"The Battle Of Rome"
City of Rome, Romagna, 1945
A city under siege…
Nothing was ever the same from everyone who was there. Civilians were on the run and mostly taking cover behind the buildings as the invaders fired explosives, destroying and damaging buildings. And right along the casualties counted were several civilians and a lot of ground troop reserves.
At this time, Maria was running for a spare bunker in the city while being escorted by two guards running behind her. As one of the remaining people in power, she needed to get her people together. That changed when she was ambushed when she reached the military headquarters of the city. An ATLAS Warbird descended quick in the area and an AST drops down, shaking the ground as it impacts on the ground. Opening fire on the guards, the rounds did the work and bodies fell where they stand. She then took to the other direction and the guards tried to follow, only finding they were attacked next, with one escort kicked away and the other hit with a flying to the heart. The man who attacked the guards de-cloaks, revealing himself to Maria. And as she was about to run, another man who jumped off the roof lands near where she was and grabs her.
"Sector 05's ours." The other man said to the one who restrained Maria. "More cavalry. Look."
Most eyes from ATLAS mercenaries were able to pick up communications from assault airships coming from the gateways. Then, fighter jets started to arrive in through them.
"Ghost, we gotta move!" The other man said and kept watch.
The man named Ghost, the one who restrained Maria tied wrist-wraps on her hands behind her back. "We know who you are. Your civvie clothes don't fool us. And just to let you know… The city is ours."
Maria grits her teeth and glares at her captor. "Say what you will! You may as well leave."
"It's actually true. All you gotta do is be a good girl. Maybe you'll get to keep your legs."
"Romagna will never fall to the likes of you. It never fell to Neuroi. You won't make much difference to us."
Ghost used his elbow and hits the backside of her head. "Tell yourself that all you want. It doesn't change a thing. Prophet, Atlas One-Three Actual. We got the Principle!"
"Copy, One-Three. Standby for extraction. What's your SITREP?"
Ghost keeps forcing Maria to walk while jogging for the objective. "We're at full strength and attacking the HQ!"
As the military headquarters is kept on being attacked, armed divisions from the Romagnan military are still being coordinated from a few rooms, where one of them houses a Major General of the army. With the ATLAS forces dropping on the HQ, interior spaces were eventually being invaded, while drop pods are crashing on the roof. One even managed to break through the barrier of the HQ and were sending troops inside directly. One by one, guards were being eliminated. Rooms were being cleared and mercenaries killed more guards.
The major general had no choice but to transfer the armed forces' authority to a colonel somewhere in the city. Then another order was issued at once: Burn all documents and destroy all communications equipment to prevent the enemy from using them.
Even if what was done to prevent ATLAS from using the equipment was to benefit the city's military, it didn't change the fact that their weapons wouldn't be able to pierce through the armor of their enemy. As a result, everyone else in the military HQ were brutally massacred.
Meanwhile, Shirley, Francesca and Yoshika were running for it, going past streets that have been filled with corpses and other civilians running away. Lucchini made sure to keep her hand on Yoshika's as the Fusojin couldn't do anything else but panic, run, and scream as she would suffer mentally. Civilians running in one direction would evidently be shot by an enemy squad with no mercy in their eyes at all. With the things Shirley has seen from the enemy like cloaking appearances and the weapons they hold, Shirley knew that who they're facing is clearly overmatched against the forces in the city.
Finding time to take cover, Shirley was able to get a transmission from the city's military communications grid using her earpiece. "This is Colonel Amone Talone! Major General Amore Costanzo is believed to be KIA and I'm assuming command! All forces, fall back and regroup at the Coliseum! I say again… All forces fall back and regroup at the Coliseum! Out!"
Shirley looked at Lucchini who was still holding Yoshika. "Lucchini! Got your earpiece and listening in?"
"Yeah! I heard! Coliseum, right?!" Lucchini asked rhetorically.
"Your bloodied shirt should have given things away, but I'm glad you're okay. Is Yoshika still-?" As Shirley asked, she stopped and looked at Yoshika, still terrified of things and not being able to talk. "Damn… Lucchini! I'm gonna take point again! Keep your eyes on Yoshika and take care of her. I'm keeping full focus for the enemy!"
"Okay!"
"Ready?! Let's go!" Shirley leads the other two to continue on their path…
Jonathan Irons – This was it… I was entering the other world with the help of this gateway. And I'm almost through.
The Mobile Airship Atlas was on the move through the gateway together with two more assault airships following close behind. More infantry, weaponry and armor are on the assault airships.
I always had in mind of making sure nothing from the city's defending forces would be left out. There's bound to be some resistance after the city is taken, however. And since there was plenty of reconnaissance material to use from the previous attempts to cross teams into the world, we practically have a map of the city.
Soon, Irons was able to see the situation over the city of Rome as the Mobile Airship Atlas, the force's flagship, had finally crossed through the other side of the gateway and into the new world. As soon as he was given new information especially of the communication interception about the city's military gathering at the coliseum, he issued orders. "Hold those initiatives on the attack for what's left of them. We'll wait for them to gather at the coliseum first."
"Yes, sir. Looks as if we bag this one easily." The captain of the Mobile Airship said that in response and started to issue the appropriate orders to subordinates.
"Captain, our more prioritized goal is to have our boys secure the outskirts. Block the enemy reinforcements from coming in and neutralize them. And hopefully those who were falling back from their HQ would run into the same trap."
"That's a better thought than usual, sir."
"Yes. If they don't back down now, they all die." Irons said that just before he remained silent.
ATLAS only had three battle tanks deployed, and each were driven to the city's outskirts. An armored column that joins in the defense of Romagna is on the main road. Scattering to engage the ATLAS battle tanks, they could only stand for so long against the more durable and powerful adversaries. The ATLAS battle tanks even have an advantage with anti-tank rockets, something the tanks in the 40's don't have at all. With the tanks of history easily dealt with, the main battle tanks pursue the enemy crew, leaving none alive in only a few minutes.
Minna was personally leading the flight to Rome with all members of the wing save for the three who were stuck in the city of Rome. Coming into radio transmission range of their earpieces, she tries to contact the three. And she gets no response. "I'm getting no response in there. I'm guessing the city's transceivers are down. Damn... I should have anticipated this..."
"That's the least of our problems," Mio Sakamoto, a Fusojin with a single eyepatch and possessing a sword strapped to her back, spoke as she flew right beside Minna. "Yeager, Lucchini and Miyafuji are still missing from inside the city. We should focus on protecting them."
"That's if we find them," Lynette said, bursting in the conversation suddenly. "I'm very worried... Yoshika... My friend is in danger!"
Earth 1... New Baghdad...
Major Cormack himself couldn't believe it as he was looking through his int-scope. As soon as Knox reported that there was a massive blue light acting as a hole in the sky, Command had reported the same thing, saying this could be a threat, and ordered the attacks on New Baghdad to cease. He was seeing airships coming into the hole in the sky along with aircraft and something made sense from this: Irons had another angle nobody else knew all these years after the initial KVA attacks.
Gideon just jogged and stopped just beside Cormack. "I've got Mitchell and Ilona to pull back. Mate... This is a mistake. We shouldn't have stopped with the advance."
"Much as I'd like to agree with you completely, this changes everything. If Irons was willing to dump his plans by leaving, then this plan of moving involved biding his time."
"What the fuck was he up to all those years then?"
"The attack in San Francisco... MANTICORE... If the world trembled in fear, then he could have won... But this?" Cormack sighs. "This is a completely unprecedented contingency he's done. But I agree on one thing with you. We could have taken it slow to keep attacking and defied orders, but that would make our unity waver. And I wouldn't want that. But... We wouldn't want ATLAS to bide their time as long as they got a major presence here..."
"Can't do anything out of our control. Well... Irons finally kicked the bucket and stepped up." Gideon groaned. "Well... Fuck me."
Earth 2... Romagna...
On the flight to Rome, Gertrude was patient as she lets the formation of the 501st dictate their pace. It was quick and they were flying low to keep their speed up. And as the city of Rome was in range of her own eyes, she could see the smoke as well as the burning buildings from different houses and military structures from the city's base. Looking at the holes in the sky, there were more airships than usual. "2 more airships?" She muttered that to herself. "Hold on, Yoshika. I owe you for saving me."
Minna was leading the flight entering the city's airspace when she saw two jet aircraft attempt to fly behind them. "What the-? Hostile planes!" And machine-gun fire was coming at their formation. All witches deployed shields and scattered. "All of you, pair up now! Sword and Shield maneuvers! Engage!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" The rest follow her orders.
Minna finds Hartmann and pairs up with her just as one of the jet aircraft attack. Hartmann absorbs it through her shield. Once the jet got in range... "SPIN!" Minna ordered it and they both changed positions. Armed with an MG 42, Minna unleashes a full automatic spray of rounds and was focused on the jet aircraft's cockpit. Her own intuitions and instinct were call correctly. The jet aircraft lost control and crashed. The other pairs have followed suit, being cautious as well as being defensive as they engaged jet aircraft coming their way...
Shirley was taking cover with Lucchini and Miyafuji when she heard a transmission on short range with her earpiece. "Come in! Sakamoto?!"
"We got in range just in time, Yeager! Where are you?!" Mio's voice was one of desperation and prudence.
"We're holed up in one of the houses and holding position! It's getting crazy with enemy armor getting involved now!"
"Stay put and stay down! Is Miyafuji okay?!"
Shirley looked at Yoshika, still at the same corner as she was for 15 minutes straight, still being accompanied by Francesca who was still trying to get Yoshika out of her trauma. Shirley frowns at Yoshika's condition. "No she isn't. But we're holding on."