COMMAND TENT.
Colonel Matias sat in the CP Tent of the joint Regiments, looking over maps of Vasel and at the orders transmitted from the upper echelons of Gallian High Command. Their orders were to undertake a direct attack on the enemy bridgehead with all available assets. No doubt that rat bastard Damon issued these orders. The Colonel scratched the back of his head, leaning onto the table, then said "So... Your General expects us to punch through the enemy's bridgehead while the controls are in their hands? They could easily open the bridge and let many of us fall to our deaths."
Receiving light nods from the Gallians, the boy shook his head and looked to Colin, before saying "I should've just let you put one through his skull..." regretfully... He stared at the Western bridgehead and said "We've been hammering the place with enough artillery that I think the False Imperials would think twice about poking their heads out, but I still will not risk my assets on crossing it without guarantee of success."
"It's but a few tanks, Colonel. I don't doubt you can spare them..." A less-than-ideal Regular Army officer intervened, a calm look on her face. She was blonde, had really strong eyeliner and wore a spiral pendant, as well as her Army Colonel uniform. She also had a mole under her left eye. The glare the Cadian Colonel gave her told her that really wasn't the case...
"Our Armored Fighting Vehicles are pieces of technology beyond what they look to you. They're hard to maintain and harder still to acquire, especially now, with our armed forces having appeared here without any sort of other military support, Colonel Gassenarl." Matt responded, crossing his arms. "I will not be butting heads with the poorly-trained officers of the Regular Army... We are not advancing over that bridge until we are sure it is properly secure."
The woman squinted, glaring at him...
"Uhm... Colonel..." Welkin spoke and both of them turned toward him. "Colonel Telos, I meant..."
"Something wrong, Lieutenant?" The boy inquired, brow quirked up.
"Can... Can we have a talk outside for a moment?"
... The Colonel's shoulders sagged. He had a feeling, but... Oh well. He gave a nod and the two stepped outside, into the now-gathering rain clouds overhead. And before Welkin could say anything, Matt started "I know what you want to talk to me about, Lieutenant. This is how we fought wars on our world. No mercy, no survivors, because if you let them leave alive and regroup, they'd come back twice as strong. I don't know how war plays out in this world, but I know there's three common standards to it:Have the biggest gun, fight like hell and make sure the other bastard dies."
"I've been in a state of perpetual warfare since I was young, Lieutenant. Maybe 6 or 7 is when my first memories came to me and I was in a class back on Cadia teaching us how to field-strip our Lasguns." The boy explained, relaxed, calm and collected "I killed my first man... I don't even remember when, but I've been fighting since that day against Chaos cults, monsters, daemons and traitors. War is brutal and unforgiving, Lieutenant. Doubly so where I come from. Mercy is something one can ill-afford when the person you're letting live will just pull a knife and stab you in the back. Mercy is a weakness to many of us."
"I get it, but..." Welkin sighed "I've been getting concerned responses from my squad relating to working with you and your kids, Colonel. It's... It's terrifying even for me to know you can kill a man and smile the next day as if nothing happened, especially since you're kids and, frankly, I am very sorry you lived in a world where killing was mandatory even for children... But you need to understand we also have rules here, for war..."
The Colonel snorted "Rules? Lieutenant, what pesky moron thought that RULES would serve anyone in WAR. It's kill or be killed and I don't think any man would follow any rules. And if they do, they're a probable liability, with all due respect."
Welkin wanted to respond, feeling a pit in his stomach, but the flash of a camera took both of them by surprise. The Colonel cocked his head, to see a blonde woman with glasses and a reporter's outfit smiling at them. "Heee~llo!" She said ecstatically "I'm Irene Ellet, a reporter for GBS Radio! Please, tell me I got the two young adults I needed to get to!"
"Uh..." Matt's brow quirked up "Whom might you be looking for, ms. Ellet?"
The girl looked into a notebook she had in her hand and said "Colonel Matias Telos of the... 'Cadian 13th' and Lieutenant Welkin Gunther of Squad 7, Militia Regiment 3."
"That's us." The younger of the two answered. "What do you need of us?"
"I actually wanted to interview you guys! When I heard that the Militia was cooperating with some super-advanced army of teenagers, I just had to come look into it!" She jovially stated. The Cadian officer sighed. Reporters were usually those over-eager bunch that loved to document even the tiniest details of a soldier's life. He'd heard from on-duty friends and superiors about them a while back.
"Forgive me if I don't show interest, ms. Ellet." The Colonel said simply, a more cold attitude. He looked to Welkin and said "She's all yours, Lieutenant."
Stepping off, the Guardsman walked down toward the riverbank via that ramp the Edelweiss had used earlier today. He froze, noticing a figure standing by the edge of the water. Clad in her shoal and the tank engineer's uniform, with dark-blue hair and eyes. Her hands were placed on her chest and she seemed to be thinking of something. He pursed his lips... She must've seen him too, during the last bit of killing near the bridge. Walking on, a hint more nervous than prior... Which he found odd, considering the life he'd been living, the Colonel stopped a few feet from her, right at the side of the water. She turned her head upon seeing him, then smiled.
He turned to see her and, well... His entire body felt numb for a moment. She was cute... And pretty. For some reason, he felt his heart skip a beat. Smiling back, despite feeling his cheeks burn red, the boy watched as she walked toward him... And the burning sensation got worse. Had he been hit by some sort of chemical weapon, or something? He didn't recall the False Imperials having deployed any such weapons...
As she got to within half a foot of him, she said "Hello... I don't believe we've had a chance to be properly introduced yet, Colonel."
"That, we did not." He spoke calmly, suppressing the blush just before she'd gotten to him. He extended his gloved hand and said "I'm Matias Telos, but you may call me Matt."
She shook his hand "I'm Isara Gunther. A pleasure, Matt..." and she quipped "Though, since you are a Colonel, should I not technically call you 'sir'?"
He shrugged "It's entirely up to you, ms. Gunther. You're the Lieutenant's sister, then?"
"Yes. Adopted, but yes" She returned jovially. All was going well so far. "Perceptive, Matt... Also, just call me Isara, okay?"
"Gotcha, Isara." Matt gave a nod "Then we can stick to Matt for me."
"So..." Isara looked over to the other side of the river, at the enemy-controlled territory. "I... Take it our mission is going to be assaulting that side of the city?"
Matt sighed deeply, annoyed by the reminder "Afraid so." before crossing his arms. He wanted to blame Damon for this, but he didn't have any proof... Alas, if it was the case, the fat pig would best hope he had some good cover and good agents to hide his tracks. Which he undoubtedly had access to, due to the simple fact he was the General to the Gallian Military...
She looked to him, now with no smile, but instead evident worry, pursing her lips, then practically begged "Please, tell me we have a plan?"
"I'll be working on one with the Lieutenant." The Colonel took up a ramrod straight posture, arms crossed. "I don't think the False Imperials will just let us cross the bridge unopposed, but we'll figure something out." before looking to her and giving a reassuring grin "I don't doubt we'll have something squared away by tomorrow, so don't worry..."
She smiled back and Matt once again had to double over, heart suddenly galloping. God-Emperor, she was cute. "So..." She spoke, once again facing the river as to hide her own blush "I hope it isn't prying, but... I understood from... Well, everything relating to you and your people, that you aren't of our world, nation and weapon-wise. And figured that, if 'Cadia' was not a country you could find on a map, which it isn't... I... uh..."
"Cadia is..." He narrowed his eyes, staring up at the sky as his voice went more... Sad, deep. "Was our home world. A War World, to others, as it was nicknamed. It was the blue and green gem we were born and trained on. The warriors of Cadia, the violet-eyed, blonde-haired warriors of the Imperium of Man. Born and living to fight the endless threats that dare challenge our people and humanity as a whole... Never was there a dull day on Cadia. If you weren't training, sleeping or eating, you were putting down an incursion or cult before they became too dangerous or working in the factories to supply the Regiments that were founded and going off-world to fight in another theater..."
Isara inched a bit closer to him, listening intently. "What happened to it?"
"It's... A long story, Isara." He returned, a bit more cold "Please, don't pry further."
... It was hurting him to think about it. She could see that... Nodding, she fiddled with her shoal, continuing to speak "Well..." She tried to bring another smile to herself and managed it. "You're here now. And I don't think anyone has managed to, but I want to thank you for offering to join our nation's defense... A lot of people think we'll lose this war, because the Imperials are this close to Randgriz... So thank you..."
Turning his gaze to meet hers, the Colonel nodded "It's what we do, Isara... We're the Imperial Guard. We hold the line and protect the innocent. If your people think the war is lost because these Pretenders made it within a few kilometers of your capital, they and the Bastards have yet to see what the Cadian Shock Troops can do when unleashed."
Her smile grew wider "I'm happy to hear that. It means this war will be over yet."
The sound of footsteps interrupted any further chatter. The redhead and the Lancer Sergeant of Squad 7 approached, the former with a bit of a glare aimed at Isara, while the other was smoking a Cigarette. Matt stepped up in-between them and spoke "Something the matter?" before the taller man pushed him aside, muttering something about this not being his business... He grabbed onto the man's wrist, a deadpan look on his face and a pair of eyes full of rage.
"H-Hey, kid, let g-" Largo was cut off as the Colonel yanked him toward him. A cock of a pistol and two girls' gasps later and Largo was staring down at the hand that clasped the grip of a holstered bolt pistol. The deathly stare and aura of the kid had flicked from a calm, friendly and a bit sad of a soldier to that of an officer. Isara felt a chill shoot up her spine as she watched the older man face the barrel of the weapon...
"I asked you something, Sergeant. I expected an answer." The Colonel spoke, emotionless and almost mechanical. He let go of Largo's wrist and stepped back. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh, a lot is wrong here, kid." The man returned. "How about you take your hand off that gun before one of us has to teach you some manners."
"Funny... I was about to suggest a class on manners myself." The Colonel snarkly snapped back, his other hand wrapping around the hilt of his Power Sword. "Speak unless you want the Commissar or me to administer what is common punishment for insubordinate Guardsmen. What is the matter with you two and what do you want from her?" He motioned toward Isara with a tilt of the head.
"Y'wanna know what's botherin' us, kid?" Rosie growled "I'll tell ya. I ain't servin' with no Dark-Hair in this squad." and she shoved a finger in Isara's face... The blue-haired girl didn't flinch.
... Of course. Jonah had been kind enough to share stories of the persecution of Darcsens with the entire officer cadre of the Cadian Regiment. Sighing deeply, the boy shook his head. "As I feared, Darcsen haters... We've heard of your so-called Calamity, you morons. And until proven otherwise, I will openly say that, thanks to the heretical Religion from which this originated, I and my men will openly disregard any such myth as naught but that. A lie. The Darcsen are as human as the rest of us."
"What?! Lies?!" Rosie balked "Kid, have you looked at their hair and eyes?!"
"Hair color doesn't denote anything of importance to me, especially regarding this conversation, Corporal." The Colonel returned calmly. "Corporal Gunther, please, depart." He nodded to Isara, then touched his Vox-bead and said "Colin. Down to the riverbank. Take three Guardsmen with you, please."
"Oh, hell no." Rosie growled "She ain't going nowhere. Ya hear that, Dark-Hair?" And she turned to Isara, grabbing her by the collar. Whilst Isara was unfazed for a bit, she froze, looking at ... The cock of the gun sounded off from behind her and she turned just in time to see the boy pointing the Bolt Pistol at her. She stepped back, staggering a bit as she watched the boy's unchanging face.
"Kid. Put it down." Largo said authoritatively.
Ignoring him, the Colonel glared at Rosie. His voice, unemotional, robotic even, made Rosie turn pale, as he warned "Harm or in any way cause injury to her or any Darcsen, of your squad or not, Corporal Stark, and I will make sure that you fall in the care of me and my men." his words accentuated by the sound of four pairs of boots and the hiss of arming Lasguns and a las-pistol, pointed at the duet. The redhead had to take a few moments to compose herself.
"What has happened, Colonel?" Colin asked, his Las Pistol aimed right at Largo, finger away from the trigger.
"Insubordination, Major." The Colonel said coldly.
"I see. The Lieutenant of Squad 7 was trailing us after you called, sir. He lagged behind, getting his Sergeant." The Major hummed, thumbing the safety, his other hand placed over the pommel of his own Power Sword. The Colonel nodded, waving the weapons down... He already had made a scene with these two. No need to get the Lieutenant involved. Stowing their weapons, the Cadians waited as two more pairs of boots joined them.
"What is going on here?!" Welkin barked, looking between the two parties.
"We-"
Rosie was cut short by the Colonel speaking calmly "I and Corporal Gunther were engaged in small-talk when these two came to interrupt and pick a fight with her, Lieutenant. When I asked them, thrice, may I add, to tell me what the problem was, they elected to tell me about their alignment toward Darcsen and began to harass Isara, reason for which I drew my pistol and called the Commissar in... But I would hazard a bet that it's not just that with Sergeant Potter, however."
"What?" Largo's brow quirked up. "Whaddaya mean, kid!?"
"Judging by demeanor, you're a Veteran." The Colonel continued "The First Europan War, since this is the second... You fought through it well and think that the Lieutenant cannot lead just because he has the name of Gunther, since he's too young... You're glaring at me much the same way for leading a Regiment and I've seen it, Sergeant. I'm not blind."
... Largo had to take a moment or two to process the kid nailing it on the forehead... But as he regained his composure, he started to speak "Well, you hit it right on the head, kid. I'm not keen on no Greenhorns running our unit. You won one fight and are already pulling up as a bigshot, boss-man." turning to Welkin "What makes you so worthy of leading our squad, 'sides the name? 'Cause so far I ain't seen much."
Alicia wanted to intervene. Hell, she looked to the Colonel or Major to intervene as Largo stepped up to face Welkin. But she noticed Welkin was multi-tasking, at least in looking... He was looking at some reeds by the riverbank and at Largo... Crossing his arms and taking up a more stern tone and attitude, Welkin, not intimidated, spoke "How about we make a bet, Largo? I'll have the Grand Vasel Bridge back in our hands in 48 hours. And if I do, you will have to listen to my orders and like it!"
Largo, Alicia and even the Cadians went bug-eyed at that... But the lancer man laughed and asked "Your funeral, Boss-man... And if I win?"
"Then I will resign and hand you control of Squad 7." The Lieutenant spoke sternly. Oh, boy, well done, Lieutenant...
Welkin extended his hand "Do we have a deal?"
Largo's smirk as he shook Welkin's hand told them as much... Oh, joy...