Megumi and Alexandra had arrived at BC Freedom later that day. Across the way were two students that were ready to greet them. Azumi and the second commander she was talking to.
"Megumi, you're here, we've agreed that we will be meeting the rebel leaders right by the garden entrance as it's another nice day to go for a walk around. Maybe we can figure out what we can agree upon." Azumi began. She shook Megumi's hand as the second commander came forth and she seemed to be eager to meet Megumi.
"My name is Rumi, I'm Jatkosota's commander and you're Megumi?" Rumi introduced herself.
"That's my name and what tank are you commanding?" Megumi asked Rumi about the tanks she had taken command of.
"Bt-42." Rumi replied, the four students laughed as they began walking to the garden where they were going to have a tour around. Once they arrived, Alexandra was given a horse to ride on and she mounted it as she and a few other students were going to act as the three commander's guards.
"So you want to figure out how you want to fight against Kuromorimine in the near future?" Azumi began. They walked over to their carriage they were preparing to ride in and have the conversation in. There were three carriages and they were big enough to fit several students inside and were divided into two rows.
"Actually, I don't want to fight Kuromorimine just yet. I have other plans in mind." Megumi replied while they walked over to the carriages.
"What kind of plans?" Azumi asked.
"We're preparing to mobilize Saunders against Kebab as several gangs have risen up in rebellion due to the taxes that were implemented." Megumi replied. "Better practice with someone rather than go in unprepared."
"So planning on redrawing the map?" Rumi asked if this was going to be true. Then one of the boys ran forth to get the carriage doors. He seemed familiar to the eyes of Megumi and she was quickly able to point him out.
"You two know tsarevich Alexei?" Megumi asked Azumi and Rumi.
"Not really, we just met him today, have you called him over?" Azumi asked. Alexei bowed as the school principal and another lady walked up to them. The fine man was slender with facial hair from his mustache and beard, he was tall and elegant and the lady beside him was much the same way, she had dark auburn hair and gray eyes, she looked more like his wife despite the fact that she was in her early twenties. Alexei bowed down as he was happy to see Megumi again.
"I bet you were the one who invited me over Megumi." Alexei greeted Megumi before he shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure seeing you again, tsarevich." Megumi began. "Who are the two people you brought along with you?" Megumi asked. Azumi turned and she began to whisper to Rumi.
"The tsarevich is handsome." Azumi began. She seemed to be fond of the boy who was chatting with Megumi.
"Yeah he's only thirteen and yet he's taller than the rest of us. I swear he looks older than he really is." Rumi made a snarky comment back to Azumi but she remembered to keep it at a hush.
"This is my father Nicholas and my older sister Tatiana." Alexei introduced his family to Megumi. Nicholas walked over to greet Megumi.
"I have the honor of seeing you for the first time in person. I made sure to give special thanks to the new commanders of the Sensha-Do practicing schools." Nicholas shook Megumi's hand with a smile to his face. He was truly excited to see Saunders' new commander in person.
"I will see much the same way Nicky." Megumi shook his hand back.
"Let's hop aboard and see what we can do to help the rebels out." Nicholas told Megumi what they should be able to do. Alexei walked over and opened the door for them to climb in. Nicholas went first followed by Tatiana, then Alexei began to help Rumi into the carriage.
"I'm fine but thank you." Rumi replied, she climbed into the carriage with little help though Azumi took Alexei's hand and began to board as well.
"Thanks." Azumi sweetly told Alexei. Megumi walked up and she took the tsarevich's hand and climbed on.
"Thank you." Megumi smiled sweetly at him. Alexei closed the doors and he walked over to the front. Then three other students walked over, they were from Count High School.
"Hey we would like to ride along, we have the same goals as you do." One of the students began. She was talking to Alexei specifically.
"Sure, hop in, we got plenty of room." Alexei told the three girls. He opened the second carriage door in front so they could get in.
"Sure thing. One of the girls replied. Alexei kept the doors open as the three girls began to climb in.
"Who exactly are you three?" Alexei asked.
"I'm Mahou, the commander of Count High School, the second girl is the first year Noemi Kohiyama and the third girl is Ileana who is about thirteen years of age and is one of the school's moreover younger students, possibly an eighth grader." Mahou introduced herself along with the others. She then tossed her long black hair back before Alexei climbed into the carriage and closed the door behind him. Once everything was secured, Alexandra gave the order.
"Ride out." Alexandra ordered, the horses began their parade around the garden with the carriages being pulled by four horses each. Alexei was keeping the horses in check while Ileana with her shoulder length light brown hair, began speaking to Alexei.
"So your school is the one who organized this event?" Ileana began speaking to Alexei.
"Oh, not at all. I was just invited along for the ride." Alexei responded. He tried to remain calm while keeping an eye out on the pathway.
"I like your eyes." Ileana admitted to Alexei.
"Oh… uh thanks." Alexei responded, he was blushing a bit. Megumi looked over to see them talking.
"Looks like someone likes the tsarevich." Megumi began. Alexei was lost for words.
"I… uh… I don't know." Alexei stammered, he felt embarrassed that someone was falling for him. Megumi could tell that he was blushing as red as a rose's pedals.
"Hey, can you leave my son alone and talk with me? You're getting distracted Megumi." Nicholas politely called Megumi over so he could continue speaking to her.
"Sure." Megumi replied, she pulled her head over and she looked at the school principal.
"So how many students are you planning to take?" Nicholas asked Megumi.
"About 2,600 students." Megumi replied. She gave the number of what students she was willing to bring with her. "Some will be artillery, some will be cavalry and the rest be infantry." Megumi told Nicholas what her team was going to represent.
"Nice. I'm willing to send 1,500 of my best students to help you out, some cavalry, rest are infantry. I think Mahou and Yogurt Academy's commander Sofia, are also mobilizing another four thousand or so students from the two schools to help you out. Once we figure out who will be participating, we can gather and add up the numbers.
"We're getting the force that we need. Once we should get the numbers, then we decide on the attack plans." Megumi responded.
"Okay, then we're set." Nicholas replied. "I should also send some drones for recon purposes to see what kind of defenses Kebab has constructed."
"Great. We're all using single shot rifles but we don't know if it will be enough to arm basically everyone in the alliance, we have some three thousand Berdans with the school making a few more every day by hand. Should we give the extras out to the schools that need them?" Megumi gave the information to the schools on what they were going to be using. The others nodded with approval.
"Good. If you don't have enough rifles, carbines, revolvers and sabers to arm yourselves, BC Freedom has filled up its shelves and we just need to sell the excess. I think some of the smaller gangs, the Serbian, Montenegrin and the Herzegovinian gangs don't have the industry nor the money to purchase equipment so we're going to give it all to them at a relatively cheap price. Now they just need to figure out who gets what." Azumi responded with excitement.
"So we might be able to muscle one above Earl Gray and Manami if you want to be number 1 again. Those two schools want to get ahead and the rest of us are trying to catch up." Megumi replied.
"I will be leading Count High School through the battle." Mahou replied. She brushed her black hair back while Noemi watched.
"You seem to be having some confidence there Witch Senpai. Any reason?" Noemi asked as she seemed curious.
"We're like fir trees, it will take many swings from a kebab ax to bring one of us down." Mahou replied.
"So if we're going to all gather around tonight when we get the maps of where the battle will be taking place and then we'll decide how we're going to attack from there." Megumi asked if this was going to be the plan.
"Yep that's it. Once we get the information on what kind of terrain we're fighting on and where this fight will be taking place. We'll win." Alexei tried to cheer them on with the prospect of victory.
"I know Alexei but try to be patient, we still don't know everything." Megumi tried to keep the excited boy calm. "We'll tell you when everything is in place." Unknown to them, a light skinned student was waiting in the bushes nearby. She was holding another revolver with just one bullet inside, she was going to make the next attempt on Megumi's life. When the carriages came around the corner. She leaped out and spun around, firing the revolver in the hope that it struck Megumi on the side of the head but instead there was a terrified neigh from Alexandra's horse. Megumi looked ahead to see Alexandra quickly dismount and give chase to the student. Some of the doctors rushed over to treat the horse.
"Someone shot the horse." One of the doctors called out, the bushes ruffled and tumbled before Alexandra carried out the student who tried to shoot Megumi as she had been beaten to a bloody pulp. Several guards ran over to arrest the student as the student stood up.
"Megumi nie nadaje się do kierowania nami, a szkoła jest za duża. Uwolnić Polskę! Uwolnijcie ją!" The student called out. Unfortunately, her calls fell on deaf ears as she was taken away. Megumi looked at the other two commanders as she was confused, what was this disgruntled student saying and why did she try to shoot the person leading? Alexei was confused as well.
"I never seen someone so angry with rage and love for Polske that they would kill their leader." Alexei began. This was the second time he had been around someone who tried to strike Megumi down. "Am I bad luck?"
"You're not, there is no such thing as being inherently unlucky. All the decisions are down to you." Megumi reassured Alexei that there was no such thing as bad luck, only bad decisions that existed. Alexei was moreover just scared with the events that had happened. Megumi climbed to the front of the carriage to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around the tsarevich, she knew he was scared. Alexei hesitated for a moment before he hugged back. The carriages rode out ahead as they were going to finish their tour.
Megumi and Alexandra returned to the USS George Washington that night, still shaken by today's events. Lola had appeared as she was running down the stairs.
"Megumi!" Lola began. She hugged Megumi with joy. "I'm so glad you're safe, what happened?"
"Someone tried to kill me." Megumi began. She began to walk away from Alexandra. Lola followed her.
"Why though. You're the person that has given us stuff that we have never gotten before. If we took you out, then all of the stuff you've given us will be taken away." Lola replied. Megumi nodded, she had something to ask her.
"So have you heard anything before this happened?" Megumi asked Lola.
"I know who our enemies are, and I know them well since the first day." Lola began. She began to walk as Megumi was confused.
"Did you hear anything from someone who tried to shoot me?" Megumi asked. Lola turned and began to speak again.
"Yes I did, from the aristocrats who are plotting your downfall." Lola told Megumi. "Extremes are easy. It was easy to tighten the screws in Nicole's time, it was easy to unscrew them in Megumi's time. It's exceptionally difficult to slow down the carriage on a steep hill, a reformer like Pyotr the 1st held the reins in an iron grip and the carriage was safe, a reformer like Megumi lets the horses run full speed down the hill without the strength to restrain them so the whole carriage is threatened with destruction." Lola recounted the moments that she heard in the conversation before the event took place this very day.
"So we got a group of students plotting against me? I don't know if this was something that needed to be controlled. Perhaps the war against Kebab would be for the best in an effort to unite the students instead of dividing them. This will keep Saunders distracted for the time being while we try planning for the future ahead." Megumi knew this war was going to keep the students distracted but they needed to plan for the future ahead of these next couple of days. She walked away from Lola with one simple request. "If you do participate tomorrow, come up with more stories to tell to the school."
"I promise Megumi." Lola replied. She walked away with her friend while Megumi walked in the opposite direction. Alexandra had been watching as Lola walked by her. She didn't bother to say anything. She watched as the freshmen walked along while she began to think. She was planning ahead.
Yogurt Academy meanwhile was suffering as their ship had been paid a visit by Ankara as much of the school had been ransacked. Gold, meat and wheat had been raided by Ankara as some of the students were under investigation.
"So, you rebelled over the taxes huh?" Ankara asked. Sofia and her first year friend were scared for their lives.
"Yes, how are we supposed to pay them off?" Sofia asked. She didn't know what they were going to do.
"You pay them and since your school refused to pay, I've decided to take everything from it." Ankara told Sofia. She slapped the first year across the face with her rage being forced into her hand.
"Why everything, we'll have no food for the winter and no means to pay for it, how do you expect to us to survive?" Sofia asked. Ankara responded to her with two words.
"You don't." Ankara responded. She turned and walked away with her loot. Sofia and Yogurt Academy had struck a low, thankfully they kept some supplies like their weapons hidden from Ankara.
"Srebarna, take pictures of the destruction that Ankara is doing. We need to get our alliance together." Sofia gave the order.
"Yes Ma'am." Srebarna responded. The fire-haired girl began taking pictures of what Ankara had done and the destruction she had left in her path.
"Rebellion not going too well." The headline read. "Ankara is a tyrant that seems to be hell-bent on reducing the schools that resist to nothing and we request help from the outside. Whoever is able to mobilize their students to help us deal with her. We will be able to assist the other rebels and the ones to help break the chains from Ankara's rule." Sofia prayed for help to arrive, but her prayers were going to be answered. She looked ahead to the setting sun as she wondered, if tomorrow was going to be like today or would they get help. It was all up to Megumi.
Megumi the next morning was up early, and she was reading out what exactly had happened as of last night. She felt shame for Sofia, who was brutally attacked by Ankara and this made her angry.
"How could she beat up students that are trying to be free. Ankara has pushed it too far this time and now she has to pay." Megumi angrily told herself. She began to type a letter away to Ankara about the situation that she had just witnessed.
Dear Ankara.
I am disgusted with you and what you have done. You have gone too far this time and I bet you won't be calling your little allies to help you this time as I want a duel with our schools and the schools that we will be supporting to end this cruelty. The beating up and looting of Yogurt Academy since they didn't want to pay their taxes has gone too far in my opinion, it only a matter of time you begin brutally bashing the other subjects under your thumb and it will be my job to free the oppressed groups of students and give them the homes they deserve. Meet me at the fields later today.
I DECLARE WAR!
Megumi.
She posted the letter over and she decided to call up Mahou whom she met yesterday. Mahou opened the screen and she decided to chat with Megumi.
"Anything you want to talk to me about?" Mahou asked. Megumi began to think before she remembered what she was typing the angry letter over.
"Yes, tell the Balkan gangs, your students, Yogurt Academy and Srednyaya shkola russkikh koroley middle school the order: General mobilization." Megumi told Mahou. Mahou added as she was feeding into Megumi's desires.
"Of course." Mahou nodded. She went off as Alexandra walked into the room.
"Any news?" Alexandra asked her friend.
"Yes. Saunders is getting ready for war. Gather the students and tell them the news." Megumi told Alexandra. Alexandra nodded as she began to make the announcement. Megumi was getting her wish.
An hour later, the USS George Washignton was pulling into dock with several other school ships and the gangs that had gathered around. She was ready to give an arousing speech to the students.
"Students of Saunders, a great war lies ahead for us. We have been called to help those in need against their oppressors. It is our job to protect those that deserve to be free from the chains of the overlord. If this war is won, we can have as many as five schools break from Kebab's yolk and riches for us that we ever dream of. We should fight to the very end with our allies in our arms all the while the tyrannical Ankara is toppled from power and removed." Megumi began the speech with the call for the liberation of the badly treated schools. "I want every student from all of Saunders whether we fire the artillery, ride and shock the enemy on horseback or fire our rifles at the enemy whenever they show their heads. We will be ready for them. May the Lord be with us to give mercy upon our souls." Megumi finished the speech to the applause of students. After that, the M6 heavy tank took the lead with two M3 Lee's following it with the M3 Stuarts following behind. Alexandra's cavalry went next as they were hauling the artillery pieces behind them. Some of the horses were going to be attacking while others were used mostly to handle the cannons. Finally, the students marched behind with their bayonets attached to rifles and their pockets full of ammo. They were going to have the first match of their lives.
Megumi then arrived to see Alexei with his 1,500 student force, he had nearly half of the size compared to Saunders who brought along 2,600 students for the fight.
"Greetings to see you tsarevich." Megumi began. Alexei bowed as he had his Berdan beside him, at ease.
"Okay I secured the deal with Mahou and Sofia, they're going to let us advance on through and they'll join our side when we reach the Danube. They will not resist us as they're preparing to cross themselves." Alexei told Megumi of the plan, his force was about a thousand riflemen and five hundred cavalry. He didn't bring along any artillery.
"Okay let's get moving. We don't want to give any time for Ankara to dig in and fire upon us." Megumi called out, the tanks leading the way as the students and their cavalry followed behind them. They marched for an hour just beside the Danube to where Mahou was firing smoke shells across the river.
"You made it, we're building a bridge to bear the weight of your tanks so we can cross and secure the other side. From what we have gathered, Ankara has three redoubts on a few areas obscured by rolling hills, the bridge is just about finished and I have a couple thousand students with me." Mahou explained what exactly was going to happen.
"We got about a little over four thousand with us, me and Alexei's groups put together." Megumi replied.
"Wow, that's good. Sofia's got 1,800 students and the combined Balkan gangs have about 2,100 students." Mahou told Megumi.
"So, if I'm adding all of that up, we have 10,000 students at our disposal?" Megumi asked. Mahou nodded yes. "Quite the force. How many students are we facing against being led by Ankara?"
"About three thousand, we should be able to crush them with the weight of numbers, especially since we outnumber her three to one." Mahou replied. Then the radio buzzed with Shichiro's voice.
"Okay students, before we can begin this war, let's go over some ground rules, no violence against each other. If you are hit by a rifle pellet, clubbed by the stock or bayoneted, you're out of the war. If you get struck by artillery, you're out. You're also running on a clock as you have 72 hours to get this war done. If you run out of time, the defenders are the winner." Shichiro explained the rules that both teams had to abide by. "Good luck to the victor."
"Three days, that was quite generous." Kay responded.
"I know we should be able to cross over and try taking the redoubts. We should make it the goal for one redoubt to get taken out per day. Once all three are broken, we can declare victory quickly and force Ankara to the negotiating table." Mahou replied.
"I like planning." Megumi replied. She then turned to the tsarevich. "Alexei, you'll help set up camp and the artillery, we're going to cross the Danube and begin the advance when Shichiro says it's time."
"Got you Megumi." Alexei replied before he saluted Megumi.
"Both sides ready?" Shichiro asked. "Begin." He snapped the clock down as the teams prepared to move out.
"I'll take my school and Alexei's school across first as we're going to begin the advance. The bridge is finished?" Megumi asked.
"It is." Mahou replied. The M6 heavy tank and the others went first as they crossed the bridge with ease, next came the cavalry hauling the artillery pieces. Saunders brought along 141 cannons of various calibers. 100 6-inch cannons, 40 9-inch cannons and 1 12-inch howitzer that was going to aid them. They had enough ammo to last them for a day of repeated firing. Once they got across, the cavalry went forward next along with the students carrying their rifles behind. Once the two schools had crossed, the battle had begun.
[A/N]: Woo! The first battle of the fic is about to begin! They are given three days to destroy three redoubts. Ten thousand students against three thousand is the key. Next part will be the start of such an operation as Megumi and Alexei will go first with the Balkan gangs doing their own thing.
Let's see if we can get up to 200 views and another review before the war match truly begins. Goodbye.
Attempts on Megumi's life: 2 out of 7.
