Welcome to the 7th chapter of The day Britannia fell. I am sorry if it is a bit long for some, but I have a bit of work to do since it was near the end of the school year. But rest assured that once it is summer, I would have enough time for writing.

Enjoy the chapter, and stay tuned for my next one.

Disclaimer: I do not own SW's character, nor the OC Jynetta.


Chapter 7: Bloody kindness

In an unknown location.

"Is everything ready?"

"Yes sir, everything is set."

"Hmmm. Now only one more asset, and this once-in-a-lifetime project will be completed. Britannia will be regained, and the world initiative will be ours!"

Came a conversation, between two, middle-aged and young man, whispering in the shadows like ancient fossils, cowering under layers of dirt in fear of being consumed. A conversation was held in complete secret, inside a building covered with dirt, mosses and rots, usually thought to be abandoned and desolated. A conversation was held in caution of being overheard, eavesdropped.

"But the hard part is that we will have to infiltrate the hive. The key factor is the core itself, not the body." The younger voice said.

"It's not a problem!" The middle-aged man exclaimed, with such great confidence that he almost yelled. "Their Gallian hive is in a position very advantageous for our sneaking. We will take advantage of operation Crescent, which will divert their attention from the hive. The Warlock will be controlled by hand, and will enter in a different direction."

"But air chief marshal, aren't the Neurois currently under control by a human? Rumors said that it was he who conquered entire Europe by himself, in just a year. He may be able to intercept us."

"He will not know. The things that can potentially expose our plans were certainly, if not definitely, destroyed along with London. The Neurois knew nothing but destruction, even some of our most popular landmarks were even destroyed, not to mention a small institution like ours."

"But what if they didn't destroy the city. With all due respect, I think you are underestimating their strength, sir."

"Their real strength comes from their advanced technology, not from some rustic traitor. If we can make that strength our own, there is nothing that can stand in our way, even them. Only a Neuroi can beat a Neuroi."

"Maloney is right. We cannot allow any to interfere. We will execute the operation accordingly as planned." Another officer interjoined, ending the conversation.

The man called Maloney grinned at his subordinate's support, a grin that nobody wanted to see.


501st's temporary base of operation.

"Dinner is ready!"

Came the cheerful voice of Lynette, who had finished her last touch on her dish, the Britannian cones.

The rest of the squadron came down almost immediately, with many wearing face as bright as the blue sky. They didn't get to enjoy this kind of atmosphere for a while, so they were ready to enjoy it to the fullest.

"Hmmmm!" Upon tasting the Britannian's cuisine, Charlotte's only reaction was to moan in approval. "Delicious! How did you make this?!"

"Hehehe…" She scratched her head in embarrassment. "Arigato Shirley-san!"

They all smiled at her, not only for the tasty lunch, but also for the return of her usual cheery self.

"So glad you're back. At one point I wasn't sure if you are gonna make it or not." Minna said.

"Yeah, I felt pretty much the same, aimless and despair after losing my homeland…But then I realized, that despite so, there are still people out there that are the under constant Neuroi's threat of invasion. And I know that I have to take care of them…All thanks to Yoshika-chan. Arigato!" Lynette replied

"No, no, no! Don't count it too much! I don't really…" She blushed heavily, as she waved her hands wildly.

"I hope you'll keep up that spirit, since we will soon be having a joint operation with the 31st Squadron and the rest of the fleet's remnant." Minna said

"31st?! Wait, wait, is that…" Gertrude asked, in surprise

"Hanna's division. Yes. We'll need her experience and expertise from the Afrika Korp to this mission. Since we can't underestimate the Neurois now."

Gertrude's eyes began to hollow annoyance and anger. She clearly didn't get along with her.

"We won't be doing it today though, Sanya and Eila will scout ahead on our own, work out the approximate number of enemies so that we can come up with a tactic with our meager number of ships left."

"So where is the Fusan naval fleet they said they would reinforce us?" Charlotte asked, while turning her eyes to Sakamoto, who gave a sigh.

"Their departure has been delayed, due to the presence of a Neuroi bombing fleet at the coast of Taiwan. They have already departed, but are 3 days late."

"So we're on our own. How many do we have for a battle?"

"Actually there is still quite a number, since the remnants of the Britannian Royal Navy are still many."

"Now, let's do this quickly. Follow me to the briefing room, I'll cover this more thoroughly." Minna said, standing up, gesturing the others to do so.

They complied immediately, and filed out. Now they know the who they are going against


Buckingham

London

Alexander was sitting on the command chair at the center of the large room, his legs crossed, his two hands placed on top of each other in front of his chest, his surroundings filled with holograms of blueprints and pictures of human warships and vehicles. On his desk were a self-made sugar drink and two books, the one on top was labeled 'Meditations'.

He scanned each holograms carefully, his red eyes flickered slightly at the dim light of the holos, going through all the details of every armament and its position. He also looked at important details such as ships' citadels, tanks' ammunition racks and many more. Nothing was untouched. Nothing was overlooked. They were all recorded and noted in his powerful core.

His hyper-concentration was only broken by the entrance of his two aids, Eris and Jynetta. But even so, it didn't break him off of his posture. His gaze still hadn't took off from the pictures, not until the two young assistants broke the silence.

"The decoy at Taiwan has brought back results." Eris said. "A Fusan's fleet has been blocked off its coast for 3 days. It appears that something big is really up."

"There is no Neuroi territory at the Pacific," Alexander replied. "And a part of their fleet has been knocked out of actions in the previous battle. There's no reason not to focus their spearhead over the Atlantic theatre."

"Recently, our Neuroi's colonization of the West African countries has loosened due to a few technical reasons. Our number of Neurois in the Suez also decreased to strengthen the Orussian occupation. The region is now pretty weak compared to others."

"Ah. They are likely to attack and retake the area for a base of operation. Alright, we'll play their game." He said, calculatively, as he switched the main hologram to the map of the Atlantic "Their route will be unpredictable, but according to previous battles, the humans have the tendency to be impatient, and may choose the shortest path to attack their target. However, there may be changes. They may also try to surprise us using an unlikely path."

"But their target was still the Western Coast of Africa, right?" Jynetta said. "So if we just remain alert there, we can still fend it off."

"That's a great idea. But this is a game, and I don't play safe. We'll present them with the unexpected, and watch how they react."

"I thought this is a large military operation." Jynetta commented, but Eris resassured her.

"I know your feeling, you don't know what he is doing. But rest assured, general Alexander sees a much larger picture than a victory of a single operation."

'Hopefully so.' Jynetta thought.

"We'll confront their fleet with an ambush, hiding deep below the surface of the ocean, away from their detection range, in an orderly crescent formation, as shown here." Said Alexander

"Then what?" Eris said

"We'll wait, and watch, like the eyes of an eagle looking down on its prey."

"What do you propose we do if they manage to counter it and break through."

"They will surely break through, by the size of that strike fleet. Then I will have them my reward."

Jynetta's face was a true definition of being dumbfounded. Eris was right, there are battles that you could not win, and trying to understand him is one of them.


After the briefing, Jynetta left the room, leaving Eris alone with Alexander.

He, without paying attention to her, laid the his back on the chair behind him, and began reading a book he had, in which the assistant coudn't help but be curious

"What are you reading?" She asked.

"A book about philosophy. I would spoil it if I say it any further." He replied.

"Hmmm…" She nodded, as she took a glance at the other books he had stacked on his desk. She could only see the top one, called 'The Art of War'. The title is already self-explanatory, which she gave a chuckle.

That is how he usually spend his leisurely time. He isn't the type to be wasting it on something worthless. Reading and training would be a great replacement, as he said it would also mean studying and preparing for everything that is to come. But on the other hand, it would make him a bit withdrawn and unsociable.

She didn't want to disturb him, but going out a little wouldn't be a bad thing.

"Alex?" She called out to him, using his informal name.

"Yes?"

"Are you free right now?"

"What do you think?" Again, his usual mischievous manner. Eris's 'smile' disappeared, sighing in return instead, dead panned.

"You look free to me."

"I am, but I am not for those who wanted to invite me out just for a drink."

Her mood plummeted

"I know you are engulfed in reading your favorite book, but you should change the air around a little bit. Just reading and physical training with your droids, don't you think it is bad for your sociability."

"But you know perfectly well that I can't drink like normal Neurois, and I can't drink as much as 10 gallons like you."

"Do you want to go outside with me or not?" She decided to be frank this time, looking straight at his glowing eyes.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Alright, you won."

Her scary side. Quite interesting. He thought. He could have turned her down any moment, but he wouldn't be so cold to deny an honest invitation.

"But I am not going to the recovery station for a drink."

"Then where do you want to go? Your choice?" Eris asked, with a sly expectation that it would be something a bit of his age.

"How about going to landmarks like the Big Ben. I want to have a look at the human architecture."

It was utterly crushed, but she wasn't in a position to be surprised, judging by his artistic critic nature that she had to endure every single day she had to serve him. And now she would have to deal with some of his…traits

"Fine."

Finally, after she had accepted, Alexander finally stood up from his chair.

"Wait for a few minutes, I'll call Jynetta."

"N-No…" She interrupted her, her words stuttered, either due to her core transmission, or that she was a bit embarrassed herself. "H-How about the two of us only?"

"Why? The more, the merrier right?"

"No, it's just that…I think she had works to do."

Or it's just that you wanted to. The eyes of the young supreme general pierced through everything in her mind, his lips curved upwards for a hearty smile.

"Then as you wish. Then we shall head to our first destination: Big Ben" He said

"Isn't that the famous clock tower over this city?" Eris then gave an honest answer.

"Exactly, I didn't know you have an interest in this subject. Then let me tell you a bit of its history while we get there. The Big Ben, built in…"

'Oh no! I just stepped on a landmine!' She soon realized her mistake. But it was too late


An hour later, a blessing finally came to her thanks to her well-trained resistance to boredom. They had finally arrived at their destination.

But it did not come without a price. Her Neuroi arm was hanging loosely in front of her bent back, like it was broken. Even after all these years, she couldn't exactly get used to it. It was glad that it was her that had to put up with this, not anyone else.

"And so that concludes a bit about what I wanted to show you. The rest is better seen than told."

'A bit?!' Eris wondered if she could take the rest of his lecture. Even if she does, she wouldn't want to know

"Why do you want to come to this place anyway? You seem to know almost EVERYTHING about it."

"You cannot look at art through plain knowledge. Open your eyes, look, see, and feel it. Even that cannot estimate enough the value of a great masterpiece."

"Yes, yes." She transmitted groggily, wanting to shut her core down immediately and completely.

"But it seems to be a little bit too quiet for a landmark, don't you think?"

There is almost no one there, only a few scarab-like Neurois. You could blame the evening sky for this, but that isn't much of a reason. Most of the houses nearby were also dark

"The citizens are so terrified that they don't want to leave their house." Eris explained. "Quite to be expected, really."

"I know those fake propagandas that the humans spreaded out would have its effect, but I didn't expect it to be this much."

"It's almost the same everywhere, they pretty much condemn themselves in their own accommodations. A sad sight, really, since our policy isn't really that tyrannical or like 'plundering is our motto'."

"By the sound of that, you haven't seen everything. There are Neurois out there secretly committing genocides and unnecessary killings for their own enjoyment. This army is not perfect."

"Seems like a mad world. I wouldn't want to delve much into it."

"I won't force you, but you would have to confront with it as you progress on. Nothing remains unchanged."

She jerked her head slightly, nodding, in deep thought, while Alexander exhaled heavily.

"So would you like to have a visit of Big Ben with me or not?"

Eris's response was an immediate no. She had had enough of his ramblings about arts.

"Then we part ways temporarily here. The night won't be long, so one hour is ok?"

"That would be fine." One hour of freedom for her.

She left for some air of her own, leaving the supreme general on a self-tour of the huge clock tower.

As he walked up the tower, his eyes peered around the tower, feeling the history of nearly a century on his leather-gloved hand. He felt his footstep echoeing in the distance with every steps he took on the limestone cladded stairs. A truly interesting technique indeed, by applying materials on top of one another, the humans are able to make the finishing results tolerant to outside conditions, while maintaining its aesthetic look, something the Neurois are yet to have learnt. And the cast iron frames to keep the tower stable. He had never seen such flexible combinations of material anywhere besides Earth. Also the clock mechanic…This is such a masterpiece of art that had to be seen once in a lifetime.

The one hour of visiting was truly a one hour of heaven for the young Alexander. As he stepped out of the Big Ben, he began to repent himself for making the visiting time with Eris too short. There was still a lot more to see and to feel.

Suddenly, Alexander heard a voice somewhere around the corner, and a few screeches, a very familiar form of communication that he knew: Neurois. He could see clearly in his eyes two sentry-type Neurois, each around 180 cm high, looking like a bug with four legs, two at the front, two at the back, crawling down the street slowly.

Normally, he would just ignore them, but this time, after several reports of Neuroi lootings and unnecessary killings, he couldn't help but be vigilant. Alexander immediately concealed himself behind a fence near the Big Ben, and carefully listened, analysing the screech he heard in his core.

"Alright we have those stuffs packed! Let's go for another run shall we?!" The clear voice played in Alexander's mind.

"Are you sure about this? The heat of the previous loot that Ilias's group committed in Gallia is still around. The higher ups are keeping close watches on us."

"No worries. There is no one here to witness. And if we can clean everything of our existence, there is nothing to be worried about. There is a calm, quiet house down in Spilman Street, owned by an elderly couple, we can loot them easily there. They will not say a single word about this."

That sparked a switch in Alexander. His red eyes radiated with a flash of light as he continued to watch his two bandits soldiers make a beeline down the street. Once they were out of sight, the supreme general left his hiding spot. At that moment, Eris came from the other side of the street.

"Sorry if I kept you waiting." She said, with a fade hint of petulance as the one hour was a bit short.

"Eris." He addressed in a manner totally different from the tone he used when talking to her earlier. "Do you have the map of the city here?"

"Yes, but why do you ask?"

"Perhaps you have read the report about the looting in Paris a few weeks ago?"

"Yes, a group of small-sized Neurois attacked a large number of houses containing refugees while class is taking place, taking everything they have. It is such a bugging report, why wouldn't I not read it?" She said, with mild anger.

Alexander then proceeded calmly, but with a cold voice.

"Indeed it is. This sparks a very negative belief concerning the morality of not only our military, but also our empire itself: from bad to worse. And it will get even more if you don't show me the map right now."

Eris's tone changed instantly. She knew what he was talking about.

"You have found the culprit behind this?!"

"Not only that, but another looting is going to take place soon, by a different group."

"Another?! Then all personals in this army must be interrogated! This is a disgrace to us all!"

"Patience. This issue can be solved quickly if we know perpetrator. What matters now is the immenent attack. Spilman Street, look it up in your map."

She did so immediately, knowing how serious this issue is, and Alexander's expressions.

"It's just around the corner. You head down this direction and then stop at the second intersection. The street going perpendicular to it is Spilman Street."

"Excellent work. Now, call for Jynetta and general Gawain, I have some orders for them. Meet me at Spilman Street."

"What about you?"

"I will handle this, personally."

With that said, he darted down the street, in the direction Eris told him, stopping at the crossing point of Spilman St.


Now that they have not revealed their exact location, Alexander would have to rely on hearings and situational awareness. Thankfully, this road is not a long one, so he can catch everything big going on in his processive core.

He heard a scream coming from his right, 7 blocks away. It only took a minute to arrive there.

On site, it was a small mansion that anyone would have hoped to be living in. But the front entrance was completely destroyed, and two bodies of an old couple were seen in a pool of blood. Inside, a young female, seemingly 11 years old, was cowering in front of the two Neurois, her eyes formed a myriad of emotions: dread, sorrow, fear and despair.

"Don't touch me!" She screamed, but the sentry-type Neuroi was relentless. He picked her up with one of his leg, while screeching loudly, preparing to plunge his other leg onto her.

"Hey, that's going a bit too far! We aren't murderers!" But was stopped in time by his companion, who was behind him, watching him do the work.

"And what do you think she would do if we let her live? She has seen us, and she will report this to those top-brass the moment they decide to come down here!" He retaliated, not letting go of the girl.

"Even if she wants to, she can't, because she can't speak Neuroi, and we don't understand them. So just let her go, do our work and get out of here fast!"

"You stupid motherfucker! Don't you know our supreme general?! He can understand them! Also that whore Jynetta, she is also capable of listening to those humans! That much is enough threat to us if we let any witnesses live to see us!"

Having witnessed the absolute degradation of morality in those two, Alexander walked in, his professionalism took place.

"That much is enough, you two." He said, sending the core's temperature of the two Neurois dropping to cold ice.

They both turned their heads around simultaneously and saw, to their horrors, the face of the man who they never wanted to meet in this situation.

"What she saw up until is totally unneeded, as I am now the most important witness over here." He rarely ever spoke to these soldiers personally but when he did, it was excruciatingly calm, in contrast to commonly expected reactions.

"S-S-S-Sir, w-we can explain this!" The Neuroi that wasn't holding the girl stuttered immensely, his transmission is clearly interrupted by the cold busting moment.

"I don't think there is any better explanation than the fact that your morality and dignity as soldiers under my command are nothing but rotten." Alexander immediately shut him down as he stepped closer to his two subordinates, his arms crossed behind him, his eyes narrowed.

"Now, let her down, immediately."

The first Neuroi did so, but not exactly letting her down, more like dropping her down, which even added more fuel to the flames in Alexander.

"We just wanted a bit of supplies. And those human's are useful in times like this, so…" The first one tried making excuses regardless, but unfortunately he did not knew Alexander's no joking motto.

"And so you killed two innocent civilians, TWO elderly civilians. If you want supplies so badly you could have just written a formal request to me and I will reply in less than 3 days. But here is that either you are too impatient for that or you just want to fulfil your desire for bloodlust and killings that you would dare to go and kill the innocents, then you should have never be recruited in the Earth's expeditionary forces…no, in the Neuroi's army itself."

"It's none of your concern, sir." He retaliated, emphasizing the word 'sir' as a mock. "If you want to demote me, devolve me, I don't fucking care! I suggest you get back to your office, devise your stupid tactics and mind your own business!"

"No…" Alexander replied, his voice changed into a slightly cool and modulated one, a seemingly relaxed attitude. But the second Neuroi knew he wasn't relaxing at all, as seen in his deep red eyes. Then, he pointed his index finger straight at the first Neuroi.

"For disobeying orders, lack of respect for your superiors and total disregarding of the lives of living creatures, your punishment shall not be demotion, devolution or discharge…" His tone shifted again, harsh and cold as the Antarctic. "but DEATH itself."

"So you're gonna execute us?! Ohhh, let's see if you can do it or not!" The first Neuroi had had it enough, as he suddenly charged at the supreme general.

Alexander knew he wouldn't be standing if he tried to block his full attacking move, but he knew he was faster than him, so he quickly dodged to the right, and fired a laser beam with his left hand onto one of his right leg, sending him toppling to the ground, exposing his vulnerable bottom.

Then, with his right hand, Alexander charged another beam, plunging it through the exposed bottom, through the core inside it. The bandit soldier, with its most important life source, the core, destroyed, broke into thousands of white particles.

The remaining soldier was shocked beyond his ability to respond. His four legs, despite being a Neuroi, were shaking like a scared, miserable human at the brutal and ruthless display of his supreme leader. What made matters worse was the dead and murderous aura coming from Alexander. His crimson red eyes were glowing terrifyingly, and so did his hand, preparing to finish his soldier off.

Before he could even react, Alexander threw forward another beam, but it was targetted at his front armor, ricocheting vertically as it made contact. The force of the hit wasn't as strong as what he usually encounter in battle, but it was enough warning to show that the supreme general was seriously trying to kill him.

"P-P-Please! Don't kill me sir! I've learned my mistake! I was wrong!" He pleaded for his life, as his front legs crouched down in terror. "I will leave the army! And then…"

Alexander stopped his assault, watching his impulsive subordinate with slight amusement but a bit annoyed at all the racket he was making.

"If you are seriously repenting on you behavior…" Alexander said. "then head down to where my assistants are, hand yourself in. We'll talk about this later. Now get out of my sight." His reprimand and orders were ruthless and menacing, and at the same time, calm and smooth, so much that the soldier complied almost instantly.

Jesus… He sighed heavily as the current issue had been resolved. Now that he knows the perpetrator behind the attack in Paris, he will have to arrange an interrogation session with these people, along with that guy who was on the brink of having a meltdown. Such an aggravating job.

As he was about to walk away, he noticed the young girl that he just saved from the scyther of death earlier. After witnessing the fight, all the screeches, and more terribly, the death of her relatives, it would be a surprise if she wasn't crying. Her sobs and cries for her apparent dead grandparents echoed into the cold misty night, catching his attention.

He stood there, looking at her for a few minutes, trying to decide on what to do. Of course, he didn't want to leave her here, but he couldn't bring her with him. She couldn't just live with those who just killed her family. But then, who will be taking care of her. Or rather, who would be willing to take care of her. For the Britannians, in this ugly circumstances, not many.

Who am I kidding? He quoted. Another troublesome task to do.

Alexander slowly walked up to her, without much thought placed into it. He was approaching her as if he was programmed to do so. The girl looked at him, in terror, and hid her face behind her legs. He picked her up with his two hands, his Neuroi strength allowed him to do it with ease, and exited the mansion, heading back to where his assistants are.

There are things that should be prioritized

Worries could be left for later.


You have probably seen the contrasting part in the title: bloody and kindness. Well that shows how Alexander is, really. He isn't the typical guy you see.

Further in the story, you will see more to that contrast, and what it will lead to, so stay tuned to that.

Also, you may notice that the Neurois act a little bit human like in this chapter, such as using human supplies. I sometimes do got mixed up the two Neurois as humans, so please forgive me that.

Review the story if you like, dislike or want to make this a better story. Constructive reviews are highly appreciated

Oh, and if anyone of you willing to draw an art of Alexander, then I would be loving you forever. I love art, and art about my own character would kill me. But that is pretty much your own choices. I won't force you. PM me if you have an interest.