Sovereign

“Lieplatzan Army Remnants in Rumpaltz-Eventia finally surrender to Federalist forces. After weeks of grueling siege and street-to-street fighting through the City of Rumpaltz’s fortified interior and the City of Eventia’s towering spires, both cities finally surrendered to General Kluge’s forces, with around thirty-two thousand Lieplatzan soldiers surrendering to the Federal Army. Other encircled cities in East Lieplatz, which had been holding out even after the devastating blitz of the Federal Republic have been raising the white flag as Lieplatzan civilians bear the brunt of starvation over the long-drawn-out sieges.”

- Wuringen Updates

“OAF forces stalls in the West Lieplatzan Campaign! To illustrate the utter failures of that Queen’s attempt to copy our noble deed of liberating the north, her soldiers find themselves in a grueling battle against dug-in Junta troops in Nordia, forcing the OAF to stop in its manic chase against General Richstoff up north. Instead, the Queen’s Army is now preparing for an assault against Nordia. As if such an assault would succeed against such a major city in a timely manner. This is but the opening moments of her incoming blunder.”

- The Front

+++

West Lieplatz

Near Nordia

A/2-6 Marine Regiment

“Put lead on them, Oakley!” Oakley wiped his sweat as he looked down. “What is it, son?”

“Sarge!” He called out. “Ammo!”

The Sergeant nodded and turned to Private Timmy, who had been firing his rifle at something. Their HMLV was showing its sides, which meant that Timmy and the Sergeant could fire their rifles. Outside, other Marines were using their HMLV as cover.

And because of that, many bullets were raining in their direction. Thankfully, their HMLV was up-armored, which allowed it to withstand small-arms fire. Even their turret that held the machine gun, which Oakley operated, was armored. Still, each ping of a rifle round or whisses made Oakley duck ever so slightly, as he awaited Timmy to pick up the damned ammunition.

Timmy soon handed it to him, and Oakley gave him a grunt. “Thanks, man.”

“No problemo.” A sudden hail of bullets rained on them again, and their driver began pushing their HMLV forward. “Fuckin…go, now! Put those bastards down!”

Oakley climbed back to his machine gun. Giving it a pat, he began preparing the ammunition belt into its ammo box, before attaching it to his machine gun. Soon, he was back into action, and he began turning his turret in the enemy’s direction. Seeing a bunch of flashes in the flat distance, he began pulling on the trigger as their HMLV sped through.

In fact, all around him, both HMLVs, M8 IFVs, and the occasional Löwe tank around them rushed forward. Their entire platoon’s mobile HMLVs soon formed a uniform formation, and they stopped at just a few hundred meters of the first trench lines and fox holes that he could see just beside the road.

Their HMLV however stopped on a massive crater, already slightly filled with snow, which disoriented him for a bit, but he raised his machine gun back up and began aiming at one of the foxholes that he could see. A rain of fifty-caliber machine gun fire bore down on them, and he could almost swear that he was shouting as the flashes from the same foxhole disappeared.

Soon, both the Sergeant and Timmy and even their driver, were out of their HMLV. Oakley could see that the three of them were using the armored doors of their HMLV as cover, but he knew it wouldn’t be enough. And so he continued spraying controlled bursts down range to suppress those flashes of gunfire.

Damn them! Damn them! His mind shouted. I ain’t letting none of you kill my brothers!

+++

B/18-4 Mobile Assault Brigade

“Forwards!” Lieutenant Charles Rupkoff shouted over his comms. “Those damned Lieplatzans should be too shocked after that barrage. Get into the damned breach!”

The M20 LSS Panthers of his platoon began its hazy charge over the frontline, as tracers, missiles, and cannon fire rained down on them. He looked to the side of his mech’s interface, seeing the now white-camoed formation of his 5th Platoon charge from the snowy fields of Nordia’s outskirts into the entrance of Nordia.

All of Bravo Company of the 18th Light Mech Battalion, 4th Mobile Assault Brigade was committed in the assault in the southernmost sector of the city. Their goal now was to reach the Nordia International Airport within a few hours and pave the way for the 8th and 9th Armored Brigades to resume their push toward the downtown district of Nordia.

And with it, once again, his platoon and Bravo Company were the tip of that spear. It was now up to them to push on, and most of all, survive. One after another, his driver expertly weaved their mech through every difficult position, as Hector fired their 120 mm main gun incessantly.

Soon, they were in the city proper, as his platoon skirmished over the tight lanes beside the main road. Their mech soon stopped behind the cover of a five-story establishment, just as a shot from one of their tanks clipped the building, sending shards of glass on their mech’s hull.

“Damn it, it would be stupid if we pushed on,” he said. “Too many hostile tanks and infantry.”

“It would be nice if we had a way to suppress them,” Charles nodded. “All units, status report.”

“Five-Actual, we’re pinned,” one of his underlings said. Their mech seemed to be taking potshots from the enemy while hiding behind a pile of rubble. “Think we should wait for the infantry?”

“If we can focus fire on that tank, perhaps we could take it down quickly and resume the push.”

“I don't know about that, sir. They got infantry on the tight lanes. It’s suicide alley.”

“We’ll, how do you suppose we’ll take that damned airport without fighting close-quarters combat on suicide alley, Sergeant Higgs?”

“Fine…”

“Prep for assault, all units. We’re not stopping here.”

But just before he could get his plans out, a continuous barrage of violent booms interrupted him. Rapidly, a four-legged beast dashed through the main road, and beside it, more of them. Charles stared at them in awe, as their main guns opened fire incessantly, almost every damned split second.

“That’s Charlie Company!” Hector shouted. “Parasite Mechs!”

“That they are, Hector,” Charles nodded, as he ordered his driver to lunge forward. Immediately, the rest of 5th Platoon, and he could see more of Bravo Company’s mechs charging forward, rejoined the fight. The enemy tried to fire at them unrelentingly, but Charles could see their armored vehicles and positions going down one by one.

They passed through one of the streets, which had infantry on the side, but a Parasite Mech had already drifted, stopped, and began unloading 50 mm autocannon fire on the problem. Instead of worrying about hostile infantry, their mech focused on the larger threats up ahead.

Their sensors soon turned into an M44-Nörd that was trying to hold up on a raised main road. Unfortunately, it seemed badly pinned by one of the Parasite Mechs, which had been raining down autocannon fire on its vulnerable spots. The thing’s tracks soon fell off, and it must have been blinded due to damage to its optics when its shot fired and missed the offending Parasite Mech and slammed on an innocent cafe instead.

“Hector, that thing’s down. Just finish it, now. Their autocannon ain’t going to do its job unless we use our main gun.”

“Aye, Lieutenant,” their mech stopped, and he felt the turret turn in the direction of the Lieplatzan tank. In just a split second, Hector pulled the trigger, sending a depleted uranium penetrator straight at the disabled Nörd tank.

Charles couldn’t deduce the damage when its turret was slightly turned down, but he wasn’t going to be unsure in such a manic battlefield.

“Hector, give it a double tap.”

“Copy,” four seconds passed, as their autoloader slammed another shell in. Hector then pulled the trigger, sending another sabot straight at the thing’s hull, and lighting up its ERA, further obscuring it from Charles’ view.

But he knew it was down.

Charles ordered his driver to resume pushing forward, as friendly Parasite Mechs continued taking care of enemy infantry that he only really needed to keep watch on them instead of firing at them. It seemed like a perfect match, in Charles’ mind. The Parasite Mech could take care of softer targets better, while the Panther dealt with hostile armor.

But even then, it seemed that these new things could do more than that. By the time they stopped at an intersection, a Parasite Mech was already on the rooftop of one of the buildings. Its turret, which held two small missile pods side by side, seemed to extend away from the turret.

Each of them held four ATGMs, and Charles watched as both pods fired off a total of two ATGMs into the sky. He tracked the direction it traveled, and his eyes stopped on the flying turret of an unfortunate Lieplatzan tank struck by it.

A smirk appeared on his face.

These things seem to be developing into a good partner in the fight, eh?

+++

H/2-3 KDU

Captain Henrietta Lurois sighed as she looked down at the destruction around her. Her column was now parked beside the recently liberated subdivision in the city after a hard-fought battle to take it. Even now, OAF HMLVs, IFVs, and the occasional new “Parasite Mechs” were still passing through the road, as she and her sisters rested.

Henrietta herself just stared at one of the intact light posts on the side of the road, which had been slightly flickering as the afternoon darkness crept in.

Even now that it’s almost night, the fight is still on. It was unrelenting. All morning, to noon, to afternoon, it was all fighting. Their assault took a heavy toll on both the OAF and the participating KDUs. She had heard that Alpha Company of the 2nd Battalion suffered three tanks lost according to the Major. She should probably meet Captain Erika soon, for she must be inconsolable at her losses right now.

Nay, even Henrietta felt herself down more than ever. Six of her soldiers, under her command, of the 3rd and 4th Platoons, died during the firefights for this subdivision. The 3rd tank of the 2nd Platoon was also disabled, and it was still being recovered from the entrance of the subdivision, as its tracks and engine were blown off.

Then the multiple injuries across her Company. It was a damned painful day for her and her sisters. To take such gruesome casualties…

She was still wondering what she would even write to the families of her falling comrades. What could she even say? That they gloriously died in the defense of their homeland? In the assault to liberate their sisters in Lieplatz? What exactly would console these families at losing their precious daughters who served the Kingdom?

“Hey, Captain,” Freya said, as she popped her head from the hatch beside Henrietta. Henrietta cupped the side of her face and looked away.

“What?”

“Still down?”

“Who wouldn’t be?” Henrietta said, and a few moments of silence passed between them. Freya, her gunner, was injured just a few days ago. Yet, here she was, still back in the action after some magical treatment and a day of rest. Even her gunnery skills seemed to have improved, as they scored two enemy IFVs and an enemy APC being downed for the day.

“Yeah…I guess…six in the Company died,” Freya muttered. “Six.”

“Six good women,” Henrietta added. “Damn it…this is…”

“Not your fault, Captain,” Freya said. “You led us well. It’s why…I guess, have you seen what other units are reporting? Dozens upon dozens of dead.”

“It’s not about the number, Corporal. It’s about…it’s about the lives. One or twenty, this is a massive failure on my part.”

“Or our circumstances are just awful,” Freya said. “But what would I know, I’m just a gunner.”

Henrietta sighed. “It’s fine…speak freely.”

“...All I want is that you don’t beat yourself up for this. You already did enough of that when I and Linze were injured.”

“If I just became better…none of it would have happened.”

“Again, no. It happens because…because I think we’re in a war. And people die and get injured in war.”

“That’s not an excuse.”

“I think it is if we finally accept that we are at war,” Freya said. “Look at men. They…they take so much dead, yet they accept it as a part of war. While here we are, our whole Company, almost crying for a few. There’s nothing wrong with it, but if we act like this throughout the war…”

“Then we’d just have more to mourn on,” Henrietta finished. “Fine, I get your point.”

Still…I have to stop as many casualties. As I can.