The Prelude of War

by Indigard

A very different Mass Effect galaxy encounters a strange and relentless invader that is on constant hunger for Biomass but they never know it's just a glimpse of what coming for them. Featuring: alternative history for every species, a bigger and more populated galaxy, cunning Asari, militarized and germanized human empire.

3. Battle of Eden part 1

When Johannes woke up, there were two things he realized. One was that he was currently not at a divisional infirmary or a hospital but in someone's bedroom, a little girl's to be precise. That wasn't that hard to know since he was surrounded by pale pink walls, cream-white curtains, elegant and sophisticated furniture, and opposite where he lay was a large nicely made toy house. The room was quite spacious, especially considering its owner was only a child, so he thought he was in some well-off house in the suburbs.

Second, and equally important, he wasn't alone. Sitting beside his bed was a woman in a gray military uniform with soft curls of brown hair framing her delicate face, green eyes, and mischievous smile. In her right hand was a red-covered book titled "Adventure to Nayu" half-read, and in the other was a steaming cup of coffee.

"Finally you're awake," she told him. Her eyes were still fixed on the old, yellowed pages. "You really are a lucky one, hero. The doctor said that you had already put one step into your grave."

Johannes didn't understand why she called him a hero but more importantly, if he was so badly injured then why he didn't feel anything? Indeed, except for the dull pain in his neck, Sergeant Alenko could claim that he was perfectly fine.

"What the hell is this place? Why did I…"

He paused as he saw two red lines on the woman's collar. She was a captain and that meant he must think twice before opening his mouth.

"Forgive me for my rudeness," Johannes adjusted his tone as he rose under the jasmine-scented duvet. "It's just that the whole thing is confusing me, Captain…"

"Haberlin, Captain Anka Haberlin. Nice to meet you."

The woman put her coffee cup on a nearby small table and held out her hand to Johannes. Her hands were too soft for a soldier, but the two Iron Cross on her chest told him that she wasn't some kind of desk officer.

"If you want to know, you're in Silberlachsbach right now." Anka Haberlin continued, "You were brought here from the Kaiserstadt central hospital three days ago, after being injured at the power plant. Do you remember anything of that?"

"My wound… is it that bad?"

Johannes asked, even though he had the opposite in mind. This wasn't the first time he had been injured anyway. A shell fell very close to his position during the Battle of Aster and sent him to the hospital for a week. He vividly remembered being unable to sit up on his own during his recovery, even though the treatments reserved for members of the Crimson Guard were no less advanced than the Reich's renowned medicine.

"Not that bad, really. Well, you did have internal bleeding and some minor external injuries, but a few doses of medi gel and two hours in the recovering pod would fix that easily. But, the concentration of anesthetic in your blood was the main threat to your life. If the doctor at the central hospital didn't intervene in time, we wouldn't have this conversation."

Sergeant Alenko found it difficult to understand. As far as he knew, the anesthetic was one of the indispensable substances in the medi-gel and it was unlikely to be dangerous for the patient except for one case:

"Did the medics of the 26th Division cause me to overdose?"

"Not them, but that girl. What is her name? Gabi? That's right, her name is Gabi. After you lost consciousness, she injected you with at least seven doses of medi-gel and that almost killed you. Maybe she forgot that RX medi-gel is twice as powerful as a regular medi-gel or maybe she didn't even read the instructions in the first place. Whatever the case, the best doctors in Kaiserstadt have managed to save your life."

Johannes gritted his teeth. It was that wretched wench again! He had saved her life and this was her way of repaying him?

"If I ever meet that ungrateful bitch again, she'll regret the day she was born."

You will have plenty of opportunities to do so, my dear sergeant." Captain Haberlin chuckles, "Gabi and her stout friend are now members of our company. I will let them join one of the newly formed Volksturm platoons and make you its commander, what do you think?"

Sergeant Alenko grew quiet. It wasn't that he was surprised by Gabi and Karl's unusual patriotism or why his superiors had accepted a fifteen-year-old girl and a simpleton into her company. That sly kid must have realized the seriousness of the situation on Eden after her encounter with the Tyranid and then concluded that her better chance of survival was with armed soldiers while the 3rd Company was extending its arms to any kind of volunteer after losing nine people in one day.

What really surprised him was Anka Haberlin referring to 3rd Volksturm Company as 'Our Company'.

"Timo…I mean Captain Weidemann has been transferred?" Johannes thought that was the most logical conclusion he had. "Because of the nine deserters in the company?"

"Much worse. He was demoted to lieutenant and is now in charge of the 2nd platoon. If you asked me, I would say this was a terrible decision to make." Anka Haberlin sighed and took a sip from her cup. "A man's self-esteem has been hurt and I feel like a usurper with a dagger in my back. Lieutenant Weidemann is still displaying the utmost professionalism but that does not mean our marriage is very warm. Let's hope his displeasure is temporary."

There was nothing that could be called 'temporary' to Timo Weidemann. He had made that very clear when he welcomed Johannes to the company.

"Now you can put on our uniform, eat at our table, waving the flag that our forefathers had planted on Centauri corpses in Iderin and Frianne, pretending you're one of us. You may do that and if God is good, you'll get one nice spot in the military cemetery with a tombstone that says 'Here rests a hero who has fallen for the people, the Reich and the Kaiser' but never ever should you forget who you are because I and the others won't."

Later, Johannes learned Timo Weidemann's father was an undercover agent that had been executed in Iderin by the Centauri after being denounced by his own kind. It was a truly unrelenting disaster, given the fact that Weidemann was already an unpleasant man, to begin with, and this tragic story of his existed for nothing but to make Johannes' life more miserable.

"I really hope so, Captain. The unity of the entire unit is the key to a successful battle."

Johannes felt a little embarrassed for repeating a catchphrase he had learned only a few months ago, as well as flaunting an optimism he did not possess. He was never a good pretender and the Captain easily saw through him :

"You're a bit lacking for a hero, sergeant." She gave a half-smile, "Is that what the Centauri taught you in Crimson Guard? Remove all emotions to become the perfect soldier or do you feel unenthusiastic about the prospect of fighting for the people you've been trained to fight against?"

"I never fought against Germans on the Central front. The Centauri were afraid human soldiers within their ranks would hesitate or, worse still, rebel if they are forced to kill their own kind. So most guys like me ended up at Turian-Krogan front after completing our training as those stinking lizards usually didn't care about their alliance with the German Reich and happily gut us like the rest." Sergeant Alenko replied, didn't hide any details since he assumed Anka Haberlin had known most of them after reading through his file. "And they don't really teach us to get rid of all emotions. The lesson here is to be wary of what is in the heart because they can cloud the judgment of the brain, especially with a brain full of questions."

"For example…?"

"For example, why am I in some girl's room instead of a field hospital. Forgive me, Captain, but if you were in a similar situation as I'm now, that would be the first thing you want to know."

To this question, Anka Haberlin was in no hurry to answer. She closed the book and sat down beside Johannes, her blue eyes watching him with childish curiosity. Johannes was indeed no shy teenager. He was a grown-up married man, but that didn't stop him from blushing at this woman's erotic behavior. She was too close to him. So close that he could smell the sweet scent of her makeup, lipstick, and her body.

"Because you deserve it, Sergeant Alenko." She said, "I cannot let a hero lie on a smelly old bed in a makeshift infirmary at the bottom of the hill, so I asked Major General Faulkner for a room at division headquarters and he agreed. It's a pity that only the room that belongs to this girl named Nora is empty, the other rooms are either occupied or used for other purposes."

This was the third time she had called him a hero and it was starting to annoy him: "And what have I done to deserve this privilege of being a hero? I'm not the first one to get hurt when trying to kill something, am I?"

"Perhaps, but you are the first soldier to kill a Purii, the creature behind the worst terrorist attack in the history of the planet Eden, who has sent Totenkopf running around the city for the past few days with a stick in their ass and if what they say is true then you are possibly the first person in the galaxy to achieve such feat. Well, if my name were to go down in history because I was the first to do something, I wouldn't mind calling myself a hero."

Purii? The name reminded Johannes of nothing but the strange language that catholic priests use in their churches. He only learned this when he moved to Beckenheim, where 30% of the population was catholic, and then accidentally discovered that he was in fact a Protestant all along.

"I thought heroes of the Reich would get more than a room to recuperate."

"Normally, that's the case" There was a hint of disappointment in the woman's voice, "But you have to understand this is a sensitive situation and you are a very special hero, at least that was what Major General Faulkner said when I asked a promotion, a raise, and an iron cross for you."

The Germans might have given the Iron cross to Irella after she refused to shell the residential area on Berger, but they would rather honor a pig than award a medal to a blood traitor like Johannes. In a way, Timo Weidemann was absolutely right when he said they would never forget who he was and more importantly, he'd better not forget who he was.

"So that means no one knows about what had happened at the power plant? Nobody knows about me?"

"The report only states that Purii has killed at the power plant number 1 thanks to the bravery and timely response of the soldiers of 26th Panzergrenadier division. I don't know how many people know the truth but here it's only me, Claus Faulkner, and a few high-ranking officers. You should know that our major general was very upset with the way you are being treated, but he really has no other option left. All we can do is find you a nice room to recover."

And if Johannes did not survive the battle, people would see Anka Haberlin running around looking for a beautiful coffin and a well-dug hole for him. It wouldn't be nice to laugh at someone's goodwill but to true be told, what she was doing was like rubbing salt on his wounds.

"Perhaps you should write a petition yourself." Anka Haberlin suggests "They may not shower you with medals, but at least there should be a nice bonus…"

"It's no use, Captain." Johannes interrupted, "If they refused to acknowledge my existence in the first place, no words can change their mind."

"You sound certain?"

"Let's say I have quite a bit of experience with the petition. Trust me, you're just wasting your time."

It seemed like the famous rationality, wisdom, and empathy of the German people were instantly thrown out the window every time Johannes's past was brought up. He had written all kinds of forms and went to serval officials to clarify that he had never encountered or killed any human during the war, but it was all for nothing. They didn't read what he wrote nor heard what he said and even if they did, they condemned him as a traitor after the first word leave his mouth.

It took the Beckenheim government two years to grant Johannes' family third-class citizenship. The local police, for some reason, always had problems with him, and his wife could hardly find a better job than a janitor. Discrimination was always bad, of course, but it was almost unbearable when even the next generation was also affected. Kaidan was still not accepted as a first-class citizen despite being born and raised on a Reich planet, even though he spoke German as his native language and always thought of himself as a member of human society.

There was only one way to change that. There was only one way to remove the brand of traitor from their family, but it also means that Johannes must once again take up arms to fight under a banner as alien to him as the last one, to kill for a cause that was not his and died for those who hated him as much as the enemy. Shitty choice it was but Johannes knew he wasn't the only one who had to make such a choice these days.

"So what they are saying about you is true after all, dear Johannes." The female captain lazily stood up. "A brooding man that never has anything positive to say."

The sergeant had nothing to reply but a long, forced silence. He was a pessimistic child and time only helped turn him into a nagging old man.

"To say something you don't believe is nothing more than a lie, Captain."

"Then try to be a little more enthusiastic and hopeful. Our recruits will need them when the Tyranids land on this planet. Morale is generally not very good after the recent unfortunate events and while you were unconscious, General Motriz Kraus ordered the company commanders to execute deserters without trial."

Johannes was not surprised to hear this gloomy prospect. These people were sent to the front only because of Martin Steinbauer's general mobilization order and were treated like strangers on their home planet. Of course, they would have no interest in the great cause and certainly ran away as soon as they found the opportunity, but that simple fact was hard for professional soldiers like Motriz Kraus or Timo Weidemann to digest.

"Should give them a reason to fight instead of a firing squad." Said Johannes "Those people I was sent to find out knew the consequences of what they did, but they just did it, anyway"

"And what do you think that reason might be?"

"The truth. Tell them the truth. A man will fight with the strength of ten if he knows that hiding or surrendering is not an option. Our soldiers deserted because they believed they would have a better chance of survival if they stayed away from the war, but they will voluntarily stay if they realize that the army is the safest place at the moment."

A conditional patriotism, like that of Gabi and Karl. Not something conservatives in the military wanted, but at least it would help prevent Volksturm from defecting, at least until the fangs and claws of the enemy made them rethink their decision.

"Major General isn't wrong about you, Johannes." The woman gave her assessment with her arms crossed. Her voice became more serious. "Ceasar did the same thing in Alesia."

"Ceasar?" Johannes scratched his head. "Who is that?"

"A very famous man from a bygone era and I would be delighted if he were here, considering the Gaul was already at the gate."

Those names meant nothing to Sergeant Alenko, but he somehow understood the meaning behind them. Hive Fleet was nowhere to be found when he went to the power plant to look for deserters but that was three days before and after that brief violent encounter he now was sure that these bugs loved to surprise people.

"The enemy… Are they here already ?"

"Just appeared around Karna this morning," Anka said and lit a Gauss. The strong scent of mint filled the room. "They are only a day or two away from Eden so the entire 12th Army was put into combat readiness ten minutes ago. Martin Steinbauer seem to be very keen on defending the capital city despite others advising him to retreat to the west, where they could take advantage of the rough terrain to limit the Tyranid numerical superiority. I can't say I know what our great Field Marshal is up to, but based on what I've seen, our division's mission is not simply to hold a hill. Silberlachsbach is the only hill in Kaiserstadt and every Little Hans that the 12th Army has will be brought here soon."

Steinbauer was planning to turn Silberlachsbach into a firebase that provided artillery support to all sections of the defense while the 237th Eisenwald division would play the role of its protector. Little Hans' giant 855mm shells could crush any attacks within 350km and as long as Eisenwald 237's soldiers were still in control of the hill, the supply route remained uncut, and Steinbauer's would be able to hold his line of defense as long as he wanted.

Still, the million Reichsmark question here was how they could hold the hill with 20% of their troops being bright and capable individuals like Thomas, Gabi, and Karl, whose concept of war was simply shooting at anything that wasn't wearing German uniforms

"Army Corps Center's generals like Faulkner have been bugging Steinbauer Headquarters for the past few days in the order to have more panzers, more men, and heavy equipment, but so far to no avail." She continued, "Our front line extends from the coast to the Löwenkopf mountain so resources must be divided equally to prevent the enemy from breaking through. Meanwhile, our strongest divisions are concentrated in the Army Corps North and South."

"Why? Isn't Kaiserstadt about to become the number one target for the enemy forces, especially when those cannons start firing?"

"Bet me" Anka Haberlin shrugged. "Claus Faulkner asked the same question, but Eden High Command simply replied it was a tactical decision. As I said, Steinbauer is planning something here but he doesn't want to tell anyone about it for security reasons. It is rumored that there will be a counter-attack with the best of Panzer Korps in the south and north to create an encirclement, but I can't say for sure."

But if Silberlachsbach, Kaiserhausen, and the Army Corps Centre collapsed, there would be no counterattack. Martin Steinbauer must have known it, he must have known it. Behind them lay the industrial heart of Eden, where munitions factories, panzer repair stations, fuel depots, metallurgical plants, Luftwaffe airfields, and a thousand other things that were needed to feed the army of eight million people. If this place fell to the enemy then the game would be over.

"So what is Herr Faulkner planning to do? Please don't tell me he intends to hold Silberlachsbach with only Volksturm, Lasgewehr, and faith."

"Of course not. It's true that Herr Faulkner I interested in Lasgewehr and its capacity but he isn't ready to bet everything on Steinbauer's magic weapon. He also has a plan and will share it in…" Anka Haberlin glanced at the silver watch on her wrist. "Five minutes. Take off your cloth, sergeant."

Johannes was taken aback, his eyes wide. "Excuse me?"

"You should get out of that bed and get dressed now because we're about to attend an important meeting at the Army Corps Centre. I've prepared a more suitable outfit for you in the closet. Your old uniform looks more like a rag than cloth now and if it weren't, it wouldn't be suitable for the hero who single-handedly defeated Genestealers. Hurry up, I'll wait for you outside."

With a bright smile on her face, Anka Haberlin left the room, leaving Johannes alone with what was deemed worthy of a hero who defeated Genestealer. It is a gray uniform with the standard shoulder straps and insignia of a sergeant, but what set it apart from millions of other sergeant uniforms lies in the materials and how it was made. Uniforms for soldiers and non-commissioned officers were both made from man-made fabrics and rarely fit properly, as the exact measurements of each soldier were not a primary concern of the logistic department, whereas Anka Haberlin's gift was made from the finest cotton money could buy with seams so beautifully sewed that it could be a possession of a powerful nobleman or that pompous Leopod Zimmermann.

"You look more like a hero now."

The woman commented as she saw Johannes walk out of the room. Her back was against the wall, the Gauss smoldering between her fingers, and that arrogance of her couldn't help but reminded him of Lady Chassard in das Herrenhaus am Eichenboulevard.

"This must have gotten you in a lot of trouble." He said as he adjusted his sleeve, "Such privileges are only available to Generals."

"Not really if you are favored by a general." Replied Anka "Herr Faulkner appreciates your experience and skills"

Most German soldiers would feel their hearts beat with pride at those words, but Johannes had been in this profession long enough not to fall into that trap "I am nothing but a lowly Schütze (Soldier, grunt)."

"Come on, you know I've read your files already. No one can call a commander of a Crimson Guard battalion a lowly grunt. Damn, maybe you're one of the most experienced officers in our division. It's a bit of a shame to say that but aside from a few veterans of the Great War like Herr Faulkner, the combat achievements of officers below the rank of Major are only small battles in the later years of the war or some skirmish against Batarians on some rock that no one bothered to remembers its name."

She spoke as if it was a misfortune that had befallen them. Perhaps it was, Johannes had never been a fan of the cause of both the Germans and the Centauri, so he would never understand the regret caused by the lack of bullets flying. He had comrades to fight with, personal goals to strive for and loved ones to protect but old traditions, glory, or grandiose concepts had never been his concern.

"Isn't Silberlachsbach supposed to be a place that needs to be protected at all costs?"

"Yes, but it seems that aside from our brave commander, Army Corps Centre only has a bunch of cowards. No one wanted to take on this task, so Martin Steinbauer came up with an excuse to throw it at Herr Faulkner's feet. What did he say in that last meeting? Oh yes, it was a good example of the art of rhetoric. The desire for the contribution of the youth is worth more than the experience of the old, that was the exact words."

Just as Johannes had feared. Claus Faulkner was like a ticking time bomb to them, but that was because he was a true gentleman, not a coward. He wouldn't be too surprised to learn that his commander had bravely and willingly taken on this burden after his colleagues, one after another, had politely declined. An act out of a sense of duty, not for fame or career advancement, but in Johannes' humble opinion that noble intention could be the reason leading his men to their deaths.

Fate demanded the hero to either shove his sword into the heart of the ferocious dragon or… die in the attempt. The Eisenwald Division also had only two options. Hold the hill or die while doing so.

"You see, Major General needs all the help he can get right now so that's why he is particularly interested in you, an experienced soldier who defeated Purii by using his head." She glanced at her watch again. "Damn, we should go downstairs now or we'll be late."

Johannes then followed Anka Haberlin down the hall of the house he'd been staying in for the past three days, only to realize how wrong he'd been to call it 'a well-off suburban house'. Shiny ceramic tiles, luxurious carpets, plaster busts, grand chandeliers, and white walls decorated in the architectural style the Germans call Neoclassical. This was more like a work of art than a place to live in. The hall is quite modest in size and it also didn't have many expensive pieces of furniture, but the elegance and subtlety surpassed any castles for which Johannes had worked for. A lot of people made the mistake of thinking that beauty is flaunting their wealth with rare, expensive items, but the truth was that it only exposes their short-sightedness. The owner of this mansion had avoided falling into that trap.

"Well, now I can see why General Faulkner chose this place as his headquarters." Said Johannes as he took a good look at his surroundings "A soldier like him cannot bear to be surrounded by vanity,"

"You mean he likes the design of this mansion?" She laughed heartily "Probably not, as far as I know, Major General Faulkner's taste for heartily is unfortunately not as good as his leadership. This place was chosen just because it has a bunker with a meeting room underneath."

Now that was new! Luxury mansions often had some kind of tunnel, hidden elevator, or safe room for emergencies, but this was the first time Johannes heard people build an entire bunker below. The owner of this place must be an extreme survivalist or…it was the nature of his profession required him to do so. A soldier, perhaps? It could be the case and Johannes thought he had found the answer as he passed by an oil painting that hung above the fireplace in the drawing-room.

It was a typical upper-class family portrait that was painted only recently because the paint was still fresh. That sly blonde girl was probably Nora, who had lent him the pink room and stood beside her were the owners of the mansion. The father was a middle-aged man in a beautiful blue Kriegsmarine military uniform with medals of various kinds on his chest, while the mother was a noble lady from some prestigious family of the Reich. Johannes thought it was pretty obvious considering the elegance of her dress, the sophistication of her hairstyle, and her cold arrogant beauty.

"Is it just I or the owners are some kind of a celebrity?"

The woman only reminded Johannes of the house of Einzberg with her signature bright blond hair and purples eyes but he had certainly seen this Kriegsmarine officer somewhere before.

"Admiral of the Schutzengel fleet, who is now the commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine in Eden," Replied Captain Haberlin, "Perhaps you have seen him in the news reports on the situation in the Terminus Zone or in the ceremony where he was awarded Blue Max for his achievements in the battle of Masari-1. Interesting, I never thought of Eden as some admiral's home planet."

"Admirals usually have to come from somewhere, don't they?"

"Not from a place like Eden. The inhabitants of this planet have never considered a military career a favored option." Anka Haberlin pointed out, "Here you have industrial tycoons of the hovercar industry, owners of the prestigious fashion brands, directors of the interplanetary companies, and an army of middle-class workers serving them but things will get harder when you are looking for a soldier. Die Neue Grenze, die Wächter and other right-wing newspapers will soon be posting dozens of editorials criticizing the materialism and poor patriotism in the Theta sector on the Extranet but I truly want to know what they are expecting, exactly? Don't they know Eden hasn't had an army or a proper war for the past three hundred years?"

This wasn't the first time Johannes had heard of Eden's unprecedented peace, but so far, it hadn't ceased to amaze him.

"It's hard to believe that the Reichswehr and ASDF completely ignored this place during the war."

"Mostly because they can't find a reason to do the opposite. Both Eden and Theta sector were located too far from the Reich's territory but too close to the Asari Republic so when the war began, Reichswehr withdrew all of its forces back to the Central Front. Oberkommando thought they were incapable of defending Eden and even if they do, the cost was simply too high. The Asari didn't have much luck with this planet either. As you know, the Republic has always promoted itself as a liberator, not an invader like the Reich, so it won't do much good to that image if they quickly occupied and ruled territory left behind by the German"

"So to whom did Eden belong during the past century?"

"None but its own intelligent, honest citizens. When the last of the Kriegsmarine ships left the System, they immediately declared their neutrality and sat down to negotiate with whatever faction to sell medi-gels, microchips, and starfighter engines. After the peace conference in Sur'kesh, the planet once again became part of Vaterland, but as a financial center of Kernwelt (Core World), not a dot on the map as before."

In short, the entire population of Eden deserved to be included in the traitor list like Johannes, but a few months ago they still enjoyed a standard of living perhaps second only to planets near the Solar System. Quite unfair but not surprising. Lost children of mankind had nothing to offer the Reich except their lives while Eden was a new jewel on the Kaiser's crown.

"Now I understand why our commanders are so annoyed at the creation of Eden Volksturm."

"That's nothing compared to their grumbling about Eden not having a decent fortress. This way, the meeting is held in Admiral's private office."

The Fleet Admiral's office was like the main hall and the drawing-room, a true reflection of his personality. Elegant, neat, and unpretentious. Other than the great pine bookshelf, Johannes could find nothing of value in this room except for the brass reading lamp on the desk and the ruby-colored rug with gold embroidery.

A very suitable place for generals of Reichswehr to discuss their business, but the problem was Johannes could not find any generals here. There was only one Sergeant of the Feldgendarmerie (Military Police) yawning on a stool next to a bookshelf, two Feldgendarmerie standing solemnly in the doorway with loaded submachine guns, and three other guys pacing back and forth from wall to wall for no reason. The sergeant looked rather dull, bored, and absent-minded, but as soon as he saw Anka Haberlin entering, he immediately stood up.

"The meeting has been moved to nine o'clock and the venue has been changed to the bunker below, Captain Haberlin."

"I was informed this morning that Herr Faulkner had gone to see Field Marshal Steinbauer and only returned after 9:30." She crossed her arms. "Did something happen?"

"That… I don't know." He replied, "I just know he came back earlier than scheduled and didn't look very happy."

"So that's the story. Well, I must say I should have expected something like that to happen given the fact that Steinbauer has never been the one to give you a pleasant conversation." She shrugged and handed the Luger Model 2800 with the holster to the sergeant. "I had my routine injection of Doran two hours ago so can we skip that part? I truly hate needles."

"Sure, each shot lasts at least twelve hours." He nodded silently, then turned to look at Johannes. "What about this sergeant?"

"You can rest assured about this man. Sergeant Alenko just spent three days in bed after killing one of them."

"Rules are rules, Captain Haberlin." He politely declined, "Even Major General Faulkner and other senior officers had their injections before entering the Bunker."

So there wouldn't be any exceptions here. The Major General had ensured that by proving himself a fair commander. It was truly an act of responsibility, especially considering that he could easily use his position to bend the rule but it didn't mean Johannes was going to appreciate it. Like Anka Haberlin, he was not thrilled at the prospect of a needle digging into his flesh.

"What exactly is this 'Doran' thing? A kind of drug?" Johannes asked, feeling uneasy about the chemical they were about to put into his body. "I've never heard of it before."

"Not a drug." The person who answered his question was Captain Haberlin, "It's some kind of Nanobot carrying Cyanide inside."

This terrifying revelation stunned him, but it was nothing compared to Anka Haberlin's calm demeanor. She talked about injecting poison into the human body as if it were only distilled water.

"This is… a joke, right? You can't be serious."

"Calm down. No one here wants to poison you. Well.. at least if you weren't Genestealer there wouldn't be anything to worry about dying from poison."

"You lost me there."

"I only understand the basics so if you want to know how it works then you have to find a medical technician nearby" She scratched her head "As far as I know, these Nanobots are injected into the human body to determine if he is a Genestealer or not. If the answer is yes then they will release their Cyanide to kill the host in a few seconds but if the answer is no then they will clear themselves from the host the next time he visits the toilet."

If Anka Haberlin intended to reassure him about this game of roulette, then she had completely failed at that. Now, Faulkner was truly a moron for not making exceptions for himself but putting his life at risk instead. All it took was just a single programming error, a technical glitch, or human error and the Major General would certainly fall to the floor regardless of whether he was a member of the Genestealer fan club or not.

"So who is the genius behind this idea? I want to punch him in the face right now."

"She." Captain Haberlin corrected him, "And I'm afraid you'll end up in prison after trying to do that. Benezia T'soni is now Steinbauer's official advisor, and if you believe what people say, she's also his muse. Now put your ass on the chair and relax. Don't make that face, it's just a mosquito bite."

The injection was not painful, but the whole procedure that followed was a shitty one. Johannes was forced to sit still in a chair with two submachine guns aimed at his chest while the sergeant begins to count from one to twenty, the minimum time for Nanobot to decide if he is a loyal soldier of the Reich or a traitor with a foaming mouth. Needless to say, it was the longest twenty seconds of Johannes' life and when it was over, he felt like a stone had just been lifted from him.

"Are we done here?" Asked Johannes sarcastically. "Or do I need to repeat my oath to Vaterland and Kaiser?"

"Unnecessary." He shook his head and took a blue cover book off the shelf. A series of strange noises came from within the wall, and when it ended, the bookshelf was shifted to one side, revealing a tunnel behind "Come in."

This classic secret passage led them to a reinforced concrete room underground, where the elites of the Army Corps Center were standing and sitting around a large table with a three-dimensional map displaying Kaiserstadt and areas surrounding it in the middle. Johannes couldn't say he knew all of these people, for there were a dozen or so Colonels, lieutenant-colonels, and Obersturmbannführers from several Panzer and Panzergrenadier brigades, but he certainly knew a few hotshots of the 12th Army.

Slowly losing his patience at the head of the table was General Moritz Kraus, commander of the Army corp Center, commander-in-chief of the reserve forces, and sitting next to him was Lieutenant General Rudolf von Battenberg of the 6th Beckenheim Infantry Division, a nobleman with a rather funny Moustache. Erich Meyer, the man in charge of Kaiserhausen's defense.

Luftwaffe Lieutenant General Oskar Sepp of the 7th Bastian-Tor Air Corps. From the 225th Gebirgsjäger, 26th Panzergrenadier division, and the 25th Fallschirmjager Division "Grauer Fuchs" came the trio of Joachim von Danneberg, Friedrich Starck, Mathias Brandt who were classmates and supporters of Hermann Gottiger, commander of the 52th Panzer division, a rising star with bold opinions and impulsive temperament. Their Herr Faulkner sat quietly at the opposite end of the table, a position that automatically belonged to him after volunteering to take on the most difficult task on behalf of his colleagues.

"Three times, three times," said Erich Meyer, looking defeated "Three times I told field marshal that we can't withstand Tyranid attacks in this state. The capital had no significant natural defenses, easily encircled by the enemy and there is nothing we can do to stop them from doing so unless we have more troops but he is still determined to keep our best divisions in the North and the South."

"Perhaps he wants to repeat his victory at Alder." Rudolf von Battenburg suggested and received nods of approval from Moritz Kraus, "Back then, He also lured the Turians into attacking his center then ending the battle with a flanking maneuver."

Johannes had also heard a thing or two about Alder, the battle that ended the Turian ambitions on the Western front, forcing them to retreat to their old border and were unable to organize any campaigns into Reich's territory till the end of the war. On Razair, the heart of the Centauri Confederacy, the news of the great German victory was received with tears and riots. Thousands of companies, shops, and homes owned by humans were turned to ashes before President Vylmeck's mass deportation order finally kicked them out of the planet they used to call home.

The Centauri were angry, obviously, but their anger had little to do with the 4.6 million Turian dead and wounded on Alder. The two species had been rivals for most of their history and only found common ground when a larger threat loomed in the south of the Milky Way. However, the defeat of the Turian army meant the war would continue, the quality of life would continue to decline, military spending would keep going up and more young Centauri would return home in coffins.

"Steinbauer was younger then than he is now." Hermann Gottiger pointed out with an impertinent smile on his lips, "And back then he didn't need to consult an Asari whore before doing anything."

Johannes had expected a heated exchange after the commander of the 52nd Panzer Division fired his shot. Still, the meeting room was then filled with an uncomfortable silence that was only broken when General Moritz Kraus decided to intervene:

"As I said before, we will not discuss this subject any further." He began, "The Field Marshal's private life is his own and as long as it doesn't affect our battle plans then there's no reason for us to be concerned."

"Doesn't affect the battle plan? Does not affect the battle plan? You must be joking, Herr Kraus. That alien was behind the founding of Volksturm, she make Steinbauer believe he can hold Kaiserstadt and now force us to inject that Doran shits every morning. For the love of God, at this rate—"

"Gottiger, this will be the last time I repeat my order." Moritz threw at the young general a sharp warning look. "We won't discuss this subject further and if you can't follow orders I'll have someone escort you out of the meeting, understand?" He then turned to Rudoft. "You think Steinbauer has that ability? Encircling Tyranid was not a simple matter. Their number seems to be unlimited and they have no concept of surrender."

"And you're not wrong at all. It's true that Termagants, Spinegaunts, and Hormagaunts will not surrender or rebel against their own master even if we cut off their supply lines or destroy half of their numbers. We must kill every Tyranid on Eden, that's for sure, but if Field marshal succeeds in encircling a large number of Tyranids we can do it with minimal casualties on our side."

"How?"

Rudolf von Battenberg rose slowly from his seat and then adjusted his collar, his mouth curling into a happy smile. Like anyone with a 'Von' in their name, this man loves to be the center of attention.

"According to the information we have on the battle of Zelia, we can finally conclude that the Tyranid horde is not optimized or designed for defensive operation. Every type of Tyranid, every strategy, every tactic is created for the purpose of attacking and taking advantage of their overwhelming number to overwhelm the enemy as quickly as possible. Constantly attacking, applying pressure, finding holes in the defenses before adapting to enemy tactics and finishing them. That's how Hive Fleet goes from victory to victory and by the look of it, their way of war seems to have no weakness. Hive Fleet has enough numbers to lead the battle in its favor, a mindless army that is ready to throw itself into machine gun nests just to deplete the enemy's ammunition and many other tricks to overcome whatever obstacles we put up."

Hermann Gottiger snorted. "And we're waiting to hear your famous 'but', Herr von Battenberg."

The commander of the 6th Beckenheim Infantry Division was clearly not pleased with the young general's provocation, yet he was forced to let things go this time as he didn't want it to ruin his moment of brilliance. "But that strength of theirs will turn into a fatal weakness if they are surrounded, forced to fend off our attacks."

"You mean their habit of using superior numbers will backfire?" The one who asked that question was Herr Faulkner "I can see an army of millions of Termagants and Hormagaunts are not a good choice for a defensive operation but it seems you have forgotten Hive mind also has many types of Tyranids that are more suitable for the job."

"I have not forgotten. Tyranid is quite capable of doing such a thing but that is only the case if they have enough time and enough biomass, which they will lack when facing Field Marshal Steinbauer and Kriegsmarine at the same time. Martin Steinbauer has said he will make his move when the enemy is weakest and I don't think there is a more perfect opportunity than the day Kriegsmarine begins their assault on the enemy fleet. ASDF is known to use a similar approach on Zelia but we can do even better than that with the traditional blitzkrieg strategy."

A lightning strike pierced enemy lines with the speed and power of elite Panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions. This was the trademark of Reichwehr and the Germans themselves, a way of war that had brought them numerous victories and a territory that took millennia for the Turians, Batarians, and Centuri to conquer.

"And what if he succeeds?" Moritz Kraus asked, voice emotionless. "What if Steinbauer's plan comes to fruition and the Tyranid is surrounded?"

"Then we would have millions of Tyranids crammed together in the middle of a small plain, unable to replenish, with no cover, completely exposed to our artillery and bombs. Gentlemen, it would be like shooting fish in a barrel.."

Hopes of victory were ignited, but it was not simply through von Battenburg's eloquence or momentary childish emotions. It came from new Asari knowledge on the species known as Tyranids, the reliable intelligence, sanity, and the logic of competent officers under the leadership of Martin Steinbauer. Despite all the talk, very few people dared to deny the fact that if there was anyone capable of protecting Eden, it must be Steinbauer. The old field marshal had seen the true nature of his enemy in the same way he saw the Turian army's intention to withdraw from Alder many years ago, and he knew how to exploit that kind of information.

What Hive mind used to create a Caniflex was the same thing it had used to create a Reaper, Termagants, or a 2km Bio-ship so when the Kriegsmarine started their attack, Hive Fleet would be forced to put a large amount of biomass to produce as many starfighters like creatures as possible if they wanted to have a victory in space. Still, if the Hive Fleet did that, it would have neither the time nor the resources to deal with Steinbauer's ground attacks on Eden.

The future looked very promising, but that was if they deliberately ignored the fact that the Army Corps Center had no answer to Tyranid attacks with its current strength and Johannes couldn't thank Herr Faulkner enough for reminding his colleagues of that inconvenient truth.

"That's only half the job." He said. "We still don't know how to prevent Kaiserstadt or Silberlachsbach or Little Hans from falling to enemy hand."

"Agree." Moritz Kraus nodded and looked around the conference table sternly. "And I have yet to hear anything from you gentlemen but complaints. Come on, give me something, will you? Are we going to sit there and wait for the enemy to arrive?"

Ideas were plenty, but the vast majority of them were not highly feasible. Joachim von Danneberg thought half of his 225th Gebirgsjäger division should be sent to Silberlachsbach to protect its artillery batteries. Not a groundbreaking proposition, but at least it made sense and was widely supported since nobody here could defend a hill better than warriors that were specially trained for hill mountainous combat. However, it was met with fierce opposition from Erich Meyer, who currently didn't know how to defend Kaiserstadt with four infantry divisions, two Panzer brigades, and fifty thousand poorly trained and equipped Volksturm. He also needed the cunning, slyness of those Gebirgsjäger in urban areas.

"If Silberlachsbach falls, Kaiserstadt and the whole front will suffer the same fate, Herr Meyer." Von Danneberg reminded him, "Keeping the hill steady should be our top priority."

"I know, I am fully aware of its importance but are you aware of what would happen if the Tyranid drove me out of the city? Silberlachsbach will be surrounded on three sides, supply lines will be cut off, and even if they don't take the hill, your cannons will be like scrap metal when there is no ammunition left."

"You have over 90,000 soldiers and 50,000 Volksturm under your command, Erich. Is that not enough?" The commander of Army Corps Center looked like a father disappointed with his children's academic performance." Oskar also ensured that you would receive three waves of tactical bombing in every 48 hours and two hundred interceptors, fighters to deal with enemy air attacks. Ones can't ask more than that."

"With all due respect, my men are expected to face at least three or four waves of five million Tyranids in one day. Five million a day, gentlemen. Of course, I completely believe in the bravery and skill of the soldiers fighting under my command, but at the end of the day, they are still human. They will get tired, they will make mistakes, and the defensive lines will be breached."

"Is this really a big deal for you, Herr Meyer?" Hermann exclaimed, "If your battle lines are breached then it can be mended with a counterattack. You have two Panzer brigades at your disposal, use them."

"You know well that an armored counterattack is only effective when it has infantry support and I only have a handful of Panzergrenadier and Volkssturm for that role. These militiamen have only been in training for a week, and barely know what to do in a complex offensive operation. They easily waver, their skills are poor, and they are only good at deserting."

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean they're completely useless, Herr Meyer." Said Claus Faulkner " I think Volksturm is quite capable of repelling an enemy attack if they receive adequate support. Lasgun or Lasgewehr is a weapon that doesn't require much training to master. It's also durable and never runs out of ammunition as long as there is electricity or heat."

The shock on Erich Meyer's face told Johannes that he didn't bother to read the entire manual. Couldn't blame him anyway. The manual was pretty boring, and if Johannes hadn't been short of money to gamble or afraid of breaking his vows to his wife, he wouldn't have touched it on the long journey to Eden.

"The heat?" Joachim von Danneberg's eyes widened. "You mean..."

"Anything that can generate heat. Hovercar's engine, biotic flame, cooking stove, or the sun. Simply put, as long as the sun hasn't gone cold and people still remember how to make fire, Lasgewehr will never run out of ammunition. All you need is a magazine put next to the fire and ten minutes of waiting."

"Well well, I'm beginning to see what you mean, Herr Faulkner" Rudoft von Battenberg stroked his well-manicured mustache "A Volkssturm unit with the ability to hold its position without too much dependence on supplies and can even become a formidable opponent if equipped with machine guns, multi-function Flakkannon, mortars, light artillery. No, no, come to think of it, we should have mixed units with soldiers with experience, knowledge of using heavy weapons, and a good commander to boost their morale. A Ritterkreuzträger, for example?"

Not a military rank, a privileged position in society, or a knight with shiny armor. Ritterkreuzträger was just a title given to company commanders, lieutenants, and non-commissioned officers who have earned the Knight's cross but refused their promotions so they could continue fighting on the front lines. They were champions of the common man, heroes without fanfare and parades, and commanders that we were able to convince soldiers to jump into the frying pan with sympathy, compassion, comradeship, and outstanding courage, not by pulling ranks or making threats. It was not certain whether Rudoft's idea would bear fruit eventually, but Ritterkreuzträgers seemed like the best candidate to lead ragtag fighting forces that completely lack motivation. These militiamen wouldn't fight and die for notions as far-fetched as the glory of the German Reich but they probably would do it for the commander who was willing to crawl through mud, blood, and tears with them.

"Not bad, Faulkner." Moritz Kraus said "But I must remind you that the number of Ritterkreuzträger we have is limited and they have equally important missions to tend to. Furthermore, I would like to see this idea tested before being put into practice."

"It has been done already. A Ritterkreuzträger of mine is currently in charge of a Volkssturm Company and she is ready to report to you. Haberlin, tell General Kraus about your efforts on preventing desertion among the men."

"Are you kidding me?

Johannes glanced at the woman for confirmation but received only a shrug as an answer. Now everything was clear as day. No mere captain could convince Claus Faulkner to give Johannes a private room to recuperate and it wasn't normal for a Feldgendarmerie to be that polite.

"Haberlin? Anka der Schwan? Well, well, just look at her." Hermann Gottiger gave a rather inappropriate smile as the Ritterkreuzträger stepped out from the crowd. "I wonder if you've ever reconsidered your nickname, Anka? Swan is indeed a magnificent creature but even so, it is not enough to describe a beauty like you."

The woman responded to the compliment with a graceful smile as quickly found her place behind Herr Faulkner.

"I am honored, Herr Gottiger." She said, "But it seems you have a little misunderstanding. Der Schwan was the name given to that fortress as its Asari name was difficult to pronounce for our soldiers."

"Aep V'nare." Rudolf Von Battenburg snorted. "Is it that hard?"

"For me, the answer is yes, Rudolf." Laughter rang around the table, but the owner of the joke, Motriz Kraus, didn't laugh, and as far as Johannes could tell, he never did. With a wave of his hand, the grumpy general motioned for Anka Haberlin to approach him and then looked at her from head to toe with suspicion, "You don't look like the person who led the assault on der Schwan and captured it in two days, girl. Still, since cloth doesn't make a man or woman in this case, I'll listen. Report."

"As you command, Herr General. you will be pleased to know that desertion in 3rd Volkssturm Company, 225th Battalion, Eisenwald Division has been temporarily contained once one of the causes has been eliminated. It turn out that many members of Volkssturm had the impression that Reichwehr don't care about their life or death, and unfortunately, the insensitive behavior of our officers make the situation worse. But, as soon as they understood that I…"

"Details don't interest me, only results." Motriz interrupted, "When you say 'temporarily contained', you actually mean it has not gone yet?"

"Yes sir, after consulting with someone with experience, I believe that members of Volkssturm need more than a good commander in the order to have them lay down their lives for the Reich. They need to know that fighting the Tyranids is the best option they have, but that's not because they fear the punishment that may befall them if they run away."

"We don't have time for puzzles, Ritterkreuzträger."

"In Alesia, Caesar's legionnaires were surrounded by an army three times their size. His men were tired from battle, weakened by disease, and at any rate, the victory should have belonged to the Gauls. Still, none of the Romans left their posts that day. They fought so bravely that they couldn't believe it themselves and then triumphed despite the odds against them. Is it the result of courage? The legendary discipline of the Legion or Ceasar's genius? All of you here had your take on the battle back in the academy, so you probably know those weren't the cause. What had stopped Caesar's men from fleeing was their desperation, not their courage or their sense of duty. The legionnaires realized surrender was not an option since the Gauls would skin any prisoner they caught and escaping was feasible either as Rome was a thousand miles away. The noose was already around their necks, so there was only one good option left. Fight on and win the day or die with steel in your hands."

So this was the story of a man named Ceasar and the battle of Alesia. Johannes had suspected it was an ancient one based on the way Anka Haberlin mentioned it, but he hadn't expected that an event that took place thousands of years ago on Earth would bear much resemblance to their situation today.

"So you want our people to believe they are going to die?" Rudolf Von Battenburg scoffed, not seeming pleased with the suggestion. "You want to turn them into cornered dogs, fighting with animal instincts for their survival rather than sacrificing themselves for Vaterland, the German people, and the Kaiser?"

"Give me a break, Rudolf. Now is not the time for you to talk about tradition and ideology." Gottiger exclaimed desperately "You really think a man has been a citizen of the Reich for five years, doesn't even know the one is sitting on the throne is Friedrich XVI or Friedrich XVII, will lay down his life for the cause? Don't be that silly. Ritterkreuzträge is right. We need another solution and I see no reason why we don't consider her suggestion. It's not like we're lying to the people of Eden, is it? If we lose the battle, they, their families, and everyone they know will die."

Most of those present agreed with the young Lieutenant General's point of view, but there were still a few who opposed it. At first, their opinions were as naive as Rudolf's, but over time some more realistic and reasonable doubts emerged. Erich Meyer worried that this approach might backfire on them, while Herr Faulkner questioned its feasibility:

"We cannot simply tell Volkssturm members that they have no hope of victory and all they can do is fight to the death. Doing so will only make them see us as a bunch of losers and the situation will only get worse" Pointed out the commander of the 237th Eisenwald division "This message has to be subtly conveyed by a political figure of great stature, preferably from someone who was born and raised in Eden. They may not listen to us outsiders but they will trust their people."

Herr Faulkner was not wrong with his assessment but the problem was that they could not find such a person after the entire Eden political elites were killed in the Kristalhalle terrorist attack. Johannes wasn't sure if this was the enemy's intention in the first place or not, but it was clear that the bugs were much smarter and more dangerous than they had imagined. Destroying the top leadership, creating a power vacuum, and making it more difficult for the Reichswehr to unite the local population required a considerable understanding of the Reich's culture and politics, something inherently wasn't easy even for masters of diplomacy and warfare like the Asari.

"Fucking politicians," Herman Gottiger growled, "when you need them, they are nowhere to be found."

"Didn't anyone in the Eden government survive the attack?" Mathias Brandt asked, "There's no way every one of them gathered in the same place on the same day."

"Dominic Keiner held a planetary meeting and asked for the presence of all levels of government," Replied Erich Meyer. "And those who were not in the building when the incident occurred are still missing"

"Disappeared? Come on, it can't be that coincidental."

"Probably not. Totenkopf told me that the same thing had happened on planets attacked by Tyranids so they don't think this is a coincidence. In fact, they said they didn't expect to find these people alive."

"So there's no one else qualified?"

"There's one." Herr Faulkner said, "Not a local politician, but she has the charisma and eloquence to lead a planet, even an entire species if she wants to."

Though Faulkner did not name the woman by name, Johannes and everyone in the bunker understood who he was referring to. Herman Gottiger bolted up from his chair, eyes wide with shock.

"No, no way. That Asari woman is already involved enough in German affairs." He bellowed, "You can't be serious about making her queen of Eden. I object."

"Isn't you the one supporting that idea in the first place, Gottiger?" Rudolf laughed sarcastically, "That's a very fast change of mind"

"Not at any cost. I would rather die than submit to those who killed my father and brothers."

"No one ever suggested such a thing, Herr Gottiger." Claus Faulkner emphasized, "I just wanted Benezia T'soni to use her talents to convey the message of Reichswehr to all the people of Eden. Lady T'soni is a popular figure in the galaxy and even a benefactor to independent planets. It is well known that she is the proponent of 'no occupation' policy for the territories left behind by the Reich, indirectly helping many planets like this one avoid being turned into a battlefield."

"It's just political convenience and virtue signaling, Faulkner. Don't tell me you really believe Benezia has a heart of gold."

"No, I don't think she's a saint. All I know is that Benezia has a great influence on the people of Eden and there's no reason why we shouldn't take advantage of it."

Claus Faulkner then received the support of Rudoft von Battenburg, Erich Meyer, and Joachim Danneberg for his idea while Herman Gottiger had Oskar Sepp, Friedrich Starck and Mathias Brandt. General Moritz Kraus sat quietly in his chair like a stone giant, not saying a word throughout the debate. Normally, people in his position would listen to two opposing opinions before making the final decision, but as far as Johannes could see, their General was more like trying to endure this pointless argument before running out of patience.

"Am I leading an army or a circus?" He shouted, "Shut up, all of you. Immediately."

All mouths were shut. Immediately.

Despite looking shorter and less impressive than the general who had accepted the surrender of the Vasians in 2815, Motriz remained a powerful man with a thunderous voice and the necessary toughness to put everyone in their places, a quality that was proved to be crucial when there were untamable beasts like Herman Gottiger among his ranks. The commander of the 7th Panzer Division was the kind of person who easily got dragged into petty quarrels, but when Motriz was around, he also knew how to limit that bad habit.

"We are soldiers. Our job is to look our enemies in the eye and kill them, not argue over who should sit on the throne." Moritz Kraus reminded them, "Moreover, a political decision that greatly affects the structure of Eden's government is completely beyond our jurisdiction, beyond my jurisdiction."

'But it is not beyond Field Marshal's jurisdiction" Said Claus Faulkner, unlikely to let it slide. 'You should bring this proposal to the Herr Steinbauer and Lady T'soni. I'm sure they'll know what to do."

"I will think about it."

"General, we don't have much time..."

"I said I would think about it, Faulkner!" Moritz growled then turned to von Danneberg "Two of your regiments will be redeployed to Silberlachsbach to support the defense. This indeed will weaken our forces at Kaiserstadt but the 7th Panzer Division will be tasked to defend Meyer's right flank in Hochgarten."

"A defensive operation?" Gottiger scoffed, "How can an armored unit like us accomplish that?"

"Do whatever you think necessary to complete your task. Remove turrets from your tanks and bury them in the ground, and have your mechanics filling the trenches and fighting the Tyranids in hand-to-hand combat with wrenches, and hammers. I don't care what method you use as long as Hochgarten remains ours until Field Marshal Steinbauer counterattacks. Do I make myself clear?"

Mathias Brandt's 25th Fallschirmjager Division was clearly better suited for this task, but Motriz had his calculations. The right flank was a flat area, with very few obstacles for an armored flanking attack to the center. The General did not seem to like waiting for the enemy to come at him and wanted a more proactive approach.

"It is important that we keep the Tyranids away from the city center for as long as possible." He continued "They will want an urban battle to make the most of their close-quarters combat superiority and limit the fire support from Silberlachsbach."

It was a relatively logical decision, but the problem was that they had no other solution than to engage the enemy in the suburbs and countryside around Kaiserhausen. That was going big or going home. On the one hand, Erich Meyer's forces would receive better fire support, but on the other hand, many Volkssturm units would have to face direct Tyranid attacks on an open battlefield instead of enjoying the advantage of holding a narrow street or a bridge in the inner city. The possibility of them being surrounded and destroyed by bugs was immense even with having better arms and excellent commanders like Anka Haberlin.

"I can extend the front line around Kaiserstadt by 20 km." Erich Meyer told him "But I need more people, a lot of them."

And 'a lot' here means half of the Army Corps Center's reserve. Erich Meyer needed two Panzer regiments, four light artillery battalions, one rocket artillery battalion, 30000 Volkssturm, and a large number of machine guns, anti-tank Flaks, and mortars to carry out Motriz Kraus' plan but that was nothing to his final demand as to who should be in command of those Volkssturm.

"Half of the Volkssturm at Kaiserstadt must be led by Ritterkreuzträgers." Said Erich Meyer "I can't give these people any mission until I'm certain they won't run away from the enemy or do something stupid,"

All eyes immediately turned to Mathias Brandt and Herman Gottiger. As the elite forces that were always present in the major Reichswehr campaigns, Fallschirmjager and Panzergrenadier often possessed more Ritterkreuzträgers than other branches of the army, sometimes the number was so high that they had an entire platoon of Ritterkreuzträgers.

"Twenty, Herr Meyer." The commander of the Airborne division gave his number "My air assault units are all commanded by Ritterkreuzträgers. Without them, the combat efficiency is only half."

"I don't think my Ritterkreuzträgers want to take a walk around Kaiserstadt right now," Herman added, "The weather isn't nice and the streets stink of corpses. Furthermore, we are playing the role of the firefighter on the right flank. You can't expect us to play the role with half the costume."

A faint smile crossed Johannes' lips. In terms of price bargaining, military leaders were as good as the Volus merchants selling used engine parts on Confertiari. He had witnessed many similar incidents while serving the Centuri Army, especially in 2831 when they tried their best to justify their defeats on the Lumerian front with a massive victory over the barbaric Krogans. Such debates often dragged on, but fortunately, Motriz Kraus saved everyone's time by ordering two stubborn generals to send their Ritterkreuzträgers to Erich Meyer within a day.

"Sir, I cannot conduct an air assault in this state." Mathias Brandt protested, "Those Ritterkreuzträgers are essential to the cohesion of 25th Fallschirmjager. Many of them even joined Grauer Fuchs way before me."

"There will be no air assault. You must be crazy to think I will greenlight something like that. The 25th Fallschirmjager will be kept behind the front lines and serve as a reserve, ready to reinforce positions that are likely to be overrun by enemy forces." Moritz coldly declared, "An air assault operation consumes too many resources, yet its results may be not worth the risk. Furthermore, our priority right now is to hold the line, secure Kaiserhausen, and ensure that those howitzers on Silberlachsbach continue to drop their shells on the Tyranids, not go on offensive."

He was very good, though Johannes. Many commanders would find it hard to refuse the prospect of a glorious air assault, but Motriz Kraus had seen the trap behind it. Fallschirmjager was fully capable of capturing a few strategic positions, destroying some valuable targets like the Biovore cannon, but the cost wasn't small either. Brandt's troops would be surrounded and destroyed by the enemy unless they had strong air-to-ground support from the Luftwaffe and Herman Gottiger's Panzers, things that Army Group Center was in short of right now. "All right, before we move on to the next topic, I have something to tell everyone first."

Moritz Kraus said as he turned to the man in a green camouflage jacket sitting next to Mathias Brandt. Johannes immediately felt a sharp pain in his chest. It was Friedrich Starck, the head of the 26th Panzergrenadier division, his jacket looked exactly like the one the ill-fated corporal had worn.

"I believe everyone here has heard a thing or two about the death of a Tyranid known as Purii, leader of Genestealer and the mastermind of the despicable attack on Kristalhalle. To avoid any confusion in the future and to strengthen the soldiers' confidence in Reichswehr's abilities, I will make an official announcement to confirm the rumor. On September 28, there was a firefight between one or more Genestealer individuals and soldiers of the 26th Panzergrenadier at power plant 1 outside Kaiserhausen. There was one death on our side, but the Tyranid known as Purii was also killed. If anyone here wants to know more about the incident, just ask Starck.

Anka Haberlin said only a handful of people knew what had happened at the power plant, and clearly that 'few' didn't include anyone here but Motriz Kraus. The old general gave Johannes a dry smile while the others enthusiastically applauded Friedrich Starck's imaginary feat. Was he showing sympathy or was he just laughing at the antics he was a part of it? Perhaps Johannes never had the answer to that kind of question. Men like Motriz Kraus dreamed of expanding the Empire's borders to Bellonia, Thyrix while Johannes only just wanted his bedroom to be a few square meters larger but couldn't even do it.

The meeting lasted another hour, mainly centered around requisitioning civilian vehicles to deliver supplies to the front lines before ending at 12:30 p.m. to give commanders time to return to their units and disseminate the decisions made today to their people.

No significant breakthroughs were made nor genius plans were devised, but the situation was not as bad as Johannes had feared. At least three crucial problems had been tackled during the meeting.

First, the general staff realized the mistake of mistreating Volkssturm and quickly changed their approach. Second, they were very realistic about the situation. Everyone present in the room, even arrogant jerks like Herman Gottiger, did not underestimate the Tyranid's abilities nor overestimate their abilities, a mistake that many races in the Terminus Zone had unfortunately made. Third, in contrast to the Turians and Centuris, who preferred to fight in previous battles, the Germans were willing to throw their old habits, tactics, and outdated doctrines down the track of their panzer to pave the way to victory. Accurate situation assessment, flexibility in preparation, planning, and implementation.

Those were the qualities that built the Reichswehr's reputation, the main reasons for this military organization to survive the vast numbers and resources of the Citadel Alliance in the last war.

"Stay here." Anka Haberlin whispered to Johannes as he was about to join the stream of people heading out of the Bunker, "Herr Faulkner wants to have a word with you."

The sergeant nodded silently before finding a corner and waited until the footsteps and whispers in the hallway had faded. The bunker now has only three people left. Johannes, Anka Haberlin and Claus Faulkner. The commander of the 237th Eisenwald division looked exhausted both physically and mentally after the meeting, but he still managed to appear cheerful as he motioned for Johannes to approach with an outstretched hand:

"At least this is what I can do." Said the Major General as he was shaking Johannes' hand, "On behalf of the Reichswehr, the German Reich, and Kaiser, I thank you for your service and apologize for the injustices you have endured. Outdated and irrational laws have prevented the faithful and the brave from receiving the recognition they deserve, but if God is on our side in the coming battle, I promise to do everything in my power to change it. "

"Yes sir. I am honored to contribute my little effort to Vaterland"

Johannes felt like an idiot for accepting Faulkner's kindness by repeating the catchphrase in the recruitment video, yet eloquence has never been his forte.

"And yet it is said that lost children and blood traitors never care about the Reich's well-being." He laughed dryly, "You don't know how many times our requests to recruit lost children had been rejected during the war because of that silly reason. Ironically, the Reich haters like the Centuri often treat humans more fairly than their kind."

The Centuri didn't treat their human inhabitants any better or worse than the others. Those hammerhead aliens were just better at hiding their true thoughts. The rise of the German Reich, especially over the past three centuries, had been a concern to many of the old powers of the Milky Way, but for a power that was dwindling in influence like the Centuri Federation, this was not simply a concern. again. It was a danger that threatened their very existence and Johannes had more or less felt its heat growing up. At first, they were just unfriendly looks, but as time passed and unfriendly glances quickly turned into fists, pocket knives, and bullets.

"The Salarians also once thought they were living inside the eyes of a blue-eyed giant ." Johannes replied, "Everybody makes mistakes, sir."

"Mistake? Oh, that's not surprising either. Humans can't live without making mistakes, can they? Kaiserin Marie III believed the Arcadians would encroach on her territory no more and then cried until her tears ran out as her precious Blumenstadt, Mantikorfeld, and Aldasdorf burned to ashes. Nor did Armin von Greif and his cabinet thought annexing Loth or supporting a unified Krogan race would spark a war that almost destroyed the German Reich." He suddenly became quieter. "The price of a mistake is very high and it is often paid in blood. The blood of our Kamerads, the blood of the people of Eden. German blood and I intend to pay as little blood as possible, with your help of course."

Johannes immediately performed stillgestanden with head held high, back straight, and hands on his lap: "What do you ask of me, general?"

"According to the report I read, you were on the Turian-Krogan front from 2817 to 2828, is that true?"

"Yes, Herr general."

"I assume you encountered a lot of Krogan, Vorcha during that time?"

"Aavell, Tol, and Ucon as well. They all allied with Warlord Vorna Crax to regain territory lost in previous wars with the Turians."

"I can see the situation over there is more complicated than elsewhere, but for now I want you to focus on the Krogans and their way of war. Make no mistake, I'm not going to write a book. It just recently occurred to me that our enemies have a lot in common with the Krogans, especially in the tactics deployed for offensive operation. I'm not sure what I learn from you will be proved useful later or not, yet there's no harm in trying, don't you think?"

Well, that was interesting. Johannes never looked at things in that way, but Claus Faulkner wasn't wrong thinking these bastards were similar in some ways. The Krogans yearned for close combat. An assault typically began with thousands of warriors charging into enemy positions under the guidance of experienced Battlemasters then using their muscle power, regeneration abilities, shotgun, and hammer to end the battle. Every support weapon, every APC, every tank and aircraft the Warband utilized was designed for that purpose, to close the distance between it and the enemy lines in minimal time, with minimal casualties. Of course, this was comparing apples and oranges, but in general, the core principle in Krogan's art of war wasn't that much different from Tyranid's.

"I want to know how the Centuri and Turians deal with this kind of warfare" continued Major General "I know they don't have the numbers or any advantage in close-quarter combat over the Krogan but for the past 50 years, Vorna Crax has never broken through the Epyrus line."

"Trying to stop a Krogan charge is a suicide, Herr general. These lizards have always found a way to survive any type of firepower thrown at them and with the help of German military advisors, they have also mastered the techniques of diversion, flanking, advanced reconnaissance, and effective artillery bombardment. A direct battle was not a good option for the Turian-Centuri army so they developed and utilized a tactic called three-layer defense."

"Three-layer defense?" Herr Faulkner scratched his chin. "Hmm. I think I have read about it somewhere before. Isn't it one of Primach Caiso Raiz's works?"

"That I don't know, Herr general. By the time I got to the front, this tactic had already been applied and no one had told me of its origins" Johannes said. "The principle was quite simple – When it came to the realization that Krogan warbands were planning to launch a big charge, Turian defenders would actively retreat to the second line after a brief firefight. Artillery and air support then would actively cover their retreat and blow positions that had just been taken by the Krogans to oblivion. The same process would be repeated on the second line of defense, but when Warband reaches the third line, the situation has changed drastically because…"

"…Because the Warband's strength was not the same after two charges, almost half of its warriors died, logistical units could reach the front line troops due to they advanced so fast." People like Claus Faulkner really didn't need a lecture on military tactics from him. "I venture to guess that the best units of the Turian-Centuri army were on the third line of defense in preparation for a counterattack."

"The Crimson Guard, Turian Marine battalions, and most of the Biotic units were all preserved for that moment. We discovered that Krogan warriors were particularly sensitive to Biotic attacks as they had no way of dealing with them. As you know, the most effective counter to biotics is to deploy your biotic unit but you'll never find a company of Krogan biotics or anything like that out there."

A strong biological system and impressive cell regeneration greatly attenuated Element Zero's effects when introduced into Krogan's body, resulting in a relatively low proportion of natural biotics in its population compared to the average of the Milky Way.

That was the widely accepted explanation, but according to several intelligence sources that Johannes had read, the main cause was the attitude of Krogan society. Krogans with innate biotic powers were often discriminated against, get barred from joining warbands, exiled, and sometimes, even systemically killed. The reason for this strange phenomenon was still in debate, but its consequences were variable. Barely any Krogan warbands had enough biotic warriors to create a specialized unit throughout the Great War.

"That's interesting. According to Private Altmann's account, you used a tier 3 biotic skill to subdue the enemy." He then chuckled. " Well, that's not exactly the word she used to describe the event. They were much more dramatic but I believe I understood what was happening out there."

"Yes, I had used 'Ori', a technique developed by Asari commandos, to trap Purii in an artificial gravity field. This technique didn't do any physical damage to the beast, but the Walther G in Karl's hand had enough firepower to blow its head off."

"Karl? Oh yes, it's that tall, quiet guy. Strange, for some reason, I have a feeling that I've met the man somewhere before even though that possibility is unlikely. This is the first time I set foot on Eden while people like Karl have no reason to go to Beckenheim or Eisenwald, don't you think? "

He scratched his square chin and looked thoughtful "Anyway, the Reich is grateful for the service of all three, especially you Sergeant Alenko. Not only did you defeat a dangerous enemy of the German people, but you also provided the Reichswehr with the means to win a war. If Moritz Kraus wasn't so rigid, I would have made you company commander with two Iron Cross on your chest. No, no, you even qualify for the title of Hero of the Reich for sure."

Johannes felt a bitter taste in his mouth even though the title meant nothing more to him than the clouds in the sky. He was no hero and never had enough love for the Reich to be its hero. He thought the Germans were a bunch of morons to voluntarily submit to an old man just because he was born to a certain woman at the right time. He didn't like their cabbage, Würstchen, and the thing they called beer tasted like piss.

Vaterland was, in Johannes' eyes, just as bad, hypocritical, and stupid as the Centuri Federation and in some ways more terrible than the Federation. The hammerhead aliens were obviously not innocent, but at least their ambitions did not throw the Milky Way into a terrible war where billions of people died or forced Johannes to join the army and shed blood for those who just wanted to see his head crushed by a Krogan.

The sufferings in Johannes' life all stemmed from the Reich and so he had every right in the universe to hate the Vaterland, Kaiser, the Reichswehr, and whatever it represented. If the Reich hadn't existed, if the Reichwehr had been destroyed at the outset of the war, Milky Way might have become a better, more prosperous place for everybody.

However, despite those all of those negative emotions in his heart, Johannes still regretted losing the title of Hero of the Reich. Imagine how easy it would be to have first-class citizenship for Kaidan if those bureaucrats knew the boy was the son of a hero or how easy life would be if the police and secret service didn't bother his family.

Once again, happiness was within Johannes' reach, and once again, the Reich somehow found a way to take it away.

"There are other ways to reward someone, Herr General." Said Johannes. "Of course, unless you think I've received enough privileges,"

"No, I do not think so." He shook his head. "Tell me what I can do for you?"

Revenge, that's what Johannes wanted, but he was also very realistic with his wishes. Let naive revolutionaries, Thurin separatists, and radical Batarians dream of the day they brought down Kaiser, the aristocracy, the oligarchs, and the military elite. Let them drown in the illusion of killing something that even the Asari failed to kill before drowning in their blood.

Johannes Alenko was way smarter than those idiots.

"Not for me, Herr General. With all due respect, I think you are fully aware that I am not the one who killed Purii. Technically I can't claim the kill. It's true that a real hero has been pushed aside, been forgotten but… that person is not me."

Claus Faulkner and Anka Haberlin exchanged puzzled looks as they tried to guess the identity of the mysterious hero. They didn't seem to be very good at this game as it took a while for the beautiful Ritterkreuzträger to come up with an answer.

"You mean Karl?" The woman asked, "You want Karl to be rewarded?"

"Yes, I would like him to be credited as the man who eliminate the leader of Genestealer. I want him to be the man who avenged the attack on Kristalhalle. I want him to receive the Iron Cross and honors befitting this feat, even the title Hero of the Reich."

-V-

It had stopped raining since Tyranid landings on the planet four days ago. At first, it was just a drizzle that wasn't worth the attention of the soldiers of the 3rd Company, yet by the end of the second day, they knew they were in real trouble. The newly dug trenches around Hornwald, the village that the Company was assigned to protect were flooded and their daily work was thus doubled. New trenches needed to be completed ahead of schedule while the old ones needed repair and with each passing day, the Tyranid horde was getting closer to Kaiserhaussen and they could feel the stinky breath of Tyranid on the back of their neck. The front was still quite far from where they stood, as the bulk of Tyranid forces had landed mainly in the East and their pace of advance was disrupted by the hit-and-run tactics of the Panzergrenadier divisions and coordinated attacks of the Kriegsmarine. By the fourth day of the battle, the bugs had captured only Ostengard, an evacuated city 100 kilometers east of Kaiserhaussen while their efforts to the north and south had failed miserably. With fire support from Silberlachsbach, Army corps South easily repelled the Tyranid attack on Hotergen, crushing three million bugs large and small in the process, including the Hive Tyrant, a creature believed to hold a very high position within the Hive Fleet.

This great victory was followed by another controversial success of Reichswehr on a plain known as Dreizack in the North, though the information people received about the battle was at times conflicting. Some said Army Corps North, personally commanded by Martin Steinbauer, had been defeated and was retreating further west, while others asserted that Tyranid had fallen victim to a sophisticated trap devised by the field marshal. It was hard to know which was true in the midst of war, but from Johannes' observations, it appeared that their Field Marshal had ordered the majority of his mechanized units to perform a tactical retreat after a brief engagement with Tyranid and force the enemy to pursue him on a wide open plain.

The bugs made a fatal mistake in doing so. To catch up with Steinbauer, the Tyranid vanguard was forced to leave most of their supporting creatures such as Nautiloid, Cerebore, Dactylis, and Malefactor behind and these large slow monsters soon found themselves had no chance against the mighty flanking attack of the 6th Panzer Division. Though the number of Tyranids destroyed in Dreizack was not as much as in Hotergan and a lot of territories had been lost, Martin Steinbauer had successfully neutralized the majority of weapons used by Tyranid to besiege cities and the losses of the 6th Panzer Division were minimal.

These initial successes had boosted morale among the defenders, but they remained very realistic with the current situation. It was hard to deny that the front line is increasingly pushed to the West and with defeats to the North and South, Tyranid would soon throw all they have into the Army Corps Center. It was a very bleak prospect, especially as Johannes looked down at his flooded trench.

Half the work would be done by military engineers with specialized machines as complex fortifications like Pillbox, machine gun nests with kinetic shields, and Flak batteries need the hands of professionals while the hard labor of trench work would be left to the members of Volkssturm. A grueling and dirty job it was, yet the militiamen had no complaints. They split into small groups to drain the flooded ones, fortify them with whatever they could find in the village or nearby forest, and then fanatically dig new trenches until collapsing from exhaustion. They were giving everything they had to Reichswehr, to Kaiser, and to their home. More than anyone else, they understood the strategic value of Silberlachsbach to the defense at Kaiserhaussen as well as the importance of the capital to Eden's survival. If this place fell to the enemy then everything would be over and so they were willing to pay any price to prevent it.

Volkssturm had changed - a lot since Benezia T'soni became interim leader of Eden. From a poorly trained, poorly equipped military unit that was only good at desertion, they had became soldiers with determination and discipline that could rival even Reichswehr's most elite units. It might be hard to believe, yet all of these dramatic changes stemmed from an inspirational speech in Platz der Freude by the Asari Matriarch, on the reason why the people of Eden should take up arms and defend their homeland.

It was a very good speech, though Johannes couldn't remember all the details because it was 15 minutes long and Benezia often used examples and implications that only those familiar with Asari culture would understand:

"What are the protectors of Astro ?"

He asked Gabi as they were on their way back to the village tavern, which was now the temporary headquarters of the 3rd Company. Thanks to Karl's extraordinary strength and Johannes' experience of digging trenches, Today's work was completed ahead of schedule and thus the platoon was allowed to rest before dark.

"Wha…what are you talking about, sergeant?" Gabi turned around and looked at him with a pale muddy face. A 15-year-old kid wasn't a potential candidate for trench digging, but according to Anka Haberlin, Gabi wasn't that person anymore. She was now a member of the Volkssturm and that meant she had to carry the same responsibilities as everyone else. "I don't understand."

Johannes sighed and repeated part of the speech "Even if we become the guardians of Astro, our walls reduced to rubble and our bones turn to ashes, our names will never be forgotten." The others started to look back at him. "I just want to know what she was trying to say."

"How am I supposed to know that?" Gabi exclaimed, "They didn't bother to teach me German history in the orphanage let alone alien ones and even if they did, I wouldn't pay attention to it."

"I think it has something to do with the Protheans." Said a young blond man named Peter "When I was working on Blue Canary, I sometimes heard them talking about why every Asari should go to Astro once in her lifetime to pay tribute to the Protheans."

"Protheans?" Another recruit in the platoon's eyes widened. "Aren't they all dead?"

"Nonsense, they are still alive and well." An older person protested, "They are hiding somewhere in the Terminus Zone and waiting for their chance."

"Then your Prothean is dead for sure." Gabi laughed. "Tyranids had cleaned up the place before coming looking for us."

That was incorrect information. According to Abteilung 14, Hive Fleet skipped much of the Terminus Zone and headed straight down to Kernwelt after realizing they were attacking a newly colonized region instead of the most crowded and bustling part of the galaxy. It was true that the attack had left a stain of death and destruction on the area, but Terminus Zone was still largely intact, mysterious, and unexplored as before. If the Protheans were indeed hiding somewhere in the White Veil as people said then there was a good chance they had survived the Tyranid rampage.

"So what happened on Astro anyway?" Johannes asked Peter, "Why does the Asari want to go there and pay tribute?"

The lad shook his head, saying he never had the chance to ask them and the story would probably have ended there if it weren't for a deep male voice behind Johannes.

"A battle. A very big battle."

Johannes turned around and saw an ugly man with a broken nose and a newly healed scar on his cheek. He wore the same gray military uniform as the others around him, only it was sewn to fit his big body size better and on his right shoulder was the rank of a private. A cross-shaped metal object was attached near the pocket and below it was two beautifully decorated badges. One was an eagle perching on two crossed swords while the other had the shape of the typical helmet worn by German soldiers.

"You can talk?" Peter exclaimed in delight, "Everyone look, our hero Karl can talk."

"Of course, he can, idiot." Gabi snorted. "I told you he isn't mute in the first place."

Gabi had told Johannes the same thing in the power plant, but since then, Karl hadn't said a word. The giant just simply smiled slyly at his own ceremony before continuing his service in the glorious Volkssturm as a hero of the Reich and an Iron Cross on his chest.

The plan went more smoothly than he had expected.

Herr Faulkner didn't hesitate to take his offer to Motriz Kraus, who asked only that the owner of the iron cross wasn't a blood traitor, and then received the support of Benezia T'soni who was in need of a good topic for her propaganda program. In general, everyone had their own reason to be pleased with honoring Karl…Well, not all of them to be honest but that was exactly what Johannes wanted.

"Have you ever been to Prinzenplatz, buddy? You truly look familiar" Asked Peter with a wide smile. "Gabi said you used to be a Blue Canary shareholder so maybe we've met before."

Gabi's eyes lit up. "Prinzenplatz? Is it the residential area where every vending machine is free?"

"Not necessarily. It's true that you don't need coins or credit cards to use vending machines or any other public service, but that doesn't mean everything is free. Property taxes in Prinzenplatz are usually three times higher than elsewhere in the city and there are countless other taxes you have to pay every month so in the end, you still have to pay everything from your pocket, maybe even more than usual."

"Another scam from oligarchs and political elites," Said Wendel Roth, a former student and member of a progressive movement, with a raised fist "These bastards are good at nothing but stealing money from the honest people of Eden to make the Kaiser forget their treachery in the war and save themselves when danger looms on the horizon. Where is justice I ask you? They bathe their fat ass under Talon-5 sun while I'm stuck here in the mud fighting to protect their manor, palace, and possessions."

This somewhat radical opinion was agreed upon by most of the men present, except for Karl and Johannes. The sergeant didn't know much about local politics to get himself involved nor did he feel the need to, while Karl was overwhelmed by his kamarades' hostility towards Governor Dominic Keiner and the late Eden government. Their dissatisfaction probably existed for a long time and never had a chance to relieve, so countless creative curses were continuously thrown at a dead man and his regime until the platoon reached the front yard of the tavern.

"Okay, find yourself a place to rest and then assemble here at 10 o'clock. We have another guard duty tonight." Johannes told them, "Another Mira system has just arrived, so those who have not met the requirements in the previous training must report to Lieutenant Essen."

Mira was a combat simulator developed from the famous Krox system of the Turian army to improve individual combat skills for the German infantry and, in this case, shortening the training time of Volkssturm members down to a third. A useful device but it didn't come cheap or was easy to manufacture. 27000 Reichsmark was the price for each emulator, not to mention the cost of rewriting the program to fit the current situation but Benezia had managed to find over 10,000 units to send to the front lines. The influence of the Asari woman was truly as great as Herr Faulkner had predicted. Not only did she unite the planet in record time, but she also convinced the industrial magnates of Eden to supply whatever the 12th Army needed for the coming battle with just the promise that their contributions shall not be forgotten after the war was over. Entrepreneurs rarely believed in vain promises but there seems to always be room for the exception if the promise is made by an Asari Matriarch.

"What about those who have already met the requirements?" Gabi wiped her nose and asked, "I want to join them."

"Why?" Johannes was at first quite surprised by this strange request of her, but very quickly, his eyebrows immediately frowned. "What are you having in your mind this time, kid? "

"Nothing." The girl replied, "It's just…I feel like I need to improve. I'm still not good enough, you know."

Johannes didn't think so. Gabi was the only one to complete 9 out of 10 tests given by the Mira system while the platoon average was only 6. That was a very impressive feat considering she was only fifteen years old and her combat experience was almost nothing but petty street fights.

"You can go with them but Lieutenant Essen will be the one to decide if you are allowed to use Mira or not. If he refuses then there's nothing we can do about it, understand?"

After that, those who had met the requirements and had no need to improve themselves headed to the pub to receive their dinner. A sweet aroma of stew greeted them inside and made Johannes' stomach rumble. Thanks to the food storage left by the previous owner, the company's menu had been diversified with pork, chicken, fresh vegetables, and sweets instead of canned goods, sausages, and boring loaves of black bread as before. They also found beer in the basement to quench their thirst but due to his feud with the German traditional drink, Johannes could only take the few sips of whiskey left on the counter.

"Smell like a duck stew." Peter gave a big smile and told his fellow soldier, "Great! Exactly what I like."

"It's perch," Karl corrected and immediately received suspicious looks "Perch cooked with mushrooms, eggs, and onions."

"Are you mistaken, hero? It is duck stew."

The giant shook his head, "No, it's a perch."

Yet, their rations afterward were neither perch nor duck, but two pieces of toast, some bacon, an egg, and cold butter, the complete opposite of a hearty meal that was expected by those who had been working hard since seven o'clock in the morning. Immediately, accusations of theft were thrown at Gardner, who was responsible for distributing food and managing the Company's pantry, but Johannes had more than one reason to believe the story was more complicated than it appeared. Gardner was a greedy asshole but he was also very mischievous and careful with whatever he did. If he wanted to steal the food, no one would find out and the brief exchange between them in a kitchen that reeked of fried onions proved his innocence.

"I'm very sorry, but there's nothing I can do, Johannes." The cook said, "We are running low on supplies right now and Captain Haberlin told me directly that only lieutenant Weidemann's platoon was allowed to use tier 1 products so I must give you guys whatever I can find "

The name of that insufferable man immediately made Johannes wince. "So did she tell you why?"

Gardner shook his head. "Just said if you have any questions, just go and ask her."

Johannes then found Anka Haberlin upstairs, in a room larger and more decorated than the rest of the tavern, though it looked like an empty shell now. Anything that the owner could bring with him in the evacuation had been taken away, so for the past few days, Anka had to struggle with a mattressless bed, a three-legged table, and a broken mirror in the bathroom. It was kinda embarrassing but turned out, those inconveniences were not too much of a nuisance for their ritterkreuzträger, who simply required a quiet place to sleep and pursued her uncanny passion with the book 'Adventures to Nanyu'.

And that was exactly what she was doing when he walked in. Chewing on a fictional story about an expedition team that had traversed through space and time into another universe while storms of fangs and claws were sweeping through the midlands of Eden.

"Is that a punishment?" asked Johannes as he change the color of the electronic panel on the door to yellow. The sensitive nature of the conversation kept him from wanting uninvited guests. "I never thought of you as rancorous type"

"That largely depends on the context." Anka Haberlin replied. Her eyes still didn't leave the yellow pages in her hand. "If it is about why our company is tasked with holding a small village on the third line of defense then it's a punishment. I'm sure that you know our men are quite capable of holding their position on the first line and performing an orderly retreat like any regular unit but our superiors are unwilling to take the risk. Well… Actually, they intended to give our company an important position in the second line but you know, I'm not very good at controlling my mouth ."

Johannes cursed under his breath. One of the bad habits of the Ritterkreuzträger was to think that everyone saw war as a sporting competition like them and that madness almost got 350 members of the 3rd company thrown into the meat grinder.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Oh, if it's about the perches then you can rest assured that it's not punishment for undermining the unity and unity of the entire unit." Ritterkreuzträger glanced at her dinner on the three-legged table. A bit of rye bread crumbs remained on the green enamel plate. "Even I have to sacrifice some of my privileges."

Johannes couldn't help but smile sarcastically. "Are you overreacting? There's no reason to be afraid of an idiot who can't accept the fact that he's been demoted while the people he always spits on are well-loved."

"The idiot you mentioned is a well-trained, combat-experienced officer who is currently responsible for commanding half of our troops," Anka explained. "An uncooperative lieutenant Weidemann is of no use to me, you, or the Company and perhaps you should keep that in mind before planning any other revenge in the future."

Indeed, the sergeant had thought no further than Weidemann's funny face at the ceremony but even if he had, his decision would not have changed. They had taken away the reward that Johannes deserved, so he had every right to demand compensation.

"…And you should be more careful too, Johannes. I have a feeling that Widemann knows it is your doing, or at least has reason to believe his unhappiness isn't merely a matter of luck."

"Meh, I doubt that. Timo isn't that smart" Said Johannes "Unless you accidentally leak it to him,"

"Let's hope I'm just imagining things." Anka Haberlin sighed and closed the book. "But you should also stop your provocations for the time being. We're going to have to go into a big battle and I don't want to see you two pointing guns at each other instead of the enemy, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Though he didn't think it would be that bad, Johannes could understand Anka's caution. Widemann would be a fool if he acted thoughtlessly but Johannes would be an even greater fool to let his own life depend on the cowardice of his opponents.

"All right, I'll try to be nicer to him in the coming days." He nodded, "However, maybe we shouldn't see each other's faces when the bullets started flying. You may not know this yet, but suspicious wounds are everywhere, even in the Turian army, even in the Crimson Guard."

"That you don't have to worry about. You will be with the 4th platoon on Hornwald's right flank while Timo will command the left flank and me in the center of the village. I decided to change some details of our original plan after reading reports from the front. During the attack on Hotergen, the enemy suffered great casualties due to machine-gun fire, so two-thirds of our MG-774 would be moved to both flanks. A crossfire would make them more miserable but you have to form a support group to replenish the ammo and cool the mass accelerator. That's the top priority. MG-774 may consume a lot of ammo in a very short amount of time and if it uses armor-piercing ammunition continuously then it is only a matter of time before the mass accelerator blow right into the operator's face."

Gabi was the first name that came to mind Johannes. Despite getting the highest score on the last test, she was still a child and Johannes' conscience did not allow him to see another small corpse lying on the ground. There had been too many of it in the previous war and no matter how many times Johannes told himself they were just aliens, the image of Kaidan and his brother did not fade in the soulless eyes.

"I also need a messenger or two." Anka continued, "There have been disturbing reports of an enemy's ability to disrupt communications. It is said that Tyranids have a type of creature called a Zoanthrope and they can blow your head off with their psychic power or temporarily shut down communication channels to disrupt coordination between units. . Maybe this is just another silly rumor but one cannot be too be careful. Remember to choose someone reliable for this mission, Gabi perhaps."

Johannes scoffed. "You think a fifteen-year-old could take on such an important job?"

"She is quick-witted, inquisitive, and motivated. You just need to tell Gabi this is a test to see if she's fit to serve in a regular unit in the future. I'm pretty sure she will try her best to complete the task after hearing that."

So this was the reason for the diligence just now. As he had predicted, Gabi only did what she thought was beneficial to herself but Johannes wondered what benefit she saw in becoming a Reichswehr Grenadier. The salary wasn't that higher than Volkssturm's and the 20,000 Reichsmark bonus after each year of service was not worth the risk at all. The war on Eden may end tomorrow, but the regular unit of Reichswehr would certainly be sent to fight on other battlefields until Tyranid was completely defeated. This was a very bad time to join the army and if it weren't for the dire circumstances at home, Johannes would never have put on this uniform.

"Shouldn't encourage Gabi like that." Johannes said, with a hint of reproach in his voice. "You may put her life in danger, do you understand?"

Instead of pulling rank and punishing Johannes for his rude manner, Ritterkreuzträger Anka Haberlin simply replied calmly:

"We are all in danger at the moment and though I would love to take credit, I have nothing to do with Gabi's decision. She came to me two days ago and asked what it took to become an officer of the Reichswehr. What else can I do but explain to her the procedures?"

"Telling her this was a stupid idea?"

"To say what you don't believe to be the truth is the same as lying." She echoed Johannes' words, "You may not be interested in being a soldier of the Kaiser, have no faith in our cause or reason to protect Vaterland but that doesn't mean Gabi is either. I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to be something bigger than herself instead of a stray dog being spit on."

If that was the case then the merciless regime and insensitive society of the Germans had claimed another new victim. Who was the asshole that put the first stone in the concept of 'Blood for atonement' anyway? Turian, Salarian, Asari, Centuri, Batarian or human? Johannes had asked that question as corpses piled up around him in the blazing sun of Zoth, but so far he had not had an answer. What a fucking nonsense it was! He, Kaidan, Gabi have to repent for things beyond their control and the absurdity only continued as the prisoner was strangely satisfied with her sentence.

"What's wrong if I don't want to die like a rat in the sewer? What's wrong with me wanting to be looked up to the way they see Captain Haberlin?"

That was what Gabi told Johannes as raindrops fell on their ponchos and stahlhelm in trench section D. It started to rain at 10:30 but all they could do was stay where they were and endured it. This was the observation trench, a position that would be soon abandoned when the attack began so there wasn't even a makeshift roof for machine gun emplacements.

"There's nothing wrong with that, but you should think twice before making any decision," Johannes warned her softly. "If you somehow get out of here alive, they'll throw you into another battlefield then another one like they did to me,"

"And you have survived them, sergeant."

"That's called luck and sooner or later it will run out. Besides, what do you plan to do with Karl anyway? You can't just leave him alone, can you?"

They then glanced at their stout friend, who was dignifiedly guarding his post like a statue with the head pointed toward the pitch-black sky above and feet buried in the mud. Cold raindrops shattered on Karl's ugly face and gave it the gray color of a corpse, but the giant didn't seem to mind at all. His lips moved in an unbroken rhythm and amid the drizzle, it reminded Johannes of late vigils in the convent.

"Is it normal?" The sergeant asked quietly, even though he had known for some long time that Karl was a freak with inexplicable behavior, "I never thought this guy was a religious man."

"I don't really know either." Gabi shook her head. "Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night and babbles about some star god who will us unite as one and help us to escape this world of pain. I did try to ask him what he mean actually but he never said anything except ' Be patient"

It sounded like a star-worshiping cult of the Northeast of the Milky Way, but what was strange to Johannes was that he had never seen anyone practicing this religion besides the Hanar jellyfish and the Drells. Legend said that while the Hanars were debating their role in the universe, the gods sent a blue star and led them to Rakhana, where the Drell civilization was on the verge of collapse due to war, disease, and environmental destruction. Many people thought the story was just a fabrication and that the Hanars only accidentally found Rakhana, not because of some divine intervention, but the truth remained unchanged. Without the Great Rescue, the Galaxy could only know the Drell civilization through its ruins and bones.

"Have you ever tried to find out where he came from?" Gabi suggested "I heard people say every planet as big as Eden has an identity repository and it can be accessed through the Extranet. Maybe we can find Karl's relatives so they can take care of him."

"The system does not recognize Karl." Johannes replied with a sigh "Either he just moved here recently or the data was lost after the Kristalhalle attack."

The latter could be the main cause. Totenkopf Kommando said the Genestealer cult tried to destroy the Eden server, and though Weiße Königin (a cyber security A.I) promptly stopped their plot, a third of the database was lost in the process.

Gabi's heart fell "So there's no hope but waiting for Peter to remember where he had met Karl? Damn my luck! Out of all these people, why do I have to rely on that idiot?"

Strange. If Johannes remembered correctly, Herr Faulkner also thought he had met Karl somewhere else before. Was this big guy a celebrity or something? Gabi and Peter both thought that Karl was once a wealthy man, but the question was how rich must he be to become acquainted with a Reichswehr general living more than 10,000 light years away?

"I'll talk to Peter after our shift is over." Johannes told Gabi "He may know something that..."

A strange noise interrupted their conversation. It came from the other side of the forest to the East, Silberlachsbach's first line of defense. The sound was vague at first and was easily reminiscent of crashing waves, but over time, they began to sound more like thunder. The tension was slowly raising. Cautious heads began to emerge from within the trenches and observed the surroundings with fearful eyes. They discussed, whispered, and drew different conclusions about the event, but when the eastern sky was burned by golden flashes, all fell silent.

"That… What… what is that?" A trembling Gabi asked Johannes. "A storm?"

Our deaths actually. That was the answer that Johannes would have likely given to Gabi if he hadn't been busy listening to Anka's urgent transmission on the communication channel:

"All units to your positions! Repeat, all units to your position! The enemy had broken through Bautzen and is now launching attacks on Kaiserhausen- Silberlachsbach's first line of defense. All units to your positions and wait for further instruction. Men, the time has come. Get ready to repel the invaders and defend your homeland. For God, Vaterland, and Kaiser!"