AN: Witam was kochani czytelnicy, chciałem was od razu przeprosić za długi czas oczekiwania. Miałe dość długi okres blokady pisarskiej i nie miałem najmniejszej motywacji do dalszej pracy. Niemniej, tak długi czas oczekiwania został ostatecznie nagrodzony rozdziałem, liczącym niemal dziesięć tysięcy słów.
Mam nadzieje, że jakość rozdziału przypadnie wam do gustu i nie przedłużając, zapraszam do przeczytania i zostawienia recenzji.
Pendragon, Holy Britannian Empire
Imperial Palace
January 2017 A.T.B.
"I believe that this is now checkmate." Said with slight malice in the tone of the voice, smiled Prime Minister and Second Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Schneizel el Britannia. He said that right, when the chess game with his younger brother just end. The winner was of course White Prince.
This game took place in a Prince's office that was clean and pleasing to the eye, all despite its modesty. The only decorations present in the office and, however striking, were a few paintings and sculptures that alluded to the history of the empire. The first, biggest, and fastest conspicuous was the grand portrait depicting rather gloomy scenery, at least from the perspective of any Britannian patriot. In the foreground, where depressed and dark colors dominated, the humiliated Elizabeth III, at that moment forced to sign the Treaty of Edinburgh, or the Humiliation of Edinburgh. But in the background was something else entirely. There, bright colors prevailed, and in their glow were the first heroes of the new and future empire. Sir Ricardo von Britannia and Sir Richard Hector, whose positioning pointed to the beach at dawn. The symbolism was clear, even in the most difficult and darkest hour, Britannia will find a favorable way out that will guarantee success and the way to create a bright future.
In the office, there were a few more memorable items, such as the original 18th century sabers with golden ornaments that remembered the extremely turbulent and turbulent period of the Napoleonic Wars. These sabers were crossed and hung on the wall behind the main desk, beneath the portrait of the most powerful man that ever existed in human history. The man in question was Charles zi Britannia, 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire. A man who, thanks to the expansion and conquests conducted by his ancestors, was able, after a long and bloody struggle for power, to put the empire on a straight path to total domination over the world.
On the sidelines of the big office, there was a small table with a chessboard made with the highest possible precision. The situation for blacks was already lost, the king was deprived of the possibility of movement through the castle and the bishop. Both sides were bleeding heavily, but the whites were less, and eventually the black king was deprived of the ability to move. In front of each other sat some of the best strategists and military leaders in the entire Holy Britannian Empire, who had been playing chess against each other for the last several dozen minutes. On the one hand, a war hero, Purple Prince and Knights of the Purple Rose Grand Master, Lucius vi Britannia. On the other hand, a cunning and cold-blooded strategist, the White Prince and Prime Minister, Schneizel el Britannia. Seemingly, the fight between them was only an insignificant social game, which should not arouse any suspicions at all, especially since chess and playing chess was a national sport in the empire. In fact, however, these two tested their minds and souls in many different ways that were imperceptible to most ways at the same time. It can be said that the two fought a real battle against each other that engaged their hearts and souls.
Two people witnessed this duel of outstanding strategists. The first was the trusted assistant and advisor to the Prime Minister, Earl Kanon Maldini, who watched this battle of two outstanding personalities with a hardly concealed smile and joy. On the other hand, and next to the Purple Prince, there was a rather attractive and slender red-haired girl who had long and fiery hair, prominent cheekbones and sharp blue eyes. Her clothes consisted of a purple uniform, adapted to her body and bust, referring to the style of the Napoleonic Wars. It was Mariemaia Khushrenada, daughter of the late OSI officer of great merit, Colonel Treize Khushrenada. Her stance and observation of the battle were very different from that of Earl Maldini. The young Lady Khushrenada observed everything closely and tried to carefully analyze each movement of the combatants, and the potential consequences of those movements. Although she was concentrated, still, and despite being extremely intelligent, she was unable to grasp every aspect of wrestling between two distinguished strategists and princes.
Prince Lucius re-examined his situation a few more times. However, his attempts to find even the smallest gap or something that could improve the situation failed. With that in mind, he decided to simply lean back in the chair he was occupying and smiled amiably at his older half-brother, who at the same time was still his most important political ally.
"I believe that you're right, Prime Minister." Lucius replied briefly and succinctly. Then he stood up and stretched his hand toward the Prime Minister. "It was a good game, as usual." The Purple Prince was referring at this point to other chess games that both of them were playing whenever their presence in the same location allowed it. Today, such an occasion was their meeting together and agreeing on plans for the coming weeks regarding Egypt. Lucius was due to depart tomorrow, and a few hours later the equipment of his knights and his personal army.
Second Prince was also made of the plush and leather armchair he had been sitting on throughout the game, and both Lucius and he shook hands in a gesture of thanks for a good fight, as well as for showing respect to his opponent.
In the next moment, both of them gave their companions a telling glance that they were both to leave the office immediately and leave them alone. Mariemaia and Kanon immediately understood the demands of their superiors, so they bowed and left them alone. It was only too clear that this meeting was only now getting to the point.
Schneizel pointed to one of the armchairs in front of the large desk and sat down behind it himself. Lucius sat down in the indicated chair less than half a second later, and it was the Purple Prince who started the conversation.
"What are your thoughts on Egypt and our campaign." Prince asked calmly, his voice seemed to be both deep, yet persuasive, stoically calm and polite.
"I thought you would be able to answer that question, Lucius." Schneizel replied, then his analytical gaze focused fully on Knights of the Purple Rose Grand Master, and the interlocutor returned his gaze. "You fought on the African front for many months, not always victorious, but at the same time, you have never had anything that could be considered a defeat. You are also one of the most competent people in the army, next to Charlemagne and Cornelia. Our army. Our army. there is progress, but the casualties appear to be disturbingly high and the advance of the army is not as fast as initially assumed. "
"Our armies, although moving forward and winning victory after victory, and recently even managed to encircle a large and significant enemy group in this area, it does not change the fact that we are struggling with a serious logistic crisis there." Lucius stated quite grim in his answer, while remaining stoic and calm. "The main problem is the underdeveloped and extremely limited infrastructure in that region, especially in the southern part."
"I see." Schneizel replied, completely undaunted by his words and remarks, at least seemingly. In fact, the White Prince's mind was already working on potential solutions to the problem presented to him. "What do you think you could do something about it?"
"Of course, Prime Minister. It's not as difficult as it might seem at first glance." Lucius replied, gaining a slightly surprised look and a narrowed brow on the White Prince's part. "The remedy is to build a supply base to the rear where supplies will be delivered by air and from there to specific units."
Schneizel thought about his solution for a while, but after a short while he gave a rather vague answer. "Honestly, I doubt that one supply base will be enough to meet the needs of the entire front."
"If one base is not enough, you can always build several. I have personally prepared a model diagram for this type of complex. The defense would be so versatile that a single outpost could fight off a possible hostile raid. Additionally, our VTOL technology allows for quick and precise delivery of not only ammunition or Sakuradite, but also entire Knightmare Frames, armored personnel carriers or tanks. " Lucius staunchly guarded his idea and position.
"Well, it is certainly not a perfect solution, but it is still a solution. An attempt to upgrade and expand the entire infrastructure of Southern Egypt," stated the Prime Minister, in the face of the lack of cheaper and better alternatives. "Okay, I don't have a better solution, at least not at this point. However, we don't have unlimited resources, so we'll limit ourselves to building only one facility of this type."
Prince Lucius, however, was not at all disappointed in this fact and smiled slightly. "That should be enough, or at least I hope so. I have no doubt that such an outpost will be able to provide supplies to front-line troops, but I'm not sure it'll be enough for second-line troops."
"It doesn't matter right now." Schneizel has dismissed all his concerns on this particular point. "The front lines are the most important, the ones in the back will have to deal with what they have. That's all we can do about it. Now, I'd like to discuss with you the point I informed you about at the beginning of the meeting."
Lucius's lips formed a small but clearly noticeable grimace. "EU planned offensive on the Egyptian front." He said, clearly dissatisfied with it. The reason for this was simple. Such an offensive meant fierce fighting in extremely difficult terrain and conditions, the nature of which would undoubtedly test the limits of all combatants' endurance.
"Indeed." Scheizel said with a distinct sigh. He, too, was well aware of what this offensive meant for the soldiers. "I want your exact views on this as a Knightmare Frame pilot and a commander who fights often in the front line."
"This plan is pure desperation and is purely political." Lucius answered without the slightest thought, for he already knew the reasons for this offensive. The Purple Prince followed the recent political events and was well aware of what was at the heart of the EU's offensive. "The government of our enemies is hoping that the offensive will be a success and that they will therefore be able to win the coming elections." Prince felt a clear disgust on his palate, the main reason for this was the extreme and even distasteful level of opportunism among the politicians of a hostile power. "They're really short-sighted idiots if they think something like this could be of benefit to them. Even if they do win this offensive, the losses among EU divisions will be so great that the public will literally destroy them." For a moment, a malicious smile appeared on Lucius's face. "Maybe even ordinary people will get rid of their own government as soon as they realize that this one is criminally ineffective and geared towards post-politics."
"I couldn't agree more with that if it wasn't for one subtle fact that you must be aware of as well, Lucius." The Prime Minister replied with a smile.
"Security Camera in the EU." He replied a bit grimly, and the main reason for this was what the services in that country were doing. "Deformed recently to serve the holding of power by the European Law and Order League. In fact, at this point many citizens of our country should be glad that they live in a class and authoritarian state, considering what it has degenerated into in recent decades. Europe is coming. "
"Well, to tell you the truth, we should rejoice over the stupidity of their so-called elite." The last word passed through the Prime Minister's words with evident disgust. Although he was a cool and calculating man, he would not have the slightest thing to call the European cattle in power as the elite.
"Elite." He repeated Lucius with no less distaste, as if it were to be the greatest possible insult. "The elites should have the best educated and most competent individuals within them. Meanwhile, those in the EU are at best kleptocratic and focused on satisfying the immediate rule of cattle, completely devoid of any higher values. Everything only for their own wealth, while destroying the common good. In this respect, the elites of our country are definitely better, because they are educated and brought up in specific values. Although there are corrupt moral stunts among them, they are able to act for the common good. "
"I couldn't put it better myself, Lucius." Schneizel replied, then frowned. "However, we have deviated too much from the original topic we were discussing just a moment ago."
"Substantially." Lucius nodded calmly. "You asked me about the offensive, so I will give a clear answer. If it comes, both sides will suffer great and unnecessary losses, I have no doubts about it. Even if we are pushed away for a few kilometers, or at all pushed out of southern Egypt then it will undoubtedly only happen for some time. OSI makes it clear that the economy of the republic is being strained to its limit. Fortunately for us, however, the main burden is borne by the lower classes and the middle class, which are the basis of any healthy society. " Lucius smirked. "Simply put: United Europia is like a wooden shack devoured by rot. You only need to kick the wall and the whole structure will collapse under the weight of its own ineptitude."
The Prime Minister smiled at his words. "Excellent." Stated. "Your judgment is impeccable as always. Indeed, our enemies have built themselves this rotten shack, which at this point is their stronghold. Whether our troops win in Egypt or not, we will win in the long run." It arose from the place where he was sitting. "I think this meeting has just ended."
Lucius, for his part, also rose. "I think so too." Then they both shook hands. "Until next time, Schneizel." He said goodbye to Lucius, then turned on his heel and began walking towards the large and elegantly decorated door.
"Until next time, Lucius." Schneizel replied after a while, but he did so much quieter than his stepbrother.
Kanon Maldini entered the office as soon as Lucius left. Seeing the satisfied expression on the Prime Minister's face, he also smiled.
"I guess the conversation between the two of you was fruitful?" He asked, and at the same time he walked closer to the desk behind which Schneizel was standing, until he reached a distance of a few meters from the furniture.
"It was, believe me." The Prime Minister replied. He was sincerely pleased with the deductive abilities of his younger half-brother. "His conclusions and solutions to potential problems were remarkably close to yours. With a few minor differences."
Earl Maldini became curious because of the Prime Minister's last sentence. "With a few minor differences? What exactly?" He asked, and the White Prince looked him straight in the eye.
"Instead of building a vast network of modern railroads, he proposed building a supply base to which supplies would be shipped by air. And from there to the front and the front line."
Kanon frowned, but not out of dissatisfaction. "It is undoubtedly a cheaper and quite efficient solution. If we were to improve all of Africa, neglected by the EU, we would undoubtedly waste a lot of funds. Nevertheless, this is why we started this war to give the world order, civilization and relative prosperity."
Schneizel smiled at his longtime friend and associate. "You both have something idealistic about you, Canon. Some kind of naive, but at the same time essential to any good leader, element."
Earl Maldini smiled back. "That's why you keep me with you, and I suspect that's why we became friends so many years ago."
"Perhaps." The White Prince replied, and his mind wandered to the ongoing war.
Contrary to what might seem, the situation of the empire in the current situation was not as perfect as it might seem at first glance. On the one hand, Britannia was winning after victory and divisions moved forward into hostile territory. Nevertheless, and in spite of everything, there was a significant problem in many regions, the same as in Egypt, and that was logistics and the destruction of a large number of supply routes. The solution proposed by Lucius was, on the one hand, cheap, and on the other hand, it did not involve any greater risk than the traditional supply of troops by rail, which was constantly exposed to attack and required constant supervision.
However, problems with failing logistics were not the only problems Britannia faced at the moment. The costs of warfare, while maintaining a low income tax and value-added, forced the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to constantly use extremely creative accounting and seek income wherever possible. One of such solutions was the so-called patriotic tax, amounting to five percent of the monthly income. The catch, however, was that it applied to absolutely everything from the ordinary and small entrepreneur, the laborer, to the entire economic operator, billionaires, corporations, and the nobility. It was not an excessively high tax, but the fact that it was linear and reserved for anything profitable made the proceeds huge.
Regardless of everything, however, the situation of the enemies of the empire was definitely worse. United Republic of Europia was on a straight path to breaking its economic backbone and collapsing both the morale of society and the morale of soldiers. While the Chinese Federation did not really count as a state, and the immediate reasons for it were: poverty, hyperinflation, incredible social stratification, corrupt bureaucracy, law enforcement and the army, not to mention the fact that the country was run by a gang ready to sell their country back to who will pay the most.
With that in mind, Prime Minister Schneizel el Britannia could not help but conclude that the empire was, after all, in a really comfortable position.
Meanwhile, Prince Lucius and Lady Khushrenada continued along the corridors of the great imperial palace, and all the officials and guards they encountered bowed politely at the waist, fully aware of who they were actually dealing with.
Finally, Lucius and Mariemaia made their way to the underground parking lot, then immediately headed for a black armored limousine with an imperial purple rose on the hood. Two teenagers walked in and a moment later they drove off, heading directly for Aries Villa. However, the journey, while undeniably and relatively short, was by no means unimportant.
"I think your conversation was extremely fruitful, Lucius." She began with Mariemai's icy, almost inhuman, devoid of any trace of human calmness.
The prince did not flinch even at her comment, but only smiled slightly. "In fact, I believe that it was thanks to this conversation that I saved the logistics on several fronts, after a gentle push to take the best possible action without causing too much loss."
"So you got your way?" She asked rhetorically, but not for the last time. "Airway Supply Base Plan approved?"
"Indeed." Lucius replied. "In fact, I have to thank Garma for convincing me to do so. Initially, I was skeptical as well, as airlift would be vulnerable to air attacks as well. However, he made me realize that Africa is so neglected that there are virtually no radars there. that could detect our fresh resupply shipments. And the stragglers behind our front lines will not be the slightest problem for us given their poor equipment and often lack of serious organization. "
"He was actually right." Mariemaia nodded slightly, keeping her icy and emotionless demeanor at the same time. "But aside from the good news, I have some bad news for you. Actually that's one bad news and the other potentially bad news."
This caught the apparent interest of the young prince, who looked straight into her eyes and she looked back. "What do you mean?" He asked calmly, showing no interest in either his eyes or the tone of his voice.
"First, EU troops have launched operations to break out of their encircled divisions and Knightmares battalions from Abu Simble." Mariemaia began in a rather monotonous but not weary tone of voice. "Second, the situation in Area Eleven continues to worsen and terrorism and its successive incidents are literally multiplying by power."
While Lucius assimilated the first information with stoic calm and understanding, he could not help but roll his eyes on the news from ancient Japan. "I'm not at all surprised by the disastrous situation at Area Eleven. While Clovis has talent as an artist, he shouldn't have been given any serious government or public function." However, one more thing puzzled him. "Does the Emperor realize what is going on there?"
His question made the previously stoic attitude of Mariemai at this point completely unreadable and difficult to interpret unequivocally. "You know as well as I do, Lucius, that for the Emperor these are only mundane matters. Even in the face of the potential disruption of the Sakuradite supply chain to our industry and war effort."
"To ..." Prince searched for the most adequate word for a moment. "Very unfortunate, but it is by no means something that could not have been foreseen. Unfortunately."
In fact, Lucius was year after year more and more disappointed and genuinely confused by his father's nonchalant attitude towards the affairs of the empire. From his point of view, it was as if the depressed Emperor had handed over almost all power to the Prime Minister. It was an extremely profitable deal for Lucius and Schneizel, but at the same time extremely puzzling. Although the Purple Prince made sporadic attempts to find out what actually was behind the Emperor's behavior, he was unable to find out anything specific.
After a while, Lucius returned to reality. "Has anything else happened?" He asked.
"Nothing, that would be worth to mention." Mariemaia replied impassively.
There was no longer any sentence or exchange between the two. They reached Aries Villa in silence, and Lucius rushed to his office to deal with the most urgent matters related to the operation of Flash Robotics and Knights of the Purple Rose. All these issues had to be settled, because he was due to fly to Africa today. First, to a relatively safe south, and then to the area where it will operate.
XXX
Southern Egypt, United Republic of Europia
Surroundings of Abu Simble
January 2017 A.T.B.
The battle had begun an hour before dawn. This was what initiated the operations to break out thousands of soldiers from the encirclement of a basically insignificant village. There was a silent approach to dozens of the EU's newest machines, Alexanders Mass and up to twenty Panzer-Hummels, under the empire's forward positions.
It quickly became all too obvious that no one in the enemy command had expected such a daring attack on advanced positions. Not only did the Britannian Military soldiers sleep in most cases, but their machines turned out to be clearly inferior to the latest inventions of European technological thought.
The Britannian Sunderlands, which had managed to be identified as part of the 30th Knightmare Frames Battallion, were falling fairly quickly at a steady pace. The armored personnel carriers and tanks that tried to support the destroyed Knightmare Frames also turned extremely quickly into piles of burning steel, with the only pilots remaining alive being the dead and dying. A different fate befell the soldiers of the Britannian infantry, who were forced to hide behind sandbags or wrecked machines and continue their desperate defense, the meaning of which was questioned. So many of them chose to capitulate in order to be able to get at least a slight shadow of a chance of surviving the night, especially in view of the scarcity of heavier equipment such as regular rocket launchers.
This level of loss on the Britannian side and success for the European troops was in direct line with a perfectly executed surprise attack.
In his Alexander Commander, Lieutenant Akito Hyuga had been operating for the second hour while commanding the Delta Squad under the command of him. It was not, and nonetheless, a pleasant or easy affair, because of the ten put under the command of Knightmare Frames, only four Alexanders Mass were still operational, the remaining six of the Delta Squad were destroyed, and their pilots fell with their machines. It is not a pleasant feeling, to feel the responsibility for someone's death. However, Akito had no problem with this particular fact. Even now that he has destroyed the next Britannian Sunderland, using blades placed in what could safely be labeled wrists, his Alexander Commander.
Although the Lieutenant had no problem in killing his opponents, he could not help but contemplate on the subject. Who was the man he just killed? Did he have a family and pursuits? What was actually his reason for joining the army? What exactly was the man he had just taken from life. Akito had no doubts that he would never get an answer to the last question, because only a charred skeleton would remain of the enemy pilot.
Lieutenant Hyuga had quite unpopular but realistic opinions about everything that was going on. The war that brought the soldiers of both sides to the battlefield was a field of chance, adding to the uncertainty infinitely. It was part of a chaotic and ever-changing reality over which no one is completely in control.
Out of silent contemplation, Lieutenant Hyuga was snapped by the voice of his wingman.
"Another enemy pilot goes to the land of eternal happiness." Sergeant Peter Kowalsky, who was acting as Akito's winger, commented wryly.
After his unenthusiastic commentary, the Sergeant replied with fire at the incoming pair of Sunderlands. The machines succumbed to the overwhelming firepower of a single Alexander Mass rifle almost immediately. The first of the Knightmare Frames exploded, leaving only a burning wreckage. Meanwhile, the second one fell, rolled over the sand several times, and the cockpit with the pilot inside was catapulted seconds later.
"Another enemy squad has been eliminated." Said Sergeant, with a completely unfeeling and clinical tone of voice. "But the Brits are trying to stop us at all costs despite their losses. Such behavior on the battlefield is dripping with pure fanaticism." He paused for a moment, as if carefully considering his next words. "Sometimes I wonder what kind of people are on the other side."
"Same as us, Sergeant." Akito replied briefly and succinctly, not having the slightest intention of delving too deeply into the matter. "No less fanatical or desperate than some of us. The only difference is that our opponents stand in our way and must die."
"Grim diagnosis, Lieutenant." Peter replied rather glumly and not very encouragingly. "But I don't see the slightest reason not to be right."
Akito didn't reply, and instead pushed his Alexander Commander forward towards the target. The four Alexanders Masses followed him to aid him if necessary.
Lieutenant Hyuga looked at the separate and smaller monitor and quickly noticed the huge losses in the other two offensive squads. Alpha was reduced to four machines, Beta ceased to exist, and Gamma was barely clinging. Only the Epsilon squad retained seventeen of the twenty machines, but the main reason was their task in battle, which was to support the main forces with powerful firepower, while offensive squads made their way through enemy lines.
It wasn't long before Lieutenant Hyuga was surprised, perhaps for the first time in the entire operation, when he discovered that the self-destruct system installed shortly before the operation had been activated about half an hour ago. Until now, Akito had been too busy and focused on fighting to even notice it. Nevertheless, the effects of this did not go unnoticed anymore. It was not difficult to see that many enthusiasts of bitter struggle against the empire chose just such a solution. Although the losses were great, it could not be denied that the operation was almost a success.
Looking at the tactical map, Akito quickly noticed that he and his squad were about three kilometers from where they would enter Abu Simble's optimal range and make contact with allied troops.
Nevertheless, Lieutenant Hyuga wouldn't let it go to his head. Especially that after looking at the main monitor, he realized that the battalions and companies of the Britannian Army defending here had received support.
Upon closer inspection, Akito recognized the distinctive shapes of the machines that made up the enemy Knightmare Frames, the RPI-209 Gloucester. Even from afar and in the dark, this machine simply couldn't be mistaken for the remarkably similar RPI-13 Sutherland, and the reason for that was the RPI-209's head, much more like a knight's helmet. While the arrival of reinforcements was disturbing, it was not hard to guess whose army they came from. The dark pink coloration on one of the machines, which undoubtedly belonged to the company commander, was an undeniable identifier.
"Well, the Witch of Britannia has finally decided to send soldiers from its own army to die and fight on the front lines." Sergeant Peter said on the general channel, but his voice was oddly neutral and calm, as if all this grueling fight was not a problem for him. On the contrary, at the mere sight of enemy units from the Second Princess army, his mood and enthusiasm for battle only seemed to increase.
Before any organized action could even take place, however, the three remaining planes moved forward, their pilots quite openly expressing their intentions on the general channel in a way that was at least enthusiastic.
"They are machines and pilots from the personal army of the Witch of Britannia!"
"So the Princess herself may be present among them!"
"This is a unique opportunity worth sacrificing your own life! If we kill the princess, we will seriously hamper the empire's war effort!"
"Forward!"
Akito watched the scene unfolding before him with a blank expression on his face. From his point of view, three idiots ready to give their own lives set out to wipe out their enemies, all within a predetermined plan for collective suicide.
Meanwhile, however, Peter was completely taken aback by this absurdly strange and irrational attempt to destroy the enemy standing in his way.
"Hold on now!" He ordered, and as deputy commander of the companions he had all the right and authority to do so. However, the three Alexanders Masses did not stop and continued on.
"Pilots!" He repeated with much more force than necessary. "I order you to immediately refrain from this senseless act of suicide!" However, as it turned out very soon, his authority and tone of voice were at this point completely irrelevant or of any real power that would force the pilots to abandon their plan.
"No way." There was a quick response on the general channel from one of them as the machines approached the enemy Gloucesters, which began firing fire in the face of the approaching enemy. "This is a unique chance for a powerful blow from the empire that destroyed our country, killed almost all of our relatives, and if it is not stopped, it will destroy and kill even more."
"This does not mean that you should lay down your lives without the slightest confidence that you will be able to change anything about this conflict." Peter tried desperately to counter-argue.
At the same time, Akito looked at everything unfazed and devoid of any sympathy for people who, in his opinion, were just unreasonable suicides, ready to do anything to kill a few more Britannians and destroy a few machines of the empire.
"You may be right, Sergeant." One of the suicide pilots argued, but he did not do so with a mad or maniacal laugh in his voice, much less with what could be described as desperation. He was calm, even stoically. "Nobody has ever changed anything in this world unless they have tried. Besides, I and my three colleagues are Japanese. Our fate in the EU and the fate of our families is little better than in our conquered and desecrated homeland. We are treated as citizens. second class, no matter where we go, we will always be the despised. "
Peter froze at this comment as he understood perfectly well what the pilot meant at the moment. Akito understood this as well, with minimal intellectual effort. Each of the three, as well as Lieutenant Hyuga himself to some extent, fit into the model of people who have nothing to lose but their own ties, but everything to gain.
Sergeant Peter closed his eyes, then clasped both his hands together in prayer. It was supposed to be a mourning prayer for those who would soon give their lives for the cause. Sergeant Kowalsky was never overly religious, but was brought up by religious people who forced him into the principles and dogmas of faith in God according to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church from an early age. As of today, Peter, although he was more agnostic than a believer, but faced with the sacrifice of people willing to give their lives in war because of the hopelessness of the world, could not help but pray for their soul and find peace after death.
"European, although you seem to care about our fate, you are unfortunately the exception to the general rule." Another of the trio of pilots started, but his tone of voice was calm in the face of impending death, to which he volunteered and voluntarily volunteered. "We have lived within the boundaries of your supranational association for many long years. I can confidently tell you that your generally accepted slogan liberté, égalité, fraternité is nothing but an empty propaganda slogan, the sole purpose of which seems to be to try to cover up social inequalities. Your political leaders were to uphold what were once important values, instead they let big economic actors and corporate leaders get rich at the expense of the poorest and the destruction of the poorest and middle class. two classes bear the sole burden of the ongoing war. To be honest, Britannia is fairer in this regard, for the politicians and employees of the state apparatus there at least do not hide the enormous social inequalities and the system of social Darwinism. "
"It may seem to some of you that we are ready to die and kill as many enemies as possible because of our culture and traditions, but that's not true." Another one of the trio spoke up. "Culture and upbringing have no influence on you, if you find yourself in a hopeless situation in which the only reasonable solution seems to be to fight with all your strength. Therefore, I declare that if we have an opportunity, or at least a shadow of a chance, to destroy the enemy who has taken away from us. all we have had and loved, we will not hesitate to do so. "
All three of them used the abilities of their machines perfectly, as they maneuvered with great sensitivity and grace, and Britannian's Knightmare Frames were helpless and attempts to destroy the Alexanders Mass trio were unsuccessful. The technical superiority of EU machines has become clear once again.
Finally, the first of the trio reached the vicinity of the company whose pilots were still trying to disperse, but it was far too late. The first Alexander exploded as a result of using the self-destruct function.
After that, the explosion and smoke made it impossible to notice anything, which made the number of destroyed enemy machines a mystery. However, that didn't stop the other two pilots from charging into the smoke. And after the charge, the voice of both pilots heard on the general channel.
"Nippon Banzai!" They both shouted at the same moment, and after a while there were two more explosions, the power of which briefly dispelled the dark smoke.
Akito maintained a cold and seemingly calculating demeanor all this time. Internally, however, he was moved by the attitude of the suicide pilots and their composure in the face of death. After all, he realized that he couldn't afford a moment of excitement and passivity in the middle of the battlefield. He quickly mastered himself, checking the ammo capacity of his Knightmare rifle, which was still quite large despite firing intense fire for several hours. After which Akito was sure of his intentions for the next few minutes.
"Sergeant, cover me as I move forward to kill the remaining enemies." He ordered and announced at the same time. However, his deputy had a completely different opinion.
"With all due respect, Lieutenant, this idea is sheer suicide." It sounded more like an attempt to realize something than a subtle refusal to obey an order.
But Akito had no intention of letting go of the great opportunity to create breaches in enemy lines and allow the encircled troops to evacuate.
"Sergeant, this is not a negotiation." Lieutenant Hyuga announced firmly, sounding like some kind of compromise or attempt. "I have no intention of arguing with you and I expect you to carry out my orders. Is that clear?"
The question was met with a moment of silence on Peter's part. Akito had the impression for a moment that his subordinate would refuse to obey the order, but nothing happened.
"Got it, Lieutenant." Peter replied, but there was a clear reluctance to obey the order in his voice.
Despite all his reluctance to obey the order, Alexander Mass Sergeant began to change his position. After a while, Peter took a place behind one of the wrecks, then his machine took a shooting stance.
Seeing this, Akito focused one hundred percent on what was in front of him.
The smoke from the suicide attacks lost its intensity, thus revealing the destroyed wrecks. They were both hostile Gloucester and Alexanders Mass. There was no doubt about the fate of the pilots of these machines. One could only hope that their lives would not actually be wasted, and that their souls would get the peace after death that they could not have experienced while alive
However, what stood out the most among the burnt wrecks were the three surviving machines. There were two standard RPIs-209 and one non-standard, dark pink in color. The officer or ace model retained not only the great spears, but also the great rifle, while the models belonging to ordinary pilots lost their rifles. Nevertheless, despite the limitations of their capabilities as a result of a suicide attack and the resulting losses, Britannian's pilots had no intention of letting go.
It was hardly surprising to the enemy trio that they had no desire to let the enemy pass and allow him to pave the way to the encircled divisions. The empire's troops in this operational area had been working and fighting intensively for many weeks, just to encircle the EU divisions and hand over to the enemy as much casualties as possible. Such operations and the associated costs were considerable for Britannia, so it should come as no surprise that now these soldiers were defending this route by all means available, even in the face of the potential death of themselves.
Something that under normal circumstances shouldn't have aroused any feelings in Akito this time led him to maniacal smiles, and the blood vessels in his eyes began to glow unnaturally. The adrenaline in his body skyrocketed, and all possible instincts increased unnaturally. The man's prowess as a Knightmare pilot was increased by at least one hundred percent.
Without waiting for enemy movement, Akito moved forward. Although the enemy Gloucester commanders started firing and the two pilots subordinate to him tried to attack the oncoming enemy with their spears, the trio's efforts proved in vain. Akito skillfully maneuvered and dodged any attack attempt calculated to break or defeat him.
All this with undisguised surprise, and after a while with his eyes wide open, was watched closely by Sergeant Peter. While he had intended reluctantly to obey Lieutenant Hyug's order a moment ago, now all his intentions have been overshadowed by the great interest he has bestowed upon his superior. From his point of view, it looked as if Lieutenant Hyuga was able to become one with his machine in some way incomprehensible to him, resulting in a performance he had never seen before. Two Gloucesters tried to stab their opponent with their spears, and Akito deftly dodged blades and large weapons, as was the case of Gloucester's attempt to fire at the company commander.
The surprise was also evident in the trio of enemies whose movements became clearly sloppy and careless. At this point, Akito sensed his chance.
"Die!" He screamed, his smile widening unnaturally as an undisciplined and wild voice broke into the general channel, much to Sergeant Peter's dismay.
Alexander Commadner, after making a few more dodges and overwhelming the enemy by his own prowess, attacked immediately. Two blades slipped from their metal wrists and plunged into one of the Gloucesters. Akito was not taking any, not even the tiniest, half measures at the moment. The first blade cut directly into the torso, damaging Knightmare's most important systems while the second blade hammered into the rear cockpit. The pilot had no chance of survival.
Soon, sparks began to emerge from the damaged and punctured parts of the machine. Akito moved away in time to a relatively safe distance. from the damaged Knightmare, as it soon exploded. Only the burning wreckage and the undoubtedly deformed body of the pilot remained.
Lieutenant Hyug's eyes turned almost immediately to the next standard Gloucester, whose pilot instinctively tried to back off and run away. The machine pilot's efforts were in vain, as unstoppable and united with the operator Alexander Commadner, he plunged the blade into the Knightmare Frame cockpit from behind. He killed a man on the spot, however the machine sustained minor damage and exploded. Due to a lack of control, Gloucester tripped over the first major stone it encountered and capsized, but remained operational.
Only the Gloucester commander remained, whose pilot showed no signs of horror. Despite witnessing the trouble-free defeat of his subordinates. Moments later, however, his reason for confidence became even more obvious when four additional machines joined him. They were also RPIs-209 Gloucester, but their color did not differ in any way from the model of the commander of the destroyed company.
Suddenly, on the general channel Delta squad, a rather young, masculine and at the same time also remarkably lofty voice resounded: "Pathetic villagers and beastspawn of the French Revolution. I, Captain Gustavus Black, demand from you immediate and unconditional surrender to the Holy Britannian Empire. Then, perhaps, perhaps. you will save your worthless lives. "
However, on his full shoes and arrogance words, the most unexpected words were sent: "Dying!"
Before any of the crowd could react, however, one of the four newcomers to Gloucesters was destroyed in a burst from a large machine gun. After a quick glance at the entire battlefield, it was easy to see that it was from the last functional Alexander Mass.
"Die!" Sergeant Kowalsky ordered on the general channel. A maniacal and absolutely unprofessional smile appeared on his face, and the veins in his eyes began to glow with unnatural light. "Die!" He repeated with even more force, and the pressure on the trigger sent another volley at the enemy Knightmare Frames. This time, however, the pilots of the enemy aircraft managed to successfully avoid the destruction and the only tangible damage was the serious damage to the Gloucester arm belonging to Captain Black, as well as the loss of a large machine gun, thus forcing him to fight in close combat if necessary, of course.
"What is this!?" He shrieked, terrified and, at the same time, all too clearly upset, the Captain, then turned to his other companions. "Adriana, Rudolphus, Xavier, eliminate these two lousy savages immediately and ...!" He didn't even finish his speech.
Akito pushed his Alexander Commander to the limit and moved with great power and dust rising everywhere towards the conceited enemy commander, who undoubtedly preferred in this particular case only to use his subordinates rather than fight in direct combat. However, his intentions did not matter in this case, as Akito stuck both blades into the legs of his machine, thus bringing him to a malfunctioning state.
At the same time, Peter abandoned any attempts to destroy his enemies by using large firearms due to a shortage of ammunition. So he decided to use the blades hidden in both wrists. The machine, as a result of his command, rushed to the enemy trio, and before they could get ready, the first and nearest machine was stabbed in the midpoints of the torso, and the blades reached the core. The result was an explosion after a short while and the degradation of the machine to a burning wreckage. Sergeant Kowalsky, in his present state, however, did not waste even a second and moved quickly to the other two.
Enemy pilots tried to engage in close combat against the bloodthirsty enemy and for several dozen seconds they even managed to stop madly precise attacks in their direction. However, that changed when one of the Gloucesters' great spears literally shattered upon contact with the Alexander Mass blade. Then Kowalsky pierced the core with the blades of his machine without the slightest hesitation and ran straight to the last of the Gloucesters trio.
At the same time, Akito confronted Captain Black.
It had to be honestly admitted that although Gustavus Black was clearly arrogant, haughty and pompous, his piloting skills were at a really high level. He reflected once, at the same time, successive attacks sent at him. Although he struggled with increasing difficulty, he did his best. When Akito tried to make a frontal and simple attack, he replied with his own, as a result of which the machines of both pilots missed each other and neither of them was destroyed. After a while they engaged in a fierce close combat They charged each other once more.
"Die inhuman creature!" Gustavus Black shouted furiously, but his surrender to the rising emotions turned out to be the beginning of his end. He did not even notice that the hostile Alexander Commander was aiming not at his torso this time, but at both of his Gloucester's lower limbs. When he realized it was way too late.
Alexander Commander stuck both of his hidden blades into the metal legs of the enemy Knightmare Frame, thereby breaking the most important connections and Gloucester stopped. Gustavus tried to get his machine to at least attack his opponent and take him with him, but Akito once again proved his worth as soon as he stuck the right blade into the torso of the enemy RPI-209, and it easily pierced further, reached the cockpit and the tip hit right into the heart of Lieutenant Black.
"All Haill ...!" The Lieutenant tried to shout, but in the end his attempts failed. Over the next few seconds, he was engulfed by numerous sparks, and shortly thereafter by an explosion that reduced the proud machine and its twice as proud pilot to molten or melting steel, meat and bones.
"Idiot." Akito stated dryly and without enthusiasm as soon as his heart rate and behavior returned to normal stoicism. For a moment he began to wonder who he was dealing with just now.
Undoubtedly, he faced some Britannian nobleman. Undoubtedly, he was a man convinced of his own abilities and strength. Undoubtedly, he came from some powerful family. How else could he show such confidence on the battlefield and being brought up in a country with a strict social hierarchy? Where everyone has to fight to maintain a high position. Where even the slightest fall, it can inevitably mean the loss of everything and death, for no one will be willing to help the falling man or his family.
After a while, however, a few more thoughts, questions and many more doubts than could be imagined appeared in Akito's mind. First of all: "if this man came from some distinguished noble family that had to constantly fight to maintain his power and position, why was he so arrogant and rather happy with his life?" If he did have to live in a constant life-threatening situation, how was he able to find joy in this life? Were all these attitudes merely meant to mask his fear? Or was he actually able to find true happiness in his life, and all these displays of shoes and arrogance were present only as a result of a specific upbringing?
The questions continued to pile up and proliferate in the mind of young Lieutenant Hyuga, but none of them came, and no meaningful answer would ever come.
Moments later, all further contemplation was cut off, and it was caused by another explosion. This time, however, as a result of damage and core failure, the last remaining Gloucester exploded. Destroyed by Sergeant Kawalsky and his Alexander Commander.
Peter, too, had lost what could have been safely described as a bloody frenzy, and all his senses had returned to their old and normal state. The sergeant's brow was a bit sore because of this, and his senses became noticeably muffled after a while due to fatigue, but this was only for a short time. Then Peter began searching consoles and monitors for data. He also glanced at the tactical chart briefly to be sure of his assumptions, then reported to his supervisor.
"Lieutenant Hyuga, we have defeated all the empire troops standing in our way, the data shows that this is the end of the fight." He reported obediently.
Akito paid no attention to the sergeant's report, and instead emerged from the cockpit of his Alexander Commander and looked at the landscape around which was undeniably majestic. He stared at the desert sands around for a few more seconds and lost his mind for a brief moment. However, his discipline prevailed and he was able to respond.
"I understand, Sergeant."
Occupied Egypt, United Republic of Europia
Air Base of Army Group East.
February 2017 A.T.B.
Last night and the morning that followed was not only a fateful night for Britannia and the troops stationed nearby, it was a stain on the honor of the entire army stationed in Egypt and a missed opportunity to seriously mutilate the enemy.
Cornelia li Britannia, as Chief General of the Imperial Army and multiple frontline commander, knew very well and realized how many things could go wrong during a war campaign or a single battle. However, what happened last night completely surpassed and left behind all her previous impressions of the battlefield. In just one night, nearly a third of Knightmare Frames in her Army. In just one night, the entire mechanized infantry division and several armored battalions were wiped out. Eventually, in just one night, all encircled enemy divisions and soldiers were evacuated from the area of the recent encirclement, which would also be their grave.
What seemed like a sure and easy victory quickly turned into a disaster, the news of which would spread very quickly. There was no doubt about it. Neither Cornelia nor her Army General, much less her Knight of Honor, had such illusions. It is true that official reports mentioned very high losses among the unit thrown by the enemy, unprecedented Knightmare Frames and the opponent's technological advantage over what the Goddess of Victory army had at that moment.
All this, of course, meant several hours of hard and unpleasant paperwork. Nevertheless, the report intended for the Emperor was structured in such a way as to blame the failure as much as possible on the intelligence and advantage possessed by the enemy. As well as the lack of available meals, because the closest and capable of changing something was the entire Holy Order of Michael, but the forces of the order were stopped at the news of the suicide committed by the Grand Master. This event completely broke the morale of the officers and soldiers of the order, and the lack of proper funeral services could only make the situation worse.
The only consolation was that the EU troops suffered serious losses during the fighting, especially in their newest machines. Cornelia's army has lost more than half of its Gloucesters, but the data obtained in this way could prove invaluable to the development of weapons and the creation of much better machines.
Even so, Goddess of Victory was well aware that, despite her victory, she had to meet one more person of this.
At present, the Chief General of the Imperial Army and her most trusted were awaiting the arrival of a new acquisition for Army Group East. Although in this case, it would be more appropriate to say that it is an independent support, given, of course, the fact that the authority over the orders of knights was held only by the Emperor himself, and no one else.
"Your Highness." The princess and her little entourage were approached by a fairly slender young man, probably in the sergeant's office, probably working on the flight crew. "I have been ordered to announce that Knights of the Purple Rose Great Master will soon land in his designated lane."
Instead of a princess, General Darlton, standing to her right, answered. "Excellent, you can go, soldier."
The sergeant quickly but respectfully saluted and walked confidently towards the control tower to continue his normal duties.
With the designated Prince Lucius plane, only seven people in total were gathered. It was Cornelia herself, Sir Gilbert G.P. Guilford, General Andreas Darlton, and his four adopted sons. While initially Lucius did not mind the entire company of honor and a few Knightmare Frames, after learning after the defeat, he clearly demanded the presence of only her closest entourage and no one else. The reason for such a request was all too obvious to anyone who knew the man well and his affection for some people, including Princess Cornelia herself.
After about five minutes, a white and rather small plane landed on the runway, the only distinguishing mark of which was the graphic of a purple rose. Along with the plane, five more large VTOL transporters landed at the airport, each of which could have several Knightmare Frames on board, a supply of weapons and companies of soldiers. It was clear that this was part of the order and the rest would be transported shortly.
After a while, the plane with the VTOL technology stood several dozen meters in front of the gathered people and the Princess. As soon as the engines were turned off and a small metal staircase was put in place, the hatch was opened and it didn't take long for the younger half-brother and his entourage to leave the transport. Soon, it was just this that down the stairs, Prince Lucius vi Britannia took the slow, unhurried and incredibly elegant steps down.
Cornelia couldn't deny him one thing, that he combined her father's looks and severity with her mother's elegance and grace. Lucius's hair was still sandy blond and slicked back, though this time slightly longer than the last time, the ends even reached the neck of the young prince. He had undoubtedly an athletic build and quite small eyes, which, however, showed perfectly the brilliance of his mind. What surprised Cornelia the most about her little stepbrother, however, was the change of uniform. The usual purple was replaced with a very similar one, but with a sand color and perfectly matching the desert. The gold ornaments and the purple half cape were still present over the right arm and hung from a gold chain. At the side, traditionally and in his own style, was an elegant and gilded rapier with a rose-shaped handle.
He walked towards Cornelia with a small and clearly controlled smile, followed by his entourage: Garma Zabi, Char Anzable and Ciaran de Revill. All three of them were dressed in sand-colored uniforms, and the only indication of their affiliation with the Knights of the Purple Rose was a rose above the left side of the chest.
"General." Lucius greeted his sister fully professionally and saluted her, and his entourage did the same. They all gave her due respect as Chief General, and this despite the fact that, as members of the knightly order, they did not come under her jurisdiction in the slightest degree.
"The great master." She replied no less polite and also saluted, and her entourage also saluted. "I trust the trip was comfortable and smooth."
"There weren't really many problems, General." He replied with a jovial smile that faded after a short while and was replaced by stoic calm. "But comfort was severely disrupted at one point when I learned of some unfortunate incident for Army Group West and your personal forces, General."
Cornelia tensed almost involuntarily and straightened, even stiffer and stiffer than ever. Before she could say anything, however, Lucius raised his right hand slowly and almost languidly.
"I perfectly understand, General." He said rather hastily, and at the same time he kept his eyes on his older sister. "You did not join the battlefield and your troops sent to rescue for the damage you piloted Knightmare in an attempt to completely destroy the encircled troops. I don't blame you for that. Besides, it's not something I'm going to talk about here at the airport and then just after arriving at this ... "For a moment he seemed to be searching for an adequate word to describe the land of the ancient Pharaohs. "Hiding many secrets of the desert. We have a lot of time and I want to inform you about some new logistics guidelines from my home country."
Cornelia nodded her head as well, and after a while she pointed to the convoy of armored personnel carriers waiting several dozen meters behind her, the middle of which was reserved for her and Lucius. Soon, they and their entourage left the makeshift airfield and headed for the structure that served as the Staff and head of the Army Group West. Ricardo Citadel.