OR2-EP1: Perun Awakens (2)

The car let out a final roar and slid limply down the icy slope. The helpless soldiers jumped off the vehicle and came to the rear, pushing hard in unison to move it up, but their efforts always ended in failure. The steep slope was turned into a moat by the snow and ice, and even with all the efforts of the men they could not get the cars to move forward by the slightest bit, and sometimes they would just take a few steps forward before sliding backward and sliding back. Disappointed at this fact, the soldiers had to force themselves to give up the idea of hurrying; they were afraid they would not reach the base in the time allotted.

Together with McNeil in this truck, who was preparing to flee back to the base, were all deserters who had temporarily lost their affiliation at the front line due to the annihilation of the large army. Eastern Ukraine is now completely under Russian control, and the Ukrainian army has tried to counterattack under the guidance of U.S. advisers and special forces, but these actions have all failed. Last week the U.S. military wanted the Ukrainian side to launch a major counteroffensive to curb Russian expansion, and the end result of that counteroffensive was the burial of nearly a brigade of Ukrainian troops, with no discernible change in the spheres of influence between the two sides.

Michael McNeil stood shivering; he just couldn't get used to the bitter cold. He had been to Norway, he had been to Alaska, and those places were certainly much colder than here, and it was the inexplicable contrast that really overwhelmed him. Ukraine is not supposed to be this cold, and even Ukrainian winters don't turn the wilderness into a scene like the inside of the Arctic Circle, and this bizarre change was completely out of the realm of common sense for McNeil. Shifts in the world's climate could greatly affect the way people lived, different geographies and climates created different cultures around the world, no better or worse. He looked at the other soldiers still pushing the carts with vigor, thinking that he couldn't just stand by as a spectator all the time, and only reluctantly went up to help. These men had probably acclimated to the cold, while McNeil hadn't.

For him, it was too easy to get information out of these soldiers without arousing the suspicion of the people involved. With just a little talk about topics related to everyday life, McNeil was able to determine the impact of new technology and new thinking on the world. The shift occurred in 1999, when a group of lunatics influenced by millennial doomsday propaganda attempted to steal nuclear weapons and destroy the human race - in the nick of time, a police officer with superpowers stopped it just in time to become a hero in the limelight. After that, superpowers, now named Magic, officially entered the public eye, but the major powers, led by the United States, continued to regard them as part of science. Of course, the number of people who possessed such gifts was very small, which led to a low percentage of them in the military, with most battles still relying on ordinary soldiers.

As we enter the 21st century, the prosperity of humanity continues. While the confrontation between the major blocs grows daily, another outbreak of full-scale war seems far-fetched, and even the craziest war-mongers only dare to keep similar arguments at the stage of verbal propaganda. As scientists try to unearth the secrets and theories of magic itself, some related research has greatly contributed to the development of the energy industry, including the widespread use of solar energy. Many critics were optimistic that the energy crisis would never come, and that running out of fossil fuels would not be fatal to human society. Electric vehicles began to replace fuel vehicles on a wide scale, which was seen by environmentalists as a sign of progress. Of course, there were also concerns about other secondary issues, such as global warming. Those concerns were ignored under the ecstasy that swept across human society.

"I don't remember when Ukraine got so cold." McNeil talked casually to the soldier beside him.

"It's been kind of warm. I haven't had the chance to wear short sleeves since I can remember, and it's getting colder every day." The soldier standing next to him said helplessly.

The shift came just a few years later - to McNeil's surprise, global warming did not arrive, and was replaced by a new ice age, an anomaly that caused considerable public upheaval. At first, authorities denied that a new ice age was coming, but when global temperatures dropped at a rate visible to the naked eye, they were finally forced to admit the truth and lay the blame for impeding the dissemination of the truth at the feet of the bigwigs who demanded that they shut up. The solar energy industry has been dealt a fatal blow with the onset of the new ice age, and the energy and food crises have erupted almost simultaneously, with incalculable consequences for the world. Meteorologists usually refer to the period after 2030 officially as the New Ice Age, although the temperature drop began before then.

The soldiers who had abandoned their carts gathered in small groups to chat, and McNeil talked to them about the situation back home. Some of the soldiers from the southern states complained that the influx of refugees from the north into their homes by the thousands had made the local conditions worse. Competitive pressure for jobs was objective, and the idyllic life in the South had been completely shattered by this point, an external force in addition to the northern immigrants and this living hell of a climate. No one would have expected the next ice age in their lifetimes.

In any case, cool clothes were a thing of the past.

The beginning of the Ice Age plunged the world into a long recession, and some idealistic leaders tried to salvage the situation, but they were on their own, and most of their measures were ineffective. Along with the economy was the decline of the authority of the United States, and the continued maintenance of overseas military bases and the designation of the globe as a war zone seemed pointless to legislators as nothing but a waste of money. Everyone was waiting for the moment when they could pounce on their opponents and seize their legacy as soon as they weakened before they did. They didn't need to run faster than disaster, just faster than their opponents. While the members of the House and Senate were still spending their days in endless bickering, the outbreak of the new war caught their attention like a flat thunderstorm.

Siberia was already known for its bitter cold, and the onset of the Ice Age made it an instant hell on earth. The local Russians, in a desperate attempt to survive, decided to smuggle themselves southward to China, an act that was seen as the Pioneering Corps of the new era. In the face of external accusations, Russia's stance was very tough and did not hesitate to use force, an approach that was similar to the way the United States had seized Texas from Mexico. If the Mexicans had recognized the major demographic pitfalls and encouraged migration to the north, it might have cost the United States a great deal more to get this vast territory.

"You're not trying to say the Russians lost, are you?"

"Indeed." One of the soldiers pulled out a cigarette and prepared to light it, "Of course, the Russians are tough-talking, and they won't admit they lost now."

Smoking didn't warm them up, all they sought was psychological comfort.

The war had broken out the previous year, and the freezing temperatures of Siberia had become a nightmare for both sides this time. The military commentators of the United States had always said in the press that the war would be a stalemate, and the actual development was very different from what they had expected. Russia lost the war with China, and in addition thousands of Russians were deported back to the North. As a price for its defeat, Russia was forced to return all the territories that had been taken by the Russian Empire through various treaties, and thus lost control of the Far East. Defeat was simply intolerable for Russia, and Russia's leaders understood this - they did not want to be the next Nicholas II. So, in order to deflect the conflict and spread that hatred, Russia chose to expand westward.

Beyond that, there was no additional news worthy of McNeil's attention.

Michael McNeil thought that this kind of magic that was incorporated into the scientific system was worth paying attention to, and at this time he somewhat regretted that he didn't choose Shimada Shinji as his assistant last time. Egon Schuller was certainly a genius, but his talent was obviously not in mind technology, or else that guy could probably build a mind controller himself. It was too late to backtrack, he now had to return to the garrison base as soon as possible before making any long-term plans.

He didn't know the details of this new war. How many U.S. troops were positioned in the Ukraine, where the garrison base was located, what the overall battle plan was, where the Russians were currently focusing their attacks, and what the main modes of combat adopted by both sides were ... He didn't know any of it. The fact that he is here and is one of the soldiers already in the war is all the information he can have. The Ukrainians ... Ukraine was just a new gladiatorial arena for both sides, and he didn't have to care about the Ukrainians.

The group rested for a while before deciding to continue pushing the vehicle up the slope. This time they were surprisingly successful, and the ecstatic soldiers jumped into their vehicles and continued down the icy road, their destination a base a dozen kilometers away. There was no doubt they were retreating, the soldiers who had suffered a crushing defeat were not too keen on continuing to tangle with a devilish enemy. Over the past few decades, the United States had encountered far weaker opponents, so much so that the staff officers who spent their days preparing for a new total war had forgotten how they should fight a former superpower. The experience of vigilante warfare and decapitation operations came in handy, and they were under pressure to destroy the world. The Russians wouldn't mind launching nuclear weapons all over the world, and really neither would the United States' side - they just didn't want to threaten each other with mutually assured destruction as a last resort. Threats used more than once would probably be ineffective.

If drones were the answer to everything, maybe they wouldn't have to be on the front lines, they'd just have to stay back and read the reports. In fact, the U.S. military is doing the same thing, going up against the Russians with drones instead of soldiers wherever they can make them useful, and the Russians are planning something similar. However, Ukrainians cannot tolerate such moves, the US and Russian forces can bomb the cities they live in to rubble, and at the end of the war those cities will still have to be restored by Ukrainians, inhabited by Ukrainians, and run by Ukrainians. Ukraine is not someone else's dumping ground, Ukrainians have the right to fight for their own lives, and that's how the current Ukrainian authorities are treating the U.S.S.R. - much better than the more radical groups. So, at the behest of the Ukrainian side and under the influence of other NATO member states, especially the continental ones who are fed up with the dominance of the United States, the U.S. military had to choose to send ground troops to go into direct confrontation with the Russians.

This was the direct cause of the fiasco that befell the unit of the soldier named Michael McNeil. They were too cautious, and their commanders, fearing the appearance of Ukrainian militias backed by the Russians halfway across the country, did not dare to raid with confidence and boldness, and instead proceeded in a routine manner, following their original line of attack, going town by town to check them out. Since they didn't dare to carry out direct bombardment, they could only confirm it with the naked eye. As a result, the group was stormed by the Russians just as they arrived at a new town, and this unit, which had previously only dealt with guerrillas in the ravines, was completely wiped out within a day, with Michael McNeil being the only survivor. It was a good thing that his original identity was not very noteworthy, so that even if he claimed that he had forgotten something, he would not attract the attention of others.

He watched the other soldiers' every move carefully, and mimicked it himself in kind. The last time, he had attracted the attention of Governor-general Herzog by acting out of character, and had finally shed his hobo status enough to be able to participate in the conspiracy that now seemed to be causing him so much pain. He also needed to be more careful, there was so much newness in this world, and since even magic had become an actual science, perhaps he would indeed be recognized as being from another world and caught in a lab to be studied and investigated. Perhaps Professor Schuller could provide him with some help, but hopefully the guy's current status would help gain higher access and more information.

Ten minutes later, the car arrived at the entrance to the camp, where there were only a few guards watching outside. They lazily went up and inspected the soldiers who had escaped back from the front line, before releasing them into the barracks. A slightly older one among the soldiers immediately rushed to a house not far away, perhaps to report the situation to the officer here, while the rest waited in place at a loss for words. They were left hanging for about half an hour before an obese officer came out to inform them of the next arrangements.

"You'll be staying in the empty house on the west side for the time being." The man looked listless, his body didn't look like that of a battle-hardened soldier, "Perhaps your superiors will choose to unify you into a new unit."

The crowd was amnestied, and immediately left the spot in a huff, making a mad dash for the temporary shelter, no one wanted to stand outside and freeze. Even those soldiers born on the eve of the Ice Age could not endure similar cold, and no amount of courage or perseverance could hinder the desire to escape when the northern part of the United States was reduced to a deadly snowfield. McNeil walked last, still pondering the problem and in no hurry to see his new quarters.

The first thing to be judged was the situation. If the situation was already clear, he would be able to prepare his responses in advance according to possible developments, without having to become one of those lamentable victims of doomed defeats or belated victories. The defeat suffered by the Russians last year had made potential rivals who had overestimated their original strengths, and even the Ukrainians thought that they had a chance to storm Russian territory and take the Don-Kuban region and even create a new state there that would be friendly with the Ukraine. However, the two wars are not the same, Russia is not facing the same battlefield, and Russia, now in a frenzy, is not an opponent to be trifled with.

This was not a war as easy as the EU's suppression of the Rhodesian Rebellion, this was a real all-out confrontation, and the Russians were afraid that their aim was to parade their troops in Paris.

McNeil's cell phone in his coat vibrated a few times, he took it out in a panic and began to answer the call in the eyes of the soldiers around him. He would inevitably be questioned and investigated afterward, and making private contact with the outside world in a barracks was not an act to be complimented.

"Hello, I'm-"

"I knew it was you." Egon Schuller's voice came from the other end of the line, "If it wasn't for that guy telling me I could continue exploring new and uncharted territories, I wouldn't be interested in traveling all over the place."

"Where are you located?"

"In London, just got off the plane." Schuller's English with a distinct German accent, coupled with the staccato in his tone, McNeil somewhat had the illusion that he was listening to some great orator babbling like, "Now I need to quickly understand the new field of research I'm engaged in ... Gosh, the new theoretical architecture is something I haven't been previously been exposed to, and the matter is complicated to say the least-"

"Stop." McNeil hastily interrupted the other party's rambling self-talk, "Professor Schuller, since you are safe and sound, I am relieved. After my work here is over, I'll find a way to meet you."

The cell phone was something he had picked up halfway across the country, and unless it had originally belonged to some Ukrainian officer, it was unlikely that the intelligence services would be able to find any semblance of evidence of a crime, even if they dug around. The only dubious point was that McNeil had encountered a Russian drone shortly after picking up the phone, which McNeil explained away as a routine patrol that had little to do with the phone. If the Russians were preparing to attack all sources of signaling in the war zone, sooner or later they would blow up one of their own.

The last to arrive at the barracks, McNeil packed up his belongings without a word, fell headfirst onto his bed and began to sleep, surprising the soldiers around him with his bluntness. If the others were in McNeil's shoes and understood what these soldiers had gone through, I'm afraid they would have also turned their backs on them. Even in the days when GDI lowered enlistment standards in order to replenish soldiers quickly, McNeil had never known such low standards in the world. There was the soldier who had beaten a store owner into a vegetable state during a robbery in his hometown and decided to enlist in order to avoid lawsuits and prison; there was also the man who had been a criminal and who had immediately decided to serve his country by getting out of prison early when the authorities of the United States had handed down a new bill late last year stating that enlistment in the army would reduce his sentence by 25 percent. McNeil felt chills when he thought of the white-headed eagle flag on a blue background hanging from the flagpole. The flag said nothing, but he was inclined to have an almost physical aversion to the change. Who knew what would happen on the home front if the army's standards were lowered so far?

It was ten o'clock in the morning when McNeil, who had slept like a dead pig, opened his eyes. The army here had a very loose routine, and as long as there were no orders from above, no one cared whether or not they had a regular routine. Everyone else had already left the barracks, except for a nearly bald soldier who was reading a book a dozen meters away from McNeil.

"I can't believe people still read paperbacks these days." McNeil coughed a few times, catching the other party's attention, "I suggest you change to a different form ... These things are easily destroyed on the battlefield."

"Doesn't matter, it's not like we feed on the study of these studies." The soldier closed the book and handed it to McNeil. McNeil scanned the title cursorily; it was a book on the economics of how solar agriculture should survive the ice age.

The book didn't deal with any of the actual technical issues, merely trying to find a breakthrough from an economic theory perspective. Everyone knows that it is the new ice age that will cause the solar energy industry and agriculture to be dealt a fatal blow, and that this is the biggest problem that lies ahead, and the authors seem to have deliberately ignored this insurmountable hurdle.

"Ah, the pundits who speak economics these days, competing with each other to see who's the better bullshitter." McNeil handed the book back, and the young soldier smiled coyly, not refuting McNeil's words.

"How long have you been in the army?"

"Very short." McNeil began to make up a new identity for himself, "My parents are English, and we are immigrants ... who lived in the north at first, and then had to immigrate to the south."

"It seems we're in a similar situation." The soldier sighed, "The difference is that I chose to go south because the factories in the north closed down ... and ended up here."

McNeil couldn't help but smile when he saw the name tag on the other man's chest labeled Thomas Thomas. The distinction between last name and first name wasn't obvious in modern times; some people took Thomas as their first name, others used it as their last name, while placing the word in a different place in their name only made it comical.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, I'll just call you Tom." McNeil tried hard to be serious, but he failed, "You know ... ugh, I've never seen a name like that."

"Dude, Michael McNeil when pronounced as Mike Mac brings about the same humor as my name." Tom laughed as well, it looked like he'd endured a lot of similar sarcasm before, eventually he learned to see it as a normal part of life, "Then you should blame my parents, they have alternate names like Bios Thomas or 0x00FF Thomas or something like that, what can I do about it?"

McNeil's mood became much more pleasant. Even with all the dregs of society being shoved into the military, at least there were good people here. Even if there was one good guy out of ten thousand villains, he could still grudgingly find a lot of joy in life. He thought of the black soldier, Dumiso Tutu, and wondered if the young man who had been persuaded by him to give up that baiting mission of certain death had lived to meet victory ... What would he do when the war was over?

"The days of the swarm don't seem so bad."

TBC

Chapter Notes:

There are some problems with the description in Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei | The Irregular at Magic High School of the opening battle of World War III. A colder climate would not have led to Chinese migration to an already very cold Russia, but should have led to Russian migration to a warmer China. As a result, this Sino-Russian war is revised in this work as an attempt by China to expel Russian immigrants rather than the other way around.

In any case, drones are very good weapons.