Chapter Five; Blood and Iron
The outskirts of Sakai, Osaka, United Front
"Get down!" An explosion rocked the first floor of the apartment building where three Chi-ha-Tan soldiers huddled together behind a crumbling wall. A billow of dust engulfed the three, and they coughed and covered their faces.
The senior of the three, A Rikugun-Chūi (second lieutenant), raised her head and looked out the window, her hand grasped tightly on her helmet. She aimed her Type 99 rifle but there was another loud explosion, and she ducked back down.
"Shit, this is getting tense." She muttered. One of the other girls looked up. "I thought this would be easy!" She whined. The Rikugun-Chūi looked at her. "What made you think that, Jōtōhei(Superior Private)? This is war." She replied. The Jōtōhei quivered. "When we first invaded a week ago, we cut through them like a hot knife through butter."
"That was because they were unprepared, Jōtōhei." The Rikugun-Chūi said. "Though their resistance is even tougher than expected." She muttered.
There was a loud explosion, and the wall next from them crumbled down, revealing a rubble-filled street. Bodies were strewn around, and blood trickled down into the gutters. The constant chattering of machine guns filled the air. A team of Chi-ha-Tan soldiers dragged a Type 38 75 mm field gun into place in the middle of the street. They immediately began firing the gun, aiming towards the street across the apartment. The gun recoiled backwards as a puff of smoke exited out, and the crew rushed to place another shell in the breech.
"I'm scared." The Jōtōhei mumbled. "I don't want to die."
"We all are, soldier. We all are." The Rikugun-Chui answered, standing up and aiming her Type 99 rifle out the window. Squinting, she locked on a Blue Tiger soldier a street across on the second floor of a coffee shop. She pulled the trigger, and after a loud pop, the rifle pushed back into her shoulder. She pulled the bolt, and the hot cartridge flew back into her face. She grimaced and let out a small grunt when the cartridge burned the side of her cheek. She wiped her cheek, and sat back down behind the wall. She panted, her chest rapidly moving up and down.
"Why does it have to be August?" She complained, wiping her brow with her arm. "It's too damn hot to be out fighting. We should be on summer vacation."
She looked back at the two other soldiers. "Jōtōhei, Ittōhei(Private 1st Class), do you have any family back home?" She asked. The Ittōhei nodded. "I have a boyfriend in Annan." She whimpered. "My grandparents live in Minabe." The Jōtōhei stuttered out. The Rikugun-Chūi nodded. "I have family in Kochi." She dug into her pocket and produced a small picture. "Here, this is my family." She said. "My younger brother was born earlier in July this year." She smiled. "His name is Yamato." She signed, and her face darkened. "I never got to see him. I was conscripted into the army all the way in March." She muttered.
She looked at the two remaining soldiers. "You two need to live if you want to see your loved ones again." She told them. The Jōtōhei gulped. "But what about-" The Rikugun-Chūi held up her hand. "I know. I need to live as well." She chuckled. "But you two are younger, just sophomores, right? I'm already a Senior. So I'm basically an adult now. But you two are still young teens." They all scrunched down as bullets hit the windowsill. The Rikugun-Chūi got up and fired back, before kneeling back down.
"Do whatever it takes to survive the war." She said as she inserted a new stripper clip in. "This is going to only get worse."
The Ittōhei glanced over the window and gasped. "There's enemy tanks!" She shouted. "What?" The Rikugun-Chūi stood up and looked out.
Outside there were three tanks; A Renault FT, A Panzer I, and a Vickers 6-ton rolling towards the Chi-ha-Tan positions. "Get down!" The Rikugun-Chūi dove down as a flurry of bullets flew through the window and hit the wall behind them.
The field gun turned to face the Panzer I. "Fire!" The gun rolled backward, and a plume of smoke shot out from the barrel. There was a loud clunk as the shell punched through the Panzer I. The Panzer I began smoking as the shell landed in a building behind the tanks, destroying the wall of an apartment building.
The Vickers 6-Ton was about to fire at the field gun when there was the pthunk of a mortar. The mortar shell plunged into the turret of the Vickers, and the entire tank exploded, showering the entire street with burning chunks of steel.
The Renault FT rolled forward, firing its 7.5mm Reibel machine gun. The crew cowered as the bullets bounced off the field gun shield. The gun fired, but missed and hit the ground just left of the Renault FT.
Two Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks turned the street corner and proceeded to drive right next to the field gun. They both fired at the same time, right at the Renault FT. The two shells penetrated the hull of the tank, and it shuddered for a minute before stopping completely.
The Rikugun-Chūi peeked over and saw the carnage. She wiped the sweat that had formed over her forehead. "They're destroyed…" She muttered. "Thank God."
"When do we advance?" The Jōtōhei asked. The Rikugun-Chūi shrugged. "When the enemy resistance is about to crumble." She answered. "Though that might take quite a while." She raised her Type 99 and fired, taking down a Blue Tiger sniper. "The air force is blasting them all the way to hell though, so it shouldn't take much longer."
A flight of Kawasaki Ki-32s flew over the city of Osaka. The entire metropolitan was a mess. Billows of smoke rose up, creating gray clouds that overlooked the city over what was otherwise was a sunny August day.
The flight leader craned her neck as she looked out her cockpit. She could see the flashes of explosions traces of gunfire. The din of combat was present throughout the entire city. She noted the lack of anti aircraft fire; they were too busy dealing with the infantry below or were not even present at all.
She saw the torrent of people running out at the north end of the city. If she directed her wing and dropped their loads on them, it would create hundreds, if not thousands of casualties. But that was not their intention or mission. They were to locate and destroy an artillery position that were creating trouble for the soldiers in Habikino.
She finally spotted the artillery position; the flashes of explosions and the pockets of smoke allowed her to pinpoint the location. "We are approaching the target. Prepare to drop load in 120 seconds." She radioed to the planes behind her.
The plane shuddered as she turned the control stick to the right. The Ki-32 veered east, and the planes behind followed suit. They dove towards the ground, and the lead pilot felt blood rush to her head as they nosedived at an incredible speed. The buildings grew bigger as they loomed closer to their targets.
She saw the three 15 cm sFH 18 howitzers at work, blasting 43.52 kg shells into the air. Every time they fired the barrel recoiled down, and the crew stepped back and covered their ears as a deafening boom echoed through the clearing.
"Alright ladies, time to show who's boss!" She shouted. "Follow me!" She aimed her plane towards the artillery, and the artillery crew scrambled out of the way as they saw the squad of dive-bombers buzz above them.
"Now!" The pilot felt her plane feel much lighter as the four 100kg bombs dropped out from the Bomb bay and sailed to the ground. She pulled up on the control stick as hard as she could, and the plane slowly arced back up into the sky, barely skimming the surface of the trees. She turned her head backwards, and was ecstatic to see four red explosions billow up in a mushroom cloud. Her plane shook violently as the air got pulled into the explosions, and she had to push harder to get out of the suction. The following planes also dropped their bombs, and rose back up to the atmosphere as the ground below them got churned up.
"We did it, good job!" The pilot exclaimed. The wing turned around to land back at base, leaving behind several craters and destroyed pieces of artillery, with their dead crews scattered around the empty clearing.
"Please evacuate in an orderly fashion!" The police officer bellowed as tens of thousands of civilians streamed past him. Stuffed into cars or stuck on foot, they jammed the roads leading out of Osaka and hampered important military reinforcements from coming in. The local police and garrison forces assisted the evacuation, directing the people to where they will be taken to safety. People screamed and cried as explosions rocked the very ground they stood on. Despite the efforts of the authorities to keep everything organized, the situation was getting horrendously chaotic.
The young Blue Tiger soldier was among the ones directing the evacuation, helping people get to the right areas, sometimes even having to use her Mauser rifle to roughly push aggressive civilians out of the way.
She was just finished helping an elderly man onto a small bus she was grabbed from behind by an old woman. Though two other soldiers was dragging her to the bus, she was resisting as much as she could.
"My baby! My child! I need my child!" She screamed. "I need him!"
"Ma'am, be concerned about your own safety!" One of the soldiers dragging her shouted. "I need my boy!" The woman wailed.
The young soldier bent down. "Was he with you when you evacuated?" She asked. The woman shook her head. "I was out shopping when the order came. He was home alone at the time." Tears streamed down her face. The young soldier gripped the woman's shoulders. "Where is your house?" She demanded. "Hiranomachi, Chuo ward 3 chome!" The woman replied shakily. The young soldier stood up. "I'll bring your son. I promise." She said. "Thank you!" The woman cried as the young soldier turned around and ran against the human tide.
Chuo ward, I'll have to cross the rail bridge, the young soldier thought to herself. She jumped over heaps of broken brick and stone and traversed through abandoned neighborhoods. There was nobody in this part of the city anymore, but there were scores of corpses lying on the streets with blood spilling out of their bodies. Clothes and furniture was strewn outside, as civilians that were trying to run desperately took their belongings with them but found them in the way, so discarded them in the end. Pets were also abandoned, and were roaming around the empty streets.
She reached the Hankyu-Kyoto line bridge over the Yodo river. On the bridge was an abandoned train hanging off the side. The young soldier tiptoed her way across the bridge, eventually jumping into the train by way of the broken front glass. She ran through the silent train cars, with only the occasional body to greet her. With each explosion the entire train would shake, causing the young soldier to lose balance.
She escaped the train and was back on the train tracks. She trekked her way down the rails, only getting off when she reached the train station.
She gagged when she saw the scene at the train station. The platform was in itself a hell all in its own. Body parts littered the entire platform, and no tile was left unsoaked by the unimaginable amount of blood. Vending machines were toppled over, their contents spilling out. Bodies with the color of dark red flesh and muscle were piled up on high, almost touching the ceiling. The remains of pulverized human were left glued to the train tracks. The smell of rotting flesh was overwhelming, and the thousands of flies buzzed around her en masse as if it was one single living organism.
She couldn't take it; she vomited, which only contributed to the stench and filth. She was too glad in getting out of there.
She sped through the city, surprisingly encountering live human combat. But not the way she anticipated, or wished. The first one was a man robbing an empty convenience store.
The window was broken and the racks were devoid of their goods. The young soldier raised her rifle and carefully stepped over to the window. "Who's there?" She asked warily. Out comes out a man around in his thirties, carrying several plastic bags filled with food. He grinned awkwardly at the young soldier, who motioned him to drop his things. He complied, dropping his bags and raising his hands up in the air. "I don't see a problem with taking what's been left behind, miss." He chuckled, touching the stubble on his chin. He took a step back, and in under a second had run off into the direction from where the young soldier had come.
The soldier was walking down a residential neighborhood when she heard a scream from within one of the houses. She sprinted to the house from where the scream originated. It was a small two story house, with ornaments dotting the green lawn. The front door was wide open, swinging in the wind. The young soldier crept through the main hallway, past the empty front room and bath room. It was in the living room where she saw the source of the noise.
In the center of the room was a small wooden table, with a broken vase and lamp next to it on the floor. On the table were two female bodies, the older one facing the ceiling while the younger facing downwards. Both were stripped naked, the older one just her shirt, while the younger one completely. There were dry tears on both of them, and streaks of blood on the lower half of the younger girl, who looked no older than twelve.
There were two male bodies to the side of the wall. One was the father, while the other one must have been the son. Both had enormous bloody gashes on their chest. The gaping holes was the source for the blood splattered against the yellow walls. Both had faces of shock plastered on them.
Then there was the man, who looked to be in his fifties. He stood behind the deceased young girl, grabbing the cold torso. He looked up in surprise as the young soldier entered the room. He had a large grin and his eyes were wild. In his right hand was a bloody ax, clearly the weapon used to murder the family. The young soldier stepped back in revulsion as the man stepped away from the dead girl, revealing his exposed genitals which were covered with black blood. The man with a grin beckoned the young soldier to come over to him with his ax, using his free hand to wipe his genitals of the blood from the little girl. Shock, anger, disgust, despair, then hatred overtook the young soldier as she took in the gruesome scene. She gripped her rifle, and lunged towards the man.
She left the house, with a bloodied bayonet and a expression of misery etched on her face.
She continued on with her journey, stumbling across corpse-filled streets. Her heart nearly exploded when she clearly heard a moan from just across the corner.
She darted to the corner, a barbershop and almost stumbled over the half dead man lying on the ground. "Help me." He moaned, raising his hand. "Help me!"
The young soldier looked down down, and saw only the upper half of the man. His intestines were trailing behind him, along with a stream of blood flowing down the paved road. The young soldier stared at the man, who continued to beg. "I'm sorry." She mumbled before running past him.
"You murderer! You bastard!" The wails of the man died down as the young soldier got farther and farther away, tears falling off her cheeks.
She reached her destination, Hiranomachi, Chuo ward 3 chome. She walked down the street, trying to detect any signs of human life. Then she heard it. The cries of a young child. Over there! She turned to the house in the middle of the block.
She stormed through the front door, which was open. She ran through each room and hall, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Little boy, where are you? Help is here!"
"Up here!" A young boy's voice trailed down from the second floor. The young soldier leapt up the stairs and screeched to a halt in front of a room, with the door being blocked by several pieces of rubble. "Little boy, are you in here?" She asked in a shaky voice as she pounded the door. There was a pound from the other side, and there was an affirmative "Yes!".
"I can't open the door, miss!" The boy cried frantically. "I'll get you out!" The young soldier reassured him while throwing the chunks of rubble out of the way.
She got all the rubble away from the door, and tried turning the doorknob, but it did not turn. Locked? Jammed? Her mind imploded with this unexpected obstacle. "Hold on! Step back!" She ordered the little boy. After hearing the scurrying of feet as an affirmation to her order she took aim with her Mauser rifle at the hinges of the door. Crack! With a shot the hinge was blasted into pieces. She raised her rifle and repeated the process. Crack! Crack! Two more shots and all three hinges were broken. Using the butt of her rifle she slammed into the door, trying to break it down. She used her rifle as a battering ram, again and again with a loud don the rifle was hurled against the wooden door, each time creating a deeper dent in the door.
Eventually the door crashed down, and the young soldier fell with it. She landed with a loud thud on the floor. She looked up and saw a young boy, just around the age of eight staring down at her. "Are you here to rescue me?" He asked apprehensively. The young soldier nodded.
The little boy began to tear up as he stumbled over to the young soldier. The young soldier grabbed him and pulled him in a tight embrace. "It's alright. Everything is alright. You're safe now." She said, choking out sobs. They both crumpled to the floor stuck together, bawling their hearts out.
The sniper adjusted her Gewehr 98, peering through her scope from the top of the building. Just across the street was a Chi-ha-Tan position, with several soldiers lying down behind safety. Safety, let's see about that, the sniper chuckled to herself as she found a particular target. She was a small girl, with her helmet almost too big for her. Her Type 38 certainly was too big for her, it almost being the same length of her entire body. The sniper smiled as her finger moved towards the trigger. But before she could pull it, her finger and mind froze.
She's a human too, I can't just shoot her, she thought. I can't… She began to shake, which in turn shakes her rifle as well. She shook her head. They attacked us, so they deserve it! They killed my friends and family! She justified to herself. She held her breath as she took aim once again. She fired, and pulled the bolt back. She looked into the scope in anticipation of the kill, but what she saw twisted her initial gleeful smile into a state of shock.
Her target was alive and well, except for the gaping hole in her shoulder. The sniper cursed and aimed her rifle once again. She tried to fire, but her heart stopped when she saw the contorted expression of agony on the girl's face as she squirmed on the ground. The sniper could only imagine the pained screams for a medic. Her eyes widened at the prospect of ending her life. I can't do it. What right do I have to end another person's life? She desperately thought. But she probably killed someone I knew, she countered herself. What's wrong with taking a life that is a danger to us?
Her breathing became heavy as she tried to clear her head. This isn't right. But what they started isn't right. I'm defending my home. They're trying to destroy it. I've done enough already, right? No, I've only maimed her, she can still be an asset to the enemy.
She leaned her head forward, her mind full of conviction. This time...her eye pressed up against the scope, she stared down at the wounded soldier below.
In her crosshairs she saw a Type 97 Chi-Ha roll up into the street. It stopped, blocking the wounded soldier and raised its Barrel right at the sniper.
The sniper raised her head up and put her rifle down. I guess I couldn't decide after all, she thought bitterly to herself.
The building exploded, causing it to collapse. The barrel of the Type 97 was smoking, and it advanced up the rubble, gunning down all enemy troops still crawling around.
Kuromorimine High School Airport
Maho and Anchovy stood by the edge of the airstrip, looking at the sky.
"Why are we waiting here?" Anchovy asked. She had no idea what was going on, just only waking up a few hours ago. "Man, when are we having lunch?"
"Just wait and see." Maho replied with an excited tone. She was eager to see how the crazy girl would enter this time. "She's going to put on a show you can't miss."
"But the Neapolitan Carpaccio made for us is going to get cold." Anchovy whined. "Can't we watch from inside?"
"No, no. We cannot." Maho repeated. She looked at her watch. "It should be time…"
They both heard the noise of a propeller, they looked up and saw in the sky a fighter plane flying straight forward. "Here she is!" Maho exclaimed cheerfully.
The plane dove down, it's nose directly aiming for the ground. It sped downwards, twisting its frame in doing barrel rolls along the way.
"What the hell?" Anchovy shouted. Maho smiled. "Keep watching."
The plane suddenly veered up, its fuselage barely skimming the concrete runway. Slowly it rose up, just enough to fly above the heads of Maho and Anchovy. As it flew past them the powerful winds that accompanied it blew Maho's hat off. It zoomed back up, until it was a black dot in the middle of the sun. It turned upside down as it flew away from the two.
It turned rightside up again as it arced back towards the runway, continuing to barrel roll. It rolled one last time before sailing onto the airstrip. It bumped and skidded across the surface, but stopped once it got to Maho and Anchovy. Anchovy was gaping while Maho was clapping her hands.
The aircraft was a Hungarian MÁVAG Héja fighter plane. The cockpit opened and out came Géza, the Admiral of Arrow Cross High School.
"Well done, magnificent!" Maho applauded. Géza bowed. "That was only the preliminaries." She said with a smirk. "You're absolutely crazy!" Anchovy shouted. Géza laughed. "And we need some crazy to calm down this world."
"And what did you call me in for?" She asked Maho. "We're still waiting for two more people." Maho replied. "Who?" Anchovy asked. Maho waved her hand. "Now now, just wait and see." She only said.
A few minutes later a biplane appeared. A Polikarpov Po-2 glided down the sky and landed perfectly on the runway.
Two woman got out the aircraft, wearing goggles and helmets. One of the women took off her gear which revealed a beautiful face with long blonde hair.
"Klara." Maho said as the woman walked over to the group. Klara jumped up and hugged Maho. "It's been a while!" She shouted. Maho smiled. "It has, hasn't it?" Klara let go and shook hands with Géza and Anchovy. "How's it being under Katyusha?" Géza teased. Klara beamed. "She is wonderful! It is so fun being with her!" She answered. "And why didn't Katyusha come?" Anchovy raised one of her eyebrows. "She had an important meeting to go to." Klara explained.
There was a loud roar, and all three glanced up and saw a Kawasaki Ki-56 transport aircraft looming above them. It landed on the airstrip, its twin propellers halting its spinning. The doors opened and Tamada stepped out.
"Nishi-dono was unable to attend today." She announced. Maho nodded. "That's fine." She looked at the group. "Alright, everybody is here."
A Mercedes rolled up to the runway, and the chauffeur opened the doors. He saluted when Maho and the others walked towards the car. Maho waved her hand in response as she got in the front seat, while Klara, Géza, Anchovy and Tamada piled in the back.
"It's a bit too cramped in here." Klara complained. "I feel fine." Tamada said. "Hm, this feels just like the Carro Veloce." Anchovy noted. "Maybe we should put someone in the trunk." Géza suggested. Maho chuckled. "You guys will just have to deal with it for a while." She told them.
The Mercedes drove out of the airport and into the city of Niigata. They zigzagged through the streets and through dozens of neighborhoods.
"Where are we going?" Anchovy asked. "A restaurant." Maho replied. "Restaurant?" Klara repeated. Maho nodded. "It's a good place I found."
The Mercedes stopped by a large building, and they all stepped out. "This place?" Tamada asked. "Yeah, let's go." Maho began walking up the stairs to the front door. She turned around and looked at the four girls below. "Are you coming?" She asked with a slightly menacing tone. "Yes, ma'am!" They quickly followed her up the stairs.
They sat down at a table, and a waiter scurried towards the table. "Mein Führer, what would you-"
"Currywurst please." Maho replied.
"Kar-kar-kartoffelsalat and Dampfnudel." Anchovy stuttered out.
"Schäufele." Géza said in a bored tone.
"Stollen." Tamada exclaimed.
"Pickert." Klara licked her lips.
"Right away." The waiter saluted and ran off. Maho looked on as he rushed towards the kitchen. "This place is one of the best German places in all of Japan. I know the owner personally." Anchovy nodded. "This seems like a good place."
"So, what compelled you to bring us here?" Géza asked. "What?" Maho shrugged. "I wanted to have lunch together."
"But there must be much more to it." Klara interjected. Maho backed up in her seat. Okay, okay." She put her hands in the air. "I've gathered you here to sign an alliance against St. Gloriana, BC Freedom and Maginot." She explained.
"Oh, that's it?" Tamada said. Maho nodded. "Hm, we do need a formal alliance to oppose the new 'Maternal Alliance' that Darjeeling managed to cook up." She said. "They managed to completely surround us."
"So you called us to fight them back?" Géza leaned back in her chair. Maho nodded. "If we can pull together, we can oppose Darjeeling on equal terms."
"Klara." Tamada waved at Klara, who looked up. "I would like you to stop sending arms and supplies to United Front. It hampers with our mission." She stated.
"We are not aiding United Front." Klara replied quickly. Tamada hesitated. "But the Red Dragons we have encountered in the north clearly had arms and tanks that Pravda field." She said apprehensively. "That is not us." Klara narrowed her eyes. "That is Bellwall. If you have a problem, I suggest you go to them." She clarified in a low tone, to which Tamada nodded her head.
"Here is your food." The waiter brought the dishes and placed them by the girls.
"Mmm, this stollen is amazing!" Tamada sucked on her fingers as the sugary powders were glued to her hands. Géza cut the schäufele with a fork and knife. "This is good." She noted. Klara finished a pickert. "I've never eaten anything like this." She said. "Wow, this is so good!" Anchovy shouted as she swallowed a dampfnudel.
"I know right?" Maho agreed, cutting the currywurst into little pieces. She put the endpiece into her mouth, and began chewing. She swallowed and took a swig of water.
"So, what do you think?" She put down her utensils. The other girls looked at her. "An alliance!" Maho exclaimed. "I think it is a good idea." Tamada spoke up. "We would be a bulwark against St. Gloriana." Klara nodded. "I agree. Darjeeling has become a hindrance to the overall balance of Japan. She and her allies must be taken down."
"Darjeeling happened to make an alliance with two relatively unimportant, but potentially deadly schools on their side." Maho said. "Gregor and Viking Fisheries." She sighed. "She really got us. Gregor has a straight path right into Niigata. That's why I called you, Géza. I want you to invade them from the east."
Géza grunted. "Hm, I don't know." She replied. "Aw, come on. You two share Fukushima together. Doesn't it seem like a dream to have the entire prefecture for yourself. More land is never a bad thing." Maho smirked. "Just think about it." Géza pondered for a bit while Maho continued. "Viking Fisheries is the neighbor of Viggens, our main provider of steel. If they fall, our factories will halt production of our tanks and weapons. I talked to Loki the other day, and it seems she wants to remain neutral for the time being. I told her to be wary of any activity from Viking, and if something does happen, she is free to join us at any time."
"Then there's Kebab. They've joined 'The Maternal Alliance' as well." Anchovy added. She threw another dampfnudel in her mouth. "What I'm guessing is that they want Bosphorus to attack me while they overwhelm Kuromorimine."
She groaned. "The thing is, two days ago I got a message from Gallipoli. They warned us that if any of us invade each other, they will align themselves with the defending party."
"So what are you going to do about it?" Klara asked. Anchovy glanced at Klara. "I told them I wasn't going to do anything. And it's true. I'm not going to preemptively attack Kebab."
"So basically you're going to let Bosphorus attack you, and force Mustafa to join us." Maho finished, and Anchovy nodded in confirmation. "That's the game plan." She said.
"Do you have a name for our new alliance?" Géza wondered. Maho smiled. "Yes, It is the perfect name. 'The Iron Front'." She revealed.
"'Iron Front'? What's that supposed to mean?" Tamada asked, chewing a piece of stollen into bits. "Glad you asked!" Maho shouted, standing up. "It means that our friendship will be strong as iron! Our defense and offense will be as powerful as iron! Our resolve will be as hard as iron! Our armies will be as unstoppable as iron!" She exclaimed.
"But steel is much stronger…" Klara raised her finger, but Maho glared at her. "Iron sounds much better." Klara shrugged and lowered her hand.
"I kind of get it." Anchovy said, twirling her fingers across her twin tails. Géza finished her pig scapula. "You know what, I'm in." She chuckled. Tamada grinned. "I like it!"
Klara signed, a tiny smirk on her face. "If you all say so." She muttered.
Maho raised her hand. "Waiter, five glasses and a bottle of champagne!" She shouted. The waiter walked over, holding several glasses and a bottle. "Here you go, mein Führer." He said, placing them all on the table.
Maho poured champagne for the others, then one glass for herself. She raised her glass in the air. "To the 'Iron Front'. Cheers!"
"Cheers!" Four voices resonated together as five glasses made a loud clink sound.
Bellwall High School
"Nonna!"
"What is it, Katyusha?"
"Why do we have to come out all the way to the middle of nowhere?"
"Calling this nowhere is a bit rude, Katyusha. You should not be rude to your hosts."
"I know! I just…"
"Don't you know being rude to other people will bring out zombies?"
"Zombies!?"
"Yes, they will come out at night and swallow you whole."
"But you and Klara will protect me, right?"
"Unfortunately, we are both allergic to zombies, so we will be of no use."
"You can be allergic to zombies!?"
"Of course. How do you think zombie outbreaks happen?"
"You get bitten…"
"But if you are allergic you will die, then you will turn into a zombie. People that are not allergic to zombies will be completely fine."
"I've never heard of that before. How come?"
"It doesn't need to be explained."
"And why not?"
"We are all allergic to zombies."
"So it doesn't change anything!"
"You do know she's messing with you, right?" The new voice stopped Katyusha and Nonna as they walked through the street. Katyusha frowned. "Nonna will never do that, right?" Nonna smiled. "Of course not." She replied.
She turned around, and in front of her is a little girl staring right at Katyusha. Her hair was pulled into a bun at both sides of her head, and wore a Cheongsam dress. Her pale skin was almost ghostly white compared to the girls from Pravda. "It's been awhile, hasn't it, Katyusha?" She shouted in a high voice. Katyusha smirked. "Well well, if it isn't little Hunan. How's the view?" She taunted. Hunan shrugged. "At least I don't need to be on mommy all the time to compensate for my diminished pride." She retorted.
"How dare you!" Katyusha scowled. "Don't you dare insult Katyusha!"
"Hello, comrade Hunan. Good to see you in your usual self." Nonna bowed. Hunan gave a wide grin. "Good to see you too Nonna!"
"Chairwoman Hunan! Please stop wandering off by yourself!" A tall woman appeared behind Hunan. She had long yellow hair that rested on her left shoulder. "Shaanxi, don't worry about a thing!" Hunan shouted. Shaanxi had a wore a worried expression. "Who knows what could happen…" She noticed Nonna and Katyusha. "You were invited too?"
"Da, we were told to wait by the governmental mansion." Nonna replied. "We were too." Hunan added. "Why were we even invited?" Katyusha muttered.
"Who knows. I have no clue what that red-haired devil is thinking." Hunan said. "Say, why did you meet up with the Fascists a few weeks back?" She glanced at Katyusha, who turned red. "It, it was for collective security! We both have the same goal in wiping Bonple off the map!" She explained. Hunan nodded. "So you're using them as a shield against the Capitalists."
They walked up the street. "How is everything going back at your school?" Nonna asked. Shaanxi groaned. "We are stuck in the Northern and eastern parts, cut off by both the Blue Tigers and Chi-ha-Tan armies."
"That must be hard." Nonna said. "Yes, it is tough for us to get by…" Shaanxi mumbled.
They ended up at a large house, nearly five stories tall. "Where are we?" Katyusha muttered. "Do we have a map?"
"Hey guys!" The four girls stared in wonder as the front door swung open and a girl with red long hair split into two twintails stood above them.
"Nagasuka Emi! What's this all about?" Katyusha demanded. "Why would you have us wander around in this strange place?"
"Sorry I was at a meeting." Emi responded. "Anyways, come on in."
They sat in the living room, where Emi brought out green tea. "Sorry for calling you out here at a time like this." Emi said, holding her own cup of tea. "Whatever, it's fine." Katyusha sipped on her tea. "Better not be a waste of Katyusha's time."
"I hope not too." Emi agreed. "And? What's your reason?" Hunan prompted with a wave of her hand.
"Well, Pravda, Red Tigers and Bellwall are the only schools in Japan with Socialist leanings, and I thought we need to stick together." Emi explained.
"That is true." Nonna said. "We are thoroughly outnumbered by the Democracies and Fascist schools."
"There is the new 'Maternal Alliance' that Darjeeling created." Shaanxi duly noted. "And Kuromorimine is trying to rally the Fascists to their side as a result."
"We really are out of our league…" Katyusha muttered.
"No!" Emi slammed her fist against the table. "Don't act so pessimistically! This is our chance!" She shouted.
"Chance?" Hunan raised her head. Emi nodded. "This war will show everybody the flaws of their ways. We will be the ones to survive, and everybody will turn to Communism to rebuild themselves! This will be the ripe time for a student revolution!"
"I get it!" Shaanxi clasped her hands together. "We'll wait for them to destroy each other, and we'll come and clean them all up!"
Emi nodded. "That's right. We will become the beacon of a new Socialist international tomorrow!"
"Comrade Emi, that seems like quite the ambition." Nonna said. Emi grinned. "We need to think big in this day and age."
"I like it!" Hunan exclaimed. "Sounds grandiose!"
"Freeing the students is always grandiose! Our hope is in the students." Katyusha added.
"That's right. That is why I have declared our new pact to be called the 'Student's Internationale'!" Emi said with a grin.
"Katyusha approves!" Katyusha exclaimed. "Nice name." Hunan added. Shaanxi smiled. "It has a nice touch to it."
"It sounds nice." Nonna grinned. Emi beamed. "Glad you like it!"
In the mountains of Nara, United Front
A column of Chi-ha-Tan infantry marched through the dense forest, while the Type 97 tanks rolled through the dirt path. One soldier wiped her glasses. Jesus, why do we have to march under this damn sun? She thought she got back in formation.
Crack! The distinct sound of rifle fire made everybody drop to the ground. The soldier aimed her rifle toward the black forest, but nothing came out.
Until she saw the orange muzzle flash. It sparkled in the distance, and the soldier next to her jerked up and screamed in pain. "I'm hit!" She groaned as she slid to the ground, blood seeping out of her stomach.
Immediately the entire forest lit up in gunfire as the column dispersed to find cover. Soldier after soldier fell with a bullet in their head or torso.
"It's the damn Red Dragons!"
"Ambush!"
"Medic! We need a medic over here!"
The soldiers continued to fall, some trying to fire back into the forest. The path became filled with bodies as the Chi-ha-Tan troops slowly converged into the center. "The tanks! Take cover behind the tanks!" One soldier shouted. She gritted her teeth when a bullet pierced her arm. She dropped her rifle and crumpled to the ground.
Then explosions began throwing the already panicked soldiers into the air. "What the hell? Is this artillery?" One soldier exclaimed.
"They have tanks!" Another soldier shouted. Soldiers grab their bodies as bullets punctured through them. The once green and brown dirt now turned a dark red color. Soldiers began using corpses as cover, as bullets thudded against them.
From within the forest the group of Red Dragon guerrillas fired their DP machine guns and Mosin-Nagant rifles towards the open path, where the Chi-ha-Tan troops were running around. One guerrilla aimed her Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 rifle at the head of an officer waving her pistol in the air. The guerrilla pulled the trigger, and the officer's head exploded, detonating in an explosion of blood and brain matter.
The Type 97 began firing indiscriminately into the forest, spraying metal and fire across the shrubbery. The guerrillas made way as several T-26 light tanks in camouflage rolled up through the forest and fired at the Type 97s.
Within minutes the tanks were a flaming pile of scrap metal. The remaining soldier began running back to their barracks, leaving behind dozens of their dead comrades, allowing the Red Dragons to loot the dead bodies of their weapons.
Kuromorimine, 3 km away from Bonple border, around 11:30 P.M.
Koume was in her study, reading a book she found on her shelf. The study was illuminated by the moonlight as she drowsily turned the pages.
There was a sudden knock at the door. "Who is it?" She called.
"It's Eric, General Akaboshi." Eric's voice called out from the other side. "I'm sorry to interrupt but-"
"How many times have I told you to just call me Koume?" Koume interrupted. "Come in."
The door opened and Eric stepped in. "Orders from the capital….why are you dressed like that?" He looked down and turned red. "Please put some clothes on!"
Koume looked at herself. She was only in her underwear. "This is clothes." She replied. "Do you not want to see me like this?" She pulled on her frilly underwear.
Eric blushed even more as he walked over to Koume and handed her a file. He then turned around and quickly left the study.
"He's too serious." Koume pouted as she looked at the file. In in was a document, which she took out. She carefully read over it.
"Commence Operation Licht on August 7th, A.C. (After Collapse) 1, 6:47 A.M." She chuckled to herself. "Finally, some action!" She rolled into her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Huzzah, now we got two more alliances as a result of the creation of 'The Maternal Alliance'. Good luck Darjeeling, you may have just played yourself. And Bellwall is now here! Bellwall is an underrated/underrepresented school, and I hope they will become a force to reckon in the future.
Well, that's all folks, until later, Auf wiedersehen!