Chapter 2: Vasel's Last Bridge

Glossary: Agusta-Northland

First known as Agusta Weapons Factory, this company was founded at the end of XIX century by Jules Agusta, who was the first private enterprise to start producing weapons for the Gallian Army. The company then passed to Lorenz Agusta, who only kept it stable. The real boom arrived when the company was inherited by Adrien Agusta, former soldier of the Army and intrepid businessman. Adrien waged the fortunes of his company into the production of vehicles, scoring a contract to increase the procurement for the Army and the Militia, then he started exporting weapons to the rest of Europa first and Vinland next.

In 1922 the company bought out Northland Machinery Motors, a Vinlandian company specialized in engines but on the verge of bankruptcy. By absorbing an expert pool of engineers, Agusta-Northland expanded its operations and the quality of its weapons and vehicles became renowned worldwide. The productivity of the company became one of the highest in the world as Adrien invested heavily in the modernization but also in company welfare for his workers.

In 1930 Agusta-Northland opened the factory of Mawnokee, in the heart of eastern Vinland, which became the single largest weapon production facility in the world, building everything from infantry weapons, artillery pieces, tanks, armored transports and spearheading the research of the first flying machines: the airplanes.


March 15, 1935.

Just as predicted, the imperial invasion was aiming straight toward Randgriz, with limited advances inside the Kloden Wildwood and along the northern coast. This allowed the GSS to focus their efforts along the highway that connected Ghirlandaio to central Gallia, and to the fluvial city of Vasel.

On March 13, apparently tired of the obstinate Gallian resistance, General Gregor had ordered an armored spearhead to rush Vasel, which was exactly what Erwin was waiting for.

The only thing was that the spearhead hit the troops of Damon, and once again, that idiot had no idea how to react and just let his forces be routed.

Luckily for Damon, the GSS kept raiding the imperial supply convoys, which were forced to move onto a limited number of paved roads, and when they abandoned those paved roads in the misplaced hope that they would be safer, they became even slower.

Therefore, the imperial vanguard reached Vasel only now, when most of the Army had managed to retreat behind the bridges and the Militia was basically ready for deployment.

Welkin found himself inside the briefing room as Lieutenant, given the fact that he had completed the course as Reserve Officer at the University. He had been put in command of Squad 7, part of the 2nd Company, 5th Battalion, 3rd Regiment of Erwin's personal unit: the 1st Combined Arms Division.

It was an experimental unit that put together an armored regiment, which was quite unique for the Gallian Army, then a regiment of motorized infantry(with each Squad still supported by a tank) and finally a regiment of the Militia, which was to be the one Welkin served in.

And as support, this Division had a battery of motorized artillery, a combat service support company and, perhaps more unique than anything else, a GSS company that would provide recon and assistance for operations requiring their set of skills.

Right now, Welkin was sitting right next to an old friend of his, who just so happened to be the leader of Squad 1 of his same company: Faldio Landzaat, student of Archaeology at Randgriz University.

There were also pretty much every officer of the Division, sitting in the large briefing room as they waited for the arrival of the General.

"So we're finally going in, uh?" Welkin commented.

"You said it, Welkin. I must admit, I'm a little nervous."

"My father always said that there is no one who isn't afraid to go into battle. Just don't let that control your actions."

"I'll do my best." Faldio quipped.

Then the door opened, revealing Erwin and the three commanders of the Regiments: Colonel Benavir Asso of the 1st (Armored) Regiment; Colonel Marlon Rowe of the 2nd Regiment; finally the leader of the 3rd Regiment was a Captain, Eleanor Varrot.

Fact was, there had been a flock of volunteers in the Militia that far outnumbered the effective capacity of the gallian officer corp available. Therefore, the Militia's units had been expanded and put under the command of officers that normally would have to be put in charge of smaller units.

Still, Varrot was had begun her career during the last war, and just like the other commanding officers she had been handpicked by Erwin himself, meaning that she clearly knew her job and that perhaps a promotion was behind the corner.

Behind the officers, two aides were pinning a map of central Gallia on the board.

"The Imperials apparently never heard that haste is a very poor advisor. They made a mistake and we will make sure to exploit it." Erwin began.

The General stepped back a little so he could point the map and show the officers what he had envisioned.

"We know that there are two armored brigades rushing to take Vasel. Our engineers have already mined all the bridges on the river except the Great Vasel Bridge. The plan is to draw them onto the western bank and make sure they stay there.

"How, you ask? The 2nd and 3rd regiments will engage the enemy in urban combat, meanwhile, the 1st regiment will cross a ford that our scouts already spotted and take the imperials from behind. We will trap their armor into the city and then pick it out."

An officer rose his hand and the General nodded. "How far are the enemy reinforcements?"

"The rest of their infantry is mostly on foot. They will arrive in three days, which should be enough for us to encircle their tanks." Erwin replied before nodding toward another one of his colleagues.

"The timing will have to be perfect." Colonel Asso added. "We'll cross the river at night, so the Imperials will be less likely to spot us."

"Crossing at night?" an officer of the 1st asked. "I hope you chose a large ford, sir."

"It's large enough, Lieutenant." Asso replied. "And we trained exactly for a situation like this, remember?"

"I know it's a daring task." Erwin added patiently. "But if this operation succeeds, then we might stop the Imperial offensive completely. Failure is not an option, ladies and gentlemen." he then turned toward Varrot. "Captain, your 3rd Regiment will be the first to reach Vasel and assist the local Defense Battalion in containing the enemy advance. I'll go with you."

Eleanor nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Colonel Rowe, we will require your trucks. Your regiment will reach the city by train and then be on stand-by for the counterattack."

"Aye, sir." the officer replied with a salute.

"Our first objective will be making sure they don't crush our defenses on the western bank. That will be all. Prepare your units and make haste!"

The officers all rose and hurried outside. Welkin headed straight to the barracks of his squad, where he found Alicia.

As a leader of the Bruhl Town Watch and having completed a training as a reserve NCO in high school, Alicia was eligible for the rank of Sergeant, and on Welkin's request, Erwin had assigned her to Squad 7.

"Welkin." she greeted with a composed voice, though her mouth was smiling, as she seemed to always do around him. "What are the orders?"

"We are to move for Vasel, immediately. The 2nd Regiment will lend us their trucks, so get everyone ready. I'll go fetch Isara and the Edelweiss."

"You got it, Lieutenant." she replied merrily.

Welkin smiled and then reached the vehicle hangar where the Edelweiss was parked in the middle of many other LeRuss-class tanks, the basic model of the Gallian tank units. It was a relatively light tank, focusing on speed and agility, and the cannons per se were only useful against the imperial counterparts, while they could do little against the medium and heavy tanks unless they managed to flank them or hit them straight into the ragnite radiators on their backs.

Among them, the Edelweiss stood quite majestically, being larger, with a unique design given by the inclined armor and most notably the 82 mm main gun that was able to pierce everything that the Empire could deploy on the battlefield.

Isara was working on reinforcing the hull with the two engineers of the workshop: Kreis and Leon.

"Hey, Is." he said a bit loudly to overcome the sound of the screwer. Luckily, his sister heard him and turned her head. "We need to leave in twenty minutes. How's the Edelweiss."

"Just let me fix these two rivets and I'll be there."

"A new upgrade?" the Lieutenant asked curious.

"You bet it, bro!" Leon said with usual enthusiasm. "Design offered by Mr Agusta's brains."

"It's a new plating for the frontal armor." Kreis explained a little more in detail. "It improves the endurance without sacrificing the speed of the tank."

"Good. We're gonna need it."

As promised, not even five minutes later, the Edelweiss was ready to roll. Just as the crews of the other tanks took their vehicles, Isara and Welkin brought their own outside and reached their team. While the other tanks were brought in and the trucks were being lined behind every Squad, Welkin used the opportunity to make a roll call and review the names of his subordinates.

Alicia put them in formation, so Welkin started from the beginning.

"Sergeant Largo Potter." he said.

Standing in front of him, the other Sergeant of Squad 7, and third in the chain of command, was a tall man with brown hair and sideburns. He had the sign of the Lancers on his uniform.

The man clacked his heel but didn't say anything.

Welkin walked past and went in front of a woman with light brown hair gathered in two bunches at the top.

"Corporal Brigitte Stark."

"Sir." the woman replied formally.

Welkin squared the name and went forward.

"Corporal Ju-noooo…?" he rose his head in full surprise and saw the next NCO: a young woman around his age with blonde hair, a pair of glasses and blue eyes that he immediately recognized. "Juno Coren? Is that really you?!"

The girl smirked a bit embarrassed. "Lieutenant Gunther. That's me." she still replied formally.

Welkin couldn't hold back a chuckle. "I can't believe it! I thought you were going to stay in a research department."

"I was, but when I saw how quick the imperials were advancing, I decided that my graduation could wait." Juno replied.

"Well, it's good to have a familiar face around." Welkin said before continuing with the roll call.

He finished just in time for Erwin to show up, wearing a combat uniform of the GSS, with Ramal and Kiril behind him.

"Atten-tion!" Alicia yelled as the General walked in front and went to Welkin. The squad obeyed and the General quickly returned the salute.

"At ease." he said before turning toward the Lieutenant. "Welkin, if it's fine with you, we're gonna hitch a ride on the Edelweiss."

The request was quite sudden, but Welkin smiled and replied "No problem, sir. After all, you fought with this tank far longer than me."

Erwin chuckled. "Don't remind me that I'm old." he quipped. Then returned serious. "The whole regiment is accounted for. We will be in front of the column. Let's get moving, people!"

The infantry rushed to the two trucks that had been given them, while only Alicia, Ramal and Kiril would travel on the hull of the Edelweiss. Erwin went and stood on the manhole of the turret, from where he yelled the order of march as soon as the trucks and the tanks had formed up a valid column.


Sitting in his office with DeWytt next to him and Adrien and Andy sitting on the opposite side of the desk, Wilbur was going through the reports while Tensen explained his idea.

"I believe these cadets have the best potential to become pilots. If you could talk to them and see if they're interested, we will bring them to Vinland and train them as soon as the first air fighters come out of the factory."

"My agency will take care of all the paperwork." Adrien reassured. "Of course, if you agree and they decide to come."

Wilbur looked at the Chief of Staff. "What do you say, General? I'm pretty sure we can't pass this opportunity."

"Agreed. To win this war, we're going to need every advantage, and dominating the skies can't be nothing but an extensive boon. With your permission, Prime Minister, I will arrange a meeting with the candidates."

"Permission granted. Mr Tensen, would you like to participate?"

"It will be my honor, sir."

"Follow me, then." DeWytt invited before bringing Andy out of the room.

Wilbur sighed and lit up a cigar, taking a good smoke before asking the next question. "So, what did your factory say about the production of new Edelweiss?"

"We can start the production of hulls immediately. We need a few days to order some chromium and other rare minerals for the instruments, but that won't delay us in any way."

"That's some good news...that is, provided we survive long enough."

"Oh, come on: don't you have some faith in Erwin?"

"Of course I do. I just don't know if his ability can close the difference in strength between our armies."

Adrien made a shooing gesture. "What a trifle. Remember that time he led us to victory against a whole platoon of tanks, with basically us being limited to the trenches?"

Wilbur remembered that episode instantly, and indeed that brought some peace to his mind. However it was a fleeting peace, because there was still another matter, much more sensitive, that the two friends needed to discuss.

"So...what did the government of Vinland tell you?" he asked cautiously.

Adrien assumed a much more serious appearance. "They...agreed. For the moment, at least. They said they give Erwin a month to find three other Valkyrias, otherwise they will proceed with the original...candidates."

"Those are not candidates, for crying out loud!" Wilbur snapped, hitting the desk with a slap. "They are little girls! Kidnapped or lured into the program! What were the Vinlandians even thinking?!"

"In order for the implosion reactors to work, the Valkyria has to be inside the machine willingly. I guess they found it easier to persuade some children than fully grown adults." Adrien said bitterly.

Wilbur sighed, then posed his next question. "Speaking of which: how did they conclude the research for ragnite implosion? The only person in the world working on it was one of our scientists, and he's long dead."

"Well...you got your answer." Adrien said cryptically.

"What?" Wilbur asked, a little nervous at his friend's reluctance to speak clearly.

"Vinland has long employed Riley Miller. Daughter of Albert Miller and sole survivor of the family during the Hafen Incident."

Wilbur's eyes popped out. "For goodness' sake. Just how many secrets are happening in Vinland?!"

"Yeah...I didn't want to talk about it in front of Erwin...I thought remembering Hafen might have been a little too much."

Wilbur could understand. The Hafen Incident of 1923 had happened when the GSS and the GIA were moving their first steps, and to date it was still the worst failure of Erwin. On that occasion, the Empire first shelled the border town, then, using the confusion, a commando had entered and burned the Miller factory, where Albert Miller resided.

Riley Miller was only a child then and was left orphaned. When she had demonstrated an incredible attitude with the study of ragnite, she was offered a scholarship and she even went to study in Vinland. There, Adrien had taken notice of her and convinced her to sell her research to the Vinlandian government as well as giving her a job.

"Is she still with you?" Wilbur asked.

Adrien shook his head. "No. She returned to Europa two months ago. From what I know, she enlisted in the Edinburgh Army as a science officer."

"So she works for the Federation, now."

"It's not like I had any authority to stop her. Besides, we already have her research."

"Yeah, yeah. That wasn't the point. It's just...she isn't the only Gallian who enlisted there."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.

"Perhaps right in response to the Hafen Incident, but in the last two years there have been many Gallians who decided they would fight this war with the Federation, perhaps hoping that they would be able to destroy the Empire once and for all."

Adrien hummed in thought before replying. "Makes sense, though: Gallia's political doctrine is to strive for neutrality. We protect our borders and that's it, we don't chase an enemy inside its own territory."

"Yeah, that has been the policy until now, but considering that the Empire is literally invading all of its neighbors, this time around, me and the others have decided to change that."

Adrien was surprised by that. "Excuse me? Are we entering an alliance?"

"Now more than ever, Erwin's prediction was right: as long as the Empire is around, it will never stop trying to conquer the whole continent. It must be destroyed, or severely resized so that it becomes a threat no more."

"So are you going to join the Federation?"

Wilbur nodded. "Yes, but not as an integral part of it. Speaking of which, I have a meeting with Ambassador Townshend to discuss the terms of the new alliance."

"Can you give me some foreshadowing?" Adrien asked with a quip. "Or is it that project that you've been dreaming of?"

"I'm surprised you remember it." Wilbur replied in kind. "But yes. I intend to invite the representatives of the Nord Republic, Assen and the other independent nations currently under Imperial attack. And not only that: we know that there are several independence movements in the Empire's western regions, who are tired of the constant oppression of Schwartzgrad. If we ever manage to launch a counteroffensive inside the Empire, we might be able to help them achieve independence, thus shrinking the Empire.

"And when this war will be over, we will all join together under a new polity: the Europan Community."

"In your mind, that's supposed to be a trade league of some sort, right?"

"Yes. Since the main reason for conflict in Europa is ragnite, we need to start sharing it, instead of fighting over it. Gallia has the largest deposits, we should start to be less picky when selling it. Especially the new countries in the East will need it to catch up the scarce development under the Empire...oh, and they are probably going to need a lot of weapons to create their own defense forces." he casually threw in the hand.

Adrien chuckled. "You always know how to get me on board with an idea."

"I've known you for a lifetime, you greedy peon." Wilbur joked. "Now go, get back to your work, because I need to continue mine."

"As you wish, Your Excellency."


The motorized march took a little more than an hour to reach the outskirts of Vasel. Explosions and shots could be heard, indicating that the Imperials were actively pushing inside the city. Erwin stopped and assessed the situation: the 3rd Regiment was coming from the south, through the highway. They could easily take another road and enter the city by following the coast.

"All right, infantry disembark!" he ordered, jumping out of the turret and down the Edelweiss alongside his pupils.

The squads received the order and quickly stepped out of the trucks and Erwin pushed the button on his earpiece.

"Squad 1 and 3, proceed along Bavin Boulevard and hit the imperials on the flank. Squad 7, follow the river's margin and reach the drawbridge as soon as you can. All other teams, head for the train station and make sure it stays in our hands."

The various leaders acknowledged the order and moved out. At the same time, the General received a call from Colonel Asso.

"Rot Falke, this is Spearhead. We reached the ford. Kinda weird: the imperial fortifications on the other side seem abandoned."

Of course they were: Kurt and his 422nd had been dispatched there hours before the start of the operation, to support a GSS team in clearing that ford out, but the Nameless had stay in the shadow, for now, so they had been ordered to withdraw.

"Then use Lady Luck so far as she is on our side, Spearhead." Erwin simply commented.

"Copy that. We're crossing the river."

"All right. Let's get moving, everyone!"

From the hatch on the turret, Welkin turned and looked at Stark. "Rosie, take point with your team."

"Leave it to us, boss." the Corporal replied.

The flanking force kept moving on the two different levels, never losing contact until Squads 1 and 3 had to split into a secondary but still large artery of the city streets. They then heard the sound of guns renewing a lot, and not far from the bridge, Welkin warned "Erw...Sir, I'm receiving a transmission on the emergency channel."

"Patch it through." he replied, listening carefully on his earpiece.

After a few statics, a feminine voice came through.

"I repeat, this is Squad 5 of the Yugs Militia Battalion. Is anyone listening?!"

While Erwin considered if he should answer or not, he saw Ramal and Kiril halt and ask with a terrified surprise "Yugs?! Wait...that voice…" Kiril said.

Then the General remembered: Yugs was the hometown of his pupils. Figuring that they probably knew those people, he decided to reply.

"This is General Erwin Absenkirch of the 1st Combined Arms Division. Who am I talking to?"

The girl on the other side sighed relieved. "Gosh, I can't believe it. This is Sheila. Private 1st Class."

Immediately, Kiril interjected with his own earpiece. "Sheila?! Sheila is that really you?!"

"Kiril? What…?" she was interrupted by an explosion somewhere around her, so she focused back. "General, we have been taken by surprise by the enemy offensive. We have been forced to dig inside the library's courtyard. We need help. Any help!" she screamed with urgency.

"Keep your cool, Private." Erwin invited, then quickly looked at the map. "Good news: we're about to hit them from the south, you're right on our attack pattern, so just hold on a little longer."

"Understood. Just hurry up, please!"

Erwin closed the transmission. "The library is a kilometer from here. Everyone, double time!"

The GSS started running right away. Isara accelerated some more, but the rest of the troopers struggled a bit to keep the pace. After all, most of them had just been called to arms a few days before and they were not as fit as the three special forces. Nonetheless, Rosie's group at least managed to keep up and they reached their objective: an inclined ramp that linked the paved part of the river bank to the city center, which brought them right in front of the Imperials that were attacking the library.

So, just as Squads 1 and 3 barged from the front to rescue their trapped comrades, Squad 7 hit the Imperials from the flank, one that was completely undefended and unprepared for such an occurrence. Thus, it didn't take long for the Edelweiss to knock out the three imperial tanks in front of it while Erwin, Ramal and Kiril led the ground assault toward the square where the Imperials had established their base camp around there.

Surprised and confused, and suddenly cut off from the drawbridge, the surviving Imperials broke formation and ran into the city, trying to catch up with the bulk of their army.

Erwin immediately sent out orders for the other Squads to come in and establish a defensive perimeter around the bridgehead, so that the Imperials that were already on the western bank would be completely isolated. Nearly at the same time, as he had calculated, the train bringing in the 2nd Regiment also reached the train station and the Army soldiers could join the defense of the city on the opposite side.

Basically, the Gallians had trapped a regiment-worth of tanks and the respective infantry squads inside Vasel.

"Great job, everyone. Squads 1, 3 and 7, set up your camps then get some rest."

Erwin had just said that, that he spotted Kiril rushing toward the library, followed shortly after by Ramal who ran with a more relaxed pace. The General decided to follow, also because he was curious about the unit that had been holding out in the library's court.

As soon as he passed the damaged building and entered said courtyard, he found himself in front of a desolating show: several Militias were laying on the ground with imperial corpses, others were wounded in some way.

Among that, he also spotted Kiril hugging somebody real tight, as if he had been extremely worried. But before he could reach them, he stumbled upon the Lieutenant of the squad, who saluted him.

"General Absenkirch. I'm Lieutenant Joshua Bleven. Squad 5 of the Yugs Militia."

Erwin nodded. "At east, Lieutenant. Where's the rest of your Battalion?"

Bleven made a contrite expression as he replied. "It's what you see here, sir."

Erwin grunted softly. "Damn it. But why were you already here? The Militia is being deployed only today, for all I knew."

"Well, we might be marked as a battalion, but Yugs is only a small town. Our unit was ready on the third day of war, so the Army called us here to reinforce the line. We took the full imperial offensive from the east bank all the way here...there isn't much left of the battalion, now, not even our commander."

Erwin calmly replied "You gave us the time and the occasion to catch the Imperials off-guard. I know it does little to compensate for your losses, but you all did a great job."

Joshua made a faint smile. "On the contrary, sir. At least we know all of this was for something."

Erwin then looked at his pupils. He saw them talking to a young Darcsen girl with the hair gathered in two bundles gathered by two decorated hairbands that reached the front of her shoulders, and her hair was quite long in the back. He then remembered the name of the girl who called them and the reaction of Kiril, thus reaching an easy conclusion.

"That Private. Is that Sheila?" he asked calmly.

Bleven turned to confirm. "Yes, we wouldn't be alive without her: see that radio over there?"

Erwin spotted a small command post set up behind a square of sandbags, that included a table, a map of the city and the radio, which had visible holes on the box.

"That scrap metal?" he asked surprised.

Bleven nodded. "Yes. A shrapnel turned it that way. And yet, Sheila managed to make it work."

Erwin hummed. "Very impressive." he said as he assessed the young girl.

"Hey, now that I look better...are those Ramal and Kiril." Bleven asked.

"You know them?"

"They are quite famous in Yugs. Those two have been inseparable since they were kids."

"Right. They told me that Yugs is quite a special place, where Darcsen don't get discriminated."

"They were telling the truth, sir. We at Yugs take pride in that, and that's the reason why the nobles hate us. Nonetheless, while we respect them, Ram and Kiril are still a special case: it's not everyday a Darcsen and a Europan develop such a bond from such a young age."

"I see. Well, Lieutenant, I think you can do little more, given your status. Have the wounded shipped away, then report to me for reassignment."

The Lieutenant made the salute. "Yes, sir."

As the man walked away, Erwin reached his pupils and Sheila. The girl was looking quite gloomy, but when Erwin reached her she made the salute after a moment of surprise.

"Private Sheila. I was told this unit owes their lives to you." he said cordially.

However, Sheila didn't seem eager to take the compliment. "Not all of them." she hissed in frustration.

Kiril put a hand on her shoulder, Ramal didn't exactly know what to say, and even he seemed quite upset. Erwin could only guess that, if a friend of them was among that militia, they probably had many others who did not survive the battle.

"You did everything you could. It may not seem much, but that's it. You need to accept it and move on, or this war will eat you from the inside, girl."

"Oh, I'm gonna move on, alright." she replied with determination and a sudden fire in her eyes. "General, I heard you saying to the Lieutenant that you're going to reassign all of us to other units, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, please...take me with you." she finally asked, standing firmly at attention.

Ramal and Kiril didn't seem very surprised. Maybe they just expected her to do so, but they seemed hesitant to express their opinion.

Erwin hummed in thought. "Tell me, what's your specialization?"

"Sir, I'm an Engineer. I came out from the Technical School last year. I'm specialized in electronics and mechanical equipment."

"If I may, sir." Kiril intervened. "She came out of school with full marks. Making that radio work is a testament to her skill."

"That was quite obvious, Corporal." Erwin joked. "Ram, do you know her?"

"How I could not know my bro's woman?" Ramal said with a smirk.

Erwin smiled. "Oh. I was wondering why you were so worried, Kiril."

Both Darcsens blushed, and while Kiril nervously cleared his voice, Sheila muttered "I'm gonna kill you, Ram…"

"Anyways, I can assure you, sir," Ramal continued "that Sheila would be a great addition to the 1st Division. She can take care of herself and there's hardly any tech that she can't handle."

The General pondered briefly then reached a conclusion. "Very well. I therefore reassign you to Squad 7. Kiril, would you mind introduce her to Welkin?"

"Yes, sir." the young man replied with a smile, then gently accompanied his woman away.

"Ram, I need a favor."

"Whatever you need, sir."

"Find a good spot and see what the Imps are doing on the other side of the river, then reach my camp at the station to report."

"Sir, yes sir."


Despite the list of casualties from Yugs, Kiril was still very grateful to the Spirits for having found his beloved one safe and sound. "You know, when I heard your voice, I almost didn't believe it."

"Neither I did." she replied. "I thought you still had to finish your training."

"Well, the General decided that experience on the field was our best final exam, so he took us in as our supervisor. I actually sent you a letter three days ago."

"Ah, then I couldn't receive it before we had already left Yugs."

"Speaking of which, how's everybody else back in town? Your parents?"

"The Imperials have not reached the town, yet, but many have already fled since all it takes is a little push for the enemy to reach it. My parents did the same. Ram's parents are also helping in the evacuation."

"He'll be happy to know it. Now, let me see…" Kiril looked around and tried to see Welkin as soon as they reached the bulk of Squad 7, but all he could spot were Isara and the Edelweiss, which he decided was better than nothing.

"Hey, Isara. Do you know where your brother went?" he asked friendly.

Isara took her head away from the repairs and looked at the two of them. "Oh, Kiril." she replied with a smile. "Welks went out on recon with Alicia, but he should be back soon."

"I see. Well, in the meantime, allow me to introduce you to a new member of Squad 7. This is Sheila, the one I talked you about. Sheila, meet Corporal Gunther."

A little surprised at first, Isara replied with genuine enthusiasm. "Oh, nice to meet you. Ram and Kiril mentioned you a few times. I'm Isara Gunther."

Sheila barred her eyes. "You are the Isara? Daughter of Theimer and adopted by General Gunther?" she asked with amazement.

Isara was a little shy after hearing that. "Oh, you heard about me?"

"Of course! Theimer and Gunther are like my heroes. They always made me think that coexistence between the Darcsens and the Europans is possible, not just in Yugs." Sheila replied enthusiast before extending her hand. "It's a real pleasure to meet you…" then she remembered the difference in rank and stood at attention, afraid that she had disrespected her. "uh...ma'am!"

Isara couldn't hold back a chuckle before waving her hand. "There is no need to be so formal. They gave me this rank only because I took the tank driving course." then she extended her own hand. "Please, just call me Isara."

Amused by the whole situation, Sheila laughed and shook Isara's hand.

"Looks like a single dark-hair wasn't enough." a hostile voice pronounced behind them.

Kiril turned and saw Rosie and Largo. The former was the one that had spoken and was looking at them with disdain. The former was just smoking his cigarette, though his expression was distrustful of them, too.

"The General had to give us the whole batch." she added.

Kiril decided to ignore it. She certainly wasn't the first one to talk to him like that, however, Sheila was not of the same advice.

"May I remind you that the dark-hair here outranks you, so watch your mouth." she said, pointing Kiril with her thumb.

It was true, even if both him and Rosie were Corporals, the GSS had a superior authority both on the Army and the Militia, so when talking about the same rank, one had to look if the other one was of a more prestigious branch.

"Private Sheila, meet Corporal Stark and Sergeant Potter of Squad 7." he introduced, hiding any emotion. "And Rosie, Sheila had a very bad day, so leave her alone."

Rosie clicked her tongue. "I wonder why. The dark-hairs only invite trouble."

"I don't recall inviting the Imperials to massacre my friends." Sheila replied angrily.

Rosie didn't reply immediately. Instead, Kiril noticed something weird on her facial expression, as if those words had touched a nerve. Then she showed her fangs and walked with heavy steps in front of Sheila, who didn't flinch.

"Listen here you flea, wherever you guys go, a disaster is waiting. That's just experience telling it!"

"What's going on, here?"

That was the voice of Welkin, who had just returned with Alicia from his recon mission and they were also followed by a woman in checkered civilian clothing and, Kiril noticed, a portable camera.

Normally, any subordinate with common sense would have avoided causing a fuss in front of his commander, but Rosie apparently didn't follow that kind of advice.

"And you even ask it, boss? As if one dark-hair wasn't enough." she said, pointing Isara. "Now we got three of them. They will bring every disgrace imaginable upon our squad, and I have no intention to die."

"Sure, let's blame everything on somebody just because of the color of his hair." Sheila countered. "I'm sure they practice some black magic that nobody ever saw!"

Rosie made a step forward and leaned toward her. "Are you calling me stupid?!"

Sheila now reached her forehead and touched Rosie's as she kept yelling. "Wow! You actually have a brain inside that wooden box!"

"All right! That's enough!" Welkin intervened and separated them. He then realized that there was someone he didn't know among the contenders. "First of all: who are you?"

Sheila regained her control and made a stern salute. "Private Sheila, sir. I have been reassigned to Squad 7 by General Absenkirch after the heavy losses taken by the Yugs Militia."

"Ah, so you're the one who sent the distress call. Nice to meet you...so, what's going on?"

"I was just presenting myself to the unit when the Corporal started blurring out insults."

"Is that true, Rosie?" Welkin asked.

Rosie clicked her tongue again and looked away with a disdained face.

"I asked you a question!" Welkin said more seriously.

"What part do you not understand, kid?" Largo said all of a sudden. "We won't fight with Darcsens, and that's all." he added as he crushed what was left of his cigarette. Then he stepped forward. "And most importantly, none of us is taking orders from a newbie who got his position because is friend with a higher-up. We don't intend to die by following the orders of someone who never saw a real battle."

Kiril was about to remind him that that wasn't how the military worked, but before he could intervene, Welkin stepped forward and spoke with determination. "All right, Largo. Then let's make a deal: in 48 hours, I will retake that bridge."

Said declaration stunned everybody, but he wasn't done yet. "When that happens, you will start following my orders without question."

"Ehm...Welkin…" Alicia tried to stop, but it was useless.

"If I fail, I will resign my position as commander."

There was a brief moment of silence before Largo erupted in a loud laugh, then accepted the bet, clearly thinking that he had already won. After that, he convinced Rosie to get away and the two left the group, leaving Welkin to deal with his very upset companions.

"Lieutenant, what in the world was that?" Kiril asked. "There is already a plan at work to retake that bridge. You can't just make promises like that one."

Welkin rubbed the back of his head and smiled shyly. "Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away." then he assumed a more optimistic tone "But, our recon along the river showed me something, which I think we can exploit. I was just about to report it to Erwin when I heard the commotion."

Kiril tilted his head, a little confused: what could have Welkin ever saw that might be that useful? He then hummed in thought and finally said "Let's go right now. I'll make you pass."


March 16, 1935.

The Imperials had just started to bring their reinforcements on the drawbridge. That included 24 tanks that just had to be taken out while they were so vulnerable.

For that, Erwin had already prepared two GSS strike teams that would cross the bridge right that morning, when the recurrent fog coming from the river at that hour of the day would not allow the two banks to see each other. However, he would have never expected Welkin to come up the day before and tell him that he had a way to bring the Edelweiss across the river.

But that was it. The tank was ready to jump into the river by using a small ford created by...an alga.

"Welkin, far from me to doubt your knowledge of nature...but are you sure this...what was it?...ah, mistleweed, will actually keep a tank afloat?"

From the turret of the Edelweiss, which Isara had enriched with some inflatables on the sides and a cap for the gun barrel, Welkin replied with his usual optimism.

"Don't worry, sir. The features of the mistleweed will make it look like we're running on a road. I will send a flare when we reach the other side."

Erwin hummed in thought, wondering if he had to stop him, but if that idea worked, it would give the strike teams some very useful fire support against the encamped armored brigade sitting on the other side of the river.

Eventually, he walked on the front and looked inside the small opening for the driver, which was right now covered by a small glass.

"Hey, Is." he said, approaching the glass to make sure Isara could hear him. "Make sure your brother doesn't do anything stupid."

Isara chuckled. "As always."

Erwin smiled then went to meet his men, who were waiting onto two rowboats. Ramal, Kiril and Sheila were all sitting into the boat on the left, alongside four other GSS agents. On the other boat, there was the rest of them: other six agents including a sniper, one with the disposable anti-tank lances of the Service and one with a light machine gun. Finally, there was their officer.

"Lieutenant Coulson, is the squad ready?" he asked.

"Just waiting your orders, sir." the man replied promptly with the calm voice of a veteran.

"All right, let me recap the plan: once Lieutenant Gunther reaches the shore, he will shoot a flare to indicate the landing point. You guys disembark and then go crazy into the imperial camp. Most of their tanks should be refueling, but some are probably already active and waiting to cross the bridge. In any case, distract their forces so that the Corporals can escort Private Sheila to the drawbridge's controls."

"Toughest baby-sitting of my life, but we're up to it." Coulson replied.

"Good." Erwin said, then went to his pupils. "Boys, keep Sheila safe. Sheila, your objective is that control room, so stay low and don't take useless risks."

"Aye, sir." the three of them replied firmly.

Erwin then stepped back and made sure all the group could hear him. "All right, gentlemen. Operation Cloudburst is a-go. Good luck."

Welkin entered inside the turret and closed the hatch. Isara ignited the engine and the radiator of the Edelweiss, even if hidden by the temporary box Isara built for it, started fizzling.

As soon as the tank started moving, Erwin held his breath. That might have marked the beginning of a new chapter in the use of tanks, or end up in a catastrophe.

The Edelweiss dipped its nose first and slowly sank into the Vasel river. After a short, tension-filled second the barrel of the tanks still emerged from the water and started moving toward the opposite bank.

"Fuck me!" one of the agents exclaimed. "It actually works."

"Which means it's time for us to start rowing, Huber." Coulson reminded to everybody.

As the agents took the rowers and started drifting away from the bank, Erwin saluted them then rushed back to the bulk of the troops. They had established a fortified line on their side of the bridge, ready to fight in case the armored column had arrived there, though the numerical advantage of the Imperials might have been decisive.

Everything hinged on the success of Cloudburst.