Once more unto the breach

by PapaFrankuu

The crew of an experimental Abrams tank found themselves in a world where Combined Arms have long since become obsolete and mechs called Feldreß ruled the battlefield, amidst a civilization that is more than eager to dig its own grave. Crossposted from AO3 under the author name Lukenstor(underscore)Systems

5. Replacements

Chapter 5: Replacements

"I've been in and out of Afghanistan for many years, but doing that job was the worst. I'd guess we picked up around 1-2 people in your condition a day during fighting season. It's hard to express what it was like, after picking up people with missing body parts who are barely alive, and having the medic scream at us (the pilots) to go faster because this one... this one might make it. Of course, we can only go so fast and our Blackhawks took a lot of damage from being pushed to their limits."

– Unnamed American medevac pilot, addressing a survivor of a VBIED attack.

June 15, Stellar Year 2148

"Situation resolved – good work, everyone."

The handler announced, her voice a bit shaky, the squadron members responded with bitter silence. Indeed, the scopes are clear, and the Legion has been successfully routed, but it did absolutely nothing to lift the mood amongst them in any way. No matter how many more of these wretched machines they eradicate, it won't change the fact that Kaie is most likely gone, even if it's otherwise, the chances of them bringing her back alive is slim at best.

"About Kirschblüte… I'm - I'm so sorry. If only I'd been more…"

A few of the squad members almost wanted to scoff. Yeah right, as if losing yet another expendable Processor is gonna matter to the little piggy princess. She's not convincing them no matter how sincere she sounded.

Besides, what's even the point? There's no way in hell of undoing that mistake anymore.

"...You're sorry?" But it seems that Laughing Fox could no longer keep his lid on, as his voice was virtually dripping with venomous intent.

"W-What?" The Handler did a double take at the question.

"You?! SORRY?! The hell are you feeling sorry for? What does a few Eighty-Six casualties even mean for you? You still get to go home, eat up and sleep all safe and sound just the same, eh?! Stop spouting bullshit with that meek little voice of yours, like it somehow makes a fuckin' difference!"

Theo's rage flared up as violently as a Löwe's ammunition reserve cooking off, causing several of his squad members to wince from the sheer volume of his outburst. A few even disconnected from the resonance and sat in stunned silence. Was that… even necessary?

"Listen here you little… I mean, SURE, when we are on our down time and have nothing better to do, we can play your stupid little game of pretend, like you're some pure, noble, all virtuous saint that's so above it all, never discriminated, that it's just all One. Giant. Misunderstanding. Right?! Well, read the damn mood for once, for fuck's sake! One of our friends is dead or dying now! We're not interested in stroking your precious little ego! So get a clue alright, you hypocrite!" Theo continues his vocal assault on his handler as the button of his uniform was forcibly torn off due to his erratic gestures, as if he was giving the verbal beatdown of her life in person.

"Hypocrite?!" The accusation hit Lena like a slap in the face, she hastily tried to deny that, but Theo cut her off.

"Oh, so what? You think you're not one? You think we didn't care about our casualties?! Oh of fucking course, we're Eighty-Six, just mere animals, incapable of higher levels of cognition unlike you lots!"

"Tha-That's not true at all!" Lena, bombarded with accusations, tries to protest with tears building up in her eyes.

"Not true? Well I beg to differ! You're the one who's safe and sound behind the Grand Mur, while leaving us in this rotten hellhole, surrounded by minefields and killer drones, and have us all fend for ourselves with nothing but dysfunctional pieces of shit! None of us are even entitled to a grave marker! If that isn't treating us like swine, then what is?!"

Laughing Fox gave Lena a piece of his mind with all the subtlety of a floodlight, showering her with the harsh, baleful glare of contempt and hostility—towards her, and towards the Republic in general. In contrast, the stark silence of the other Processors conveyed a different sentiment entirely: a cold indifference, as frigid as being thrown into a hole in a frozen lake.

"Protecting the state is the duty and honor of a citizen?! Like we give a flying fuck about that! You forced us to fight to the last! You trapped us here! Isn't millions of casualties for the past 9 years enough, haven't you lots destroyed enough already?! You're just part of the system, accepting the status quo like the entitled little princess you fucking are! And here you think just chatting with us every now and then like some Goody Two-Shoes is enough to make even the slightest difference? I don't care if you never called us "Eighty-Six", that's the only thing you actually bothered to do! If you think we're not livestock, how come you never even bothered to ask for our names?!"

Sighing to himself, Raiden decided that enough is enough. Sure, he never really liked the Handler, her baseless optimism and hopeless naïvety felt almost grating at times. But even though what Theo said was largely true, at most what she did was no worse than any other Alba in her position. No, screw that, she is the only one in recent memory that actually bothered to help. He can't just let her unfairly be on the receiving end of all of their frustrations that'd been left to build up and simmer for nearly a decade.

However, Theo still has one more curveball to throw.

"And now you've taken advantage of us, you are tossing those newcomers up the same creek without a paddle! Did you even realize the implications of not tuning their RAIDs? You could have gotten them killed as well! Or better yet if they can't tell apart which is which and blow up a couple of our friends in the process!" Suddenly Theo's tone plunged into deathly quietness, as if something just clicked in his mind, "Or wait, that's exactly what they wanted? War's ending, so might as well speed up the process then!"

The sudden accusation threw everyone connected to the resonance into a loop.

"Tha - that's impossible! No, there's no way…"

"Are they 'reinforcements' in the first place? Or were they sent here to finish the fucking job?! How would you explain things then, 'it was an accident'?"

"N-No! They were sent to-" Lena tries to explain the reason.

"Handler One, cut the resonance." Raiden decided to now cut in, not letting her continue her explanation lest she sets off Theo again. Announcing firmly, "The battle is over, you don't need to command us anymore. We'll have to check on Kaie's wreck as well as our reinforcement, and see if she managed to survive that stupid attempt of hers to charge. Laughing Fox was out of line, but he's right, now is really not the time for you to be here."

"… B-but what about th-" Lena was about to protest, but then stopped, seeing that they won't change their mind. Tearfully, She quickly uttered an apology, "… I'm sorry…"

With that, the Handler severed her resonance. Good, she didn't need to know about that, not now anyways.

"Theo, about the backup, are you really sure they're… some sort of hit squad?" Kurena was the first to break the silence, her voice sounding rather tense.

"I'm telling you, there is a possibility! It doesn't make sense, this is supposed to be the last stop before the end of the line, we're never supposed to get any backup! And then these wackos just pop up out of nowhere, radio silent and in a heavy tank, something they knew we'll have difficulties dealing with!" Theo answers with a bit of mirth in his tone.

"There's only a few more months to go for us, you think that the mud bathers can't even wait that long?" Haruto points out, slightly apprehensive at Theo's conclusion about the arrival of the newcomers.

"But think about it, Haruto. Those idiots managed to delude themselves into believing that the war would actually end! Maybe they coped so hard they actually thought we're not being taken care of fast enough!" Theo asserted, still sounding more paranoid by the minute.

"So you're saying that they actually believe the Legion's numbers are thin enough where SOP no longer works? Jeez, I can't believe they would fall for this." Daiya was feeling quite skeptical and uncertain at first, but he was starting to see that Theo's uncertainties might not be all that far-fetched. What did Kaie tell him once before? The Republic is illogical to a fault, like someone expecting a plaque of purity and virtue while moonlighting as a prostitute.

"Yeah, Daiya, I'm starting to suspect that they're planning to kill us here and now, probably scared of the miniscule chance of us finding a surviving country and spilling the beans on them." Theo agrees, as if reading Daiya's speculation.

Raiden started contemplating what Theo was on about. No matter how he perceived things, the details simply refused to add up completely. Even if the Republic managed to sneak a literal kill team under the guise of "reinforcements" just so they can strike down the squadron when their guards are down, then why fumble things in such a colossal manner? Why send in just a lone, unescorted tank without even functioning comms? Not only that, they arrived late and spent a lot of time hanging back, only springing into action when Kaie landed in deep trouble. If the tank was really sent in to speed up the process, then they just wasted a perfectly good opportunity.

The Republic he knew may be incompetent to comedic levels, but can still be ruthlessly efficient when they really wanted to get things done. This is how they all ended up here beyond the Grand Mur after all. They could have gone for simpler methods if they wanted to exterminate the Eighty Six down to the last man, like issuing the special orders much sooner, or shutting down the automated factories that supplied them.

But on the other hand, it is still the Republic. It runs on a bewildering duality of extremes that straight up defies common sense. It's better not to get careless, but being too trigger happy won't improve matters either.

"Someone please cover us! We're gonna check up on Kaie!" Mikuri requested as she urged Leukosia forward cautiously, with Tohzan following close behind. They still have a job to do and sitting around will not accomplish anything.

"ON IT!" Theo growled as he pushed his Juggernaut straight towards the wreckage site. He lost a comrade today, he isn't going to risk it and lose another.

"Just don't do anything stupid to provoke the Reinforcements, Theo, we still don't know their real purpose here." Raiden warns as he and Shin order the other processors to consolidate.

"Oh please Raiden, I'm not that Stupid."

---

Silence ensued as the rest of Spearhead was having a staredown with the literal steel clad Behemoth. No one uttered a sound until the Tank's onboard speakers came to life again.

"I assume you are the Commanding Officer?" The person inside the tank addressed Shin clearly as a composite sensor mount as large as an Ameise's head remained fixated on his Feldreẞ.

"That is correct." Shin replied with his usual calmness. It seems that he and Raiden's theory was correct all along, now he just needs to try and deescalate the situation, other questions can wait till they get back home.

Chris thought that hardly anything can surprise him more now, but the day seems to be chock-full of them. He watched as the CO unit's canopy swung open and the pilot inside stepped out, and almost did a double take. For a moment he almost thought it was a younger version of their Platoon Leader, Bossman, until he noticed the scarlet eyes. The people of this world sure do have some strange color palettes.

Seeing that their leader stood down, several other units followed suit as well. As Chris managed to get a good look at the squadron's members, a cold, heavy weight began to settle in the pit of his stomach as the truth dawned on him.

These pilots all share two things in common: none of them have white hair, silver eyes, or exhibit any of the notable Alba traits; and all of them are too young to be anywhere near the frontlines, even the oldest amongst them would still be stuck in basic if they were in the Army.

So this is where all the colored folks went, the Maggies branded them as subhuman, cast them out into the contested regions, striken them off the records and forced them to pilot these suicide machines, no need to grant them their citizenships back if they never return in one piece! Of course these are fucking "UGVs", one wouldn't consider a mech piloted by livestock "crewed" the same way they'd consider a pigeon guided missile one.

And the fact that they're all in their teens, they look no older than his second youngest sister… what happened to the adults couldn't have been more obvious by now. He needs answers, hopefully Annette can give them.

"Then, would your subordinate explain to me why the hell did he open fire at friendly forces that were performing CASEVAC*?" Jackson's voice emanated from Thunderclap's loudspeaker, finally breaking the tense silence.

Theo had no idea what case-vac even means, but now that he finally got a good look at the two dismounts, he really wanted to kick himself. How, just how he could have made such a massive blunder? Sure, the tank crew weren't Eighty-Six even with the similar skin and hair color, but they weren't white pigs like he assumed earlier either. But when the tank drove into position with its guns directed in his squadmates' direction, he feared for the worst.

Shin looks at Theo with a look that says "Well? It's your mess, buddy.". Theo, with all of the anger and stress venting out of his system after finally learning that Kaie actually had a shot of surviving. Slowly steps right in front of the tank. He made a vow with his fellow squadmates when they first formed, he will live by his principles, so he will own up to his mistakes.

"I was being cautious, your tank was looking right at us!" God, he fucking hated how childish his voice sounded right now. He tried his best to justify his moment of panic back then, but deep down he realized that it would be of little use. Staring at the blocky green tank, he felt like Shin getting chewed out by Old Man Aderlecht, except this time he had no good excuse.

"You're not being cautious, you're being fucking stupid." Jackson coldly states, he is not in the mood of playing games, shrapnels from APS interceptions are dangerous and could've severely wounded his men and possibly, outright kill their evacuated casualty. "If you had taken just a second before firing that shot, you would've seen my men already giving first aid to your friend over here!"

"But you were not communicating using the RAIDs, so I assumed the worst!" Theo explains as he looks at the dismounted crew and Kaie, his stomach twisting in regret and frustration for letting his anger and paranoia get the better of him.

"Still doesn't excuse the fact that you opened fire at friendly forces. Seems to me that you don't trust your commanding officer's word when she announced our arrival, unless she didn't then that's a massive fuck up, we'll get to that later. The problem here is what happens if my APS* hadn't intercepted that shot and I immediately retaliate in kind to protect my men from further harm, how many casualties do you think you would have today?!" Jack pauses to let the point cross to the young man in front of him. He then sees the look of horror plaster in his face as he lets the dread sink in.

"That's right, FOUR, four dead, because one person was too high on their vengeance, and cost not only him and their squadmates but also their friend WHO COULD HAVE LIVED!" Jack finishes admonishing him now that he felt his frustrations leaving his body, knowing that he shouldn't go too hard on him. Dammit to hell, he's just a kid, and Jack would have done the same if he were in his shoes! But he needs to know that dangerous actions have dire consequences.

"I'm… I'm sorry, I acted out of line." Theo apologizes sorrowfully, the reality of his actions weighing down on him like an anvil.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to my crew and your friend here" Jack sighs, then focuses on the more important problem. "Sticky, how is she holding up?"

"We have already stemmed the bleeding, but she needs proper medical attention ASAP! Hey, you guys, do you have anything that can carry her back to base?" Eric systematically responded as he and Chris secured Kaie with the stretcher's belts.

"Oh, we have someone that can carry her!" Mikuri perked up once again, seeing as the tension had been somewhat resolved.

"Would you call them for us please?" Jack requests as he aims the main gun in a 'salute' position, no need to make the kids more nervous with a giant cannon pointing at them.

"I've already called in Fido." Raiden says as he watches Kaie's squadmates go to the tank's crewmen to help out, not long before seeing the old Scavenger carefully trod down the incline, much to the delight of the Crewmen who already find the unit adorable due to its stature, they should ask General Dynamics if they can make one once they get back.

"Man, look at him go. The way it walks is really kinda dog-like." Eric mused as the almost cartoonish recovery robot started its work, for some reason "Fido" doesn't move with the same stiffness the other Barretts he saw in the Republic exhibited, "Also, why is he so orange? Wouldn't that just give away his position?"

"Relax, Fido's smart, he knows very well how to stay out of trouble." Shin addressed Fido like he would an old friend, or a loyal pet in his case, "Also, since he is a non-combatant, he seems to rest fairly low on the Legion's targeting priority list."

Christ almighty, Chris thought to himself, 'Nette really wasn't exaggerating on that part, the Legion can be that stupid at times. It's truly their sheer numbers and unrelenting stubbornness that made them a lethal threat in the first place.

"Hey, isn't it dangerous for you guys to be out of your vehicles while we are still in enemy territory?" Jackson asked as he saw the relaxed postures of the pilots. Sure, the scopes are clear as far as they can see, but is now really the time to mill about doing small talk?

"Hey, you're one to talk! You have your own crew out here as well, in infantry gear no less!" Haruto protests as he helps secure Kaie's wreck into one of Fido's strange trailers that for some reason is also legged.

Jackson can't help but laugh at his reply, they might be child soldiers, but soldiers nonetheless, and they're stuck in this hellhole together. He can't help but be reminded of the young enlisted members of his old Ukrainian tank platoon, young and energetic, yet still skilled enough to put their battered old T-64Bs to good use. Hopefully, he and his crew can make a bigger difference here.

"Touché kid. Anyway, once we have her and her wreck secure, we're going to follow you guys back to base, we know jack shit where anything is." He states as he moves the tank out of the path of the forming convoy.

The group then proceeded to carry Kaie to Fido's open cabin, as they then tied more straps to it they then discussed on who can look after her, Haruto speaks out.

"Alright people, we need someone to watch over her during the trip, as much as me and Theo want to do it, our Juggernauts don't have any kind of autopilot system, nor can it be carried by FIdo because it would take hours to do so, and we don't have time. So we have to drive it back ourselves." The rest of Spearhead all have uneasy expressions as they look at each other to see what they can do, fortunately one person has someone in mind.

"I have one!" The voice came from the 2 dismounted tank crew, who were standing by Kaie's feet as they checked the straps if they were secured, once done the Meridiana-Orienta then looked at the Vespertina one and spoke.

"Chris, hold the fort for me, will ya? I have to drive Thunderclap on the way back, cause I can't rely on Jack to not be attracted to drive her to the nearest ditch like it's full of hot shit or something." Eric is well aware that this is not only the first time Chris had drawn blood, but also the first time he'd seen a fellow soldier bleed. He really needs to start getting used to the attrition associated with this line of work, starting with nursing their squadmate.

Besides, this is a new platoon they are getting into, no better time to start building rapport than now, caring and supporting the wounded.

"Sure thing. Let me grab my gun first." Chris then hastily runs back to the tank to grab his own MCX SPEAR, as he waits for him to come back Eric feels someone tap him on his back, he turns and sees a young blonde man beaming at him, clearly enamored by the Tank behind him.

"HELL YEAH, finally some actual fuckin' armor! And DAMN this is a mighty fine looking beauty here! Haven't seen something this massive since the last time I went to a military parade!"

"Woah kid, calm down for a bit, we are in a bit of a sticky situation, whilst being within the combat zone, let's talk after we get back to base yeah?"

"Aw, come on! Captain said that scopes are clear now, and his intuition never fails, it's okay to relax a bit now!"

"Let's just take things carefully and head back to camp now, better safe than sorry." Eric persuades the young man, luckily it worked.

"Righto then, but seeing how you just dispatched all those Legion, any tin cans dumb enough to ask for round 2 will get blown to Kingdom Come for sure!"

"Ochi, Shin says it's time to go!" Kurena waves at him, much to his disappointment, but there will be more time to chat after they get to safety.

"Don't worry, kid. We can talk later, promise." Eric promises, this makes Ochi smile widely.

"I'm gonna hold you to that man!" He then makes a small salute and runs back to his Feldreß, shortly after Chris arrives with his rifle, Eric sighs with relief.

"Finally, the Scapegoat is here! Took you long enough!" He exclaims with a mocking clap, prompting Chris to give him the finger.

"Fuck off, man! You suggested this in the first place."

"I know, I'm just fuckin' with ya. Well, now that you're here, I'm going back to Thunderclap, it seems like we are about to move out in a few minutes." As they do final checks in their kit they notice another blond approaching them, the guy with the Fox insignia that Jack chewed out earlier.

"Excuse me, I just want to say… Sorry, I really fucked up back then. I wasn't thinking straight and gave into my rage."

"It's a'ight, what's done is done, just be thankful that nothing horrible happened. We get it, it's war, and with you guys suffering casualties in an op, everyone is on edge. Just try not to do that again next time, pretty please?" He then sees Jackson do the Mount up gesture. "Looks like I need to go, I'll see you guys later. Oh, and Chris! No sleeping on the job!" Eric said as he started to sprint back to the tank.

Theo then walks near the cabin housing his friend and tries to fight his tears as he apologizes to her.

"I'm sorry, Kaie…" Theo muttered quietly, feeling absolutely terrible, "I acted out of instinct, and almost got you killed. Hopefully you won't get mad at me for that one."

He slowly stood up and looked at Chris, nose slightly red from him crying as he thanked him.

"Thank you for looking after Kaie, we thought she's dead for sure with that stunt she pulled. We Eighty-Sixers don't really expect much from the Republic, so you guys arriving is a legitimately colossal surprise for us. Thank you for killing that Löwe too." Chris just smiles at this kid in front of him and responds.

"Hey, let's put this all behind us, she's fine and that's what matters, and I promise that I will take care of her during our trip back, I feel responsible for her wellbeing too." Theo seems satisfied with the Crewman's answer as he too returns to his Feldreß.

"Welp, now that that's well and done, time to get back to work."

Chris then boards the storage cabin as it starts to be pulled by Fido as the convoy finally moves, he fishes for his pack of smokes as he looks for a good place to sit down. He decided to sit near the open door of the cabin as he lit up his cigarette to gather his thoughts.

"All callsigns, this is Undertaker, move out." The lead Feldreß's loudspeakers blared as the convoy picks up speed, Chris tossed a quick glance at the unconscious pilot (Apparently her name is "Kay"?) as he keenly observes the slow but thankfully steady rise and fall of her chest.

…Chris is only now aware that she is only in her Underwear, since they had to remove her uniform to check for wounds.

"Hmm, should be around B, still not near to 'Nette's C unfortunately.…" He thinks out loud before suddenly realizing what he was saying.

Flushed, He abruptly looks away and mentally scolds himself for unintentionally trying to compare her bust size to Annette's.

Downtime is the absolute worst.

---

"Because I'm somewhere in between"

"My love, my agony"

"You see, I'm somewhere in between"

"My life is falling to pieces"

"Somebody put me together"

"Between my love and my agony"

"You see, I'm somewhere in between"

"My life is falling to pieces"

Faith no More's ending guitar riffs blasted through the speakers of Chris' phone as he enjoyed the scenery in front of him, seeing it made him homesick, as it reminded him of his family home and ranch back in Doe Valley, from the vast green plains to the lush forests. He wonders what his Parents and Siblings are doing, he hopes that the government reassures them that they are doing whatever they could to look for them three, as he knows his Dad will try to use his connections during his service in the army to figure out the reality of the situation. NASA better be doing something about those rifts that were happening back then now that it has claimed not only their soldiers but also a Prototype owned by the Federal Government. He will certainly feel disappointed if they didn't do anything as four months have already passed since they got banished to this twisted alternate earth where everyone is trying to survive in a forever war against Skynet, the Terminator fans and conspiracy theorists would be having a field day.

A shudder ran down his spine as he thought drifted back to the war machines that he'd laid waste to just moments ago. Whoever designed those things are demented, straight up evil. That giant spider tank could have just shot the poor girl and been done with it, but instead it went out of its way to crush her, the bastard was literally toying with her!

But it's also thanks to this absurd display of sadism that he managed to have enough time to stop it. The guilt of what happened to the girl because he missed that first shot was still gnawing away at him, like piranhas preying on a luckless gazelle swimming in a swamp.

It didn't take long before the convoy reached an old intersection, where they made a right turn, the opposite road led to what seems to be a small ghost town, he wondered how cleanly picked that place is, and hopes that he and his buddies can still gather some supplies and furniture there for themselves once they are settled in.

After a few minutes of luckily uneventful travel, Chris finally discovered the first signs of civilization in the region: a paved clearing with a broken fountain situated in the center, surrounded by worn two-storey blocks decorated with graffiti, probably the main barracks of the whole Squadron. Looks like this will be his and his and his crewmates' new home for the rest of their stay here in the front.

The convoy slowly crawled to a halt as Chris heard voices coming from a hastily erected metal hangar from the far left of the FOB. After making sure that Fido's bizarre centipede train came to a full stop, he went to work unfastening the straps securing the stretcher, and started moving Kaie towards the exit of the cabin.

Turns out there are no dedicated medical facilities in the base whatsoever, according to a scrawny blonde pilot going by Chise Authen who seemingly appeared out of nowhere and helped him dismount Kaie, the best they've got are a bunch of rudimentary "autodocs" programmed to only stitch up wounds that aren't grave enough to prevent them from sorting the next day. Therefore the squad had to look after her the conventional way.

It went without saying that if anyone gets too gravely wounded to carry on, well, that is what their sidearms are for.

His train of thought inevitably arrived at a recollection of the war in Ukraine that Jackson shared with him once. Faced with mounting casualties, the AFU increasingly deployed UAVs to combat Russian infantry. One of said UAVs managed to get a jump on a small element of soldiers that were fording through a swamp, they didn't realize that they were being hunted until the drone was right above them and dropped its payload.

Worse still, it was a small drone with an even smaller explosive, so the two unfortunate conscripts that were caught in the blast didn't die immediately. But the blast knocked them into the ground, and the shrapnel from the warhead tore into their spines. Pinned under the weight of their own gear and too wounded to crawl out, they spent their final, agonizing moments drowning in the murky swamp as their comrades fled, fearing further attacks from AFU operatives. It was a horrific way to die.

During peacetime, drowning in a three-foot-deep swamp would seem like a ludicrous way to go, but on the battlefield, where chaos reigns, anything can go wrong in the most catastrophic ways. The thought of mere children enduring such a fate filled Chris with a nauseating mix of horror and rage. Oh, what he would give to have the entire San Magnolian government and military command receive the Nuremberg treatment…

He was actually glad that Eric packed a literal clinic's supply of medical aid in their first aid medical backpacks. He took his skillset as a combat medic very seriously, and mentioned how it saved more than a few lives back in Ukraine. Hence why Eric enlisted as a 68W when he enlisted before applying as a 19K, since then he became the platoon's Corpsman back home.

The faded white and black Feldreßs all proceeded to arrange themselves in front of the derelict fountain, battered and flimsy looking, but still standing defiantly against the odds. One by one the 57mm Bofors cannons swung upwards, allowing the canopies to open and the "living CPUs" inside to disembark, at long last earning a moment of reprise after surviving yet another engagement.

Thunderclap, on the other hand, rumbled its way towards the old hangar where several mechanics prepared for its arrival. The whine of its Cummins hybrid diesel contrasted sharply from the soft rumbles produced by the Juggernaut's power packs.

"Damn, that is one mean lookin' bastard, never expected to see a heavy tank again in my life. Right'o boys, park her over here!" An aging yet rugged looking mechanic with greasy gray hair and eyes hidden behind dark shades signals Thunderclap to a marked spot right outside of the hangar.

His observation was interrupted when he heard someone call his attention.

"Hey, big guy! You're spacing out a bit there, everything okay?" Lecca called out, behind her stands Mikuri, followed by Daiya and Anju who were walking towards them and pushing what appears to be an old gurney, it's bed sheet covers are yellow from age.

"Just taking in all the scenery, Ma'am. Oh, nice, you guys brought in a proper stretcher for her to lay in, thanks a bunch." Chris then gestures towards Daiya and Anju to bring the gurney near him, he then crouches down near Kaie and carries her, which prompts Daiya to clear the bed of the gurney of any visible debris, while Anju grabs the loose clothing left behind the collapsible stretcher.

"Hehe, you sure sound funny." Mikuri remarked with a slight giggle, while Lecca also stifled a chortle, neither of them having never met someone from rural Kentucky before. "I've never heard this kind of accent before, and all sorts of people flocked to the Republic back then!"

"Uh, just a sec." They watched as the newcomer cautiously set Kaie down on the gurney, interesting how such a big, burly soldier decked out in full infantry gear is capable of this level of care, it can almost be described as intimate. Seeing him focused on the task at hand, they decided to refrain from distracting him with idle chatter, and each grabbed a strap to help secure Kaie on the gurney.

"Sorry, what is it that you said about accents?" Chris asks now that he has Kaie transferred to the gurney, he gave a thumbs up to Daiya and Anju who nodded their thanks and pushed it towards the entrance of the barracks where Eric is waiting, this time slinging a more sizable medpack containing equipment necessary for blood transfusion.

Inaudibly, he and Anju had a back-and-forth before nodding and pulling out a matching blood bag and an IV, and got back to work with the transfusion procedures. A few other Processors gathered around to try and help while the others uttered their thanks in person.

"Ah, well, about that…" Mikuri said with an awkward smile. Never once did she ever get the chance to talk to a professional soldier. The way these men carried themselves is in stark contrast to the white pigs of the transportation units. Sure, the big bloke in front of her doesn't have the air of a bad guy, but part of her felt that an army man like him won't enjoy having his lineage and pride insulted. And considering how they are most likely spending the last few months they have together, unintentionally antagonizing him is far from the best of ideas. Fortunately Chris is more bothered that he didn't answer her properly earlier.

"Uh, wait, sorry if I didn't respond immediately earlier. It's just that I want to make sure that your friend is completely safe from further harm, mostly because I feel partially responsible for her injuries." He tried his best to look as less imposing as possible, a nigh impossible task if you have an assault carbine strapped in.

"What do you mean? If it wasn't for you, that Löwe would have done her in for sure." Lecca asks, the man in front of him definitely looks guilty for some reason, it's not like he's the one who shot Kaie, right?

"I should have nailed that asshole with the first shot, but I fuckin' missed. Because of that she nearly became a fatality." Chris bitingly responds, as if still holding contempt at the Löwe earlier.

"Come on, big guy, don't dwell on the 'what if's." Mikuri beamed at him and tried to cheer things up, "The more you do, the more it will eat you up. And that is why I hate 'ifs', they're always about stuff we can no longer change. What's important here is you saved her, sure she got struck, but we won't be able to treat her wounds properly without you guys showing up with your medical equipment, so cheer up would you?" Mikuri gives her pep talk as she places a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, with Lecca doing the same by patting him on the back. It's weird how this soldier, with a stature that can be seen as intimidating, is just as easily emotional as Kurena, it's actually rather cute.

"Thank's a lot, gals. I'll also make it up to Kay for that embarrassing fumble once she recovers. Maybe make her one of Kentucky's classics, a Hot Brown Sandwich." He finally smiled, a bit caught off-guard at their friendly gestures, but that quickly turned into awkwardness as Lecca tried and failed to stifle her laughter.

"Woah, woah, Kay? You two literally just met and haven't even had a proper conversation. And you've already given her a nickname? Slow down right there, buster!" Lecca teased with a rather playful smirk, her usual mischievous and slightly cocky demeanor on full display.

"See, that's what I meant about his accent." Mikuri chimed in, giggling as well.

"Okay ladies, let's just take it easy here, I meant no offense but, just saying her name as I hear it, honest!" Chris holds his hands up to try and absolve the awkward situation.

"Maybe it's because of his regional dialect, that's why he can't pronounce our names properly."

"You know, Mikuri, you might be onto something. Excuse me, Sir, can you try to pronounce my friend's name? Mikuri Cairo, callsign: Leukosia."

Chris tried his best to wrap his tongue around the strange name combination, "Uhh, M-Meek-kouwri Cairo, Processor name: Leukosia."

"See Lecca? It's all tied to his accent!"

"Wait, did it really sound that obvious?" Chris sheepishly scratches his head in response.

"Alright, sir, you can try saying her name this time. Lecca Lin, Processor name: Burnt Tayl!"

"Lecca Lin, callsign Burnt Tail." Thankfully the brunette pilot's name is a lot more straightforward, and Chris' rural Kentucky accent didn't twist his tongue around with it, "Also, no need for much formalities here. The name's Christopher Woods, but you can just call me Chris, callsign's Lefty."

"Lefty? Did you get that nickname just because you're left handed?"

"Pretty much, they have to get me specialized guns just so I can pass my basics without getting hot brass all over my face." Especially bullpups, the standard ones were the absolute worst.

Lecca laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "Come on, you should pick one yourself that actually sounds nicer! Getting this far should be an achievement that's worth celebrating. That's what we do after 1 year of service. "

"Exactly, on the other hand 'Lefty' sounds like you were penalized or something. Maybe we can come up with one for you if you're not sure!" Mikuri quibbed, sounding very enthusiastic once again.

"Nah, it's fine. It's Army tradition back at home. You two, on the other hand, got really cool ones" Chris felt compelled to do the Just Right Pacha Impression.

"Aw, you're too kind." Lecca felt her cheeks grow warm from embarrassment and quickly tried to compose herself. It's not often that she gets compliments from guys that are complete strangers.

"So Mr. Woods, your pronunciation is based on phonetics huh? This is interesting, Nice to meet you Christopher!" Mikuri offers her hands for a handshake, Lecca does the same and offers hers as well, in which Chris happily obliges, finally he has made a connection with the teens. However, this is the moment when Eric barged in.

"Sorry to interrupt your welcoming committee here. But I need to borrow Mr. Ladykiller right here." The two girls sniggers as Chris shot a 'what the fuck' glare at Eric, who simply cackles at his reaction. He sighs and bids farewell to the two.

"Well, looks like I am needed, see you soon!" He waves and then walks with Eric as they go towards the barracks. "So, what's the situation? Has anything gone wrong?"

"Well, it turns out that the Autodoc suture machine they have has gone bust, and the kids are not that well versed in field medicine, they were never trained on that and the high fatality rates meant that it ain't that useful to begin with. So we'll have to stitch the wound ourselves. I'll need your help in removing the large shrapnel that got stuck in Kaie's gut, thankfully it doesn't look like the intestines got pierced, but the wound is deep. I'll start prepping her for the operation, meanwhile you should start changing out of your combat uniform and sanitize thoroughly."

Chris affirmed and followed Eric inside the barracks, just as he was about to ask where the Men's Locker room is, Eric beat him to it.

"Ochi here will show you where the locker room is." He then calls for the boy. "HEY OCHI!"

In a few seconds Ochi Anton darted in from another room, carrying a tub of hot water.

"Yeah! I'm here."

"Show this guy where the showers are, please."

"Sure thing man, yow, follow me!" Ochi puts the tub aside and beckons Chris to follow, leaving Eric again to his devices as he carries the hot tub left behind by Ochi and goes back to the clinic where Kaie is, once inside, sets up a sanitized tray and opens up his suture kit.

"I must admit, you guys are pretty resilient for a guerilla unit, fighting against a technologically superior foe, kinda reminds me of home in a way." Eric remarks as Anju and Daiya are monitoring Kaie's condition as their new squad member preps his tools for surgery.

"Which nation are you guys from anyway? Your military must be quite capable as well, the way you dispatched the remaining Legion speaks volumes." Daiya asks, the thought of the White Pigs employing Foreign nationals to combat the Legion piqued his interest. "You guys work for the Republic's armed forces?"

"Those fuckers? Hell no!" Daiya laughs at Eric's vehement denial. "We are merely serving under a contract, we do something for them, they do something for us." Eric decided against revealing to them that they are from a completely different reality, he will let Jack decide when to spill the beans.

"Where we came from, conflicts are dime-a-dozen, some major, some minor, hell there's even a major one that's currently in the brew." He explained, trying to go for a Soldiers from a land far away story.

"Wait, you are not fighting the Legion from where you're from? I've heard that they have already taken at least half of the continent by now." Daiya inquired. Eric scratches his head, looking for a way to explain the kind of warfare his earth experiences on the daily, he then uses his time in Ukraine as an example.

"Well… Not exactly the Legion. Well, they somewhat act like them, sending wave after wave of grunts and armor. So our platoon adapted by grouping them into killzones and picking them off using artillery strikes and stand-off munitions. Sounds pretty grueling, but you have to change your strats when you're that badly outnumbered and outgunned. Then those fuckers started retaliating by shelling our trench lines with Willy Pete. Any unlucky sop caught outside of cover gets cooked, but those who are inside cover can receive an unlucky indirect hit and die from asphyxiation." Eric recalled the days he'd spent in the trenches of Avdiivka.

Daiya looked a bit queasy when he quickly realized that the foreign tanker here wasn't talking about the legion at all, but a human army. Sure, he and his fellow Processors have seen death and destruction aplenty, but the prospect of being forced to end the life of another human for the sake of survival or malice is not one he wants to experience any time soon.

"It does make you wonder who the real monsters are. Doesn't it?" Anju stated the obvious, despite how relentlessly the Legion has pressured them, they are still coded to never deploy chemical warfare against their targets. She grimaced a bit, recalling the horrific effects of White Phosphorus munitions from books and combat footage of the earlier wars.

"You can liken the Ruskies with the Legion, due to their love of using meat wave assaults for advancing and taking territory, but that's neither here nor there. Anyway, how is your friend holding?"

"Breathing is still normal, I was actually surprised that the shrapnel wound is no longer bleeding considering how deep it was, what kind of medication did you use here?" Anju asks as she observes the metal piece still lodged into Kaie, but little to no bleeding around the cavity.

"It's a Celox-A Hemostatic Applicator, it uses hemostatic granules that fill with blood to cover the wound, it helps stabilize deep wounds while you are within a combat zone, really useful for Combat Medics such as myself if I want to quickly treat multiple casualties in a short time." Eric then gives Anju and Daiya a used and unused injector to see what it looks like.

"Wow, to think that we had this kind of technology already? Makes me feel even more livid at those white pigs in the capital, the moment we suffer injuries too grave to continue fighting they'd toss us aside, despite relying on us to hold the lines to begin with!" Daiya shakes his head in disappointment. Eric frowned in indignation and nodded in agreement. Unlike him and Eric who were volunteers and given whatever Ukraine had available back then, these kids never had the choice to begin with.

"Well, we may not be from around here, and our tank might not give enough of an edge to the fight, but we will do our damnedest to get you guys through what's left of your 'tour of duty'." Eric reassured them, and Anju smiled in her usual pleasant and comforting manner.

Anju wondered when and how they were supposed to break the news regarding the "Special Reconnaissance Operation" to these newcomers. She would have to discuss this matter with Shin and Raiden later on, but she quickly pushed that somber thought aside, for now Kaie is the top priority.

As Eric finishes setting up and sterilizing the tools to be used for the surgery, Chris enters the room wearing his Army shirt and pants, he then reaches for the medical gloves and mask that Eric has provided in a table near the gurney.

"Okay, now that you are here Chris, let's get this over with." Eric prepares an anesthetic syringe as he turns on the light to a makeshift operating table, he then asks Anju to remove Kaie's bandages as the surgery begins.

'Thank God Shin didn't need to use his SIG this time.'

---

"So, you guys were on a contract, with the military of all people?" The rugged looking gray haired chief maintenance officer asked quizzically as he worked on refueling Thunderclap.

"It's not like we have a choice, if we didn't agree to that, the chances of us getting back home will be slim to none." Jack replies as he is checking the tank for any wear and tear that needs tending to, an hour and a half have passed since Eric and Chris have started the medical procedure, they are most likely finishing up by now, Jack meanwhile went to meet the head of the Engineering team, looks like most if not all of them are his age, finally, someone he and Eric can relate to.

"Oh, I don't blame ya. It's just unusual for the government to give contracts to whom they consider 'les cochons sous forme humaine', either you are an Alba, or you get exiled to the concentration camps as an Eighty-Sixer."

"I'm just thankful that we weren't piecemealed by the brass and we still get to keep the tank."

"Speaking of the tank, this is something entirely new to me. The design might be old school, but it still looks way too advanced for RMI."

"That's because we came to the Republic driving it."

"Wait, you meant that literally? Where the hell did you fellas even come from? Nobody from this side of the continent has equipment and insignias like yours."

"We came from western hemisphere, somewhere where the Legion haven't encroached yet."

"Like, you're not even from this Continent?"
"Something like that, we got lost during an exercise and stumbled upon the Republic. Literally, it's like a temporal anomaly or something, we weren't able to contact command due to Legion's barrage jamming."

"Well, that's a really shitty way to get caught in our mess, a supernatural event for crying out loud! At least you blokes seem to be doing mighty fine compared to our pitiful 'military'. Hell, your tank looks just as advanced as any Legion."

"As much as that is true, even with all this tech, it ain't gonna do much if the enemy loves doing meat waves, we are just one tank against hundreds, if not thousands of them."

"At least it could make a difference, 120mm is still gonna kill just fine. Speaking of which, you told me earlier if we can help you dismantle Löwe bustle racks to replenish your own 120mm ammunition stocks."

"Yeah, that's the only way we can gain ammo for her, it would really hinder our combat capabilities if our main gun is reduced to a massive paperweight, the White Fucks in the capital sure ain't gonna bother!"

"Hahaha! I feel that we will get along well just fine!" He patted Jack on the shoulder as he climbed down from the tank's engine deck. "Anyway, yeah. We can help you salvage the wrecks, Fido here also has tools to help us cut wreckages apart for recycling. But you need to make sure that the Löwen are permanently down and out and not a burning husk. You saw how those bastards like to melee targets right? Well, they tend to go straight for a decapitation strike when they are close enough to people, if we let our guard down we might be sending body bags home instead of ammunition."

He chuckles grimly at the warning the gray-haired man gave him. "I'm sure that can be arranged, we do love doing coup de grace on armored vehicles, I'd even call it a tradition."

"Ha! That's good to hear then, well I'm done loading her up, I need to get back to the other ones to see if that little ruffian Shin managed to fuck up the drivetrain of his Jugg again." The old maintenance chief then starts to go back to checking the Processors' Juggernauts for needed repairs, but before he can get any further, Jack calls him out.
"Hey, I know this is late to ask, but I didn't catch your name."

"Lev, Lev Aldrecht, I'll introduce you guys to the rest of the mechanical team tomorrow morning, right now we'll need to fix these Felds for their next sortie. Fast and nimble as they may be, they're still 10 times more complex than your tank." Lev did a half salute before proceeding to go back to the repair docks.

Jack then makes one final pass at the Tank before going outside the hangar to take a smoke, as he lights his cigarette he spots some of the kids at Spearhead setting up a barbecue grill near the broken fountain, he decides to come closer and see what's up.

"I see you guys setting up a grill, what's the occasion?" Jack made sure to keep his distance to avoid giving them second-hand smoke.

"Oh hey there, Sir!" Chise, the scrawny mech pilot with straw colored hair, enthusiastically waved at him as he placed firewood in an old oil drum. "Haruto managed to hunt some proper fine game today, so we're setting a little feast later tonight for you guys, as well as for Kaie surviving a Legion encounter!"

"No need to call me that." Jack laughs. "I'm flattered that you guys are giving us a welcome party but you don't need to overwork yourself like this." He knows the kids need the food way more than he and his crew does, judging from their sizes it's very clear that the Republicans have not been feeding them properly. But still, it feels heartwarming to be received with no hostile intent, barring the encounter earlier.

"I would respectfully object to that, Sir! You saved Kaie from being one of those metal freaks, and that's enough to be in my 'Good Fellas' book! You deserve to have a proper welcome to our squadron! Plus you have a Freakin' Tank!" A girl with a blue bob cut exclaims with gusto, clearly impressed with the men in front of her, she may not look like it but she loves tanks like Ochi, she only kept it hidden mainly because she thinks her friends will judge her for liking 'manly' stuff, but when they didn't judge her for it, her and Ochi became the resident tank nerds of the group.

"No need to call me 'Sir'! Calling me Sir makes me feel like I'm one of those stuck ups back in the capital." Jack throws his cigarette away now that the kids are approaching him, he was glad to see that the incident earlier didn't sour the relations between them.

"Okay, so what is that thing anyway? It sure ain't those Bulwarks that the capital has." Myna immediately starts trying to ask about the tank, seeing that the man in front of her seems approachable.

"Hold your horses Myna, Ochi already bothered the other guy about the tank, no need for you to copy him!" Chise jokes, which causes Myna to pout at him.

"Well better that I get a leg up on him, today's my redemption arc for knowing more about that tank than him!"

"Shouldn't you ask his name first before you jump about the tank? Better yet, introduce ourselves to him?" another kid, who sports a cut similar to those K-Pop idols he saw back home chimed in once he was done placing tables.

Myna looks at him in shock, realizing that she did not ask Jack anything about him or the crew first, this causes the boys in front of him to laugh.

Jack simply smiled as he observed their banter, it's hard to see the soldier element in them when they act like schoolkids just doing an outdoor activity.

"Damn, Kuroto just called you out, Myna. You just gonna take that sitting down?" Another boy sporting short black hair and round rimmed glasses joined the fray, having finished setting the chairs up for the grill.

"N-No, he's right Io, my excitement got to me, sorry about that Sir, I'll start introducing myself then, I'm Myna Yatomika, Processor name: March Hare." The others followed suit.

"Chise Authen! Processor name: Griffin, Nice to meet ya!"

"Kuroto Hinie, Processor name: Manticore. Glad to have you on our team."

"Io Dodanthe, Processor name: Argos, Wassap." Jack shook hands with each one of them, also introducing himself fully.

"The name's Jackson Westbrook, Callsign: Grave Robber, but you kids can call me Jack."

"Grave Robber?! Pardon me sir but… just what kind of callsign is that?"

"Well, back at home, it's actually tradition to get a callsign that's stupid sounding, nobody is immune, not even if you're in the Chair Force. No Mavericks and Icemans for you, instead you get Lumberjack, Funshine and Jam Hands. Gotta say though, I really dig your callsigns."

"Thanks, Jack. As for here, we only get to choose our Processor names after completing our first year. I say that's a really good motivator for meat fresh out to the gallows." Chise sarcastically remarked on the rather morbid traditions of the 86th Sector.

"Is that so? Sounds like a lot of fun." Jackson shook his head, it's as if he is stuck in one of those unhinged dystopian anime plots that Eric liked to watch so much, what's next, funky romance powered mechs? "Anyway, you guys need help with the grill?" He offers as he sees the grills are not yet properly set up.

"Yeah we could use another hand, but after this can you tell more about that tank?" Myna asks, to which Jack chuckles.

"Sure why not?"

"Yus!" Myna cheers.

The group proceeds to finish what was left in preparing the grills, and then finally getting the charcoal bags to be distributed to each grill. And just before Jack was about to suggest eating lunch they heard a voice from back in the building.

"HEEEEEEY! LUNCH IS READY! LET'S EAT!"

"Coming Haruto! Let's go guys!" Chise replies and starts walking back, beckoning the other kids to do the same. Jack just wordlessly follows the kids to the cafeteria.

---

"Okay people, we've got some good news and bad news." Eric addresses the whole squadron as they arrive at the cafeteria.

"Give us the bad news first." Theo requests, with most of his squadmates nodding in agreement.

"We won't know when she will wake up, the blow to her head gave her a concussion, it didn't seem that bad apart from a popped bruise right above her eyebrow but we've already bandaged that as well. All in all, Let's just pray that she recovers soon."

"A-and the good news?" Kurena asked rather nervously, looking like she was holding her breath at the verdict.

"We removed the large shrapnel and managed to stitch the wound without further complications, no infections, thank God for that. We can now confirm that her conditions are no longer life threatening." With that all of Spearhead gave a sigh of relief, Anju and Daiya also used this moment to show up as well, with all the girls gathering for a group hug. As the other members collectively cheer for their friend, Shin and Raiden meanwhile, want to personally thank the two men and start looking for them as they seem to suddenly disappear from the crowd.

They were outside with their tank commander, they looked to be smoking, with a look of relief and concern etched on their faces, guess the operation was not that smooth as they say.

"We are very lucky we had enough plasma packs for her, Jack. Turns out the shrapnel that was embedded in her is serrated, that made extracting it a total bitch. If we didn't have the foresight to cut it short earlier the operation would have gone much worse." Eric pauses for a bit after taking a big whiff of his cigarette. "We would have to request the whole squadron to donate some blood if they will keep sustaining these kinds of injuries per operation." Eric says as if a weight has been lifted on his shoulders.

"If they are fine with it, do it." He then lights his own cigarette as they enjoy the nicotine flowing into their bloodstream. "Good work guys, looks like our captivity didn't diminish our training that much, the shit we did in the capital does not count, cause that was a fucking pony show and we know it."

"It ain't much, but it's honest work." Chris comments, sporting that look from a famous meme from back then, to which both men laugh.

"God, you really became a meme incarnate, Chris. And you're already a hillbilly farm boy too."

"What can I say? I'm genre savvy."

"I fail to see how that's a real genre savvy moment, but.. . okay." Jack quipped, to which Chris just shot him a disappointed scowl.

"Way to ruin my moment huh, you jackass?" His older comrades simply shared a laugh at his expense.

As the men continued their smoke break, Shin and Raiden used this moment to join in the conversation.

"Excuse me." Raiden greeted "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all, did not catch all of your names though. But some of your pals already introduced themselves." Jack greets back.

"Shinei Nouzen, Processor name: Undertaker, I'm Spearhead Squadron's Captain." The three crewmen slightly did a double take at the name, it sounds strikingly familiar but they can't put their head on it. Must be their imagination.

"Raiden Shuga, Processor name: Wehrwolf, I'm the squad's deputy leader. And you guys?" He asks in kind.

"Jackson Westbrook, Callsign: Grave Robber."

"Eric Baker, Callsign: Sticky."

"Christopher Woods, Callsign: Lefty."

"Grave Robber, huh? Sounds like you and Shin would make quite the pair, want Fido to carve out some Legion bits for you as souvenirs?" Raiden quibbed, sounding rather bemused.

"Nah, it's a shit habit I developed back home, been trying to curb that ever since. On a serious note, we do need help with scavenging ammo from the Legion though, nobody else seems to use 120mm here."

"You might have to do the killing yourself to get the ammo. The Löwen stores their shells in their turret bustle, and that is where Shin and Kurena usually aim to kill them. Our puny 57mm simply doesn't pack enough stopping power to disable them if hit anywhere else. I can ask Kurena to try and aim for the turret rings though, she's a crack enough shot to hit that."

"With targeting systems as rudimentary as this? Impressive. Sounds like Chris gotta step up his game, he finally got some serious competition now. Anyways, no problem, we'll take care of this tank problem for you. That is what Thunderclap is made for."

"Aim for the hulls if you can, often when the Löwen gets mobility killed they just seem to fall over inactive, like a puppet without strings. We'll be able to land the coup de grace easily. By the way, you still have some smokes left there?" Raiden asks as he eyes the half empty pack Jack is holding.

"Yow, you do know that smoking kills you right?" he jokingly remarks as he offers a stick to Raiden, which he accepts.

"Didn't see that stopping you guys." Sure, the old Nun is going to give Raiden literal hell for smoking at his age. But considering how the battlefield is going to claim them all before lung cancer could ever get the chance, he was going to take advantage of whatever opportunities he had to relieve some stress.

"You got me there, El Tee."

"No need to fret about ranks here, I know you guys are regular military, but here none of that formality really matters."

"Roger that. We do have some vape pens lying around, but I think they may be out of charge." Chris commented.

"Now what's a Vape Pen?"

"It's like a cigarette, but it uses a liquid based substance to produce vapor, a nice alternative to tobacco, it's kind of hard to explain without a demonstration." Jackson explained, luckily Eric came in clutch.

"Sweet, I still have power in mine." Eric chimed in as he takes it out from his pocket, offering it to Raiden "Try it out, take a whiff like you would a cigarette."

Raiden inhaled the scented vapor using the odd piece of electronic device Eric gave him, the Coffee flavored vapor entering his lungs seemingly hits a spot that he has not experienced before.

"Damn, this is some great quality right here."

"Right? And it's way less cancerous too, but don't get too addicted, still got some nicotine in it." Eric smiled, clearly enjoying the young man's reaction. He was surprised when Shin opted to take a shot as well, albeit with a bit of trouble, it's clear from the way he handled the pipe that he'd never done tobacco before.

"I must agree, Raiden. It's rather relaxing, on top of being refreshing." Shin sported a Not Bad expression and took another puff.

"And looks like you're in luck boys, the juice botte for that says that it only has 5% nicotine, so you are less likely to develop an addiction." Eric states as he looks at the refill bottle he has taken out from his belt bag, he then decides to give the bottle to Raiden.

"You know what? Keep both of those, think of it as a gift for not riddling us with sabots earlier." All of them laughed at Eric's small jab, but the two boys took it in stride.

"Shit, really? Thanks a lot buddy. At least with this, I won't have to scavenge for old tobacco anymore. God knows I need to cut the habit anyway." Raiden shook hands with Eric in gratitude.

As Eric and Chris continued their banter with his second in command, Shin decided to get a better grasp at what type of men these tankers are, so he can get a better idea on how to integrate them into the squadron.

"So, how many years have you been in the military?"

"Unofficially it's nine. Eric and I didn't manage to enlist until we were 24, cause before that we volunteered for a country that was being invaded by the Reds and were in desperate need for manpower, both of us answered their call. Some may call that move foolhardy considering how green we were back then, but I still believed we made the right move."

"We were thrown right into the meat grinder as shock troops, it's in those grueling sorties where we picked up experience as infantrymen. Eventually they rotated us out and assigned us to AFV crew training programs, and our skills improved enough to be granted our own tank. Slavic Space Program… well, it was far cry compared to Thunderclap here, but we made the most outta it while it lasted."
"Chris, on the other hand. He enlisted as soon as he finished high school and has been doing training and exercises as a 19K ever since, he never saw any action so you can say this is his first tour of duty."

Jack remained silent for a while before continuing.

"I would say other than my foreign legion service, I've been in the Army for about 6 years now, and I don't think I'll be quitting anytime soon. Despite my grievances with the military, I've gotten used to all the bullshit that's been going around." Due to him being what Eric called as Isekai'd, He had to put his thoughts on leaving at the backburner, for now.

Turns out, much like the 6th Handler, the tank crew are of the more idealistic type. Shin pondered what he'd gained from the unit's commander. Though they are still experienced in their own way, as even the least experienced of them still underwent proper training. But in the end, they are still trained to battle opposing human armies. He'll have to make sure that they learn the ropes quickly and adapt to the Legion's relentless pressure if they are to last long.

As Shin is thinking about whose platoon they should go to, Jackson takes a good look at him. It still boggles him that this kid has an uncanny resemblance to their Platoon Leader, minus the eyes and the more solemn demeanor. What he would pay to see these two meet, that would be quite the scene.

"What about you, captain? How many years are you in right now?"

"All of us in Squarehead Squadron are serving our 5th and final year."

"Hey, that means you'll all get your citizenships back soon, right?"

"After we complete our final sortie 6 months later, yes."

"Well that's something to look forward to at least, so captain, have you got anything planned after you're discharged?"

"Like what Raiden told you earlier, no need to address me by my rank, it's all superficial anyways. And no, I don't have anything on my mind so far."

Jackson couldn't help but felt his heart sink, he knew that sentiment all too well. In a battlefield as unpredictable as this, surviving for 6 months might as well have been a lifetime.

The paranoid part of Jackson continued to gnaw at him, whispering into his mind that there is no guarantee that the Republic will even uphold their end of the deal, considering the amount of leverage they hold over them right now.

Screw it, he is already well aware that he couldn't make all the differences in the world even if all the stars aligned, but would it help worrying? He is sure to do his damndest to make sure as many of them make it to the end as possible. And maybe, just maybe, he could get them off this godforsaken planet altogether.

All of a sudden, they heard a loud growl coming from both Eric and Chris' stomachs, and silence ensued between the group.

"Guess you guys forgot to eat lunch huh?" Raiden remarks, trying to stifle a laugh.

"We didn't notice, Daiya and Anju didn't eat as well so we kinda lost track of time, plus Kaie is the top priority, who in their right mind would leave a surgical operation just so you can eat lunch?!" Eric asks incredulously.

"The Republic Military, of course." Shin snidely replies, sending the crewmen howling with laughter.

"That was a good one brother!" Eric, still cackling uncontrollably, pats him for the joke.

Chris meanwhile was already on the verge of passing out due to laughing so hard.

"Jeez Louise! How did you remain so serious all the time? You really should be a comedian after this war."

"Alright let's get these dumbasses inside, before they kill themselves laughing, yeah?" Jack suggests, pushing Chris and Eric back inside the cafeteria, but not before Shin calling him out.

"We almost forgot to say this, but thank you again for rescuing Kaie earlier, welcome to Spearhead Squadron, we're glad to have you on board."

Despite his solemn demeanour, the captain came across as a surprisingly easy going guy—far from the intimidating figure haunted by his past that Annette and some of the other servicemen had described. All the freakish rumours swirling about him painted a picture of a larger-than-life battlefield myth.

"That's the umpteenth time you kids have thanked us, like I said, it's okay, it's part of our job to protect those that need it. Now let's get inside, also can you gather your whole squad later tonight? I need to address something to you all and I think having your opinions will matter here."

"Sure thing."

---

After the Kaie recovery team ate their fill, a group consisting of Ochi, Haruto, Lecca, Mikuri, Myna, and Chise decided to give their new teammates a grand tour around the base, so far they already learned where the the showers, the cafeteria, the makeshift clinic, the runway for the cargo planes, and the mech hangers are. Regardless, the group still insisted on showing the crew around, now they are approaching the backyard of the base, which a small clearing was hastily made for a small garden field and a decently sized chicken coop that supplied the eggs and protein for the squadron and their team of mechanics.

"So here's the garden and chicken coop, since hunting doesn't always yield good game and whatever we scavenge is basically being kept intact by metric tons of preservatives, we get our eggs and proper nutrients right here, pretty neat huh?"

"Hey Jack, it's your favorite, Los Pollos Hermanos!" Chris jokes, kneeling down in front of the coop to examine the poultry clucking about.

"Should've known you'd say something like this Chris, fuck you." Jack shot him a glare that made Chris and Eric laugh even harder.

"It's payback for earlier, bud, can't have you winning all the time!" Chris replied with a smug grin.

"Maybe I should make you run through a full maintenance procedure of Thunderclap's gun, how does that sound?" Jack fires back a nasty grin of his own.

"No, you wouldn't!" Well that sure did wipe the smirk off the greenhorn's face, doing checkups on the plasma cartridge is a pain, one wrong step can leave a nasty electric shock.

"Did I stutter?" Jack raises his eyebrow at him, making Chris sweat bullets.

"Umm, what's wrong with the chickens?" Lecca asks, clearly out of the loop.

"Oh it's nothing Lecca, nothing at all." Eric tries to defuse the awkwardness despite his rather specific denials. He's not sure whether the girls even watched Breaking Bad, explaining it will kill the joke anyway, on top of diving into some rather sensitive details of his sergeant's past.

Also, he doubted the racial humor that's so prevalent in the US Military would sit well with victims of the Republic's prosecution. Chris used this small reprieve to change to a different topic, something that Jack is also thankful for, not wanting the situation with the kids to get awkward.

"So! What do you guys usually hunt?" Chris asks, walking a little ways forward to a small hill to see the overlook where the fields and the forests are in front of him.

"Mostly hares, deers and the occasional boar that like to wander around the abandoned towns near the base, since it has a lot of shelter for most of them to ward off potential predators.

"Are there any bears around?" Chris knows from experience that there's more of a nuance those fuzzy bastards can pose than simply stealing food, especially the ones who have never encountered a human before, or worse, gotten a taste of one already.

"Not many around here, but we do have a couple of run-ins with them. Thankfully, unless they have cubs or are sick and desperate, they typically steer clear of us. But regardless it's always good to pack your assault rifle."

"We can help you guys out on your hunting parties, might be a good time for you kids to taste some juicy bear!"

"Ohhh, nice! You've hunted those before?" Lecca, Mikuri, and Myna collectively remarked, the sound of eating another type of dish sparked the girls' interest.

"Sure did! Had to help take care of a couple of problematic ones. I got a few dishes that I learned from my pops. Would do well with potatoes, and you guys have a lot of them too." Chris replies with enthusiasm, as cooking is one of his favorite activities, especially if it's with a group.

The group continued to walk around the clearing, enjoying the short, but peaceful silence for a bit until Eric realized something that should've already been done earlier.

"I know this should've been addressed earlier but… Where are we gonna bunk?" He says, getting the attention of both his friends and the teens.

"Now that you've said it, I still have my rucksack in the lockers."

"Worry not fella, you'll be shown your quarters soon. You have yet to see the best part of the tour!"

"It better be something good, cause fuck I'm feeling exhausted. I ain't like you young'uns, conjuring all that extra energy outta nowhere." Haruto and Lecca chuckled at Jack's side comment.

The entourage trekked a bit more before reaching a small embankment where they can see a large lake that is connected to both a river and a waterfall. It was a mesmerizing sight, especially for Chris, who loved going to lakes as a kid.

"Well I'll be damned, this is some resort level scenery! When and how did you guys find this?" Chris exclaimed, removing his boots and running straight to the water.

"Well, the moment we got transferred in this ward, it was Shin who found it to be exact, he said that rivers and lakes make him feel calm." Haruto explains as he and the rest of his friends watch the Tank Gunner crouch and put his hand on the water and starts observing intently, as if he is looking for something.

"Watching bodies of water tends to do that to you." He then pounces on something in the water. "Oh and guys…" Chris addresses his fellow crewmen and presents what looks like a massive catfish, still wriggling in his grasp. "I still got it!"

"Shiet! Your noodling skills are still as good as ever!" Eric hollers, glad to see his friend let out more of his outdoorsman side, he seldomly gets to do that back in at base, mainly because he's too busy doing either training or drills.

"Woah! You can catch fish like that? Shouldn't that be difficult with you know, them being slippery and all." Lecca asks with wonder, as most of Spearhead in general lacks general knowledge in fish catching, Theo knows a bit about spearfishing but he is not that experienced.

"It takes some time, and it's pretty limited to fish that are slow, but once you've learned it? It becomes a really valuable survivalist skill. Tell you what, when we have the time, I'll teach it to you guys if you're interested, sounds good?" Chris asks as he puts the catfish back into the water, having no bag to put it into.

"Oooh, That sounds fantastic!"

"Haven't been able to taste fresh fish for a while now after our net broke, Daiya's been trying his best to get it patched, but it seems to be beyond repair." Myna and Mikuri enthusiastically answered, excited to know about a new skill that offers another steady food source. Lecca however remembers something that the men in front of her should definitely know about.

"Speaking of which, this is also the place where we sometimes bathe when the weather is good. We'll let you know in advance, so don't just show up uninvited, okay?" she explains, before turning towards Haruto, glaring daggers at him.

"Come on, we're there to call you back for lunch." Haruto smiled rather sheepishly, somehow turning even redder, "The scenery was just too good to ignore!"

"You could have just called us over the RAID!"

"And still get the knife thrown at me for accidentally eavesdropping on you teasing Kurena?"

"Hey, that was an accident! And besides that was totally on you for peeping!"

The kids continued their bickering as the three tankers watched on. Jack elbows Eric to get his attention.

"Hey Eric, this is starting to look like one of your harem anime plots."

"Don't even get started on that." Eric grumbled with a deadpan expression.

---

It is already close to afternoon and the Squadron is now relaxing in their common area with their new comrades, who seem to be having discussions with the resident tank nerds.

"I must admit, this is some of the most insane designs I have ever come across." Ochi uttered with wonder, going through one of the manuals he and Myna borrowed from Eric after much convincing, "All of this tech, sensor fusion, AI integration, even point defense? I never expected fighter jet technology to be applied to a tank in such a manner. This 'Abrams' here feels like it can do everything all by itself!"

"Versatility is the name of the game nowadays. With the sheer amount of threats we face on the ground and in the air, tanks need to be covered on all aspects to ensure they function efficiently and safely. In fact, everything in our army is designed to function as part of a cohesive network, each element covering and supporting each other, and now that we're out here alone and by ourselves, we're feeling quite exposed and out of element, can definitely get some pointers from you fellas once we are outside the wire."

"Jeez, that does sound a lot like the Legion, except with more human elements mixed in." Myna chimed in, looking intently at the Tank's brochure that Jack gave, his nation seemed like one of those corporate conglomerate ran states she'd seen in science fiction, everything seems to be built by privately owned industries, all sharing the same eagerness in advertising their vast catalog, something that she has never really witnessed in the Republic before.

"Exposed and out of element?! And here I am, thinking that we should thank our lucky stars that the Legion didn't conjure up some generalist design like this. Just one of these could really give our squadron a bad day, now imagine if they mass produced this monstrosity."

"Speaking of the Legion, you guys have any idea why they seem to be so obsessed with polypedal drivetrains, even putting it on their tanks?" Chris asked rather quizzically. "I don't quite get it, isn't the whole benefit of polypedal vehicles being small, agile and flexible, so why build one the size of my family's barn and negate that advantage?"

"Ah, 'bout that, I may have a bit of a theory. You know how the Feldreẞ became popular, right?"

"That some alliance use it to thwart the Empire's invasion?" Chris remembered reading about the origin of the Feldreß from Annette's small library.

"The Alliance of Wald, yeah. Their terrain is so mountainous that most AFVs can't even hope to traverse it. So they made the Feldreẞ to bring armored support where others can't." Ochi elaborated, he carefully examined a small candy bar labeled 'Mars' taken from a plastic, resealable bag that Jackson placed at the table earlier, it's been years since he'd even gotten within a mile wide radius of chocolate, and he wondered what would the product from the tank commander's homeland taste like.

"Problem is that we are not in Wald, or the Appalachians, the terrain here is mostly just forests and plains."

"So it's called Apala-chins from where you guys came from? It's funny how you guys have unusual names for so many things… Ever heard of that line from that old sci-fi series again, I forgot its name… it's SG something… about the difference between a weapon of terror, and a weapon of war?"

"I dunno… Stargate SG-1?"

"Yeah yeah, that's the one."

"Wait, Ochi. How come you know that series?" Chris is surprised, how come some elements remained identical to Earth while many others remained so starkly different? Could it be that this world is really a messed up, post-nuclear parallel of Earth? So many questions that only seemed to yield more questions.

"It's an all time classic, passed down through the ages! Heard it was actually a Pre-Great War production. Anyway, back on topic. The Feldreẞ is the former to me, they can be quite effective when used correctly, but the most important part is that they just come off as so much more impressive and sophisticated than old school tanks. Judging from what they've taught me, the entire continent has been in a constant arms race. So first came news that the Alliance somehow managed to humble the mighty Empire with their Feldreẞ, and soon afterwards the Empire demonstrated their own new division of polypedal weaponries, almost everyone else hopped on the hype train too in order not to be seen as technologically inept or strapped for funds."

"And if rumors were true, the Löwe isn't even the most powerful one, I heard that there are some super massive Legion models out there, like… literal land battleships!" Myna exclaims with Hype plastered all over her, to which Jack shows her a picture of the Landkreuzer P. 1000 "Ratte" from his phone.

"Like this one?"

"Yeah, just like that one! Massive cannons and nigh impenetrable armor, deep down I always wished that we could have built something like that!"

"So as usual, folks and politicians mistaking coolness for practicality? Also, you said almost everyone? Wonder which nation didn't hop onboard?"

"Other than where you're from, there are those island nations far out to the west of the continent, neither mechs nor tanks will be all that useful for fishmongers and mariners."

"And then we have the illustrious Republic." Shin added in his usual calm but somewhat deadpan manner, looking up from the book he was reading, "Not because they saw it as impractical like your country did, but because it's just terrible PR to admit that some 'backwater nation' outsmarted them. The Republic excels at exactly one thing: prosecuting their own. Hand them one of your advanced stealth fighters, and they'll probably land it in Giad by mistake."

"Damn, so it's actually way worse than I thought." Jack muses, then remembers one aspect of the Legion that still bugs him to no end.

"By the way, do you have any idea what's the deal with the Legion's color scheme? Why the hell is everything so shiny and chrome, even the scouts?"

"Well, it's just a theory, but I heard from a few guys in my previous squadron that the Legion are essentially unpainted in order to absorb the liquid nanomachines the Eintagsfliege shed, that's the snow like stuff drifting out of the skies every time a swarm forms overhead. So yeah, with self-regenerating surfaces and all, you can say that the Legion are prancing around practically naked." Haruto explains in Shin's stead.

"Yuck! Your jokes haven't gotten any better, Haruto." Kurena was quick to vocalize her disapproval, before biting down on a Milky Way. "Umm! Never had chocolate this delicious Jack. Thank you so much!" The sweets she had enjoyed wholeheartedly before the war started are but a distant memory now, finding chocolate in the abandoned regions is a scarce occasion, much less ones that haven't already turned dull and waxy. She took another bite and her expression turned blissful as the chewy chocolate-flavored nougat filled her mouth.

"Glad to hear that you enjoyed it. It's lucky that we stocked up for the exercise before finding ourselves up here without a paddle, should have enough snacks to last you guys for a while, just don't get too greedy there!"

"Hey Whitey, stay put! Whitey!" Theo sighed as Chris turned towards the commotion, noticing a black cat with white paws that seemed determined to ignore Theo's request to model for a sketch, clawing away at a pink cartoon pig toy attached to a cat wand with great enthusiasm.

"Speaking of which, Theo, what're you sketching there?" Haruto approached Theo along with Daiya and inquired curiously.

"Theo, come on! That's not a cat, and it looks more like an angry fox than a laughing one, no?" Daiya commented on Theo's slightly messy but admittedly still very detailed sketch.

"Oh, shut it would ya?! I know, damnit, I just can't seem to get it right!"

"Aww, poor Theo, what you've said to that Handler woman still bothering you?" Kurena asks, looking a bit concerned. She was keeping the cat entertained by holding the cat wand aloft, whilst it avidly swiped at the attached pink pig.

"Huh? Something that's bothering Theo? That's a first."

"Negative! Nothing like that is happening at all."

"Well that's a shame, cause it's been bothering me as well." Anju chimed in, Lecca as well.

"Same here!" The three girls all looked at each other and sported a collective grin on their faces as they stood up and walked to where Theo was sitting.

Theo stared at them nervously like a fox beset by grizzlies.

"Um, how about…"

"Prepare yourself~~!" The girls dogpiled and started roughhousing Theo like they're getting too enthusiastic with their pet dog, their laughter drowning out his protests. Chris isn't really sure whether he should interfere or not, as he sees how Haruto, Daiya and the other boys are clearly enjoying the impromptu lazzo.

"Seriously, what was that for? Argh, damnit, there goes another button!"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that for you, your jacket needs a bit of patching up anyway."

Anju took Theo's now battle scarred uniform top and promptly started sewing the torn off button back on.

"Thanks Anju, it's been bothering me since the treads started wearing out." Theo mused, not really glad to have his inner thoughts earlier exposed.

"Judging from the condition, it's impressive that it's the only one that came off."

"Sorry, everyone, I'm feeling a bit out of the loop. What exactly happened?" Chris asked, handing a laptop case to Eric, giving the other teens a chance to experience some real Terran technology.

"Well, let's just say during the heat of the moment, when we thought Kaie didn't make it, I lost my temper and showed the Handler girl a piece of my mind, that she's a holier than thou hypocrite."

"Was she really that terrible to you guys?" Chris questioned.

"Nope, it's the exact opposite. But that doesn't make it any less grating—the way she tried to act nice and sweet while sitting within the snug and safe confines of the Grand Mur… God, that felt so patronizing at times. I'm not sure if you get that feeling."

"Hey, man, I might not have lived it myself, but I get where you're coming from. It's got to be tough after everything you've been through." Yet, if Chris were honest with himself, he could barely fathom what these young soldiers had endured. A nagging feeling told him that the rumors circulating online about human rights violations in developing countries were only scratching the surface of what was really transpired here. Back home in Kentucky, the community had always been a closely knit one. And in the military, racial based humor may be prevalent but, as far as he recalled, nobody meant any harm with those.

"Thanks for understanding. Still, I shouldn't have lost my cool with her. Raiden was right; it was uncalled for... a real low blow."

"Well, I can't blame you for that. It was hell out there. I've spent some time within the Bay of Pigs, and sure, there's a lot of douchebags there. But there are also some genuinely decent folks who were too scared to act out but wanted to make up for their mistakes. We shouldn't drive those people away because of our emotional scars."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that the Handler caught me in a really bad moment. I'm actually kind of surprised that people like her still exist."

"She is a bit like your old squad leader, no? The one you inherited your emblem and callsign from?" Anju inquired, finishing stitching on the loose button onto Theo's jacket.

"Yeah, that cheery old bastard." Theo recalled, his voice tinted with a hint of nostalgia.

"Mind if I ask what's the story behind that?"

"Sylvian Renard, it was literally in his name, you see. An old Alabaster ex-soldier who volunteered as a Processor. He always had this lively, optimistic vibe around him, he even laughed in an ear grating way like a fox. God, we hated his guts back then, we were there because we didn't have a choice, yet he strutted about acting like he was just like the rest of us. Me and the others found that straight up absurd, we thought that he would leave us hanging and retreat back to the confines of the Grand Pigpen the moment things go south."

"So what happened to him, what made you change your mind on him?" Judging from the way Theo described him, Chris had a feeling that the old fox didn't quite get a good ending.

"He proved us all wrong, that day, things really did go south. But instead, he stayed behind and ordered the rest of us to make a break for it." I was the last one still in comms range back then because I was covering for everyone else, so I got to hear his final message: "I only just knew I never forgive myself if I let you guys fight for us alone. It scared me. I only came to the battlefield for my own sake, so it's only natural you'd never forgive me. Please never forgive me." His RAID went offline immediately afterwards, before I ever got the chance to tell him that we were wrong about him, and that he wasn't a coward."

"Damn, that man sounds like a fuckin trooper." Chris whistles, pretty impressed by the man's commitment to help the Coloratas.

"That, he sure is, which is why I decided to inherit his insignia and callsign, to remind myself that what matters in the end is fighting the good fight, no matter how seemingly negligible your efforts are." Theo feels a hand on his shoulder and sees Chris giving him a sympathetic smile.

"Hey, If you get a chance, do try and make it up to her. You guys were pretty lucky she didn't decide to issue you an Article 15… That means non-judicial punishment, by the way. I know my military would, even if the offense if miniscule, but what do I know?"

"Well, the difference is, you guys ran an actual military. But seriously, with a heart as dainty as hers, I don't know when she will come back, or even at all."

"Damn, that does sound like a pretty rough spot you got yourself into, but knowing how prideful most Maggies are judging from our experience with them personally, she probably would come back even if it's just to prove you wrong."

"Sure wish she does, she does have the stubbornness to match. Also, Maggies?" Theo asks, curious at the Nickname Chris gave them.

"Easier for me than Magnolians, my monkey brain keeps correcting it to MONGO-lians, that's an inland country from our part of the world."

"Usually we just call 'em pigs. Sure, it's not creative, but that's how we all feel about those slobbering imbeciles."

A short silence ensues before it is interrupted by Myna and Ochi cheering as Eric is demonstrating them a tank simulator from the Crew's laptop.

"It's not a picture perfect representation of our tank, but it's decently accurate in its own right. Here, I've identified the target, sabot indexed, and… fire!" He clicks his mouse and the virtual XM1E4 fires its gun at a target that is marked to be three kilometers away.

"Hell yeah, pinned and destroyed! It's amazing how the spalling and shrapnel effects are rendered, the best tank game I ever got my hands on still had health bars." Myna remarks, still fascinated at the sight she is beholding.

"Well you're in luck! I amassed a ton of single player video games for all of you to enjoy, none of that online only bullshit. Here Myna, why don't you try?" He switches seats with Myna who is nervously holding the mouse and keyboard, still not used to holding this kind of technology.

"Are you sure? I'm not gonna ruin your save file, am I?" She asks, to which Eric just chuckles.

"Just follow the on-screen instructions, and you'll be fine, it ain't no Dark Souls."

"Hey! I want to try next!" Chise exclaims, but Ochi complains in protest.

"Omae! I'm next after Myna!"

"Guys, guys, just calm down! You will all get a turn, in fact, I think I have just the right game for all of you."

"If you say it like that, guess I'll have a go at it too!" Haruto and the others voiced their interest as well.

"Well Eric, I guess you got yourself into a pickle huh?" Jack notes, seeing the growing crowd spectating Myna giving a T-90A a good old turret toss, with some hollering at the realistic-looking virtual explosion.

"A pickle? I was preparing for this moment! Hey Chris, get me the controllers please."

"You got it!" Chris then stands up, but not before going to Shin first.

"Hey Shin, I see that you have a fascination with books, I think I have a few that will interest you."

"Oh? I'll take you up on that offer then, appreciated." Shin gives him a nod before watching the Gunner run out of their common room, the increasing chatter from his teammates giving him a sense of serenity that is rare to have in their current predicament, it feels… refreshing in a way.

"Hey Ochi! You guys have a large whiteboard or tarpaulin?" Eric calls out his new 'assistant'.

"Yeah we do!"

"Well go get 'em! I think we will need a bigger screen!"

---

"Damn! This hog tastes euphoric! Compliments to the Chef!" Eric exclaims, having the first one to try the grilled meat from one of the captured warthogs.

The small celebration was out in full swing, mainly because Shin announced that the Legion detachment tasked in their area has decided to retreat in full swing, how he knows this the crew does not know, all they know is they have time to slack off. Raiden uses this moment to get the squadron's attention.

"So! Me, Shin and our new guys have had a discussion about blood donations, we all agree on the proposition. But there is one problem, we don't know what blood type Kaie has and most of us don't know our own either.. And as much as I want to rely on Eric for his plasma, there is only so much he can allocate before that runs out. So we were thinking of having all of us having a blood drive this coming week" Raiden explained the situation to his squad members, while the White Pigs did check ups on them and took blood samples before shipping them out to the concentration camp for archive purposes, and of course they never bothered to tell them the results of these check ups. Neither did the Pigs provide much medical equipment, chalk it to them really thinking that they can get rid of the Eighty-Sixers before the war ends. Hell he'd even heard rumors that some conveniently disappeared afterwards to "volunteer" as organ donors.

"Oh, I know that I'm in Group O, I can help!"

"Are you a positive or a negative?"

"I… I don't know that, Raiden. Sorry, but what is the difference?"

"If you are an O positive, you can't give to someone who's O negative. Also, we can't count on just one of you to donate blood, in case it affects you and you can't recover during the next sortie. On top of that, it's best to prioritize using the identical blood type when we no longer have plasma packs."

"Don't worry guys, fortunately I have a blood type identifier with me." Eric points at himself rather smugly.

"Jesus tap-dancing Christ Eric, what the fuck are you carrying? An entire ambulance in that kit?" Jack guffaws at his Driver conveniently having medical assets akin to an aid station.

"Like what we Americans used to say, Always stay strapped." Eric says in a rather sagely tone.

"Does that analogy even apply to you carrying that much medical equipment?" Jack asks quizzically.

"Are you just gonna sit there and complain, or are you gonna be at least grateful that I've thought this far ahead?"

"Hey hey hey, Chill Homie, I'm just saying…" Jack raises his hands in surrender.

"Hmm, speaking of which, I haven't seen Shin anywhere, where is he? Guy is missing out on the Barbeque that Chris has been wolfing down for the past hour." Eric asks Theo as he chuckles, seeing Chris enthusiastically eating each hog steak that Raiden has given him, even pestering him as to what is the recipe of the dish, much to Raiden's surprise.

"Last I saw him, he's in his room, want me to call him?" Theo suggests as he's about to stand up.

"Nah, let him rest, it's probably a long day for him." Eric declines the offer as fishes another smoke from his pack and lights it.

As Jack and Eric were smoking, Daiya arrives, carrying a basket of bread, he offers some to the trio.

"Want some? Anju made them."

"Sure, thanks man." Jack and Eric gave their thanks as they took a bite of the bread, shit, this tastes good they thought.

"I'm good, thanks" Theo declines, clearly engrossed with his sketchpad.

"I have a question Jack." Daiya asks, handing the basket to Chise, who switches with Lecca after losing to Kuroto in a game of Guilty Gear.

"Shoot."

"I just remembered earlier that you guys were not able to establish Para-RAID resonance with us earlier, what happened?"

Jack gave Daiya a momentary recap of what transpired before they got to the area of operations. Both him and Theo were far from surprised that the crew received the same treatment as them. What's rather amusing however is that the Republic chose to disrespect the crew despite knowing the fact that they have what is essentially the most advanced AFV on this side of the continent. Daiya started to wonder if against all odds, he still managed to overestimate the pigs' intelligence.

"Damn, as expected from these sissy pigs."

"Right? They are so convinced of their supposed superiority that their common sense almost ceased to exist. I mean, imagine if we just straight up blasted them back to the stone age, they aint gonna do shit because we are more than capable of taking anything they can throw at us without so much as breaking a sweat."

"The brainrot is real, let me tell you that." Eric and Jack sniggered at the term, while Daiya and Theo are just confused at the meaning.

"A-Anyway, getting back on track, I can teach you guys how to activate them. It will help us immensely if you folks know how to use them properly."

"Sure, why not. PRIVATE WOODS, GET'CHER ASS OVER HERE!" Jack bellows at Chris who seems to stumble out from his food induced bliss, promptly puts his plate down at the table near the grill and sprints to Jack like he's running for his life.

"YES, SERGEANT?" Chris utters, standing straight and stiff and looking beyond the horizon, before realizing that he is not in boot camp, with his two friends laughing their asses off at his reversion to muscle memory.

"Boot Camp really gave you 'Nam flashbacks huh?" Eric laughs, while Theo and Daiya are trying their best stifling their own.

"Anyway, Daiya here wants to teach us how to use the thingamajig in our earlobes, and you will be the demonstration since you're already familiar to the scientist who made them that you have been acting lovey dovey around."

"What the hell, bruh? First of all I'm not flirting with her, no way. She didn't even explain how these headsets work in the first place, which is why she sent her staff to do it for her, and look how that turned out. Second, you do realize you two dickheads were with me when they installed it on our ears, so you two should also do this with me." Chris gives them a disappointed scowl which only makes his two friends laugh.

"Not Flirting? Sure thing Buddy. Anyway Daiya, let's get this over with" Jack grins while Chris responds with his arms raised in disbelief.

"O-Okay then. So from what I've heard, the Para-RAID is some kind of… artificial telepathy, it's a substitute for the loss of communications due to the Eintagsfliege jamming all kinds of radio transmissions." Daiya gives a brief description of the device before standing in front of the three of them and shows his hands as he touches the device in his earlobe.

"The Para-RAID uses some sort of gesture technology, as you can see with the lack of buttons visible, see this small green glass thingy? This detects the number of fingers you use for a specific gesture. Swipe two fingers to turn it on or off, try it now."

The three men copied what Daiya did and swiped two fingers above the Para-RAID sensor, the device instantly activates and the sensor emits a dull teal color. Daiya turns on his RAID as well and continues.

"Now try talking to me." the three men hears Daiya's voice as if he was just beside them.

"Woah, can't believe that this wacky contraption works so well."

"I know right? Just about the only thing that came out of the Republic that isn't complete rubbish!"

"Damn, it's like what those Schizophrenics in mental institutions always talk about, Hearing voices in your head."

"Yeah, it's almost surreal in a way."

"Felt the same way when I turned it on for the first time, and eventually we got used to it, hell we also laid some ground rules with it?" Daiya explains with excitement.

"Oh? Such as?"

"Well-" Daiya was interrupted by a crackle, and it seemed to spread to the whole squadron as silence enveloped the area.

"Everyone, Handler One wants to address all of you." Shin's voice is heard all across the RAID devices.

---

"Kaie? Wake up, darling, or you will be late for school!" A soothing voice emanated within her hazy mind.

Opening her eyes, Kaie looked at her alarm clock, it read 8:05 AM.

"Eeeeh?! Damnit, Mom, why didn't you wake me up earlier?" She hastily fixes her bed and goes straight to her closet to get her uniform.

"I tried, many times in fact, but you were sound asleep. Also, where did you learn that word? I did not teach you to curse, young lady! Was it your dear old father again?" Her mother sternly looks at her as she helps Kaie change into her uniform,

"N-No!"

"Then where did you - Oh, I see, you were watching that show last night again, didn't I tell you that you are too young to watch content like that?"

To be fair, it was a Category IV* show, and she was only nine. Staying up late to catch the broadcast had become her little ritual. While her father had been lenient about what his kids could watch—he'd grown up with open access to intense content back in the Far East—he wouldn't be pleased if he found out she'd been staying up so late. Long shifts at the factory had worn him down, and for him, getting a full night's sleep was a rare luxury.

"I would have to talk to your father about this later, young lady, now go to the dining table with Yuuichi and Kana, I've already made breakfast."

"... Okay, mother."

Kaie briskly walks to the small hallway leading to their dining table, where she finds her siblings already eating halfway through their breakfast.

"You're running late again, sis! We're gonna miss the bus at this point!" Her younger brother complains as he stuffs another tonkatsu in his mouth, while her twin sister, Kana voices her agreement, with her mouth still full of food.

"Yesh, Khayie, youh whare choo bishy washcing Dha Fhall opf Man?" Kaie can't help but chuckle at her younger sister's slurred speech as she grabs a table napkin and wipes her face full of rice.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Kana. And if you did see me watching it, that means you were also out of bed, want me to tell Mom?" To which Kana gasps after she swallows her food.

"Please don't tell mama!" she pleads with tears forming in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't. It will be our little secret." Kaie smiles as she squishes her sister's cheeks as she squeals with delight.

After taking her seat so she can eat, her mother switches on the television to watch the morning news.

"And now, the latest report from the frontlines, our courageous 6th armored division has thwarted the Empire's insidious attempt to intrude upon Republican territory, thanks to Brigadier General Tarant's strategic brilliance…"

What is going on?

It was like watching cracks spread across stained glass, splintering the scene into something warped and hideous. This was supposed to be just another ordinary day with her family—safe, secure, untouched by turmoil. The war shouldn't have even started. But here it was, the sounds of newscasters' fake, plastic, overly optimistic voices seeped into her peaceful recollection like ink through paper.

This couldn't be right. This wasn't how things had happened—was it? Part of her felt the urge to switch off the TV, naively hoping that things would immediately return to normal.

"Something doesn't feel quite right," her mother remarked rather quizzically. "I could swear I've seen this footage before. It feels so staged. What's really happening on the front lines?"

The Republic has always excelled at shaping the narrative. Yet even the most capable propaganda machines can only stretch the truth so far; sooner or later, fragments of reality begin to surface.

Ironically, it's often these fragments—partial truths—that proved to be the most dangerous. They seem credible at first glance, yet ultimately mislead those who accept them. These half-truths fuel people's delusions, amplify their fears, and deepen their frustrations. Sooner or later, they will seek an outlet—a person, a cause, or an idea—to channel their growing discontent.

Her train of thought was suddenly derailed by a violent crash as her father burst through the front door, barging into the room, breathless and disheveled.

"Nana, there's been an incident in the capital. The protests have turned into a full-blown riot, and the police are hunting down anyone involved! We need to take the kids and leave the country—now!"

The sudden escalation hit Kaie like a sledgehammer to the gut, leaving her stunned and gasping for air. People often spoke of their lives flashing before their eyes in moments of crisis, but this felt way worse, she was witnessing it unravel, fragment by fragment, disintegrating right in front of her.

"R-right now, Kouhei? Are you sure?" Mother nervously asks as father is ushering her and her siblings to grab their bags and bring whatever necessities they can fit in there.

"Yes! This whole country has gone insane! I'll explain later for now we need to-"

Before her father could explain further, his frantic voice was swallowed by a piercing, shrill whistle. Before she could even react, a thunderous explosion tore through the house, sending the roof collapsing into a chaotic storm of dust and debris. Kaie hit the ground hard, struggling to push herself back up as her lungs burned with each ragged cough, her eyes stinging from the swirling grit, she felt her fathers hand pull her out of the dust as they fled from the impending chaos.

They barged out of their battered house through their thankfully intact back door. It was utter pandemonium, civilians pouring out onto the streets like ants escaping from a flood, panicked screams echoed briefly before being drowned out by the relentless, buzzsaw-like howl of the Ameisen's machine guns, tearing through the helpless crowd without mercy.

H-How? The Legion… they're here already?!

"RUN! What the hell are you waiting for?!" Her father bellowed, frantically gesturing at his family to flee, thank God he wasn't crushed by the debris. But the screams of the dying and the drumming of automatic firearms are starting to die down, replaced gradually by the whirring of servos and the clanking of mechanical appendages.

"HURRY!" Her mom wasted no time and carried her siblings and grabbed her hand to run out of their destroyed home, with their father following behind.

"DON'T STOP FOR ANYTHING NANA! KEEP- ARGH!" Her father's shout was cut short as a whip of bright orange tracers slashed through his leg, cleanly severing his leg from the knee down and splattering the floor with red. Her father let out a blood curdling scream as he collapsed, desperately holding on to his bloodied stump.

"FATHER! NO!" Kaie scrambled to her feet and rushed back to her wounded father, Kana and Yuuichi screamed their lungs out as he was futilely trying to stop the bleeding.

She'd seen firsthand what the Ameisen's accursed machine guns could do to a human body—their blistering rate of fire could reduce flesh to unrecognizable shreds in mere seconds. She might be unarmed and frail, but there was no way she would leave her father to such a fate.

"K-Kouhei!" Kaie's mother tries to go to her husband as well, but he desperately motions her to stop

"D-Don't Nana, please… just take the kids and run, don't look back!" he pleaded.

"But father!" Kaie used all her strength to drag her father away from the approaching Legion, but to no avail as her 9 year old body ached in protest.
"Just go, Kaie!" her father barked, shoving her back toward her mother with the last of his strength. "Your sisters need you. Your mother needs you! Just go without me! GO!"

Drenched in cold sweat and shaking like a leaf, Kaie turned back and looked into her mother's pleading eyes, wordlessly begging her to not stay behind and perish, while shielding her siblings from the horrific sight.

Even if she does somehow find the strength to pull her father out despite his injuries, the Legion will simply just run them down. There is nothing she could do against a scout mech bristling with anti-personnel weapons.

"Forgive me, Father…" Kaie whispered, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. She turned and ran, fleeing to her mother's side, too terrified to look back. She feared what she might see—and feared even more that she'd hesitate again.

They hurried to the nearest shelter, a battered grocery store, and sought refuge amid the chaos and regained their bearings, but they were not alone. Around them, panicked civilians fled in every direction, their faces twisted in terror. Some carried children or clutched their pets, while others hastily packed belongings in broken carts or baby strollers.

Kaie froze as jets screamed overhead, the unfamiliar noise rattling her to her core. Around her, people ducked and scrambled for cover. The Republic's outdated attackers streaked past, unleashing a desperate salvo of unguided rockets and autocannon rounds at the advancing Legion. Their bravery was rewarded with streaks of orange tracers, the high explosive shells tore through the subsonic jets like knives through butter, sending them spiraling to the ground in flames.

"Ah, crap! The Legion is close!"

"We can't stay here, we have to keep going!"

"Kaie! Stay behind me!" her mother cried.

"Don't worry, Mother!" Kaie shouted back, a surprising determination surging through her. "I'll watch for danger! Just trust me!" She didn't know where this newfound courage came from, but she refused to lose anyone else—not after her father.

"This way!" Kaie led her family into a narrow alley, feeling exposed in the open streets. A few other civilians followed close behind, desperate for safety.

They emerged onto the next street, abandoned cars and rubble scattered across the pavement. Kaie crept to the corner, peering cautiously around it. The coast seemed clear. She gestured for her family to follow.

But as they crossed, a group of disheveled Republic soldiers burst from an opposing alley, weapons raised.

"All of you! Hands in the air, NOW!"

'W-wait!"

"Hands above your heads, you fucking stains!"

The soldiers were all clearly of Alba descent, their faces gaunt and frayed. They were injured and disorganized—one man limped heavily—but their desperation made them dangerous.

"Please, we need help!" A middle aged Citrine man tried to reason with the frenzied soldiers.

"Shut the fuck up!" The nearest soldier responded by ramming the butt of his rifle into the man's head, sending him collapsing to the ground, bleeding profusely from his head. Her mother tried her best to shield her terrified and sobbing siblings from this unsightly display of savagery.

"Why? Why are you doing this?!" her mother pleaded.

"Look around you, we've lost, EVERYTHING!" A Celena soldier gestured wildly, his 9mm trained on Nana, "It shouldn't have happened, it wouldn't have… if it wasn't for you petty parasites!"

"Just what are you talking about?!"

"We gave and gave, and you ungrateful lots repaid with treachery and sabotage! How else could the lines have crumbled so quickly? You tell me! Letting you pigs in human clothing is a mistake to begin with, but still… better safe than sorry!"

Kaie felt her heart almost seize up when clear, murderous intent flashed in the Celena's eyes and his finger moved over the 9mm's trigger. She could try and tackle him, but what good is that when there are 5 other men wielding automatic weapons around them?

Something, anything!

Before she could act, a barrage of machine-gun fire tore through the air, striking the soldiers with merciless precision. Kaie winced as a .50 cal round tore straight through the man standing before her, sending blood, tissue and broken bones spraying as he collapsed to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut.

Kaie dove behind a pile of rubble, stealing a glance at the source of the carnage. A Löwe lumbered into view, smoke curling from its pintle-mounted machine gun.

Damn it to hell, anything but that! These tanks are easily the size of her house, how do they ever so consistently sneak up on them?!

The Löwe advanced, its hull sensor arrays were battered, but at this range, it would be hard pressed to miss. The remaining soldiers scattered, firing futilely at the behemoth. They didn't make it far.

Kaie's heart sank as civilians tried to surrender, raising their hands in desperation, only to be cut down by the Löwe's MG without hesitation.

Her family huddled behind a disabled car, trapped. The streets beyond offered little safe cover. Running toward the alley meant charging straight into the tank's line of fire. They were pinned.

She needed something, anything that can be wielded as a weapon, even if it's only to buy her family some time.

Kaie's eyes darted to an assault rifle lying abandoned nearby. She snatched it up, checking the chamber. A few rounds remained. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

Her mother's horrified gaze met hers, silently pleading for her not to do this.

"I'm sorry," Kaie whispered. She rose, aiming at the tank's turret optics. If she could just blind that bastard…

PA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA

The rifle bucked in her hands, the sudden recoil pushed Kaie into the ground. The .30 caliber rounds, however, sparked harmlessly against the optic's casing. Shit, somehow she didn't check the fire selector, which was left in automatic.

But still, it worked, the Löwe turned, its turret locking onto her.

Kaie raised the rifle and squeezed the trigger again, only to be met with a mocking "click", the undersized magazine had run dry.

The Löwe raised its spindly foreleg, almost in an annoyed manner. Kaie could only hope that her family got the precious moments they needed.

No matter her desperate attempts, it always ends like this.

The world spun at dizzying speeds before fading into black.

---

June 25, Stellar Year 2148

Kaie jolted awake, her chest heaving as she instinctively reached for her neck. Her trembling fingers found nothing but warm, intact skin. She exhaled shakily, the phantom sensation of searing pain still vivid in her mind.

Her eyes met the sight of a familiar cracked beige ceiling. Her breath steadied slightly—she was back in her room.

Slowly, she sat up, only to wince as a sharp pain lanced through her abdomen. Her hand moved to her stomach, where she found a freshly applied bandage covering her wound. The material was pristine, far better than anything her squadmates could have scrounged from their usual meager supplies. Odd, where did it come from?

Her hands still trembled slightly. It wasn't real, nothing in that fever dream was real. Yet it clung to her like damp ash, staining any memory it touched. The memories of her family—her mother's desperate cries as they were forcefully separated, her siblings' tearful farewell when they were taken in by the snakehead —lingered, more vivid than any waking thought.

The only sliver of comfort came from Shin's words, his unerring ability to hear the voices of the dead. He had confirmed, time and again, that their voices had not joined the chorus haunting the Eastern Front. For now, that was enough to keep the flicker of hope alive, however faint it was.

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted when she heard her door open.

"K-Kaie? You're awake!" Lecca dropped the bucket of water she was carrying in surprise and rushed in to give her a hug.

"Lecca…" Kaie's throat felt drier than the sands in the Hammada, "What happened? They… they didn't get you too, did they?"
"What? No! I'm fine! We all are, thankfully." Lecca pulled back, her initial shock giving way to a reassuring smile. "This isn't the afterlife, Kaie. But you did get knocked out by that Löwe, but just as it was about to finish you off, the backup Handler 1 mentioned arrived in the nick of time to stop it."

Lecca's voice faltered as her gaze dropped to Kaie's side. "What's wrong?" Kaie followed her friend's line of sight and placed a tentative hand over the bandages, her stomach knotting from the harrowing experience, that was close, too close of a call.

"Well… that," Lecca said quietly, gesturing toward the wound. "You were in pretty bad shape when they pulled you out. A big chunk of your Jugg got lodged in your abdomen. By some miracle, it missed the vitals, but it still caused a lot of bleeding. Just our luck that one of the guys was a corpsman, he somehow smuggled in a hospital worth of supplies and stabilized you before things could get worse. After that, we salvaged what we could from Kirschblüte and made it back to base."

Kaie let all that information sink in, it started to sound like she got thrown into yet another fever dream, her hands trembling slightly as she traced the edges of the bandages. She should feel grateful—relieved, even—but instead, unease bubbled beneath the surface.

"T-then I need to give him my thanks," Kaie said, attempting to climb out of bed despite the waves of dizziness that washed over her. She winced as her legs wobbled, her body still weak and unsteady.

"Whoa, easy there!" Lecca darted forward to steady her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "You've been out for almost ten days. We were starting to think…" She paused, her voice cracking slightly before she shook her head and continued with a smile. "I'm just glad you pulled through. Chris will want to hear this for sure."

"Chris?"

Lecca's face lit up with mischief. "Oh, you know, the big buff white knight who saved the damsel in distress~" she teased, fluttering her lashes and pretending to swoon in exaggerated fashion.

"W-What?!" Kaie stammered, her cheeks flushed faintly despite the lingering weakness.

"Yup! The guy was practically beside himself over you. It's the sweetest thing I've witnessed in a while!"

"Lecca…" Kaie groaned, her voice a mix of exasperation and embarrassment. "Please, just take me to him so I can thank him properly."

"Okie dokie~!" Lecca chirped, sliding an arm under Kaie's to help her out of bed.

Together, they made their way down the corridor, Kaie leaning on Lecca for support as her legs regained their strength. The faint hum of music reached them as they approached the cafeteria, growing louder with each step. By the time they reached the door, the unmistakable strains of heavy metal filled the air.

They stepped inside to find the squad in the middle of a surprisingly lively scene.

"Generals gathered in their masses!" bellowed a gruff Deseria man as he rearranged chairs with surprising enthusiasm. His heavyset frame reminded Kaie of Kujo—if he had lived long enough to see middle age, that is.

"Just like witches at black masses!" an Orienta man with a reddish complexion followed up, dicing proteins with precise, rhythmic motions.

"Evil minds that plot destruction!" The youngest of the trio, an Aquila, sang with gusto as he stirred something on the stove. The aroma of sizzling food wafted through the air, making Kaie's stomach rumble in protest despite her recent ordeal.

"Sorcerer of death's construction!" chimed in Chise and Mikuri, their offbeat singing compensated by sheer enthusiasm as they wiped down the windows.

"In the fields the bodies burning!" Ochi's voice boomed as he chopped potatoes, his energy contagious.

"As the war machine keeps turning!" Kurena joined in, carrying a basket of bread as she sang with surprising conviction.

"Death and hatred to mankind!" Haruto leaned on his mop like it was a microphone stand, belting the lyrics with as much dramatic flair as he could muster.

"Poisoning their brainwashed minds… OH LORD, YEAH!" The crew finished the stanza with a collective shout, bursting into laughter as the song's riff roared through the speakers.

Lecca tried and failed to stifle her own laughter as she called out above the clatter of the cafeteria, "Hey guys! Look who's here!"

The room fell silent for a heartbeat as all eyes turned to Kaie. Then, cheers and whoops erupted from the squad like water from a burst dam. Kaie couldn't help but smile, her chest tightening with gratitude. Despite the whole ordeal, she was alive—and she wasn't alone in this.

---

Terminology:

CASEVAC: CASualty EVACuation, A military term for the emergency evacuation of injured or sick people from a combat zone to a medical facility.

APS: An APS or Active Protection System is a weapons system that disrupts or intercepts anti-tank projectiles from hitting a vehicle, there are two kinds of APS, Hard-kill and Soft-kill. Hard-kill systems use projectiles to intercept incoming missiles or kinetic penetrators, whereas Soft-kill uses jamming, usually in the infrared spectrum, to disrupt incoming Anti-Tank guided missiles. Unfortunately, Soft-kill systems only affect certain guided munitions, and are usually bypassed by more advanced guided missiles like the FGM-148 Javelin.

Category IV: Cinematographic works determined by the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel prohibited for minors under the age of sixteen, as well as works of an erotic or extremely violent nature, likely to harm the physical, mental or moral development of minors under the age of sixteen. These are often for films with graphic violence, mature themes, or horror.

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Well here's chapter Six, Me and Wenth100 had a lot on our plate which delayed the progress on this chapter, hope you guys enjoy.