…
…
…
Lord Mother, Lord Father,
By the grace of Holy Mother Towa, I hope this letter finds you well.
How fare Ane'nis and the rest of House Mun-eo? Surely the winters on the Western half of the continent are much milder than here on the East. The warmth of the city, the Blue Throne, must also surely give you and our kin much comfort… comforts that I truly pine for out here among the pines.
But I digress.
I am writing to you from a most curious location: the North Beaches of the Elysian province of Poseidon's Point. As much as Ane'nis regaled us about her stories of partying here when she studied in Xenokuni City before the war, I am here in starkly different circumstances.
For one, it is winter - and not summer. No sane soul would dare put on a swimsuit in this weather, so I am here in full winter combat gear. I have no trowel and bucket for sandcastles. Instead, I and the two thousand pressed under my command bear entrenching tools and we rush to make trenches amidst the dunes.
No easy task.
Not when Elysian warships bombard our positions and we have no field guns of our own to answer back. Not when Pavolians from the different services are just as eager to rip into each other's throats as they are to fight the Elysians.
Not when we have to do so with our hands practically tied behind our backs.
Across the waters of the Atlantean Ocean, as far as the intelligence that the Grand Marshall has shared with me, the Elysian Navy is preparing to assault the beach. We are waiting for them. My two thousand troops, even with rudimentary fortifications, could theoretically hold off a Pavolian landing force.
But theory can only take us so far with the Elysians. They have turned the tables on us time and again.
The Grand Marshall and her la- … and her right hand, Letnan Kovalskia seemed to have the Elysians trapped with their backs to the sea. Theoretically, the Elysians would have surrendered or starved to death days ago.
Theoretically.
That word has been thrown around a lot in this camp, especially among the Regular Army. I fear that that word may spell our doom in this campaign. Holy Mother willing, it falls upon me to turn the tide. The sun is rising here. I will do what I must.
We are waiting for them, and I fear that we may not have to wait for much longer.
So if this letter finds you, and I no longer walk upon this earth, then know this - before the Grand Marshall or any one of her cadres disparage me.
I love the both of you from the bottom of my heart - and I love Pavolia.
May we see each other again in better weather.
Your faithful daughter,
Ina'nis Ninomae
…
…
…
In the confines of a small makeshift bunker of timber and sandbags along the beach, Major Ina'nis Ninomae gently folds the sheet of paper and places it in an envelope. The Major's face is covered in soot and her long locks of purple hair are riddled with sand and singed by the fires of Elysian shelling. Despite her state, she takes care to keep the letter and the envelope pristine.
She reaches into the pockets of her sullied white Imperial Guard uniform and brings out a signet ring of House Mun-eo. Then, she presses wax into a seal and calls for an orderly.
"I need a message delivered!" Ina barks.
Her soft voice barely cuts through the rumble of the Elysian bombardment and the roars of warplanes dogfighting overhead.
She tries to call again, but shouts ring out through the network of Pavolian trenches along the beach.
"Elysian transport ships! They're coming!"
Ina lowers her head and shadows hang over her eyes. She pockets the letter for now under her coat, keeping it by her pendant necklace.
'I'll send it when I get the chance.'
…
…
…
Hours ago, on the eve of the sweeping Elysian counterattack, the forward headquarters of the Pavolian forces at Poseidon's Point is abuzz and aghast. A different kind of battle is underway.
Nervous shouts and the frantic cries of order echo in the camp while distant blasts of Elysian shelling reverberate. Up in the skies, Elysian and Pavolian fighter planes dance their deadly dance with more ferocity than ever before.
Despite this cacophony, a greater uproar brews in the camp's command tent. It brews like a pot about to overflow.
And Major Ina'nis Ninomae has a front row seat to the disaster.
Ranking officers from the Pavolian Regular Army, clad in their blue field uniforms, sit on one side of the planning table, shouting and pointing at their counterparts from the Imperial Guard.
The Imperial Guard, wearing blue sashes over their white uniforms, sit quietly at first - until the Regular Army officers start insulting Major Ninomae herself.
Only then do the Imperial Guards lash back.
The shouting match rings in Ina's ears.
The Major tries - and fails - to rein in the bickering officers. Her soft voice can hardly compete with the shrill shrieking around her. It reminds her of the bickering of the great noble houses in the Imperial Court at the palaces of the Blue Throne.
Even on the battlefield, the bad blood between the Imperial Guard and the Regular Army remains. Their animosity runs deep, and Ina knows it.
"Everyone…!" Ina tries to start.
Her fellow Imperial Guard officers try to echo her, but the Regular Army officers give no quarter.
"WHERE IS LADY KOVALSKIA!? Speak up, Major Ninomae!" The Regular Army demands one officer, his face red with fury, "She's our commanding officer, not you! We need HER leadership!"
"Major Ninomae is the Pemaloe Detachment's provisional commander while Kovalskia recuperates from illness." An Imperial Guard officer answers him sternly, "You will address the Major with the respect that her rank and her office deserv-"
He doesn't get to finish his sentence when a lady officer raises her voice and shakes her fist at Ina.
"Provisional commander!? The last thing we need is the Empress and her lackeys meddling in our affairs." She declares and points to her uniform's pauldrons, "I'm a Kolonel, Major Ninomae. I outrank you, no matter what the Empress says!"
"Lady Ninomae is the Imperial Comptroller, Kolonel!" Another Imperial guard officer lashes back, "That appointment gives her the authority of a Major General - two ranks above you! She's your superior!"
A third Army officer spits on the ground.
"Phooey! And Lady Kovalskia is the right hand of the Grand Marshall!" He glares at Ina and the Imperial Guard officers, "I don't buy this story you Imps are spinning. What are you hiding!? Lady Kovalskia - and the Grand Marshall - will hear of this!"
Their words sting Ina.
'If only they knew the truth.' Ina thinks, but she does not have the heart to correct them - or to unravel the intricate ruse that she and Agent Satwa have woven and sworn to protect.
The ruse that Kaela Kovalskia still lives.
She tries to raise her voice again, but she's drowned out almost immediately.
Ina winces.
Without Agent Satwa or the real Kaela Kovalskia to smooth things over, her presence is smaller than a mouse. Her authority and control is feeble at best. It infuriates her, but her voice is not strong enough to cut through the din. Speaking has never been her strong suite, after all.
As Ina stews in her frustration, the Elysian naval bombardment intensifies.
BRA-GOOOOM! BRA-GOOOOM! BRA-GOOOOM!
BRA-GOOOOM! BRA-GOOOOM! BRA-GOOOOM!
The powerful blasts rock the earth beneath their feet. Officers, Regular Army and Imperial Guard alike, fall silent and duck for cover.
Ina winces again, but she holds onto a chair and stays standing. She wipes sweat from her brow and watches the cowering officers before her. Even the Kolonel who proudly spoke of his rank now crawls beneath Ina's shadow.
Speaking is not Ina's strong suit and she acknowledges, but if she doesn't speak now - who else will?
Ina stands firm and faces the officers.
"Is this what the Pavolian Armed Forces have become?" Ina laments, whispering at first. She takes a deep breath and raises her voice, "Elysium is moving to strike us by sea and cut us off from behind. Their bullets and shells will not discriminate between blue sashes and blue uniforms. The last thing we need, ladies and gentlemen, is for the Imperial Guard and the Regular Army to be fighting each other!"
This time, the Regular Army officers do not interrupt her. Now that she has their attention, she gulps and clenches her fists.
"We are, together, the Angkatan Darat - the swords of Pavolia! We wield different blades, but we stand together! Agent Satwa is already leading the effort on the Exclave front. It's up to us to meet the Elysians gathering to attack the rearguard. So, organize your forces. I will be taking command."
Ina's words echo in the eerie silence of the command tent. None of the Regular Army officers protest, at least not audibly.
"Rally everyone you can. Cooks, doctors, drivers, pastors - I don't care. Even the field hospital patients, as long as they can stand. I want everyone holding a rifle in their hands, organized and ready to sortie within the hour!"
The combative Regular Army officers rise up from the floor and begrudgingly salute Ina.
Ina returns the gesture graciously.
Behind her genteel mask, however, anxiety gnaws at her heart and mind. But as Elysian bombs continue to go off in the distance, Ina knows she has no choice but to move forward.
She reaches under her white Imperial Guard coat and brings out her pendant necklace. The smiling faces of her parents greet her.
"I will see this through." She whispers to the pendant, "Otherwise, all of Pavolia will fall."
…
Ina and her cadre of Imperial Guard officers spend the rest of the hour organizing the rearguard forces.
Armed with crowbars, and despite the protests of the Regular Army quartermasters, they go through the storehouses of the Pemaloe Detachment and pry open all the supply crates they can.
They find guns and ammunition of good quality in great abundance. Ina even finds a large stockpile of the supposedly rare StG44 assault rifles earmarked for elite Regular Army units.
Ina puts away her crowbar and trades it for an StG44. She looks down the sights of the weapon and inspects its markings.
That particular gun is marked for the Pavolian 86th Shock Company.
A Company that was supposed to give Kaela Kovalskia swift victory in the early days of the siege.
A Company that no longer exists.
The thought brings a frown to Ina's lips.
All in all, she and her officers find spare guns and weapons that could outfit twenty thousand soldiers. However, when Ina goes out of the storehouses, the rearguard force that awaits her under the frosty moonlight is only a fraction of that.
Ina gathers the ranking officers and asks them, "What are we working with?"
"Four Imperial Guard mechanized rifle companies on our side, ma'am. That's one thousand troops and eight dozen half-tracks." answers an Imperial Guard officer, "We have a battery of mortars too."
"Just mortars?" Ina clarifies.
"Yes ma'am." The officer confirms, "Agent Satwa pressed our howitzers and field guns into service at the Exclave front. The Angkatan Udaran airwings stationed in the Manor House are also committed to that front."
Ina closes her eyes, struggling to mask her frustration.
"We'll work with those mortars, then. Our cadre will give them fire orders." Ina acknowledges. She turns to the Regular Army officers, "What about your side?"
"We've reorganized our reserves into three rifle companies, and a provisional tank company as well. They number about one thousand as well." A Regular Army officer responds with pride, "We'll sweep the Elysian landing forces from the beaches!"
Ina blinks and turns to the proud officer.
"What models of tanks do we have, Kolonel?" Ina asks him.
"H-Haku III's, mostly. All the HaKu IV's were brought to the Exclave front." The prickly Kolonel admits with a deflating voice, "But armor is armor. Elysian infantry out on the open beach will be no match for us!"
Ina pauses and rubs her chin.
'Are we sure that infantry is all we'll be up against?' Ina wonders.
Her mind wanders to the HaKu V Panther tank stowed away in the barn house at the heart of the camp. She opens her mouth, prepared to ask the Kolonel for a tank crew to take charge of the advanced vehicle.
However, Ina closes her mouth.
After all, pressing that tank into service would destroy the ruse. Moreover, she needs more than just one tank to turn the tide.
'I don't need a knee-jerk reaction…' Ina mutters to herself, 'I need a strategy!'
"M-major Ninomae…?" The Kolonel asks, "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Ina lies. She turns away from the Kolonel and commands, "Have our rearguard march and prepare their defenses along the northern beaches. I will stay here in the meantime and catch up with the troops."
"Understood, Major Ninomae." The Kolonel grumbles, "But why aren't you joining the rearguard?"
He snorts and folds his arms, "Are you going to 'command from the rear' like you Imps always do?"
Ina's eyes narrow.
"No, Kolonel. I will open a secure line to the Grand Marshall's camp and beseech her aid."
This time, the Kolonel goes pale. His colleagues from the Regular Army and the Imperial Guard officers fall silent as well, frozen in place at the rally point.
It is almost as if Ina had blasphemed against the Holy Mother Towa herself.
"Ma'am, with all due respect, no one has a 'secure line' with the Grand Marshall other than Lady Kovalskia… or the Keris Abu-Abu." The Kapetan argues sternly, "We have explicit orders from Lady Kovalskia…"
Ina whirls around and faces the Kolonel.
"And I am calling the Grand Marshall on Letnan Kovalskia's authority - on her behalf." Ina snaps back. She runs a hand through her locks of long, purple hair and swears, "You have your orders. Leave me to deal with the consequences."
The Kolonel shudders under Ina's gaze.
"As you command, Major Ninomae." He smirks and whispers, "It's your funeral."
…
Ina's ranking officers and their Regular Army counterparts take the hastily assembled rearguard forces to march north. The Major sees them off, saluting them as they pass by. Only the Imperial Guard soldiers return the gesture, but Ina doesn't budge from her perch.
Once the last of the troopers leave the camp, Ina heaves a sigh - but not one of relief.
'I've still got a fierce battle ahead of me.' Ina notes quietly.
So, she returns to the barnhouse at the heart of the now desolate camp.
Ina makes a beeline for the late Kaela's quarters. She reactivates the personal MERAK machine, pulls up a chair and starts to type a message on the keyboard. With every keystroke, the MERAK gear wheels turn and chills run up Ina's spine.
Ina ends her message and sends it to Zeta's secure channel.
Then, she plugs in Kaela's disconnected telephone and waits. Only the distant bursts of artillery break the silence.
After a while, the phone rings.
Ina recoils for a moment. But she picks up the phone, puts the handset by her ear and answers sharply.
"Ninomae, Imperial Guard."
Silence comes from the other end at first, followed by a scoff.
"Vestia. Pavolia."
Ina furrows her brow.
"You're supposed to say Angkatan Darat." She mumbles, correcting her, "It's basic protocol."
"But I serve all of Pavolia as her Grand Marshall, do I not? Imperial Comptroller Ninomae?"
"You do." Ina concedes. However, in the back of her head, she thinks, 'But you make it sound like you're in charge of the country.'
Ina decides to hold her tongue on the second part, drawing a chuckle from Zeta.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this conversation? … is what I would say if Ela was speaking with me at the moment. But that's just not true, is it, Major Ninomae? Why are you using Ela's personal MERAK? Why are you answering her phone?"
"I have already informed you of our situation here at the Poseidon's Point base, Grand Marshall - and the condition of Lady Kovalskia."
"I read your telegram, Major Ninomae. Ela has 'fallen ill', you say. Next, you're going to tell me that the disastrous rout of the Angkatan Laut - and the loss of the formidable Darussalam - is Ela's fault too. Or are you going to say that she squandered twelve companies of the greatest tanks of Pavolia as well?"
Ina bites her lip.
'Steady, Ina. Steady…' She mutters to herself, away from the handset.
The temptation to talk back harshly brews within her, but she calms herself down. She chooses her words carefully.
"I wouldn't dare accuse her, Grand Marshall. I coordinated the naval actions on her behalf, as per the strategies of Lady Kovalskia's."
"Thus, you try my patience. Ela is a talented commander with exceptional prowess. I have reviewed her grand strategy for the Exclave siege. You executed her plans poorly."
Ina gnashes her teeth.
"Y-yes, ma'am. I did."
"That's not all, Major Ninomae. Ela told me all about you and your Imperial Guard cadre. She complained to me about you not too long ago before she supposedly 'fell ill'. Care to tell me what the Empress is thinking? Why is she sending a glorified accountant into an active war zone?"
Ina winces.
"Grand Marshall, I…"
"I am not done. Do not interrupt me."
Ina closes her eyes and answers begrudgingly.
"Y-yes, of course."
"I have eyes and ears all throughout the territories held by Pavolia, Major Ninomae. I know that you've been poking your nose where it doesn't belong - asking questions that shouldn't be asked. If I didn't know any better, then I'd think that the Empress has commissioned you to do some sort of audit. Or some… investigation."
Ina gulps.
This time she stays silent.
"Or, you could be just another aristocrat from the High Houses yearning for power. As if having the Empress' ear isn't enough for House Mun-eo. Now, after a curious turn of events, you find yourself acting on behalf of the right hand of the Grand Marshall of Pavolia - in the heat of a battle that will be etched in the history books! And yet you have the gall to call me before you've cleaned up the mess you've made?"
Ina grips the handset firmly and corrects resolutely.
"I am calling, Grand Marshall, because the Pemaloe Detachment needs your intervention to survive tonight. I am privy to Lady Kovalskia's strategy, but the Elysians have acted well beyond her assumptions. Dare I say, your assumptions too! They are more unified than we have been led to believe!"
Silence comes from the other side of the line. Ina hears her heart beating hard against her chest. Then, she hears an amused hum.
"Ah. It's been so long since an officer - or anyone in the military has spoken to me, telling it as it is. A scathing report like that would have been followed by tears and the passionate pleas for mercy. And to think that these determined words could come from the Imperial Guard? An Imperial appointee, no less. A mystery indeed."
"It is no mystery, Grand Marshall." Ina replies steadfast, "I simply love Pavolia - and her people - enough to wield the truth."
Zeta bursts out into laughter.
"The truth… a dangerous word. I know of people who spoke of truth but only spouted lies that hurt Pavolia. There are many truths, Major Ninomae - but are yours the same as mine?"
Ina doesn't speak. In her mind, she sees the face of Moona Hoshinova facing off against Zeta in Xenokuni City. She had seen the photographs of the confrontation between the two in the Imperial Guard case files before she left the Pavolian capital.
She couldn't help but wonder.
'Just how deep does the Moona case go with you, Grand Marshall? How many of those 'truth-sayers' have you and Kaela Kovalskia buried on your way to the top?'
Her silence pays off.
Zeta starts to speak again.
"You are fortunate. I will listen to your plea, Major Ninomae, and I will offer you my aid. For Ela's sake. But know this: Ela will be the judge of your failures. Any punishment she deems fit upon you, I will endorse. Prepare yourself for when the time comes."
Beads of sweat form on Ina's brow.
She gulps.
"I will accept whatever punishment, Grand Marshall. But for now, let's talk business."
…
Ina and Zeta spend the next short while going over the situation at the North Beach of Poseidon's Point. A little back and forth breaks out between them, but their plans come together despite their animosity. It happens quickly too - so quickly that Ina couldn't help but be amazed.
She thinks while she jots down notes in her notebook.
'When she puts her mind to it, Zeta Vestia is sharp as a tack. No wonder why she rose up to be Grand Marshall. She is the most talented officer that I have ever spoken with. I hardly have to explain anything to her. She picks things up quickly… her solutions are unorthodox but there's order in the chaos. The way she conducts business… It's almost like Letnan Kovalskia, come to think of it. The two of them are close - incredibly close. They're of one mind and… perhaps of one heart.'
Ina frowns.
'I have heard the rumors of Zeta's and Kaela's escapades… but that just makes this situation worse.'
Dark ink drips from her pen and splatters down onto the paper, staining it.
'Zeta's brilliant mind harbors a darkness that I cannot fathom. I have only seen the surface. Kovalskia is not innocent, but she softened the Grand Marshall's heart regardless. Without Kovalskia to hold back the tide… just how much of that darkness will this world bear witness to?'
Ina hunches over, dabbing off the ink blot with a cloth.
'My investigation of Kolonel Hoshinova's murder will be put on hold for now… but I have many questions that I would like the Grand Marshall to answer. How much does she know - and when did she know it? Those queries will have to wait.'
While Ina writes, Zeta finishes up the last of their plans.
Her voice crackles over the telephone.
"That should about do it, Major Ninomae. Execute things on your end immediately, and I will do the same here. Take Ela's MERAK device too. We'll continue correspondence over encrypted telegram."
"Yes, Grand Marshall." Ina answers dutifully.
"Your rearguard must hold the beach for a day - until the Manor House garrison can arrive. Angkat Udaran bombers will support you from the skies."
"Of course, Grand Marshall." Ina notes, "With the Holy Mother Towa as my witness, I shall see it through."
Zeta scoffs.
"I am your witness, Major. Failure is not an option. I will accept nothing less than complete and total victory. Follow my orders to the letter. I will be in command of this operation. Not you."
"Of course, Grand Marshall." Ina answers again, closing her eyes.
"And of course, if I find out that anything has happened to Ela…"
Ina's heart nearly stops. She grabs her chest and lies.
"Lady Kovalskia is safe, Grand Marshall. No harm will come to her!"
Zeta doesn't answer. She simply ends the call, leaving Ina with the dial tone.
Ina puts down the telephone handset. Then, she unplugs the phone.
She mutters beneath her breath. Her eyes fall on the MERAK machine sitting on Kaela's table.
"This ruse cannot last forever. Not while I'm dancing on the cat's paw."
…
Later that evening, Pavolian fighter planes and dive bombers streak through the moonlit skies over the northbound highway of Poseidon's Point. Major Ninomae watches those planes flying in formation from inside an armored car.
The airframes cover parts of the moon and cast their shadows over Ina.
"The Angkatan Udaran answers quickly to the Grand Marshall's call, huh?" Ina mutters. She shakes her head and laments, "But the only way to get her aid is absolute loyalty… or stubborn defiance."
Strong sea breezes rustle Ina's winter coat. The cold gusts send shivers up her spine and make her ear-like hair-flaps fold sheepishly. But Ina rubs her hands together and blows on them to keep them warm. She adjusts the round glasses resting on the bridge of her nose and looks down the winding road ahead of them.
A pockmarked Elysian sign along the highway with a cute, albeit now vandalized, cartoon caricature of the Elysian Governess Sana Tsukumo reads, 'You are now leaving the Exclave Peninsula. Farewell! May Mother Kanata guide you home.'
Ina scoffs. Her armored car passes the sign by.
"Which home?" Ina mutters, "The Blue Throne, or the afterlife?"
Either way, Ina quietly thought, she knows she will find out soon enough. Her eyes fall to the unplugged MERAK machine strapped beside her and shakes her head.
The armored car drives through an elevated stretch of the highway running along the edge of a seaside cliff overlooking the Northern Beach.
"Hold on." Ina urges the driver.
The armored car comes to a halt. Ina hops off and brings out a pair of binoculars to look out to the scene below the cliffs. She speaks to herself as if she were still writing down notes.
"Fortification construction is underway. They need to make those trenches deeper… and those machine gun nests need better concealment."
She sweeps through the defensive lines with her binoculars and comments again.
"The HaKu III's from the Regular Army are moving into position. Their cannons are good, but they're spread too thin. The Grand Marshall's reinforcements can't come soon enough."
She puts away the binoculars and looks up to the sinking moon.
"Will we really be able to survive a whole day with just this?" Ina asks the sky.
The crew of the armored car blink. None of them answer her.
Suddenly, the armored car's radio crackles.
"Lady Ninomae!" The vehicle commander calls, "A report from the Angkatan Udaran."
"What are they saying?" Ina asks, jogging back towards the armored car.
"They're spotting silhouettes of an Elysian task force in the Atlantean Ocean. More than ten vessels." The commander answers, "The clouds are obscuring their vision, though. They're requesting permission for closer patrols."
Ina grits her teeth. She looks out to the dark waters of the Atlantean Ocean and sees the faint silhouettes herself. But then, the foremost ships are suddenly illuminated by bright muzzle flashes.
"Naval gunfire!" Ina warns. She whips her head to the commander, "Tell the warplanes to patrol closer - and to identify their targets. We need to know what we're up against!"
"Y-yes, ma'am!" The commander complies and relays Ina's orders.
Ina hops back into the hold of the armored car. They promptly rush towards the Pavolian frontline base. All the while, Elysian shells slam into the moonlit beach.
…
As soon as Ina arrives, she takes the MERAK machine and brings it with her. Her ranking officers come to greet her and help her navigate the hastily made trenches. Imperial Guard soldiers and officers salute Ina wholeheartedly as she passes them by while the Regular Army troopers and their tankers just stare listlessly at her.
She does her best to not mind the indifference of the latter group.
She reaches the command post, an elevated bunker of wood and sandbags on a hill overlooking the beach. There, the officers of both services report in - with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
'The Regular Army troops really don't want to be here…' Ina mutters beneath her breath. She forces herself to stay calm and sighs, 'But we'll need their tanks to hold the line.'
Once Ina gets her reports, she dismisses the officers from the bunker and sends them to lead their respective units. That leaves Ina alone to set up the MERAK machine while glancing at the Elysian barrage upon the beach.
'Those are low caliber explosions for naval fire…' Ina remarks, watching the pillars of smoke and sand kicked up by the blasts, 'The main guns of destroyers, perhaps? Maybe some light cruisers…'
She plops down onto a chair, 'No battleships, at least. That means they're focused on the frontline. On Agent Satwa's forces.'
Ina pauses. Pangs of guilt gnaw at her for feeling relief, but she just shakes her head.
While she stews in her own thoughts, the plugged-in MERAK machine starts to whir its gear wheels. Ina promptly starts to type on its attached keyboard and sends an encrypted message.
A reply comes soon after, churned out by the machine. Ina takes the ticker tape and reads it, deciphering the code by sight.
"Received, Major Ninomae. Twenty-four hours begins right now. Mobilizing an armored brigade presently. Report your situation frequently. Over."
Ina crumples the ticker tape and looks out to the Atlantean Ocean beyond the bombarded beach. Then, she brings out a pocket watch and marks the time.
"0400 hours, on the dot." Ina mutters.
She brings out her notebook and tears off an empty page.
"I'd better write home while I still have the chance."
…
…
…
Back in the present, just hours after sunrise, Ina and her rearguard sandswept forces scramble to their positions and man their trenches. Ina glances at her pocket watch.
"0800 hours, on the dot." Ina remarks.
She brings out her binoculars and looks out to the sea.
"Two destroyers and a light cruiser… a smaller force than anticipated." Ina counts her foes and squints, "The rest are transport ships?"
Ina jots those down in her notebook. Then, she types in her report to Zeta on the MERAK machine.
Zeta's reply comes quickly on encrypted ticker tape.
'Maintain your positions and hold the line. A-L submarines are entering the zone to draw away the destroyers. ETA - three hours. A-U Stukas will hunt the cruiser from the skies when it's isolated.'
Ina tosses away the tape and types her reply.
"Acknowledged, Grand Marshall - but what about the transports? They are the bigger threat to this position. Hell - they're even bigger than the warships accompanying them!"
Zeta responds swiftly yet again.
'Listen, Major. The transports will have to anchor near the shore. Enemy landing teams will come on rowboats and smaller landing craft. Use your mortars to strike the anchored motherships. Your machine guns and tanks can handle the smaller vessels. Prevent them from establishing a beachhead at all costs.'
Ina purses her lips. She types her acknowledgement and does as Zeta tells her. The rearguard's mortars hold their reply to the Elysian bombardment. All eyes from the trenches watch the Elysian transports, waiting for them to stop.
An hour passes, but the transports don't stop to drop anchor. They carry on towards the beach, full steam ahead!
Ina clicks her tongue and reports to Zeta again.
"The Elysian warships have dropped anchor, but the transports they're accompanying have not. The transports aren't stopping, ma'am! They aren't even slowing down or correcting course."
'Preposterous. Even Elysian foolishness has its limits. It has to be some kind of feint. What kind of naval commander would even think about beaching their transport ships?'
'The same naval commander who broke the Darussalam's blockade, perhaps.' Ina ponders, but she doesn't speak her mind.
Instead, she takes a deep breath and types up her reply.
"I disagree, ma'am. I should order my mortars to fire upon the transports and interdict them. Please direct the A-U Stukas to give us Close Air Support instead of hunting the warships."
A long, uneasy silence fills the command bunker. Minutes later, a response comes on ticker tape.
'You try my patience, Major Ninomae. Have you already forgotten our arrangement? I have already coordinated with the A-U and the A-L. Do not act without my approval. Wait for further instructions.'
Ina bites her thumb.
"What? Am I just supposed to be an observer in this battle?" Ina types and sends the message.
No more responses come from Zeta on the MERAK.
"Now I know why Kovalskia failed in her mission." Ina hisses.
She promptly rises up from her seat and searches for a radio in her bunker, only to find none. There are no communications officers either or any transmission equipment prepared for her.
"Damn it…!" Ina curses.
So, she storms out of the bunker and makes a beeline for the closest HaKu III medium tank in the trenches. She climbs up the side of the tank and grabs a hold of the commander.
"Corporal. Give me your radio." Ina commands him.
"B-but our unit commander told us…" He tries to argue.
"Your unit commander answers to me!" Ina snaps. She draws her Luger pistol and shows it to him, "Now give me your radio and tune in to the Rearguard Command before I brand you a traitor to Pavolia!"
The tank commander freezes up. He surrenders his tank's radio to Ina.
Ina snatches the handset and presses down on it to speak.
…
"Attention all elements of the Rearguard Command, this is Major Ninomae speaking. I am taking command of this position. If you have standing orders from the Grand Marshall that contradict what I'm about to give you, disregard them. She is not present in this battlefield. I am!"
She wears her clan's signet ring and raises her Luger pistol up high. Then, at the top of her lungs, she shouts.
"PAVOLIANS! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"
Regular Army soldiers and tankers listen to their radios with awe, while the Imperial Guard forces cheer fervently.
Ina gives out a flurry of new orders to her forces. In short order, the mortar batteries of the Pavolian rearguard come to life and fire upon the approaching Elysian vessels.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
Mortar shells streak through the morning sky in high arcs and fall upon the charging transport ships. Ina brings out her binoculars and watches from the top of the HaKu III's turret.
She sees many shells miss their marks and crash violently into the Atlantean Ocean - but she also sees a handful of hits and near-misses. Several shells strike the foremost transport, setting its deck ablaze.
However, eleven other transport ships continue undeterred. Gasps of awe and fear reverberate throughout the Pavolian trenches as the defiant hulks of Elysian steel cut through the waves.
Ina clicks her tongue. She looks up to the skies and sees the fighters and dive bombers of the Angkatan Udaran still pursuing the warships. So, she presses on the radio again.
"Angkatan Udaran airwings, report in! You have to change your targets. Prioritize the transport ships!"
No response.
Ina repeats the call.
"Report in, Angkatan Udaran!"
Again, no answer. Instead, the Pavolian Air Force continues following the Grand Marshall's orders.
"DAMN, ZETA VESTIA!" Ina curses.
The tank commander's jaw drops, but Ina glares at him.
"Did I stutter?" Ina hisses venomously, "We're on our own, Corporal. Prepare your tanks to repel the enemy!"
"We don't have orders from the Grand Marshall!" Argues the tank commander again.
As he speaks, however, the approaching Elysian transports begin opening fire on the Pavolian trenches. Machine guns and anti-aircraft autocannon shots fly and strike the sand. An armor-piercing round strikes the mantlet of the HaKu III's gun, and a machine gun round whizzes between Ina and the commander.
Ina ducks behind the tank's turret and the commander ducks under the cupola. Still, Ina holds on and shouts more loudly than she's ever shouted before.
"ARE YOU STILL GOING TO WAIT FOR THE GRAND MARSHALL'S ORDERS, CORPORAL!? SHOOT BACK!"
In response to her cries, the turret of the HaKu III turns and points towards the approaching vessels. Ina takes the hint and hops off the tank.
Moments later, that tank - and the eleven other tanks of the Regular Army fire back at the armed transports. Machine guns of the entrenched soldiers from both services also answer the Elysians. Shots whiz back and forth fiercely, almost like a downpour.
Ina keeps her head low and crouches down, but the shallow trenches do not give her much cover. A machine gun shot tears off the peaked cap from her head. Ina immediately dives down to the sandy ground.
"I have to make it back to the bunker!" Ina grunts.
So, with her Luger pistol in hand, she hobbles back the way she came.
Left and right, Pavolian soldiers are mowed down by the intense fusillades. One by one, Pavolian machine gun nests fall silent and the trenches are quickly littered with bodies.
Regular Army soldiers and Imperial Guard soldiers bleed and die all the same. Their blank gazes mortify Ina as she rushes past.
Just as Ina is about to reach her bunker, naval shells whistle and crash into the outpost. Large explosions pulverize the bunker and bathe it in fire. Powerful tremors throw Ina off her feet and throw her onto the sandy dirt of the trench.
Her glasses shatter and come flying off, turning the world into a blur. Her pistol slips from her hand too and tumbles out of reach. From the sandy earth, the helpless Ina sees the pillars of flames from the burning bunker reflecting on the irises of her eyes.
"No… not like this!" Ina laments.
Sharp ringing ravages her ears, muffling the sounds of the chaos around her. She sees a blurry scene of soldiers throwing away their high-end rifles and running away from the trenches.
She tries to call out to them and urge them to stand their ground. But no one listens.
Ina can't even hear herself.
With great effort, Ina tries to pick herself up from the ground, but her strength fails her and she plops right down to the ground once more. From there, she watches helplessly as the HaKu III tank that she had commandeered earlier explodes before her eyes.
The screams of its burning crew do not reach her.
She passes out and falls, sprawled out on the ground.
…
…
…
"Ungh…" Ina grunts, stirring from a restless sleep.
Memories of the fierce, one-sided battle at the North Beach come rushing to the eye of her mind. For a moment, she wonders - and hopes - that what happened there was just a dream.
However, when she opens her eyes, she finds herself in what seems to be a tent. Her vision is still blurred, but she notices the distinct shape of a green flag.
'The Starfall Banner of Elysium…' she deduces.
She is lying down on a simple cot, but her wrists are bound tightly. So, she struggles to rise up from the bed and sit upright.
As she does, a pair of women march into the tent. She cannot make out their faces, or the insignia on their uniforms, but she can distinguish their hair at least and differentiate them.
One of the women, a tall lady with jet black hair turns to her companion with black-and-white hair and asks in Elysian, "Is this the one, Shiorin?"
"Yes, Risa." The second woman snickers, "She's the only one in the tent."
"Oh, right. Right." The taller woman apologizes.
The two women approach Ina and pull up chairs before her bed. The taller woman starts to speak.
"Uhm… well, s-salutations."
"She's a Pavolian, Risa." The second woman interjects, "And someone from the Mun-eo region too, it seems. Based on her personal effects."
The first woman frowns, "Well, I never studied Pavolian. Or whatever they speak in that place she comes from."
"I know some Muneongul." The second woman volunteers, "It's not very good, but I can try."
Ina furrows her brow and finally interrupts her two bickering guests.
"I can speak Elysian." Ina reveals.
"O-oh!" The first woman gasps. She breaks out into nervous laughter, "You were glaring at us pretty hard when we walked in. I… didn't know if you understood us or not."
Ina heaves a sigh.
"I broke and lost my glasses during the battle." Ina explains.
"I'll speak with my quartermasters to find you some glasses, miss…" The second woman offers.
"Ninomae. Major of the Imperial Guard." Ina answers graciously, "And I appreciate the gesture."
The first woman nods and clears her throat.
"Well met, Major Ninomae. I am Colonel Nerissa Ravencroft, commanding officer of the Elysian Continental Command."
"And I am Major Shiori Novella, her adjutant." The second woman quickly follows.
"I see. I see…" Ina holds her head low, "Our defenses were for naught, then. What time did your forces claim the North Beach?"
"1600 hours. We also took custody of you at around that hour." Nerissa explains.
Ina scoffs.
"We never really stood a chance." She laments.
Nerissa and Shiori turn to each other and nod. The Colonel faces Ina again and wears a firm expression.
"Major Ninomae. As you have seen here in the North Beach, the days of Pavolia occupying Poseidon's Point are numbered. My forces are poised to strike and destroy whatever remains of yours."
"I am well aware." Ina frowns.
Shiori wears a smile this time and urges her.
"But you have the power to save many lives, Major. Offer us your terms of surrender and tell your forces in Poseidon's Point to lay down their arms." Shiori pauses and looks Ina straight in the eyes, "After all, you love Pavolia and her people, don't you?"
"You read my letter." Ina mutters.
"For operational security." Shiori replies.
Ina hunches forward on the bed and covers her face with her bound hands. She sits there in silence for a while as Nerissa and Shiori look on.
Then, Ina lifts her head and speaks with great determination.
"Make sure that my letter reaches home. Then, I will offer you my terms of surrender."
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