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Far across the oceans, at the heart of the capital of Metro Elysium, Prime Minister Fauna Ceres' heart races and thumps against her chest.
Fauna paces around in the back halls of the Elysian Parliament Building. There, she is flanked by portraits of the many Prime Ministers of Elysium throughout its hundreds of years of history.
Men and women far greater than her.
In particular, the regal gaze of the first Prime Minister, Sora Tokino, weighs heavily on her.
Surrounded their majestic portraits, Fauna feels their eyes on her - judging her. She carries pages of a typewritten speech, but the paper crumples in her trembling hands. The words seem to blur together. Her mind teeters on the brink of lightheadedness.
"Oh Kanata…" Fauna gasps, gripping the speech tightly, "How will history remember me?"
Suddenly, a large, steady hand sets on her shoulder. Fauna turns around and sees a familiar brawny figure.
"Sanana…" Fauna croaks. Her face contorts in anguish.
"You'll be fine, Faufau." Sana reassures her, "You made a wonderful speech. You spoke from the heart. All that's left is for you to deliver it. Yatagarasu, the Speaker of Parliament, will keep order for you too."
"I know that, but a lot of the MPs say they've already made up their mind." Fauna starts, "The opposition whip says she has the votes. Minister H. M. Taro of the War Department has been lobbying day and night, and even my own Deputy Prime Minister… even after I GAVE them their positions…!"
Before she could say anything else, however, Sana pulls Fauna towards her and embraces her.
"Sanana…" Fauna gasps.
Sana just holds Fauna close.
"You're doing the right thing, Faufau. Don't give in to Nemu and the cowards. Stand firm and show your resolve. Not everyone will support you, but there will be those who do." Sana hugs Fauna tighter, "I will support you. No matter what."
Fauna rests her head on Sana's shoulder, sobbing lightly. The two stay there in silence, until the Sergeant-at-arms of Parliament enters the hall, bearing the mace of Elysium.
"Prime Minister Ceres, Parliament is ready for you." says the Sergeant-at-arms.
Fauna wipes her tears and lets go of Sana.
"I'll be going now." Fauna says.
"I'll be watching." Sana assures her, "But hold still for a moment."
The large governess promptly adjusts Fauna's crooked green necktie and fixes her wrinkled collar.
"There. All good." Sana grins, "Go get them!"
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"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE RIGHT HONORABLE PRIME MINISTER OF ELYSIUM!"
The Sergeant-at-arm's voice echoes in the Parliamentary Session Hall, silencing the whispers of the Members of Parliament across the aisles. All eyes turn to the main doors as Prime Minister Fauna Ceres enters beside the parliamentary officer.
Bettel Gavis and Flayon X Machina, furnished once more with an ECN motion picture camera, turn the lens towards Prime Minister Fauna Ceres. Her reflection off the ceremonial mace is warped, somber and cryptic.
They record her as she shakes hands with people on one side of the aisle while keeping her back turned to the other. Cheers and boos in equal measure welcome her into the hall.
"Looks like it's going to be split right down the middle today." Bettel whispers to Flayon.
"Just keep your eyes peeled. Watch out for the big, headline-able quotes." Flayon hisses back at him.
"Yeah, I know." Bettel shrugs, "This is a different kind of war."
He and Flayon continue to watch the Prime Minister.
Fauna takes her spot at the center of the hall, standing before her aisles of supporters and delivers her speech. The ceremonial mace is placed before her. She adjusts the microphones set at the table and begins to speak.
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"Mr. Speaker, Deputy Prime Minister Nemu, Members of Parliament, Governess Sana Tsukumo of Poseidon's Point and honored guests of the Elysian people's House. It is an honor to have a chance to address this venerable chamber - and the people of Elysium at large, especially at this moment of grave crisis."
"Now, more so than ever, our people in the Continent and the elements of the Armed Forces who are still carrying on the fight there face challenges beyond comparison. And people here, on the home front, are waiting for what happens in this chamber tonight and in the coming days."
"As I'm sure you're all aware by now, I can confirm that a great Pavolian counterattack has indeed taken place. Almost all of the gains that we have worked hard to win over the past few years have been wiped out by the deliberate and manipulative efforts of the Pavolian Grand Marshall, Zeta Vestia."
Whispers and interjections simmer from the opposite side of the aisle. The opposition parties and their lobbyists start kicking up a fuss.
But the opposition party MP's aren't the ones Fauna watches closely. She keeps an eye on her cabinet members on her side of the aisle who also seem to grow restless.
In particular, War Minister Taro, and Deputy Prime Minister Nemu.
Fauna takes a deep breath and continues her speech.
"Aside from holdouts in Xenokuni City, the mountains and the hinterlands, Pavolian forces have reclaimed most of Xenokuni Province. They wasted no time and pushed into Poseidon's Point province too, leaving the Exclave as the last bastion of our country on the Continent."
The interjections from the opposition benches boil over.
"Send our troops home already! We have to prepare for the war here!" cries one MP.
"Their blood will be on your hands, Ceres!" shouts another.
"ORDER! ORDER!" Yatagarasu, the large-bodied Speaker of Parliament roars, banging a gavel, "THIS HOUSE WILL HAVE ORDER!"
Speaker Yatagarasu's proclamation quiets the crowd.
"Please continue, Right Honorable Prime Minister." Yatagarasu finally urges.
Fauna nods.
She looks up and sees Governess Sana smiling at her from the audience balcony.
'At least I have allies in the chamber.' Fauna quietly thinks, 'But the parliamentary battle has only just begun!'
She opens her eyes, adjusts the microphones and continues.
"I will not lie. The situation on the Continent is indeed grim, and members of my own Cabinet - especially in the Department of War - have proposed withdrawing all of our troops in the Exclave. They wish to prepare for a longer war: perhaps on the Continent, still, or perhaps on our soil. On our beaches. In our streets."
The Minister of the War Department, Deputy Prime Minister Nemu and the MPs on the opposition benches glower at Fauna, but the Speaker of the House raises his gavel again. The dissidents do not raise their voices.
Fauna clears her throat and resumes.
"In response to this, Parliament passed a bill and sent it to my office. The "Defense of Elysium" bill, it's called. In the words of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it's "Operation Bitter Spring". The bill's primary provision would lower the conscription age from eighteen years of age to sixteen. Working age would fall too, from sixteen to eight years of age. Such a horrible concept, but this is the bill that you have sent me."
"Once my signature is affixed to this bill, it will become Elysian law, policy and truth. I have not signed it. I have no plans of signing it."
Again, the opposition benches erupt.
"You're a traitor, Ceres! Sign the bill!" A third MP shrieks, shaking her fist at Fauna.
"The war will come to us whether we like it or not!" growls a fourth.
Finally, Deputy Prime Minister Nemu raises her voice.
"You won't be the Prime Minister before this session is through, Ceres. If you won't sign that bill, then I will!"
The opposition cheers for Nemu.
"ORDER!" cries the Speaker of the House again, "ORDER, Kanata almighty! ORDEEEER!"
The Speaker slams the gavel multiple times, threatening to break it. This time, however, his declarations barely dent the opposition's fervor.
Fauna takes a deep breath and shouts over the cacophony.
"I WILL NOT SIGN THIS BILL. THAT IS FINAL!" Fauna declares. Her voice booms in the session hall, drawing everyone's attention back towards her.
Once she sees all the eyes fixed on her once more, she speaks again.
"I will not sign this bill because it was borne from fear, cowardice and a lack of faith in the fighting spirit of our armed forces. I will not sign this bill because it consigns the fate of the future of Elysium, our children, to a grim reality that will consume them for the rest of their lives."
"Instead, I propose that we give our full, unwavering support to our troops and sailors already there. Let's not turn them into martyrs today just because we fear tomorrow!"
"To this end, I have received a revised 'Operation Bitter Spring'. The Joint Chiefs of Staff felt that the Exclave would have fallen in a day, but that time has passed and our forces continue the struggle!"
Mr. H. M. Taro, the Minister of War rises up from his seat and interjects, "We haven't authorized that revision!"
"I have." Fauna answers immediately, silencing him before he could rile up the crowd again.
Minister Taro shakes his fist at Fauna.
"My niece, Baelz Hakos, is in the front lines right now! She's trapped like a common rat because of your foolish actions. She should have been evacuated days ago!" Minister Taro hisses at Fauna, "You're holding her hostage for politicking and for petty pride! Send them home and sign the bill!"
Fauna's golden eyes sharpen.
"Minister Taro, your niece, Lieutenant Colonel Baelz Hakos is the primary author of the revised Operation Bitter Spring! She's the one asking our government for help, and I fully intend on giving her everything she needs!"
Fauna slams the table. Her side of the aisle finally cheers. Minister Taro and Deputy PM Nemu are finally silenced.
The cheers of Fauna's allies simmer down. Then, she continues.
"The defenders on the Continent have my endorsement. If I should lose my position as Prime Minister tonight for this decision, then so be it. That will not change my stance, my aim nor my policy! But I want the Members of Parliament who will be voting on the No Confidence Motion to know two things."
"One. This war can still be won. The Revised Bitter Spring can turn the tides in our favor. I will stake my life and my administration on this faith. And two - I urge you to look into your hearts and to find it within yourselves to not throw away Elysium's future so easily."
"I have said my piece. Now, I subject myself to the voice of the People."
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A few blocks away from Parliament, in the snowy yard of an arms factory, teenage factory workers gather around a radio set. They cheer for Fauna's speech, praising her vigor and courage. Among them is the blue-haired Kobo Kanaeru who heaves a sigh of relief.
One of the teenage factory worker girls embraces Kobo.
"We're not going to war, miss!"
"No, we're not." Kobo answers, hugging her back. She lowers her head and whispers, "I just hope the Prime Minister can hold on."
"Mm…!" The girl agrees.
Before Kobo could say anything, a stern, plump man walks out of the factory and onto the yard. He cups his hands over his mouth and yells.
"GET BACK TO WORK, YOU LAZY KIDS! Lunch break's over! Those artillery shells aren't gonna arm themselves!"
Kobo and the other teenagers groan, but they do not protest. They file back into the factory.
Before Kobo slips in through the metal factory doors, she looks up to the cloudy skies over Metro Elysium. She imagines the Exclave for a brief moment and whispers a prayer beneath her breath in Pavolian.
"Mother Towa, heed my call. May the Spring come quickly, with its gentle rains that fall upon us all."
A heartened smile forms on her lips and she continues,
"Until then, keep Ragus safe and warm - and bring him home on your tender winds."
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Back on the war-torn Continent, at the far edge of the North End of the Exclave walls, the HaKu IV Model G "Garuda" fords the precarious tides in the thick of the heavy morning fog. Altare Regis takes command of the tank in Ollie's stead and watches the tank surrounded on all sides by water from the cupola.
"Slow and steady, Ves!" Altare urges him, "The sandbar goes on for a while but you gotta be careful."
"Steady as she goes…!" Vesper grunts, pumping the accelerator gently, "I just didn't think I'd be signing up for the Navy!"
"Me neither…" Ollie mutters. Her face is pale and she clings onto the handles of the main gun, "I can handle fighting tanks but not the damn sea!"
Anya stays quiet. She sits at the loader's seat with her eyes closed, appearing calm at first. But then, she lurches forward and fights back the urge to hurl.
"I… don't like boats…" Anya mutters, shrinking in her seat and covering her mouth.
"We'll be fine!" Altare insists, "We're all gonna make it through here."
He tugs at his white scarf and imagines his adopted sister crossing that sandbar in the opposite direction years ago. Somehow, that Kobo of the past turns towards him and cheers him on.
"Keep going, Ragus!" she seems to say in Pavolian.
A small smile forms on Altare's lips.
But then, a large wave rushes in from the sea. It breaks close to the sandbar and splashes Altare and the Garuda with saltwater. Bursts and rumbles of artillery echoing the distance. A stray shell strikes the receded shoreline and blows up saltwater and sand.
Altare shields himself from the mist, but he cannot block it all.
"... pueh!" Altare grunts, spitting out saltwater that got into his mouth, "The Pavolians are firing blindly, huh?"
He whirls around and sees the column of HaKu IV and III tanks following the Garuda. Their green armband-wearing Pavolian commanders hold onto their cupolas for dear life. Some of them retreat under the hatches of their cupola.
Altare grabs the handset of the Garuda's radio and speaks in Pavolian.
"Attention, all elements of the 4th Tank Company. We're almost there! Hang on just a little longer! Commanders - stay out of your cupolas and guide your tanks. Got it!?"
One by one, the eleven other tank commanders respond to Altare. Satisfied, Altare turns his eyes towards the shore. Axel, Magni and the troops, trucks and half-tracks of Dingo Company are waiting for them.
Vesper opens the driver's front hatch slightly and sees their welcome party.
"Can't say I'm not jealous that they can use the main gate without getting shot at in this fog." Vesper groans.
Anya rocks back and forth in her seat.
"J-just hurry up already, please! For the love of Mother To- hurgh…" Anya shuts her mouth and gulps hard.
Ollie winces, preparing herself for Anya to hurl. Thankfully, Anya holds herself firm and eases down.
Then, the Garuda's tracks roll off the brackish, sandy ground and onto the snowy solid soil of the North End. The other tanks, despite the capricious waves, make it through too.
"We made it!" Altare cheers.
"Excellent work, Sergeant Regis!" Ollie congratulates him, "Let's get this show on the road, shall we? An actual road this time. One on land."
Altare nods.
With that, Altare bows out of the commander's cupola and switches places with Ollie. He passes the radio handset back to Ollie as well.
Ollie presses down on the button.
"Welcome to Dog White Zone, TC4. Shake off that sand and that salt, we're going to the northern cape immediately! Dingo Company, stay close - and get ready for anything! We're cutting through the fog."
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Under the cover of the thick fog, the twelve tanks of Ollie's 4th Tank Company spread out and advanced along the coastline of the Emerald Bay. The troops, trucks and half-tracks of Dingo Company follow closely behind them, taking shelter behind each of the tanks as Elysian and Pavolian artillery shells continue to strike the hills and valleys of the Dog White Zone.
The Garuda tank leads the formation, shadowed by the M3 half-track that carried Axel and Magni. Ollie Kureiji scans the foggy terrain ahead from her perch at the cupola of the Garuda. She holds onto the handles of the Pavolian MG34 machine gun and points it tentatively at the fog ahead.
Ollie hears the distant sounds of screams and artillery blasts coming from the foggy hills ahead. The roar of warplane engines and machine gunfire also ring from the shrouded skies above.
"Phew…" Ollie takes a deep breath.
She quietly hopes that they reach their objective at the cape, but her heart beats hard against her chest.
"Now's not the time for wishful thinking." Ollie mutters to herself.
Ollie glances behind her. She sees Axel Syrios manning the heavier .50 caliber M2 machine gun. He notices her turn his way, so he gives her a quick salute.
"We'll cover you from here, ma'am." Axel reassures her.
"I appreciate it, Corporal Syrios." Ollie promptly returns the salute.
The blasts and shouting from the hills intensifies. Both Axel and Ollie point their respective machine guns straight ahead.
This is when Altare chimes in from the inside of the Garuda.
"Ma'am! A report from the front." Altare starts.
Ollie climbs down the cupola and into the interior. She nods to Altare and urges him, "Lay it on me, Sergeant."
"The commander of the northernmost salient says that his forces are being pushed back across the board." Altare reports, "Other commanders are retreating too, but that salient we're heading to is getting the worst of it. It's on the verge of collapse!"
"The northernmost salient… that's Bae's Rifle Company H." Ollie asks, furrowing her brow, "Even they can't hold the line? What are they up against?"
"Hakugrenadiers and HaKu tanks. One company each. The commander's already lost the cape to the attacking forces." Altare answers. He shakes his head, "The Angkatan Laut's cruisers are also pounding their positions, even in the fog."
"They're the closest to the coast." Ollie clicks her tongue, "We'll be the ones in the cruisers' sights when we break through."
"It's what we signed up for, ma'am." Altare remarks.
Ollie nods. She then turns to Altare sternly.
"Alright. Tell the local commander that we'll be relieving them. Make sure they know that 4th TC's made up of friendlies. Then, have them regroup and reinforce our rearguard."
"Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Altare salutes her.
He promptly gets on the radio and relays Ollie's orders to the retreating commander. Ollie, meanwhile, climbs back up to the cupola.
She turns towards Axel and the other tank commanders of the 4th TC.
"We have retreating friendlies coming from dead ahead. Don't shoot them! They're frightened enough as it is already!"
It doesn't take long before the retreating allied forces appear in the fog ahead. Troop trucks arrive first. The vehicles veer off the road at first and attempt to evade the loose formation of Pavolian tanks.
However, when the tanks draw closer without firing upon them, their drivers look out their cabs with awe.
Ollie salutes the truck drivers from the cupola of her tank.
"We're the 4th Tank Company. We're relieving your unit!" Ollie declares.
The truck drivers salute Ollie back, but they're not enthusiastic. Then, when the Garuda tank finally passes the trucks, Ollie sees why.
Loaded up in the backs of those trucks were bodies.
Dozens upon dozens of Elysian corpses stacked upon each other. Ollie shudders and turns away, shaking her head.
She closes her eyes.
Half-tracks of Rifle Company H and the rest of their battered troopers appear soon after the trucks. Ollie dares to glance at them too, but she quickly sees the sullen, shell shocked faces, blank stares and hollow expressions on many of them.
"They look like they got their guts punched. Holy shit…" Axel remarks from behind Ollie.
"Knowing what they were up against… I wouldn't be surprised." Ollie frowns. She grips her cupola until her knuckles turn white, "We can't lose this battle."
While the vehicles and troops of 4th TC and Dingo Company pass on through the coastal road, the rattle of machine guns and the burst of explosives grows louder. The retreating troopers of Rifle Company H quicken their pace, turning their erstwhile orderly but somber retreat into a rushed, panicked one.
Ollie grabs her radio handset again.
"All units of TC4 and Dingo Company, prepare for contact. TC4 tanks will roll ahead. Dingo Company - prepare your bazookas and set up your mortars. We're gonna need 'em! Over and out."
At Ollie's command, the trucks of Dingo Company slow down and their soldiers begin dismounting. The Pavolian tanks of TC4, meanwhile, carry onwards and approach a sharp bend of the coastal road. Ollie's Garuda tank leads the way.
When the Garuda makes the turn, silhouettes of Pavolian tanks appear in the thick of the fog. They're lined up, rumbling down a long, straight stretch of the foggy coastal road.
Ollie clicks the radio handset again, "Pavolian tanks, twelve o' clock! Distance, nine-hundred meters! Button up! Load armor piercing! Angle your tanks and prepare for battle!"
The Garuda drives up behind a large rock and angles its armor. Altare turns the turret and the gun towards the lead tank of the enemy formation.
The rest of Ollie's tanks find similar cover and train their guns at the convoy as well. Axel, Magni and their troopers climb up the hills overlooking the coastal road. Their bazooka teams load their weapons and watch the advancing enemy as well.
All of her tank commanders disappear into their cupolas, but Ollie stays outside. She keeps her eyes on the shrouded enemy.
However, the Pavolian tanks do not seem to fire. As a matter of fact, they carry on down the coastal road unhindered.
"Do they not see us?" Ollie mutters.
She ducks into her tank once more and turns to her Anya.
"Miss Melfissa, do you know the radio frequencies that Kovalskia's forces are using for this mission?" Ollie asks.
"My intel's a few days old, but I have a few good guesses." Anya reveals. She weasels over to the radio and turns the knob, "Give this one a try."
Ollie nods. She clicks on the radio handset one more time and speaks in Pavolian.
"Pavolia Raya, allied commander." She says.
"Pavolia Raya as well." The commander answers through the radio in Pavolian as well, "What unit are you from? How did you advance so quickly?"
"We're from the… uh… 4th Imperial Guard armored battalion." Ollie weaves her story as she goes, "We were sent to pursue and destroy an elite Elysian infantry company operating in this sector, but we pushed too far and are low on supplies. Please advise."
Ollie waits for a few moments. She peeks out of her cupola again and watches the Pavolian column continuing to advance. She counts twenty-four HaKu IV medium tanks.
She gulps.
Finally, the radio crackles once more.
"Worry not. We're accompanying a large supply train with fuel and ammunition." The commander answers eagerly at first, but skepticism begins to take root, "Repeat your unit again, commander? I don't recall Lady Kovalskia committing Imperial Guard units to this operation."
Ollie clicks her tongue.
She turns the knobs of her radio set back to her Elysian channel and signals the Company.
"All tanks, open fire - and fire at will!"
Altare stares down the lead tank of the formation through the HaKu IV's rangefinder and yells, "AP! ON THE WAY!"
BAM!
Altare's shot strikes the lead tank cleanly through the side, finding the ammunition rack.
BOOM!
The lead enemy HaKu IV blows up and it's turret comes flying off.
"Direct hit!" Altare declares.
Immediately, the other tanks of TC4 fire upon the Pavolian column as well.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
A handful of shots miss their marks, crashing into the road or the rock formations along the coastal road, but the shots that fly through tear through thin side armor, setting off fires in a couple of enemy tanks.
Ollie takes her radio and roars, "Dingo Company! Follow through!"
Soon after, the troopers of Dingo Company unleash hell with their bazookas.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Anti-tank rockets streak white smoke through the fog and bombard the stalled Pavolian column.
Muffled echoes ring throughout the coastal road, but the smoke and the fog shrouds the destruction. Ollie's HaKu III's and IV's and the bazooka teams of Axel's Company aim in the general direction of the Pavolian column, but they cannot find their targets.
"Did we get them all…?" Axel asks over the radio.
But then, muzzle flashes go off behind the thick smokescreen and the fog. Tank shells from the surviving Pavolian tanks fire back upon the 4th TC. They strike the earth and the pavement of the coastal road, but some strike Ollie's tanks.
TING! FTANG! KLANG!
The Garuda takes a hit, but the shot bounces off its angled front hull. Shots bounce off the other HaKu IV's and the bazooka teams take cover behind the crests of the hills. The HaKu III's on the other hand are not as lucky.
Two of those tanks are caught in the desperate crossfire. Pavolian shots pierce straight through their thinner armor. One HaKu III is set on fire and its crew comes skittering out of the burning vehicle.
The other HaKu III blows up into a fireball.
BOOOOM!
Ollie sees the crew of that tank incinerated before her very eyes. Her heart stops for a moment. The chilly sea breeze blows the smell of burning flesh to her nose.
She grits her teeth, grabs her radio and barks orders in rapid fire.
"All tanks! Fire machine guns. Spot them with tracer rounds - then follow through with AP shells! Don't let them fight back! Dingo Company - take your half-tracks and flank them over the hills! We'll cover you."
And so, the grueling battle of the North End coastal road continues. In the thick of the fog and the stench of death and burning gasoline, Ollie sees no end in sight.
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TEMPEST
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