fires a lance rocket, destroying the vehicle before it became a problem. We made quick work of the remaining Imperials.
Time was of the essence, the Imperials were getting ready to leave as they threw everything they had at us, pinning us down in the coalyard. The train station is only across the street. That train must be very important for them! I have to think of a way to get Andrei across the street unharmed!
"Denzel! Incoming tanks!" Edna reported as we saw 3 tanks headed for us.
But there was something off with these tanks. They had the overall design down but none of them had turrets. Just the body, not to mention that it was almost too small for a crew to man it.
Nonetheless, they were headed our way fast.
"Pietro!" I commanded as the lancer complies
His rockets hits one tank, destroying it. The other two pick up speed.
Pietro quickly reloads and fires another rocket, destroying another.
The final tank, though manages to reach us. We all ran before hitting the deck as the tank explodes like some kind of oversized landmine.
"Everyone alright?!" I shouted
"Fuck!" Edna shouted "My leg!"
We all converge on Edna. Shrapnel pierced her right leg and she was in great pain.
None of us had any morphine and ragnaid won't be enough to stop the pain. And to make matters worse, Imperial troops were coming for us.
"Shit!" I said "Desmond! You carry Edna to safety! Rain, continue to provide cover fire from that tower! I'll escort Andrei to the station!"
"Are you crazy?!" Desmond responded "Those are squads you're gonna face!"
"We don't have a choice! Get moving!"
"Ah shit!"
Desmond begrudgingly picks up Edna who cries out in pain.
"Just gotta endure the pain, sweetheart!" Desmond said as he back to our lines
"Andrei!" I said as I pull him behind some barrels "Let's go!"
"You lead" he replied "I will follow"
I quickly break cover and ran towards a nearby crater, created by that tank. Andrei follows close behind and we both go prone as we dig in and engage the Imperial soldiers. Two men with semi-automatic rifles and a sniper against squads of enemy soldiers… Not the kind of situation I'd want to be in!
"I'm displacing, Denzel!" Rain announced over the radio "My rifle can't reach that far!"
"Shit! Copy that! Andrei! We'll be stuck here for a while! Help me fend off these Imperials!"
"Da!"
So it was just me and Andrei fending off Imperial soldiers from a crater. Surprisingly, that crater provided a good deal of cover of the both us. The Imperials were barely precise with their attacks but we were definitely accurate with ours.
"Denzel!" General Barredo said over the radio "Is the target in place?"
"Not yet, sir! We're pinned down by the coalyard!"
"Then find a way to unpin yourselves! We intercepted Imperial comms! The train's about to leave!"
"Shit! Roger that, sir!"
Suddenly, an entire team of Imperial scouts went on some kind of mad charge towards us. They didn't even try to take cover. They were easy picking for us but they were too many to take out in time! We both ran out of ammo as the last scout reached our position.
Luckily, before he could fire a shot, Rain neutralized him.
Me and Andrei quickly reload as I look at the area in front. Imperial soldiers were amassing near some sandbags. There's no way we can take them out from here! And running would be suicide since I saw a couple of shocktroopers amongst those soldiers.
That was when I noticed movement coming from the rear of the train station. A small team of Imperial scouts burst through the door, all them armed with rifle grenades. They're gonna flush us out of our crater!
I tried to shoot them but they were too far for me to be precise. They all aim their rifles but, to my surprise, they all turn their rifles towards the Imperials hiding behind the sandbags.
They all let loose their rifle grenades, all detonating around the Imperials, neutralizing them. It was then that I realized that I forgot about the resistance fighters disguised as Imperial troops. Good thing I couldn't shoot them from here or else that would have been inconvenient.
So with the area mostly clear, I ordered Andrei to run to the train station while I ran towards a destroyed building across it.
I diverted enemy attention to my position as I opened fire on the incoming Imperial soldiers. It was a tough fight. I was surrounded on both sides by Imperials with only Rain providing sniper support. I fought alone there for a good half hour before reinforcements arrived.
"Denzel!" General Barredo said as he approached me "Good work, son. Raikov's safely onboard that train"
"That's good…" I said sitting down against a wall "How's Edna?"
"She's ok. The medics are taking care of her"
"Good…"
"Can you still fight?"
"Yes sir!"
"Then let's get to it. All that's left is to take this city!"
The fighting lasted for another hour but by noon, Lendorf is ours.
I must say. After weeks of being bored and wishing to be back in the frontlines, life sure showed me its dark sense of humor.