…
…
…
Frigid winds blow and howl through the steep and jagged terrain of the Blue Mountains, the natural North-Western border of Xenokuni and the Empire of Pavolia. Snow-capped peaks, cliffs, crags stretch up close to the clouds, making the streets and structures of distant Xenokuni City seem like a speck of dust - if one could see Xenokuni City at all.
On that nigh impassable terrain that even some yaks and mountain goats hesitate to trek, a small column of eight M3 Stuart tanks and Elysian troop trucks sputters through.
All of their troops and crew, save for the drivers, however, stand outside of their vehicles.
Altare, Axel and Magni, armed with shovels instead of Garand rifles, frantically dig up earth and plough snow while their tank, the Tempest, roars from its engines and spins its treads. Vesper Noir pops open the driver's hatch and cries, "I need more traction!"
Altare snorts. He puts aside his shovel and cries, "You heard gramps! Let's pull this baby up the rest of the way!"
Axel and Magni follow suit. Together the three of them grab the Tempest's tow cables with their gloved hands and pull.
"Heave… fucking… ho!" Axel yells, grunting as he tugs with all his strength, "Heave… fucking… HO!"
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…!" Magni curses. His footing slips on a patch of black ice and he complains, "Even my boots don't have fucking traction up here!"
"You're fine, Magni! Axel!" Altare reassures him, pulling on the cable from behind him, "Just… keep… pulling!"
Lieutenant Ollie Kureiji and the other tankers do the same for their vehicles. The lighter troop trucks, meanwhile, have an easier time fording the seemingly endless river of snow and rocks.
Groans and grunts of tankers and Correctional Infantry echo with the groans of steel and stretching of rope to their very limits.
"HEAVE… HO! HEAVE… HO!"
But the steep cliffs refuse to be conquered. The Tempest's engine whirs and puff out smoke fruitlessly.
It is at this time, however, that Shinri Josuiji comes by atop a white stallion. The Resistance leader's blue eyes meet with Altare's blue. Then, without saying a word, he hops off his horse and grabs a hold of the tow cable.
Together, the men redouble their efforts and pull as hard as they can.
Xenokunian riders join their leader and start to help out the other tank crews as well. They tie the cables to their horses and have them pull up the steel beasts for the last stretch.
"RAAAAARGH!" Shinri roars. The mountain of a man pulls on the tow cable until the Tempest budges.
Eventually, the treads of the Tempest dig into suitable, steadier slopes of ground. The light tank rolls forward on its own power and Vesper cheers.
"We did it!"
Altare, Axel, Magni and Shinri all let go of the tow cables. They watch the Tempest drive forward on the clearing. One by one, with the help of the Xenokunians, the other tanks of Ollie's Company make it onto the clearing too.
Now, the troopers of the Correctional Infantry and the artillery crews of Charon Company take their turn to hoist up their equipment too: troop trucks and middle-caliber, mule-drawn 75mm mountain guns.
The Tempest crew all fall down to the snow on their bums, heaving and groaning to catch their breath. The thin, frigid mountain air, however, does not make even this easy for them.
Still, against all odds, they breathe. They live. They prepare for battle once more - this time, in Pavolian territory.
Shinri, on the other hand, stays steadfast.
Altare looks up to Shinri from the snowbank he has fallen into.
"T-thank you, Mr. Josuiji." Altare speaks sheepishly.
"Don't thank me yet, señor. Mi hermano has not yet been avenged. We have one foot in Xenokuni and one foot in Pavolia, but the battle has yet to even begin."
Altare lowers his head, "Yeah…"
"The hard part still lies ahead of us down in that valley. Our chance for peace is riding in that coming train." Shinri reminds him, "Funny, isn't it? That in order to achieve peace, we must crush a dove. Una paloma para paz. But that doesn't matter anymore, does it?" He hops up onto his horse and makes it face their destination, "So until victory is ours - and the Empress of Pavolia is slain, we hunt."
Shinri takes the Thompson submachine gun from his horse's back and then whips its reins with a loud snap. The stallion whinnies and stands on its hind legs, rearing majestically, as Shinri holds on with gun in hand.
The host of Xenokunian riders accompanying Shinri, three dozen men and women in traditional grab, all turn to him.
Shinri raises up his gun and cries, "Vámonos, amigos! ¡Sangre por sangre! Vida por vida! PATRIA O MUERTE!"
"PATRIA O MUERTE!" The riders answer him.
They brandish their Elysian guns too. With that, Shinri leads his force towards the valley. The horse hooves kick up dirt and snow and rumble like thunder.
"Glad they're still on our side." Axel sighs. He picks himself up from the snow.
"Yeah - it's a miracle things didn't go way too south with 'em." Magni adds. He turns towards Altare, "And Leader, damn! Its a miracle that you're up and about after that really big boy fucked you up - and not in a good way!"
Altare chuckles. He rubs on a persistent sore bruise on his cheek and smiles, "We just saw the bigger picture, that's all. I knew we'd meet eye to eye."
Axel and Magni smile back.
"Now get back in the tank before the mountain freezes your asses." Altare urges them, pointing to the Tempest, "Get going!"
"Heh, you didn't even have to ask, Leader!" Axel snorts.
With that, Axel and Magni hop back into the Tempest tank with Vesper and close up their hatches.
Altare, meanwhile, remains outside for a while longer. He warms his gloved hands with his hot breath and rubs them together for heat. Then, he grabs a hold of his white, hand-knit scarf fondly.
"It won't be long before now, Kobo…" Altare whispers softly to his scarf, "This war's gonna end. We're going to end it - right here. Right now."
As Altare muses, Ollie waves to him and calls, "Sergeant Regis!"
Altare waves back and hurries over to Ollie, taking care not to slip on black ice.
Ollie and Altare exchange quick salutes before the both of them shiver.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?" Altare asks, his breath fogging up before him.
Ollie folds her arms and glances at the Tempest.
"Our tanks are gonna have to help the rest of the gear up to the clearing, Sergeant. We're already on a tight schedule, you see. The Pavolia Raya won't stop for anything, so we need to catch it."
"We'll get the tow cables again." Altare nods gamely.
"But… I wanted to chat a little too." Ollie pauses and glances out to the now distant snowfields of Xenokuni and the faint outline of the capital city smaller than a speck of dust, "This is gonna be one for the history books. We brought tanks to the top of the fucking world."
"Hah, yeah." Altare agrees with a snicker, "Kobo won't believe the next letter I send to her, that's for sure."
"Ah, but she will enjoy it." Ollie assures him, "She'll enjoy it even more when we finally end this war - right here, right now."
Ollie reaches down to the ceremonial saber that she wears at her hip, "Mr. Josuiji isn't the only one with someone to avenge today. Help me make sure we all get our due, Sergeant."
"Lead us like you always have and there's nothing we can't do, ma'am." Altare smiles.
As Altare speaks, sparse automatic gunfire erupts and echoes from the Pavolian side of the mountain range. It cuts over the howling winds.
RATATATATATATATATATAT!
"Looks like the Xenokunians are already mixing it up." Ollie remarks. She checks on her wristwatch and sighs, "Our path to the Kerata Api Timur Jauh - the Far Eastern Railway should be clear within the hour. Then, our way down to the valley plains - another hour at most. Right on schedule."
She forms a gun shape with her hand and shoots into the air.
"The right shot in the right place makes all the difference in the world, Sergeant."
"And we're gonna have a lot of shots on target, ma'am." Altare promises.
"With Charon Company's mountain guns, and our Stuart tanks, we'll meet that challenge." Ollie grins.
Just then, Magni Dezmond pipes up from the cupola of the Tempest.
"Leader! We've got a transmission from Army Command's BORDERFOR! It's Lt. Colonel Hakos! She's asking for a sitrep."
"Put her through, PFC Dezmond." Ollie answers him.
She and Altare approach the Tempest and Magni brings out the radio handpiece. Ollie takes the handpiece and speaks firmly.
"This is MOUNTAINFOR Battalion Leader. Tempest Platoon leader is with me too. We just cleared the mountain pass, ma'am. Everyone is accounted for. Mr. Josuiji and the Xenokunians are assaulting the Pavolian mountain outposts - Captain Mori and her Charon Company should be clear to set up shop soon, over."
Bae's voice crackles through the Tempest tank's radio.
"Understood, MOUNTAINFOR. Lieutenants Watson and Gura just finished their first pass aerial recon for my BORDERFOR elements. There's a large concentration of Pavolian armor gathering at our side of the border, just like the intel said. Looks like they're putting all their eggs in one basket AND the kitchen sink too, so you should expect light resistance from Pavolian armor in the MOUNTAINFOR zone."
"Everything's going according to plan, then." Altare remarks.
Bae answers Altare over the radio.
"Indeed, Tempest Leader. Get your tanks ready for the assault. We will execute this mission just as we've planned. Commence Operation Broken Crown! May Mother Kanata be with you. Over and out."
…
…
…
Four days ago, in the cleaned-up library of the Xenokuni City Governor's Palace, Altare and Ollie stand face to face with Baelz Hakos before the hearthfire.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Bae greeted them. She looked at the black mourning clothes that the two tankers were wearing and sighs, "The funeral pyres have yet to grow cold, but time is of the essence here. We may… very well have an opportunity to end the war in the coming days."
"End the war…?" Ollie gasped with surprise, "I know we just took Xenokuni City, but the Blue Throne is still far away."
"Yeah - and the Pavolian province bordering Xenokuni, Banda Puncak Biru, is a rugged mountain province." Altare added, rubbing his chin, "My adopted sister told me stories about the rough terrain there - and the treacherous Blue Mountain."
"Aerial recon from the Army Air Corps and our scouts at the border told us the same story as your little sis, son." Bae put her hand on her hips, "But that treacherous mountain will be our greatest ally moving forward. Our greatest conspirator - if we can conquer it quickly. You'll understand soon enough."
When Ollie said this, Altare and Ollie's expressions tensed up.
Before either of them could say a word, more people started to trickle into the palace library. Captain Calliope Mori arrived first, tipping her ten gallon hat to Altare and Ollie cheerfully.
Ollie and Altare return the gesture with polite nods.
Shinri Josuiji arrived soon afterward, but he avoided the gazes of Ollie and Altare and stayed quiet.
Then, Lieutenants Gawr Gura and Amelia Watson entered the room. The two Intelligence Officers lugged rolled up maps and stacks of documents and set them down on what once was the desk of Moona Hoshinova.
Bae folded her arms and turned to Lt. Watson.
"Lieutenant Watson here was the golden girl that Tempest Platoon fought hard to secure in the baseball stadium. She had intel stolen from the Blue Throne on her that she said would end the war - and now, that intel's bearing fruit. For better and for worse. Lieutenant Watson? If you would please do the honors."
"Of course, Lieutenant Colonel." Ame nodded politely.
Her one good eye scanned through the room and she settled her gaze on Ollie and Altare. She joined her hands behind her back and explained her findings.
"The War has reached a crossroads, ladies and gentlemen. We have good news and bad news."
"Let's get the bad news out of the way first." Bae urged.
"Right." Ame hummed, "Bad news is - intel says that the Pavolians are gathering up their armored forces as we speak along the old Pavolia-Xenokuni border to the North-East of here. They're gonna set up camp from the shores of the Atlantean Ocean all the way up to the foot of the Blue Mountain. Scouts have already seen a lot of enemy activity across the border too, so the intel is credible."
"Their battle lines can stretch that long!?" Altare gasped, "All the way through!?"
"They can afford to do that. We can't." Ollie furrowed her brow.
Bae crossed her arms and shared her thoughts.
"We've already had to use infantry companies to plug the gaps in our armored brigades in the past. But our reserves are now committed to protecting Xenokuni City. We don't have much left."
Gura nodded and chimed in next.
"The Lieutenant Colonel is right. Ame and I ran the calculations with the OSS. Their tanks outnumber ours almost two-to-one. And if they break through, they'll cut off Xenokuni City from supplies coming in from the Exclave. They might actually kick us out of the continent when they do."
"Is that why they weren't in a hurry to keep this damn place?" Calli cursed, "It's become a liability. They're gonna try to take it all back in a counterattack!"
Shinri furrowed his brow, "This is not just some place or some liability, capitana, but the beating heart of my people." He took a deep breath and added, "But I have always wondered why the vile tanks of the 101st withdrew from the city early. Now I understand."
"Yeah." Altare grumbled, "This is the 'storm' that Friar Hakka was talking about when we confronted him. He wasn't bluffing."
Shinri lowered and shook his head.
"Maldicion…" he cursed.
"But we have good news too." Ame interjected, "The OSS has long heard rumblings from the Blue Throne that support for the war has been on the decline, but the microfilm I secured confirmed the rumors - and more."
Ollie heaved a sigh.
"So, if Moona-simpai had been able to travel back to the Blue Throne, then we really would have had a chance to end the war quickly - on the negotiating table."
Bae nodded. She glanced at Ollie, and then at Shinri.
"That would have been the best scenario, but that is no longer the case." Bae clicked her tongue and put a hand on her hip, "The time for words has passed. It's now time for action. We have no choice but to take this matter into our own hands."
"That's right, ma'am." Ame concurred, "And we're about to have the perfect opportunity to do just that."
When Ame said this, Ollie, Altare and everyone else in the room fell silent. All of them watched intently as Gura rolled out the maps and pointed to her notes and sketches.
"So - Ame's intel also revealed that the big cheese of Pavolia, Empress Reine Pavolia herself, is traveling by train to the frontlines. She's likely gonna go down there to make some speeches and rally her troops there - and to resupply their troops." Gura traced her finger down an eastward line, "She's gonna take the Imperial Armored Train, the Pavolia Raya, from the Blue Throne and through the Banda Puncak Biru province to get to the front. Probably one of the towns along the Atlantean Ocean."
"The Empress herself, huh…" Ollie shuddered. She looked up to the portrait of Reine hanging over the hearth fire, "Are you planning what I think you're planning, Lieutenant Gura? Lieutenant Watson?"
Ame's one blue eye met with Ollie's. Tense silence gripped the room.
"It is the most logical solution, Lieutenant Kureiji." Ame explained, "This is our last, best chance for peace."
Ollie turned away from Ame. She bit her thumb and grumbled beneath her breath.
"Seems I'm not yet done burying old friends."
Ame heaved a sigh and continued her spiel.
"Gura and I have already recommended to the Elysian Army command to shore up our defenses on the border. They're consolidating Army units on the continent into the Border Force - BORDERFOR in short."
"Colonel Ravencroft's been tapped to be the field commander there, but since she's not here - i'm acting on her behalf." Bae revealed, laying her hand over her chest, "I always wanted to be an Army General, but I'm getting the responsibilities of one without a promotion. Just my luck, huh?"
Ollie blinked. Her frown softened slightly.
"With Captain Hakos at the helm, BORDERFOR's in good hands, then." Ollie piped up with renewed spirit.
Bae pouted, "It's Lieutenant Colonel…"
Ollie snorted. But then, she looked at the map spread out on Moona's desk. She saw the thick blue line of Pavolian armor looming over the thinner green line of Elysian tanks.
"So this is it, huh? We're gonna hold the line for as long as we can?" Ollie assessed, "Then, we'll attack the Empress along the Atlantean Ocean?"
"BORDERFOR will be holding the line." Bae corrected, "You, Kureiji, will be leading an independent Battalion-sized strike team through the Blue Mountain to attack the Pavolia Raya. You're in command of Mountain Force - MOUNTAINFOR, if you will."
"MOUNTAINFOR…" Ollie repeated the name of the unit being placed in her hands.
"That's right." Bae confirmed, "I'm giving you Charon Company, a Rifle company and Xenokunian guides provided by Mr. Josuiji. I need you to capture the Blue Mountain quickly. Then, from there, they will attack the Pavolia Raya armored train in transit to the front lines. The Empress will not reach the Atlantean Ocean."
"The Blue Mountain…?" Ollie pored over the map once again, "The alpine passes from the Manor House were one thing, but the Blue Mountain is no joke. Even the Stuart tanks will have trouble getting up there - and Captain Mori's M7 Priests won't be able to traverse terrain that poor!"
"I'm the Artillery Company commander here, Kureiji. Leave the logistics to me." Calli grinned confidently, "I've heard that there are some routes up there - old Xenokunian pilgrimage routes - that pack mules can take to carry mountain guns."
"Pilgrimage routes…? Are you talking about La Vieja Via Montaña?" Shinri raised his brow.
"Yeah. What you said, mister." Calli confirmed with a nod.
"Who told you about that…!?" Shinri demanded.
But then, the palace library doors burst open. A fiery-haired Xenokunian fighter emerged and cried out, "KIKIRIKI! Sorry I'm late!"
Shinri face-palmed.
Calli sauntered over to Shinri's side and whispered to him, "She was the one who told me, by the way."
Shinri groaned bitterly. He shook his head and sighed.
"Buenas noches." The newcomer greeted everyone in the room with a smile, "You may have known me by my codename Fenix, but my real name is Kiara Takanashi. Señor Josuiji has chosen me as his Santa Guerrera, his right hand. I will be your guide going up to the Blue Mountain!"
Everyone in the room nodded in acknowledgement. But when Kiara turned towards Calli, she beamed.
"Oh, capitana Mori! Hello!"
Calli scratched the back of her head and waved back to Kiara.
"It seems you're already acquainted with Kiara Takanashi, capitana." Shinri muttered.
"It's… a long story." Calli snickered. She then turned to Kiara and smiled, "Either way, we'll be counting on your help to get us up that mountain, Kiara."
Kiara blushed under Calli's gaze. Then, she straightened her back and gave Calli a sharp salute, "Leave it to me!"
Bae folded her arms and nodded. She sauntered over to the map spread out on the table and urged everyone to huddle over it.
"Alright everyone. Listen up and listen well! This is how this mission, Operation Broken Crown, will go."
…
…
…
Back in the Blue Mountains, the Elysians and their Xenokunian allies surge. The Tempest and the Stuart tanks of the PCAPs overrun the sparsely defended mountain outposts of Pavolia and capture them point by point.
Kiara Takanashi, their enthusiastic guide, leads a cavalry charge against the last of the holdouts. She wields her Mauser C96 pistol in hand and cries, "Fuego, amigos! Fuego!"
She and the riders under her command assault the last Pavolian mountain outpost with pistols and automatic weapons.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
RATATATATATAT!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Pavolian defenders are mowed down where they stand, leaving the survivors groaning and clutching their wounds. One of those defenders tries to crawl towards a machine gun, but the Xenokunian riders swarm the barricade.
Before he knows it, Kiara Takanashi looms over him on horseback. The barrel of her Mauser pistol is pointed at his head.
"Lo siento." She whispers an apology.
Then, she pulls the trigger.
BANG!
The last Pavolian defender drops dead.
Then, the Elysian infantry and the artillery crews of Charon Company arrive with their mountain guns in tow.
"Excellent work, Kiara." A familiar voice calls out to her, "Grandpa Mori would have loved to have riders like you with him when he fought in the Wild East."
Kiara turns around and sees Calli hitching a ride on a Correctional Infantry troop truck. She hops off right beside Kiara's horse and looks up to her, "I'm starting to believe this crazy Operation Broken Crown plan might actually work!"
"Hmph!" Kiara puffs up her chest proudly, "Then, you should be honored to have me riding alongside you, Elysiana."
"Oh, I am very happy to have you at my side." Calli answers without hesitation, "I'm sure my gramps would approve."
Kiara falls silent.
"Did I say something wrong?" Calli asks innocently.
"P-pienso que no?" Kiara, flustered, defaults to speaking Xenokunian.
Calli blinks, completely unsure of what Kiara just said.
Suddenly, a strong gale blows through the outpost. It lifts Calli's ten gallon hat off from her head.
"Shit…!" Calli curses.
The mounted Kiara, however, catches the hat. A triumphant smile forms on her lips. Then, she puts the hat gently back on Calli's head.
"Make sure to watch over me when we're down there, okay?" Kiara asks sweetly.
This time, Calli blushes.
"S-sure." The Captain pauses, "W-wait a sec, before you go, don't forget the goods."
Calli gestures to her combat engineers to come over. They heed her call and bring a dozen Elysian Army satchel bags.
One of them is marked 'Fenix'.
Kiara takes the Fenix-marked satchel and studies it.
"Aww, for me?" She teases, embracing the satchel in front of Calli.
"Yeah. I think you'll like it, actually." Calli grinned.
"Heh. I love being gifted high explosives." Kiara snorts. "Thanks, capitana. We'll make good use of these."
She slings her satchel over her shoulder and slips the rest of them into the pack of her horse. Then, Kiara spurs her horse and leaves the captured mountain outpost with a smile painted on her lips.
…
Kiara rides her horse and catches up to Shinri, the other Xenokunian riders and the eight Stuart tanks of the PCAPs beginning their descent down to the Pavolian side of the mountain.
She starts distributing satchels to the riders one by one. When she runs out of satchels, she whips her reins and joins Shinri as he rides between the tanks of Ollie and Altare. The two tank commanders hold onto the hatches of their cupolas as they talk strategy with Shinri.
"We have our equipment." Kiara reports with a grin, "What's the plan now?"
Ollie turns towards Kiara and points to the valley plains of the easternmost Pavolian province, "We'll need you and your troupe to scout ahead of us. Tell us everything you see."
"Sure thing!" Kiara nods eagerly. She raises her voice and calls out in Xenokunian, "Segundo batallón, conmigo!"
At Kiara's call, half of the riders break from the formation and join her. Together, they ride ahead, sweep the mountain pass for traps and scope out the valley plains below.
Kiara finds a clearing by a cliff and brings out her binoculars.
Through her binocular lenses, she sees the snow-swept plains of Banda Puncak Biru nestled between the sharp range of the Blue Mountains and the rolling hills of the Sierra Pavoliana.
"Not a lot of Pavolians here…" Kiara notes, scanning through the near-pristine landscape that would not have been out of place in an art gallery painting.
The only man-made disturbance is the long, winding railroad of the Far Eastern Railway that cuts through the plains and the handful of sturdy stone rail bridges crossing over deep ravines.
Another exception catches Kiara's eyes before long: a small but well-fortified Pavolian encampment by the bridgehead of one of those rail bridges. The encampment is so compact and is shrouded by many snow banks that made Kiara do a double take.
It is only when Kiara sees a small watchtower and two flagpoles flying royal blue flags that she figures out what it is.
"Those sneaky Pavolians - they're using my people's techniques to hide their bases now too." Kiara snorts, "But those two flags they're flying…"
Further away from her perch, she sees smoke rising up from behind the hills.
"And that's probably the train." Kiara muses, "We're right on schedule."
While Kiara is racking her brains, Shinri and the PCAPs Stuart tanks stop by the cliff. Ollie pops out of her cupola once more and calls to her.
"Miss Fenix. What did you see?" Ollie asks.
Kiara turns around and proceeds to tell her everything that caught her eye. Ollie rubs her chin and hums.
"You said you saw two flags, right?" Ollie asks.
"Yeah. One was the Pavolian flag that we're used to seeing. The other one, though, was weird. It had a peafowl spreading its wings - and it had a crown of laurel leaves on its head. I've never seen anything like that before."
"That's the flag of the Pavolian Imperial Guard - the personal bodyguard of Empress Reine." Ollie reveals grimly, "If they're here, then the Empress is here - probably on that train. Just like the intel said."
While Ollie is speaking, Altare emerges from his cupola with his radio handset. He cuts in and reports.
"Lieutenant! I just got a transmission from BORDERFOR. Our aerial recon was rediverted. We'll have to wait an hour before they can sortie to our location."
"An hour?" Ollie clicks her tongue. She looks out to the smoke of the distant, still-hidden train, "We can't wait that long before we act. Tell the Lt. Colonel that we're moving the MOUNTAINFOR timetable forward." She points to the well-camouflaged Imperial Guard base and declares, "We're taking that base."
"Understood, ma'am!" Altare salutes her and ducks back into his tank.
Ollie, meanwhile, grabs her own radio handset and hails Calli.
"Charon Company Leader, this is MOUNTAINFOR Battalion Commander. Do you copy? Over."
Captain Mori answers her.
"Loud and clear, BatCom. Over."
Ollie takes a deep breath and holds her radio handset firmly. Then, she speaks.
"Get your batteries ready for a fire mission, Captain. I want concentrated artillery fire on a Pavolian Imperial Guard base in exactly thirty minutes. All your guns at once! We're going for shock and awe. Tempest platoon leader will give you exact coordinates shortly. Over and out."
Ollie puts down the handset and turns to her allies.
"Alright everyone. The clock's ticking. Let's move out!"
…
Hundreds of kilometers away, in the operational area of BORDERFOR, large patrols of Elysian fighter aircraft split up, fan out and scan the battlefield.
One of those aircraft, a twin-engined F7F Tigercat, crosses the old Xenokunian-Pavolian border. The name stenciled on the airframe in cursive is 'Sunfish'.
In the cockpit of that plane, Lieutenant Gawr Gura pilots the plane at the front seat while Lieutenant Amelia Watson mans the radar and the radio equipment behind her.
Amelia stretches where she sits and sighs, "It's good to be back in the skies. But are we really gonna be alright with you at the helm, sharkie?"
"You always were the better pilot…" Gura admits. Then, she looks over her shoulder and flashes Amelia a cheeky grin, "But you crashed the last plane that we flew, so we're even."
"Heh. Fair enough." Ame scoffs. She glances at Gura with her one good eye and urges, "Keep your eyes on the skies. I'll watch our instruments."
"Roger that!" Gura nods. She continues to fly over the battlefield.
Ame turns her eye to the radar display. Then, she furrows her brow.
"Gura, did you calibrate this equipment?" Ame asks with a raised brow.
"I did. I followed the manual too, why?" Gura replies.
"Either the radar's messing with me… or the number of Pavolian tanks on the other side just… doubled since our last sortie."
"Doubled!?" Gura gasps, "We already had all of the Pavie tanks in the OSS intel databanks accounted for just hours ago. We would have SEEN them moving that many fucking tanks. R-right?"
"Then why are there twice as many tank pings on my screen as last time?" Ame argues grimly, "Something's not right. It's like they appeared out of thin air! Can you fly us closer, Gura? I'll call the Lt. Colonel."
"I'll… I'll try." Gura complies shakily.
Ame nods and reaches for her radio equipment's handpiece.
"BORDERFOR. BORDERFOR. This is Sunfish. We're conducting a lower altitude recon. Something's not right about the enemy formations. We'll report as soon as we find out what it is, over."
…
…
…
TEMPEST
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