Chapter 11: Pain
November 17, 1940:
It's been days since the Imperials first stepped on Gallia's northern shores.
We managed to keep Sluis and eventually pushed the Imperials back to the coastal belts.
Now only the port town of Ostend and Herstel remain in Imperial hands.
Turns out the Gallian and Federation navies are currently engaging the Imperials at Anthold Harbor.
Europa is one big landmass… I guess that's why Gallia and the Federation didn't really pay much attention to the navy.
So until they defeat the Imperials at Anthold Harbor, we're on our own against the Imperials in the north.
November 19, 1940:
Herstel battlefront:
Today was a pleasant surprise. Jake, Marvin, and Nancy, my old college buddies, are in the same battlefield as I was.
Man what a pleasant surprise that was when we both stormed into the same bunker and nearly shot each other.
Later that night, I met up with them and chatted a bit.
They were quite concerned that I didn't return to Vasel and with the whole war suddenly happening, they thought the Imperials gassed me or something.
Cheeky bastards. And oh, they also told me a funny story!
Turns out there that this girl, that Marvin really liked a few months ago, liked him too.
Normally, you'd think they'll get together but no. That is not the case.
Marvin just became cold towards her. He reasoned that he had no time for relationships.
Damn… Talk about a wasted opportunity. The girl was quite pretty too.
And now, he's denying that she liked him too.
I don't know if he's lying to himself or just so dense cuz when I was there, it was painfully obvious.
But alas, Marvin is a stubborn bastard…
Tomorrow is under day of intense fighting and death… But it's good to have times like these where we can talk and be carefree, forgetting about the war for even a short time…
… Sometimes I wish I could completely forget about all these wars…
November 21, 1940:
Marvin saved my life today.
I was taking cover behind the wreckage of an Imperial tank in the middle of the street.
We were clearing the remaining buildings occupied by Imperial troops.
"There's a lot of em!" I said firing my rifle at the Imperials in front.
"More meat for the grinder!" Renee said laughing maniacally while firing her machinegun, mowing down several enemy soldiers.
Clearing the nearby buildings, we began to cross the street.
Behind me was Marvin and the others.
As we ran, Marvin saw the distinct reflection of a sniper's scope.
He quickly realized the sniper was aiming at me.
"DENZEL!" he shouted tackling me.
We both fell to the ground as the sniper's bullet knocks my helmet off.
"Sniper!" Franko shouted as we frantically ran to the nearest cover.
Rain managed to eliminate the enemy sniper a short while later.
At the end of the day, Herstel was ours.
After the fighting was over, I approached Marvin.
"Hey" I said patting his shoulder "thanks for saving my life. I owe you"
"Nah" he responded "I just did what friends, hell what fellow soldiers, do"
"Fair enough. I'd offer to buy you a drink after this war is over but you don't drink"
"Milk will do"
"Of course…"
Marvin always has this "good boy" image. No smoking, no alcohol…
He must be from a traditional family or something.
Nevertheless, I'm glad to have friends like him around.
November 22, 1940:
…. …. …. … ….
Those dots up there… I couldn't think of the words to put in tonight's entry…
We… We were fighting just in the outskirts of Herstel.
After pushing the Imperials out of town, we advanced further to the coast.
Then we reached the Port Town of Ostend…
We were winning, at least that's what I thought…
"Charge!" General Barredo shouted as the Imperials began to fall back.
Infantry up front with tank support at the back, we had the Imperials on the run… Or so we thought…
The second we stepped within a few meters from the town… All hell broke loose…
"Incoming!"
We all looked up and I saw it...
The sky was filled with shells… Mortar and Ship Cannon…
"Oh fuck…" General Barredo uttered as he turns around "FALL BACK! FALL BACK!"
We all ran for our lives but we weren't fast enough to avoid those shells…
Explosions everywhere… The Imperials were literally raining death on us.
Bodies and body parts flying everywhere… The sound of the explosions pierced my ears… I could barely hear anything, save for a ringing noise.
And to pour salt into the wound, the Imperials began hammering us with heavy machine gun and sniper fire…
A cannon shell managed to destroy a Crusader that was near me.
The explosion sent me flying a few feet…
I lay there on the ground, unable to move, unable to hear, and barely able to see…
I was so ready to accept my death… Maybe it was finally time for me to pay for the things I did…
For the innocents I murdered…
But again, the world denies me peace…
Dizzy and in pain, I could barely recognize the figure that came to help me.
"Hang on, buddy!" he said lending me his shoulder
It was Marvin. He ran back to the battlefield, along with Jake, Nancy, and the other Misfits, to save me.
Marvin dragged me back as the others provided cover fire.
"Come on, Denzel!" he said panting a bit "We're almost-"
But before he could finish his sentence, a bullet hits him in the back.
It entered and exited just below his neck…
He collapsed to the ground.
Despite my dizziness, I managed to make sense of what happened immediately…
"Marvin…" I muttered as I crawl towards his unmoving body "Marvin…!"
He was gurgling. I can still remember seeing all that blood.
I clasped his right hand as tightly as I could.
"M-Me…" I uttered, struggling to say the word loudly "M-MEDIC!"
Drifa quickly turns around and checks on Marvin.
"Shit!" she said as she administers first aid on the fallen soldier "Keep calm and stay awake!"
"Marvin...!" I uttered as tears begin to roll down my face "I'm sorry…"
Marvin turns his face and looks at me.
He was in pain but he gave me a confident smile.
He put his left hand on top of mine.
"Fight… on…" he said with a pained voice
He nodded and slowly collapsed to the ground.
"No. No." Drifa said in a panicked tone "No. Don't close those eyes. Don't you dare close those eyes!"
But Marvin didn't listen… His head rests on the ground and his grip on my hand loosens…
He was gone…
I cried… I cried so hard.
This was my friend… Someone I knew for my entire time at law school!
And he died trying to help me! In front of me!
I should be the dead one! Not him!
Why am I still alive?! Why am I forced to suffer this torment?!
… Just let me die already…
November 24, 1940:
It's been 2 days and we're no close to reaching that town.
Our planes are fighters… They're not designed to drop bombs on the enemy…
Hell we didn't even have actual bombers or even mortars in our arsenal…
How does command expect us to take that town?
November 25, 1940:
I woke up at around 2 in the morning. I'd been suffering from nightmares since Marvin died…
I managed to get at least 3 hours of sleep but… they're not exactly straight… They're more like intervals.
I've calmed down a bit but Marvin's death still weighs heavily on me.
Another soul who died because of me…
I exited my barracks as a cold breeze blew from the coast… Boy, was it cold.
Unable to sleep, I decided to take a walk around the fortifications.
I went to the trench overlooking the spot Marvin died…
I stared at that one spot for God knows how long.
"You should be resting" a voice called to me.
I turn to see General Barredo.
"General" I uttered, saluting
"At ease" he replied "As I was saying, you should be resting, soldier. Can't have you getting tired in the middle of a firefight"
"I-I know, sir… But i-it's just… I couldn't sleep"
"Still feeling guilty over your friend's death?"
"Y-Yes sir…" I sheepishly replied, turning my head down.
"I understand… I believe he said some final words to you. Care to share them?"
"Um well… yes… He said 'fight on'…"
"Do you understand what he meant with that line?"
"Yes sir…"
"What is it then?"
"He means that I should continue the fight"
"Why?"
"B-Because the battle's not over and we have to-"
"Wrong"
"What?"
"The reason why we have to keep on fighting is because we're still alive"
"Sir?"
"I read your file. Although I don't condone your actions, hell I'll be frank I straight up condemn them. But I can empathize your motivations"
So he knows…
"Do you have regrets?" he asked
"Y-Yes…" I responded with my head down
"As you should be. But did you learn anything from those experiences?"
"Um… Well…"
"You don't have to tell me. I can feel that you're barely understanding what I'm trying to say"
No kidding… I was having a hard time keeping up with what you were saying
"What I'm saying is" he continued "these deaths are all the more reason for us to continue the fighting"
"So that we can honor their sacrifice?"
"Something like that"
"Forgive me sir but doesn't that seem dismissive? It's like we should simply forget about them and move on"
"Not exactly. A soldier shouldn't let casualties affect their performance. If I allowed every death to affect me the same way it affects you, I won't be an effective commander now, won't I?"
"No sir"
"Exactly. We all knew what we were signing up for the second we were recruited into the military and militia. You do know what you signed up, right?"
"Y-Yes sir but…"
"I know the circumstances of your recruitment. But you stayed nonetheless so I can assume that you chose to stay and you know that death is to be expected"
"..Yes"
"But knowing that danger full well, you all still signed up or, for your case, stayed. Why?"
"Uh… Um…"
"It's because you all want to fight for something! Be it for your country, your ideology, your religion, or even your own damn self. We all have reason to fight. That's what it means to be alive. We have a reason to continue living, fighting, and suffering"
"Suffering?"
"Only the dead don't suffer, kid. Do you understand me?"
"Um… I guess so sir"
"Chin up!" the general said slamming his palm on my back "You still got years of your life to understand what I just said. But for now, we still got a war to fight!"
"Y-Yes sir!"
"Very good. Now would you be so kind to call Sergeant Duval for me? She should be back at the barracks"
"Yes sir"
Call Renee? Why would he need her at this hour?
I walk to the barracks but Renee wasn't inside.
I went around the back and I found her, sitting on top of an ammo box, reading a book.
"Renee" I called but she didn't seem to hear me
"Renee" I called again, tapping her shoulder.
"Eek!" she uttered, dropping her book.
"Oh… um…" I said, picking up her book "I-I'm sorry for startling you"
"I-Its ok, D-Denzel" She said with a soft tone "S-So… um… W-What do you need?"
I swear. Outside of the battlefield, she's so shy and soft spoken.
It's almost as if I'm talking to someone else.
"Um…" I responded "General Barredo is calling you. He's by the front trenches"
"Oh right. I'll be on my way. Thank you, Denzel"
I was curious what the general was planning so I accompanied Renee back.
Upon returning to the general, I noticed him scouting the immediate area and writing something down on his notebook.
"Ah Sergeant Duval" he said "I am in need of your expertise"
"Yes sir" Renee answered
"What are you planning to do sir?" I asked
General Barredo smiles as he leads the both of us into the literal minefield that is no man's land.
6:00am:
As we took cover behind the trenches, I finally heard the sound of plane engines.
Sora, Wilson, and their squad are finally here.
Spitfires, Mustangs, and a 3rd aircraft that I'd never seen before.
They called the 3rd one, "Hawker Typhoons".
"General" Sora said over the radio "This is Red 1 we're at the battle zone. Awaiting orders"
"Copy Red 1" the general responded "Make sure those Typhoons reach their targets! I want those ship cannons silenced! Am I clear?"
"Copy that"
"Red 1" Wilson reported "Bandits! 7 o'clock"
"I see them. All interceptors go with Red 2 and engage those bandits. The rest stay close to the Typhoons. General Barredo wants those ships sunk!"
"Wilco Red 1. All interceptors on me!"
Wilson and his squad fly ahead and engage the enemy BF-109s as Sora and her squad spins down and dives as the skies erupt with machinegun and AA fire.
"Protect the bombers!" Sora commanded as seveal BF-109s and I-16s open fire behind her squad.
She and the other fighters quickly turn around and engage the enemy planes.
Sora and her squad unleashes a barrage from the left of the 109s and I-16s, shooting down several of them.
Meanwhile, the Typhoons continues their run as flak cannons from the ships blacken the sky.
A few go down in the ensuing rain.
The ones that survived the AA fire, unload their bombs upon the enemy ships.
The ships erupt into flames, their cannons silenced.
"Target eliminated" one of the Typhoon pilots reported
"Copy that" Sora acknowledged "General. Ships are quiet! On you, sir!"
"I copy" the general responded "Lt. Dupont. It's your stage!"
"Roger" the tank driver responded as Gallian and Federation tanks roll into no man's land.
The tanks suddenly stop just in front of our trench line.
General Barredo climbs on Marian's Tank, using the turret as cover.
"Use the tanks as cover!" he commanded "Advance! Let's pummel these bastards to oblivion!"
The general then brings out a whistle.
"For Gallia!" he exclaimed blowing on the whistle
The tanks move forward, firing their machineguns and cannons, with us moving close behind.
"Watch out for snipers!" Jane shouted as bullets and mortars rain around us.
"Denzel!" the general shouted "Radio!"
I quickly ran to Marian's tank. I climbed on top of it and handed my radio to the general.
"Captain Andersen!" he shouted as bullets hit the tank's turret, with Marian responding with a tank shell "I got mortars raining down on me. Can you take em out?"
"I'll try, general!" Sora responded as she shoots down an enemy I-16 "I got flak everywhere! But I see the enemy mortar teams!"
"Get it done!"
"Wilco! Red 6, 7, and 8. On me!"
"Roger!" the allied pilots responded as they converge on Sora's plane.
"Red 2! I need someone to put some heat on those flak cannons!"
"Copy that!" Wilson responded
Under heavy anti-air fire, Sora and her squad fly around the port town.
They conduct several strafing runs on the Imperials.
Minutes later, the mortars stopped falling as we continued our advance.
Back to Sora, several enemy BF-109s dive from above.
They unleash a barrage, shooting down 2 planes.
"Damn it!" Sora said as the 2 plane fall from the sky "Red 7 and 8 are going down!"
Sora and Red 6 quickly turn their planes around, heading towards the water, with Imperial BF-109s close behind.
They fly as low as they could, evading machinegun and flak fire.
"Captain!" Red 6 reported "Enemy PT boats!"
"Keep moving!" Sora responded as the PT boats open fire "Don't let them get a bead on you!"
She quickly performs a barrel roll, while slowing down a bit.
The enemy plane overshoots her, enabling Sora to strike back.
She shoots down 2 planes and continues chasing the remaining enemy planes attacking Red 6.
Back on our side, we were slowly pushing the Imperials back with very little casualties despite the hail of bullets and sniper fire on us.
I guess what we did hours ago pulled off…
Hours earlier:
It was a crazy plan actually… General Barredo had us crawl through no man's land.
We moved so close to the Imperial lines that I was surprised they never noticed us.
Using Renee's experience with explosives, we slowly disarmed enemy landmines in the area.
And the general took notes on where to advance and take cover from.
It was a bit nerve-wracking since we had to crawl the entire time and avoid enemy spotlights.
After we were done disarming the mines, which were mostly placed close to the Imperial trenches, we returned to ours.
On the way back, I notice 3 more individuals crawling in the area.
"Gene-" I said as he covers my mouth
"I know" he responded
I can see why he's so revered. While we saw defeat and difficulty, he saw opportunity and exploitation.
He exploited the Imperial's high morale against them, he made them become arrogant and careless which gave him an opening to break through.
Because of this, we managed to enter the town in less than 30 minutes.
Suddenly, my radio receives a transmission.
It was Desmond. That was when I realized that he, Aria, and Rain aren't with us...
Unbeknownst to most of us, even the Imperials, Desmond, Aria, and Rain managed to sneak behind enemy lines.
As the battle continued to rage, the three soldiers were hiding inside a bell tower.
"Barredo" Desmond reported "We're in position"
"You know what to do, Crocker" The general responded.
Desmond smiles as he and Aria descend the tower while Rain begins sniping enemy soldiers with her rifle.
Desmond and Aria burst out of the church and begin moving to their objective, the radio station
They run through the Imperials lines, shooting down Imperial after Imperial.
Surprisingly, the Imperials barely responded to their attacks.
I guess they were busy with us.
Desmond and Aria quickly made their way towards the enemy radio station.
They bust into the building, neutralizing the enemy soldiers inside.
With the radios under our control, Desmond began sending mixed commands throughout the Imperial troops.
This caused their forces to fall into disarray.
General Barredo's strategy worked. We managed to sow chaos within the Imperial ranks which made it easier for us to advance with minimal casualties.
With their ships burning and all land routes cut, the remaining Imperial soldiers had no other choice than to surrender.
Their defeat ended the Imperial threat in the north and the coastal belt was ours again.
November 26, 1940:
Today, we held a small funeral for Marvin and the other soldiers who died during the course of these battles…
It was a quick one… We simply said our prayers and buried them just outside of Ostend…
I can never get used to seeing people die in front of me… Especially people I knew…
Just a few days ago, we were talking and laughing with Marvin and now, we're burying him.
General Barredo has a point though.
Although I don't completely understand the things he said, he's right about not letting these deaths affect my performance.
It would be an insult for Marvin to see me sulk and allow myself to get killed in a battle.
I decide to hold onto his dogtag, another dogtag to add to my 'collection'…
Diebal Mountains, Southern Gallia
It was a snowy afternoon.
Emilia walks through the snow covered ground.
She opens her right hand and grabs some of the falling snow, her eyes filled with sorrow.
She looks up.
"…Aster…" she muttered with a tear running down her face
"Major Lauldi" an Imperial soldier called "Commander Tulius wants to speak with you"
"Right…" she said as she walks back towards the Imperial camp
At the same time, several Imperial soldiers and bipedal 'tanks' move into the fortified town of Louvere.
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