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At the northernmost docks of the Elysian Exclave sprawling between the inner and outer walls of the besieged city, Ollie Kureiji's 4th Tank Company and its platoons of HaKu IV and Haku III medium tanks assemble at sunrise.
Elysian logistics soldiers watch the concentration of Pavolian war machines in Elysian olive green paint. Their faces grow pale and watch the tanks with wary eyes from a distance while they unload supplies, ammunition and equipment from transport ships from Naval Station Shi'eoh. Seeing Pavolian officers from the now defunct Xenokuni City garrison in their faded royal blue uniforms made many of them scamper for their weapons. Some of them even panic and mutter about bringing out the bazookas from the shipment!
But an Elysian voice rings out from the quay.
"Put away those rifles, troopers! They're friendlies! As much as I hate to admit it." cries Axel Syrios, reassuring the logistics troops as he passes them by, "Look at their radio masts - they've got green cloth on em' flying like little flags."
Another voice follows after him - the voice of Magni Dezmond.
"And those Pavies have green armbands on em' too!" Magni explains cheerfully, "They're fighting on our side!"
Axel, Magni and the Elysian troopers of the newly-organized Dingo Company go around and do their part to calm down the other soldiers. The Pavolian soldiers from the Munafik company attached to Axel's unit, meanwhile, steer clear of their weapons and show their armbands to the doubters.
Eventually, their efforts pay off and the logistics crews back off from the unusual 4th Tank Company. They continue their work and steer clear of them as much as they can.
Once the rowdy logistics troops are reassured, Axel and Magni make their way through the snowy, boot-trodden roads towards the most pristine tank of the 4th TC: a HaKu IV Model G medium tank marked 'Garuda' in white paint.
Altare Regis emerges from the commander's cupola while Vesper climbs out of the driver's hatch.
"Thanks for that, Axel." Altare hops off the tank and fist bumps him, "We were sort of worried that they'd actually take out the bazookas."
"BATCOM'd be pissed if they did! We need every rocket we can get from Shi'eoh, after all." Axel laughs. He folds his arms and heaves a foggy sigh, "Plus, a part of me feels kinda bad about how I treated Lieutenant Kureiji. All the Pavies I've known have been trying to shoot me, after all."
"And Miss Anya quite literally murdered Brigadier General Olivier and her entire staff." Magni chimes in.
Altare shudders. He, too, remembers that scene well.
"Can't blame you there, Dez…" Altae agrees.
Magni shakes his head.
"Gah - it still rustles my jimmies even now. Phew!" Magni exhales audibly, flushing out the memory with his breath. He turns towards Altare and warns, "Miss Anya's pretty dangerous. I mean… aren't you afraid that she's gonna shank you with that curved knife of hers? The one gramps says those agents value more than their lives?"
"You mean this?" Altare asks. He casually brings out the keris shortsword of Anya Melfissa.
Axel and Magni's jaws drop.
"She gave it to you just like that!?" The two men gawk.
"In good faith. Our goals align, after all." Altare answers, placing the shortsword and its scabbard by the holster of his pistol, "If Miss Anya truly wanted to doom us, she's had plenty of chances to do so."
"That's right." Vesper nods, "She would have killed Ollie and Bae and helped the Keris Abu-Abu with their tank sabotage mission. But as you can see, she's helped us raise an entirely new tank company!"
"And a whole lot of infantry companies too!" Altare adds cheerfully. He smiles, "I'm sure you've already gotten acquainted with yours, Axel."
Axel scratches the back of his head.
"It's gonna take some getting used to - especially since you put em' under my command all of a sudden." Axel explains. He points to the insignia stitched to his uniform and grumbles, "I mean, I'm a Corporal for crying out loud! And I've got a Pavie sergeant under me!?"
Vesper chuckles. He adjusts his glasses and corrects Axel, "Technically, under the Department of War's definitions, the Munafik volunteers are Elysian conscripts. They're all Privates in the eyes of Elysium."
Axel pouts.
"What about Sergeant Octavio P. Tan of the Poseidon's Point Provincial Guard?" Axel tests.
Vesper turns towards Altare, waiting for his response. The Sergeant thinks for a moment and wears a pleasant smile.
"We're just being asked to go above and beyond the call of duty, Axel. There's a chain of command, yeah - but we're all soldiers fighting for our lives. We're all in this together, regardless of rank."
Axel scratches his head and mumbles his words.
"I guess you're right, Leader." Axel sighs. He looks around at the assembled Pavolian tanks and the mixed-unit soldiers of his Dingo Company camped nearby, taking inventory of them. Then, he folds his arms, "So we've got twelve Pavie tanks and about two hundred infantry. Some support equipment we 'inherited' from Armis Company too."
"Sounds about right." Altare nods.
"What's the plan, then?" Axel asks.
Altare hums and answers.
"Lieutenant Kureiji's still finalizing the finer points with Lt. Colonel Hakos in the bunker. And I'm sure they're coordinating with Colonel Ravencroft and Admiral Rexford too. But it's gonna go down, more or less, like this."
He takes Axel, Magni and Vesper towards the side of the HaKu IV Model G and spreads out a municipal map of the Exclave and its surrounding areas.
Altare points towards the map and briefs his men on the current plan as he knows it. Axel and Magni listen intently while Vesper chimes in and helps Altare in the briefing. Anya Melfissa, meanwhile, pops out of the HaKu IV's cupola and listens in.
"4th Tank Company is Lieutenant Kureiji's strike force. We're independent from the rest of the Brigade, so we'll go where we're needed." Altare explains, tracing lines through the map as he speaks, "Kovalskia's forces are concentrated now at Dog Green, but they'll spread out when they try to take Dog White. We'll exploit the gaps as they come and cut through the front lines."
The petite figure of Anya Melfissa pops out of the HaKu IV's cupola and she chimes in too.
"When you boys have made your way through that steel wall, I'm going to slip through No-Man's Land and get the MERAK codebook for you guys." Anya explains casually, "Seems that those codes are the conditions that Colonel Ravencroft and Admiral Rexford set for them to send help to us."
"We're gonna be an armored combat taxi service, then…" Axel grumbles.
"And we're gonna count on your Dingo Company to keep the HaKugenadiers off our tail." Altare concludes confidently.
"Looks like we're gonna be deep behind enemy lines there." Magni notes. He puts his hands on his hips and observes the map, "Won't we be stretching ourselves thin supply-wise?"
"Lt. Kureiji and I got the Colonel to commit trucks and half-tracks for Dingo Company, so the troopers will have their supplies." Altare answers confidently, "As for the HaKu tanks, we've already loaded all the tank shells we've got into them. The materiel stockpile we had for them wasn't that big to begin with."
"That's nowhere near enough." Axel muses.
"It's not." Altare admits, "But where we're going, we're bound to encounter Pavolian logistics trains."
Vesper rests his back against the side of the tank and turns to Axel.
"We're going to have to ask your Dingo Company to help us 'forage' for Pavolian supplies, Axel."
Axel frowns.
"You're piling our responsibilities high here, gramps…" Axel protests. He spreads out his arms and huffs, fogging up his breath before him, "We're not even in a tank anymore, man!"
"You can have some of the beef jerky I've been whipping up." Vesper immediately offers.
Axel's mouth immediately waters.
"Fuck you, gramps. I'm in!" Axel grins and gives a thumbs up.
Vesper nods and gives him a thumbs up as well.
Just as Vesper retreats back into the driver's hatch, the air raid sirens throughout the Exclave go off. Its wails echo and bounce off the battered inner and outer walls of the Exclave, turning it into a ghastly howl.
"Ah, fuck. Here we go again." Axel whips his head up to the skies.
"Seems the Pavies got tired of waiting." Magni mumbles.
Altare nods, but he keeps silent. He listens to the pandemonium on the docks and around the Exclave, waiting for the inevitable thunder.
The thunder comes, followed by ominous whistling. And then…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BRA-BAM! BRA-BAM!
Blasts of Pavolian artillery rock the walls, the city and the positions of the Elysian military.
"Looks like we'll be setting out soon enough." Altare notes.
He clambers up the side of the HaKu IV but struggles with the layout of it a little bit. So, Axel and Magni help him up a little bit and Anya makes way for him to enter the cupola.
Altare stays at the cupola and faces Axel.
"Get Dingo Company prepared to move out. We'll leave when Lieutenant Kureiji returns with your vehicles."
Axel and Magni salute Altare and excuse themselves. That leaves Altare standing in the cupola of the HaKu IV.
A chilling sea breeze blows in and howls by him, rustling his head of blue hair. His tattered white scarf flutters.
In that brief moment, he recalls the conversation that Lieutenant Kureiji had with Zeta in the Monteazulas - about how Ollie and Altare would have been spared from the sword if they joined her.
Altare lays his hand on the Pavolian machine gun by the cupola and imagines himself on the other side of the wall in a similar tank. He scoffs and shakes his head.
'Kobo would never forgive me if I took that deal.' Altare whispers to himself, clutching onto the scarf that his sister made for him, 'And, if Miss Anya's story about the mock battle was true, then I doubt that Zeta would have let us live.'
The winds pass. Altare still finds himself in the cupola of a HaKu IV in Elysian color. The thin strip of green cloth still flies defiantly from the tank's bending radio mast.
Moments later, Vesper calls out to Altare from inside the tank.
"Leader! The Lieutenant is calling for you over the radio."
Altare nods and climbs down the cupola and into the tank's interior. He grabs the radio handset and speaks.
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"This is Sgt. Regis speaking. Over."
Ollie's voice answers him.
'Acknowledged, Sgt. Regis. I'm still at the HQ bunker right now with Lt. Colonel Hakos. I'll be on my way back to join the 4th TC soon, but I've got a lot of bad news for us coming all at once."
Altare winces, but still answers dutifully.
"Lay it on us, ma'am."
'Scouts are saying that Pavolian Angkat Udaran is out in force today. They've got large formations of heavy bombers and dive bombers in spades, along with their escorts. Lieutenants Watson and Gawr are on their way back, but they'll have their hands full in the skies. Keep your eyes peeled for Stukas and heavy bombers.'
"Understood, ma'am. I'll tell the other tank commanders to spread out."
'Please do, Sgt. Regis. But that's only the beginning. Our boys and girls at Dog White are seeing a lot of dirt and snow being kicked up. Kovalskia's making a move - a helluva big move!"
"I reckon it's her armored spearhead, ma'am." Altare deduces.
"I agree. We've got to be prepared for the worst, Sergeant Regis. If she gets her forces far enough forward - and if she sets up her artillery at Dog Green, she'll be able to threaten the docks, the airfield and the entire city. Nowhere will be safe. It'll be over for us if it comes to that!"
Altare wipes sweat from his brow.
"We have to stop them somehow." Altare takes a deep breath.
'We do, but it's going to be a joint effort. 1st, 2nd and 3rd Tank Companies are with us - and they have the ammunition to fight and keep fighting. We'll support them, of course, but our priority is to transport Miss Anya to No Man's Land as planned. But there's a bit of a problem.'
"A bit of a problem, ma'am?" Altare furrows his brow, "What would that be?"
'Pavolian cruisers have been spotted entering Emerald Bay from the Atlantean Ocean.'
"Pavolian cruisers…" Altare gulps, "That's the Angkatan Laut, right?"
'The one and only Pavolian Navy, yes. We planned our defenses to withstand Pavolian artillery coming from the land. Those cruisers aren't battleships, but their guns will give us a world of hurt if we let them cut us off!'
Altare's head droops down. He clutches the scarf wrapped around his neck. Ollie's voice crackles through the radio again.
'You went to the Elysian Military Academy, didn't you, Sergeant Regis? You probably know more about naval warfare than I do, so I'll need your help coming up with a plan.'
Altare rubs his temple and replies.
"Understood, Lieutenant. I'll do my best to help you with planning. Until then, we' wait for you here - then we'll hold back the sea. Over and out."
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BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
Across the river from the Exclave, thunderous barks of Pavolian field artillery echo around the main camp of Kaela Kovalskia. Blasts from the muzzles, as well as the strong sea breeze blow though the windows and doors of the barn-turned-headquarters. Those winds and gusts comb through Kaela's long locks of blond hair and rustle her royal blue officer's uniform.
Kaela looks out the barn window. Her deep red eyes sharpen and watch the Elysian front line engulfed in flames in the distance. Beside her, Agent Satwa rests her elbows on the windowsill and looks upon the Elysian positions through binoculars.
"They're very well-entrenched, ma'am." Satwa reports. She tucks a lock of her fair brown hair behind her ear and glances at Kaela, "We should have crushed them before they could organize their defenses."
"After today, their lines will surely break. One way or another." Kaela insists. She folds her arms, "Today, we will attack the Exclave with all the strength that the Empress will give us."
She lifts her head up to the cloudy skies painted in the colors of the sunrise and finds large formations of Pavolian fighters and bombers advancing towards the Exclave. Elysian fighters respond and move to meet their foes in battle.
"So it begins." Satwa mutters, glancing at the planes flying overhead.
Kaela nods. She glances around at the snowfields of the plains around her base.
"Xenokunian knights of yore, los Caballeros de la Trinidad, skirmished and dueled with Elysian cavalry on these fields hundreds of years ago. The Exclave's twin walls saved Elyisum then, but it will be their undoing now. This city isn't prepared for a siege from land, air… and sea."
When Kaela says this, a communications officer pipes up nearby.
"Madam, the KPP Darussalam has reached the rendezvous point." He reports proudly, "Darussalam battlegroup is waiting for your orders!"
Kaela glances at the communications officer.
"Tell them to proceed as planned - and make sure to encrypt our messages with MERAK!" Kaela orders.
"Yes, ma'am!" The communications officers nods. He takes the MERAK codebook and starts inputting the orders through the MERAK encryption machine.
The barn-turned-headquarters falls silent.
Moments later, thunder seems to clap in the distance beyond the horizon. Fiery gun blasts flare up past the shores and the placid waters of the Atlantean Ocean. And then…
BA-GOOM! BA-GOOM! BA-GOOM!
BA-GOOM! BA-GOOM! BA-GOOM!
Powerful explosions rock the Elysian positions. Balls of flame, soot and shrapnel rise up higher than the blasts from the Pavolian field artillery. Kaela and Satwa briefly feel the earth beneath their feet shake ever so slightly.
Those explosions shimmer in Kaela's and Satwa's eyes. Satwa brings out her binoculars again. She sees a section of the Exclave's outer wall damaged and smoldering.
"Whoa…" Satwa remarks with awe.
"A full broadside from the battlecruiser, KPP Darussalam." Kaela explains, basking in the distant flames, "That's just the opening salvo. Her heavy cruiser sisters will be joining her soon."
"We're really going to end those Elysian holdouts now!" Satwa cheers.
Kaela nods.
"The docks and that airport of the Exclave must fall. Then the Elysian defenders will starve." Kaela sneers, "Who knows? Maybe the Elysians would start fighting themselves!"
Suddenly, thick fog starts to roll through the peninsula, swiftly masking the death and destruction on the frontlines. Satwa blinks and rubs her eyes, but the fog only seems to keep getting thicker.
"Uh… ma'am?" Satwa comments.
Kaela furrows her brow and clicks her tongue.
"Of all the times…" Kaela turns towards Satwa beside her, "Go to the front again, Satwa. Lead the spearhead, cut through the fog and call down the thunder of our field artillery and the Angkatan Laut with your own eyes!"
Satwa stands upright and salutes Kaela wholeheartedly.
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Satwa declares.
She turns around and rushes out of the barn headquarters. Kaela watches Satwa run off to join her unit, leaving her alone with her HQ staff.
Kaela heaves a sigh.
"I'm not going to let Mother Nature defeat me again." Kaela mutters beneath her breath, "Not after that… humiliation seven years ago!"
…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BRA-BAM! BRA-BAM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BRA-BAM! BRA-BAM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BRA-BAM! BRA-BAM!
Pavolian shelling strikes wildly throughout the Exclave, even as the thick fog rolls in from the ocean. Ollie Kureiji rides in the cab of a logistics truck through that fog. Other trucks and a handful of half-tracks accompany her on their way to the rendezvous point of the 4th Tank Company.
Ollie looks out the window and curses.
"Can't see a damn thing…!" She whips her head to the truck's driver, "Turn on the headlamps, private!"
"They're already on, ma'am!" The driver says.
Ollie bites her thumb and stews in her frustration. But then, the driver gasps and stomps on the brakes.
SKRRRRT!
"PAVIE TANKS AHEAD!" He yells. He cranks the gear stick to park and cries, "EVERYONE GET OUT!"
Ollie tenses up for a moment.
"Did Kaela break through that quickly…!?" Ollie doubts her eyes.
She sees the silhouettes of Pavolian tanks ahead of her, but finds that their guns aren't turned towards them. The faint glimmers of green from the cloth strips hanging from their radio masts also catch her eye.
"Belay that order! They're ours! Keep going!" Ollie barks.
"Y-yes, ma'am!" The driver answers.
The truck's gears shift audibly and carry onwards to the rendezvous point. The closer they get, the clearer the silhouettes of the HaKu tanks get. She spots them taking shelter behind the damaged outer city walls, but she finds it hard to tell one tank from another.
Ollie turns to the driver again.
"I'm getting off. Report to Corporal Syrios - do whatever he tells you to!"
"Understood, ma'am!" replies the driver.
Ollie hops out of the truck cab and shuts the door behind her. Then, she approaches the tank silhouettes on foot.
"Ma'am! Over here!" Altare's voice reaches her over the sporadic explosions.
Ollie follows Altare's voice and she eventually finds her tank - the HaKu IV Model G. Altare offers his hand and helps her climb up onto the tank. Ollie grabs on to him.
"How the hell do you Elysians get used to this fog?" Ollie asks.
"My hometown near Metro Elysium gets very foggy at this time of year, ma'am. And I was imprisoned in Poseidon's Point for quite a while too." Altare explains, unfazed by the weather. His expression grows tired and he adds, "You… get used to it."
Altare climbs down into the cupola first and Ollie follows after him. She takes her seat at the commander's chair and faces her crew grimly. Altare, Vesper and Anya turn towards her and listen.
"Mother Nature's thrown us a bone with this for, but that bone's gonna whack us in the head if we're not careful." Ollie announces. She leans forward and continues, "Kovalskia's artillery, her bomber planes and her fleet of cruisers are going to be blind, but our own artillery gonna be blind too."
"The fog's not going to last forever, ma'am." Vesper chimes in, "Historically, February fogs in the Exclave can last up to three to four hours. It matches up with the morning low tide in this province around the Emerald Bay area."
"Really now?" Ollie rubs her chin.
"It does." Altare concurs, "We should be able to handle Kovalskia's ground forces when the fog clears if things went according to plan… but the problem is those cruisers steaming towards us."
Ollie folds her arms.
"Lt. Colonel Hakos wants the 4th TC to deal with those cruisers in any way we can. On top of all our objectives." Ollie reveals.
Anya's face sours.
"Your Grand Marshall can't possibly think a HaKu IV can sink a battlecruiser, can she? Let alone survive an encounter with it!" Anya remarks, cringing, "A 7.5cm gun is strong, but not THAT strong."
"First of all, she's a Lieutenant Colonel, not a Grand Marshall." Ollie corrects her, "And we're not going to be the ones firing at the cruisers. BATCOM's shore artillery batteries will do that for us. Any artillery that we can bring to bear will help out too."
"Hmm… the old 12-inch disappearing guns of Fort Goldbullet. Six guns spread throughout the coast." Vesper notes. He adjusts his glasses, "To think that a surface fleet would actually threaten the Exclave. I hope those relics can find their marks."
"They will, if we give them proper coordinates. Miss Kiara's BATCOM will shoot true." Altare intervenes. She turns towards Altare and Vesper, "You two are familiar with the geography here. Are there any spots we can keep a lookout on for those boats?"
"I believe so, ma'am." Vesper volunteers, "There should be a cape at the northern tip of the Dog White Zone. It's as far out to the Atlantean Ocean as we'll get on the peninsula."
Altare brings out the Exclave's map again and points to the cape.
"Vesper's right." Altare nods. He looks at the sketches of the Elysian front lines and frowns, "It's under our control now, but the Pavolian tanks are sure to break through the lines there sooner or later. We have to get ready to defend that position."
"Sounds like a plan." Ollie nods eagerly, "We'll set up shop on that cape and spot those boats from there. If the fog clears before we've dealt with the cruisers, we're going to be in trouble."
"The fighting's going to be harsh throughout the hills beyond these walls." Anya assesses. Her purple eyes sharpen, "If anything, that fog's gonna make the fighting get up close and personal. HaKugrenadiers will find any excuse to affix bayonets, you know."
Vesper nods.
"We're having trouble coordinating with friendly forces already as it is in this fog." Vesper warns, "Our AT guns and Sherman tanks might not think twice about shooting us."
Ollie covers her face in her hands. She remembers her frantic truck ride from just minutes ago and grumbles.
"We'll have to coordinate with the field commanders and the local units over the radio." Ollie proposes, "Still, I think we should steer clear of the main combat zones along Dog White Zone… but if we have to use the main gates to get out, we're gonna be in the crosshairs anyways."
Ollie, Vesper and Anya fall silent. Altare, meanwhile, raises his hand.
"Ma'am, if I may - the waters along the coast are receding with the low tide. At the lowest point, the waters at the edge of the North End of the Outer Wall are shallow enough to cross. At this time of year, with this much fog coming in, especially so. If we cross through there, we'll avoid most of the fighting and we'll have an easier path towards the cape."
Ollie blinks.
"You're saying you want a medium tank Company to ford the shoreline?" Ollie asks, "These HaKus are not equipped with flotation devices, you know!"
"The coastline should be crossable by foot, I believe." Altare insists.
"You believe?" Ollie tests sternly, "Who told you this, Sergeant Regis?"
"My sister, Kobo." Altare replies without flinching. He lays his hand over his heart and continues, "That was the route she took when she was a refugee. It was a treacherous journey, but she made it. That's why she's in Metro Elysium right now."
"Sergeant Regis…" Ollie's expression softens.
Vesper shudders. Anya, too, wraps her own arms around herself.
"She's very brave… crossing the shore in the winter like this." Anya comments.
"And I want to be brave for her too, Miss Anya." Altare answers her firmly, "So that she doesn't have to come back here in combat gear."
Ollie takes a deep breath and wears a small smile.
"If you believe your sister that much, Sergeant, then I'll believe her too." Ollie concedes, "Let's go with that plan."
"Thank you, ma'am." Altare smiles back.
Ollie peels herself off of the commander's chair and then hands Altare the handset of the HaKu IV's radio.
"Let's switch places for now. Lead us to the other side of the wall, Sergeant Regis." Ollie commands.
Altare takes the handset and nods, "I'll do my best."
He scoots over to the commander's chair and presses down on the radio handset. Then, with a firm voice, he gives the order.
"Attention, all elements of 4th TC and Dingo Company. We're heading north and fording the shoreline. We leave in five minutes - get ready! Over and out!"
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TEMPEST
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