Chapter 1. Zapad-12
Night time always manages to evoke some kind of emotion within anyone. It makes you want to think, it makes you want to ponder. It makes you want to play something, want to write down something, anything to record that fleeting moment of brilliance. Hikaru is no stranger to it, like all the artists of the past. He knows it very well.
Tonight is just like any other summer night, a chock full of stars shining down on the now sleeping train heading towards somewhere named Tsuruga, commander Yamamoto told. He couldn't care less where they are going, so long as they return to Aomori with an attitude happier than when they left. For this time, he really wants it to be true, he wants them to win today's match. The reason? It's obvious to anyone even barely involved with the Hohei-do club, as tomorrow is when they will be able to exact their revenge against the supposed black horse that took down the already dimming red star - Kościuszko High School. Everyone was… tense to say the least they were all awake. Some, you could say, were very excited to have a rematch this year. Others, not so much. They're very worried, in fact, because this is Kościuszko they are going against. If they get a repeat of last year, then the victory last time against Suleiman would have been just a fluke in their own eyes. Araki probably also feels the same, and he's beyond stressed on finding a way to put these hussars down. But he never shows it, doesn't he? That bastard, always playing it cool in front of everyone… Eh, it probably means nothing at the end anyway, so long as they get over the quarter finals.
Everyone in the room he's saying in has already gotten asleep for the important day tomorrow. Andrey and Mikhail, being the close friends they are, use each other as makeshift to lie on, their saliva dripping out of their mouth like they just had too much vodka. The room has enough beds for four of course, but the medic and gunner fell asleep sitting, probably getting tired of the culinary talk Ringo has been going on for hours and hours on end. The train bumps up occasionally going over the joints of the rail, making for an actually quite decent metronome. Hm, if only there is something he can do…
Casually, and a little lazily, he reaches for the guitar that has been lying itself on the wall. He didn't feel like playing anything when he just got on, and he would have been fine getting some sleep like everyone is here too. But he can't sleep, for the night is too enticing for him not to acknowledge. "Heh, I guess the night wants me to make an Ursa Major." He mumbled, strumming randomly for testing. No need for a guitar pick, his finger should be good enough as is.
Then, he pauses for a bit, thinking on what to play. His finger flicks onto the strings, playing any kind of note that can bring him some inspiration. "What song is fitting enough to play for the night? Hm…" He continues wondering as his fingers do their own thing, still hoping for a stroke of inspiration. He keeps on wandering in his own mind for a while, his only companions now being his soundly sleeping comrades, the night and the natural metronome created by the joints the train keeps bumping on.
Светит луна глазом волчьим
На мусульманский Восток.
Пьем пакистанскую молча,
Молча подводим итог.
Ветра вой в степи унылой
И протухшая вода…
Эх, Афган, я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда.
Эх, Афган, я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда.
Выпили, разговорились
Про слабый пол и войну,
С пьяною мордой бес вылез –
Бабу б на всех хоть одну.
Налит весь мужскою силой,
Сунуть бы, да некуда…
Эх, Афган, я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда.
Эх, Афган, я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда.
Горы, зовущие синью.
Желто глядит гепатит.
Чеков мы здесь накосили –
Долг, а придется платить.
Буду рад, что не убили,
Мой барыш - мои года...
Эх, Афган, я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никогда.
Эх, Афган, я тебя до могилы
Не забуду никог-
All of a sudden, the note he hits sounds incredibly wrong, and he is for certain he didn't just miss it. That can only mean one thing. He takes a look at the guitar and sees that one of the strings is broken, its shape now resembling wet noodle with how curvy it has become. There's no elasticity to it either, or no more that is.
"It has served its purpose, I guess." He thought to himself, before reaching to the gig bag he places separately from where the guitar once was, though still in the upper deck. There should be a toolkit somewhere for him to replace this broken string with another one, and it should be good as new once he is done. But it is odd how the guitar just broke itself down like that. Not like he treated it rough, or at least too rough. It holds itself up just fine even when it has to reside inside the BTR. Hopefully, this is just merely a terrible coincidence, and not an omen for what's to come.
The plan was simple enough. Lieutenant Margelov and his motorized platoon will be spearheading the operation, attracting the attention of the Polish hussars and having them running circles around them. They will be whittled down if given enough time, but that is really the only way for the horses to rear their heads out. The BTR and the BMPs will trail behind, watching out for the hussars themselves. That was what Araki told everyone before they put their foot upon the station from the long ride to Tsuruga. As the train slowly comes to a crawl, then a full stop, the students have already donned their gear up, their weapons either held tightly in hands or hanged loosely on the side of the rucksack.
"About time we get to work." He thought to himself as he cleaned the disassembled AK one last time. The reassembly should be fast enough for the hallway to be a little less crowded, thus letting him have a little breathing room, and he was right. The moment he picks up the rifle and lets it hang on the side of the backpack alongside the RPG, he walks out of the cart's hallway, the small hallway now consists of way less people and isn't like a pack of sardines. Perfect, should be when he gets off anyway, he misses his feet touching solid ground.
Once he is finally done leaving the train, to which he realizes he was quite literally the last batch, the outside is full of people, as expected. Hohei-do practitioners from both schools as well as various spectators and the local people all mesh together on this little town's station. Tsurugi is definitely going bombastic for the next few days or so.
As he looks around to find his BTR family, he finds himself overhearing a conversation between the commanders themselves. It sounds rather heated, though likely because of the Polish school's student provoking him more or less. Kind of not cool of him to do so. Araki is still keeping himself together though, that's good enough.
"Hope you'll be giving out a good performance today, Yamamoto-san. It would be a great shame were the stars to fall prey to the black cavalry again this year, huh? And being one of the original Hohei-do schools too, imagine what people would think of you and your horrifically sluggish forces when you once again fall prey to my superior steel-forged hussars..." The Polish commander then chuckles in a cartoonishly evil fashion. Responding to it, though, is a leveled response from Krasnaya's commander. That's right, keep at it Araki! Don't let this bastard break you!
Fortunately, Araki's mastering of history related to Afghanistan gave him what was, in his mind, a good comeback.
"Well, that's if you won't be blown away harder than a camera blew away Ahmad Shah Massoud!" Araki retorted with a wink, though, a few moments later, he pretty much regretted saying that, being very much cringeworthy in hindsight. Whatever, what's said was said.
The Polish captain chuckles upon hearing that, it must have actually hit the spot. Then, he regains his composure. "You can stay on that high horse all you want, Yamamoto-san. The battle ahead will soon show to you that Kościuszko is in fact better than Krasnaya will ever be, and the public will have to accept that." And when he's done dropping the words to the opposing captain, he simply waltzes out of the conversation physically, disappearing himself amongst the blob of people.
"Hm, it seems the talk has ended." Hikaru muttered, before turning to the opposite direction to find his squadmates. It doesn't take any time at all though, as a hand suddenly comes out to grab him.
"There you are. Took forever to find you!" The squad mates told him, the hand still holding him quite firmly. Yup, it's Andrey that has found him.
"Hey, at least it won't be as hard as finding Kisaragi!" Hikaru quickly countered, to which Andrey can only respond with a shake of his head and a sigh.
"Come on, let's get to our rally point. We've been waiting for you since we got off. Even Kisaragi is with us."
"Mhm... Good for him, I guess." Hikaru absent-mindedly said, looking at the scenery around him with no focus. He was definitely not bothering to pay attention. That's just how Hikaru is, couldn't give less of a damn.
"Hikaru." Araki's sharp voice snapped the soldier from his aimless daydreaming. Turning around, Hikari gave a snappy salute before being granted permission to stand easy, after which Araki continued. "Well... today's the day. On a scale of one to ten... how confident are you?"
"Uh... I don't know? Couldn't care less." Hikaru shrugged as he slurred his words. "I just hope we get back in a better mood than whatever I witnessed last night back on the train. It was all sorts of worries and anxieties and rage and... You know, all that about how we got beaten by today's opponent last year. It's tiresome really, I just want to get over this swiftly."
"Yeah… I can feel you," Araki lets out a sigh, relieving himself of the painful memories of watching the match before his enrollment. "It'll be different this time. We have new faces, new tactics, new approaches, et cetera. With all the practice we've been doing, even if we don't win, we'll give them a match they won't forget. I get it if you're not really feeling up to shape, but we're talking school prestige here, so let's give it our best, shall we? Besides, Kisaragi can maybe play the part of Casper the Friendly Ghost if we let him… heh."
"Sure." Hikaru huffs through his nose. "Hopefully that guitar string isn't a good fortune teller, I guess."
"What guitar str… and he's gone. Nevermind."
Sighing once again, Araki rubbed the back of his head as he made his way to the rally point to start off the match, remembering his many Company of Heroes sessions he had done ever since joining the Hohei-do team, the many practice runs in different game modes, from Defusal to Skirmish to the school-on-school matches against Otto von Krieger and Suleiman. Now, they would be fighting another heavyweight, famed for their cavalry-like tactics reminiscent of the Winged Hussars of old, and the ones who had defeated Krasnaya the previous year. All he could hope for was that they would be too overconfident to think straight, though they, being veterans, would never be like that. Anyone with a rational mind would know that.
It didn't take long for Araki to finally reach the rally point, but when he arrived, he was rather surprised to see what he found: an Orthodox priest, clad in black garment, a chain bearing a silver cross around his neck, denoting his status. Moving closer, he could make out Mikhail, Aleksandr, and Andrey standing close to him, conversing together. They seemed to be having a great time, and, knowing he was poorly suited for religious matters, he stayed out of that business. Knowing those three, they were definitely going to have him pray for Krasnaya to be victorious. Araki himself didn't really care much about religion, seeing it as something that existed as a regular part of the world, but if prayer did work, it would definitely be needed here.
Just then, in the distance, he could hear it.
Bogurodzica
Dziewica
Bogiem sławiena
Maryja
U Twego Syna
Gospodzina
Matko zwolena
Maryja
Zyszczy nam
Spuści nam!
Kyrie eleison!
Like what they had sung in their previous match, it was the old Polish hymn to Mary, the Mother of God. It was enough to send chills down one's spine, and Kościuszko's students could really make that happen.
Then, all of a sudden, from behind him, there was more singing.
The priest, joined by Aleksandr, Andrey, and Mikhail, as well as a couple of others, had joined together in their own hymn to the Theotokos, an Akathist Kontakion chanted in gratitude for the Byzantines' successful defense of the great city of Constantinople from the combined forces of the Slavic Avars and Persian Sassanids over a millennia before, during which the Patriarch of Constantinople, Sergius I, bravely walked the Theodosian Walls, bearing an icon of the Theotokos, and leading a litany to the Hodegetria, after which a storm scattered the invading forces.
Возбраной Войеводйе побйедителйная,
яко избавлшеся от злих благодарственая,
восписуйем Ти раби Твойи Богородице!
но яко имущая державу непобйедимую.
от всяких нас бйед свободи да зовем Ти,
Радуйся невйесто неневйестная!
And so, both sides were locked in a preliminary battle of hymns. Like the Great Schism, it was Orthodox versus Catholic, Byzantine against Roman, each with their different types of chants and melodies and voices. Soon, however, it was determined that it wouldn't be a good idea to keep this up, so the contest was soon ended, and both sides began preparations for the match, though now, it seemed, there was a new religious layer added to this match, and at least to Araki, one couldn't deny that, although religion didn't matter much to him, they did pump out some bangers.
The same can be said for Hikaru, who is standing next to the BTR waiting for the vocal battles to be done. He was enamored with what he had witnessed, to say the least.
"That was beautiful, wasn't it Hikaru? The chant, I mean." Mariya who had already opened the commander cupola to see what was going on.
"Yeah... But they stopped rather soon. I kind of wish it went on for longer, Mariya."
"I understand, but it is almost time to go. The others should come back soon enough." Then, the BTR commander knocks on the driver's hatch. "Ringo, can you start the engine, it's almost time!"
"Sure thing!" The driver Ringo enthusiastically replied, as the engine roared from the rear of the personnel carrier.
"Can't wait to see how these hussars roll. Maybe we'll even be able to face one off too, Mariya." Kyoko spoke from the gunner position.
"Hold yourself Kyoko, the time should come soon enough. Don't get too trigger happy now, will you?" Mariya was quick to temper her crewman's expectations.
"I suppose... I can't help it, you know? It's like if I was asked to hunt down a Tiger. Believe me, you know my hands will be shaking from the excitement." Kyoko replied.
"I understand, but let's not be hasty." Mariya then dips deep into her seat and closes the hatch. Maybe he should get in the BTR too, it's almost time.
As he opens the side door, he thinks to himself one last time about the broken guitar string last night. It's so weird how it just gives out like that. He was pretty sure he wasn't being careful so why did it happen? Just thinking about it is already making him feel unnerved. Again, it felt like an omen for what is to transpire today.
"Eh, whatever. If things go south today, let it be so." He mumbled as he made himself as comfortable as possible in the cramped space of the passenger seat. Best he not recall it, or else he won't be on his best performance. A battle is awaiting for him, his AK and his RPG to tackle, after all.
Araki stares at the vast expanse of terrain before him as the greeting ceremony ends. The battlefield's biomes change every now and then, from smooth, grassy fields to less smooth grounds containing hills big and small, not to mention a more rocky area not far off. The map of the battlefield is before him, and the plan has already been carefully studied and formulated, but with a good view of the battlefield, it is better to get some more insights, just in case there is any location prone to ambush or any other possible traps and surprises. It is, by all accounts, good ground to fight on, at least for him. With there being uneven terrain, that will be the ideal place to deploy his forces and mount a defense, as Kościuszko operates best in flat, open ground, and doesn't perform as well in terrain like hills or rocks. As long as he and Krasnaya get there first, the match will be more or less smooth sailing... or will it?
Maybe it isn't as black and white as it was. Araki knows that Hohei-do is too complicated for that. Perhaps the strategy of occupying the rugged terrain isn't going to work too well, given the possibility that Kościuszko would see that strategy as well and come up with a counter of some sort. There are many good reasons they were part of the best, and it doesn't just involve fearlessly charging in, decimating whoever came before them. They know much better than that. They know when to strike, how hard to strike, what to strike with; outside of, say, Otto von Krieger or Soudainokyokoku, they were masters of aggression. They can hit, and when they hit, the chances of survival are slim. He remembers seeing Krasnaya's last match with Kościuszko, how it was over as soon as the opponent pushed the advantage with all their strength, ending the affair within 5 hours. Would the same happen here, or would they-
"Captain, you good?"
It was Moteru.
"Yes, Moteru, I'm fine... just thinking."
"The Russians are almost done with their Liturgy. Better get ready."
"Yeah... I'm on my way."
Saluting Moteru as he left, Araki took one last gaze at the battlefield, and, feeling uncertain yet determined, he took into account the liturgy currently being celebrated by the Russian students somewhere else, and muttered under his breath,
"I hope those prayers of yours work... singing won't really be enough to win this."
It wasn't a malicious comment, just Araki knowing that victory wouldn't be earned by just singing the same thing over and over. Still having doubts in his mind, Araki was too focused on how the battle could play out, the possible flaws in his plan, and the realization that, perhaps, Moltke might've been right, but then again, what was the point of having plans anyway-
"Captain! Woah!"
Too distracted by his thoughts, Araki had bumped into Hikaru, who was busy getting his crew all set up.
"Ow... Fuck me..." He touched his forehead as he muttered. No bumps from it, at least.
"Captain, are you good? You don't look good," Hikaru worriedly questioned as he helped his commander come back to his senses. "Are you sure you want to lead us?"
"I'm good, I'm good." Araki quickly dismissed. "Just... got too focused on thinking to walk properly, that's all." He then chuckles and looks at the battle taxi whose engine is already revving. "So, I suppose we should be going by now. The battle won't come to us by itself, huh?"
"Yes, Captain... though... Are you sure you look good? You don't seem rather confident right now. Is it the fact we're facing Kościuszko and we might lose again, or are there some anxieties in there that need a little loosing up? I'm not trying to be invasive and all, just... friend's concerns."
"You don't need to, that's a little overboard." Araki dismissed the worries directed at him. "Say... where is that guitar now? I remember you mentioned it broke last night."
"Managed to get a new string... poor old one wasn't that worn... dunno how on earth it got snapped... maybe it brings a bad omen, maybe not, but eh, when has a bad situation ever affected you, captain?"
"True. Anyway, not like we only have today either. There are 2 rounds for this match, remember? We're doing a battle of Sabotage today."
"Right, right... if not today, then tomorrow, and then on to the next round, and the next, and the championship. Right?" Hikaru could see his commander wasn't too enthusiastic, so he worked to get him pumped up and more confident so as to boost his energy and enthusiasm. No commander is more efficient and inspiring than one who has such great charisma.
"Y-Yeah." Araki can't help but chuckle at the comment. "That sounds very atypical of a student from a Russian school, are you aware? Sounds like something a Soudainakyoukoku student would say."
"I mean, anything to lift the spirits of a great commander and a close friend, captain," Hikaru replied with a smile and a wink. "Now, let's go crack some wings, shatter some armor, and splinter some lances, shall we?"
"Да." Araki shortly responded before willing himself to the top of the BTR, waiting for the rest of the crew before they got going. No time for thinking and dwelling, it's almost match time anyway. Best he focuses on moving and shooting.
The red flare has disappeared long since the referee team fired it upon the usual blue summer sky, and the motorized platoon alongside its leader have already charged way ahead to do recon by fire before setting up a proper line, according to their squad leader. As for the BTR lads and lasses, they're just residing in the forest, waiting for any reports the frontline has. And just by smelling the air along, Hikaru can already sense the boredom slowly creeping within their unit. It has been an hour or two since the match started, and nothing of note has come from lieutenant Margelov. Taking a look at everyone, he can see how all of them are becoming more unnerved over time, with slight twitches on their faces and their fingers. All except Rudolfo that is. Don't understand the guy to be honest, he always manages to keep a cool face. No wonder he was chosen as a marksman, he definitely earned it.
Then, all of a sudden, Araki's expression changes rapidly, going from weariness to excitement as he hears the guy reporting from the other side of the line.
"I see… The hussars are directly attacking right now… There are some infantry elements… I understand, I'll be right on it… Yeah, you should be on the case too, Lieutenant Suzuki." And keeping the new enthusiasm he gained, he turned to the crew. "Boys and girls, time to get on working!"
"Now we're talking!" Mikhail perked up and stood straight at the news. "My RPK is gonna be freezing, having no rounds going out of it!"
"Here you go with you being affectionate with a gun for no reason, Misha." Andrey rolled his eyes, standing up also.
"You can be annoyed at it all you want, Andrey. Mikhail's got a point." Ichiro defended, now also ready to roll at a moment's notice. And just as he finishes, the sound of the engine revving can be heard from the BTR-82A.
"Good to go also!" Ringo also gleefully popped from her hatch and looked at everyone. Heh, they're all getting fired up now, except for Rudolfo, of course. He just casually walks up to the BTR, throws a look at the squad leader and asks.
"Мы пошел?"
Araki simply nods to the answer, and then wasting no time, the marksman gets into the vehicle. Everyone else, including Hikaru, also follows suit quickly. Then, when all is said done, the commander closes the hatch and looks at the people inside.
"Good to go?" She scanned everyone and they all wore a determined face. Looks like she doesn't need a verbal answer for this time.
She soon turns to Ringo. "Okay Ringo, you know what to do."
And without a word said, they are well on their way again, towards the bullet ridden woods where the motorized platoon are located, which doesn't take long. It doesn't hurt to say Ringo is getting better and better at maneuvering this beast of armor.
As quick as they got onto the BTR in the first place, they dismount, spreading off into groups of two, with Kisaragi going alone about the mission as always, very typical of him. Still, he is nice enough to leave Moteru a spare RPG-26 right on him as he goes his merry way. Now, there are only him, the green woods and the combat engineer Ichiro, as they hold position for the captain to hear more about the frontline's situation. But then, the woods start to rumble. Instinctively, Hikaru puts his AK away and grabs the RPG.
"What was that?" He asked, likely needing affirmation from Ichiro of all people. He doesn't disappoint though.
"Sounds like an internal combustion engine to me. Go tell squad lead, I'll be going up ahead a little." He then pushes forward, AK still tight in his palms. Meanwhile Hikaru reports on the situation.
"Hikaru to Araki, Hikaru to Araki, we got something over here. Likely a vehicle."
"A vehicle? Probably just BMP-3s arriving as reinforcement."
"Are you sure Araki?"
"I'm sure."
Yet, his heart tells him not to let his guard down so easily, even if logically, what Araki suggested should be the case. So, he holds onto his RPG for a few more seconds, but the engine doesn't get louder. That's good, probably just a friendly-
Gunshots start to erupt right on their position, with Ichiro now stuck between a rock and a hard place. "A little help here!" He shouted, clutching his AK and remaining prone.
"Gotcha!" Hikaru drops down his RPG and takes on the AK again, putting it on semi and taking random shots at the trees ahead of Ichiro. It has minimal effect on targets though because well, the targets are nowhere to be seen.
"Hikaru!" Ichiro shouted, this time blindly firing as he lied belly side up.
"I'm trying!" Hikaru loudly responded and peeked. There they are, glowing up like the sun with their muzzle flashes. He quickly identifies the two targets and shoots at the two of them with rapid semi-auto fire. The two muzzle flashes quickly subside, and Hikaru can swear he just hears a grunt of pain.
"Go, when you have the chance!" Hikaru gestured for Ichiro to come behind him, to which he complied. Can't really argue when you are in a 'life-or-death' situation. The sound of the engine deep within the woods are also becoming louder, indicating that something is coming close to them. Good, good, that is likely friendly units helping them.
"Hikaru! How's your side, блять!?" Someone shouted on the radio. Sounds like Mikhail talking.
"Contact! Enemy infantry!" Hikaru said.
"Along with engine noises in the woods!" Ichiro added, now taking cover behind a tree to the right of Hikaru.
"You say!?" Araki shouted.
"Y-Yeah!"
"That's not ours, that's the enemy!"
"Wh-Wha-" Hikaru was confused, but he still picked the RPG-26 back up again. "What are you saying!?"
"I"m saying, that's not friendly! That's an enemy unit!"
"Alright, alright!" Ichiro shouted to him. "I'll hold the infantry, you take aim on tha-"
The ground gets pushed up as an explosion occurs right in front of them, the shockwave making them want to gag.
"Ow, shit!" Ichiro exclaimed, as the dust from the ground settled. Then things calm down again, for just a moment. With the RPG still in hand, he leans over the tree to see what just strikes them. And now, he can see it clearly, it's a BM- Wait, that isn't right! Maybe this is just a blue-on-blue incident!
"Ichiro, that looks like one of ours!"
"Certain!?"
"I don't know, j-just call a ceasefire or something!"
Ichiro is quick to try it out, waving his hand behind the treeline. "Blue on blue! Blue on-" But then, he is cut down by a wall of lead, just like that, he lies lifeless on the ground. Shit, this isn't a blue-on-blue then!
"I see." He muttered bitterly, holding his ground and listening to the battleground around him. It's loud, it's very loud. Full of gunfire, and explosions, it's hard to sift the sound. Then, however, a footstep! He's near! He scans behind to see there is no one behind. They know he's here, so they're definitely assaulting his position. That means one thing.
He raises his rifle and peeks the other side, his eyes meeting hostiles for a second or two. He knows what to do now - commit the same thing they did to his comrade. He spams the trigger multiple times, mowing down the enemy before him. The guy falls down before him, succumbing to the wound he inflicted. 'Kurwa', followed by a long groan can be heard from him, before he stops and also lies down lifelessly. He's down, isn't he?
And yet, before he can properly process what just happened, another explosion happened, this time occurring too close for him. The flash envelops him, and within a moment's notice, he feels pain all over body. With his pain, he can't help but collapse on the ground. The engine noises become louder and louder, before arriving in his ever fading vision. He tries reaching the pile of RPG-26s, but they weren't there anyway, probably blown away to the promised land now. His vision becomes darker and darker, and the deafening silence makes itself even more known to him. Soon enough, the sweet embrace comes, with one sentence entering his mind.
"We still have Russians to shoot pizda, so get up!"
"Mikhail to Hikaru, Mikhail to Hikaru! Are you there?"
Nothing but silence on the other end.
"Must've been ambushed and wiped out... Господи помилуй..." lamented Mikhail. "Well, there's Ichiro and Hikaru gone... and what about those BMPs they mentioned? What will we do now?" he asked Araki, hearing the sounds of approaching enemies growing louder and louder, prepping his gun whilst saying a little prayer. The mood around wasn't any better, either.
"We need BTR support here! Get the gun south of you, that's where the BMP is heading towards, Mariya! We just lost 2 of our guys there!" Araki urgently shouted on the radio, before going prone to brace for the oncoming attack. Somehow, he still manages to answer Mikhail's question, but not in a worthwhile way however. "How do I know!? Just don't get screwed by it, Mikhail!"
"Yes, sir!" Mikhail soon began working more of his magic on the radio as Mariya began getting the vehicle moving, contacting the other elements in the squad who were scattered elsewhere. "This is Mikhail, no need to respond. Hikaru and Ichiro bit the dust, so be advised of enemy BMP. We are currently on our way to engage the infantry attached to it. Be careful, but also don't be slacking. Mikhail out." Taking a deep breath, Mikhail braced himself as he prepped the guns and weapons he was going to use in a short time, before flashing a look at Araki to notify him the transmission had been sent.
Araki simply nods in affirmation before turning his head back to where he was watching and immediately shoots a burst. "Contact, Mikhail!"
Quickly grabbing his trusted RPK, Mikhail positions himself out near solid ground, looks through his sights, and sure enough, there's a group of soldiers jogging ahead, with a BMP following behind. Straining his eyes, Mikhail checks their uniform, looking for any possible discrepancies he may find, and sure enough, once he realizes that those uniforms belong to Kościuszko, he doesn't hesitate for another second. Immediately, he opens fire, indiscriminately shooting at the enemy before him, while at the same time making sure his shots count. Araki himself has now gotten involved also with small arms fire. Mikhail's shots are a hit-or-miss to say the least, whilst Araki's are more certain. But given that what Mikhail is outputting helps to keep the Poles' heads down, you can't really question its effectiveness.
After several more seconds of returning fire, and a couple enemies knocked out, Mikhail is surprised by a new order.
"Mikhail!" screams Araki. "Get back down and contact the others again!"
Mikhail, though, finds that to be an impossibility given the hot situation he and the others are in, and, though he is as busy as Araki is in this firefight, he doesn't hesitate in making his concerns known to his commander, as pissed as he might be to hear his objections. Once his magazine is fully emptied, he uses the usual pause to reload to instead voice his concerns.
"Negative, captain! I'm as busy as you are right now, I can't-"
"Just go! I can handle this!"
Mikhail pauses for a moment, before moving to obey his captain's orders.
"Sir, yes si- Woah!"
A BTR-82A suddenly appears from the woods to their left, its turret has already orientated itself towards where the enemies are coming from. The vehicle's sudden entrance surprises both of the opposing units, and before anyone can get their bearings together, the 30mm cannon opens fire, absolutely demolishing the treeline where the Polish resided. The firepower advantage is now evened up, though the BMP is, worryingly enough, nowhere to be seen.
As the vehicle's cannon continually roars, men quickly emerge from the BTR to reinforce the position Araki and Mikhail currently occupy. Araki and his crew breathe a sigh of relief as Kisaragi, Moteru, Andrey, Kanata and Rudolfo, they are all here to help. With no exchanges of any kind, they quickly rally up to the forest section where the captain is located.
"Say hello to the cavalry, Araki!" Mariya announced on the comms, the BTR still continuing to fire.
"About time!" Araki shouted, before turning to the new batches of men awaiting his order. "Anyway, we got contact up on that treeline, probably a squad's worth. Additional hostile BMP included."
"Wait, they got BMPs!?" Kanata expressed his confusion, to which Araki can only huff with annoyance.
"I swear, this is no time for explanation. Just get on with it." Swiftly, he brings his hand to the left. "Mariya, we'll be scanning the forest now. Hold your fire when we get ahead of you, please."
"Solid on that, squad leader." Mariya replied. "Watch out for that BMP as well. If you see it, give us a heads up."
"No problem." Araki then turns to the others. "Moteru, Kisaragi, Kanata, Andrey, on me. Mikhail, Rudolfo, you guys know what to do."
"Так точно." and "Понял." are what he receives from the gunner and marksman respectively.
"Oi Mikhail." Moteru notifies as he and Kisaragi dig through the comically large rucksacks they are carrying on their back. Then, they both, in turns, throw magazines at him, of which he catches all with ease.
"Спасибо." Mikhail thanked them and checked the gun again. It's good to go for this small mission for now.
With all that out of the way, the small assault squad pushes onto the partially decimated woods. Multiple gunshots are traded left, right and centre, with the BTR providing adequate support, though the SVD and the RPK also add some contributions from time to time. The Poles certainly are resolute though, and they don't go out easily at all. In fact, the trading of gunfire is rather intense, but everything is going well enough, that is, well enough until the BMP makes itself known that is.
Greeting the Russians with a 73mm fragmentation round, the BMP immediately knocks out Moteru, whose rucksack now shoots up a white flag with a black cross. This quickly prompts the group to call for help.
"Mariya, BMP spotted! Heard that explosion, yeah!?" Araki immediately got onto the comms.
"No need to tell me twice. BTR is on the way." The engine aggressively revs up in the back, becoming more audible as the personnel carrier gets closer and closer to the target. In a timely manner, the Shipunov cannon finds where the BMP is firing from, as the low pressure gun of the BMP continues to scream and push out rounds to suppress the infantry, with machine gun fire layered between reloads. It isn't really hard for the BTR to see its target, and so it opens up.
Responding to said action, however, is a rocket shooting straight to the side of the BTR, prompting return fire from Araki's squad. Both the assault and support elements send walls upon walls of bullets flying towards the suspected location, completely shutting down any more chances for the Polish to retaliate with another shot of the RPG-7, or so they thought.
The BMP shoots another round of its tank gun, the shrapnel splashing off the ground and wounding some of the Russian soldiers. A lull appears in the suppressive effort, setting up for the AT unit of Kościuszko to fire. It is all in vain though, with the barrel of the cannon now staring down the poor soul. What comes next, needs no descriptions.
"Got the guy!" Mariya calmly spoke on the radio, still remaining professional as always. But really, it was heart pounding, exhilaratingly heart pounding. It doesn't seem apparent even to the fellow operator of the BTR though, but her heart is definitely trying to jump out of her chest.
The autocannon, once done dealing with the imminent threat, switches to the BMP and lays all the hate it can. It doesn't take long for said hostile to falter either, since this BMP doesn't seem to be heavily armored. And now, with the main threat dealt with, the rest of the assault units go on to hunt down the stragglers. To conclude the small engagement, none made it out of the AO. It was a success, to say the least. It should leave room for Araki to catch his breath for the time being. But someone just has to ruin it.
"Margelov to Igor, Margelov to Igor." By the sound of it, lieutenant Margelov has very urgent news, and for now of all times, too!
"Igor listening." Araki lends the guy an ear.
"The Poles, they broke through. They broke through and-"
"They what!?"
As if to confirm the news in the worst way possible, the BTR-82 is suddenly smitten by enemy fire. A large cloud of smoke comes out from the rear engine compartment as it shoots up the white flag. Araki can only watch as the girls pop out of it to see the world around them. He can't really hear them, but they all seem exasperated.
"They broke through. We couldn't hold them-" The comms suddenly cut with the sound of an explosion. Now, all he can hear is radio static. He bites his lips at what just happens, before turning the radio off and looking at the direction where the BTR was shot down from. Squinting his eyes, he can see a very large group of units approaching them, with 2 Rosomaks leading the charge. The autocannons fire some more shots at the woods, knocking out some of his squadmates. It is at this very moment that he knew, he fucked up. Even with the resolve and confidence that he, and by extension, Krasnaya Zvezda, has, the result is already clear for today's round. Squandering what's left of the Russian Ground Forces school's ever puny resistance, Kościuszko High School marches their way off the battlefield with a round decisively in their bag.
A terrible mood still creeps into each and every member of Krasnaya Zvezda as they all make their way back to the urban centers of Tsuruga, and this is especially true for the captain. After all that planning and preparations made to face the might of the iron hussars, they still fail, and not even directly at the hands of the horses at that, but at the whims of a trojan unit somehow able to sneak behind friendly lines. How it was able to execute such a plan with that magnitude of success in the first place, Araki could not have known. All he knows is that today is a lost cause, and that lost cause was due to his incompetence, not of anyone else. The soldiers have already fought their hardest, so this is a clear strategic failure from his part. There's no point pondering about what he could do back then, it already happened anyway, but a question lingers in his mind: Where did Kościuszko even manage to get a hand on that BMP anyway? His eyebrows become grumpy looking as he digs through his memory. In no documents regarding the Polish school, did he come across the mention of even a BMP. Don't they only make use of Rosomaks?
"How in the bloody world did we let that get past our radar… and how did they even get that in the first place?!… sigh… All war is deception… curse you, Sun Tzu, for coming up with that fact!" Araki spat, slapping his knee out of anger, before stamping his right foot on the ground, before slumping back into his previous thoughtful pose, embittered at this oversight, then feeling rather guilty, his mind soon considering the proposal that maybe the loss this round was his fault, that because he didn't look deep enough, or perhaps he hadn't performed to the expectations of the moment, or whatever unfortunate circumstances could be blamed on him. He wasn't one to criticize his subordinates unless he knew and they knew what they did wrong, and he had yet to go over all the details. Shaking his head, Araki cursed his luck, now left with an even harder battle before him. Now that he knew how Kościuszko played their game, what could he expect in their next match? An armada of those BMPs? Maybe even more Rosomaks now that the surprise is already gone? Maybe they'd have some elaborate scheme for that BMP. Regardless, anything he planned out to do would easily sweep away the poor Russian school, like Otto von Krieger. But then again, were they really that sophisticated? Sure, they were some of the best, but nobody plans like Otto's team. Well, except for that elusive Soudainakyoukoku commander everyone keeps talking about, he guesses.
"Captain, you're overworking your mind. Speak your mind to the rest of us, we don't want you to be too exhausted for the next match," spoke Mikhail.
"Right, right... It's about that BMP, I'm wondering. Not really pissed about the result of today's round, but like... How can the Polish get it? I don't remember them using it at all for probably the last decade or so of them participating in the league, Mikhail. And how can they even get their hands onto it? I'm pretty sure that BMP was created by the Soviets, not the Poles. Didn't they only engineer the Rosomak?" Araki explained, still confused about the whole thing like everyone else on the ride. Everyone, except for the captain of the BTR that is.
"Actually… there is an explanation for that… grounded in historical precedent."
Mariya's observations quickly captured everyone's attention, and all ears were tuned to the BTR's captain to register her words.
"Remember how, during the Cold War, both superpowers gave their self-produced vehicles to the nations under their respective spheres of influence? For example, NATO countries had been supplied with American-made M48 Patton tanks, Warsaw Pact countries had been supplied with Soviet-made T-72s and other T-variants. That's the case with IFVs and other vehicles, too.
Poland, as the more historically informed know, was part of the Soviet-aligned Warsaw Pact, and as a result, was given a good deal of Soviet equipment, including, you guessed it, the BMP. So, since Kościuszko is based off of Poland, and since each school in the league is supplied by their respective nation's material, Kościuszko has a BMP, at least, just one of them.
It was a mistake on my part to have not told you this earlier… But then again… Perhaps they had a plan to deliberately withhold information related to their BMP in case we decided to do some investigative journalism. They have some of that Otto von Krieger hindsight, it seems…"
"Well, I'd suspect that thanks to the foliage or the distance they were at limiting both their visibility, they weren't really able to make out which BMP variant was which, or maybe they considered your previous observations that Kosciuszko only used Rosomaks and that the BMPs were ours. Now, here's what I'm talking about with regards to the first proposition…"
Holding two pictures up against the lights, Mariya displays the BMP-1 and the BMP-3.
"Now, stand a few feet away, and tell me if you can make out the differences between the two," Mariya challenged, allowing Araki to strain his eyes trying to figure out the differences a good distance away.
Araki then does as she instructed, only to find how difficult it is to differentiate the two. "I... Uh..." He squints a little more, still seeing that they are the same picture. "I guess that one is the BMP-3?" He answered, pointing at the picture with the BMP-1.
"Isn't that not a BMP-3 though?" Kanata interjected.
"No, it's a BMP-3... I think." Araki nervously objected. "What about you guys? Any ideas?"
"Pretty certain that's a BMP-1." The professional tinkerer spoke. "I've got some models, so I know what it should look like. The foliage certainly helps to conceal the geometry though, that I can attest."
"Huh, I see. Well then, anyone else?"
"I don't know." Kyoko shrugged.
"Me too." Ringo added, before getting her mouth busy with chewing mochi.
"No idea, honestly. And I'm sure you don't know either, right Misha?"
"You got that right, Andrey." Mikhail nodded. "I never was really into anything else but small arms."
"Well, I have the same answer." Moteru said, before turning to Rudolfo. "As for him…"
The marksman simply glances at Moteru before looking around with disinterest.
"I suppose he has no comments."
"I see…" Araki then goes into deep thought again. "I suppose the BMP-1 can still have uses, though the surprise factor has definitely worn off now. If I remember correctly, it does have an ATGM, right Mariya?"
"It does, though judging by the models Kościuszko is currently using, we're talking about a half century old missile that is the Malyutka. Unless it has some kind of upgrade, it wouldn't be of great concern with its MCLOS guidance. I still wouldn't bet on it being obsolete, however, as changes may have been made. And even with no changes however, a missile is a missile, it can still chew through the BTR like a hot knife through butter, and I mean it quite literally too, Araki."
"I see. Thank you for your input then."
"Always welcome to give a word, captain."
The second round, Sabotage, was as contested as ever, with both sides struggling to make a breakthrough all across the lines of battle, the points of contention surprisingly not being the site of heavy fighting, but rather the surrounding areas. With Araki and Krasnaya now aware of Kościuszko's armaments, life was a bit easier, though it was still hard to deduce which BMP was which, as had been attested by Mariya's visual tests the previous night, now being repeated in practice. However, unlike the previous match, where Kościuszko had gotten the necessary breakthrough to wipe Krasnaya off the field, now, it was a deadlocked battle. Stalemates locked both sides in place, BMP-3s and BTRs engaging BMP-1s and Rosomaks, in addition to the small arms fire being traded by the infantry.
The situation wasn't more exemplified than where Andrey and his team were fighting. They had attempted to navigate the forests in order to try to surprise Kościuszko, but they had been found by an enemy team intending to do the same thing. Within seconds, the previously-quiet forest had erupted in a cacophony of gunfire, cannon fire, and explosive ordinance going off in all directions. Both sides were attempting to make gains, but were unable to thanks to the heat of the situation. The infantry were effectively suppressing each other with their small arms, one leaving the other unable to move beyond their current positions, toss grenades, or fire anti-armor rounds at their opposing vehicles, or fire RPG rounds to mess up the enemy a bit. Krasnaya's BTR was struggling to hit the enemy Rosomak, as the large distance between them, about 500 meters, coupled with the dense foliage, made it hard to see where that vehicle was, and the same could be said for the opposing side.
"For goodness' sake!" cursed Andrey between firing rounds of gunfire. "What's that ace up his sleeve Araki is talking about? We're gonna waste all our ammunition just doing this if he doesn't play that, if it even works!"
One of Andrey's colleagues, after firing a burst, manages to respond.
"Come on, sir, just trust the plan, eh?" he manages to spit out before firing another burst. "He says we've got this in the bag, I'm sure we got this in the bag!" The sarcasm is aggravating for Andrey, but he can't really fault the guy for it, especially for the mess they got themselves in right now.
"Well, I don't know! He probably had that same mentality last round and you know what happened that time! Not doubting his leadership or anything, but after yesterday… y-you know!"
The soldier, realizing his commander's point, doesn't continue the conversation, and returns to firing indiscriminately at the opposing side, bullets, rockets, and shells continuing to tear up the vegetation in a seemingly never-ending struggle for mastery. Andrey, though focused on his engagement, couldn't stop thinking about that trump card Araki had been talking about, but hadn't really elaborated on, at least to him. Just what was this ace that Araki had ready? Was it going to be some massive or miraculous play that would completely change the tide of the match? Even if it was going to happen, would it work out? In battle, one couldn't be so sure. What on earth was this boy planning?
To be honest, Araki doesn't even know either. He knows that he has one, as lieutenant Suzuki told earlier at the start of the round that all he and Aleksandr have to do is keep the Polish busy together, thus giving the heavy mechanized spaces to do their work. What kind of work they will be doing however, it is apparently classified. But atlas, all he can do is try to convince the entire team that they still have a chance, and that they can still pull through. For that, he has already succeeded. Now for the 3rd year lieutenant to get his part of the plan done also, which is responding to Araki's call for help. It's odd how the lieutenant requested him to inquire the details of the enemy's whereabouts, down to the exact square on the map he told. He has no choice but to follow though, either they go on, or they go home. It has been some minutes since then, and Araki cannot hear nor see the presence of the BMP-3s anywhere behind him.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue in frustration as he traded shots with the Poles. "Can't they just come sooner rather than later, for fuck sake?" And to that, the only thing responding to him are the usual gunshots and cannonade of the skirmish he has been in for a few minutes or so. But then, something weird happens, right in front of his eyes. An oddball of an explosion suddenly manifests itself, right on where the Poles have been shooting him and the squad. Dirt kicks high up into the air as the shockwave emits through the air, causing loss of balance for everyone involved. It doesn't take long for the soldiers to recover from said effects, but it does stop the firefight from happening, even for just a moment. Unfortunately for Kościuszko, that lull then is just but a calm before a storm.
Suddenly, more explosions manifest themselves as the ground shakes repeatedly, completely pinning the enemy down giving the BTR gang and the motorized platoon a chance to attack and wipe out the opposition. This is it, their chance to go on the offensive! Whatever the hell Sentoku is doing, it sure is proving itself to be extremely effective.
Sure enough, the BMP-3s had arrived, but not in a way that anybody but Sentoku had expected. Keeping a relatively far distance, they had elevated their cannons to a high angle, and with a low velocity, fired. The shells arced in the sky, going over the heads of Krasnaya and landing square in the middle of Kościuszko's positions, causing all hell to break loose for the poor Poles at the receiving end of these new howitzers. Being a good distance away from the action, the BMPs can do this all day without having to worry about getting fired upon, at least by the enemies in front of them. With the shells effectively bullying the Poles without mercy, rendering them unable to return fire as effectively as before, it's the "oomph" Araki and his team needs to swing the momentum back in their favor. Araki, seeing this, doesn't even hesitate to make a move. He knows their enemies are toast, and swift, decisive action is what will carry him the day.
"Now's our chance! All elements, all-out attack! Sentoku, keep up that fire until we tell you to stop!"
"Yes, sir!" comes the reply from the crafty commander.
"How does it look out there, lieutenant? Хорошо?" A girl asked, her head already popped out of the hatch.
Sentoku turns to the girl with a big smile on his face, and, pumping his fist, all he gives is a thumbs-up. It's enough to let the girl know how good it looks, and soon, she's smiling too.
She then looks down as she hears a callout from her gunner. "Loaded!"
"Fire again!" she commands, and a second later, there's another burst from the cannon. Sentoku, meanwhile, is looking through his binoculars, observing the action from his position, waiting for the command to move out. Araki and his team are still moving up, almost without any issues, as Kościuszko is too busy dealing with a rain of 100mm shells bombarding their positions nonstop. All he needs to do now is wait for Araki to give the order, and that would be the time to end the laid-back fun and join the exciting fun.
And just as he wants, Sentoku receives a transmission. "What? Ceasefire? You've already closed in? Gotcha, we're moving in!" Then, he turns to the girl and raises his hand up like a stop sign. "Alright ladies, time to pack it up! We're getting close and personal now, the enemy is effectively routed at the moment! Time is of the essence!"
"Roger that!" The commander nodded. "You hear that, driver!?"
"I'm stopping then!" The gunner also replied, pressing the autoload button to keep a round in chamber for the big cannon. Once the deed is done, she announces. "Alright, ready to rock the Poles up, командир!"
Back at the front, Araki leads from the front as always, charging in, guns blazing, intent to exact full punishment on Kościuszko, getting the sweet, cold taste of revenge for not just the defeat yesterday, but also making it clear to these Poles that last year's defeat was nothing but a fluke. His voice is growing coarse from all of his constant yelling and barking of orders to everyone else, telling them what to do and where to go and all that, but being too caught up in the heat of the moment, he doesn't give a single care in the world, and continues to wear down his voice. Like a madman possessed, his vehicle charges forward, going as fast as it can possibly go without outrunning Kościuszko's soldiers.
Firing indiscriminately at the enemy infantry in front of him, Araki's team shows no mercy, mowing down any and all who dare stand in their way, almost as if they were mowing down unarmed civilians, or a hunting trip. The Rosomak that once posed a serious threat to Krasnaya had been rendered nothing but inoperable thanks to the bombardment from Sentoku's BMPs, and its position was quickly overrun by the aggressive push from Krasnaya. Soon enough, with Sentoku and his BMPs joining the fun, it's only a matter of time before not a single Kosciuszko soldier or vehicle is left standing. It didn't take long before point Boris, which Araki's team had been fighting over, had fallen to Krasnaya. However, there's no time to celebrate, as the other points were still being contested.
"Alright, we're splitting up! Sentoku, you and your team go reinforce Andrey at point Vasily, I'll go help Mariya at point Anna! Be sure to work your magic, we'll meet up at point Vasily once we have everything sorted out!"
"Yes, sir!" shouts Sentoku, and with everyone loaded in, the vehicles begin moving to their assigned points. Araki and his team move with all haste as he makes contact with Andrey, intent on getting information as to his current status.
"Andrey, status report!" shouts the captain.
"Holding... though running a bit low on ammunition! We've been here for over an hour now! Any news on that trump card of yours?"
"We just captured Boris! I'm sending Sentoku and his BMPs to your position now! I'm moving to help Mariya! I think we've got this in the bag, my friend!"
Although he is kilometers away from Andrey's position, Araki can't help but "hear" his friend smile.
"Alright! Finally, some good news! We'll hold out, captain! Don't you worry!"
"Sentoku and I will rendezvous at Point Vasily once we've done everything! Stand strong there, Andrey!"
"Yes, sir!"
Switching his radio's communications to Mariya, Araki presses the radio to his ear again. Mariya's voice comes out the other end, but her voice doesn't sound like she has good news, which gets Araki worried.
"We're losing ground, half the infantry here is KIA, and the BTR is suffering some damage! We would really appreciate some help right now!"
"We're on our way! We captured Boris and I sent Sentoku to help Andrey at Vasily! Hold fast until we're there, and make sure to give them as much hell as possible before we get there!"
"Roger that, captain! We're working on it!"
Clenching his radio and teeth as the transmission cuts, Araki verbally pushes the whole team to move faster, hoping, praying that he will arrive fast enough to save Mariya before she and her team are completely annihilated, and Anna is lost. The Kamaz he is hitchhiking on accelerates to a faster rate, going at dozens of meters a second with no intention of slowing down, not even a bit.
Araki strains his eyes against the binoculars, keeping his ears alive and active for the slightest hint of combat, grinding his teeth as the anxiety of time pressure mounts more and more on him. He wants to yell at the driver some more, but he knows that the vehicle is already at the speed limit, which got him wishing there was a way to remove the speed limiter to make this thing go even faster than its maximum speed. He also doesn't wish to keep Mariya distracted with constant radio messages, so he refrains from asking for her status report too often, but the ones he does get display a sense that Mariya doesn't have much time left.
Soon enough, however, he sees a flash in the dense vegetation. Then two. Then five. Then dozens. Then, he sees the trails of bullets zipping by, indicating only one thing. He's finally arrived, and he doesn't waste another second. Identifying Kosciuszko's positions, he turns his team towards it, and the poor Poles don't realize it until it's too late.
"GOOOOOOO!"
With a roar like that of ten dragons, Araki and his team crash into the Kosciuszko positions, all guns blazing, all cannons blasting, not caring whether their rounds met flesh or steel. It only takes a few seconds for most of the Polish forces in this section to be wiped out, the remainder booking it as the tide has turned too much in the enemy's favor to try to stay. Mariya's team joins in, cheering and shouting battle cries as they charge in with Araki's team, driving the enemy out of the dense forests and utterly destroying whatever was left. Point Anna then falls without any further fighting.
Now that another point of interest is out of the picture, units begin to divert towards Vasily to aid whoever is fighting there and keep the rapid tempo going, not letting Kosciuszko have time to reorganize. The storm made of Kamaz and Tigr sweeps the battlefield with Araki's BTR-82 leading the charge, proving itself to be more and more unstoppable by the seconds as the engines all roar into a symphony of pure aggression, demoralizing anyone that happens to catch glimpses. The Polish unit fighting for their life at Vasily is no exception to this, as they begin to fall into hopelessness. Who wouldn't at the thought of being focused down by a trio of 30mm cannons? This is not even mentioning the low pressure cannon of course. With the odds so stacked against Kosciuszko, they can't fight off nor retreat, the hussars already long gone to reinforce the last two points of interest that are more tenable. The only asset they have is a BMP-1. Though upgraded, a cannon can't really serve to amplify as much firepower as three. A total losing battle is what any sane mind would be thinking, and rightfully so. Not even a miracle from God himself can save them from this debacle, so as expected, Vasily is quick to fall, even with fiercer than expected resistance.
Now to Gregory and Dmitri, well... It's safe to say the whole affair is pretty much in the bag for Krasnaya. With the news of the other points having fallen reaching the remaining Kosciuszko forces it isn't long before they begin to break, some running away, seeing no chance to win with the remaining Russians bulldozing their way to their positions. Attempting a last stand at the last point, Gregory, all it takes is overwhelming numbers to capture the point. Just like that, Krasnaya takes the cake in the second round of the match.
"Hey! They used their BMPs as artillery! Shouldn't that count as illegal?"
"No, they didn't use artillery! That can still be considered within the bounds of the rules!"
"But that's unfair! They still used it as artillery!"
"If you were in our shoes, would you complain?"
"I… Uh… Fuck you!"
"Yeah… that's what I thought."
The mood that the Polish school has in the aftermath of the second round is awful, to say the least. Who knew that Krasnaya Zvezda was crafty enough to use their BMP-3s for artillery support? Not to mention it may even be illegal to the rulebook too. Well, so did they think until Budziboj came in to give them a pep talk of sorts, with a lollipop always in his mouth.
"I see you all are still salty about our losses." He spoke, and only silence came back to him. "Well, let me say this… What the Russians have done today to us is very much not disqualifiable. And yes, you hear me right!"
Everyone suddenly snaps at him, all confused and angered, wanting to strangle the guy to death right then and there. But then he puts up a stop sign. "Hold your horses, my hussars." He then sighs before continuing to elaborate. "The rulebook mentioned that the only vehicles that are allowed in Hohei-do are trucks, jeeps, KTOs and BWPs. And as you all may have been aware, the BMP-3 is a BWP."
All agree with the obvious fact. However, the captain suddenly drops a surprise bomb on them.
"In the rulebook, there is no mention on how utilization of indirect fire from those classes of vehicles above are penalized. Ain't that right, lieutenant Nagasaki?"
"Tak!" Said lieutenant shouted back. "There is no mention of the use of indirect fire itself being off the book, just that vehicles usually associated with indirect fire use are outlawed."
"Yeah, so understand that Krasnaya today has gotten the victory fair and square! You got that!?"
"Tak jest, kapitan!"
"Good, now rest easy for today. Since we're currently in a draw, another match is gonna be organized. Format is Skirmish, 40v40. You'll be alone out there without the Rosomaks, so best of luck to you all."
"What about you then, commander? Are you going to participate too?"
"Me?" He huffs. "I think I'm gonna sit out. Pure infantry ain't my thing anyway, so sorry for this lieutenant but…"
"I understand, Captain Hasegawa! I'll make sure to do my best!"
"Make sure not to disappoint me, like how that commander of theirs didn't disappoint me. Other than that, I'm done here." Budziboj then salutes with two fingers like usual and walks away as the men around him clears out. When he gets near a trash can, he is quick to throw the lollipop into the trash can and gets the headphones up to listen to his favorite metal tracks again. For the Polish commander, he can say that what has transpired for the past 2 days did not make him regret one single bit. It was a good time, that is for certain. Now if only that bumfuck from Soudainakyoukoku gets to experience this too…
"Heh, not like that is certain." He mumbles before head bobbing to his lovely harsh tunes he is playing out of the walkman.
Round three comes, and it ends up being nothing but a sheer bloodbath for Kosciuszko. So lopsided was it, that it almost seemed like they never stood a chance at all to begin with, and the match itself had passed by relatively quickly, too. With only a mere 4 losses for Krasnaya Zvezda, compared to Kosciuszko's total wipeout, the whole affair was completed within four-and-a-half hours, one of the faster rounds in terms of time. It wouldn't be surprising if there were some people in the audience who were disappointed by how fast and lopsided the match was, with no real entertainment to be found in some epic plays or glorious, close fighting, though for the most part, given the past couple rounds, it still gave many of them a surprise at how easily Krasnaya had won this one. How had that happened? Well, it was rather underwhelming, to say the least.
Kosciuszko's key to victory was speed combined with decisive strikes that destroyed the enemy's will and ability to fight, and that mostly relied on their Rossomaks and BMPs, vehicles that could actually pack a punch. However, by simply leaving them as pure infantry, save for some soft-skinned vehicles that couldn't really do much outside of transporting them, they were still fast, but without the firepower from their IFVs, they couldn't get the decisive blows they wanted. Contrast that situation with Krasnaya, who, throughout its history, often had to fight regular Skirmish battles on foot, and thus managed to learn a trick or two from their many experiences, passing it down to the next teams and so on and so forth. Now, with them having such a huge advantage, especially having gotten good experience from their previous match against Suleiman, this was going to be a piece of cake, and it was.
Despite Kosciuszko's fast deployment speed, Krasnaya's experience was undoubtedly the biggest factor in determining the victor. Since Kosciuszko's soldiers didn't have too much experience or the proper training for Skirmish, and Krasnaya just knocking out almost all of their soft-skinned vehicles within the first couple hours thanks to Margelov doing his usual outsmarting shenanigans, this time involving the abnormally huge amount of Tigrs cutting enemy movements, ensuring that none of their platoons would meet up with each other. Another factor is how the forward deployed scouts were able to provide crucial information, in addition to a squad of soldiers doing, as they say, "a little trolling" via ambushes and a bit of that good ol' sabotage via the C4s the combat engineer in said squad brought along. Overall, it wasn't a good day at all for Kosciuszko, proving to be one of their more humiliating ones. However, as evidenced by the fact they had lost 4 of their infantry during the fight, things hadn't gone perfectly for Krasnaya, either.
In one of the more densely forested areas of the battlefield, Kosciuszko's largest platoon, numbering 12 in total, which also included Lieutenant Nagasaki, while trying to navigate the dense forests to link up with one of the smaller platoons, having received intel that they were being bogged down, encountered one of Krasnaya's smallest platoons, numbering a mere 5, though it included Aleksandr himself and was one of the more elite squads of the platoon. Much like the Mamasapano clash, without any support due to the others being so far away, the Russians were KIA almost to a man, though they were still able to inflict heavy losses on the Poles. Emerging from that clash, the Poles had suffered a staggering 7 KIA, with an extra 2 MIA, including Nagasaki. The lone survivor was none other than Aleksandr himself, who had been injured, but was still in a condition to fight, playing dead in order to remain alive. Found by allied platoons, his wounds were tended to, and once rejuvenated, joined the rest of Krasnaya in their wipeout.
With Kosciuszko's platoons being engaged separately from one another, and Krasnaya having the upper hand in each match, the Poles were quickly annihilated. Thus, having no more worlds to conquer, Krasnaya emerged as the victor against those who had vanquished them the previous year. No doubt the vodka would be flowing from Krasnaya Zvezda to the shores of Vladivostok tonight.