Hello everyone. I am terribly sorry for the year long wait. I've done it again and I am internally cursing and berating myself for it. I still want to try and update more frequently so I had to talk to a few friends in order to understand why this keeps happening. Apparently according to them I tend to place more effort on organizing the story and on worldbuilding than I seem to do on actually writing the story. So with that I'm just going to keep what worldbuilding I have and just work on the story. Hopefully just making it up as I go will make things go faster. I really mean it by hoping.

Other than that, enjoy the story.


(Note: I do not own anything. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.)

April 12th, 1935
City of Vasel
Several hours after dawn

As the sun shined on this spring morning, the Gallians initiated their plan to liberate Vasel from German occupation. It began with a Gallian bombardment of the western side of Vasel by a series of heavy and light mortars. The bombardment lasted for an hour, with the Gallians hoping to soften the advance guard of the German forces in the city enough for the Gallian Regulars and Militia to punch through their defenses. Once the barrage ended, the Gallians began to march into the city, splitting their forces along the main routes to spread the German defenders thin to counter them.

Along the main route into Vasel, the Gallian Regulars under Isabella, Faldio's Squad 1, and several other Militia units slowly advanced into the city. They were advancing cautiously, wary of the possibility of being ambushed by the Germans if they rushed in carelessly. And many members of the Militia, Faldio's men included, had an edgy look as they eyed every window, alley, and corner with suspicion. They had no idea where the Germans were or if the bombardment had damaged their defenses.

It didn't help, given the relic of a tank leading their push into the city: a Theimer heavy tank. The tank was a heavily modified version of the famous Mark V British tank of World War I. One of the main differences was that the engine was replaced by a more powerful one, and it was stored in the back and sealed from the crew, adding a giant radiator to help disperse the extra heat it gave. The turret of a Gallian Light Tank was also fitted on top of the chassis, and its side cannons were replaced by a pair of 47mm anti-tank guns. It was well-armed for its time alongside three machine guns facing the front, left, and right, alongside the 75mm cannon in the main turret.

The Theimer heavy tank was an impressive vehicle…when it came into production a few years after the end of the First World War. However, by April of 1935, it was clear that it was outdated and inferior to the tanks and vehicles currently used by the Imperial German Army, with several faults showcasing this fact. Its thin armor made it vulnerable to the latest in German anti-tank weaponry. The tank's weaponry could not penetrate German armor unless it were at point-blank range. And it's extensive profile made it a big target, able to be spotted from a ways away, making it a tempting target for any Panzer crew or Stuka pilot that caught sight of it. And its eleven-man crew meant that if one of these tanks were destroyed, the number of dead would be equivalent to at least two tank crews in most tanks.

However, the current desperation of Gallian High Command and the lack of decent armored vehicles meant that these tanks were being brought out of storage and sent to the front lines to try and shore up their depleted tank corps. If ever there was a sign that the Gallians were now in dire straits, the deployment of the Theimers against superior enemy vehicles it.

And so far, its slow speed meant that the advance was essentially a slow march. That and its large size meant it took up most of the road, blocking the sights of the soldiers and vehicles following behind. Thankfully this also meant that the soldiers could use it for cover against any bullets coming at them from the front. And as the column turned left down a road leading to a T-junction, Faldio and Isabella felt that the advance so far seemed too easy. They should have run into some German resistance by now, and the lack of any so far made them feel uneasy. The troops felt this as well.

"Ugh, where are the bastards?" asked one Gallian militiaman, tightly clutching his Mags-M1 submachine gun.

"Maybe they ran off when they heard we were coming," commented a Gallian Regular, feeling relatively confident rather than scared.

Isabella corrected him with, "No, they're here. They are waiting for us up ahead somewhere. The Germans aren't exactly known for turning tail and running at the first sign of trouble. More likely, they're waiting for us somewhere up ahead."

"The only question is where," added Faldio.

After speaking her piece, a cannon shot slammed into the Theimer tank from the front, striking the right treads and immobilizing the tank. The cannon shell was from a Pak 38 anti-tank cannon hidden in a small store on the ground floor of a building at the T-junction facing directly at the lane the Gallians were moving up. Another shot from the 50mm anti-tank cannon struck the Theimer tank dead center, quickly punching through the hull and striking the engine, which quickly died out.

This was eventually followed by rifle fire from the upper floors of the same building, aimed directly at the infantry behind the now immobilized Gallian tank. Several bullets struck home, killing half a dozen Gallian Regulars before Isabella and Faldio ordered the troops to get take cover. The Gallians immediately rushed behind the vehicles, sought shelter in the doorways and corners of buildings on either side, or ducked into the alleys to avoid the gunfire. Once they were all safely ensconced, the Gallians began to return fire at the Germans with their rifles and submachine guns.

The gun battle raged on for a few seconds before the Germans brought a pair of MG15 light machine guns onto the second floor and began firing their 7.92mm machine gun rounds at the Gallians. As this occurred, the rear hatched on the sponsons of the Theimer tank opened up, and out came the surviving crew, about half a dozen of them in total. One by one, they piled out before rushing back to the end of the column where it was safer.

But for Isabella and Faldio, the knocked-out tank meant their column had effectively ground to a halt. The size of the Theimer tank meant that the vehicles behind it couldn't go around the tank as there wasn't enough space in the road. So the convoy had effectively been ground to a halt. They needed to find a new route, or the Germans might send troops to strike the now immobile convoy.

Knowing the danger, Isabella turned to one of her men, who wore a backpack radio to denote him as a radioman, and ordered, "Get me General Strydonck and Captain Varrot on that thing, now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" replied the radioman as he worked his magic. Then, a few minutes later, he got them on the radio and handed Isabella the transceiver.

Taking the transceiver in hand, she yelled, "This is Lieutenant Isabella von Damon of Arrow Column! We have engaged the enemy in the residential blocks at the T-intersection! Unfortunately, our lead tank has been knocked out, and our column is going nowhere! We need an alternate route to our target. Please advise, over!"

"Acknowledged. Move your convoy back and take an access route to Stone Street. From there, you should be able to reach the town square. But it would be best if you secured that intersection first. Clear it out, and then move forward!" stated Strydonck on the radio call's other end. They needed to eliminate all German resistance on their side of the river. The last thing Strydonck needed was any enemy holdouts to harass his forces as they continued to liberate Vasel.

"Understood. Lieutenant Damon, out!" replied Isabella as she handed the transceiver back to her radioman.

"So what's the situation?" asked Faldio, after taking a shot at the Germans in the building with his rifle before turning to face Isabella. She explained everything Strydonck told her and that first, they needed to take out the Germans in the building before they advanced any further. This led to Faldio saying, "So how do you want to do this?"

"Your squad lays down cover fire while I lead my men to storm the building," informed Isabella as she gave hand signals to her assault troops to form up on her position. One of them handed her a pair of B-type Gallian stick grenades, likely to help clear the Germans floor by floor.

As she stuck the grenades onto her belt, Faldio smirked and commented, "I guess, unlike your father, you enjoy getting your hands dirty now and then?"

"I don't like hiding in a bunker thirty miles away while people die for me. I fight alongside the men I lead. That's one of the many things my father and I disagree on," stated Isabella.

"I think I may be starting to like you," said Faldio, "You're not too bad for a Regular Army girl."

"Save your flirting when we get out of this mess," said Isabella. She received a Mags-M1 from one of her men, and now they were ready to begin the assault. On the count of three, she and her men charged towards the building while Faldio had his Squad 1 lay down suppressive fire with a volley of rifle and submachine gun fire.

Meanwhile
By the Vasel Riverfront
Near the German HQ

While most of the Gallian forces under Strydonck pushed into the city, Squad 7 was given a more sensitive mission. Strydonck had told Welkin to take his unit into the western side of Vasel, entering from the south while the rest of the army kept the Germans busy. The overall plan was that while the Germans were distracted dealing with the apparent threat, Welkin and his unit would sneak into the city and strike at the German headquarters on the western side of the river in the general post office building. Strydonck hoped that the German's overconfidence would work against them and that they would leave their headquarters less well-guarded, believing it was safe from the Gallian forces. And if they took out the German command center, it would throw their troops into disarray and force them to fall back across the bridge, allowing the Gallians to seize half of Vasel.

And so far, it seemed like Strydonck's plan was working. Leading Squad 7 from the commander's cupola on the Edelweiss, Welkin and his unit hadn't encountered any German forces yet. And as they neared the German headquarters, Welkin looked at his map and decided to split his platoon in two. Hopefully, by doing this, it would allow them to hit the German headquarters from two different directions. In addition, it would apply more pressure on the defenders and ultimately force them to surrender if possible.

Soon, they were approaching the intersection where they would split up. Once there, Welkin ordered the unit to halt. When they did, he gave them their instructions.

"All right, we'll split into two teams. Largo, you take half the squad and continue up the main route with the Shamrock in support. I'll lead the riverside team with the Edelweiss, and we'll converge on the GPO," informed Welkin.

"Shocktrooper here," claimed Rosie, her submachine gun slung over her shoulder and gesturing to herself with her thumb, "Leave the offense to me."

Welkin looked to Largo and told him, "Largo, be ready for anything. Intel says the Germans may have some armored vehicles defending their headquarters."

"How long do you think I've been an anti-tank man? A couple of tanks ain't no sweat," replied Largo, feeling confident in his chances of success against the Kaiserreich tanks.

"That's the spirit, Largo. All right, let's move out!" ordered Welkin. But as he said that, they all heard a rumbling coming down the road.

Turning around, they could quickly see that a German patrol was several blocks away, approaching a corner onto Market Garden Street, the same street Squad 7 was on. It included a small infantry squad of ten men supported by a Panzer II Ausf. C light tank. These small and nimble tanks, crewed by just three men, were a staple among the rapid advance forces such as the one that captured Vasel.

Armed with a 20 mm autocannon and an MG15 machine gun and covered in 14 mm of steel armor on all sides, it was a light tank capable of supporting infantry squads, especially in the urban streets of Vasel. And alongside the infantry, they quickly spotted the members of Squad 7 as the German NCO cried out in German, "Feindliche Infanterie!"

The German infantry immediately began firing away with their weapons, forcing the squad to take cover behind the tanks or in the doorways of the buildings on either side before returning fire. And when the Panzer II turned its turret to face them, it opened fire with its autocannon, primarily targeting the Edelweiss and the Shamrock in a vain attempt to take them out. The shells merely bounced off their hulls like small rocks against a brick building, but they did force Arianna and Welkin to climb back inside quickly before one of those shells struck them.

Once inside, Welkin looked to Raphael, who was manning the cannon on the Edelweiss, and ordered, "Aim at the tank."

"Si, Senor. Loading armor-piercing shell now," responded Raphael as he worked the autoloader system for the cannon.

"No, just aim it. That tank doesn't have the armor to stand up to a tank shell. If they see this thing aiming at them, they'll bolt and run," said Welkin, correcting Raphael.

Raphael nodded in agreement, saying, "Got it. Time to send these fascists running."

Raphael then took hold of the turret controls and prepared to aim the cannon. Before this mission, Welkin had told him he would serve as the gunner for the Edelweiss on this mission so that Welkin could command the unit more effectively. Raphael was hesitant about this as he was a combat engineer for Squad 7. None of his training involved how to be a tank crewman or how to operate a tank. Thankfully, Isara was on hand to give him a quick overview of how to use the cannon. Thanks to Theimer's designs, such as the autoloader, made the task easier for the gunner and allowed even those with no training in operating tank cannons able to do the job at hand.

So, taking the controls in hand, Raphael looked through the tank's sights and traversed the turret towards the attacking Panzer II. Once he had it in view, he lined up the 88mm cannon directly at the front of the Panzer's thin frontal armor. After a few seconds, the Panzer II suddenly revved up and pulled out in reverse as fast as it could move, still firing at the Edelweiss as it fled. And once they saw their tank running away, the German infantry did the same, firing a few parting shots at the Gallians before falling back.

Welkin knew that they were likely heading back to the German headquarters. And the German troops there would have heard those shots, eliminating Squad 7's element of surprise against them. So now, they put their plan into action. Welkin and Isara took the Edelweiss and broke off from the main road, taking Rosie, Alicia, Jack, and half the unit. Meanwhile, Largo led Iohan, Dredger, Father Hendricks, and the rest of Squad 7, with the Shamrock following in support.

Largo's unit chased the German squad along the main road and its Panzer II until they were cornered in an open courtyard near the German headquarters. The other routes out of the square were too small for the Panzer II to move across. The infantry, however, were free to move down the alleys, abandoning the Panzer II to hold back the enemy by itself. It trained its cannon on the main road, and when the crew saw the blue uniforms of Squad 7 approaching, it opened fire.

Firing on the Gallians with its 20 mm autocannon and MG15 machine gun at Squad 7 forced them to seek shelter behind small walls of sandbags on the sides of the road and behind the buildings. The sheer amount of fire was enough that no one was willing to stick their head out for fear of a shell from the autocannon blowing it off. They needed to take this thing out and fast.

"Well, Mr. Anti-tank man, how about you go out there and blow that piece of junk?" commented Iohan, hiding alongside Largo behind a line of sandbags.

"I can't. With that gun, I'll be cut to ribbons before I got a shot off," explained Largo, ducking his head when he felt a bullet pass by too close.

"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing!" pointed out Iohan.

Then, the Shamrock rumbled in from behind, moving up towards the Panzer II, with several shells bouncing off the Shamrock's frontal armor. As the tank advanced toward the courtyard, inside the tank, Arianna began to issue orders for her crew, viewing the enemy vehicle from her viewing port.

"Pierre, load an AP shell. Nikolai, aim at the tank and take it out," commanded Arianna.

"Loading shell," replied Pierre, who grabbed a 75mm AP shell from the rack, loaded it into the gun, and closed the breach, "You're up."

Nikolai aimed at the German tank, which immediately began to back up and try to avoid the tank's cannon like it had done with the Edelweiss earlier. Despite the Panzer II's evasive maneuvers and vain efforts to take out the Shamrock with its autocannon, Nikolai managed to keep the vehicle within its sights. Once the cannon was lined up, Nikolai pressed the firing pedal with his foot and sent the 75 mm medium-velocity shell out of the barrel. The shot effortlessly punched through the thin armor of the Panzer II before exploding inside the vehicle, obliterating it and leaving little more than a wrecked, smoldering chassis consumed by fire.

"Ha ha! Dasvidaniya, you fascists!" laughed Nikolai in a triumphant tone. This marked the first kill of the war for the Shamrock and her crew.

Meanwhile, Welkin led his group down the riverfront road heading straight toward the command center. So far, they had encountered no significant resistance, aside from a few potshots from a couple of German riflemen, which Rosie quickly gunned down with her submachine gun. However, as they approached the final stretch of the route, near some small piers with docked boats, the Germans reappeared at the top of a ramp at the end of the road.

The Germans had set up an improvised barricade of various pieces of furniture from the houses, tires, metal sheets, barbed wire, and whatever they could find lying around. From there, a row of German riflemen had taken up position. They had set up a pair of MG15 machine guns on tripods and two Pak 38 anti-tank cannons. Once the Gallians were in range, they opened fire with the machine guns and riflemen choosing to target the infantry of Squad 7 while the Pak 38's targeted the Edelweiss. Unlike previous attempts, these gunners aimed at the tracks to try and immobilize the vehicle to make it easier to destroy. The cannons fired their shots, with the first landing just in front of one of the treads, embedding itself in the road while the other struck the front armor, bouncing off it.

The squad immediately sought cover, firing back from behind the crates and boats at the docks, the Edelweiss, or the few sandbags on the road that their tank didn't run over. Welkin soon opened the hatch on the turret and manned the M2 Browning to help increase the firepower and hopefully pin down the enemy until Raphael could line up a shot.

Inside the turret, Raphael had the autoloader load a high-explosive shell into the gun and aimed it directly at the barricade. Once the gun was lined up, he shouted, "Fuego!" and fired the main cannon, with the HE shell flying through the air, striking the barricade. The blast and shockwave from the explosion shattered the barricade and killed a number of the German soldiers behind it, with the others either stunned or wounded.

With the immediate danger taken care of, Welkin ordered the advance to continue. Reloading his Springfield M1903 rifle, Jack added, "You heard him, lads. Let's go."

However, in their haste to move forward, they were unaware of a new threat. And that threat came with a series of cannon strikes struck all around them, with the shots coming from the other side of the river. Nothing muzzle flashes from the opposite bank; Rosie shouted to Welkin, "Hey, lieutenant! We got kraut cannons on the other side of the river!"

The Germans had set up a battery of about four Pak 38s on the opposite bank while Squad 7 had dealt with the German barricade on their side of the river. All four were firing away at the squad as they hid behind the docks. While the Edelweiss could have dealt with them quickly, the sheer number of anti-tank guns and their position meant they could penetrate the armored skirts and side armor of the Edelweiss before its crew could knock out all of the cannons.

"Bloody Paks are going to tear us to pieces if we stay here any longer," claimed Rosie as she hid alongside Alicia behind a pile of crates. "We can't just sit here and let them blast us!"

"We could Marina and Catherine snipe the bastards, but the minute the Germans realize it, they'll hone in on them and blast them to pieces," cited Jack, hiding behind one of the docked boats, "And none of our other guns can reach the other side of the river. So unless we want to have our tank blown to bits, letting them blast us is all we can do."

And as if their situation couldn't get any worse than this, it suddenly did. Over the sound of the Pak cannons firing and the explosion of their shells as they impacted around them came the growing sound of a siren—one which every member of Squad 7 had come to recognize by now. Looking up, they spotted two black objects from one of the clouds barreling toward them. And when they saw the gull wings, it was easy to tell they were a pair of Stukas. It seems that the German commanders had called in for some air support, and now it had arrived to drive back the Gallian attack.

"Oh, God! Stukas!" cried out Noce as he pointed towards the incoming planes.

When they were within range, the Stukas both opened fire with their wing-mounted machine guns, the bullets striking the ground and approaching the group like a set of S-mines popping up from the ground in a set of lines. The members of Squad 7 quickly jumped out of line to try and avoid them. Most were successful, though a few did receive a few cuts from the passing bullets. The Stukas pulled up and began a steep climb to regain altitude for another run.

Once the places had passed them, Welkin opened the hatch on the commander's cupola on the Edelweiss and stood through the opening. Checking on his unit, he inquired, "Everyone all right? Anyone hit?"

"No, we're fine, Welkin," assured Alicia as she dusted herself off.

Raphael chimed in by mentioning, "That won't last long. Those Stukas are going to come back for another run, señor. If we don't get out of here soon, then between them and those guns, this river will become our graves."

"Everyone find cover! The bastards are coming back!" warned Jack as he pointed to the returning Stukas diving down on them again.

But just as it seemed like the planes were about to open fire again with their machine guns, one of the Stukas erupted into a ball of fire before careening off toward the river. As the burning plane violently splashed into the river, the water from the crash fell on top of the members of Squad 7 at the riverfront. The other Stuka pulled up and began to fly away but was now chased by two different planes. The two planes opened fire with their machine guns, striking the Stuka multiple times until, like the previous one, it too caught fire and plummeted toward the ground, exploding when it crashed.

The two planes pulled up to gain altitude and were eventually joined by two more similar planes, flying in formation with each other and visible to all in Vasel, be they German or Gallian. These planes weren't German planes, but they weren't Gallian planes either. The answer came when on his radio headset, Welkin heard this transmission.

"To all Gallian forces within Vasel, this is Bravo Leader of the Royal Air Force. My flight and I are above you now and can provide you with some air support, over," said the voice of a British pilot on the radio.

This was followed by the voice of Strydonck, who said, "Bravo Leader, this is General Strydonck of the Gallian Militia, and we are glad to hear your voice. Divert your efforts towards the waterfront and near the general post office building. The Seventh Platoon will need your support to complete their mission."

"Roger that, we will assist as long as we can. My pilots and I had just finished a mission against Jerry and were diverted to assist your efforts here. As long as we're here, we'll keep the skies clear and give you air support," responded Bravo Leader.

Almost immediately, the spirits of Squad 7, along with the entirety of the Gallian forces, seemed to be lifted. For the first time in a long while, they finally had assistance from the air. With the amount of damage the Luftwaffe had done to the GRAC in the month since the invasion began, what little remained of Gallia's air force was reduced to engaging Imperial German bombers instead of providing close air support to its beleaguered forces. And now, air support had arrived, courtesy of the British Empire.

As Welkin heard the men and women of his platoon cheer at the sight of the British coming to their aid, he wasted no time speaking into his radio headset and saying, "Bravo Leader, this is Lieutenant Welkin Gunther of the Seventh Platoon. My men and I are under fire from a battery of Pak 38s on the Eastern Riverbank. We could use your assistance in taking them out."

"Understood, Lieutenant. I can see those guns now. Forming up for a strafing run right now. Keep your heads down, and we'll deal with this problem for you," replied Bravo Leader, his four Hawker Hurricane fighters forming in a line and turning towards the Pak cannons, coming up from high up and on their left.

The four Hurricanes then dived down at the Pak cannons, and once in range, each plane opened fire with eight wing-mounted .303 caliber machine guns. The bullets strafed the ground, striking the Pak crews, riddling them with projectiles, and causing minor explosions when they hit the 50 mm shells next to the anti-tank cannons. By the end of the strafing run, the crew members were either dead, wounded, or retreating to find some cover.

"Lieutenant Gunther, the Pak guns are out of commission. You may continue proceeding to your objective," informed Bravo Leader over the radio.

"Thanks for the assist, Bravo Leader. Can you perform another run on the post office and thin out the defenders?" asked Welkin.

"Roger that, Lieutenant. But my men and I are at bingo fuel. We can do one more strafing run for you, and then we have to head back to base," replied Bravo Leader, relaying the situation to Welkin.

Then, the Hurricanes banked to their right, turning until they were lined up for a strafing run for the general post office. Upon seeing them approach, the German troops in the immediate area immediately fled back into the post office and sought cover. The Hurricanes opened fire, bullets striking the building like a hail storm. When the Hurricanes passed the post office, the front of the building was so riddled with bullet holes it could pass for a slice of Swiss cheese. It was safe to say that they had struck their target, though it was unclear what damage they had inflicted on the Germans.

But with this strafing run completed, the Hurricane's role in this battle was finished. They began to climb back up and into the skies for a final time, but not before leaving this message for Squad 7: "All right, Lieutenant, we're heading back to base back in France. I wish you luck in taking the city. Hopefully, we'll see each other again."

"Acknowledged, we appreciate the assistance," replied Welkin before shutting off the radio channel. With that over, Welkin gave the hand signal for Squad 7 to advance. He climbed back down into the Edelweiss and told Isara, "Is, let's get going. The command center isn't far off."

"On it," replied Isara as the Edelweiss lurched forward again, going up the ramp and smashing the barricade under its mighty treads, creating a path for Alicia, Rosie, Jack, and the others to follow. After reaching the top, the Edelweiss turned to the left, and from there, the German command center at the General Post Office was right in sight. All that was missing was the Shamrock and the remaining half of the Seventh Platoon to join them for this coordinated attack. As they approached the building, the remaining Germans inside began firing from the windows on all three floors and even on the roof, pelting Squad 7 with fire from their rifles and submachine guns. Squad 7 immediately returned fire, and the amount of firepower, combined with the .50 caliber machine gun fire from the coaxial machine gun of the Edelweiss, quickly began to suppress the Germans and keep them away from the windows.

It was then that smashing through a stone wall came the Shamrock, followed by the remaining members of Squad 7, who followed the other's initiative and fired on the command center with all they had. This continued for a minute until Welkin gave the order to cease fire. As the bullets stopped flying, he took advantage to take a look at the situation. The Germans were no longer returning fire. This meant they were all killed inside or hunkering down in a few areas deeper inside the building.

Looking at Alicia, Welkin ordered, "Alicia, take some of the squad and secure the building. Once you raise the Gallian flag, I'll inform Varrot that we've accomplished our objective."

"Got it. Let's hope that there aren't any more Germans inside," responded Alicia.

"That's not the only thing we should worry about," added Largo, "I'll bet anything that the Krauts inside called for help. We should set up a perimeter in case they show up."

"All right, Jack, take Iohan, Hendricks, and Raphael and secure the building. We'll organize a perimeter out here in case of a German counter-attack," explained Welkin.

With that, the Squad began to take up defensive positions, using the sandbags around the post office and inside the surrounding buildings. Meanwhile, Iohan, Hendricks, Jack, and Raphael moved toward the front door. Raphael managed to climb through the forward hatch on the Edelweiss and grabbed a Browning Auto-5 shotgun and some ammo before joining them.

Taking out a grenade, Jack opened the door slightly and threw in the grenade, which exploded a few seconds later. Once that happened, Iohan and Raphael kicked down the doors and entered the room, guns ready. Inside, they found several German bodies scattered around the main room, all shot by the rounds fired at the building.

As the four moved deeper into the building, they began finding no more German bodies. They found the main stairwell and prepared to go to the top floor. However, they heard a German soldier from up, his voice echoing in the stairwell, "Hier hast eine Granate, gallisches Schwein!"

Suddenly, a German stick grenade landed on the floor, dropped by the German soldier above. The minute it hit the floor, Iohan called, "Grenade!"

The four jumped out of the stairwell and put as much distance as possible from the grenade, which exploded a few moments later. Once it was gone, the group returned to the stairwell and slowly moved up the stairs with extra precautions, weapons raised in case the German returned with yet another grenade. Once they reached the top floor, they only had to travel a few hallways before making it to the ladder that led to the roof. Once there, they would lower the German flag and raise the Gallian one, signaling they had taken the German headquarters. Hopefully, this would cause the Germans to fall back. And all the group needed to do was defeat the few remaining Germans left in the post office. That and hope that they didn't have any more grenades.

Eventually, they reached the top floor and headed toward the ladder. They were surprised when a German soldier holding a submachine gun popped out from an open doorway as they approached the corner before the final hallway to the ladder. He shouted angrily before opening fire, immediately causing the group to duck behind the corner for cover. A long burst of automatic fire tore through the hallway, striking the walls and doors as the German soldier desperately tried to stop the enemy from proceeding forward.

"Great. So anyone want to deal with this guy?" asked Jack, knowing his bolt-action rifle would be useless in this encounter.

"I can hit him with the shells in my shotgun, but I need to get closer for it to hit him," said Raphael.

It was then that Father Hendricks suggested, "If the rest of us give some cover fire, we can keep him pinned down long enough for Raphael to take him out."

"We're getting tactical advice from a priest," commented Iohan cynically, "Perhaps the world has gone mad."

"Maybe, but it's a good idea," stated Jack, "Get ready to start shooting once this guy has to reload. When we start shooting, Raphael starts moving."

The three took up position, and when the German ran out of ammunition and began to reload, the trio popped out of cover and opened fire. The German instinctively ducked behind the open doorway to avoid their fire and reload his weapon. As this happened, Raphael readied his shotgun and quickly moved down the hallway, hugging the far side to stay out of his comrade's line of sight. Once he was close to where the German soldier was, he dropped to a knee and aimed his shotgun, with the trio halting their fire.

As the German moved out to fire again, Raphael fired a single slug from his shotgun, hitting the enemy soldier dead in the chest, killing him instantly. The force of the blast struck the German soldier, sending him flying backward and landing flat on his back with an audible thud.

The four regrouped, with Jack heading over to the dead German. Slinging his rifle over his back, Jack leaned down and picked up the German's Suomi Kp/-31 and the drum magazines the three remaining drum magazines the German had. None of them knew what they would encounter up there, but Jack figured it would be helpful to have these.

They all climbed up one by one, and there, they saw no Germans this far. That changed when they heard one of them shout, "Gallische Soldaten," and several Germans began firing at them from behind an oversized air conditioner unit. It included an officer firing with his Luger and a pair of riflemen.

The surprise of this caused the four to seek cover behind the nearest solid objects on the roof, which thankfully were close by, but sadly, little was between them and the Germans, creating a kind of No Man's Land between them. Jack cursed to himself silently. They had no time for this. They had to clear them out.

Looking at Iohan and Raphael, he told them to ready their grenades. Each pulled out a single Gallian B-Type grenade and pulled the pin. They then hurled the grenades toward the Germans, landing directly behind them. The German officer noticed them and immediately bolted, abandoning his two subordinates to their fate. He left cover and dove to the ground in front of the air conditioner unit as the grenades exploded, killing the two German riflemen, leaving only the officer as the only Kaiserreich soldier defending the post office.

Eager to get this over with, Jack got up from cover, pulled out one of his Colt 1911 pistols, and strode over to the German officer as he slowly got up. When the German noticed Jack approaching, he raised his Luger in an attempt to shoot him, but Jack was faster. He quickly aimed and fired, rapidly emptying his weapon's magazine and scoring direct hits with each shot. The German officer fell to the ground, his chest riddled and bloody, and died where he lay.

As Jack reloaded his pistol, the others came up behind him and moved to the flag pole. From there, Iohan and Raphael pulled down the German flag before Father Hendricks tied on the Gallian flag. They raised it back up, and the German headquarters was theirs.

Soon, word of this began to reach the German forces, and they rapidly retreated across the bridge to the other side of the river. And from the riverfront, Squad 7 could see in the distance the sight of the German tanks and infantry racing eastward across the bridge toward the safety of the other end. The first stage of the battle was over, but it was the easy portion. The more complicated part would be crossing the river and retaking the other side.

An Hour Later…

As the Gallians settled in the western half of Vasel and fortified their position, Squad 7 remained at the post office until they received their next orders. Standing on top of the Edelweiss, Welkin spoke to Alicia, who was on ground level, about the battle's outcome. As they were talking, they heard a camera flash and turned to see someone with said camera looking right at them.

She was 25 years old, with blue eyes and short, wavy blonde hair. She wore a white, buttoned-down shirt, green pants, brown shoes and gloves, glasses, and a plaid, checkered cap. She appeared every bit like a news reporter, even having her own camera and notepad.

"Hey, you guys aren't with Squad 7 by any chance, are you?" asked the woman.

"Yes, that's us," answered Alicia.

"Ha, ha, bingo!" said the woman, liking the answer. "I've been looking for you, mainly you. Hot stuff, on the tank."

She said that last bit while looking at Welkin. The "hot stuff" bit had made him feel a bit awkward. The young woman then walked up to the tank. Alicia, wondering what this was all about, asked, "Um, excuse me. I-"

The young woman mainly ignored her as she looked to Welkin and inquired, "That must make you Lieutenant Welkin Gunther, am I right?"

"Um, yeah. Yes, that's me," answered Welkin hesitantly, unsure where this was going.

Despite Welkin's protests, she climbed onto the Edelweiss without skipping a beat. Once on board, she took out her pen and paper and got right to the questions, saying, "Now, let's get right to the questions. So, you're the son of the great General Gunther, huh? You look awfully young. How old are you? It must be your first war, huh? What's been the hardest experience so far? Wait, happiest? No, uh, funniest?"

The poor woman continued to question Welkin, backing him into a corner of the tank. And to say that Welkin was feeling rather uncomfortable with all of these questions was plain to see by the expression on his face. But still, the woman kept babbling on, wanting to know everything she could about Welkin.

"I'd also like to know hobbies, favorite foods, what you do on your days off," said the young woman. Her barrage of questions was eventually ended by Alicia, who butted into this one-sided conversation.

"Hey, lady, this is a combat zone!" reminded Alicia, "Excuse me, but what are you doing here anyway?"

"Hey, give me a break, will you? Scoops are near danger, and I'm near scoops," defended the woman. It didn't essentially answer Alicia's question until the young woman now introduced herself, "That's right, the name's Ellet. I'm GBS radio's top woman reporter. I smell a story, a good story, and you guys are it!"

"So…you're a reporter?" asked Welkin.

"Yup. I've been assigned to Squad 7 by General Strydonck to conduct a series of interviews. Now, let's get back to those questions, shall we?" answered Ellet, wasting no time in getting back to her job, exasperating Alicia.

Meanwhile, not that far away, Rosie and Largo were watching this unfold and were unhappy about it. It was bad enough that their boss was as green as grass, but now he was being interviewed like a media sensation. It was bad enough that Rosie voiced her displeasure about the situation, saying, "Ugh, now he's giving interviews? Who does he think he is? Ooh, look at him. The son of some big hero. Please, he's still just a schoolboy."

Next to her, Largo was leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette. He took it out of his mouth and puffed air, adding, "No kidding. One little win, and suddenly, he's the new grand duke. Ugh, I hate kids."

Largo had seen enough officers like Welkin back in the Great War. Young men with more enthusiasm than sense. They thought the war would be a grand adventure. Only for them to find out the harsh reality too late, mainly when they got themselves and most of their men killed due to their foolishness. To Largo, Welkin seemed no different.

"Eh, whatever. He'll learn soon enough. Only one thing matters out here in the field, and that's experience," said Largo, tossing his cigarette to the ground and grinding it under his boot.


German, Spanish, and Russian Translations

1. "Si, Senor" - Yes, sir.

2. "Dasvidaniya" - Farewell

3. "Fuego!" - Fire!

4. "Hier hast eine Granate, gallisches Schwein!" - Here is a grenade, Gallian swine!

5. "Gallische Soldaten" - Gallian Soldiers.

Lastly, I have updated the previous chapters with a few bits of information and such. Some I have changed, and some I added. I plan on separating my Information page from the story and making it a separate thing so that I can add more chapters to it. Hopefully, I can do that and update my story more often.

Up next is the report "Ellet Imbedded". Will have to get creative when it comes to the OC's and their questions. I hope I am still writing them properly.

As always, leave a review on what you think of this chapter. And if you want to talk to me about this story or have a question about it, please send a PM and I will answer this as best as I can. For now, see you next time.

- Heinkelboy05