It didn't take long before the Squad reached the fortress. Claude looked at the field before him. The fort was separated from them by a bridge and covered by gun emplacements, making infantry assaults near suicidal and there was no way they would be able to fit the Hafen through the tank traps and barricades. But they would come to that bridge when they crossed it, as Raz said.

Looking at his squad, Claude signalled Raz and Kai to join him on the Hafen. "I'll take Jacob, Nico, Viola, Fleuret and Rebecca and go left, take the rest and go right. We'll meet at the bridge before crossing and go from there."

Raz and Kai nodded before assembling the squad and rushing off to their objective. Looking at the remaining squad members, Claude gestured to the Imperials, "Forwards!"

The first half of the battle went surprisingly smoothly. Jacob quickly showed that his reputation had been well-earned as he took down Imperials while Claude barely had time to register them. The rest of the squad faced somewhat stiffer resistance from their way but managed to stay in one piece and reached the bridge only a few minutes after Claude and his group did. "We need to take those turrets down before we can have a hope of crossing the bridge!" Raz shouted.

Claude frowned, "Sniper Team. Is it possible to take down the operators?"

Jacob looked through his scope, "Possible, but only for probably half of the turrets. The other half are positioned in such a way that makes it next to impossible to see the operator."

Claude sighed, "Do what you can, we're going to have to improvise for the remainder."

A sudden crackling of his radio brought his attention to someone else, someone transmitting on their general channel. "Looks like you could use some help Cinderella."

Raz blinked, ducking behind a barricade, "Cinder-what-now? We're a little busy for fairy-tales!" he retorted.

Claude and Jacob paused, admittedly for separate reasons. Claude was thinking that he recognized the voice, but couldn't place it while Jacob remembered something from his youth. However, before Jacob could place it, Claude responded, "Well, I'd like to go to the ball, but I don't have a pumpkin, much less a carriage."

The voice, female Claude realized, sounded smug in her response, "Well, just let this fairy-godmother work her magic and we'll have you there lickety-split."

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, a sharp whistling was heard by everyone. Jacob's eyes widened in realization, "Heads down! Mortar rounds incoming!" he shouted.

True to his word, the Imperial lines were soon engulfed in explosions. Their turrets were not spared either as most of them were turned into scrap metal, the ones that weren't were taken down by Jacob's rifle after he popped his head back up.

Not seeing any Imperials stand up have that barrage, Claude snapped his head up, "Quickly! Across the bridge and capture that howitzer!"

The squad quickly obeyed, but before they could even cross half the bridge, a deafening explosion came from the fort. At first, everyone was worried that the howitzer was firing, primarily at them. But when there was no whistling from the shell, they began their advance again, this time with a good deal more caution.

When they reached the fort, the source of the explosion soon became apparent, the Imperials had destroyed their howitzer to prevent it from falling into Federation hands. Kai could barely believe what she saw, "They chose Death before Dishonour…"

Jacob nodded, "That is a running theme for them, makes it difficult to dislodge them sometimes."

Miles, on the other hand, could barely contain his excitement, "But our artillery was amazing! Especially with their timing!"

Jacob chuckled, "Laddy, if that had been artillery, we wouldn't be here." he replied before scoffing, "Bastards can't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside."

Miles, and most of the squad as well, was confused, "Then what…"

"It's called a Mortar." the female voice from the radio said, "A magic wand that grants every soldier's wish."

A slap could be heard as Raz yelped in pain. Kai spoke up and clarified the matter for the confused, "Not that sort of wish, Raz."

Raz looked indignant, "I didn't say anything!"

Kai rolled her eyes, "But you were thinking it."

Looking in the direction of the new voice, everyone saw a blond woman walking toward them. Jacob looked at the newcomer and smiled, "Good to see you Cuz,"

The blond women smirked, "Figures I'd find you here, you couldn't stay far from trouble, Jacob."

Claude's eyes widened as he finally recognized the women before him, "Riley?"

Upon the utterance of her name, Riley turned to look at Claude and froze. For a moment, it was as if the world stopped when the two locked eyes. In an instant, their eyes carried the conversation, purveying all that their words could not. His spoke of the empty void her outburst had created inside him, and how all his actions since had been a vain attempt to prove himself to her, to one day be able to stand by her side again. Her eyes spoke of how the fire had terrified her ever since that day, they spoke of the pain she felt after burying her family. What they couldn't tell him, however, was how her relatives in Edinburgh had taken her in, and how they had slowly gotten her to see the light of the world again. How they had gotten her to see and understand that Claude was not to blame for what had happened. But they could tell him one thing. The most important thing of all. They could tell him that she had missed him dearly.

The instant, despite feeling like hours to them, only lasted but a few seconds for everyone else and they were soon treated to the sight of Riley running to Claude and holding him like he would disappear, "Claude," she began, slowly and through tears. "I am so, so sorry. I was stupid, and I was angry, and I don't know how I could ever ask you to forgive me."

Claude, though surprised at her reaction, didn't hold back his own tears, "Riley, it is I who should be begging for your forgiveness. Not the other way around. I rightly lived up to the name you gave me, I was 'Scaredy-Claude' that day."

While Claude and Riley were busy apologising to each other, the squad all looked at Jacob, "You two are related?" Raz asked.

Jacob nodded, "My mother and her father were siblings, it's just that Uncle Al left Edinburgh for Gallia a few years before he met Riley's mother."

Raz shrugged, still a bit confused, "What are they talking about?"

Jacob's face fell, "That's a story for another time maybe. If Riley ever wants to tell it."

The rest of the squad looked at each other, concerned but unsure on how to proceed, but soon, Claude and Riley approached them, "Riley's group will be joining the squad and providing Fire Support for our missions from here on out." he said.

A cheer went up from the squad, happy that they would be getting support from now on, and that a fellow Gallian was joining them as well. Now they just hoped that it would speed up this war significantly…