Though the annexation of the shrunken Middle Eastern Federation was met with widespread approval amongst the common citizenry of the expanded Reich, there existed a few individuals of the former MEF who clung to the belief that fighting until they became 2nd class imperial citizens was far less shameful than allowing a friendly ally peacefully obtain the very lands that their common enemy had sought.
Fortunately for the Government of the Reich, any resistance to this so called 'betrayal' was quickly, and efficiently snuffed out by the leader of Europe's Internal Security Division, Karina Richter.
It has always been a matter of some speculation on why Chancellor Krueger allowed his fellow German so much freedom when it came to governing the multiple arms of the ISD, but what no one could question was that no matter the problem, Director Richter always came up with a solution.
The absorption of former Federation lands being an excellent example of just how capable Europe's most powerful woman could be.
For as soon as Governor, formerly President, Inoue announced his decision to ask Chancellor Krueger for permission to become part of the Gross Europa Reich, the former border was flooded with not only the military force that would form the backbone of what was to become the Wehrmacht's Army Group South East, but also with the members of the ISD whose task it was to monitor, and ensure loyalty to the state.
The majority of the former Middle Eastern Federation welcomed this state of affairs with open arms, particularly the common solider whose pay, rations, and equipment was vastly improved after they gave their oath to serve the Reich. However, there existed some elements who would have preferred to remain an independent country, regardless of their lessened ability to properly maintain this state of affairs.
Luckily however, Director Richter was able to anticipate, and using the methods that had been honed during the Night of Long Knives, as well as in the lands that had be reclaimed before the Beijing Peace Accords, her black uniformed legions were well prepared to deal with this potential danger.
Within a week of the agreed upon annexation, dozens, if not hundreds of potential traitors had been executed, and tens of thousands of others had been shipped to Siberia to help improve the ongoing infrastructure improvements that existed on the Reich's frozen eastern border.
It is unfortunate that such a thing had to happen, but considering the fact that we too tend to follow this practise when it comes to ensuring the health of the nation, and to a lesser extend the Britannian Empire as well, one cannot condone this policy without it negatively reflecting back on us.
(Excerpt from The Wary Tiger: A History of the Chinese Federation's Diplomatic History with The Reich)
Though she would have very much liked to be the one to welcome the latest additions to the Reich's ongoing construction project, Karina knew that the effects of her words would be somewhat lessened due to the fact that her presence at Gulag Vorkuta was only a temporary one.
Far better to let the camp's Commandant, a particularly loathsome man by the name of Beria, be the one to explain the current circumstances to those who had been deemed 'uncooperative' by her troops in black.
"Prisoners of the Gross Europa Reich, I am Commandant Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria, and I wish to welcome you all to your temporary home. For one reason or another, you have been found guilty of the crime of being disloyal to not only our great nation, but also Chancellor Krueger himself. But rather than execute you like the cowardly traitors you are, the Chancellor in his evident mercy has decided to give you a chance to redeem yourselves by aiding the nation that protects both you and your loved ones from the scourge of Britannia. To that end, you will be put to work either in the mines that lay just to the north of this…facility, or will aid in constructing the new all weather road that will connect Vorkuta to the North Siberian Highway. For those who work, and work hard, you will receive double your rations, and will have time shaved off your sentence. For those who refuse to work, and believe that they have a chance of escaping their just punishment, you have 2 options in front of you".
Frowning in disgust as the bloated Georgian adopted an expression of perverse cruelty that even she was not willing to cross, the blond haired leader of Europe's special security forces looked on in detached amusement as the Commandant gestured towards the bleak wilderness that surrounded the camp
"As you can see, the camp is situated in the middle of a frozen wasteland, with the closest settlement being perhaps 40 kilometeres away. For those who refuse to absolve themselves of their crimes, you will be allowed to leave the confines of this camp with little more than the scraps of clothing you currently have on your person. The farthest anyone has ever gotten was 14 kilometers before succumbing to the forces of nature. And let me assure you, out there, you have more to worry about than just the freezing temperatures".
Smirking at the fearful expressions that had come over his latest batch of prisoners, Beria contemplated whether or not he should inform them of just what sort of creatures dwelt in the snow covered landscape, but decided against it as his superior's bored expression influenced him to carry on.
"The second option for those who wish to take no part in ridding yourselves of your collected sins, well…. lets just say that it involves a brief walk into the woods from which you will not be coming back from. However, if you choose to utilize this method of escaping your just punishment, then we will consider filling your place with a member of your family who may very well possess the same sort of treacherous attributes that got you sent here to start with. And I don't think I need to tell you that this camp isn't exactly child friendly".
Nodding her head in satisfaction as the prisoners expressions clearly told her that they understood that even death would not be enough to absolve them of their crimes, the blond haired leader of the ESD turned towards her escort with a dismissive smile.
"I think its time to get back to the office Klein. The crowd seems to be sufficiently motivated without my interference. So we may as well do something more productive with our time".
Receiving a stiff salute from the black shirted NCO, who was wise enough to keep her mouth shut as she rushed to get her superior's car ready for departure, Karina took one last look at the Reich's newest batch of political prisoners before joining her faithful subordinate.
For she hadn't been lying when she said she had could be performing tasks that required her ever so delicate touch. Watching the latest batch of prisoners come in had been her version of a break from her increased workload. But like the lives of many who entered the Gulag system, such things were all too brief.
Still, she supposed that she should be grateful since the work Friedrich gave her was both interesting and beneficial for the continued growth of the Reich, even if she wished she could have taken some time off to see the unveiling of Europe's latest military marvel.
However, considering the fact that she had been given the responsibility of preparing the region for the arrival of an additional 2 million soldiers, tens of thousands of pieces of equipment, and coordination the escalating resistance movements that continued to trouble the Euro-Britannian defilers, she was already short on time as it was.
Still, despite the fact that she was rather pleased with the amount of work that had already been accomplished, which ranged from increased road networks to a complex network of underground bunkers that could weather the strongest enemy bombardment, there were still two things about her current job that left her feeling disappointed.
First one being was that her temporary second in command refused to do anything with her downtime except sulk over the fact that her most trusted subordinate was serving as an observer/advisor for a bunch of failures.
Yes the Japanese Liberation Front was the largest, and most organized resistance movement that was left in Area 11, but so far, the only worthwhile thing it had managed to accomplish was keeping the equivalent of an entire Army Group tied down in garrison duties. And since the Britannians had decided to replace the ineffective flop with a woman whose military skill was equal to her incestuous qualities, it was only a matter of time before the miserable remnant of Japan's military was destroyed.
Even the act of supplying them with more up to date equipment, along with the personnel to help them get the best use of their new toys would only delay the inevitable day when the Empire finally managed to snuff out all credible resistance in Japan.
For unlike some of the more short-sighted officers of the Wehrmacht and ESD, who believed that they could permanently keep the Japanese in play by simply increasing the volume of clandestinely shipped supplies, Standartenfuhrer Malcal recognized that Japan's only hope of regaining, and then maintaining its independence was through the recognition, and support of a stronger nation.
And since the Reich currently lacked its predecessor's ability to station sizeable military forces on the Pacific Coast, the exiled Britannian could only hope that her blue haired boy toy survived long enough for the Reich to reclaim its stolen territory.
The second aspect of her job that left her feeling disappointed was the fact that Friedrich, the only man she would ever subordinate herself to, had limited her ability to ease her substantial blood lust.
For while she had, more or less, direct control over the largest concentration of European forces since the end of the Great War, which would include 4 million troops, 11,000 tanks, and 1,300 knightmares once the reinforcement stage had been completed, the authority to launch Operation Reclamation would solely rest with the Chancellor of the Reich.
In addition to this, Friedrich had also forbidden her from taking a direct part in any of the insurgency campaigns that existed on the other side of the border. Which meant that aside from her subordinates, who knew full well what fate awaited them should they fuck up their appointed tasks, and the expanding population of the gulag, her ability to live up to her sadistic reputation was rather limited.
Still, she supposed it was only a temporary state of affairs.
For once the preparations had been completed, it was highly doubtful that her fellow German would wait too long before launching the offensive that would finally drive out those inbreeding parasites from the continent.
And after that…..
Well, it would take some time before the Reich managed to create a force strong enough to challenge the Empire's mighty Pacific Fleet. Though the new Siegfried class aerial battleship would probably make this only a temporary state of affairs.
But to the south, there existed another corrupt nation that possessed the potential to enhance the power of the Reich. And considering the fact that their domestic policies were even more oppressive than that of the Empire, Karina could safely predict that any invasion of the Chinese Federation, if handled carefully, could receive more than a little popular support from the populace.
…
Though it had been less than a week since he had begun the rather irritating task of instructing his former countrymen in the correct use of the weapons the Reich had seen fit to supply them with, the blue haired Sturmbannfuhrer believed that his efforts had not been entirely wasted.
Yes he still continued to face resistance from the more conservative members of the JLF, who believed that they should be the ones to decide how best to use the tools they had been given.
And yes he still had to endure the occasional whispering that usually revolved around the fact that he owed his allegiance to a nation that was not Japan.
But on the whole, he was largely satisfied with the amount of progress that had been made in so little time.
The members of the JLF's infantry had enthusiastically taken to the idea that a single solider now possessed the potential to take out an enemy knightmare. And while their accuracy was still below the standards possessed by both the Wehrmacht and Waffen ISD, they were nevertheless proficient enough to pose a credible threat to any armored vehicle that came within range.
The more experienced knightmare crews of the JLF, of which the most prominent had been Colonel Todoh and the so called 4 holy swords, had gladly traded in their refurbished Glasgows in favor of the frames that the Reich had managed to supply them with. Of course they would undergo similar…cosmetic changes to better reflect the nationality of their users, but in the end they would still possess the same agility and firepower that had allowed Europe to face the Empire on more equal terms.
And perhaps the most important of all, his most vocal opponent had finally decided to accept the rather generous aid that the Reich was willing to supply them with.
Of course the Lt. Colonel still made it clear that he continued to view the much younger officer as a traitor for serving a nation that was not Japan, but at least he wasn't actively trying to convince the other leaders of the JLF to send him back to Europe.
And a good thing too considering the fact that their mutual enemy was proving to be more competent than her predecessor.
In the past week alone, the Britannian garrison, under the unfortunately competent leadership of the purple haired witch, had accomplished more than they had ever done when commanded by the deceased fop.
Akito, unlike his more militant countryman, knew that even with the sudden influx of new equipment, the JLF would quickly crumble if it dared engaged the Empire in anything resembling open combat.
For in addition to possessing the usually overwhelming advantages of numbers and the means to easily replace them, Imperial forces were led by a competent leader who possessed both the skill and confidence that stems from achieving victory countless times.
The most the JFL could accomplish with the resources they currently possessed would probably be a much smaller, and more potentially more suicidal version of what the former Middle Eastern Federation did to the Britannian army at the battle of Riydah.
And since it currently possessed the manpower of a slightly enhanced, albeit severely underequipped, Wehrmacht brigade, it was highly likely that the JLF would cease to exist as both a credible threat to the imperial garrision and as a useful tool of the Reich if it ever engaged the Empire in open combat.
Luckily, while they were high on Cornelia's list of 'too be purged terrorists', they hadn't done anything to attract the complete attention of the purple haired royal. Which meant that they had a very good chance of increasing their ability to survive a full scale engagement with Britannian forces while their less organized comrades were snuffed out one by one.
It was a distasteful way to wage a military campaign, but in war, sacrifices had to be made.
Especially when one operates from a position of weakness.
…..
Doing her best to retain control over her more violent impulses, a task that was rather difficult considering the news she just received from the homeland, Cornelia managed to somehow control the volume of her voice as she turned to her scared subordinate.
"Tell me something Darlton. If you were informed that your enemy was preparing to double the amount of troops on an already heavily defended border, what would you deem to be an appropriate response"?
Though only slightly confused by the timing of question, for he had been suspecting such an eventuality ever since the war in Europe ended with the creation of a more militant rival, Darlton nevertheless answered the purple haired princess with his usual promptness.
"I believe that if such a thing were to occur, the proper response would be to either reinforce our own troops, or send a warning to the enemy by making them aware that we're aware of what their up to".
His answer earning a single nod from the purple haired royal, the leader of the Glaston Knights remained silent as Cornelia praised him for his intelligence before listing the cause for her less than pleased mood.
"An answer worthy of a Britannian officer Darlton. However, for some reason it appears that the high command has chosen to pursue neither option despite the rather obvious danger in allowing the Reich to get away with it. For despite the recent annexation of the Middle Eastern Federation, and the fact that the Reich is in the process of improving its logistical network along the Siberian border, the Empire has only seen fit to reinforce the garrison of Area 18 with 2 divisions of new recruits, and warn our Euro-Britannian puppets to do nothing to provoke the Reich".
Shocked that the homeland wasn't doing more to protect their hard won territories, especially since the intelligence reports stated that the Reich was making great strides in absorbing the tens of thousands of former Federation soldiers into its already sizeable military, Darlton was prevented from offering a comment as his princess continued to vent her frustration.
"And in addition to this, my brother has seen fit to warn me that the Chinese Federation is finally showing signs that it is seriously reconsidering its neutrality. And not in our favor. The only good news that I have managed to receive, at least from our standpoint, is that our garrison here is to be reinforced by at least 2 knightmare brigades by the week's end".
Though they knew their princess was somewhat mollified by the recognition that her command was of strategic importance to the Empire, both Guilford and Darlton were nevertheless unsurprised by her reaction to this news.
"However, while the added reinforcements are appreciated due to the changing political landscape, they are not necessary for our current efforts in wiping out the Elevens who refuse to acknowledge the reality of their situation. Guilford, I trust that our preparations for the next assault are coming along nicely"?
Receiving a sharp nod from her bespectacled knight, Cornelia allowed a smirk to cross her face as her competent subordinate provided a more verbal response.
"We are ahead of schedule your highness. While we still require 2 weeks to amass the necessary resources to surround the Narita mountains, those forces you have tasked with destroying the Nippon Alliance, and the remnants of the Blood of the Samurai merely wait upon your word to be released".
Snorting at the grandiose names that the Eleven terrorists had come up with, for she knew from experience that those who carried such names were either too weak or ineffective to do more than serve as living targets, the purple haired princess narrowed her eyes as she brought up another more irritating concern.
"And what about Zero? Have our intelligence units managed to find any sign of him"?
Frowning at the mention of the masked enigma, Guilford shook his head.
"I'm afraid not your highness. All of our contacts amongst the elevens have come up short. And since the man hasn't made an appearance since Saitama, we have no new information to go on".
Sighing in frustration, for Zero's continued freedom served as a potential reminder that Clovis's death had still not been avenged, Cornelia's expression gained a more irritated look as her office phone started to beep.
Picking up the receiver, it took all of her willpower to keep herself from growling as she spat out her reply.
"What is it"?
But instead of a rightfully intimidated secretary, the voice that answered her was one of the few people alive that could retain their cheerfulness in the face of her less than pleasant mood.
"Oh I'm sorry sister. I didn't realize this was a bad time. Just wanted to let you know that we just got to the hotel, and that apart from being slightly annoyed by how close your babysitter is sticking to me, everything's been fine so far".
Her expression softening as she chuckled at the amusing label Euphie had saddled her bodyguard with, the purple haired princess allowed a hint of regret to enter her voice as she replied to her pink haired sibling.
"I'm very pleased to hear that Euphie. Sorry to say that you have caught me in the middle of something. But once I'm done for the day, I'll call you back so you can regale me with what you've been up to after escaping my ever-vigilant eye".
Her teasing bringing a light fit of laughter to the younger princess, and wishing she could spend more of her time with her beloved sister, Cornelia listened to Euphie's reply before hanging up and returning her attention to her currently smiling subordinates.
"Wipe those silly grins off of your faces. Your professional soldiers of the Britannian Empire. Act like it".
Nodding in approval as her words had the desired effect, and pushing away the rather irritating thought that her recent order would have inspired a different reaction from a certain Knight of Round, Cornelia proceeded to continue with meeting that would hopefully speed up the process of achieving what her late brother could not.
Destroying the resistance movements of Area 11.
…
Enjoying one of those rare moments when I allowed myself to privately indulge in the luxury that my position afforded, for it was an image that I have no doubt could be held against me by my thankfully absent right hand, I took immense satisfaction from thinking about the amount of progress that had been accomplished during the past week.
The first squadron of the Reich's new aerial fleet would soon be ready for deployment. Though I am still debating whether or not I should have a public unveiling of the Rodina before her sister ships are ready.
I've managed to gain direct control over a territory that is not only rich in natural resources, as well as Britannia hating manpower, but is also ideally placed to spread the influence of the Reich in the nation that is controlled by, as Karina would rather accurately say, dickless perverts.
And perhaps the most amusing of all, those Japanese fools have finally managed to accept the rather generous hand of the Reich.
Though Karina's agent has only been there for a week, his reports state that the so called Japanese Liberation Front have already made great strides in learning how to properly use their more up to date equipment. Which should come as a great surprise to the Britannian garrison. Even if it is led by one of their more capable commanders.
But, the longer they delay the attack, the more prepared the JLF will be, which in turn serves my purpose quite nicely.
For if the JLF manages to inflict significant lossess on our mutual enemy, then the seed for Japan's liberation from Britannian rule will be planted.
My own military career reflects this line of thinking, though I doubt that this has occurred to anyone but me and those of my inner circle.
Its quite simple when one thinks about it, at least when broken down to its simplest form.
Achieve an overwhelming/public victory over a seemingly unstoppable enemy.
Use the temporary halt in hostilities to reignite the support of a nation that was on the verge of giving up the fight.
And then using that new found power to not only force back the external enemies of one's nation, but also to purge it of its internal ones.
But unlike the Reich, which possessed both the strength and will to resist further incursions into its shrunken territory, the Japanese lack that rather crucial aspect.
For even if they did manage to defeat the Britannian garrison and seize control of the country, the losses they had sustained, as well as the damage caused to existing industry and infrastructure, would greatly cripple their immediate efforts to defend their nation from a renewed invasion by the empire.
Or any other nation that wished to extend its 'protection' over the Islands of Japan
Chucking as I imagined what the Reich could do with that much Sakuradite under its direct control, something that could happen in little under a year if my scientists manage to speed up the construction of the machine that Karina mockingly called my 'Frisbee of Doom', I decided to end my reminiscing by turning on the news.
For while both the Reich and the Britannian Empire, not to mention those Chinsese choir boys, practised the necessary art of censorship when it came to informing the common citizen of what was happening in their corner of the world, it was a rather useful source of information if one knew what to look for.
However, as I turned the channel to Britannian station, my earlier good mood evaporated as I was presented with undeniable evidence that my plans to establish the Reich as a Pacific power had just suffered a setback.
"Though we're still getting details as to what's going on, it has been confirmed that members of the Japanese Liberation Front, Area 11's most entrenched terrorist group, has seized control of the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel, and is currently holding over 50 hostages at gunpoint".
…..
ANNNNNNND I think this is a good place to end this chapter XP
Its taken awhile to get to this point, but finally made it lol.
Anyway, brief recap of what was done before I respond to some of the questions that have been posted to me :D
Intro/1st Segement: Dealing with the unsavory aspects of having one's country taken over by a regime that is…shall we say less than democratic. Doesn't matter if the government is facist or communist nature, first thing that happens is that those new citizens that are CONSIDERED to be a threat/disloyal are either executed, or sent off to work camps where they can 'prove' their willingness to serve their new masters.
Also covered the fact, and I admit I borrowed heavily from Soviet history, that these prisoners are part of the nation's efforts to improve the level of infrastructure in the desolate, but potentially useful landscape. Also covered the fact that the Reich is preparing to launch a Operation Barbarossa esqe campaign to reclaim what is theirs.
And yes…am continuing my use of altered historical figures in this story, with the list below telling you who I've used so far. Feel free to look up.
Stalin, Beria, Zhukov, Speer, Goering, Raeder, Dornbereger.
Will probably use more at a later point.
2nd Segment: Akito's perception on the JLF.
Think this one is pretty much self explanatory.
3rd segment: Cornelia's meeting
Looking at her reaction to not only the Reich's annexation of the Middle East, but also the Empire's lack of treating it seriously. Not making the deal between Charles and Krueger known at this point in time.
Also covered not only her efforts to pacify area 11 (cause in the series, once she decides to go against the JLF, she finds them relatively quickly so I wanted to touch on that), but also how she knew where Euphie was.
4th segment: Perceptions of my OC dictator.
Again, pretty self explanatory.
BUT…and hoping you caught this….did make mention of a secret weapon XP. Cause as a militaristic rival of the Britannian Empire, it stands to reason that like the Brits, they would have their own terror weapon in the works XP.
Anyways….now to answer some questions that have been asked of me XD.
Question: Chancellor ZVE "believe that the Middle Eastern Federation being annexed into the Reich is the first of its kind in the Reich's territories since the rest of the Reich was technically already part of the former Euro Universe; therefore, I must ask, what is the Reich's policy on integrating foreign countries into the Reich? Foreign nationals from fallen countries that serve through the foreign legions is one thing, but aren't the circumstances different for a relatively peaceful annexation of another sovereign power? The reason I ask is because, even though the Chancellor said that the free Middle Eastern territories can enjoy greater degrees of autonomy than the rest of the Reich, the MEF must still contribute to the Reich as a whole and I'm certain that the Reich does not plan on going down the same route as the Area System of the Empire.
- What is going to be your main inspiration for the Reich's new airborne naval fleets? Will the ships be derived from historical films with imagined modifications, simply taking existing naval ships and basically giving them flight capabilities, or something futuristic like something along the lines of Space Battleship Yamato for example but still looks similar to real-world modern day ships?
Answer: Believe I answered the first question with this chapter. Basically stems to….purging dissidents (both potential and actual) incorporating the existing military into its military (after going through a screenings and training of course). But apart from that, the new citizens are treated the same way as the rest of the reich, though the greater degrees of autonomy I mentioned basically means that they aren't subject to conscription (though they can still volunteer), and that learning one of the 3 main languages of the Reich (i.e. German, English, Russian) isn't compulsory.
As to my inspiration….mixture of both actually. The Siegfried Class Battleship, as stated previously, basically looks like a WW2 German Uboat with cannon turrets. However, thinking of basing aerial carriers on Iron Sky designs (i.e. space ship zeppelins).
Question: Fuhrer of Europe: "Even though the JLF are practically doomed to fall because of Cornelia, due to Kusakabe's stupid stunt, and the Black Knights, because the BK have the backing of the 'Elevens', will Akito at least give the JLF the chance to have their moment of glory and gain a few symbolic victories before the Battle of Narita Mountains? My reason for asking is because I want the Japanese rebels to start seeing what the Reich has to offer, start building up the bridge of respect that the Japanese resistance have for the Europeans, and further prove Kaguya's opponents correct that there really is something to gain by getting in the Reich's good graces, especially proving Kaguya wrong since she has the gall to think she can deny the Reich indefinitely.
Answer: Sort of. Will be covered in the next chapter in more detail. But my vision for the JLF, either pre Narita or during, is to have their combat effectiveness increased so they are not the push overs they were in the series. I believe I teased you with info that Todoh and his swords (two of them who I dislike cause they play a part in causing the Black Knight Coup) have traded in their Custom Burais for something a bit less dated.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Uncertain when I will next update due to busy schedule, but one can hope it wont be too long XP.
As always, plz review. Offer suggestions to the story, don't flame me. And if you notice issues in my grammar….I'm always willing to accept proposals for a beta reader.
Heil Europa.