AN: Hello, my dear readers, and I would like to invite you to read the next chapter. Above all, I hope that you will not waste time and that you will enjoy reading this chapter.
In this chapter:
- Final preparations for the launch of Special Operation Knights of the Purple Rose will be completed and real hell begins for the EU troops. And the new arc starts.
- In the capitan of United Europia, have a place meeting of people, who wants to save UE from path of self-annihilation.
- W-0 learns about the initiation of a hostile attack and on direct orders of the supervising officer
Occupied Egypt, United Republic of Europia
February 2017 A.T.B.
When Lucius Vi Britannia entered the hangar - where Knightmares, Energy Filers, ammunition and spare parts were stored - he found the technicians and pilots in the middle of preparations. All this took place in one of the imperial bases, right on the front line. It was extremely risky and the very process of deploying all these battalions, resources in a short time, was extremely problematic and demanding all their mental and physical strength from those involved in this undertaking.
The aforementioned pilots and technicians almost immediately stood to attention and saluted as soon as they saw their Prince and Grand Master of their order. At least that was the rule for members of Knights of the Purple Rose. In the case of those of the Order of Michael, their salutes were solely due to the respect they all had for the one whose enemies used to call the Purple Beast. A title that originated from using dark purple machines in combat and putting on uniforms of a similar color. However, and to the great disappointment of Lucius himself, he was called a beast, although he never committed any war crime, and his merciful and honorable approach to defeated enemies was quite well known in the army. All only because he has never lost a battle yet, and his appearance was usually a harbinger of high losses on the enemy's side.
The machines in the hangar were remarkably similar, at least in terms of overall construction. Both sides used their own RPI-209 variants on a massive scale. Machines much more advanced, than the standard RPI-209, used by the empire on the front lines and on the most key military campaign sections of the front, regardless of the theater of operation. Although both variants of the same machine were from the same KMF Generation, the machine was nevertheless unequal to the other machine. This was due to the simple fact that the one used by Knights of the Purple Rose was just a lot more advanced.
Knights of the Purple Rose and Order of Michael had a similar variant of the RPI-209. In the case of Lucius' forces, it was the RPI-209 / PR, also known as Purple Rose, while the pilots of the Order of Michael had the RPI-209 / EB. Knights of the Purple Rose machines were distinguished primarily by the lack of capes attached to the arms of the machines, the dark purple color of their Knightmares, and the rose graphics on the front of the front armor. Meanwhile, the Order of Michael machines, overwhelmingly preferred red and white aesthetics, which was consistent with their coat of arms. As for the weapons, it was practically the same in both cases, i.e. an assault rifle and two swords. Everything is tailored to the size of Knightmares.
Although pilots and technicians from both orders tried not to get in the way, a certain thread of understanding was quickly established between them, based entirely on mutual respect, which resulted directly from belonging to elite military formations. In this case, it was not the fact that the Knights of the Purple Rose was established quite recently. In fact, members of the forces under Prince Lucius were quite impressed by the accomplishments and stories told to them by members of the Order of Michael. As for the staff of the Grand Master Shin order, its members counted on fruitful cooperation with the newly formed order.
Lucius looked around several times and quite quickly spotted Captain Char Anzable, who was talking to the five technicians at this point working on a machine that was about to make its debut in this particular battle. The KPR-00, also known as Tallgeese, was arguably the true pinnacle of Knightmare Frames development right now. True, Lucius was aware of some progress in the Camelot division in building a machine that could become the true pinnacle of what current technology has to offer for the armaments industry and the army.
Regardless of this and the potential competition, however, he could not help but feel satisfied as Tallgeese could be used and tested for the first time on a real battlefield. Lucius had no doubt that it would be a completely successful debut, due to the awareness of the enormous skills that Carl Tallgeese had and often showed off.
What is also worth mentioning in the context of the KPR-00, is the fact that, at the request of the first pilot of the machine, Captain Char Anzable, it was repainted in his characteristic blood red and a whole bunch of decorations were added to imitate those made of pure silver. Of course, something like this did not happen and the reason was simple and practical. Nobody in their right mind would put expensive ornaments on combat machines. Machines that might as well be destroyed the next day. In addition, and at the behest of the Knightmare Frame pilot, the machine was fitted with a circular shield with the Knights of the Purple Rose crest and attached to the left arm. In addition, the prototype of the latest invention, which was completed quite recently, the Beam Saber, was to be placed in the left hand, but Lucius did not know yet what the saber looks like or how it works. What is also worth mentioning when it comes to the armament, the huge anti-tank gunsmith was placed in the right hand, which was another protorpt, known as the Dober Gun. The gun in question, at least according to Lucius' knowledge, was to fire energy beams at extremely high speeds and up to a distance of up to five kilometers. However, after traveling this distance, the energy contained in the beam would simply lose its concentrated state and would explode.
Regardless, however, Lucius quickly headed towards the machine he had prepared for himself, and it was a highly modified RPI-209 and a minor Prince design that aimed to get the best out of the aging machines. In fact, the color and aesthetics of the machine were perfectly aligned with the rest of Knights of the Purple Rose Knightmares. With defendants in gold ornaments, and the coat of arms of the purple rose on the front armor. In the right hand, the machine was equipped with a modified large rifle, the first fully functional prototype of the Hadron Cannon that Lucius hoped to test in combat. On the other hand, a shield was attached to the left hand, but much larger and very similar to the one held by Roman legionnaires. In addition, the left hand was enriched with Beam Saber, the same as KPR-00. This custom Gloucester has been renamed as RPI-209 / VB. Knightmare was perfectly adapted to long-range weapons and a mobile command center, due to the high-quality sensors and sensors that were able to provide the cockpit with very detailed data about the next five kilometers of terrain. The perfect machine for someone who wants to lead soldiers from the very front line.
Lucius was about to approach the ladder leading straight to the cockpit, but he was interrupted by the appearance of a person about whom the young Prince had really mixed feelings, and it was Grand Master Shin Shaing. Dressed appropriately for the operation, in a latex suit designed for piloting and in red and white colors, perfectly matching the colors favored by the Order of Michael.
"Your Highness." He greeted Prince with a nod and the respect required by etiquette. "The operation is about to begin. The Knights of the Order of Michael are ready to fight. However, I have some doubts if the Knights of the Purple Rose are also ready."
Lucius quickly understood the gist of the Grand Master's words, and these were understandable doubts due to the very meager time the order had received from the Emperor to form and organize. Although the time was really short, everything was done correctly and the pilots, commandos or technicians called to become part of the order were able to integrate very quickly and work efficiently.
"This day will judge it, Sir Shin." Lucis replied, with complete conviction and faith in the abilities of those who had been specially selected by him. "While it is true that Knights of the Purple Rose was held at an extremely fast pace, I have no doubt that this operation will prove to be quite a success, and the abilities of my knights can be judged extremely high."
"Also, I hope. It would be unfortunate if the operation had failed and resulted in damage to the new order's reputation and Your Highness. " Grand Master Shin was extremely difficult to read at this point, even for someone like Lucius vi Britannia. "By the way, is the machine of Your Highness the constantly improved and modified RPI-209 that I've heard so much about."
"Yes, that's its." Lucius replied, but had no intention of revealing any plans or technical specifications to a man with whom the alliance could very easily prove to be a double-edged sword, very double-edged. "Although the machines piloted by me were destroyed quite often, I always remembered to make appropriate notes and diagrams, all in order to maintain development progress."
"I see." Sir Shin nodded. "I asked this question because he would like to ask the Chief Engineer of Knights of the Purple Rose to prepare a custom Knightmare especially for me, according to the specifications and plans I have planned for my personal machine."
"Machinery?" Lucius, intrigued, asked, although his feelings were expressed very sparingly and exclusively in the raised right eyebrow. "What specific machine, if I may ask?"
The Grand Master smiled coldly and it seemed that even the atmosphere around these two had changed significantly. "I suspect that the number I have chosen for my personal copy, the V-01S, will not cause any associations, so let me use the full name, and it is Vercingetorix."
"Vercingetorix?" Lucius asked, and at the same time he was more and more intrigued by it. "Just like that famous Gaulish chief?"
"This association is correct, but there is no need to recall such a distant past. All because Vercingetorix is my revival of the unsuccessful V-00S project, known also as Centaur."
"Centaur?" Lucius's question this time was more rhetorical, as he associated one of the unsuccessful development projects of the chief scientist of the Camelot corps. "If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be the first machine to operate without the Landspinner system, and instead on four limbs, like a lot of animals or mythical centaurs."
"This association is correct, Your Highness." Shin nodded, thus answering some potential question. "Earl Asplund planned to build a Knightare that would provide the empire with unparalleled speed and mobility in a battlefield pilot and the Knightmares battalions themselves. However, the technology and capabilities of the time successfully buried that dream, so the engineer was forced to quit his job to focus on something much more proven. "
"I think I'm starting to understand, Sir Shin." Lucius replied, then a sly smile appeared on his face. "You are going to first equip yourself with a highly advanced prototype of an extremely fast machine, only to later equip your entire order with it."
"This hypothesis goes far into the future and the conclusion is wrong, at least to some extent," stated the unshakable Grand Master, in his cool answer. panzer infantry of the order. The reason, as you probably know, is purely practical. Machines similar to the unfinished V-00S perform best in open, wooded or mountainous terrain. Meanwhile, in cities, an attempt to use these machines would have been crowned with high losses and complaints from pilots about the difficulty of using these Knightmares in such an environment. "
"I see." Lucius replied calmly and with no sign of emotion in the timbre of his voice. "I am pleased to inform Engineer Tallgeese of your desire to own this type of machine, Sir. However, please do not expect that this request will be fulfilled immediately, because this man has quite a lot of obligations. "
"It's Pretty Easy To See, Your Highness." After these words, the leader of the second order pointed to KPR-00, which aroused considerable admiration, also among the knights of the Order of Michael.
"I'm not surprised, Sir. After all, this is a sixth generation Knightmares machine, and probably one of the first of its kind in the empire. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter now. What is of the highest priority for me now is the success of the upcoming operation. He expects your people to be as effective as ever. "
"They will, you have nothing to worry about, Your Highness. I say this as the Order of Michael Grand Master. " Sir Shin bowed respectfully, then took a few steps back, thus making it clear that for the moment that was all he had to say.
Lucius just saluted him and made his way to his machine, which was to be an extension of himself in this battle. It had the same feeling it always did in a situation like this. It is as if he could, in some totally incomprehensible way, sense this extremely short process in which he and the machine he is piloting are to become one with each other.
It didn't take long for Lucius to sit at the controls of his custom and, above all, tailored machine. The first thing that caught your eye in the cockpit was a slightly larger number of monitors than normal. Anything just to give him front-line command. On this particular issue, it was something that was not standard, because usually officers in command of military operations used to use the safe land cruiser G-1, which was perfectly adapted to this role and equipped with all the required equipment. Once upon a time, the Purple Prince was even asked about it in one of the numerous interviews, and of course, his response was to be close to his own subordinates. Of course, none of this was true, because in fact Lucius was risking it just to avoid appearing like a coward to the public. As a side effect of this attitude, the pilots and ordinary infantrymen felt that Prince is one of them.
"How hypocritical have I become?" Lucius muttered to himself, then smirked at him due to a flood of equally mocking thoughts. "On the other hand, all politicians, whether they exist under dictatorship, absolute monarchy or degenerate democracy, ultimately have to use lies as their main and most effective weapon. Of course, lying is a useful weapon, but only if it has been used skillfully and its content is persuasive. Otherwise, it will do more harm than good. "
After these thoughts, the young Prince decided to relax and sat back comfortably on his rather comfortable but still utilitarian seat. It was almost one o'clock in the morning and in a few moments the artillery preparation was about to begin, and all battalions and companies were to take the designated positions as soon as possible, which would be most convenient for launching the attack.
Lucius did not have to wait long, because after more than seven minutes, the sound of rockets fired from the deck of rocket artillery or ordinary self-propelled artillery shells became audible. It didn't take long until it was possible to hear the sound of dozens of explosions. At the same time, an alarm sounded inside the hangar and sirens began to howl mercilessly, and the crews and technicians were alerted.
It didn't take long for the pilots to take their places in the cockpits and the technicians began to finish the final setup and completely prepare Knightmare Frames for the upcoming operation. All the Gloucester Swordmans and Purple Roses present were soon activated and their pilots began to leave the hangar, the main gates of which were soon opened. Thanks to the invention, after the conquest of Japan, of the modern and extremely advanced IFF signal, everything went well and the pilots had no problems with organizing or maintaining themselves as a company or battalion.
A moment later Lucius decided to activate his custom Gloucester as well, and a moment later the main monitor read: "RPI-209 / VB ready to serve of his highness, good luck in the service of the empire."
Purple Prince wasted no time and set his Knightmare in motion moments later. And among the dozens of machines leaving this and several other hangars, Lucius was very quickly able to locate KPR-00 Tallgeese.
Gloucester Vi Britannia, joined the company commander's machine, which in the course of this battle would be literally and figuratively a spearhead designed to pierce the main defense and render it useless. Behind the custom RPI-209, the Gloucester Swordsmans squad immediately moved, led by the only one to boast a cape and being piloted by the commander of the Ducal Guard, Captain Ciaran de Revil.
Together with the company headed by Tallgeese, the Purple Prince and his guards had just formed the main strike force, and then they took their place at the assembly point without obstruction, behind a small hill that was located essentially in the middle of no-man's-land and a few four kilometers ahead of their positions. EU. The systems of the Lucius machine, even from this undoubtedly great distance, were able to detect explosions caused by intense fire without the slightest difficulty.
Thanks to a highly advanced system, Prince Lucius was also able to detect the positions of other Knights of the Purple Rose battalions without the slightest difficulty, which aimed at other enemy positions and the annihilation of troops that would resist the bombardment and could become a potential threat to the success of the entire operation, or cause unnecessary losses in people and equipment.
Lucius, in the cockpit of his custom Knightmare, had noticed that fifteen minutes had passed since the firing began, and that it was about to end.
The next minutes passed and the growing tension was really easy to feel. The pilots listened carefully to the sounds of missiles falling and exploding in the distance. Every time such a missile exploded kilometers from this position, it was hard not to get the impression that in one moment someone might have just lost his life just so that the people here could bring the empire a coveted victory that might even be the fate of war in this part of the world. "
As for Lucius, he ignored the sound of the explosion and the death of his enemies, because firstly, he literally felt no connection with them, and second, he was much more focused on analyzing the data provided on the tactical map. The combined forces of Knights of the Purple Rose and the Order of Michael were undoubtedly a great force to be reckoned with. In total, there are over three hundred Knightmare Frame, all of which have been divided into battalions and companies. It should also be noted the existence of a separate unit, which was undoubtedly the Prince Lucius princely guard.
At this point, however, from the Purple Prince Perspective, the battalion and guard under his direct command were the most important. Normally the aforementioned battalion would have been under the command of Major Schnee Hexenhaus, but it was Lucius who was the supreme authority and the man was completely under his command.
After a while, Prince realized that there were about six minutes left before the operation was fully operational before all cannons and artillery on all sections of the front fell silent. So it was necessary to finalize all the preparations through an appropriate speech. Lucius was not about to waste an opportunity to strengthen the morale of his allies, so he immediately set his broadcast to the general channel and activated the microphone.
"Knights of the Purple Rose pilots, and honorable members of the Order of Michael. Here we stand, the first special operation Knights of the Purple Rose, which aims to destroy enemy stocks and destroy our opponents' backbones. "Lucius, contrary to what might be expected, began his battle speech with a calm voice. The reason was simple. and predictable, and it was the desire on the part of the Purple Prince to give his troops and allies the feeling of comfort that was in the war could have been much more helpful than a brilliant plan created by a brilliant unit. an important and possibly even crucial fight in this part of the world that may decide about our success or defeat. However, I have no doubts that we will be victorious, comrades. We are the elite of our great empire, and our great technology places us much higher than the average mob in every respect. However, don't be fooled by a false sense of security or total advantage over your opponent. Even a bad machine works fine from time to time. Regardless, let's move on, comrades. To the battlefield for glory and victory for our great empire. All Hail Britannia! "
"All Hail Britannia!" His comrades' response rang out, and it was repeated with equal force, perhaps even greater with each repetition. In this storm of emotions, however, it was extremely difficult for any of the participants of the coming battle to state. Only an outsider could judge it objectively.
Such a man was, at that moment, miles from the battlefield and the front lines, Colonel Garma Zabi, in charge of the logistics of the Knights of the Purple Rose. Currently, this man was in the land cruiser G-1, many kilometers away, which allowed for effective tracking of the fasts and movements of all formations currently participating in the operation.
The mighty young man was staring intently at the map while holding a mug full of coffee in his hand. Currently, he was wearing the standard officer's uniform of the order to which he belonged. Instead, he was accompanied by three staff officers in the rank of lieutenants, whose task was to help coordinate the efforts of the operation. They were all slim and rather young men, without any distinctive features.
Suddenly, the door to the command center opened, and a young and rather attractive teenager who was about to be eighteen this year, just like Garma or Lucius, walked in. She was wearing the female version of the Knights of the Purple Rose uniform. Mariemaia Khushrenada, after a short pause, saluted, then immediately approached the table where the computer had been built into, now displaying a tactical map of areas where actions were anticipated during this operation.
"What's the actual situation?" The teenager asked a question, and her voice was at the same time the epitome of stoic calm and at the same time typically feminine charm. The long red hair only emphasized all her wonderful features.
Garma, meanwhile, turned to face her, as did the rest of the staff officers. Her appearance was rather unexpected given that the redhead teen was in charge of the Knights of the Purple Rose interview and intelligence activities.
"So far, the operation has had its beginning." Colonel Zabi replied vaguely and enigmatically, still somewhat surprised by her appearance at the command center. However, seeing the threatening gleam in her eyes, demanding an answer, he decided to develop everything in a much more specific way. "The vanguard of our forces launched attacks on all three points. The core of the forces dedicated to the operation, where Prince Lucius is also located, is moving very quickly and so far they have not encountered any potential problems, even. "
"As I suspected, the EU does not have Knightmares on the front lines." She replied, and the statement in the reply was not surprising. Perhaps the Knightmare Frames were now machines of the future and the main offensive units on the front line, while infantry or tanks were defending or securing conquered terrain, but there weren't enough of them to cover the entire frontline. It was for this reason that they were kept in the rear and in reserves, so that in the event of an enemy attack by a panzer infantry, she would be able to respond to the enemy threat without any problems and be directed by the command directly to the fighting area.
"It was hard to expect anything else." Garma replied, gaining an almost immediate nod from the staff officers present. "After all, these machines are, despite their typically offensive role and enormous demand, an essentially scarce commodity. Perhaps someday, when production methods are refined and simplified, there will be many more Knightmares on the front lines. At the moment, however, no one can afford to ... "
"I know." Mariemaia replied, who was beginning to be visibly annoyed by the rather patronizing lecture from the Colonel. It was well known that both of them did not like each other at all and competed frequently. It was hard to expect any other result in such a situation. "Regardless, I should probably inform you of some very good news."
Then she handed him a small sheet of paper. The staff officers present here decided to take a look at the information contained therein. However, the information they found there surprised them to the limit. Garma looked straight into the eyes of the unwavering teen girl with an unconcealed look of surprise shared by the three officers.
"Are you absolutely sure about the accuracy of this information?" He asked, though despite the expression on his face, his voice remained calm and composed.
"I have no doubts, because it comes from a reliable and verified source." The head of intelligence, Knights of the Purple Rose, replied. Her completely self-confident demeanor, coupled with her natural charm, left no doubt about the four men. "The EU has so few Knightmare Frames that they will not send them into battle, which is successfully added to the dire state of many of the other machines in this region of the world. In fact, a final and completely successful attempt to break out of the encirclement of all these divisions and battalions turned out to bring them more trouble than profit. Tired soldiers had to be fed and treated, damaged carts and other machines had to be repaired. Not to mention the fact that the elite EU formation, W-0, has suffered such serious losses that it is unable to be used for any operations. "
"In other words, they turned out to be victims of their own success?" Garm asked, amusement that quickly replaced complete shock.
As an answer to this question, Mariemaia simply nodded one at a time and did not allow herself to show any emotions. This perfect control of one's own emotions was undoubtedly useful and was perfected by her to absolute perfection, despite her young age.
"Indeed, Colonel." Mariemaia replied dryly and without any enthusiasm. "Nevertheless, I recommend that you establish contact with the commanders of individual formations as soon as possible and notify them."
"That's what I will do." Garma replied briefly, then immediately ordered communication to be made as soon as possible. First, from Prince Lucius vi Britannia.
Paris United Republic of Europia
February 2017 A.T.B.
In the great and for many years the capital of the EU Paris, this night seemed to be relatively calm and without any major disturbances that could in any way affect the peaceful rhythm of this particular night. It was hard to resist the impression that the people living here - at least to a certain extent - had successfully allowed themselves to succumb to the illusion that in their homes away from the front lines, they would always be safe and free from the hardships of fighting.
All this facade and their telling themselves a lie, however, was nothing more than an illusion that had absolutely nothing to do with reality. In fact, they were all already making a heavy cost in connection with the war. The best example of this was the constant transfer of specialists and experts from industries such as the automotive industry directly to military factories where, due to the resolution of the European Parliament, there was an extended working time of twelve hours. Not to mention the constantly rising taxes, slowly rising food prices, the high war tax introduced a month ago, the abolition of all social benefits, allowances, or even the restoration of mass and universal conscription.
Being aware of all the aforementioned facts, it was hard not to get over the impression that in fact people live mentally in a different reality that has little to do with the truth. This impression was not that far from the actual state of affairs, and all thanks to the ubiquitous propaganda in almost all media. This created the right conditions for the indoctrination of ordinary people, who often simply did not have the appropriate means of verification, despite the widespread presence of the Internet in public life. Seemingly, no one was aware of the impending catastrophe, and everyone rather tried to enjoy a happy and entertaining life.
However, all this illusion of peace and prosperity could only be created with one thing, a brutal and decisive police force, which at that moment became nothing more than a mercenary gang of the government elected by the European Parliament, headed by Chancellor Lawrence Verrat. The man's legitimacy, however, was very questionable, as he was elected only by a majority of fifty-two percent of the vote, and only seventy-two percent of the parliament was present at the vote. Regardless, however, it was this man who was responsible for the massive use of both ordinary police and military police, only for the brutal suppression of any demonstrations opposed to the government and the policy of continuing the war. As if all this was not enough, it was this man who created the so-called Patriotic Corps, which, despite its momentous name, was in fact a collection of ordinary criminals, whose only task was to persecute and open violence against political opponents.
Regardless, however, only a few people were aware of the current situation in Egypt. These people were quite a diverse group, because they were composed of influential and wealthy industrial, powerful military and influential politicians, or outstanding and sincerely concerned about the fate of the EU behind the scenes political players. They all decided to meet in a small house located on the outskirts of the capital of United Republic of Europia. It was not the first time that these people decided to meet and discuss the near future, and in the case of these meetings, black clouds are looming over the republic.
Altogether, there were seven people who were sincerely concerned about the fate of the country and who chose to have this conversation in the living room of this modest mansion that belonged to its host, General Gene Smilas. Seven people liked to call themselves the "Magnificent Seven." All of this was happening simultaneously at a time when the fierce hostilities were taking place in Egypt.
"Now that we're all gathered then we can definitely start." General Smilas said, this time dressed not in a military uniform but a dark blue dressing gown under which he wore shirts with a sweater. After all, he was the host, and he could afford this little comfort.
"Definitely, General." The answer came from a young adult just twenty-two years old, whose eyes were golden, hair short and raven. Meanwhile, his attire was a gray double-breasted suit with a black tie around the neck, and patent leather shoes with little heels. Overall, the man appeared cool and distant from the life or affairs of ordinary people, who rather perceives all subordinates as resources that may be desirable and sometimes not to be lost. It was Conan Julian Mintz, the originator of this elite circle. Its characteristic and rather sinister feature was the rather unnatural prolongation of the consonant S. "We gathered here this very night to discuss the ever deteriorating situation in an association which, as persons of great influence, money and knowledge, we have a duty to defend and for which we must fight. Especially now that the situation is becoming so precarious. "
"Conan, speak straight from your heart and don't hide any details, even the most devastating ones, from us." An older man, with combed back gray hair, a prominent mustache, and blue eyes spoke. Though his skin was wrinkled and, like his flesh, marked by the passing of time, he still had great strength. It was Franz Malcal Senior, a respected politician, owner of many factories and banks. In addition, this man was the patriarch of a powerful family, and a representative of France in the Council of Forty, which also gave him a place in the European Parliament.
The young man simply nodded, then decided to do exactly what he was asked to do. Therefore, he began to present to all the gathered the truth which, as always, was extremely brutal, and which at the same time almost always in the face of crises or wars, seemed to be the first victim. "The situation is dire and only getting worse. While the expenditure on armaments and the production of new equipment is gradually increasing, this phenomenon goes hand in hand with raising taxes, introducing new ones, and reducing funds allocated to health care, education and social welfare. In addition, the abolition of any form of benefits should also be considered. In addition, disasters and high losses on the fronts, unskillful and crude propaganda, not to mention the use of violence and repression, causes growing discontent in all countries of our community. "
"Is it that bad?" Another participant asked rhetorically, and this time it was a tall woman with light purple hair and blue eyes, dressed in an elegant jacket as blue as her eyes. Claudia Clément, the well-known owner of the Cléacier defense company, which was responsible for the production of the latest Knightmares for the EU army. "It was clear that a protracted war could end tragically and potentially have catastrophic economic consequences."
"The Empire has no such problem, all thanks to having colonies that they can exploit at will." Interjected General Smilas, who, like everyone present, was well acquainted with the prevailing situation. "Meanwhile, our colonies in Africa are not only underdeveloped, but we are also constantly losing one after the other. The fact that the eastern nations belonging to the union is not as eager to be exploited and exploited as it was a few dozen years ago does not help either. "
"In this matter, the aspirations of the eastern nations to leave the EU structures as soon as possible, and then to create their own association and sign the Britannia peace treaty as soon as possible, are also very visible." Conan put in grimly, and it was not long before the reactions from the people gathered here. The main reason was that everyone understood perfectly well what the loss of so many factories, human resources and raw materials to the EU could end up at.
"This is unacceptable!" The man in the dark uniform of the United Republic of Europia almost growled on his approach to fifty, and the insignia clearly indicated that he was in the rank of General. "We must not allow this to happen, it will mean the end for our republic and a return to a time from which our ancestors rightly had to go out in the way of fire, revolution and the cold steel of bayonets!"
"Calm down, Conrad." He was severely reprimanded by Conan, who, despite his young age and few spectacular achievements in his short life, behaved with great power, firmness and clear authority. His cold and golden eyes seemed to literally pierce the soul of his interlocutor, General Conrad Golsaldia. "While the fact is that something like this can put us in an extremely difficult position, we cannot react too violently and instead focus on destroying those who are plunging the EU and its member states."
"Lawrence Verrat, the current Chancellor and head of government, and responsible for the deformation of our justice system." Franz Malcal Sr. interjected sternly, who pronounced the Chancellor's name with sheer distaste that could only be compared to the purest possible disgust that only a man can feel for another man. "This bastard and his clique destroyed Europe, they brought us into this conflict with the empire. They are also responsible for destroying citizens' trust in public institutions and the military. "
"You are largely right, Franz." This time General Smilas spoke, though unlike his co-conspirator, his timbre showed no signs of disgust or disgust. He seemed to treat the Chancellor and his politics more as a great inconvenience than to attach any emotional importance to it. "Nevertheless, we also have to be realistic. Although the Chancellor has great power and his powers are constantly being expanded, elections to the European Parliament will take place in June, followed by a vote by the composition of the new parliament to elect a government. We have to put forward our own candidates if we want to remove these people from power. "
"I agree with the General." This time someone else spoke and the least active during the meeting. It was a man in a red suit, and hence a tie. His jaw was strong and angular, his eyes sky blue, and his hair was short, light brown and combed to the right side. The man was slowly approaching thirty and his name was Reinhard Goldenbaum. His accent was clearly German, and the specific pronunciation of the letter R only completed everything. Former EU General and now one of the newer additions to the European Parliament after winning the by-elections.
MP Goldenbaum was a man with a rather rich military career, which was mainly spent in the quite ruthless suppression of several rebellions in Africa by the EU army and with the support of the military police. As a Colonel and war hero, Reinhard was often criticized for his brutality, but the criticism always went unnoticed. The reputation of a war hero, combined with the lack of involvement in any political or other scandal, meant that eighty-six percent of voters in the Brandenburg constituency from which he ran for the European Parliament voted for him. An amazing result, especially at a time when citizens were losing faith in public institutions.
"We have to put forward our own candidates for the European Parliament, ideally as soon as possible." MP Goldenbaum continued while looking into the eyes of everyone present. He was the type of man who, thanks to being under enemy fire and taking part in military operations, gained an incredible level of composure and self-control, which was absolutely invaluable in politics and parlor games. "Personally, I have a list of young and loyal candidates for the European Parliament who can successfully run in the German, Swiss, Austrian, Dutch, or Swedish districts, but that's where my options end. For the rest, I'll need your support. Both political and financial. "
"You don't have to worry about money." Franz Malcal Senior calmly put in, whose emotions had already subsided and had cooled significantly. "Me and Madame Clément have sufficient funds to run a great election campaign and we will spare no money to save Europe and the civil rights guaranteed by the Republic. As for the political support, I am able to provide it, thanks to my numerous acquaintances and connections in France, but with regard to other countries ... "
At that point, his gaze stared firmly and more than suggestively towards Conan. It was no secret that this young man had quite impressive political connections. Impressive at least for such an unusually young age. However, there was a reason for it, and it was a huge network of spies and informants scattered not only in the governments and parliaments of individual EU Member States, but also in most parties present in the European Parliament. I completed the powerful position of this man, and there was also quite a lot of material embarrassing most influential politicians in the EU that could have successfully pre-empted the outcome of the upcoming elections. Why then has he not used them so far, if it is for the good of Europe? Well, mainly because scandals and crimes cannot be revealed right away if, of course, you are trying to influence the outcome of the election. Instead, everything should be disclosed at the right moment and circumstance, and not at your own will or whim. It was also further proof that Conan is not someone to be messed with and to be reckoned with as a very dangerous political player.
"I am able to provide the necessary political support, and at the right moment to reveal many very interesting secrets of some people." The young puppet master stated, but despite having great power and the awareness of being powerful, he kept his face stoic and did not bask in the power he held, but instead calculated how best to use it for the common good. "In fact, I think I can completely ruin the reputation of Chancellor Verrat and his party, which will be the final nail in their political coffin. In fact, I know so many spicy details about them, and I have so much material that, once it is released, he and the people associated with him will either have to flee Europe or be arrested. Regardless, however, I can and completely ruin it. Nevertheless, it would mean that for a short period of time, the EU will be plunged into a political chaos that we will have to overcome very quickly, otherwise it will end in the political decay of Europe and the collapse of the association. "
"Well, we have a choice either to condemn Europia United to slow collapse under the current Chancellor and his clique, or to risk a quick collapse, but which may also give us the opportunity to gain power and save Europe." This time General Smilas stated, whose words at this point were actually a decision about the next steps of the seven, which was immediately accepted by the others. "Reinhard, you will be a candidate for the new Chancellor after the elections, while Franz and Claudia will support the campaigns of all our candidates for the European Parliament. Now, however, I propose to move on to military issues, which are even worse than the political ones. "
"Worse?" General Golsaldia's eyes twitched in a well-hidden rage that was, rather, the legitimate effect of the man's powerlessness. "That's the biggest understatement I've ever heard, Gene. Military and military affairs look no worse than political affairs, they are catastrophic. Every day we lose not only territory and resources, but the entire KMF battalion and divisions disappear from the maps. Not to mention that this idiot van Hoph is going to organize an offensive in Egypt that ... "
"Which will end in the pushing back of the empire's troops, but with catastrophic losses of its own." General Smilas was interrupted, his tone taking on firmness and authority. Undoubtedly, the man was not at all thrilled with the prospect of the unusually high losses that will be caused by Operation Pharaoh. "Planned by the General Staff and prepared in detail by the commander of our troops in Egypt, General Ciano Badoglio, the operation will give us, at best and in the short term, the possibility of pushing back the empire's troops on this particular section of the front. However, the losses in equipment, resources and manpower will only bring devastating failure in the future. "
MP Goldenbaum immediately understood an unspoken but all too obvious sentence. Obvious at least from the perspective of someone with some strategy experience and knowledge. "To put it bluntly, our armies will be pushed out of Egypt and we will lose the Suez Canal. Is not it?"
"Indeed, Reinhard." General Smilas nodded in gloomy confirmation of these less optimistic forecasts. "In the current situation, we should withdraw our divisions and battalions from central Egypt, then strengthen our lines of defense and build new ones in the north. At the same time, it could seriously stretch and strain the enemy's supply lines. "
"This plan is not feasible at the moment." General Golsaldia stated, and then proceeded to explain his position in detail. "Perhaps we can ease our extended supply lines. Nevertheless, Britannia will not experience any supply problems in the long run. The reason is the supply bases to which new supplies are shipped by air. "
"Supply bases?" Deputy Goldenbaum asked in no small surprise, all because of the previous lack of a similar precedent in the history of wars. "It is impossible. Yes, the solution of air supplying troops had already occurred in the history of modern wars and not only that, but never entire armies or fronts had been air supplied. "
"This shouldn't be surprising to you, Reinhard." Conrad replied dryly, clearly hiding some disappointment at the lack of imagination on the part of the Deputy who was once a military. "Until thirty or even twenty years ago, such a solution would have been completely impossible to implement. However, the development of Sakuradite-based technology and VTOL-based machines have opened up completely new possibilities for mankind that no one would ever dare to consider before. "
The Goldenbaum deputy paled as he realized how much the empire's technology could outstrip their own. The eyelid of his right eye twitched for a moment before the fair-haired man managed to control himself and let out any words. "So you are saying that in the present situation our army has no other than to hold position while suffering enormous losses?"
"Absolutely not, Reinhard." General Golsaldia, outraged, replied. However, his indignation did not last long, as the professional military man quickly mastered his emotions and proceeded to disclose his ideas in a fairly detailed manner to the gathered people. "First, we need to increase our demand for Knightmare Frames, and mass-produce more Alexander Frames because of their much better quality. At the same time, we should start reducing the number of our tanks and armored divisions. However, we should still keep the mechanized infantry and self-propelled or rocket artillery. "
"The plan to mass-produce the sixth generation Alexander series machines is not feasible at this point." Claudia Clément replied, and as the owner of an arms concern, she was well acquainted with the costs of deploying new equipment too quickly, or mass production without developing appropriate and efficient production methods. Everyone else knew it as well, and they accepted her words without the slightest objection or the slightest hint of objection. "We have not yet developed suitable production methods for mass production. The resulting costs would burden an extremely heavy share of the EU's military budget, which we cannot afford at this critical moment. Nevertheless, it is still possible, at least for the moment, to equip a few elite units, which is also happening. "
"You mean the recently formed W-0?" General Golsaldia asked, but his question was purely rhetorical, as he and all those gathered were well aware of the existence of this new, elite unit. They also knew of a successful attempt to encircle an almost destroyed division and two weakened Knightmare Frames battalions. "The combat capacity of this elite formation has been severely strained, largely due to the idiot who undoubtedly turned out to be the Colonel in charge of surveillance. If it wasn't for this idiot, we could use W-0 for some preparatory operations for the main offensive. Now, however, it is rather questionable. "
"Not necessarily." Claudia Clément vehemently denied it, and while she had no insight into certain military nuances, she had quite a bit of knowledge and equipment, designed by her daughter and delivered to the W-0. However, it was General Smilas who developed this idea.
"The losses in equipment and fittings have now been completely made up. After the battle, and thanks to my recommendation, members of the General Staff and the Minister of War, Clemento, saw the value of this elite unit and began to prioritize it and its development. For this reason, additional resources, both human and material, were redirected to replenishments. In addition, the newest and experimental Knightmare Frames, W0X-Type01 / D, also called Alexander Drones, were delivered for field testing. "
"Drones?" Asked intrigued Franz Sr., who, despite being an old man and much closer to death than further, was still keenly interested in news from the world of science and technology. "Is it not sometimes related to artificial intelligence projects that some specialists have tried to implement for military use, but to no avail?"
"In fact it is so." Claudia nodded in response. "My daughter Anna was responsible not only for creating the newest Knightmare Frames from the Alexander series, but also creating a new branch of the concept. Fully automated Knightmares, which are essentially drones, artificial intelligence. "
"Is this something that can change the balance of power on the battlefield in the long run?" General Golsaldia, who, frankly speaking, was extremely interested in the concept that could guarantee high-quality combat drones, which at the same time could minimize the need for human resources for the KMF Battalions.
"In the distant future, perhaps." Claudia replied not very optimistically, her previous enthusiasm subsiding a bit. It became clear that this branch of Knightmare Frames development would have to be given several years to fully mature. "Currently, however, this program is at a very early stage of development. While there are working and functioning machines that can be successfully used on the real battlefield, there are still quite a few shortcomings and drawbacks. First of all, drones, at least for the moment, are quite blunt and a competent pilot should have no problem with destroying a single piece, so they are effective only in large numbers and under favorable circumstances. In addition, the drones will require a front-line commanding officer from their own Knightmare to be given orders on an ongoing basis. "
"Well ..." General Smilas tried to speak in favor of the project and explain the lower price compared to the standard Knightmare Frames, but he did not have the opportunity to do so, as his service cell phone began ringing immediately, interrupting meetings and showing a case that required his immediate comments as General Inspector of the United Army. But before he moved towards the nearby table where the telephone was located, he decided to explain the situation to the rest. "Please forgive me, but I have to pick it up immediately, if it is so late, it is undoubtedly something urgent."
The general left them for a few moments while the other six became interested in why the General Inspector of the United Army received the call so late at night. The first hypothesis was put forward almost immediately by General Golsaldia, who bluntly stated that Britannia had probably launched its offensive in one of the theaters, and that General Smilas would soon be forced to appear in the walls of the General Staff. None of the people present here even tried to challenge this hypothesis, and the main reason was the high probability of overlapping with reality and the facts.
After a few minutes, which the summoned person used for a fairly short and chatterless conversation, General Smilas returned to the assembled. His expression made it clear that whatever happened was not pleasant.
"Please forgive me, but I'm afraid this meeting must be ended immediately. I was summoned to the General Staff. The Empire had launched, at least according to General Badoglio, a massive offensive that was to be preceded by a great artillery storm." He explained the situation and the new circumstances that forced them to end this meeting. "This night will be quite long and busy, and it will not be pleasant. I wish you a pleasant return home, and what we did not have time to discuss now, we can discuss next week. Europia Prevails. "
Europia Prevails! The rest of the crowd echoed, and they all started walking towards the exit door. Outside, limousines were waiting for them all, driven by people whom all people gathered here trusted personally.
However, not everyone had their own limousine, and the best proof of this was the entry into one and the same vehicle, by Reinhard Goldenbaum and Conan Julian Mintz, who collaborated extremely often, so a natural trust was created between them. The two of them sat in the rear seats, and a moment later the Deputy Goldenbaum instructed the driver to move towards Conan's villa, where the two stopped and were accommodated together.
"What do you think of our meeting, Conan?" Reinhard asked at one point, who didn't seem to care at all about the possibility that the chauffeur might be eavesdropping on the conversations between them. In fact, Deputy Goldenbaum had no cause for concern, for the limo driver, Kurt Leipzig, was one of the MEP's trusted men whom he knew very well to be loyal to him and had no cause for concern on their part.
When asked by Reinhard, the young adult didn't answer right away, all because of his reflections. Although he was undoubtedly a patriot and valued freedom of expression, personal freedom and freedom of trade, he also had the element of a calculated and ambitious politician who made him look at everything realistically. "Well, even if we manage to take power over Europia United and thus gain enormous political freedom, it by no means changes the fact that our war with the empire is still going in the wrong direction."
"Unfortunately that's true." He admitted rather gloomily to Reinhard, who did not seem to be at all thrilled with the prospect of the Britannia banner flying over all of Europe. "It is also true that when a rigid and corrupt democracy clashes with a well-functioning authoritarian system, the latter will always win over a much worse opponent. Of course, the final result depends on many factors that can significantly affect the final result. However, it does not change the fact that the republic is on a straight road to collapse. "
"I understand that you already have some measures up your sleeve to prevent this from happening?" Asked Conan, who chose to keep his stoic facade, but it wasn't that far from his inner emotions. In fact, this man did not feel too many emotional impulses, so he practically always kept his usual calmness. Some of the Magnificent Seven even presumed that Conan's personality was, at least to some extent, dissocial.
"I have an idea that I introduced to you a few years ago when we first met, but for unknown reasons you dismissed it as impossible." Reingard replied, and with quite some effort, he concealed his amusement at the whole situation. All because of the subtle fact that his interlocutor rejected what the Deputy himself considered to be the only hope for Europe, which would save the country's population from classist oppression, or alternate population into numbers and thus second-class citizens. "In our current situation, this is the only sensible way forward that could offer citizens a chance to repel a hostile threat across the Atlantic. Moreover, it also offers the opportunity to save Europe and its people from plunging into chaos. "
"I still think your idea of turning United Republic of Europia into the United Europian Empire is a madness that citizens will never agree to." Conan replied that he had no intention of contributing to activities that he believed would plunge an entire continent and its citizens into chaos. "I still insist, after all, that it is better to save the republic and only grant the central government some significant expansion of powers that will enable it to function more efficiently and give the government the tools to deal with crises such as the present war with the empire."
"I understand you perfectly, Conan." Reinhard decided to look him straight in the eye, and his interlocutor replied the same. "I think we both value our democracy and the many personal freedoms we have received thanks to this system. Nevertheless, either we will introduce a limited and legally motivated authoritarianism, with our own Emperor as the first citizen or official who will also be the guarantor of our rights and freedoms, or I do not see any clear future for Europe and the inhabitants of this continent. "
The young Puppet Master briefly considered his words and implications. It was not difficult to come to the logical conclusion that under normal circumstances, the transformation of Europe into any form of an authoritarian state could, in fact, mean political chaos and opposition from a large part of the population. In the worst possible case, this entire attempt could end in a civil war that would probably drag on for many long years, resulting in massive losses for the civilian population. After all, civil wars in which they fought to change or introduce a new regime have always been the bloodiest. However, the situation now was not normal. The rule of law and the judicial system in the republic were basically in tatters, the best example of which were the numerous abuses by secret service and uniformed service officers. The icing on the cake was the growing corruption among government officials, prosecutors, military and judges. Ordinary people knew this, and all this was accompanied by worse and worse news from the fronts, connected directly with considerable losses. Nevertheless, all attempts of civic opposition through protests or demonstrations always ended in the same way. Well-armed policemen came to the site of the protests, and then suppressed the demonstrations using truncheons, water cannons or incapacitating gases. The culmination of such actions, meanwhile, was the arrest of the protesters, repressions against them and their families, and often trials devoid of any appearance of lawfulness, and which can be classified as a simple farce. With all this in mind, Conan decided to consider his position on transforming the republic into an empire once more. This time, however, he was much more inclined to admit that it might not be as bad an idea as it may seem at first glance.
"I suppose the whole process you have planned to turn United Republic of Europia into United Europian Empire is ultimately going to give you the title of Emperor. Isn't that right, Reinhard? " Asked the Young Puppet Master, who, however, thanks to his long time in politics, had already guessed the correct answer.
"Yes, that's what my intention is, Conan." Deputy Goldenbaum replied, without the slightest sign of uncertainty or even doubt. Thus, he was completely honest with his interlocutor. "Personally, I consider myself not so much the most worthy of being honored as the Emperor of all Europe, but I am considering, above all, my unblemished image and the universal respect that citizens and inhabitants of this continent have for me. You have to admit, I'm the only logical choice in that case. "
"Undoubtedly." Conan nodded almost immediately, looking for nothing that could serve as a good counter-argument to his claims. "Nevertheless, how exactly are you going to put this plan into action, Reinhard? While the fact is that times are tough and people are unsure of their future, such a plan may very well be counterproductive if not implemented at the right pace and with enough consent from the population. "
Hearing his friend's doubts, Deputy Goldenbaum smiled knowingly at his colleague. The reasons for this were revealed very quickly by the fair-haired man quite quickly. "Take it easy, before the time for elections comes, Chancellor Verrat and his clique will be making enemies not only among intellectuals and the middle class, but also among the poorest. It will not be long until the brutal repression will only bring about even more resistance and ever-deepening social discontent. It guarantees you that people will very soon want to see a hero who will promise them a golden and better future if conditions worsen, as a result of the outbreak of a mighty crisis in Europe that must occur sooner or later in the present course of events. "
"And are we to use these favorable conditions to build our own regime?" The young Puppet Master raised his right eyebrow in a clear display of doubt.
"First of all, we must eliminate the possibility of power being won by people who are ready to promise literally anything for gaining power. We must close the path to power by people like the current Chancellor and his clique. In short, we must prevent ideeless populists from taking power over the EU who will pull Europe. to the bottom with the people of this continent. "
Conan frowned at his colleague's explanation. Although the young adult had not the slightest doubt about the sincerity of his, in fact, a collaborator, he was doubtful about discussing the plan only between the two of them.
"Shouldn't we consult your idea with others?" He asked and he did it with the quiet hope that it would not be necessary to hide these aspirations from others who might not accept such far-reaching changes in this particular direction.
"Let me say straight that the only person other than you who should be included in the plot is Claudia Clément. General Golsaldia is also an option, but I do not trust him that much. He and Smilas, as the military loyal to the republic, they are not worthy of my trust. " The Deputy Goldenbaum explained, without the slightest hint of any attempt to hide his goals, aspirations or doubts. In doing so, he made it clear to his interlocutor that he was still and intended to be completely honest with him.
"So basically at this point we're plotting behind their backs to turn the republic into a quasi-monarchy and turn the democracy into an authoritarian system." Conan summed up the essence of this whole plot quite directly but extremely accurately, and what its success will ultimately result in. "Are you wrong, Reinhard?"
"Unfortunately, but this is the only sensible path at this point if we want to avoid the path of annihilation of Europe and the people of this continent." The deputy replied with a dramatic sigh woven into the middle of his speech. This time, however, it was nothing natural, and Conan did not sense a hint of manipulation on his part. It was only a perfect proof of Reinhard's personal charm and his acting skills, which were invaluable in politics and conspiracies.
"I'm afraid you might be right." Conan said gloomily as he began to reflect a little more intensely on all the flaws that emerged from the basic plans of the Magnificent Seven. First of all, it opened an extremely wide path to great power for people who simply should never get it, because it could do more harm than good. Another important factor to consider was the loss of ordinary people's faith in the effectiveness of democratic institutions, and the example of Britannia, which seemed to imply that it is absolutism, authoritarianism, and social stratification that can produce the best results. No one has ever dared to raise this growing problem out loud and in public debate, but the growing belief of quite a large number of ordinary people in the ideas mentioned above was slowly starting to become an increasing problem for the EU. "However, what we are doing is basically meeting the demands of a still marginal but still growing minority who, in the face of successive disasters and imminent economic catastrophe, can lead to enormous support for the ideas professed in essence by Britannia."
"It will lead, Conan, with the current development of events it is inevitable." Reinhard admitted in response, and to the great surprise of his fellow spokesman. "Either we use this situation to achieve the greater good and prevent the EU from turning into something much worse than a monarchy, or we have the real prospect of becoming something much worse than Britannia. The time is coming for us to make that choice, and I'm afraid the time to consider other options is over. "
Conan Julian Mintz, the EU's Young Puppet Master, took all the words and arguments of this man to heart. Although he sincerely believed and wanted to keep United Europia in its present state, the arguments of the Goldenbaum MP made it clear that it might be too late now. With that in mind, Conan had already made his decisions about the future and his role in it. All that's left is to follow the chosen path.
"What should I be doing now and for the foreseeable future?" He asked calmly and as always, without revealing the slightest hint of emotion. In this way he completely returned to his typical and calculated attitude.
"At the moment, you should only implement the arrangements of our meeting, thereby discredit and subjugate opposing politicians and people associated with them, while promoting our candidates." Reinhard replied firmly, this time looking straight ahead and narrowing his eyes a bit. "For now, that should be enough. Nevertheless, it would also be prudent to compile a carefully documented set of crimes committed by the Chancellor and his people. This should make them easier to hold after taking power and would effectively destroy any trust in the old democratic structures. "
"Reinhard." Conan cut in after realizing one but very important factor that could seriously affect the future of transforming the republic into an empire. "To seize power it will be necessary to do it through a coup d'état, and for that it will need the support of some powerful military. Otherwise, our little attempt at regime change may see an end before it even begins properly. Needless to say, we can't afford something like that? "
But Reinhard smiled slyly, for he already had the right man to help him in his attempt to seize power and save Europe. "You don't have to worry about this little detail because I have the perfect candidate who seems to share my vision for the future of Europe."
"Who is this man?" Conan raised his right eyebrow and looked at him. The young Puppet Master honestly did not expect to get such an answer, but it was not an unpleasant job for him, but rather a pleasant surprise.
"In due course you will see, Conan, you have my word for it." Reinhard replied mysteriously, not wanting to reveal too many details too soon. "However, I can assure you that he is a trustworthy man who will help us save Europe and its citizens from something much worse."
The rest of the limousine ride passed in complete silence and silent contemplation of both people.
There was something to contemplate, because that night very important decisions were made that will affect the fate of the whole of Europe and the world in the future.
Egypt, United Republic of Europia
February 2017 A.T.B.
A custom machine, dark purple in color and armed with an experimental weapon, drove thanks to its Landspinner System, modified with Sand Panels, up one of the small hills. The mentioned Knightmare Frames was Lucius Cornelius vi Britannia's personal machine, and its name was RPI-209 / VB, or simply Gloucester vi Britannia.
Shortly after reaching the top of a small sand hill, the machine's sensors detected an EU troop approaching it, consisting only of four Panzer Hummels, which while they had powerful weapons could not match the extremely fast Gloucester Purple Roses or Gloucester Swordsmans. Not to mention the custom Knightmare, which was equipped with the experimental Hadron Cannon, although it should actually be called the Hadron Rifle. Regardless of these small details, however, the Gloucester vi Britannia, by the decision of its pilot, quickly aimed at the nearest enemy machine, then a large metal finger pulled the trigger.
We didn't have to wait long for the effects, because a powerful and destructive beam of red and black particles fired extremely quickly at the nearest Panzer Hummel, hitting directly into his Yggdrasil Drive and then crashing into the ground behind the four machines. The result was a quite spectacular explosion that turned the severely damaged machine into a burning and unusable wreckage.
The three remaining Panzer Hummels, seeing the fate of their teammate, stopped almost immediately, and after locating the position of the enemy machine, almost immediately began a chaotic and uncoordinated fire on the position taken by their opponent. Arm-mounted cannons undoubtedly offered extremely powerful firepower, but it was not a suitable solution, given the extremely agile, non-standard Gloucester, the pilot of which already at this point began to maneuver extremely efficiently and gracefully. The result of this attitude of Lucius was the total effectiveness of firing by UE machines, the systems of which were completely different to those installed in the RPI-209 / VB.
After a few seconds, the experimental Hadron Rifle Gloucester vi Britannia released another beam of red-black particles, which this time hit directly the frontal armor of one of the remaining Panzer Hummels trio. This time, however, the beam penetrated directly into the cockpit and killed the pilot. As for the machine itself, due to the death of the pilot and control systems, it has become completely useless and harmless.
"This is the seventh machine in this operation." Lucius muttered as he watched the other two machines through the viewfinder with the built-in camera responsible for transmitting the image directly to the main monitor in the cockpit of the machine. "I don't enjoy killing enemies, so ..."
Moments later, he activated the prototype Beam Saber, after which the Gloucester vi Britannia was pushed forward, seemingly an ill-considered frontal attack. Only the graceful dodges of the incoming missiles made it clear that in fact this attack was definitely something more. Lucius had great Knightmare Frames piloting skills, so avoiding incoming missiles was not even a problem for him. Moments later, his custom Gloucester was near the closest of the other two Panzer Hummels.
A beam generating scarlet light cut the Europian machine in the belt, after which the Panzer Hummel split into two parts, the Cockpit Ejection system managed to catapult the pilot this time and send him to a safe distance from the battle raging here.
Moments later, the custom Gloucester neatly maneuvered the two halves of the destroyed machine, and the distance between the RPI-209 / VB and the last Panzer Hummel was reduced in a few, extremely short seconds. After that time, a beam of energy generating a scarlet light stabbed straight into Yggdrasil Drive. Moments later, Lucius moved his Gloucester away from the last remaining EU machine here, after which the enemy pilot was catapulted and the Panzer Hummel exploded moments later.
Purple Prince decided to activate all the sensors in its machine, and also the Factsphere sensor to better understand the situation. The special operation had been going on for many minutes, about twenty. During this time, Knights of the Purple Rose, supported at the same time by the Order of Michael, managed to successfully break through the EU's main defensive line on this particular stretch of the front. The mechanized infantry and front-line tanks stood no chance against the ultra-modern Gloucesters, no matter which, so they suffered great losses. On the other hand, the battalions summoned quite quickly from reserves, composed entirely of Panzer Hummels, turned out to be insufficient against better armed opponents. The only serious threat so far has been the Panzer-Wespes, mainly due to the fact that machines of this type could be qualified and effectively used as highly mobile self-propelled artillery. As a result of the intense and quite accurate firing by these pilots, there were seven deaths in Lucius' royal guard, and about ten in the company commanded by Captain Anzable. However, these were the losses known only to the Prince himself, and there could have been many more victims.
"It looks like there aren't many enemies left in the immediate vicinity ..." He was about to finish his statement when his machine sensors detected eight Panzer Hummels and two Panzer-Wespes. that Char Anzable is going up against them in his Tallgeese. "That should be interesting. I'm personally curious to see how my friend will handle the enemy formation."
He was silent for the next several dozen seconds, as Full Frontal launched its typical frontal attack on the enemy squad, which was formed in a spike formation, with Panzer-Wespes on either side. It was then that Lucius could witness how great progress was made by the technology of the empire in relation to what Europia had to offer for its pilots.
Tallgeese first launched an attack on the enemy formation by targeting his Dober Gun at the first enemy Knightmare, which was at the front of the formation. As soon as the metal limbs of the KPR-00 pulled the trigger of the great gun, a beam of light was sent almost immediately towards the targeted enemy, which hit the target perfectly. It didn't take long for the enemy formation to collapse into total chaos, reducing the machine with the commander inside to little more than a burning wreckage.
The pilot responsible for Tallgeese's movements and behavior wasted no time. He fired four more shots at the enemy, all of them hitting their targets. Only one pilot was allowed to be catapulted through the Cockpit Ejection system of his Knightamare. The remaining machines, on the other hand, were cut by a beam from Beam Saber. After this series of attacks, all enemy machines were definitely eliminated from the fight, but only four pilots were catapulted in time, the rest died in their machines, either due to an explosion or due to the destruction of the cockpit. At this point, Lucius could even judge how effective the machine Chief Engineer Tallgeese had made. With that in mind, the Purple Prince couldn't help but be somewhat impatient and interested in KPR-01's first debut, either in the base Mass or Stormtrooper variants.
Moments later, Tallgeese changed course and headed towards the immobile RPI-209 / VB. A moment later, Char decided to speak on the general channel. "It looks like the EU has nothing worth attention to offer, except maybe those goddamn Panzer-Wespes."
"Right." He replied Lucius after activating his microphone, then directed his custom Gloucester towards the KPR-00 approaching him. "Well, to be honest, I didn't expect Knightmare Frames as mobile self-propelled artillery to turn out to be such effective killers of our extremely mobile machines."
"It's not what you'd expect." Char replied as their machines met me more in the middle of their initial distance. "These machines were introduced to support the European KMF battalions quite recently. To be honest, this fairly large loss among our pilots and machines is more due to the skills of the people who pilot them than to the actual design qualities of these Knightmare Frames. "
Lucius didn't reply, just nodded, then his gaze fell on the tactical map of the next five kilometers. It was easy to see that the attack was going quite smoothly after all, and the losses were not as great as it might seem. The KMF battalion under the command of Major Hexenhaus had the lowest number of lost units, and only at the level of about five percent. However, this coefficient was mainly due to the fact that the defense of this line and the reinforcements sent to the site were the most modest. However, apart from this small detail, it is not enough that Knights of the Purple Rose with the support of the Order of Michael managed to penetrate several dozen kilometers deep into the enemy territory. Soon also, ammunition dump and fresh Energy Filers were to take place. It was absolutely necessary in this case if the operation was to continue as planned and without major disruptions.
But soon Lucius noticed that new enemy units were approaching at a rapid pace to his and Char's current positions. It was quite a lot, and even with the technological advantage on the side of these two, it could have ended in an undesirable way.
"New enemies are approaching us, Char." Lucius made this announcement fairly calmly and without panicking. It was evident in this that self-control was typical of a good military and strategist, even under strong pressure and manifestly unfavorable circumstances. "Forty-five Knightmare Frames, of which forty are Panzer Hummels and five are Panzer-Wespes. It won't be as easy as before."
"Undoubtedly, Luc." Captain Anzable replied with a chuckle as his Tallgeese pilot began loading ammunition into his Dober Gun. When this short act was over, Tallgeese changed his posture a bit and began aiming at the position from which the hostile attack was coming. "But so far we have never fought together against an enemy. I personally doubt the possibility that our enemies might have had any better chance in this skirmish."
"Therefore, I am always responsible for judging when I have to fight by your side." Lucius almost threw out this rather provocative insult, with an evidently instructive tone. However, he refrained from making any comments that might adversely affect his cooperation with a friend and Captain of one of the companions. Instead, Lucius forced the piloted machine to take a firing position in the direction from which the enemy units were to come. "Get ready, although we have undoubtedly left our troops far behind, I have no doubts that they will get here soon and it will be over."
"I hope so, Luc." Captain Anzable almost snorted derisively and maliciously. "Otherwise, your father will be forced to organize another expensive and pompous funeral while giving another speech on evolution and how your death will help the empire change for the better."
Lucius did not reply to this because he was fully aware that it was one hundred percent truthful. Though he personally did not want to remember it, he still remembered his younger sibling's "funeral" in which he had to attend, and for a whole ten minutes or more, Lucius was forced to listen to how much the death of these two had become. fuel of progress for the empire. The Purple Prince also had no doubt that in the event of his own death, this story would repeat itself.
"Does not matter." He muttered after a short while, then shook his head and cleared his mind of any deliberations on the subject. Instead, Lucius's mind embraced the here and now first. "Let's focus on overcoming the immediate threat to our lives.
Only later will we be able to worry about the speeches and funerals. The main thing is that these are not our own funeral ceremonies. "
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Luc." Char replied, with an undoubtedly good mood and a certain determination in the timbre of his voice.
After the exchange of views was over, they both focused on the approaching enemies. They perfectly sensed the moment when the time for banter and small jokes was finally over. That moment had arrived, and soon there was to be an unequal struggle for survival.
Moments later, the all-too-familiar and geometric-humanoid silhouettes of Europia United machines emerged from one of the larger sand hills, seated several hundred meters to the northwest of the current position of two Knightmare Frames aces.
Char and Lucius wasted no time and began firing. It didn't take long for both types of beams to exit both barrels and then hit the first two Panzer-Hummels without any problems. This time, however, they were not command vehicles, because the enemy formation did not plunge into chaos. Instead, the remaining machines began to take advantage of firing positions, whereupon the pilots began firing at the positions of the two Britannians. Despite intense fire and the formation of more and more exploding missile craters, the KPR-01 and RPI-209 / VB continued to destroy enemy Knightmare Frames for a few more moments. This resulted in the destruction of a total of nine Panzer-Hummels and two Panzer-Wespes. However, the streak of both pilots began to end when the enemy intensified his fire and made it much more valuable.
"We have to start dodging, Char." Lucius didn't even wait for the Captain's reply, just began maneuvering intensely and avoiding any incoming missiles.
Captain Anzable also did not remain passive in the face of the growing threat from enemies and also began maneuvering his Knightmare Frame to avoid the oncoming EU bombardment.
Although both pilots were forced to avoid, they did not remain passive in the face of the destruction attempts and allowed themselves to fend off the blows from time to time. Lucius even managed to destroy three Panzer-Hummels thanks to this tactic. Char, on the other hand, had one Panzer-Hummel and one Panzer-Wespe hit, and the pilots of both machines were ejected before they turned into flaming wrecks. In the end, however, one of the better pilots finally found their way to the RPI-209 / VB.
"Damn it." Lucius growled in annoyance as soon as the Hadron Rifle was hit and Prince was forced to throw aside a damaged weapon that exploded moments later. "I've just lost the ability to fight at a distance, but that by no means means that I am eliminated from this fight."
Soon on the spur of a moment, Lucius repositioned his Beam Saber from left hand to right, then chose to move forward while avoiding incoming missiles. Once again, the advantage of his non-standard machine was revealed over the stubborn and decidedly outdated Panzer-Hummels, which were only among the fourth generation.
As Gloucester vi Britannia approached within a hundred yards of the enemy, Lucius activated Beam Saber the next moment, and a beam of energy emitting scarlet light emerged from the hilt without the blade until now. The Purple Prince wasted no time either, and headed for the three closest Panzer-Hummels, whose pilots had no chance of even fighting, and the entire trio were slashed by the energy blade in the next few seconds. However, none of the pilots died, because Lucius only decided to force the machine system to eject the pilots. There was a dual purpose in this, on the one hand, the surviving pilots would most likely come back with many stories of the unstoppable Purple Beast and be left with fear in the hearts of other EU soldiers, and on the other hand, the glory and visibility of Lucius himself would increase to a truly enormous degree.
Before the Purple Prince could change positions, however, a series of missiles were sent at him from several other Panzer-Hummels whose pilots apparently wanted to avoid the fate of their colleagues at all costs. Nevertheless, Lucius managed in time to get his Knightmare's left hand to accept the incoming missiles. While a shield stylized as the one used by Roman legionnaires could be considered normal, it was not actually an ordinary shield made only of chromium, tungsten, or some other type of metal. However, in fact, the shield attached to the left arm of the RPI-209 / VB was another of the prototypes, but this time it was a prototype of energy shields, the task of which was to protect the machine and the pilot not only from the projectile itself, but also the destructive energy released upon contact projectile with an energy field on the surface of the target.
"This system seems to be the prototype of the energy shields, or what Earl of Pudding and his lovely assistant called the Blaze Luminous system, works fine if I'm still alive." On Prince's part, it was an act of extreme carelessness and recklessness to test the new equipment on the battlefield. The only thing that contradicted such a statement was that it was not so, and Lucius himself held Earl Asplund's skill in great respect despite his numerous quirks. Though the non-field-emitting prototype Blaze Protection used in the RPI-209 / VB target was quite poor for what Earl Asplund thought the final and proper version was supposed to be capable of, it was still very helpful on the battlefield.
"It's just two pilots, kill them idiots!" The commander of the enemy formation had apparently started to lose his patience and announced his order on the open communication channel. Though he spoke of desperation and a loss of composure due to losses in the battalion, it also created a tempting opportunity for Lucius, who decided to take advantage of it. Especially since the IFF Transponder in the RPI-209 / VB has detected numerous support approaches from the flank, amounting to around forty Knightmare Frames.
At the same time, Char continued to fight in his Tallgeese with six Panzer-Hummels shooting at him and one Panzer-Wespe.
"Not so ordinary pilots, how would you like to believe it." He replied on a general and unprotected communication channel as soon as he tuned his equipment to the correct frequency. "Ultimately, you are facing the terror of the whole of Europe that has never lost a battle."
The news and its implications fell on the pilots of United Europia like a young on an anvil and had the most anticipated effect, a complete shock, on such an unceremonious and brazen presentation of a person who was both admired and hated by Knightmare Frames pilots and Europia United soldiers. On the one hand, they respected him for the lack of any brutal or dishonorable acts, on the other hand, Lucius vi Britannia was hated for his great effectiveness on the battlefield and inflicting enormous losses on the enemy.
"Purple Beast." On the main channel, there was the same disgusted voice that had just given the order, and it was undoubtedly that of the enemy commander. It was clear that the man was not one of the fans or supporters of Prince Lucius. "I was wondering if I would ever encounter you in the middle of a war between our sides. For many months I have been making plans to get rid of you, but at this moment you appeared in front of me, the unit under my command, with the cannons of our machines. Indeed, this situation is something I dream about. "
"Really?" Lucius asked mockingly, but at the same time with a rather appealing timbre. For years, Purple Prince has tried to refine the eristic art so as to be able to force himself to assume the desired color of the voice at a given moment. Ultimately, his efforts paid off and resulted in him mastering this skill almost to perfection. Coupled with a certain acting skill, this created an extraordinary mix that was second only to Prime Minister and Second Britannian Prince in quality.
"I did not expect that among you there might be a psychophane like you who would plan and prepare our meeting in such detail." He continued with an even more mocking tone of voice and topped it all off with a small but easy-to-hear chuckle, which also provoked reactions from some EU pilots as there was a few laughs on the channel.
"Imperial bastard!" Growled furiously at the enemy commander, undoubtedly reaching the end of his mental endurance. "I've been planning revenge for the death of my little brother and all the others you've killed since you only ..."
However, the man did not have a chance to finish, because one of the Panzer-Hummels, which was apparently being piloted by him, was literally riddled with holes like Swiss cheese. Moments later, another machine crashed into the Knightmare Frames gathered in one point, the pilot of which began to literally shoot everything around. It is worth mentioning the subtle fact that this machine is a Gloucester Swordman, whose entire armor seemed to be bathed in total and almost blood red. Also worth noting is the fact that Knightmare owns two, not just one, large assault rifles.
"Hurray!" There was an excited groan on the air as the first Panzer-Hummels shot was only relegated to a burning wreckage. It was the same where the leader of the enemy formation was. "Ashley Ashra has special gifts for all of you, beloved Europeans!"
When the ammunition in the two large rifles of his machine ran out and the next several machines exploded and became little more than burning piles of scrap metal, he immediately tossed both of them aside, then proceeded to manually destroy all enemies on the battlefield. The blades of the bloody Gloucester Swordman, literally massacred every machine on their way.
There was panic and disorder among the rest of the Panzer-Hummels and Panzer-Wespes. After the death of the commander, the organization completely collapsed among the remnants of the battalion. Some pilots tried unsuccessfully to destroy the blood-red Gloucester. Others tried with all their strength to concentrate the fire and destroy the Tallgeese still maneuvering and evading missiles. Only two Panzer-Hummels pilots decided to attempt to destroy the Prince-piloted aircraft.
Lucius responded by cutting both machines in half with his Beam Sword, thus separating the upper part from the lower part. The pilots, however, were successfully catapulted and sent away for many hundreds of meters in different directions. After that, Lucius was about to attack the other machines, but was interrupted by the fire that came from the direction from which the Knightmare Frames caught by RPI-209 / VB sensors were coming.
"Sir Ashley!" On a general Britannian frequency, a youthful and evidently panicked voice rang out. Seven Gloucester Swormans in the Order of Michael standard color scheme began to approach the machine piloted by a mentally unstable knight. "Please stop, there is no point in risking your life any more!"
Lucius, however, completely ignored this attempt to appease the raging madman and instead made direct contact with one of the RPI-209 / PR. The one he knew was being piloted by the Captain of his guard.
"Ciaran, I was wondering when you would actually join us." Lucius greeted him with a mockery which, however, was well covered under color and an appearance of utter solemnity. "I expected that keeping up with me would not be more of a problem for you."
"I swear your reckless formation and reconnaissance on your own will be your undoing one day." Captain de Revil replied tartly, ignoring his earlier words. "At least your orders to maneuver, flank and surprise our enemies were more than effective. If I am not mistaken, so far we have destroyed about five KMF battalions that the commander-in-chief of the EU troops in this part of the world had thrown at us. "
"Not to mention losses in infantry, transports, tanks and other equipment." Lucius added immediately, and at the same time, the enemy pilots either became one with the burning wreckage of their machines, or were ejected many hundreds of meters from the battlefield. "If my electronic map is correct and the sensors are correct, then the last four kilometers to the stockpile should be a leisurely stroll. On our way there are at most single Panzer-Hummels, scattered and unorganized marauders. "
"Well, it looks like it will be a rather short operation and it will be less challenging to succeed than you might imagine." The Captain de Revil stated, but that was far from the actual state of affairs.
"Definitely not, Ciaran." Lucius replied, then projected on one of his side monitors the plan of the enemy stockpile and equipment that had been shown to him by Mariemai Khushrenad a few days ago.
The word warehouse or warehouse was a euphemism here, for it was in fact a mighty fortress, with defense turrets or rocket launchers. Made of solid reinforced concrete, the walls were built to form a regular hexagon, at least when you look at the whole from the bird's perspective. each wall was topped with a rocket launcher tower. Additionally, the entire Panzer-Wespes battalion was supposed to be present on the spot, so the attempt to capture it would not be easy. Especially with the loss of the Hadron Rifle. Nevertheless, for this very purpose, Lucius ordered something special to be added to the drop.
After a while, Prince decided to send the plans for this mini fortress to Captain de Revil so that he could personally assess the difficulty of the challenge facing them.
"Oh dear." All his recent self-confidence had almost completely evaporated, in the face of the reality presented to him, without any euphemisms or embellishments that might be inconsistent with the actual state of the situation. "It doesn't look good."
"Unfortunately not." Lucius replied quickly. "We will have to face one of the toughest challenges we are likely to face at the moment. After all, we must advance and achieve the main goal of this operation. Destroy enemy supplies and prevent them from carrying out their offensive. Although we have already inflicted huge losses on the division stationed here, it is still not enough to speak of a complete success. "
It didn't take long until the Knightmare Frames gathered here formed into several spike formations, and then began a rapid movement towards the enemy fortress. Meanwhile on their right flank was Schnee Hexenhaus with his hardened battalion, while on the left was Sir Shin himself with the backbone of the Order of Michael.
Many pilots had the impression that the enemies they defeated and the enemy warehouse were the biggest challenge of the night, but none of them knew how wrong he was. It's all thanks to the EU's newest special unit, the Wyvern Zero.
Egypt, United Republic of Europia
Fort Naguib
February 2017 A.T.B.
Lieutenant Colonel Leila Malcal yawned and with some difficulty kept herself from squinting as she stepped into the position of commander with a panel in front of her that allowed for precise coordination and ordering of her units. Though she was ready to give orders and had a mug of hot coffee with her, the prospect of being in command so late at night, when she had been in the middle of a perfectly pleasant sleep some twenty minutes ago, was not a pleasant one. Especially if the first thing she heard when she woke up was the unpleasant news of an enemy offensive, as a result of which many units were either decimated or disintegrated.
In fact, until she received this information and was awakened, the last several hours could be considered more than pleasant and positive, in her opinion. First and foremost and most notably worth mentioning at the moment, Wyvern Zero has finally been given high priority in terms of raw materials, equipment and human resources due to the successful operation. The second piece of good news was her possible promotion to the rank of Colonel and granting her full and unlimited control not only of Wyvern Zero but also of all other Wyverns elite special divisions to be established as soon as possible. Apparently, it became clear to both the General Staff and the politicians from Paris that this special unit and quasi-division, armed with the best available equipment and having the best pilots, had a chance to change anything in this war.
It seemed that everything was slowly starting to move in better and better direction. Even the dream of young Lieutenant Colonel Malcal was pleasant and contained fond memories of her early childhood, when her mother and father were still alive. All until Leila was suddenly roused from her sleep by her aide, Captain Warwick. While the young lady initially wanted to kill him for waking her from a pleasant sleep, the news about the actions of the empire's army caused her great anxiety and gave her an effective incentive to act as soon as possible.
The one who ordered her to wake it up was the commander-in-chief of EU troops in Egypt, General Ciano Badoglio himself, who ordered her to send W-0 as soon as possible to repel a hostile attack. All this despite the fact that General Smilas himself was her immediate superior and not Badoglio. However, Leila decided to obey the order anyway, because she did not want to risk the wrath of someone who undoubtedly had quite a lot of knowledge in the military and politics. Personally, the young Lieutenant Colonel had not very flattering opinions about this man, because he was alternately hot-tempered, completely lethargic, or even completely indifferent to reality. The latter at a time when reports of frontline troops became catastrophic. It was clear that such a man should never hold such a responsible position and be responsible for the lives of so many people.
At present, Leila has taken a position in the main and highest position in a darkened room, and opposite her, there is a large monitor with a tactical map of the area where the KMF battalions of the EU and the enemy were to be skirmished. But to Lieutenant Colonel's little frustration, all reports, reports, and the potential location of hostile formations were both inaccurate and many minutes late.
Unable to do anything about it, the young teenage girl took a decent sip from a mug filled to the brim with hot coffee. It is true that it cost her a burned tongue and esophagus, but in view of the energy and stimulating values of the black drink, it did not even matter. Though Leila wanted to start everything now, she couldn't do it because of the absence of her adjutant. In addition, the staff officers and research staff assembled here also began to get impatient, especially in the face of extreme uncertainty resulting from a lack of up-to-date knowledge on the battlefield.
Leila was about to call someone to fix the problem, but then the main door to the command center opened and Captain Warwick walked in a moment later. Clearly a bit drunk and not very presentable. But no one paid the slightest attention to it, for the only thing that mattered was the absence of Colonel Anou.
"Where is the inspector, and why didn't you bring him, Captain?" Leila asked stoically, though internally she was more than curious about the absence of their unit overseer.
The lieutenant colonel's adjutant merely rubbed the back of his head, and for a moment you pondered the answer that soon fell from his lips. "Well, it may sound weird, but Colonel Anou had a heart attack as soon as he learned about the scale of the enemy attack and the estimated losses. He is currently in the infirmary and is unable to come here any time soon. "
"It's ... unexpected." Leila replied, though she breathed a sigh of relief internally. Despite the fact that she did not have any hostile intentions towards the overzealous supervising officer, she was glad that in the near future this man would not interfere with operational details, which could only result in unnecessary personal losses. "In this case, we proceed to the full mobilization of our squads. I want Delta and Alpha troops to be mobilized in a maximum of twenty minutes and then sent south into the fighting area there. "
"So we're mobilizing a total of around eighty Knightmare Frames, the vast majority of which are experimental drones." One of the Staff Officers with the rank of Lieutenant stated thoughtfully. "It is not something unrealistic, but we need to specify exactly where our troops are to be dispatched, Lieutenant Colonel."
After his words, someone conscious had the idea to display the most likely targets of the enemy attack on a few side monitors. The first and most obvious was the headquarters, located about fifteen kilometers southeast of the fort assigned to W-0.
Leila looked at the map, but she rejected most of the potential targets very quickly, because they were too far from the front lines and where they are supposed to be the main battlefield. Then, however, the eyes of the young Lieutenant Colonel Malcal rested on a rather tempting spot that was quite close not only to the front line, but also to the place of the fighting. At first, there were quite understandable doubts and the first thought that it could be a mere coincidence, but she very quickly realized that the places where there were clashes and contacts with the enemy were gradually shifting towards the main stockpile for the EU army in Egypt, from which all fighting units were supplied.
"Britannians are headed to our main supply base and war material warehouse in this part of the world." Leila deduced it fairly quickly, and her eyes widened at the realization of it. The implications of what could have happened if this offensive were successful were absolutely impossible to ignore. "Send mobilized troops over there."
The order aroused mixed feelings in the command center. While the scientific staff themselves, overseeing primarily Knightmare Frames, the progress of these machines and trying to extract as much data as possible from the battlefield, was not particularly interested in the operational details, the other military in the command center were at least surprised by this command.
"Lieutenant Colonel, I don't think the Brits will decide to attack such a well-fortified position." The same Lieutenant expressed his doubts, who a few seconds ago indicated the need to define the exact place where the mobilized troops should go. "While the goal itself is logical, I doubt that whoever is in charge of commanding the forces of the empire would decide to do something so risky and at the risk of serious losses."
Much of the staff officers in the command center nodded in agreement with their colleague's words. They had a lot of grounds for this, because the main supply base and war material warehouse in the EU had really impressive fortifications, the overcoming of which would take a lot of time and would cost many pilots' lives, and the destruction of many machines. The only one who remained silent on this point and did not express his opinion was Captain Warwick, who only seemed to consider everything in silent contemplation.
"I'm afraid the Lieutenant Colonel is right about that." After a while, he stated, and at that point, he became deadly serious and professional. The somewhat drunk and scruffy soldier was gone, and he was replaced by a real officer. "This resupply facility is probably an even better target than the command headquarters or artillery positions. In fact, and if I were in the position of the enemy commander, I would choose to attack that target as well. "
The lieutenant and the loudest staff officer seemed to fully understand what the adjutant of the W-0 commander was trying to convey. "I understand what you mean, Captain. The supply lines are the same to the frontline fighters as the veins for individual organs. Whereas such establishments are like the heart pumping blood. It makes sense from that point of view, but I still doubt any enemy commander would decide to do this. "
"No stronghold is impossible to conquer, Lieutenant." Leila replied with quite a bit of coldness and firmness, which seemed to be, and indeed was, necessary in this particular situation. "Not to mention the technological superiority of the empire over us and the possibility for their engineers to invent something that will ultimately render the defense of this facility useless. If it were not so, the enemy commander or commanders would not have made the decision to offensive towards one of our most fortified outposts in this region of the world. "
After this short sermon, the young Lieutenant Colonel turned to another officer, the young Lieutenant responsible for communications. "Do you know who exactly we are dealing with?"
However, the young man responsible for communications had no good news to convey to her. "Please forgive me, but so far reports have been inconsistent. I have no way of defining unequivocally who is actually responsible for this unexpected attack. "
Just as Leila was about to turn to the Lieutenant in charge of overseeing the mobilization preparations for support, the Second Lieutenant in charge of communications spoke again. This time, however, he had much better news to deliver.
"Forgive me, but I have just received very specific information about who we are actually dealing with." He reported, and then proceeded to the proper part of the report. "From what the survivors are reporting, some new and unknown Britannian unit, whose coat of arms is a purple rose, is responsible for this unexpected blow. The rest of the forces that only seem to support the ongoing offensive are the Order of Michael. "
"At least we know more or less who we will have to face. Two elite formations concentrated in one operation. " Leila muttered softly after hearing everything the man had to say at the moment. Moments later, and after looking at the tactical map again, she made the final decision regarding the placement of Wyvern Zero. "Squads are to be sent to the fortress with our supplies as soon as possible after being mobilized. I have no doubt that this is the place where the army of the empire is attacking. This is my final word on this and I will not tolerate any further objection any longer. "
It was a clear sign to the other staff officers that the time for discussion was over. So everyone took it to heart and started doing their chores. The communications officer tried to supervise his people and report the reports to the commander or her adjutant. While the Lieutenant in charge of overseeing the preparations was hastily demanding reports on the unit readiness and taking on a few less significant and part of his duties.
For her part, Leila patiently waited for the results of everyone's work in complete silence. The young Lieutenant Colonel had no intention of drawing unnecessary attention to herself and disturbing her subordinates in carrying out their duties. She knew examples of quite a number of EU officers who loved micromanaging their troops, but quite often something like this ended up disaster when confronted by a real enemy. At a time when often false and only theoretical notions of war met the reality of a brutal and chaotic battlefield.
Minutes passed as the next steps to finalize the preparations were made. Soon the surveillance officer notified Leil that everything was over and soon Alfa and Delta squads would be dispatched to their final location.
Lieutenant Colonel Malcal allowed herself a small smirk shortly thereafter. The reason for this was that so far the situation seemed to be under control. Admittedly, she kept receiving more reports of many tired Knightmare Frame battalions and numerous losses, both in man and equipment, but this was not as surprising as the initial reports. Additionally, she and the others at the command center soon began to feel the tangible effects of consuming strong coffee, when the caffeine contained in the black drinks finally reached their brains and strengthened their thought processes.
All this continued until the staff officer responsible for communications began reporting the content of the latest report, which effectively lowered the morale of everyone in the command center.
"Ma'am, we already have intelligence reports on an unidentified Britannian unit reported by survivors." He started, but his distinctly trembling tone made it clear that what he had to say was not something that anyone here wanted to hear. Plus, it betrayed his own fear. "This is the latest cavaleric order empire, Knights of the Purple Rose. From what I have learned, their commander is Prince Lucius vi Britannia, 12th Prince of Britannia. "
The last part of his message caused absolutely everyone in the command center, even those ignorant of military operations, to distract from their previous activities and looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
Eyes of Leila, literally widened as soon as the last part of the report reached her ears and was then passed on to her brain.
AN: Dear readers, here is the end of this chapter. I sincerely hope that the events presented here and some seeds of foul play aroused your curiosity and strengthened your willingness to wait for the next chapters.
To be honest with you, I try to write these stories and present the characters in a way that no one arouses too much antipathy in the readers. Simply put, I try to present people with aspirations and goals. People who believe in their ideals. First of all, I want to create a quite realistic action in which there are no heroes or villains, and instead only people who believe in their cause and facing each other.
Now, some answers to yours questions and reviews, dear reviewers:
Diabolos Aides - As always, I'm happy that you like it. I only may can hope, that there is more people like you, who enjoy my humble work.
Dragonheart Of Ireland - The confrontation of twins is something that keeps me awake at night for a long time. At the moment, Lelouch is simply trying not to remember Lucius' existence because of the betrayal of his younger brother in the throne room. On the other hand, Lucius had long ago come to terms with the death of his siblings, his mother, and accepted it. Unlike the older twin brother, Purple Prince doesn't need revenge.
However, going on to the correct answer. Initially, I planned for the two brothers to confront on Kamine Island during the Black Rebelion. Ultimately, I gave up on this idea because I found it too predictable. I also planned for Lucius to find out about his younger sister only after the Black Rebelion, and all with the Emperor's knowledge and consent.
At the moment, I have a few ideas, but with all confidence, the confrontation of both brothers will be something intense, as will the meeting of Lucius with Nunnally.
On the POV of Lelouch, it will be after the end of the arc of Egypt, when Lucius will be sent to Area Eleven because of an Imperial Order, with task to secure Sakuradite deliveries to Britannia main land.
I would also like to clarify a few points and inspiration:
1st. Conan Julian Mintz, was visually inspired by was visually inspired by Conan Watson, from Code Geass: Genesic Re;Code. However, his middle name and surname are a slight reference to Julian Minci, from "Legend of Galactic Heroses". I wanted to present him as a pragmatist who sincerely believes in values such as freedom, and is ready to do much to defend these freedoms, no matter the cost.
2nd. Reinhard Goldenbaum, is actually reference to two characters from "Legend of Galactic Heroses", Reinhard von Lohengramm and Rudolf von Goldenbaum. However, he sincerely believes that his actions will be the best for the people of Europe and the citizens of Europia United. Some of you might criticize this as unrealistic. Before you consider it naive or illogical, think about how many times in our history ambitious people have reached for the authorities because they sincerely believed that thanks to this they could do a lot of good for Europe and its citizens, and save the community in which they live from something much worse.
3rd. I have not given a name to the political group that currently has an extremely shaky power over United Europia. It doesn't change the fact that I originally wanted to call it Norsefire, as a reference to the organization governing the British Isles in the comic book made by Alan Moore.
4th. I created Lucius character as the drastic opposite of Lelouch. Despite the fact that both are to some extent self-centered and do what they do for quite selfish reasons (Lucius for the glory and Lelouch for the little sister). However, that doesn't change the fact that the Purple Prince didn't let the past take over his future. Mainly thanks to the emotional support of a loved one.
I think that's all for now. Goodbye and see you in the next chapter.