The Coming Storm
The following day Hans and Klara went to see Friedrich again. He wasn't in his office when they arrived, so they were left to explore the grounds of the palace and take stock. From what Hans could see, the Coalition had the numbers to be a threat to the Order, but the two sides were almost evenly matched. The Coalition had no air power but plenty of energy weapons and the power cells to feed them. Conversely the Order had only ballistic weapons, but had considerable airpower. The juxtaposition was interesting, and would be interesting to watch play out in battle.
Of course, Hans and Klara were there to give the Order an edge in that battle, and so that's what they did. Being acquainted with Friedrich Ademar meant they had the run of the place, allowed to go anywhere and see anything, and they took advantage of that fact. Whereas the Final Order had a decent number of vertibirds and some halftracks the Coalition didn't seem to have any vehicles at all, unless they were stored elsewhere.
Hans was standing on the rear terrace of the Nymphenburg, looking out at the massive expanse of the once-beautiful gardens and the canal that stretched on beyond the palace, when someone walked up beside him. He turned to see who it was, surprised to see it was Friedrich Ademar. "Good day, Herr Eckhart," he said. "Beautiful sight, isn't it?"
"It would be, if the grass and trees weren't dead" Hans said, and Ademar nodded glumly.
"Indeed. They'll live again, one day. I'm sure of it. Man and nature will bounce back from the darkness of the Great War and we'll know splendor and beauty once again."
"Not in our lifetimes."
Ademar hummed. "Have faith, Herr Eckhart. Once the Coalition takes control of the replicator we'll take control of our future. I've seen the machine myself, and I have seen technical drawings and read descriptions of it. It's incredible, really, and if it really does work it'll be a boon for the ages."
"Have you figured out how you're getting to Berchtesgaden to take the replicator?" Hans asked.
"In due time, worry not." Ademar leaned against the stone balustrade of the rear terrace, his tone casual. "What I really came out here to do is catch up. I've not seen nor heard from you or Klara in some time. You said things have been rough?"
Hans nodded. There was no harm in telling him certain things; enough to sate his curiosity, at least. "Like we said, after the Order came through Pariser Platz we decided to leave, since people were leaving the U-Bahn network in droves to sign up with them. Klara said she had family in Munich, said we should leave Berlin since we weren't sure that this Final Order was genuine. Too bad we ended up in the city their headquarters is in."
"Indeed. I'm sorry to hear that Herr Steinbatz and Fraulein Muller didn't make it; if there's anything I or the Bavarian Coalition can do to help you track down Hilda then let me know" Ademar said, and Hans nodded. An idea occurred to him and he stepped back from the balustrade.
"It happened in Nuremburg, to the north," he said, making the story up as he went. "We were passing through a shopping complex when I sent Hilda through a back hall to get the power turned on, to unlock the gates of an escalator leading to the exit. After a few minutes the power came on, the gates opened, but Hilda never came back. I went looking for her, and... She was just gone. I found her gun propped up against the wall in a machine room, but there was no sign of her anywhere."
"You told her you were all going to Munich, yes? Perhaps she made it here."
Hans nodded. "Maybe. If there's time, maybe you could spare some soldiers to head to the shopping center and search for her. I can give them directions, if necessary. The name of the place was 'Marktzentrum Nürnberg und Bazar.'"
Ademar produced a notebook and wrote the name of the fictional shopping center down and nodded. "I'll see what I can do. In the mean time, let's talk business. Come with me, please. I have something you might want to see." Hans followed Ademar as he went back into the Schloss Nymphenburg, the two of them passing by Coalition soldiers as they proceeded through the halls and back towards the corner of the ground floor where Ademar's office was. The office was empty, save for the two of them, and Hans waited while Ademar sifted through the papers on his desk. Hans glanced outside one of the office's many windows at the front courtyard, wondering what Klara was doing. She'd gone outside that morning to watch the Coalition's soldiers and keep tally of their equipment.
Ademar cleared his throat and turned to face Hans, a thin book in his hand. He set the volume down on the desk and sat on its edge. "I have a secret to confess, Herr Eckhart. The Final Order is how I learned about the replicator."
Hans knew that already, but it was easy to feign surprise. "Really? How so?"
"I helped them learn about it. You recall how I asked you and your team to clear out the Historical Museum in Berlin?" Ademar asked, and Hans nodded. "That safe in the basement you told me about had information on the replicator inside it. When the Final Order came through the DHM U-Bahn station, offering the same thing they were offering to the rest of the U-Bahn stations, I was intrigued. Those ghouls, in the basement? The Order killed them. They'd been through the museum not more than a day or two before I asked your team to go in, though at the time I didn't know this. They were there looking to preserve artifacts and knowledge important to our nation's history and culture, but they too hadn't been able to open the safe. With my help they got in, and together we learned about the replicator."
I know all this already, get to the point Hans thought.
"Of course, the machine wasn't there. It never made it to Berlin. We recovered some other files from the museum, and learned the replicator was in Dresden. It was there that I first saw what the Final Order was truly about."
Hans nodded. "Sounds bad."
"Mmm, it was" Ademar said, and picked up the thin book he'd set down. "This is the mechanical operations and maintenance manual for the Replikationsgerät Ausführung A, the Natursturm device. The exact details are not mentioned, but it seems the machine actually does work. It still seems so fantastical, but I've seen the prototype. It was finished, and it does exist. I've not seen it running myself, but soon enough we will."
I need to get my hands on that book, return it to the Order Hans thought. He tore his gaze away from it and focused back on Friedrich Ademar. "What exactly happened to the device?"
"As I said, it was taken by the Final Order to Berchtesgaden. Without this," Ademar said, waving the manual, "I imagine they've been struggling to get it working. The machine is something of a power hog, it would seem. And there's something else, too, something about-"
Ademar was cut off by the sound of energy gunfire outside, and both men turned to look. To Hans' relief, it was just some of the Coalition's soldiers doing some training. He watched them for a moment, admired the brilliant blue glow of their plasma guns and the sharp orange flash of the laser guns, before he looked back at Ademar. "Do you really think the Coalition has what it takes to take the Replicator from the Order?"
Friedrich nodded. "Yes. As I said, the exact plans for the battle are still being worked on, but we know where the device is. I imagine they used their helicopters to take it up to the Kehlsteinhaus, the safest location for it, and have it under significant protection. Then again, perhaps not" Ademar said. "In all likelihood they're counting on the remote location of the Eagle's Nest being adequate protection for it while they send their sturmtruppen and Panzertroopers off to execute helpless people."
Hans gave him a look, but already knew what he was talking about. "What do you mean?"
"Their damned Operation Atomsturm. A Nazi genocide, straight out of the Nuremburg Trials. I don't know what it is about man, but we just can't help but want to kill each other, Herr Eckhart. The Final Order's off tracking down every last settlement, town, village, and safehouse they can find, and recruiting those willing to join and slaughtering those they deem 'non-human.' I couldn't care less about real monsters, like Rovers and Kopfkrachers, but I draw the line at sane ghouls."
What the Hell is a Headcracker?! Hans thought, unsettled at the prospect of an abomination he'd never encountered before. The Wanamingos had been bad enough. He was about to ask what he meant he heard another sound outside, what sounded like a revving engine. Hans took a look and watched in awe as two HS.30 Schutzenpanzer APCs and a single VT 1-2 medium tank slowly came grinding around the corner of the Nymphenburg and out onto the front lawn, where they stopped. A few Coalition soldiers were walking around them, looking the vehicles over as the crews inside began to climb out. He turned his attention back to Ademar, who smiled.
"Our secret weapons, as it were. The Order has the advantage in the air, plus their Panzertroopers, but these vehicles will be the key to taking us to Berchtesgaden" Ademar said.
Not if I can help it Hans thought. "When do you think you'll begin the mission to steal the replicator?" he asked.
"A couple of days, I imagine. I'm going to commit all our forces to this, once we tie up a loose end. It'll be a terrible clash, I'm sure, but it will be necessary to secure the future of Germany. To save ourselves not just from the tyranny of hunger and disease, but from the tyranny of depraved fascists. Would you like to help us, Herr Eckhart?" Ademar asked.
Hans was about to answer when there was a knock at the door and woman stepped into the office. "Herr Ademar, I have an emergency to report!" the woman said. "Final Order activity reported at the Otto von Bismarck Historical Experience Amusement Park nearby. Our soldiers there are under attack by enemy vertibirds and Panzertroopers. They need help!"
Friedrich Ademar rubbed his temple. "Damn it, alright. Send the armor to respond; we'll show the Final Order just who it is they're dealing with, and that we'll not be cowed by their jackbooted tactics" he said, and the woman nodded. She took off, passing quickly by Klara Edmund as she quickly walked into the office. "How would the two of you like to help us send a message?"
Hans shared a look with Klara and nodded, the technical manual still on his mind, a plan forming. "What would you like us to do?" he asked, and Ademar stood. He walked around to the front of the desk, and Hans cast sidelong glances at the manual on the desk.
"Go with the armor and some of our soldiers to the amusement park and help them hold the Final Order off. Our two sides have been at war the past couple weeks, mostly minor skirmishes while they expand their sphere of influence" Ademar said. "I've been content to just hold the line for that time, but the time has come to strike back. If we can knock out a few of their Panzertroopers and vertibirds, it will make storming Berchtesgaden that much easier."
Hans thought about it a moment before he nodded. "We're in, but let's discuss pay" he said. "I don't know what a Panzertrooper is, but we've seen their vertibirds around. They're a serious threat to people on the ground. I'm sure the tank and APCs will be a help, but this is still going to be dangerous as Hell."
"A thousand tokens," Ademar said. "Plus a bonus when you return."
"Very well. Let's see it" Hans said, and Ademar walked over to a safe built into the wall, his back turned to the two of them and the desk. Hans saw his opportunity and took it, quickly swiping the replicator's manual off the desk and stuffing it into a pouch. Ademar opened the safe, oblivious to what had happened, and began pulling out wooden cigar boxes. He took out three and set them down on the desk, opening them.
"Five hundred tokens in each, for a total of 1,500" Friedrich said. Hans looked at the silver tokens and nodded, but he hardly cared at all about the money. The fight at the amusement park would be the perfect cover to disappear from the Coalition and return to the Order, as well as the perfect opportunity to knock out their armored vehicles and return the advantage to the Final Order. Hans couldn't ask for a better situation, except maybe for a chance to shoot Friedrich Ademar here and now.
Listen to yourself, his mind chided. Stealing, lying, and plotting assassinations. What would Walter think?
Hans ignored the nagging thoughts and nodded. "We'll get it done," he said, the sound of revving engines growing louder as the two APCs and the tank took off for the gate, headed towards the fight. "And the next time we meet, we'll change Germany's future together."
Hans and Klara took their own route to the amusement park Ademar described, taking side streets and alleys as they proceeded vaguely in the direction of the park. Nearby Hans could hear the engines of the two APCs and the tank as they made their way through the streets, every so often firing a burst from their machine guns at some unknown threat. It'd taken them more than hour to make their way from the Nymphenburg to the area near the amusement park, the rusting remains of its Ferris wheel still visible over the building tops.
The two of them stopped by a collapsed grocery market, keeping close to the walls. The street opened up on a wider thoroughfare, Marsstrasse, which ran around the circumference of the amusement park. Hans peeked left and saw the Bavarian Coalition's armored vehicles emerge from a side street, followed closely behind by infantry. He waited until they disappeared into the park before quickly crossing the street. There was a low stone wall and even a moat around the amusement park, a narrow footbridge concealed by dead trees leading to an employee entrance. The wall around the park was dolled up to resemble a castle's wall, though the attractions inside looked decidedly modern. In the distance a vertibird's rotors could be heard approaching.
Hans kept his rifle pressed to his shoulder and used his free hand to push the employee door open, keeping low as he and Klara entered the building. The hall was clear and he moved up, Klara right behind him. More gunfire erupted outside as the Order and the Coalition entered battle, the high staccato of automatic fire mixing with the deep thundering of the 20mm autocannons on the APCs.
The utility corridor they'd entered had a stairway up halfway down, ending in an open door, a colorful hall beyond, the wall lined with windows. The building they'd entered was circular, the hall running along the outside wall of the building's second floor. A mockup of a medieval courtyard could be seen outside, a crumbling fountain in the center. Most of the courtyard was filled up by the Coalition's armored vehicles, their guns pointed away from the section of the building Hans and Klara were in. They stopped by the window and watched as the Coalition soldiers pressed forward, the Order's Fieldmen suppressed by the vehicles. The VT 1-2 turned and slowly grinded around the fountain to get a better position, the fixed MG-34 in its hull chattering.
"So, just how are we supposed to do this, hm?" Klara asked, and Hans looked the courtyard over again. He could still hear the Order's vertibird hovering nearby, though couldn't see it. He couldn't see the Order soldiers; they must've retreated further into the buildings. The vehicles stopped firing as the Coalition soldiers reached the doors and began to pour inside, the thumps of gunfire faintly audible. As Hans looked the courtyard over again it began to rain, a light pattering followed by a torrential downpour. The rain ran down the soot-streaked windows in rivulets, hampering visibility.
"If we seal the courtyard's gate it'll trap the vehicles inside. There's hardly any room to maneuver, so they won't be able to do much. Of course, we don't have any Panzerfausts or grenade launchers, but the Order should be able to handle them. Come on." The two of them proceeded down the hall to the left, towards the entrance of the courtyard. The hall ended with a door that opened up on a narrow stone catwalk over the park's wood entrance gate. There was simple control console on the stone bridge, labelled 'open' and 'close.' Hans pressed the close button and the gate, two giant wooden doors, slowly sealed shut. If the Coalition noticed they didn't seem to care.
Hans looked up, used a hand to shield his eyes from the downpour, and saw the vertibird coming in. One of the HS.30 APCs began to turn its autocannon and the vertibird banked, moving faster than the gunner could turn the turret. The vertibird swooped in over the courtyard and stopped hard, the pilot pulling the stick back to level the aircraft off. Two heavily-armored soldiers resembling the machine man he'd seen at the Genetics Institute dropped thirty feet to the ground and landed harmlessly on the cobblestones, unhooking their energiegewehrs. Panzertroopers.
Both HS.30s began to rotate their autocannons to face the new threat, the vehicles unable to move in the confines of the courtyard, as the machine men opened fire. Blue plasma bolts struck the hulls of the APCs, scorching them and making them glow, but didn't penetrate. The Panzertroopers quickly changed targets, their plasma bolts hitting the treads of the APCs and slagging their wheels.
The Panzertroopers bolted as the autocannons finished rotating, rapidly lumbering towards the gate and disappearing through an open door. The VT 1-2 slowly turned, its fixed guns coming about, and fired. Hans and Klara ducked and held onto the balustrade of the stone bridge as the tank's shells hit the wood gate, the sound of the rain briefly drowned out by the tremendous explosions.
Hans licked his lips and the two of them scurried back into the building, briefly checking the damage to the gate. The shells had torn two large holes in the heavy walnut, shedding and cracking the gate, but it was still intact. Worse still, one of the HS.30s was parked in front of it, its melted treads making it immobile. The Coalition's vehicles were trapped here, unless they wanted to blast through one of their own vehicles.
The Bavarian Coalition hadn't noticed the two of them yet, which meant they could still move about freely and not have to worry too much about enemy gunfire. With the Coalition busy with the Panzertroopers in the other side of the building Hans and Klara made their way back through the second floor hall of the park's admin building, staying away from the windows to avoid drawing attention. Hans risked a look and saw the VT 1-2 turning again, coming about to face the courtyard's second gate. It fired again, this time more towards the center of the gate, and blasted great holes in it. The engine revved and the tank rammed the gate, smashing it open. The tank proceeded through and disappeared further into the park.
The two of them stopped by the end of the hall to catch their breath. "Surely we have a plan here?" Klara asked.
Hans thought about it a moment. "There's a good chance the Panzertroopers will take care of all the Coalition infantry for us, but their tank is still prowling around out there. We can't let the Coalition use it against the Order, so we have to make sure it never leaves this place."
Klara looked at him. "And just how do you think we should do that?"
He hadn't gotten that far yet, but if the tank was unable to leave then they had the advantage. Hans pushed open the door next to them, a spiral staircase on the other side, descending down to the first floor. The two of them quickly scurried down the narrow stairwell, exited out onto the first floor, and crossed. There was a narrow utility hall opposite the stairs, leading to an emergency exit. Hans eased up to the door and gently pushed it open, the driving rain zipping in through the narrow gap. He peered outside, watching for the tank, and saw it as it turned to face back the way it had come. The area outside the door resembled a kind of medieval plaza, replica gallows and guillotine at the far end (at least Hans hoped they were replicas.) The ground was a firmly packed dirt, softened slightly by the biting rain, adding to the authenticity.
The VT 1-2 completed its turn and stopped, idling. It was out in the open surrounded by walls lined with dozens of windows, without support. A death sentence for a lone tank, but neither Hans nor Klara had the means to engage it. Hans watched, thinking of a plan, when he saw a Panzerbot come out from behind the gallows at the end of the plaza, behind the tank. The bot was armed only with machine guns, as far as Hans could tell, and turned to face the rear of the armored vehicle.
What ever the Panzerbot was going to do was stopped by a Rover, who rushed in from some hole in the wall and rammed the robot, smashing it to pieces. The Rover scattered the scrap metal with a thrash of its neck, sniffed the remains, and began pacing around the far side of the plaza, watching the tank, the crew oblivious to the monster's presence.
"Christ's sake" Hans said, and pulled back from the open door. He explained the situation to Klara, who nodded, and then the two of them headed back into the admin building of the amusement park. Hans decided their best bet was to link up with the Final Order troops who'd made it inside and help them with whatever plan they'd devised to handle the enemy tank.
Together they went back through the halls of the park's admin building, keeping low and away from the windows. Hans could hear gun- and energy-fire in the distance, growing louder the further they went. He risked a peek at the windows and saw they'd reached the opposite end of the courtyard, the disabled APCs still smoldering. Directly below them was the door the Order soldiers had used to enter the building, so they had to be close.
The hall they'd ended up in was r-shaped, the long end running along the side of the building that overlooked the courtyard. They'd come from the off-shoot, so the only choice was to double back around the bend and follow the sounds of battle. Hans eased up to a wood door at the end of the hall marked 'offices' and slowly pulled the door open, rifle pressed to his shoulder. The sound of the battle immediately got louder, and he could see bullets striking the wall ahead, coming from around a sharp turn to the left.
Neither Hans nor Klara was keen on getting hit by friendly fire, so the two of them slowly made their way to the corner. Hans went prone, peered around the corner, and saw a squad of Coalition soldiers in cover, their backs to him. Their laser and plasma guns were cycling feverishly, attempting to suppress the Order at the other end of the hall. Hans produced a grenade, yanked the cord, and tossed it around the corner. The Coalition soldiers never saw it, and were blown apart. As the dust settled the hall went quiet, the only sound the faint patter of the rain outside.
"Friendlies, friendlies!" Hans shouted, and slowly came around the corner, standing up. A few Final Order soldiers came out of cover, keeping their weapons trained on him and Klara. An officer slowly approached them, pistol in hand.
"Identify yourselves."
"I'm Hans Eckhart, and this is Klara Edmund. We're on our way back to the Residenz to report to Commander Wolfgang; he sent us to the Coalition's headquarters to do some fact-finding" Hans said. A few of the Order's soldiers relaxed, though more than one kept their weapons at the ready.
"And what facts did you find?"
"The Coalition is aware of the replicator and its location, and are preparing to move on it. We recovered a technical manual for the replicator that I think Wolfgang would like to see" Hans explained. The officer nodded and holstered his weapon, and the rest of them relaxed.
"So why are you two here, then, and not back at the Residenz?" the officer asked.
"The tank. We thought it best if we ducked in here to help you take out the Coalition's vehicles. With their APCs out of action all that's left is their tank, and it's currently holed up in some kind of plaza or square. There's a Rover there, too, that the tank hasn't noticed yet" Hans said.
The officer nodded. "I sent the Panzertroopers off to take care of all that. I don't know what exactly they're going to do, but they work best when you cut them loose and let them do things their way. I'm sure they'd appreciate our help though, yes?"
"We're in. Lead the way." There were six of them in total, and Hans and Klara followed them as they took off through the halls of the amusement park's offices toward the plaza. Hans could feel that familiar feeling returning; that feeling of the world slipping away in a shroud of gray, the only things visible the enemy and the immediate area. He licked his lips and held onto his G11 tightly, trying to tell himself he was ready.
The squad reached a door at the end of the hall and moved in, weapons at the ready. They'd reached a T-junction, the hall shooting off in both directions. The left hall went further back into the building, but the right led to the plaza. They reached the end of the hall and they all slowly moved back outside onto a balcony that ran around the circumference of the plaza, the pouring rain biting at them.
Hans kept low by the balcony's railing and took a look. The tank had moved forward, clearly thinking of trying to escape. The gate that led back to the fountain courtyard was still open, but with the HS.30's still blocking the way out the tank was still trapped.
Hans shot a look left and saw the Rover still pacing around the gallows, agitated. There was no sign of the Panzertroopers, so Hans could only guess what they were doing. The Order soldiers went left, in the direction of the gallows, and so Hans and Klara followed. The balcony went all the way to the back wall of the park, ending in a gated staircase that led down to the plaza's surface, right by the gallows. The Rover saw them and hunched down, growling.
"Take it out" the officer said, and the lot of them opened fire on the Rover. It barked and yelped in anger and pain as the bullets tore at it, and it rushed them. It scurried around the gallows and charged straight at them, but was unable to withstand the withering fire and fell to the ground in a pool of blood.
They were all about to exit the stairwell and cross the plaza behind the gallows when Hans noticed that the tank was turning around, slowly coming about. He was about to warn the others when the tank stopped, its barrels rising, and they both fired. But not at them. Instead, the twin cannons discharged into one of the admin building's upper levels, blasting massive holes into the stone and glass. Hans watched, intrigued, and realized the tank was under fire.
Who...?
The gate at the bottom of the stairs opened and they all moved out, taking cover under the gallows. Hans kept low, making sure to keep the tank in his sight at all times as they all moved across the plaza to the other end of the building. The tank's cannons fired again, one after the other this time, at another part of the building.
The eight of them had reached the other end of the plaza and were about to head for the gated staircase there when a door on the third floor burst open and a squad of Sturmutants came rushing out, guns in hand. "FREE THE HUMANS FROM THEIR MISERY!" one of them barked, and they thundered down the balcony towards the tank, one of them carrying a Panzerschreck. They hadn't seen Hans or the others, thankfully.
"Quick, let's get behind them and take them all out" the Order officer said, and the others nodded.
"Wait, hold on," Hans said. "Why not let them take the tank out for us?"
The officer seemed to think about this for a moment before he nodded. "Very well, we'll stay here for the moment. They haven't seen us yet, at any rate." There was an explosion at the far end of the plaza and they all turned to look, wisps of black smoke rising from the tank. It was turning left again, towards them, the guns still elevated. Hans watched as the Sturmutant with the Panzerschreck fired again, the rocket glancing off the side of the tank's turret.
Hans tensed, waiting for the tank to fire again, when it came under fire from the right side of the admin building's roof, blue plasma orbs falling all around it. The Panzertroopers. A fuel tank burst and the left barrel was slagged, and the tank lurched forward, towards the gallows. It turned wide, coming back around to face both threats.
The tank turned to the right slightly and fired, the hull bucking from the recoil, the shell hitting near the roof. The coax MG-34 opened fire as well, pelting the Sturmutants on the balcony. The officer and a few of his men scurried forward, grenades in hand. They dropped the explosives in the tank's upturned exhaust pipes and they detonated, tearing them up but inflicting minimal damage. The tank lurched forward again, machine gun thundering as it went.
Not wanting to take any chances Hans got moving for the staircase again, Klara right behind him. The Final Order team quickly followed, keeping low. Hans paused at the top of the staircase and peered through the G11's scope, watching the Sturmutants. There were three of them, two covering the third while he lugged around the Panzerschreck and its rockets. They started rushing back towards Hans and the others, apparently unaware of their presence. Klara joined him and switched over to the Drilling's rifle barrel. She nodded and they opened fire on the Sturmutants, cutting them down.
When they fell and didn't get back up the two of them hurried forward, keeping low. Hans stopped by the bodies of the mutants and dropped his rifle, quickly snatching up the Panzerschreck slick with rain and blood. It wasn't loaded. He handed the weapon to Klara and pulled a rocket out of the abomination's satchel, preparing to load it.
"Give it here, give it here!" Hans said, and she handed it back to him. He gave her the rocket instead, and he put the weapon on his shoulder. It had been years since he last used one, but they weren't that complicated. Klara shoved the rocket into the back of the weapon and Hans lined up the sights, putting the tank square in the middle of the sight picture. He licked his lips, squeezed the cocking lever, and pulled the trigger.
*Click*
"Fuck, what the fuck" Hans said, and crouched. He set the Panzerschreck down and looked at the fire control group, which looked fine. He hoisted up the rear of the heavy weapon and looked at the rocket, finding it unconnected to the electrical system. "What the fuck, Klara, you didn't connect the rocket!" he yelled as he plugged the cord in and put the weapon back on his shoulder.
"I didn't know!" she shouted. "How was I supposed to know, I was a farmer's daughter! I've never even seen one of these things before!"
Hans ignored her and rose back up. His blood froze when he saw the tank turning towards him and the others, its intact barrel rising to get a shot on them, the barrel of the coax MG-34 turning as well. He quickly shouldered the rocket launcher, put the sights back on the target, and fired. The windows still intact behind him shattered from the tremendous backblast and the warhead screamed into the tank's hull, cracking it open and blasting it apart. Fire began to lick at the sky, undeterred by the rain, and black smoke began to pour out.
Hans dumped the rocket launcher and picked up his G11 just as the few survivors of the tank's crew began to bail out. At once he took aim through the rifle's scope, sighting in on a young girl as she scrambled out of the driver's hatch. She couldn't have been much older than eighteen, and she looked so much like Hilda that he paused. It wasn't until she pulled out a pistol and began running that his focus returned to him and he opened fire. His first two shots missed, and he was about to fire a third when a blue plasma orb from one of the Panzertroopers hit her as she was running. Hans could only watch, mortified, as the young girl dissolved into a pool of steaming blue goo, splattered across the muddy grounds of the Otto von Bismarck Experience Amusement Park.
'Is this who we're going to become? A group of little goose-steppers, building our future on a foundation of corpses?'
The battle ended and the gray shroud lifted. Hans slowly stood along with the others, watching the Panzertroopers as they lumbered across the plaza, impervious to the driving rain. Impervious to anything, even the strange emotions that lingered after a battle.
Hans licked his lips, sighed, and got moving, Klara close behind him. There was still more work to do.
A/N: as of today (10/30/2022) the story has eight German readers. Huzzah!