“These are trying times.” The chief shrugged, raising a hand to tilt his pointed cap. “It’s only sensible for our survival.”

“Alright. Alright. Sure.” You raised a hand, waved it side to side, finalizing the beginnings of a plan. “I see how it is, but I think you need a bit of additional perspective. Y’see, I’ve got a bomber squadron on tap, to hit wherever I want them to. That’s twelve Siglin-Marconi 98 twin engine medium bombers, each carrying about a thousand kilograms of explosives in hundred kilo bombs. If I can stand to wait a while, I can call in the three other squadrons in the group, too. A thousand, times twelve, times four. That’s a lotta bombs, isn’t it. Circumstances both fortunate and not have left me calling in where a good bit of Aristocratic Union artillery is going, too. I don’t actually know how much there is, but I do know what they’ve got is plenty able to dish out some hurt.”

“Now see here-!” the Halmeggian army officer got real frustrated, but you help up a pointer finger to his nose.

“Hey, wait, I’m just saying what I’ve got, now where it’s going, you hear? It’s a whole lot, and there’s a whole lot outside, isn’t there?” That got the officer relatively cool again, so you grinned at him. “Yeah, I thought that might be a pretty appealing proposal. So that’s my baseline. I share some of my overcompensation with you, and you all let my people pass through here without being screwed with. Not that you’d want us sticking around too long, anyways. The people chasing us from the north are an elite Revolutionary armor group; they’re tough customers, but I’m pretty sure they only want us, so if we’re outta here, then they shouldn’t bother you. I can see you wanting to say something, but give me just a minute, I’m not done yet. See, I’m on good terms with Major Wolfe, myself. I’ve done him a few favors.” I’ve swapped spit with his daughter seemed to be unhelpful and so was not mentioned. “I have a direct line to him; I can share the radio frequency, and you can become as close of friends as I am. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

”…What?” the police chief was now destabilized by this surprise. “You? How? That’s…”

“Because I am a saucy, saucy man.” You said braggadociously. Funny, there wasn’t any doubting voice to debate that claim. How odd. “I’m not even through with what I’m willing to generously donate. I might have to shed some weight here, you see. Ladies don’t much like trim around the middle. Anything I leave behind in this town, consider it yours.”

Your audience of two still seemed quite puzzled. “What’s that supposed to mean?” the younger officer demanded, aggressively fixing his field cap, “You’re acting like you’re not sure what you’re going to leave behind!”

That was because you weren’t sure yet if this was going to work. The plan was to shed some dead weight; your Halmeggian “allies” being what would be cast off. Whether or not they would accept being left here as a gift was the troublesome bit. If they decided to make it a fight, that could be a pain in the ass. You’d figure something out; maybe they could be separated from their materiel, which would make what was left exponentially easier to deal with as they lacked armored fighting vehicles. Again, though, the trouble was with Lieutenant Alterwald; none of the other officers had the presence he did, no will to resist command, but Alterwald was wary of you. If he would be so polite as to fall into a snare you planned for him, that would have been nice, but would his current caution allow such, or would you have to drop pretenses and force him into the plot to get rid of him?

Maybe you didn’t have to get rid of him permanently; that might make things easier. Once you returned with the Prince and Princess, after all, your unit would be leaving in haste. All that had to happen was for him to be kept out of your hair until then. It had to happen before you hit AUSC controlled territory, and once you broke through here, there wouldn’t be much left, if anything, between you and returning home.

Likely back to more AUSC, considering that your unit had brokered that alliance with them, and all. Could Colonel Talmeier really keep the Aristocratic Union off the airfield, or prevent them from screwing around with it? After all, if artillery got zoned in on an airfield, it could be very quickly rendered unusable…

You couldn’t stall on an answer too much, though. “Are you complaining about getting a bonus on top of everything else?” you asked with a lazy shrug. “From where I’m standing, I’m being real generous. It’s not even Langenachtfest yet!”

“You’re promisin’ a lotta hot air, from how I see it,” the younger officer said critically; for somebody who was doped up he seemed awfully excitable. “We call up Wolfe on your special line, maybe you’re gone before we can find out if its legit. We ask you to help with your planes and the guns you got, they don’t end up coming. I’ll be damned if you can just use us as a wall and get off free.”

“Hold your tongue,” the police chief cut in hastily, putting a hand on his junior’s shoulder. “Would you rather risk all of that help coming down upon us out of spite?”

“I’d prefer something I can see and know the value of, sir,” the officer spat.

>I’ve got plenty I can promise you, but I’ll need some help in taking it. [Get help from these independents to steal your AUSC detachment’s vehicles]
>What if I told you I could give you a bunch of Aristocratic Union prisoners? You don’t seem to have any love for them, maybe it’ll help. [Completely sell out the AUSC people and leave them behind]
>I’ve stated my terms. Take them or leave them. [Don’t give any materiel]
>Other?


>Past Threads Archive Pastebin (Luftpanzer is at the top): https://pastebin.com/UagT0hnh
>twitter is @scheissfunker for updates and announcements.

Thread should have been up yesterday, I know. Also I misarchived the last thread as #9. I'll bother trying to talk to the suptg guy to change it, maybe. End me.

>>3185087
This isn't a vote, but do you think about the viability of having the AUSC guys start shoring up the defenses of the north of the town like was one of the options presented earlier. Then while they are doing that we just... leave. The town gets their defenses bolstered and get some (albeit disgruntled) reinforcements

>>3185115
I don't mind. The current issue is much as we would like to get the AUSC people out of our hair I don't think Alterwald is that stupid to walk into our trap; he's probably expecting to get backstabbed at any time now. Also if the manage to get a message to the Duke we'll have to fight our way through everyone plus we might not even be able to extract from the airfield.

>>3185115
That's certainly something you could do, though you'd probably want to give them a good reason why you're not there shoring up the defenses alongside them. It's not like Alterwald, cunning as he seems, is particularly inclined to share a trench with you, but he probably would be even less fond of the idea of being dumped.

>>3185165
>That's certainly something you could do, though you'd probably want to give them a good reason why you're not there shoring up the defenses alongside them

We are shoring up the south side in case the east and west Revs try to flank?

>>3185087
Anyway as a sign of good faith maybe we can try to contact Wolfe right now to show our frequency is the real deal. Also call in our air support and ask a fighter or two do a recon run as well as a fly-by .

>>3185172
We should probably zero the Rev locations and this town

>>3185195
I like the way you think.

>>3185087
Supporting >>3185172 idea to prove to them we aren't bluffing. They still aren't getting the frequency till we leave and they aren't speaking to Wolfe alone.

Do a flyby of the Rev flank we aren't going to attack to keep the enemy off guard.

The Townsfolk push us any fucking more and they'll see how quickly their situation can turn nasty.
-------------
While I like the idea of completely selling Alterwald out, one bad radio call to AUSC command and our entire Paratrooper group is fucked in retaliation. I don't think we can rely on these townsfolk to nab Alterwald and Co. quickly enough. I'd be happier shedding them in a combat situation. Also I don't trust them not to sell US out in order to nab the Prince/Princess.

tanq does the Infantry component have a radio to their HQ?
Who would be capable of calling AUSC home?

If not then:
Tell Alterwald we've agreed to clear out some Revs and they promise to stand with us against the pursuing Rev Armor. Charge the heavily bombed Rev side and as they scatter leave the AUSC infantry to dig in on the side we clear out.

We then plug Alterwald's tanks, the Infantry trucks and ditch the Infantry as we scurry away.

>>3185483
Sorry

>Tell Alterwald we've agreed to clear out some Revs and they promise to stand with us against the pursuing Rev Armor.

Should be and the Town promises to stand with us against the Pursuers.

>>3185483
>tanq does the Infantry component have a radio to their HQ?
No. They communicate via field telephone or messenger; they aren't important enough to have wireless radios.

>Who would be capable of calling AUSC home?
Alterwald, and Dohdt. Granted, their vehicles do not have the seriously mean radios your command tanks have; their radios only range a few klicks.

However, what does have the capability to communicate long range is the communications detachment's signals truck. They, like the field workshop attachment, largely only existed in the background; being the method that Wolfe was using to call in artillery.

Radios are relatively fragile if you accidentally bump them a certain way though, and they've only got one of these things.

>>3185087
Huh, I expected more people to weigh in overnight.

I guess my vote is to try and trick Alterwald and the AUSC into thinking we are holing up here due to an agreement and just leave them behind while they are defending the north side. Keep the communications truck with us. If the AUSC gives the town lip after we leave then the town should relieve them of their equipment.

I'm going to presume the currently discussed plan is to everybody's satisfaction and finally close the vote officially; I wanted to be around earlier but...well, I wasn't. Anyways. I am writing now, intermittently.

“I can easily prove to you that I’m not screwing around,” you said confidently, “I’ll call in a fighter to buzz the folks on your west, and for the other part…well, I’ll call up Wolfe himself and you can have a chat.” Whether or not you’d get an answer was questionable. You’d had no news on Wolfe’s progress, nor whether you’d be in voice range. A transmission in naval code would likely reach and even be responded to, but that wouldn’t be as influential as Wolfe’s actual voice. Shoot, you’d just have to go for it. “Anyways, I’ll be leaving a group of my people with you, I’ve decided. Since I mean, if you think about it, you want tanks, but how many of your people are even tankers? It’s not like driving a truck or something, or like pointing a gun and firing it. You need people who know how to operate every part of it.” Awkward silence. “So since I’m leaving people to do that for you with this gear, aren’t you gonna say how nice I am?”

A step in a cunning plan. The cunning plan being similar to getting up to go to the bathroom after eating at a fancy restaurant and then not going back to the table. Just this time, the bill being footed on Alterwald and the AUSC would be a group of furious Revolutionaries, potentially. It was a remarkably simple plan, and the less moving parts there were, the fewer things could go wrong. All you had to do was assure Alterwald you were defending elsewhere, and then you’d just…leave. Making a deal in his name to these Independents would mean he couldn’t just leave, either. At least, not right after you. Let him leave, really. Any direction not through the village was through Revolutionaries.

“Er,” the officer began to say to your proposal, when the police chief murmured something close to his ear. “…Fine. Okay, that’s great, your help is really appreciated. But we want to have those words with Wolfe that you mentioned.”

“Sure, yeah, just come along this way,” you motioned to them. They must have been big fans of the Major that they followed along without even thinking of getting an escort. For the supposed leaders of this merry band, they didn’t seem very used to it.

-----

The chief and his sidekick were kept outside of the tank while you fiddled with the radio. Actually pulling this off was finicky; not only did you have to be able to talk to Wolfe, he had to be able to talk back to you. Not out of the question if he was at a command post, but if he was leading from the front in a tank? Halmeggia didn’t need to keep its military on the razor sharp edge of modernity; wireless communications technology was something you’d heard was wildly inconsistent in quality the world over. Then, what could you do but take the gamble?

Of course, the voice that answered you was…not ideal. Not bad, but not who you were planning on speaking with.

“Reinhold? You’re alright! Good. Is there anything you need help with?” Wolfe Junior; apparently she had been placed well away from any fighting, but given her own set. A privilege for the overprotective commander’s daughter, you supposed. “Is your mission going well? Father said you had all started off back to where you came.”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine,” This rather blindsided you. Perhaps you should have expected it considering it was the Wolfe family’s secret frequency meant specifically for contacting one another, but usually what had happened was you found a girl’s father when looking for her, rather than the other way round. “Listen, can I talk to your father?”

“…Why?” Uh oh. There was disappointment already setting in her voice. “Besides, he’s leading the offensive right now. I can’t just bother him about nothing, as long as the Revolutionaries are holding the capital, they can claim they’ve already won. Whatever it is, talk to me about it. I can try and do something.”

“There’s a town called Rotigard off to the east.” You explained, “A pretty big group of guys wants to join your old man’s Guardians of Halmeggia thing, and they want to talk to the Gunmetal.”

“Rotigard, huh.” Eidan Wolfe repeated to herself, “Yeah, I see that. That’s in completely the wrong direction for the Guardians of Halmeggia to go, though. Those guys’ll have to make their way to us, Father wants to keep the Revolutionaries in between us and the Aristocratic Union Security Council. The Vitelians want us divided. They’re a pretty big group, so if they can’t come here, why don’t they just stay where they are?”

You turned away from the listening leaders of the town and said quietly, “They’re not gonna want to hear that.”

“Well, it’s the truth.”

>Be a dear and lie to these people for me, will you? I need to get away from them before the Revolutionary Party’s personal face stompers come to make friends with me.
>Can’t you just say you’ll get there when you can? That’s not a lie. Though maybe you won’t be here for a while. I'll make it up to you later.
>The AUSC are your enemies as much as the Revolutionaries. Wouldn’t it be better to have these guys in your pocket earlier? Surely you can tell your father as much. There wasn’t much opposition for us on our way back, the Revolutionaries are basically turning tail everywhere else.
>Other?
>…So, what are you wearing?

>>3191804
>Can’t you just say you’ll get there when you can? That’s not a lie. Though maybe you won’t be here for a while. I'll make it up to you later.

Probably the best we are going to get. Having Gunmetal aware of their existence and their inclination towards his faction is already a good boon. Hopefully this should be satisfactory along will all the air support and people we are leaving behind.

>Other?
>How are you?

>>3191804

this desu >>3191857

>>3191804
>>Can’t you just say you’ll get there when you can? That’s not a lie. Though maybe you won’t be here for a while. I'll make it up to you later.
Well if its Wolfe's daughter talking to them directly they might be mollified at least.

>>3191857
Supporting

We did only promise them the frequency, getting to talk to the man was just the icing to sweeten it.

>…So, what are you wearing?

Look, I'ma get shit for this but she was wearing an AUSC uniform last we saw her, so did she change into Militarist combat fatigues? Officer Uniform? Pink frilly dress?

“Can’t you just say you’ll get there when you can?” you asked, “That wouldn’t be a lie, would it? Though maybe your people won’t be able to make it for awhile.”

“…I don’t like making empty promises.” Wolfe said. Not in an accusatory manner, just one wistful, and distant.

“Then don’t make one,” you retorted.

“Alright. I’ll do my best.”

“You’re a lifesaver.” You exhaled. “Thanks. I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Mhm.”

“I’ll put you on the phone with them.” You said, then motioned for the officer and the chief to come up. “Major Wolfe’s out right now, but I’ve got his daughter on the line. She’s got her father’s ear, so make sure you treat her nice. Or I’ll wallop you.”

The officer screwed up his face. “Daughter? I thought Major Wolfe had a son in the army. Hell, I think I’ve seen him. Heard him.”

His blue uniformed compatriot nodded in agreement. “I have heard similarly.”

“You heard wrong.” A shrug. “If you don’t want to believe me, that’s fine. Wolfe’s daughter Eidan, aided by her masculine sounding name, and presumably her father as well, managed to fool the Army into thinking she was a man. That’s how it is. You can ask her if you don’t think so.”

The young officer frowned, furrowed his brow, and clicked his tongue. “Tch. Give me that headset. Hey, Falko, help me up.”

You took the headset off and offered it to the man as he clambered up. “Push this button right here to transmit. Try not to talk until somebody’s done talking themselves, you can’t transmit and receive at the same time.”

“I know how a radio works,” the officer scowled as he tore the headset out of your grasp and slipped it over his head and field cap. “Hello? Who is this? You’re related to Gunmetal Wolfe?...His daughter, yeah, I heard. ‘Cept Wolfe didn’t have no daughter. He’s got a son, I’ve spoken to him, and I can be damn sure that wasn’t no woman…Say that again?...Huh.” His face went from indignant, to frustrated, to surprised, then resigned, all within moments of each other. “I coulda sworn…yeah. Yeah. We’d appreciate that. Sorry.” He handed back the headset. “Alright, yeah, that’s…that’s him. Her. Man, I’m confused.”

“It was Eidan Wolfe?” the police chief asked for confirmation from below.

“Yeah, it was.” The officer slid off your tank. “If this guy’s got a line to him, her…whatever. I think we can trust him on the rest. What’s the frequency you’re using?”

“Ah ah,” you waved your finger, “I’ll transmit it to you. Write down the frequency of whatever set you’ll be listening on and I’ll tell you later when I’m trucking out south. After I call in my air support, too. That sound good?”

“Of course.” The police chief said before the young officer could; though now his partner seemed a lot less combative. “Well? Go and get it, Lieutenant!”

“Er, of course.” The Lieutenant turned about clumsily and jogged away.

“I hope you do not mind me lingering here.” The chief said to you.

“Nah, not at all.” You waved a hand as you put your headset back on. “Here, I’ll call in my plane, but after that I’ve gotta chat with Wolfe. Don’t mind me not including you.” As the chief nodded, you got back to Eidan. “Just a minute, I’ve got to arrange something with the flyboys. Don’t touch that dial.”

It didn’t take long to arrange said air strafe; you followed with requests for bombing runs on the targets, as well, though you did take care to make sure that a miss would be extremely unlikely to hit the town. It was only good courtesy, after all. It helped that, with Rotigard being on some of the better maps that the Battalion had procured, in spite of your own vague directions, command could give proper coordinates and direction to your air support. Quicker than expected, you were able to get back to talking to girls.

“So.” You sighed slightly, “How are you, then?”

“…What?” Wolfe choked, voice cracking in bafflement. “Is this really the time to be asking that?”

“I’ve got plenty of time. Talk to me.” A thought. “If you want another question…well, heh. What’re you wearing right now?”

“…The…same thing?”

“I mean, you militarists have to distinguish yourselves from the others somehow, right?” The AUSC had plenty of normal Halmeggian soldiers in its ranks; Wolfe was wearing exactly the same uniform she would have been wearing before the civil war broke out, which could have made for confusing potential future conflicts, given that the Militarists seemed to not differentiate themselves at all, being army folk and thus wearing the uniforms they already had. The Revolutionaries at least displayed their identity clearly with their armbands.

“I don’t know about that.” Wolfe said tonelessly, “I haven’t heard about it being a problem. Maybe something’ll come up for it, but if we keep wearing the uniform of the Royal Halmeggian Army then nobody can say we’ve turned traitor to the realm.”

“’suppose.” You weren’t really sure if that was how it worked, especially without the support of a royal family member to back up the Royal part of the army’s title. Some slight rebranding might be prudent. “So uh, how about what you have under that?”

“…What.”

“Nothing. Really, how are you? Tell me. I’m just waiting for my air support to buzz these folks anyways.”

“…Well. Since you asked. I’m doing alright, but, I’ve been shoved back into this…room, like I’m being grounded or something. I know father wants to keep me safe, but this is just like what happened…I’d rather be out where I can help people, instead of just sitting around with my thumb up my ass. Who cares if I get hurt, who cares if I die, I’d rather that instead of watching everybody important to me just get…picked off, while I’m not even there…you’ll be okay, right?”

I don’t make empty promises. “Of course I’ll be fine. With what I’ve been through I’d be willing to bet I’m pretty much indestructible.”

“It’s so frustrating. But I feel like when I just do my own thing…I don’t know enough to not mess up. You got shot ‘cause of me. Somebody got hurt ‘cause of my shit.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” you corrected her. Not in particular, at least. “Anyways, you’re helping me right now, aren’t you? Maybe you’re better at helping this way. Not everybody’s got to be on the frontline.”

“I can’t keep getting off easy like this. ‘s not right.” Wolfe still spoke darkly and morosely. “Sorry. I just…hate being cooped up like this. It doesn’t feel good, even if maybe it’s better. I just want the bad times to be over already, and sitting around doesn’t help that.”

“The bad times’ll be over soon enough,” you tried to smile to yourself, since Wolfe certainly couldn’t see it, though hopefully she’d hear it. “I know it. I’ll live through it all just to spite Fortune.”

“…Mm.” Wolfe’s confidence might have been boosted just a bit. “…In that case…you said earlier you’d make things up to me, for what you want me to get Father to do. For what you want me to tell these people in Rotigar. Since you’re going to get through it, and I want to too…how are you going to make it up to me, I wonder?”

>I prefer it to be a surprise. It’s more fun that way.
>I’m going to find out what you wear under your uniform.
>I don’t know right now. Feel free to give me ideas.
>Other?

>>3192601
>>I don’t know right now. Feel free to give me ideas.
I'm not a Wolfe person, but how the heck are we even going to see her again if we plan to get out of this damn country ASAP?

>>3192601
>I don’t know right now. Feel free to give me ideas.

>>3192670
I think it's more after story/epilogue stuff since I think tanq said once we get the royals to safety the quest is pretty much over.

>>3192601
>I don’t know right now. Feel free to give me ideas.
>Although it's going to be a surprise.

Especially since we're never going to see her again.

>>3192601
>>I prefer it to be a surprise. It’s more fun that way

>>3193309
Eh, who knows what the future holds.

>>3192670
>>3192722
>>3193309
I don't know, give me an idea, now bye forever.
>>3193809
I'm gonna surprise you! Maybe.

Writing.

How were you going…to make it up to her? Huh. You didn’t usually think about the details of this sort of agreement. The likelihood of you even seeing her again was slim; but she probably didn’t want to hear that, especially not with what happened tonight.

Maybe there was a chance to help her out some with this, though.

“I don’t know right now,” you admitted, “I can’t think of anything. Feel free to give me ideas, though,” you added coyly, “I won’t mind if what you think of is a surprise, either.”

“I don’t like surprises.” Wolfe said flatly. “Look. I’m not a moron. I know I live here, you live in the Reich, you want to go home, I have to stay here, but…I want to look forward to this. I want to forget everything that came before. I’m nineteen years old, there’s still time for me to…start over. So.” Wolfe paused a moment. “You know, you still owe me. From before. I’m not planning on dying, and neither are you, so after this ends, how about I…I come over to your place. And we catch up.”

“It sounds like you’re soliciting me.”

“I am.” Wolfe said firmly. “…I know. It was only tonight, that Aiden…look, I hate this. I hate thinking about how alone I am, I hate thinking about what came before, how much I lost. I’m empty, and…I want you.”

“…I don’t know about that.” You said, your jaw slackening.

“Quit jerking me around, God damnit!” Wolfe shouted at you, her voice cracking, “I don’t mind if you say no. I know I’m not pretty, I know I’m hotheaded and a screwup and a bitch, I know I’m rushing headlong into this even though Aiden just died tonight! I know. But I hate just waiting around, not sure if something’s so or not! I don’t want any more of this maybe or I don’t know crap. Yes! Or No! I know exactly what I’m doing. You’ve saved my life twice, you’ve put up with my bullshit, you’ve listened to me whine about whatever. When we were kissing, this hole in my heart went away, and now that it’s back, I’m already sick of it!” Eidan had to catch her breath; you heard her sniffle, and cough. “Please.”

>Cut transmission. She wouldn’t know if you had to do something and didn’t hear any of that.
>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.
>I don’t know.
>Other?

>>3194467
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

Fine yes. Lets get a move on. I feel like we are going to be in this town all week at this rate. It's good that she is aware that she is rushing headlong. Self awareness is going to be key in making any relationship between these two work.

>inb4 this vote is super contentious. Again.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.
Wolfe just got his daughter back;like hell he's going to let her fuck off all the way to the Reich. Also we have Herr Falkenstein's daughter at home to worry about anyway.

>>3194555
Then if she is stuck there she is stuck there. We can at least try here.

>>3194467
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

Remember tanks? Yeah neither do I. Let's get Reinhold his tomboy for the epilogue and start getting ready to hightail it out of here.

>>3194570
What's the point?In the end if we go home alone all we're doing is dragging this out and just giving her more heartbreak when we leave. Let's not lead people on emotionally and make promises we can't keep.
Also from a practical point of view she's going to somehow either get all the way here or to the airfield how with the RAGV between them and us? Not to mention there's also the AUSC to worry about.

>>3194602
There is an after the war you know. In fact that's what she said

>’m not planning on dying, and neither are you, so after this ends, how about I…I come over to your place.

Seeing another person in a country over when things have calmed down isn't an arduous task. Just a vacation.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

>>3194602
It's after the war mate

>>3194467
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

She flashed those gold eyes, and now it is no other but the very dense Edelina.

>>3194657
This is just going to become a waifu vote isn't it LOL

>>3194661
That's pretty much what it is.

There's no real pragmatism or plotting involved in this.

It's just a 'Do you want Wolfe and Reinhold to attempt to start a relationship after the war in an epilogue, Yes or No.'

Well more like

>No
>No
>Yes
>Essentially No

>>3194467
>>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

>>3194657
I'm with you if this doesn't go through, but something tells me it ain't going to go the way you'd want.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

>>3194467
>>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

>>3194467
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

>>3194467
>>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

Personally I think Reinhold should pursue Linda, its what Dolchurr wanted and it probably weighs on him more heavily then Wolfe's feelings who he just met, hours ago.

Didnt we promise Fisher we'd hit the pow camp on the way back?

>>3194467
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

>All these 1 posts

Where are you guys when we are discussing plans and shit?

This is getting sad. Tanq just call the vote or roll it off or something

>>3195822
Don't you know waifu votes suddenly make everyone crawl out of wherever they were hiding /s

>>3194467
>>I’m sorry. I can’t. You might want to cut off your past and let it go, but I have people waiting for me at home. I can’t give you what you want.

>>3195841
True for me, I didnt care enough for what we do with Alterwald, whether we ditch him here or take him back to the airfield so I didnt bother with that vote. That and I wanted to just blow pass the town instead of getting bogged down in it.

File: Panzer III of the 2nd Dab(...).jpg (81 KB, 957x655)

81 KB JPG

>>3194467
>Cut transmission. She wouldn’t know if you had to do something and didn’t hear any of that.
Fuck all yall, YOLO

>>3194467
>…So you come over to my place and catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.

Hell.

>>3194497
>>3194587
>>3194625
>>3194689
>>3195405
>>3195588
>>3195605
>>3195814
>>3196631
Yea

>>3194555
>>3194616
>>3194657
>>3194904
>>3195535
>>3195632
>>3195693
>>3195842
Nay

Just calling it now, will address a few other things before writing.

>>3194683
>There's no real pragmatism or plotting involved in this.
>It's just a 'Do you want Wolfe and Reinhold to attempt to start a relationship after the war in an epilogue, Yes or No.'

I would like to remind that she is also your direct contact to a powerful faction in the broken up country. You are asking her to do favors for you due to her position and connections. She is not actually forced to do what you ask in spite of everything done for her.

It doesn't really need to be said that keeping her in good graces is politically expedient if one wished to exploit this.

>>3195701
Oops They were no longer there. Given the general retreat by the Revolutionaries, chaotic as it is, it's hardly unexpected.

Anyways, writing now.

>>3196704
I didn't really think about that when factoring for my vote which could be a good thing in a sense, but I see your point.

You didn’t have the answer right away. Not for Eidan, nor yourself. On one hand, it wasn’t like you were getting married or anything. You’d never had a relationship that lasted more than a month. So why not? It was just another fling. You wouldn’t say no most of the time. Yet this was different. Something made you wary; that you shouldn’t treat Eidan like just another woman to be discarded after you were through. Whether it was your mutual anguish or if something had changed inside you, you couldn’t know yet.

There was also what Dolcherr had insisted to you, among his last words. The possibility that granting Eidan’s wish would be to desecrate your best friend’s hopes for your future. Were you just blowing off Linda like you always had?

Linda Falkenstein, though. Sorry, Dolcherr, you thought grimly, But I don’t know if I can face Linda after what I let happen to you. He wouldn’t have liked that idea. He would have pointed out that Grabb had died, that you had healed afterwards. That Bartholomeu was still alive. Maybe, though, Douran would have understood that Eidan Wolfe wasn’t some bar floozy that you dragged into a hotel room. Something about what Eidan had said about throwing everything behind had been appealing. You weren’t ready to just discard the past, you probably never would be, but for now…your future needed a bit of brightness.

“…So you come over to my place and we catch up? Sounds good to me. I’ll see you then.” It spilled out of your mouth automatically; there was energy in it that didn’t feel like your own.

“…Great!” Wolfe almost squeaked back, “Don’t die, alright? When I come over after all this…I’m gonna rock your world.”

Hah. “We’ll see. I’ll talk to you later. For now I have to focus on not dying.”

-----

Though you’d only called in a strafing run from friendly air cover, the fighter pilot took that as an invitation to show off. Just above you, barely fifty meters above the town, it seemed, a twin engine fighter screamed overhead, the Reich Hammer flashing in your vision. The police chief ducked instinctively, and the fighter made a theatrical vertical climb, before artfully falling onto its back and diving off to the west. Even though the fighter itself was dim in the morning sky, the searing yellow heat of its tracers were like streaking stars as its cannons chewed like a noisy sewing machine upon the unfortunate and unwilling co performers in its show.

“So,” you smirked at the police chief, who was still watching the fighter dance about in a way that a plane of its bulk certainly couldn’t do without a very capable pilot, “Satisfied? I’ve got a lot more coming than that, unless you wanted to put it off.”

“Er, no, that’s quite good,” the police chief called nervously up to you. “…So, you’ll be going I suppose..?”

“Almost. I have a few things to take care of, first. And a few things you could repeat verbatim…”

-----

Preparations for your egress were simple and easy; the first order of business was “disabling” the AUSC long range communications. This was accomplished with the help of the Fallschirmjger field workshop men and the able Royal Guardsmen; there wasn’t even a fight. Owl 3, still quite in her floozy character, had no trouble luring the few bored AUSC technicians away from their truck for a “chat,” whereupon they were ambushed, bound, and gagged. Their truck, as well as the left behind trucks of the AUSC infantry platoons, were swiftly appropriated. Said infantry had already been instructed to go to the northern lines; after discussion with your platoon leaders of what was going to take place, you had all given quite a convincing performance of planning out the defense of this town. Even Fischer was in on the deception; the disappointment of not finding the prisoner camp he had wanted to pursue was replaced with spite for Alterwald’s dishonorable, in his eyes, actions. He even stated how he would have desired to remain and defend this place; however, he had admitted with uncharacteristic slyness, that he would accept Alterwald taking responsibility for such an honorable task.

So it was that 1st platoon would guard the west flank, 3rd the east, and 2nd platoon would remain in reserve while all of your AUSC allies bolstered the northern defenses. They would little know that every man who answered to the Kaiser would be on quite the southern side of east and west.

For your part, you kept Alterwald constantly chatting with you. The later he noticed his connection to his superiors had vanished, the better.

“I would rather us continue moving, but I suppose if the town would have use remain or be in our way,” Alterwald sighed, “I would have expected a man as yourself to set my men and I to a quieter front, though.”

“You’re getting the bulk of our support, my dear man!” you protested against Alterwald’s subtle jab. “The thunder of the Aristocratic Union’s artillery will be lent entirely in your support, and that’s if this even comes to blows. A man such as yourself must have quite a reputation as is among the Revolutionaries. Perhaps they tremble when they hear of your presence? Any women among them shudder and blush when they hear the same, and must excuse themselves?”

Rolled 71, 1, 8 = 80 (3d100)

“I would loathe to fight a woman, Captain.” Alterwald said dully, “Were that they truly did do such. Surely you understand why I would have reservations about slaying one.”

“I understand that I’d have no reservations about slaying their senses, good sir.” You both knew what Alterwald was referring to. You chose to make it a dick measuring contest. “Oh, look at the time, though. Our bombers are scheduled to come in soon. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m having my people taking priority for the artillery I promised you for now. Your signals people will be back online in just a bit; I’m having my 1st platoon make a diversionary strike to the west after the bombing and artillery ends.”

“Do what you will, Captain.” Alterwald sighed again, voice level and bored as usual.

Hopefully that’d be the last you had to listen to this prick.

-----

The drone of the bomber squadron you’d called whined in from over the horizon; it must have been a completely foreign sort of sound to both the defenders and population of the town itself, who came outside to look up quizzically, the earlier fighter having gotten the attention of a few. Alas, you weren’t sticking around to watch how entertained the spectators would be. You’d made sure to give the target the bomber’s would make their runs on good and far from the town itself; even a relatively low level bombing run like this could miss terribly, such was the imprecision of such an attack.

Preceding the squadron was a pair of heavy fighters, which zipped over high above, before their larger cousins’ shadows appeared in the sky. A look through your binoculars saw their bomb bay doors open; you were both excited, and apprehensive. How well would this work, you wondered…though really, it didn’t matter for you unless the dispersion was utterly terrible. Your platoons and support had already received instructions to book it during the confusion of the bombing run, and the southern garrison was set to let you through.

>Above roll if for bombing run effectiveness; though the distraction is practically guaranteed, you're certainly hoping for it to be effective even so! DC is roll under 25 for serious damage.

>>3197165
>1, 8
Oh baby. Bring the carnage

>>3197183
Reinhold "Revolutionary, meet Incindeary" Bomber Roth-Vogel do it again.

As your company, divested of its AUSC support, drove southwards and left the town whilst avoiding any entanglement with Revolutionaries, you felt the ground shake as though you were being tossed about by the sea, as bombs struck home to the west. The company was made to move as quickly as they could; after leaving the town, there had been no significant Revolutionary contacts reported by Reichsmarine spotter planes, so it was just a matter of going as fast as you possibly could; hopefully so fast, that even if Alterwald realized your game, he would never be able to do anything about it.

As much as the damage from the bombing run didn’t matter while you sped away from town, you couldn’t help but call HQ as soon as possible, and have them feed you an update from the next spotter to go over and survey the damage. The results were heart warmingly impressive; evidently, a few sticks of bombs had managed to completely disrupt the frontline fortifications, while another had scattered wide and wiped out what appeared to be reserves and a command post. Quite unexpected for a form of attack known to be imprecise and unreliable; you almost wished you had stayed behind with those sorts of results. Though the Independents had evidently noticed the chaos that ensued as well, as Battalion Headquarters also reported the Reichsmarine observation plane noting an offensive from Rotigard taking place; and your pursuers being forced to support their allies against said attack. Whether they had been dissuaded from pursuing you by orders, or that they believed you were still in the town, was anybody’s guess. Like Alterwald, they had been delayed from ever catching you before you reached your own people. With your company having switched to your reserve network, he wouldn’t be hearing anything either.

For the first time in a long time that night, you felt yourself completely relax, and completely against your intention, you nodded off in the turret.

-----

“Well, Lieutenant,” one of Alterwald’s crewmen manning the radio of his tank said smugly over the intercom; one of the few who did not address the man as milord. “It seems that you were tricked. Your caution has betrayed you, methinks.”

“Hmph. Discretion is the better part of valor, but I suppose Captain Roth-Vogel knew that as well as I.” Alterwald was as dull voiced as ever, but too annoyed to be proportionately sardonic. “Type 30s. These Revolutionaries’ elites are certainly well equipped.”

“Will you do battle with them?”

Alterwald grunted dismissively. “Perhaps if this were Sosaldt, and I were encased inside the invincible armor of a T-15, rather than a Vitelian soup can. No, we will assume defensive positions and keep ourselves out of their gunnery range.”

“Perhaps you wish to pursue the Captain? He most likely killed your beau, after all.”

“Beau? Do not be ridiculous.” Alterwald snorted. “Vivian was useful. Yet she is replaceable. The Captain may have his victory. We still have many places we can interfere in, after all. You should know that.”

“What a cruel thing to say about a woman who truly loved you.” The crewman said with mocking disparaging.

“I have other women who truly love me.” Alterwald said to that, with the varied tones of stating the color of a clear daytime sky. “I am certain I can find another huntress who can suppress her gag reflex. More stinging is that she failed in her task.”

“Oh, dear.” The radioman tittered, laughing lightly. “Oh dear. How terribly cruel.”

-----

“Captain, wake up!” a harsh, accented voice came over the intercom and jolted you to alertness. “Enjoy your nap?”

“I was having an extremely pleasant rendezvous with a young woman, I will have you know,” you groaned back, stretching. “Who could have thought coitus could be interrupted from another world entirely?” No laughter. “Fine. Alright, did I miss anything?”

“Nah. Scattered contacts, Aristocratic sorts. We’re coming up on a checkpoint with ‘em”

“Uh oh.” That was a problem. The AUSC weren’t supposed to be up this far; this was a place that Fallschirmjagers should have been, but it was fair that they were so stretched thin, that AUSC troops would have come up to occupy the ground while Talmeier captured the Santi Arrofini airfield. What to do about this, though. You could certainly just head straight n to the airfield, but maybe you could get something from these folks?

>You had some questions for them; have the company pull up and meet with them. (What questions?)
>Avoid them; you didn’t have to explain yourself, and they wouldn’t ask anything good of you.
>Other?

>>3197272
>>Avoid them; you didn’t have to explain yourself, and they wouldn’t ask anything good of you

>>3197272
>>Avoid them; you didn’t have to explain yourself, and they wouldn’t ask anything good of you.

>>3197272
>>Avoid them; you didn’t have to explain yourself, and they wouldn’t ask anything good of you.

>>3197272
>Avoid them; you didn’t have to explain yourself, and they wouldn’t ask anything good of you.

>>3197281
>>3197289
>>3197290
>>3197291
Wow these guys seem like nerds, let's not talk to them.

Writing.

>>3197272
Also, hey Lieutenant Von Neubaum.

“Gah, let me get on the…thing.” You grumbled, still drowsy. You might have gotten maybe ten minutes of sleep; it would have to do for now. You shifted your headset back, checked the radio, and spoke with the company. “Morning, everybody…we’re not going to meet up with that checkpoint we’re heading for, alright? They’ll probably do annoying stuff, like asking where their friends went. And we’re not telling anybody that we ditched them. We know the direction of the airfield, we’re not talking to anybody besides our own guys, alright? Out.” You really didn’t feel like having a discussion; your head was still beating itself into place.

Everything that had happened last night felt like it happened last week. The memories of battles, death, and wounding had scarred over so quickly that it was disturbing, even though your leg still ached. The sun had finally come up over the horizon, and the sky was blue as a robin’s egg. Raucous battle continued but blissfully far away from you; birds had dared to sing in spite of it all. It almost felt as though you’d woken up from a bad dream, but the only dream you’d woken up from was a good one.

It wasn’t actually sex; that was you trying to be funny. It was a murky, peaceful dream, simply sitting in a room whilst piano played, watching a billiards game played between faceless fellows. The sort of thing where one would be very confused upon returning to wakefulness, but not at all concerning whilst in dreamland. A contest you could calmly observe, for once, with no consequences.

Ah. But you looked forward to getting more sleep on the plane back. No matter what happened further in Halmeggia, soon enough, you would return what was left of the Royal Family to the Kaiser, and you could go to a bar and smash your brains out. Maybe if things went well in Halmeggia, Wolfe would show up at some point and you’d smash her brains out. Much as you’d like to work yourself up into a lather thinking about that, you were just…too tired. That special sort of tired where you felt like you were a puppet and your limbs were tied to strings, the sort of tired you felt all the time in training, hell, in war, but right now you were sick of it. You weren’t hungry for the dry ration biscuits in the tank, nor the stale water in your canteen. All thoughts, as you went onwards towards the airfield, were about how close you were to home.

-----

Hopeful as you had been for the mission to end, as you drew closer to the airfield, you became increasingly less confident. On your way there, you had seen Reich transport planes coming in for landing, unharried by anti-aircraft fire; when you asked headquarters about this, they claimed that the Revolutionaries to the south had been driven back, and their flak positions captured. Good for the AUSC, you supposed. Yet the way forward was dotted with more and more Aristocratic Union patrols, largely the grey uniformed conscripted “levy” that you’d seen some of earlier, seeming to be sweeping for any remaining Revolutionaries, or visiting isolated houses and structures on general scouting. At least they weren’t being ground up in battlefields they didn’t belong on, but it was disconcerting how many of them you had to swing around.

Finally, close to the airfield, you found a team of Fallschirmjäger, who had firmly dug themselves into the landscape, but were terribly relaxed. You decided to pass close by to them; there was some catching up to do.

“Hiya,” you said as your Luftpanzer slowed to a half beside the position, “How are you louts doing this morning?”

“Oh, hey! It’s Captain Roth-Vogel.” One of them was more awake than the others; when he looked at you, it was hard to remember him exactly because without his helmet, he looked…really different.

“Hey, Vang,” you said, “God damn, you have massive goddamn eyebrows, you know that?”

“Runs in the family. So what’s up? Heard the Royal Family’s smoked.”

“Not all of them.” You said resolutely, “We’ve not failed the Kaiser or the Reich this day.” You made a show of looking side to side. “So what’s up with all the AUSC about?”

“Oh, yeah,” Vang had been designated the talker implicitly now, but that didn’t keep people from prodding him to hand his mates cigarettes, which he did as he told you the situation. “See, the Santi Arrofini airfield was a lot heavier guarded than intel said it was, by a whole lot. We couldn’t just take it with one company; so we had to get the Duke Di Vitelstadt to help us out. That let us put all our guys in the right place, but…we got pretty badly beat up. Ack ack already beat us up on the way in as you know, and we’re down to scraps for ammo. Air supply hasn’t been able to keep up. I’m guessing you’re the same way?”

“No, actually.” Your fuel was pretty low, but airdrops had kept you moving, and your reserves had barely been tapped into. Offroading cut fuel efficiency, but there had been little back and forth, and little combat whatsoever. You had simply gone around many of the dispersed enemies. This was shared with the impressed paratrooper. “The one time there was a pitched fight was at the castle itself, and we had the AUSC infantry go in instead of us. They got hammered. We managed to not lose any vehicles after the initial battle where we went to link up with the Duke. I almost can’t believe my luck.”

“So where’d those guys go, then?” Vang looked at you, and your unit. “Their trucks, I guess. Heard you had some tanks with you? They just go back to their people?”

“Sure.” You lied. The truth could come later, ideally back in the Reich. “Well, good to see you’re still alive, Vang.”

“Yeah, you too, Cap.”

As you got moving again, you checked in with Colonel Talmeier. “Hey, Bird Dog. Griffon Actual here. You must see us by now. We’re almost back.”

“Good.” Talmeier was curt in his response, which wasn’t unusual, but what was, was the wariness in his tone. “Griffon Actual, take Gold over around back of the hangars, let the rest of your people onto the airfield to prep for extraction. We have to talk; something has come up.”

“Something’s come up?” you didn’t like the sound of that at all. “I’ll be right there.” What you really didn’t like was that it sounded like the people preparing for extraction wouldn’t include you.

-----

Colonel Talmeier stood ready to meet you behind the hangars; specifically, out in the woods behind them. The airfield itself was absolutely crawling with AUSC; you had to go elsewhere to get away from them. Your Luftpanzer was left behind and you had been guided, along with the Prince and Princess Von Halm Auric, to the meeting place by a band of paratroopers from Raven Company, including Captain Wolschald, their commander. He was a lanky man with edged and pointed features, like he was made of knives, though he always had a jolly expression; a terrifying one considering his features. You knew one another, but not well enough to be friends or anything of the like. Just enough to know each other’s character, and to not have issues with each other. He was reserved in his drinking and abstinent in his romance, but did not expect others to follow such ideals. Live and let live; something you similarly respected. Like you, he was a veteran of the Fealinn and Felbach campaigns, though he had been in the infantry for the first war.

Colonel Talmeier waited for you, hands clasped behind his back, his closely cropped white hair hidden under a skullcap. Unlike either of you, the deeply set lines in his face were stern and serious, and they were only deeper now as the graveness of the situation became clear from but his scowl.

“I’m glad you could make it, Captain.” He said to you as you stepped before him and saluted, Captain Wolschald quickly following. “Congratulations on accomplishing your objectives, in spite of the numerous obstacles we have faced tonight. No matter what happens next, you’ll be recognized properly for your efforts. However, it’s too early for us to claim victory. You may have noticed,” he gestured towards the airfield contemptuously, “That the Aristocratic Union has taken a great interest in our mission. They’ve given plenty of support, but make no mistake, they expect something in return.” Talmeier pointed to the Prince and Princess, as well as their Royal Guards, kept at a distance from the conversation. “The Duke Di Vitelstadt indeed claims to be an acquaintance of the royal famly, but our mission is to return them to the Reich and to Kaiser Henrik, until the protectorates of the Reich can agree to an intervention in this country’s security. The Duke has already spoken with me on the possibility of letting the both of them fall into his guardianship. Doing so would obviously harm the legitimacy of Princess Edelina, and there has been no secret kept of which of them they prefer to sit the throne. These men would have the sister killed. Leaving the brother behind would suit them, but they would likely not tolerate having the Princess in their hands as well; much as they may wish otherwise, the AUSC cannot have Alexander cannot sit the throne if Edelina is alive and has the Kaiser’s support.”

You knew that Alexander would likely not mind Edelina being killed at all, but you kept your mouth shut.

“Captain Roth-Vogel.” Talmeier said seriously, his sharp gaze meeting your own tired eyes. “I hate to ask more of you than you have already done. I will understand if you refuse. You are wounded, tired, and very likely seeking well deserved rest. However, we are certain to be unable to transport the Prince and Princess back the way we thought. We cannot fight off the AUSC and evacuate; they have artillery guaranteed to be able to fire upon this place, our men are tired and have taken casualties, and we are quite low on ammunition. So, my plan is this.” He nodded towards your Luftpanzer, in the distance. “The Reichsmarine waits off of the southern coast, near Revolutionary territory. A small party could potentially make it there, and remain hidden until rescue arrives for them.”

“Colonel, Sir,” Wolschald said, his voice a deep bass. “You are proposing we spirit them away under the noses of the AUSC? Will they not notice and take action?”

“They will not, because,” he pointed a finger at you, “Captain Roth-Vogel will desert. We will not claim any responsibility for his actions; should he accept this mission, we will be forced to denounce his actions as well as those of any collaborators, but we will be allowed to leave, at least. Should Captain Roth-Vogel not accept, then, Captain Wolschald, the responsibility will fall to you, as you volunteered. Should you have a change of heart, then we will go down the line, and if there are no volunteers beyond then, then I will do it. So, Captain.” Talmeier placed his hands back behind him. “Will you accept this mission? Understand that you are under no obligation to do so, but I believe that your access to Luftpanzers will greatly improve the chance of success for this mission. I will provide you greater details and support you however I can should you accept, but know that, no matter what your decision, you have served the Reich well tonight.”

>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.
>Sorry. I’d like to, but I’m beat to shit, my men are beat to shit, and I don’t think I can do this. Good luck on your mission, Captain Wolschald.
>I think have another idea…(Write in plan; be prepared for it to be shut down if it’s not convincing.)
>Other?

>>3197511
>>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.
Assuming we're cut off from any support this time, only our Luftpanzers can really do the job for this.

>>3197511
>“Captain Roth-Vogel will desert. We will not claim any responsibility for his actions; should he accept this mission,

Where have we heard this before. Can't anyone ever sanction us? I am so very close to actually voting we go rogue with Richter.

I'm defaulting to
>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.

But, it's crazy and yet, I'd like to debate the merit of luring the Duke into a trap and killing him using the Royals.
Then we have Edelina announce that she is taking over the AUSC officially. I have no plan for the other Nobles besides that they can't officially protest due to losing the peoples support.

Yes, it is fraught with risk, yes it far far far less safe then sneaking away. And yes even I doubt its feasibility but it's a third option that I'd like to put forward.

>>3197532
>“Captain Roth-Vogel will desert. We will not claim any responsibility for his actions; should he accept this mission,
>Where have we heard this before. Can't anyone ever sanction us? I am so very close to actually voting we go rogue with Richter.

Reinhold considers Colonel Talmeier to be completely trustworthy, and not somebody who'd try to trick him, though yes, you can absolutely ask for a guarantee that you won't end up like that one asshole in Strossvald. Reinhold also has absolutely no trance to fool him into thinking somebody is more trustworthy than they actually are but you could probably have figured that out.

>But, it's crazy and yet, I'd like to debate the merit of luring the Duke into a trap and killing him using the Royals.
>Then we have Edelina announce that she is taking over the AUSC officially. I have no plan for the other Nobles besides that they can't officially protest due to losing the peoples support.

You can try this if you like, sure. But one may want to keep in mind Edelina's personality and disposition when doing this considering she is such a key piece.

>>3197511
>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.
here we go again

>>3197511
>>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.

>>3197511
>>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.

>>3197511
>>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.

>>3197511
>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.

Kidnap the royal remnants and get arrested after getting our tanks stuck on a sandy beach, sounds like the cap we need on this adventure.

>>3197511
>>Sure, what the hell. The day’s only just started. I can find a bar and get wasted if you need an official reason to reprimand me, though.

Whats the timecale before the reichsmarine is capable of getting us out, and how do we contact them, or them to us? Will we be taking our tanks or trucks or on foot? How do we keep the prince manageable? Im wary that the traitor will inform the ausc or the ravg that we've reduced the royals escorts.

What about alternative extraction via land through Westbuchtr? Fuel up the tanks and thunder run it with air cover? Or will the Westbuchtr nobles also attempt to seize the royal family as a bargaining chip?

Back.

Seems you're staying, then. Hopefully not for the rest of your life.

Writing.

A little shrug; a play of indifference, to hide your immense disappointment that this particular shit sandwich had landed on your plate. Much as your body wanted to say no, though, your heart couldn’t even think of doing so. All the people you looked up to and respected; they would understand if you refused this request, but regardless of how much Talmeier insisted that you had served Reich and Kaiser well this night, nobody would think you a hero if you backed down now. So this little performance was to quell whatever complaint rested within your mind.

“Sure, what the hell.” You sighed, “The day’s only just started, after all. If you need an official reason to reprimand me, though, could I find a bar and get wasted?”

Then you bore witness to an extremely rare event; a slight smile crossing Colonel Talmeier’s heavily lined face. “If you can find one that is open, by all means.”

“Serious question, tho’,” your shoulders slackened, “The Reichsmarine comes and gets us. Alright. So when can we expect that, and how? They going to just run a destroyer up on the beach? Land a seaplane on the water and have us wade out to it?”

“A good question. Without an easy answer.”

“Oh boy,” you looked skyward. “The Protectorates aren’t happy, are they?”

“They never are. I was given a message that Westbuchtr are rather incensed that we temporarily violated their sovereignty by flying over them.”

You cracked a smile and huffed a slight laughing grunt. “Huh huh, yeah, that was pretty rude of us, wasn’t it.”

“To the point that they have purposely cut our escape routes. The transports will be able to fly around instead of aggravating them further, but as we’ve discussed…”

“The transports are being watched over by the Aristocratic Union. Yeah.”

“Yes.” Talmeier nodded. “The Reichsmarine has helped much in sending their long range patrol craft, but their ships cannot close. Westbuchtr has closed their territorial waters, and the Reichsmarine West has sallied out in order to enforce said closure. There is currently a standoff; I’m afraid I can’t tell you how long it will last, but I was assured that the politicians are working on it.”

That prompted a choked cough and a stumble on your part. “Oh, yeah. The politicians are working on it. I’ll pass down the tale of our mission and hopefully my grandchildren will be able to complete it by the time they’re old. I’ll try and breed out a whole platoon of descendants to increase the chances of our success. I’ll solemnly take up the duty of making sure the Halmeggian royal line survives, as well.”

“Do not make such crass comments of your charges.” Talmeier scolded harshly. “Yes, I know. The decision will likely not be timely, and there will be no guarantee of resupply or support. You will most likely have to find some way to evade any enemies and hide until an update is given of the situation. I would thus advise making your footprint small, but forceful. Remain close to a radio of some sort…here, take this.” Talmeier handed you a paper with a frequency number scrawled upon it. “I have the idea to broadcast over a wide area on this frequency. It will be enciphered according to our operational standards. I trust no ciphers or codebooks were compromised, in spite of your losses?” You shook your head- even when you lost your tank earlier, you had the good sense to always keep your codes on you. “Good. Then we should at least be able to communicate to you your escape route, when the time comes. You likely won’t be able to communicate back with us, so we won’t expect you to. Reichsmarine naval infantry will land at several positions, and you will go to the one most convenient to you.”

“So I suppose I can’t try my luck on land?” you asked, recalling basic geography.

“Westbuchtr will undoubtedly admit you into their lands, and perhaps release you after some time in prison,” Talmeier told you, “But they are not to be allowed to have the Halmeggian Royal Family. Specifically, they have refused to shelter them. Presumably out of ill-mannered spite. Gepte is similarly hostile, though I would suppose you did not plan on fleeing north anyways.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” You shoved your hands in your pockets. “So, Luftpanzers are playing a part in this, yeah? They’re pretty little tanks but they’re still tanks. Not exactly sneaky, you know?”

“It is a force multiplier, still.” Wolschald spoke instead of Talmeier. “It is quick, well-armed, well protected. There is a general shortage of anti-tank weaponry around here save for in large formations. Unless you plan to be caught by such, I imagine you will maintain an advantage. It also means you will require less food. A single tank can do the fighting of a dozen men, and it is a mere tool. Once its usefulness is expended, it can be left behind.”

“I’d still tell you to pick your battles wisely, Captain,” Talmeier added, “But Captain Wolschald is correct. It’s an efficient package, and if it starts to be a hindrance, you can blow it up and be done with it. It also lets you move much more quickly than a man on foot.”

“I see what you’re getting at. So how much do I get? Besides the Luftpanzer.”

“However much you think you need,” the Colonel said, “Though as I said, the smaller your footprint is, the better. If you request a foolish amount, of course, you know what will happen.”

“You’ll smack me?”

“You will be berated. And your request denied.” Talmier corrected sharply.

“Man.” You stretched out your back with a groan. “I’m glad I took the easy job. Get to take a paid vacation in another country. This isn’t exactly a tourist destination at the moment, but I’ll take it. Only…” you kept your voice quiet, “We still haven’t found out anything about anybody leaking our op to the RAGV, yeah? If this traitor or whoever, if that’s what it is, finds out about this sneaky thing, I’m pretty screwed.”

“The details of this plan are not known by any save us and those at Headquarters, and I have no reason to doubt any of us.” Talmeier told you, “As long as you are careful, you should be alright, I think. I’d want to guarantee your safety but we are in a hell of a tight spot.” Talmeier said this as he pulled on his gloves, adjusted his tunic. “Of course, when deciding whom to take, know that I won’t force anybody to go with you. You’ll have volunteers or nobody. Are your crew willing, you believe?”

“I had to switch crews partway during the mission. The new ones are Dhegyars.”

“Ah. I see then.” Talmeier closed his eyes and nodded firmly. A Dhegyar could always be considered a volunteer in such a situation as this.

“Also, Prince Alexander…” You weren’t sure how to broach this; if joking about continuing the royal line with the sole candidate was forbidden, could you shit talk the brother? “He might be a pain in the ass. What should I do if he becomes a…hindrance?”

“If he is recalcitrant then tie him up, gag him, do whatever so long as his health is intact.” Talmeier was awfully quick and certain on that advice. “His happiness and comfort is not a vital objective. His survival and that he is transported to the Reich, is.”

>Request any materiel or volunteers you’d want sought out for this, people you want to take; this’ll be the last time you get any suppose from the Reich, so you’d best be sure of what you want from them. Keep in mind that the more people and equipment you have, the bigger your footprint is, but not having vehicles at all makes you slow and unable to escape a right mess. You’ll have to take your Luftpanzer at least to get away.
>Any further questions or other concerns may also be asked/addressed.

>>3200589
How many tanks are available?

I'm guessing we'd only want one or two.

>>3200589
For equipment if not everyone is coming with us take one of the platoon commander's tanks since the radios should be better. Other than that make sure we take the most intact tanks with us.

>>3200589
We will need some proper disguises for the royals, at least two tanks, and if posssible a wheeled vechicle, armored car or transport truck. I would imagine we could drive a wheeled vechicle in front of the tanks, so that any tracks we leave just look like tank treads.

>>3200589
I second taking a transport truck in addition to an additional tank. The additional tank for added firepower if we get into trouble; the truck for if we need to abandon the tanks and just pile everyone into a single vehicle and haul ass. It would be nice if the truck had some general extra ammunition/medical supplies/rations, an extra radio, and maybe even some cash or valuables in case we need to bribe someone.

>>3200915
>>3200929
If we bring a truck then we should get a squad or platoon of paratroopers to follow us it case the worst case scenario happens and we get into an infantry firefight or need to haul the Royals by foot.

>>3200589
Two tanks, 1 truck/armored car. If we take any Squaddies then we only take Reich soldiers, Royal Guard may want to intervene if the Prince gets uppity.

Here's a question for other Anons, do we take Winnifred, yay or nay?
And do we take 2 Fuchs or 1 of each type?

>Any further questions or other concerns may also be asked/addressed.
Is Bart okay? Did he get extracted safely?


Request AUSC/civilian disguises, it probably would be too much to repaint the Tanks but if things get bad enough that we have to go on foot then we'll have some kind of disguise.

Submachine guns and plenty of ammo. The Colonel wouldn't happen to have any beer money for bribes would he?

>>3201091
I'd say one of each type of tank if possible, and no to Winnifred only because I don't see any way she could possibly be useful and it would be unfair to ask her and also she would take up an extra seat we can't really spare.

>>3201091
I'd say we take her if she can shut Alexander up about moaning about us filthy commoners.

Cant we just throw the prince and princess in a bodybag pretending their casualties and have them flown out with the wounded/dead?

We could still run off to wolfe to compliment the deception that we still have them. Hell knock out the prince stuff him in a bag/ammo crate and we take Edelina with us just incase the AUSC finds the prince.

We should take Winnifred, shes been here longer then any of us, knows the terrain and possibly whats left of the local political landscape and we might be able to use her personal contacts or raid safehouses for supplies.

Are carriers a thing Linda flies a small transport to pick us up using a road or dirtstrip as a runway What about seaplanes/floatplanes?

>>3201198
The AUSC would check the bodies

>>3200838
>I'm guessing we'd only want one or two.

This is the case. Taking the whole company would be excessive.

>>3201091
> it probably would be too much to repaint the Tanks

Covering the markings may be feasible if you like, but yes, not unless you move to a place where you can do a more thorough job. And if you procure paint in the proper colors you want.

>AUSC disguises

The AUSC use standard Halmeggian Army uniforms; their militia are the ones that look more distinctive. Though their dress isn't exactly complex or difficult to mimic.

>>3201198
>Cant we just throw the prince and princess in a bodybag pretending their casualties and have them flown out with the wounded/dead?

That would be problematic considering the Duke and friends know that you have them, and would likely do as stated here >>3201321
However,

>We could still run off to wolfe to compliment the deception that we still have them. Hell knock out the prince stuff him in a bag/ammo crate and we take Edelina with us just incase the AUSC finds the prince.

This added step of deception could potentially go quite far should one want to risk it. It'd mean you'd still have to stay to form said deception, but still...

>>3201246
>Are carriers a thing?

They are, though they're rather small deals and meant for more open waters like to the east and south than here, what with proximity to land and all. They also don't tend to carry heavier craft like transports. Reinhold shit talks navy carrier pilots in his head earlier on.

>What about seaplanes/floatplanes?
These are plenty a thing too, be it pontoon craft or flying boats. Maybe if you're lucky you could find one that hasn't been pressed into service. However, Reinhold doesn't really have much experience taking off in powered craft. Quite good at landing in them though.

>>3201394
Well I was thinking that navy seaplanes/floatplanes could pick us up faster then the ships, just land a bit offshore with an inflatable raft, and fly the royals out.

From there we could exfil through the protectorates and pass off as tourists if there isnt enough room for everyone.

Oh wow im dumb, my fault for reading theese updates during my morning dump. Seaplanes were already mentioned
>>3200581
Here

>>3201394
I guess I'm voting for two tanks max so that if something goes wrong we have a spare set of wheels.

I'll be writing in about an hour; I'll presume by then everything that's been wanted to be discussed has been and tie it all up.

>>3201409
I wasn't sure if this was a question or a proposal, but I suppose I may as well address it hours after.
There's a couple factors at play that that isn't really practical. The Westbuchtr blockade extends to the air, after all; they have their own section of an air corps as much as they do a section of the navy. The other is that a landing party would be much more able to resist opposition than a single plane. The big part is mostly the former; Westbuchtr getting in the way is what's limiting a lot of options to laying low and waiting in the short term.

>>3200589
If we are bringing a truck I think a we could split the space between supplies and extra men, we don’t know how long this could take. I also think we should also get at least some rifles and grenades for all our tank crews, they probably won’t fit into the tank easily but we should make sure we have firepower for everyone to use outside of their tanks.

“First off,” you asked, “If I’m staying here for long, I’m probably going to need money. Did we bring any?”

“You likely have some right now,” Wolschald said before Talmeier could, “Halmeggia uses Reichsmarks as well as its own currency. It is commonly used enough that your own pocket change would not rouse suspicion.”

“Oh.” Neat. “So can I get a few advances on my pay?”

“No.” Talmeier said seriously, and you thought he just wasn’t in the mood for jokes, but he went on. “Anything like a cache of money would have been held by our intelligence operatives, and presumed lost when their hideout was raided. In truth, given what has happened, we stumbled into this rather unprepared; we did not spare space on the planes and cargo drops for things seen as frivolities for such a short term operation. But such is the nature of immediate response. However, bartering is always an option. Surely you have material that would be of value to some?”

You thought, and looked back to Edelina, waiting around out of earshot. She was continually glancing over as her brother bickered with a guardsman. You had indeed pillaged a good share of golden jewelry off of her; and you hadn’t bothered looking for earrings or other such things either. “Yeah, I have a few things that should work.”

“Then you are the richest among us at present.” Talmeier stated.

Though finding somebody that would pay you what they were worth would probably be a challenge. Oh well. “Another thing. Lieutenant Bartholomeu was wounded. Have they been…?”

“The wounded will be the first to be evacuated. I have been told that your acquaintance, while badly hurt, is not in serious danger of expiring before arriving at a place where his wounds can be properly mended.”

“Ah, good.” You could breathe again. ”I’m thinking I’ll want two tanks and a truck, one of the ones we already have on loan. The truck because Luftpanzers have a premium on cargo space, and they’ll already be covered with the spare fuel we’ll need.”

“Why two?” Wolschald asked.

“Because something’ll happen to one, guaranteed. Actually, Captain, you don’t mind if I get…I dunno, a squad from you, of volunteers?”

Wolschald screwed up his long, bony face. “A squad? You want twelve additional men on top of your two tanks? I would think you would be much better served by a fire team of four. Most fighters hereabouts appear to be still equipped with bolt action weaponry. Even without considering the automatic rifleman a fire team’s quick firing Kars should present a formidable opponent to anybody you should face.”

“Six.”

“Five.”

You shrugged. “If that’s what you think is best. Speaking of guns, though, Colonel. We’ve got free reign to loot the armories, yeah? Not like you’ll be using all the guns and grenades on the trip back.”

Colonel Talmeier nodded. “Feel free. Do not occupy yourself filling your holds, though. You should aim to be quick when you begin your preparations. Too much for too long and the Aristocracy troops will become rightfully suspicious.”

“So no wondering what she’d like for Langenachtfest, sure.” You went further over what you thought you might need in your head. “How about disguises. I dunno what of…maybe uniforms, or better, just civilian clothes?”

“We have no such things.” Talmeier said firmly, “Much as I would like a magic hat to pull whatever you like out of, there was no reason for us to procure those things. Civilian clothing should not be difficult for you to find, anyways. Plenty of homes have been fled from, if you feel thievery from a person’s body is beneath you. I know you would be only ill concerned with doing such to a man.”

“Colonel, how hurtful,” you bowed bashfully, “I am a gentleman.”

Wolschald snorted in response to that. “…Pardon me.”

“Anyways.” You were starting to feel a bit testy with that reaction, “Extra rations, medical kits, ammunition…a wireless set would be nice too, can I steal yours, Wolschald? Thanks for the gift.” Wolschald opened his mouth, but a stern look from Talmeier closed it again. “I can still take Owl 3 with me, right? You wouldn’t do something like trade her for Owl 2 or anything cruel like that.”

“If she volunteers.” Talmeier repeated. “Captain Wolscald, go and secure five volunteers from your men for Captain Roth-Vogel, if you will.” Wolschald stiffened, nodded, saluted, and left. “You will not take the Royal Guardsmen?”

“Nah. They can have a break. I trust our paratroopers more, too.”

“I see.” Talmeier peered sidelong past you, towards the Prince and Princess. “I will speak with the Von Halm-Aurics now. Begin your preparations. If anybody asks any questions, tell them you have the okay from me, and by extension, the Kaiser.”

“Can I get an Imperial Seal, then?” you grinned at the Colonel.

“Get lost. The clock’s ticking.”

-----

Before you went to bother Owl 3 about joining you, thinking about whether she’d want to or not, you checked your tank for one thing that…you weren’t sure if you were bringing. The package, wrapped up in a cloak, at the bottom of the tank. Princess Edelina hadn’t told you what it was, but as soon as her brother had started raving about ancient artifacts, you had a really good idea of what it was, even if you thought the tales were phony. The storied Grimoire, stuffed safely at the bottom of your tank. You could send it back on a plane to the Reich and have it not be your problem anymore, but what if the AUSC was as wary of its existence as Prince Alexander was? Its existence was meant to be a closely guarded secret, after all, but the Prince knew of it. Could the Aristocrats suspect its existence too? Would they possibly have an eye out for such a thing, or could you safely get rid of it here and now?

You rested your chin on a hand and sighed as you looked at the thing in the bottom of the hull, looking harmless as ever. So much potential trouble over what was probably just some old book that didn’t do anything. Though…what if it actually did do something…and the AUSC got their hands on it? What if you ended up needing it to do something while you had it?

>Give it to the paratroopers to take home; don’t tell them what it is, just tell them to take it back for you.
>Princess Edelina entrusted it to you to keep safe. You’d keep it with you.
>Who the hell would know what it was and where right now anyways? Just bury the thing right here.
>Other?

>>3202641
>Princess Edelina entrusted it to you to keep safe. You’d keep it with you.

>>3202641
>>Princess Edelina entrusted it to you to keep safe. You’d keep it with you.

>>3202641
>>Princess Edelina entrusted it to you to keep safe. You’d keep it with you.
We should at least bring it back to the Reich with us so we can lose it in some dusty box in our attic so that our great grandson can unknowingly uncover it decades later and use it to become a powerful wizard. Or something like that.

>>3202641
>>Princess Edelina entrusted it to you to keep safe. You’d keep it with you.

If we said we would keep it safe, even if it is a regular book, we should keep it near us. There are a lot of places it could get lost if we let it find its way back to the Reich in the current turmoil going on.

I Am Here... Now

>>3202655
>>3202660
>>3202702
>>3202946
Keep the book, even if it's bulky and weird and there's rumors that it's full of strange things. Not like the last book of strange things you looked at was deadly, but there might have been more leather than your tastes were used to.

Writing.

Okay, update REALLY soon. Christ on a cracker, five hours? Somebody needs to come over and kick my ass.

Princess Edelina had entrusted it to you, after all. Even if it was a regular book and did nothing, there were plenty of places it could get lost if you didn’t keep it with you; best for you to bring it to the Reich so you’d be the one forgetting where it went. Maybe one of your great grandsons would find it and crack it open. Or maybe somewhere along that family tree your sons and daughters would get the blood of somebody more responsible flowing in their veins.

Speaking of more responsible people, you thought as you slid carefully off your Luftpanzer, it was time to go and get your intelligence specialist to join you on this very irresponsible mission.
-----

Owl 3 was waiting around next to one of your appropriated trucks. She had her chin tucked into your jacket, her eye closed, as though she had nodded off. She looked rather adorable, really, with her usual chilly demeanor faded from her face. As you got closer though, her eye snapped open in awareness; either a light sleeper or ever an insomniac.

“So,” you leaned next to Owl 3; she didn’t react, in spite of how close you put yourself. “You interested in spending some more time with me?” Anticipating a displeased sideways glance, you got to the point after your little joke. “I’ve got a special assignment from the Colonel, and I have to stay here longer while everybody gets the hell out. Volunteers only. I could use your help. You in?”

Without blinking or even looking over, Winnifred just said, “I’m in.”

You blinked though, and heaved yourself off the truck, pacing back in front of her. “…Huh. I guess I wasn’t expecting it to be that easy.”

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“If you’re staying here longer, then you can’t be planning on fighting the whole country by yourself. If you’re staying behind, it must be for a reason, and the only reason you could be being made to stay behind,” Winnifred looked at you coolly, chin tilted down, “Is that you’re trying to sneak something out without the Aristocratic Union getting the chance to take it for themselves.” She took a hand and brusher her hair out of, and over her face. A casual flip of the hand exposed one eye and covered the other, and like that, she could have been called a different person, though if she was changing disguises, you knew that that would likely only be the start. “I’ve known you long enough to know that if I didn’t stay here as well, you would find yourself in trouble in no time at all. I can be many things. What I cannot bear is to be irresponsible.”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Well, that’s good to know. Though you’re a bit too good at guessing, I dunno how much more I can explain to you now that you’re on board.”

“It was hardly guessing.” Winnifred sniffed, “It was just deductive reasoning. It won’t be very hard for the AUSC to figure out what happened once you begin, either; you should plan for your allies to completely abandon you in the short term, if the ploy is to work at all, or else the Duke would rightly deduce that this scheme was not your idea.”

“Hey, just because it was an assignment from the Colonel doesn’t mean it wasn’t my idea, right?”

“I’m sure.” Owl 3 said dully. “Although really, the turn of events was rather fortunate for this plan, was it not? Perhaps Lieutenant Alterwald should be thanked for his mistakes. Whilst the rest of your unit would logically see the Duke Di Vitelstadt as an ally, you in particular have reason to distrust him and his men; and who runs off with the Royal Family in tow but him? The Colonel should not have to do anything drastic to keep the Duke’s trust; fortunate indeed.”

After that spiel, you elected to tell Owl 3 everything about the planned operation, including who you were planning on taking, and what equipment you were bringing. You fully expected criticism, and it came. Though not in the way you expected.

“You’re planning on that much of a fight on the way out?”

“Well, there might be plenty of fighting after too, yeah?” you explained. “Get caught with my pants around my ankles and I’d at least like enough firepower to pull up my drawers.”

“Mm. But the more vehicles you have, the harder they are to hide when you stop moving, unless you keep them hidden in a place that is inconvenient to operate out of.”

“It wouldn’t be too hard to hide a couple of Luftpanzers in the woods, I think. Camouflage tarp, some shovelwork. Easier than hiding the truck really.”

“Perhaps.” Winnifred allowed, “But it would be far easier for us to hide in a city or town, instead, which is a place a tank would stand out, unless you were to take the step of allying yourself with independents…or, if the situation demands it, a Revolutionary militia?”

“Fat chance of that.” You scoffed.

“Hm.” Winnifred didn’t press further. “Of course, joining forces with even a small militia might force you into obligations. As the situation develops, there will be fewer and fewer independents. Historically, neutrality has not been a good stance to take in a civil war.”

“Then I guess we hope that Westbuchtr lets the Reichsmarine through before we have to foot the bill for squatting wherever. Speaking of, since you were here for however long classified is, you spooks had a few hideouts, right? Any of them we could stick around in and wait?”

“A few. But.” Winnifred was very firm in her statement, “The one that’s most practical and unlikely to have been found out and raided, would also be the most obvious place for Revolutionaries to want to come knocking at in the future. It can be assumed that if they knew where one place was, they knew where all of them were. It’s in the city to the south, Reichsport. The Revolutionaries don’t have a lot of support in that region, and as far as I have heard, it has stayed an independent entity, but like I said. A hideout that is known, and likely of being suspected to be the place to go in a situation such as ours, isn’t clever. Especially if the situation turns against us, in regards to the city’s allegiances. Of course, we could simply go somewhere else, with definite leanings, though you’ll definitely want to stay hidden, or…” She peered at you, eye half closed and head cocked, “You’ll exploit a young heart more thoroughly.”

“I wouldn’t be exploitin’ nothin’,” you said defensively, “But yes. I did have a bit of an idea to go over to the Militarists and duck out there. They’d be able to defend us against anything pretty handily, and far as I know they don’t really have any problems with the Reich.” Nobody here did, really, except the Revolutionaries you guessed. “Only problem is,” you recounted what Wolfe Senior had told you, “They don’t like the Royals much. They’d probably try and take them from us, and like the AUSC, they know who we are, and that we have them, and the reason for going there would be to exploit my identity, huh. You think I could get Eidan Wolfe to cover us, though? I mean, because, you know.”

“I doubt it.” Winnifred took no time at all to form her opinion. “Much sway as she may hold with her father, the other leadership is undoubtedly less inclined to give you favors.”

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“So I guess we head to that city of Reischsport, or over west to the Militarists, even though they’re further away…” you scratched your chin, “I wonder how these southern Revolutionaries are acting. The northern ones are in full retreat, but the guys down here, I haven’t heard much about. Good thing we’ll have tanks to break through them, but…hm.”

“Going to the militarists would be a longer trip, but in this same situation in the north where they have enemies on both sides,” Owl 3 presented, “I believe they would behave like in the north, where they struggle to move out of one anothers’ way. Distance exchanged for likelihood of stubborn opposition.”

“The worst sort of opposition.”

“Yet alternatively, the Revolutionaries are disorganized. Many of them are local militia, with little organization nor plan, and they are close by. They are in a position to be exploited.”

“Feh.”

“Captain.” Winnifred straightened, “Working with your enemies is unpleasant, but it is an option.”

“Maybe.” Your options were laid out, you supposed. Where to go, though?

>South, to Reichsport. Independent, close to the sea, easy to hide in…at least for people. What more could you ask for?
>West, to the Militarists. You could rely on safe harbor, but you’d have to think of something else for covering the Royals…
>What the hell, maybe you could try hiding among the Revolutionaries, considering the chaos they must be in. They were close, too; presumably your best bet was to go right over the river?
>Other ideas?

In every option, of course, the Von Halm-Aurics are extremely recognizable due to their golden eyes. Their hair color isn’t exactly uncommon, but you’re not exactly going to be letting them trot about outside anyways…right?

Returning to HQ has given you an updated picture of the current strategic lines between factions; or at least, where aerial recon thinks they are, generally.

Also, figure I may as well clear up here what you want your tanks to be. Platoon command tanks are Luftpanzer II Fuchs models, so one of those will definitely be one of your two, but the other option is flexible. So choose whether your second is a:

>Luftpanzer II Fuchs
>Luftpanzer II Ein

>>3205092
>South, to Reichsport. Independent, close to the sea, easy to hide in…at least for people. What more could you ask for?

Seems like the best bet.
Might want to procure something to cover the royal's eyes in case they do go out. Goggles and the like.

>Luftpanzer II Fuchs

>>3205092
I think I need a clarification, we're getting pulled out by the Navy right? But first we need to hunker down somewhere and wait for the call that they are ready to pick us up.

If that's the case then it's a toss up between punching through the Revs and hiding in Reichsport. We'd have to dump the tanks which makes us more vulnerable to any jackass in the city either allied to a Faction or looking to make trouble even with a Reich squad.

Or we find a remote piece of forestry and hunker down while waiting for the go ahead, hopefully somewhere near the coast but keep the tanks if anything tries to investigate. If we hunker then we may want to veer Southwest away from AUSC because they will be hunting us something fierce.

Also I think Reichsport is way too obvious a place for any infiltrating AUSC search parties to try and find us. And without tanks to protect us.

I choose
>What the hell, maybe you could try hiding among the Revolutionaries, considering the chaos they must be in. They were close, too; presumably your best bet was to go right over the river?

But only if we have a solid plan for getting in with a group of them. We can't just amble over to a group and go "yeah we also like gunning down Royal sympathizers and speaking with a stupid accent, can we join you" so why would they let us tag along?

>>3205192
>I think I need a clarification, we're getting pulled out by the Navy right? But first we need to hunker down somewhere and wait for the call that they are ready to pick us up.

That's about the size of it; specifically by the Reich Proper or Dhegyar Protectorate section of it, because the Westbuchtr Reichsmarine is busy blocking up the mess and having a hissy fit over having their sovereignty infringed upon.

>>3205112
Supporting;either goggles or shades would be good.

>>3205206
Alrighty, cool thanks for the summary. I'm sticking with my vote because I think we lose our one real advantage giving up the tanks when we arrive but I do vote for
>Luftpanzer II Fuchs

>>3205092
If there is any way we can find a group of revolutionaries that are relatively small, we might be able to approach them under the guise of being AUSC special retinue deserters and see if we can rope them into joining us in abandoning this sinking ship.

Failing to find a safe way to do that, we could head to Reichsport and use some of our special equipment to broker for some shelter that keeps us under the radar. I’m sure they could understand they wouldn’t want whoever we stole the equipment from to come looking for it with them.

>>3205092
>>What the hell, maybe you could try hiding among the Revolutionaries, considering the chaos they must be in. They were close, too; presumably your best bet was to go right over the river?
Since the Revs' lines are in such chaos their rear can't be very secure at all. I think our best bet is to just sneak or punch through their line with our tanks and then find some forest near the coast to get lost in and wait for the navy. If anyone does come across us for some reason we can just blow through them with the tanks and find a new place to lie low. If we go for the city that would mean giving up our tanks, and maybe even our guns, and we have no guaranteed place to hide out there and if anyone recognizes the royals we'd be essentially fucked. Better to keep the option to fight while lying as low as possible.

>>3205320
>>3205308
I don't think going to Reichsport necessarily means we give up the tanks. If we can find a large enough building like a warehouse or something we could always stash the tanks there or even hide there ourselves.

>>3205333
I think it would be pretty damn conspicuous to drive a couple tanks into a city and barge into some random warehouse and then hope no one will come and investigate. And once they're in there they won't be very much use in city streets even if we did manage to keep them.

>>3205371
Nah the tanks can still be useful in a town given we at least have some supporting infantry with us.
Also if the RAGV do decide to move in on the port all the chaos might allow us to move around better if everyone's too busy focusing on the immediate problem.

Also I don't think we need to go all the way into the city proper cause unless the Reichsmarine is going to send their ship directly into the harbour we can afford to hang around on the outskirts so we can reposition if shit happens.

>>3205092
Fuchs

Im supporting some random camping spot innawoods. I dont trust the prince to keep his mouth shut and not blow our cover.

>>3205092
>What the hell, maybe you could try hiding among the Revolutionaries, considering the chaos they must be in. They were close, too; presumably your best bet was to go right over the river?

Alrighty then! Here we go.

>>3205112
>>3205250
Go down to Reichsport. Too bad it's winter and not beach season. Also cover up those peepers.

>>3205192
>>3205320
>>3205326
>>3205867
Go try and hide amongst the Revolutionaries. Only if there's a plan beyond acting like a racist Vitelian caricature and hoping that they don't shoot you.

>>3205825
Grab Kar 1914, Go innawoods.

Interesting. Though with the last option, the plan for passing off as a Revolutionary does either include or have a caveat of, in case of high risk, hiding out in a forest instead. So I suppose we will see how it goes.

Writing.

You thought about it; thought around it, rubbed your chin and scratched your nose, and then pinched your brow as your ideas went from the easy ones to the ones you didn’t like; and you liked even less that they were probably the ones that would work the best.

“So the Revolutionaries are supposed to have a lot of locals in addition to the westerners who snuck over, yeah?” you spoke to nobody in particular, but Owl 3 was listening, you knew. “I’d guess they could be more easily fooled into letting us tag along with them, yeah? So long as we at least try a little bit more than not at all to hide the fact that we’re of the Reich.”

“The average militiaman little knows what a Reich soldier looks like, let alone one of their less known tanks, I would wager. But yes.” Winnifred answered.

“So we don’t need to put the tanks up in dresses and bonnets.”

“I doubt it. Although perhaps painting them in the typical Revolutionary fashion would assuage any suspicions, if you found the opportunity.” You knew the pattern; the red stripe on top of the gold stripe. Captured Halmeggian vehicles, be they in greyish blue or green, had such painted on them. Much quicker and easier than repainting them in the khaki, brown, and green their other vehicles had; conveniently something you might be able to exploit. How hard could it be to find red and yellow paint?

“I guess that’s what we’re doing then.” You said with a huff. “…Pretending to join the Revolution, I mean. Funny, really. I don’t even want to pretend to do it.”

“Then don’t.”

“…Nah, I’ll do it.” You scowled, “I just won’t look back on it fondly.”

Winnifred shrugged. “Many things have happened to me that served me well in the future. You can take something from this, or shove it aside and forget about it forever, but forgetting about it doesn’t make it have never happened.

“I’m not saying I won’t-”

“Not that.” The raven haired woman cut you off sharply. “You know what I’m talking about.”

You couldn’t help but glare, but sighed, straightened your cap, and turned around. “Sure. I’ll be back around. Have to get everything ready for the vacation and all.”

“Hmm.” You could feel Owl 3’s eyes drilling into your back as you left.

-----

Working towards the upcoming operation eased your concerns and gripes about it, but it wasn’t that they went away and more that there ceased to be room in your head for them, with all the rushing about whilst also doing your best to have everything done without notice. There were a few close calls; AUSC soldiers who were more bored than suspicious, poking their noses about. Their curiosity was easy enough to fob off if explanations for things were boring enough, though, and they would excuse themselves with eyes glazed over from the necessarily drawn out spiel given to them, whereupon they would amble off gossiping. You heard a few things from such gossip of the loose lipped, tired Aristocratic cronies. Chief was that this wasn’t how they thought things would go; that they hadn’t seen this coming even though they should have seen all the signs coming, much talk of what had happened and not much of what they were going to do. Did they know? That might be something for the history books, and you were never much one to read those.

One man you passed by had an answer for that to his fellows. That there was no future; that he had seen everything coming, and when everything had snapped and fallen to pieces like a child’s wooden block set tumbling over, he had done the terrible things that had always haunted his mind now that the darkest times had come. Why he spoke of it wasn’t something you asked; perhaps if this was what he saw as the end, he was confessing his sins as though he stood before the judge. His audience of three did not condemn him, though, nor interrupt; they had been listening quietly the whole of every time you had passed by them, and you made an unconscious habit of wandering by, as well; maybe, as little interest as you held in histories, you still enjoyed a tale.

Maybe it was a tall tale, but you had a feeling that it wasn’t.

In no time at all, despite all that had to be done and all you ended up hearing, the truck was stuffed with ration and ammunition crates, weaponry, grenades, all you could want while leaving room for the planned passengers, and so were the Luftpanzers. The other Luftpanzer (a Luftpanzer Fuchs just like the one you’d commanderered) had to be crewed, though, and though you wondered if you had been pressuring them into it, they accepted nevertheless. Your partner in this mission would be…

>Lieutenant Fischer
>Lieutenant Covacs
>Sergeant Schneider
>Some other commander; not that you knew many, but you could look for one that matched what you thought you wanted…(Write in is for traits you’re looking for, not any names)

>>3208684
>>Sergeant Schneider

>>3208684
>>Sergeant Schneider

Covacs would likely be most useful but he is our designated 2nd and our command needs a capable commander.

Also in case we need him to switch clothes with Princess Edelina to throw off enemy snipers since he's the closest to her size. I allege.

It's a shame she's inherited such huge, tracts of land.

>>3208684
>Sergeant Schneider

commanderered

>>3208706
>>3208778
Grab the NCO, he's not worth as much.
>>3209183
Panzer Commanderer

Writing.

Of course, anybody from the Luftpanzer 1st Company would have come if you asked; not out of particular friendship, of course, you all hadn’t know one another long enough for that, but out of camaraderie, and out of pride; for the same reason you had all volunteered to come here in the first place. This was the first mission of the Luftpanzer Battalion; and the greatest shame would be to fail to measure up to the lofty expectations of the Kaiser and the Reich.

So when you went to Sergeant Schneider, you knew that he and his crew, like anybody, would volunteer. Though there was also that he wasn’t in as influential a position as Lieutenant Covacs or Fischer; Covacs in particular was your second in command, and would likely be needed here in your absence in the wake of the mess you and the Colonel planned to perpetrate. Sergeant Schneider wasn’t somebody you knew well, but he had done well enough in the face of unexpected command, so perhaps he could be trusted further. That, and as goofy as it was to take advantage of this, he was almost certainly attracted to Princess Edelina; not that you blamed him, but such meant he could be trusted to protect her, at least. As for the content of his character, you weren’t entirely sure you had a read on the guy, but he seemed eager to please, even if he seemed to lack proper confidence in his own actions as much as he was competent at following orders. Maybe a short conversation with him, while you recruited him for this operation, would give you some more information that would be helpful in the potential days to come.

“Hey, Sergeant,” you went up to him, thumbs in your pocket and loping as casual a gait you could with a bum leg, “You’re single, yeah?”

Schneider had saluted, but his ears reddened and he frowned. He wasn’t as old as many NCOs were expected to be, though you weren’t nearly as old as many Captains, either. The expansion of the Reich’s military to its current point meant that there were many young NCOs and officers; Schneider being a bit less than your age would have been extremely unusual outside of extended wartime in the past, but not now.

“Captain, sir. I…don’t see what that has to do with anything.” He grumbled.

“Things are quiet right now,” you tried to encourage the non-commissioned officer, “May as well chat a bit, I feel like I hardly know you. Why’re you single? Not like you’ve got an ugly mug.”

Sergeant Schneider frowned. “My parents asked the same thing all the time, I guess I’ve just never had time for it. I did a lot of very hard work before where I am now.”

“A bunch of very hard work for an enlisted position?”

“I don’t have a commission, but I am in this unit,” Schneider spoke with some measure of pride, “Before this, I was in business, I guess. Figured I’d make it big with investing.” He set his jaw and looked at the dirt. “Didn’t work out. So yeah. I’ve just been busy a lot. I figure I had to prioritize.”

“So you’re a virgin then.”

“Tch.” Schneider frowned deeper, “Does that matter?”

“Not really.” You shrugged, “Doesn’t matter to me at least. I’m not in any position to give anybody shit for what they do, y’know? Just think of yourself as pure. You’re doing fine. But if that’s getting old then there’s plenty of girls that don’t mind a lack of experience if you’ve got some dosh, and they don’t expect anybody to put a ring on their finger. It’s practically the standard hobby for the army man, air force man, everybody with a gun save the navy infantry cause they’re into dudes.” Though don’t let that last comment be heard by those it was deriding.

“I’m not really interested in doing that sort of thing.” Schneider said, a tired shade in his voice. “Can we talk about something else?”

Alright, alright. He was a bit touchy about that, good to know. “Sure. How do you feel about getting an extra bit of work?”

Schneider squinted an eye at you. “Extra work? Like an assignment?...I am perfectly able. Though, what is it?”

You motioned the Sergeant to follow you; he might have been expecting some boring errand. Such predictions were about to be blown apart. His eyes widened as you murmured your mission to him; the mission he would join you on.

“I’ll speak to my men about it,” he said, “…Only one crew, you said? They’ll probably accept."

“They’re Dhegyars, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Of course they will then.” You paused. “So, Sergeant, you don’t happen to have any Dhegyar in you, do you?”

“My mother is a Dhegyar, yes.”

The low whistle you made was an involuntary reaction. “Damn, your daddy’s got fire, then. Guessing you’ve got…three siblings?”

“Five. I’m the youngest.”

“Judge above.” What a household to come out of. “Anyways, then. So what about you, then? You haven’t said. Are you coming along on my mission to defend the Prince and Princess?”

“Princess Edelina and Prince…er, Prince…”

“The mission to defend Princess Edelina and her sizeable bosom, then.” This joke was something Schneider had practically begged for; it was hardly cruel bullying when he had given the royal chest a good and hard ogling.

“Tch. Prince Alexander. Of course I’ll go with you.” Schneider wasn’t the sort who required additional goading, sure, but you figured it would help his morale.

You clapped his shoulder and punched a thumbs up towards him, with a goofy smile. “Great to hear it, Sergeant. Make sure everybody’s on board in five.”

-----

File: lpq_scene29.png (488 KB, 800x600)

488 KB PNG

That had been ten minutes ago; as it was one of the first things you attended to. A final meetup with the five volunteers Captain Wolschald had given you, a confirmation of the details once more with Colonel Talmeier, a final, hollow and official missive to the Duke Di Vitelstadt upon it being requested. Your fondest memory of your polite meeting with him would be Winnifred Von Löwenkreuz’s heinie.

How was Wolfe’s ass?, you wondered for a moment. The Halmeggian Army uniform wasn’t exactly designed to flatter any curvature, and you hadn’t taken any opportunity to cop a feel. You’d only do that sort of thing when it was the right atmosphere, of course, but you had had the opportunity. Oh well.

The final people to be told, of course, would be the Prince and Princess. They looked like they were in more peaceful times, with the way they were dressed as their Guardsmen were; they lacked ammunition slings or weaponry, and up close looked more to be dressed in a theme than in a disguise; that would not do if you had to try and hide anywhere but a Royal Guardsmen masquerade ball. That was not the current issue, though; they’d get disguised presumably at the same time the rest of you did. What was an issue…well, it cropped up immediately, as soon as you took them aside and told them what was being planned, about to happen, and happening whether they liked it or not.

“I refuse.” Prince Alexander declared. “I am Prince Alexander Von Halm-Auric, and I will not flee my country like a sniveling coward like the heir to the throne would.” Princess Edelina looked away, discomforted. “I have heard talk that these men around here are of the Aristocracy’s allies and their holdings. The Duke Di Vitelstadt is a friend of the Royal Family; as appreciated as your aid was, We ill need to be given over to Kaiser Henrik Von Zeissenburg’s protection. My dear sister must take up the necessary responsibilities of being a monarch, or abdicate her position to somebody who will.”

>Nice speech. But I’m of the Reich, not Halmeggia, and the Kaiser says you’re coming with me, and you are coming with me. Immediately. (Subdue Physically)
>Alright then, fine. Stay here with the Aristocracy. You aren’t the heir apparent anyways.
>Say something to try and convince Alexander to come with you; try to note what he actually cares about in convincing him.
>Other?

This update rate is astonishingly horrific. Send help.

>>3212321
>>Nice speech. But I’m of the Reich, not Halmeggia, and the Kaiser says you’re coming with me, and you are coming with me. Immediately. (Subdue Physically)
I mean we kind of expected this already.

>>3212321
Only thing I can think of to convince him.
>Say something to try and convince Alexander to come with you; try to note what he actually cares about in convincing him.

Listen, funny thing about the Duke, you remember when you and the Royal Guard were getting attacked after you had left the castle?

Well, that was AUSC troops firing at you. The only thing that kept you alive during the trip back was that they couldn't kill you while we were around. Ever wonder why those troops didn't make it back here with us? They don't want you Prince Alexander, they want the Princess, they think they can push her around.

So if you went back to them, the first thing they would do is put a bag over your head, drag you behind a shed and shoot you. We are your only option.

>>3212371
This seems reasonable to point out first, but as soon as he fails to be convinced by it proceed immediately to
>>Nice speech. But I’m of the Reich, not Halmeggia, and the Kaiser says you’re coming with me, and you are coming with me. Immediately. (Subdue Physically)
If he really ever wants to be the ruler of Halmeggia the first thing he needs to learn is that Halmeggia is the Reich's bitch and by extension so is he.

>>3212371
>>3212375
Sure supporting this approach

>>3212321
Supporting
>>3212371
>>3212375

>>3212321
This >>3212371 then maybe this >>3212375

danq, is my memory playing tricks on me or did you once share an invite link to a discord in a PCQ thread? If yes, is the invitation still open?

>>3212609
There were screencaps of Tanq wallowing in his depression, lamenting that his players didnt want to break Richters conditioning, but never an actual invite link

>>3212698
I remember now.

Pony up that link boi

>>3212321
>Say something to try and convince Alexander to come with you; try to note what he actually cares about in convincing him.

The AUSC aren't loyalists Prince. They are their own faction vying for control of Halmeggia. The Duke may have been a friend of your family's at one point, but I don't think he is YOUR friend. At best you'll be used as a puppet where while they are stroking your ego they will be the ones making the power plays and taking control of the country. At worst they'll just get rid of you, one less thorn in their side.

Morning.

>>3212371
>>3212716
Attempt to communicate the hazards of sticking around, and the untrustworthiness of what he believes to be supporters, but if that don't work...

>>3212375
>>3212380
>>3212539
...then it don't matter because he's a prissy boy and you'll whip him if he doesn't heel.

Writing.

>>3212609
>>3212711
I don't have a discord channel. I don't really like the idea of separating discussion, at least on purpose. I'm not particularly interested in making one for that reason.

>>3212698
Oh, that. Well, that wasn't really what it was about, but that's from the QTG discord, where I shitpost at other QMs and generally act like a jackass. About 98% of what I say on discord should be disregarded utterly. It's not exactly a place really necessary to go to unless you need further proof that I'm a subhuman. For some reason people ask me questions there sometimes but that's not something that isn't better done in the threads anyways.

>>3212801
>not particularly interested in making one
das k, not a big deal
You couldn't be convinced to post any cool, debatably subhuman stuff to your twitter now and then, could you?

>>3212866
>You couldn't be convinced to post any cool, debatably subhuman stuff to your twitter now and then, could you?

I'm honestly not sure what you're referring to.

>>3212889
>I'm honestly not sure what you're referring to.
Just posting more casual on twitter in general, possibly the occasional shitpost to liven up the dead air between threads, so we know you're around. I don't know mane, don't let me tell you what to do.

Aw, man, you thought as you pushed your fingers under your cap and sighed a great, heavy sigh, almost having to yawn after it, I really don’t want to have to kick this guy’s ass. Prince Alexander was stubborn; understandably so, considering his ideas and what he thought was necessary. How would you talk him down from this, you wondered. If only you’d thought to drag Winnifred over here…no, no, a sudden small idea flashed into your head, and then it became a little more of one. You didn’t need to waste Owl 3’s time and yours.

You just had to come at this differently.

Alexander was sure of his position; sure of his power from such, but really, in spite of all that, he had a severe disdain for his non-confrontational sister. Despite the fact that his politics apparently agreed with that of the Aristocracy; what if you made the politics not be the issue, but perceived willpower?

“Listen,” you said tiredly, “Funny thing about the Duke. The Duke Di Vitelstadt, big cheese of this whole happy operation. Remember out by the castle, when you and your guardsmen ran into a bunch of guys, a few tanks, before we found you?” You didn’t wait for him to recollect, or answer. “Those guys taking potshots and trying to round you up, that was the AUSC.” It hardly mattered that, from what you heard, the Guardsmen had fired the first shots; themselves wary of the AUSC, but for different reasons. “The only reason you’re alive right now is because we of the Reich were making sure they couldn’t get their hands on you. You know why those guys aren’t here with us right now? We had to ditch them, for your safety.”

“My safety?” Alexander raised a skeptical eyebrow, his eyes flashing behind his spectacles. How much did he need those, you wondered? “Ludicrous. I know the Duke Di Vitelstadt personally, he and my father and mother often spoke at great length. He taught me how to play chess, we spoke of matters of state, that he would wish for my death is-“

“Is the Duke Di Vitelstadt the only noble in Halmeggia? Maybe the Duke was your family’s friend, but is he your friend?” you pushed on a hope of a bluff, that you could touch on an insecurity. “You’re certain you have no enemies? That nobody that could spite your family at all for anything they’ve done?”

It was complete horseshit; you knew fuck all about Halmeggian nobility or politics, and you dearly wished you could have had Owl 3 at your side to not only push on a nerve, but to read how much it stung. You searched the young prince’s face for any flash of doubt, and signal that you could overpower his confidence in himself. There was nothing.

Alexander scoffed heartily. “Of course there are. But why would they threaten me? I am no enemy to them.”

Grasping for straws wasn’t something you were good at; if this didn’t work, you were out of ideas. “Maybe you don’t think so. But why do you think you aren’t an obstacle, even if you don’t think you could be an enemy? You’re quite a willful young man, demanding your elder sister abdicate, that you’re obligated to whatever you like because you are of the royal family, in the line of succession. What if they don’t like that? What if they’d rather have somebody they could be guaranteed to dominate? Don’t you see? They want to put Edelina on the throne, and ensure she doesn’t have any competition. The gentle, foolish princess, as you say. Which of you is more controllable, you think? What is there to lose, after all? Did the Aristocratic Union take their troops and rush to the capital? Or have they merely acted when opportunity presented itself?”

There. Alexander was halted in his thoughts as though he had caught his foot on a thread; as though he had watched a man to his side step on a landmine and explode. He had the face of a man who, in spite of the chill, was feeling an invisible flame heating his skin, to provoke an icy sweat, and he couldn’t hide it. The Prince said nothing, thought, for a whole minute. When you started to say something, he held up a hand, and said, shakily, “That can’t be right. The house of Halm-Auric has stood for centuries. Our ancestors saved Halmeggia, reformed it, brought it peace for…for all of its history since. Yet…and yet…”

“Your family was murdered. I saw their bodies with my own eyes,” you said harshly, stepping forward into Alexander’s space. “Hundreds of years of whatever don’t mean anything in these times, that’s what I’ve seen. Your own country’s tried to kill you how many times last night, today? At the very least the Kaiser’s still your friend. He sent a few hundred men and a shitload of gear over to try and save your family, and we came further and in more force than your phony friends from before did. If you’re not coming, then I’m kicking the shit out of you and bringing you to the Reich in ropes. That’s not very gentlemanly I know, but I’m one of the few people who can do it right now that wants to put you in a nice little room with wine and cheese instead of taking you out behind a shed with a bag over your head and blowing your head off. That crystal clear?” Alexander said nothing, and tried to glare with defiance, but his energy had evaporated. “I thought so. Now follow me, we’ve got places we had to be yesterday.”
As you were marching them both off, keeping behind them after pointing the way they had to go, Alexander kept his eyes downcast, until he suddenly murmured…

“The Grimoire. If we had the Grimoire…”

“It doesn’t exist, Alexander. I’m sorry.” Edelina tried to say, but her brother snapped sharply back at her with a bitter retort.

“Stop saying that. It does, and I know it, it doesn’t matter how many times you say otherwise.” Alexander looked up, and stared at his sister. “I’ve known you since we were children. It’s rather obvious, isn’t it, and you would think the same would be obvious to you, but I suppose you think that I am simple and unobservant. You’re kind natured, my sister. In a way that is no good for you. It doesn’t come naturally for you to doubt, to scheme, to lie. That’s why you’re bad at it.” Alexander stepped sideways and jabbed his finger into Edelina’s collar. “I don’t know why, but you are lying, and you can’t hide it. Not from me, certainly. Enough with these shallow attempts to feed me nonsense. Do not tell me, if that is, for whatever mad reason, you think best. But insult me one more time with this denial of a truth I well know now and this Czeissan peasant behind us will not stop me from striking you in response.”

“Hey-“

“Captain,” Edelina’s soothing voice cooled your temper. “It is alright.” Then, to her brother. “Even if we were to go on this hunt for the Grimoire, precisely where do you think it is? Shall we demand that the Captain and his men go back to where it is? They have come to us and saved us. Be thankful that we are alive, and that the Kaiser has decided to save us in our darkest hours.”

Alexander glared, but set his eyes forward again. “A cow, chewing her cud. That can be the only explanation. And yet…”

There was a sore temptation to give the Prince a swift kick in the ass, but it was far too early for you to have the authority for such.

-----

Once you set off, you were given shockingly little trouble. None questioned that you were going back out east too seriously; any who asked out of curiosity were easily fobbed off. A simple scouting mission; a report to the Colonel about any enemies who might be close to the base. An inspection of defenses; general business that most quickly became content, or even glad, that it was somebody else’s problem besides theirs. There was a general lack of armor besides yours, as well, in spite of proximity to Revolutionary forces, so it all must have been diverted elsewhere. A sign, hopefully, of the RAGV disarray in this area, though the AUSC troops looked to be idle and content with the current state of the lines, not attempting to aggress or otherwise pursue the opportunity presented. While good for your current plan, you also wondered if they were ordered to stay put in order to avoid overextension or if lower level commanders lacked initiative. Perhaps some of both.

Most surprising was the last friendly troops you encountered before departing your own territory entirely; it was a stray team of Fallschirmjäger, well dug in, well concealed, and you would have never noticed them if one of them hadn’t had risen to greet you.

“Hey.” The man said, bored. You had a feeling you’d seen him before; well, of course you had, but tonight in Halmeggia specifically. “You’re here from the Colonel to relieve us, yeah?”

“Uh. Yeah.” You saluted. “Good job and all that.”

“Mmhm.” The man looked back to his comrades, “Come on, jerks. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

So they went, and after they went, you simply…left.

“Well, Sergeant,” you said over the…you supposed platoon, net. Both of you had appropriated platoon command tanks with quite wide radii of radio range, but in spite of their ability to command companies, you rode side by side. “We are now unofficially absent without leave, so far as most know.”

“Yes, sir.”

“How does it feel?” You asked, semi seriously.

“Well. I suppose I’ve never been ordered to break ranks.” Schneider mused.

“Make the most of it. Keep an eye out for any houses; we’ve got to ditch our uniforms as soon as possible. I’ve still got one of those Rev armbands I’ve been keeping as a souvenir, but just one of those among a whole bunch of Fallschirmjäger isn’t going to be very convincing. We have to at least look like we just bumbled out of either our homes or some Revolutionary assembly site. I remember seeing a few houses around here; I’ll lead the way to them, and hopefully nobody’ll take much offense to our morning stroll about here.” Especially needed was the costume for the Royals; you’d procured sunglasses for both of them to hide their eyes, a pair of goggles, too, though that would be rather conspicuous with casual clothing, but they still wore relatively gaudy clothes. Out of all of you, the only one that was properly clothed for what was to come was Owl 3, who still wore the same civilian wear you found her in, albeit topped with your leather jacket.

“…You remember houses near here?” Schneider echoed, “I knew you dropped away from the rest of us, but this far? Damn. I can hardly believe you made it.”

“…Yeah.” You frowned to yourself, recalling the start of the operation. “Alright, this way. Remember, if we see anybody, we probably want to keep out of their direct sight. Tanks haven’t been too uncommon, but I’d rather anybody not realize exactly who or what we are until we’re properly covered.”

So forth you went. Modern machines as they were, while Luftpanzers were relatively quiet for tanks, that didn’t preclude that they were tanks- thus that you didn’t encounter anybody was probably less because there was nobody around, and more that anybody within earshot probably ran and hid. All the better.

-----

The first tiny village you came across, you investigated; on foot, with a few of the troopers you’d brought along; it was, however, eerily empty. The homes had, oddly, you thought, not been ransacked. It was only three houses and a few sheds. Tracks of wheels on a dirt road told of the presence of a small truck that was no longer present. The brickwork of the homes was venerable and dark; this tiny community hadn’t been here forever, but it was old enough to have been a mark on the land before the youngest folk fighting in this civil war.

You unceremoniously kicked in one of the doors of the old homes; they had been locked, but the doors were not particularly sturdy. The paratroopers filed ahead, and began to search for any possible enemies as you strolled in. Everything was dimly lit in pale blue, thin curtains blocking the light. These were moved aside, and as morning light shone in it became ever more clear that nobody had come in here since the original occupants of the place had left. Valuables had been taken along; empty drawers and cupboards were barren of tableware and cutlery. Various sentimental items had been left behind. A wreath of local flora, wooden dolls of Reich soldiers in the uniform of the Emrean War, a child’s drawing, that had floated onto the floor.

“All clear.” A paratrooper reported back to you; you should probably learn all their names at some point in the future. “There’s clothes, like you said to look for. Dunno if it’s all our sizes. Guy who lived here was big, might not be the best fit.”

“There’s other houses. Move along to them.” You pointed slightly towards the door; the trooper nodded, rounded up the men, and left you behind to pace about the empty house. The icebox caught your eye; an ugly thing, metal and covered in flaking green paint. You moved over, pulled it open, and within were a few bottles of what were unmistakably beer.

Before you knew it you’d picked out one, popped its top, and drained it dry in one long, weary pull, before letting the glass vessel drop to the floor and roll away. It wasn’t anything high-proof, but damn, if it wouldn’t do for now. A luxury for you to have, and not the men; unfair, for sure, but part of you had really needed it. The icebox door still hung open; you took a second bottle with you. Your thirst was still not quenched, after all, but you told yourself this would be the last one you took as you closed the icebox again, taking short gulps of the pale ale as you explored the house.

A father, a mother, a son, daughter; from their sizes, both either just entering adulthood or close to it, and a younger son, had lived in this house. You found a box of brass shotgun shells, as well, but the weapon itself was nowhere to be found; the reason for that was found in a missive on the table. It was a printed, generic message, saying to join the Revolution, and none of their possessions would be touched; service, or lend your things to the cause of the Revolution, and there would certainly be rewards afterwards for the contribution, the note promised. To their credit, the Revolutionaries, even in their current state, seemed to have taken nothing, unless the truck that was formerly here had been stolen. Who could have known?

Yes, these places would have what you needed; though it felt a bit bad to break into them and take what you needed, it would have happened at some point anyways. Was it better or worse that these homes probably belonged to enemies of yours? Whatever. You’d need Revolutionary armbands later to properly masquerade as one of them, but you got the feeling they gave those out for free, with how many you’d seen being sported.

>It’s time to adopt disguises. Is there anything in particular you want to look for or appear as?
This is totally not a prompt to make you dress up the princess.
>If there’s anything you want to look for or make sure of, note that, as well.
>Other actions can be taken as well; things to ask and such.

>>3212939
>Just posting more casual on twitter in general, possibly the occasional shitpost to liven up the dead air between threads, so we know you're around.

I'm not sure I'm supposed to do that what with the twitter thing for QMs saying not to stuff the feed with bullshit. But then, I already put out plenty of bullshit.

I'll see what I can do. I always need excuses to practice doodling anyways.

>It’s time to adopt disguises. Is there anything in particular you want to look for or appear as?

It's been awhile but were the Primo Capitano and his men wearing anything particularly distinct from the Rev militia besides the gray-green uniform? We'll never pull off Halmeggian peasants with this equipment but we might be able to pretend to be Vitelian reinforcements with the armbands.

The Prince should be dressed like us, NOT given a gun or knife.

It's too bad we can't keep the Royal Guard uniform, Edelina a qt3.14. And with her generous assets we can't disguise her as a man. If we are giving her shades then some kind of civilian dress. She's probably got an opinion on it, ask her what she'd like.

>>3213152
Your doodles are good! Also neat to see tanks and uniforms that we normally don't get to as Richter or Reinhold.

>>3213263
Although we all know what kind of woman travels along with soldiers going off to war, and how those women dressed such as in the presence of American civil war General Hooker. Just a suggestion.

>>3213263
>It's been awhile but were the Primo Capitano and his men wearing anything particularly distinct from the Rev militia besides the gray-green uniform? We'll never pull off Halmeggian peasants with this equipment but we might be able to pretend to be Vitelian reinforcements with the armbands.

The plain grayish uniform is what's typical for the RAGV; the Captain wore a sort of officer's cap that was a bit fancier than the floppy usual field cap, with braiding on it, a bit stiffer, but not particularly extravagant. By all means everything about them is rather cheap looking, and quality and particular appearance wasn't exactly uniform in spite of all looking similar. However, the armband seemed to be a general identifier even for those without the uniform, as you saw earlier with the lady revolutionary you had Owl 3 take care of; you haven't actually seen Revolutionary troops that have worn Halmeggian uniforms (at least, I don't think), but it wouldn't be too great a leap to assume that, like the captured or turncoat vehicles, a normal uniform with an armband would blend in just as well.

>>3213148
Are we even going to be able to find enough clothes to outfit the troopers we brought along as well as the tank crews and ourselves? Seems like we're probably just going to end up wearing whatever we can find.

>>3213296
It's a stretch to try and get, say, eleven copies of exactly the same sort of clothes, sure, but it's more if you have a preference. Just wearing whatever you find is what you'd be doing regardless, if you couldn't find particular preferred pieces.
It's also something for keeping an eye out for beyond this, if needed.

>>3213152
HOI mod when?

>>3213263
Supporting

>>3213263
>>3214212
So, I suppose it's attempting to do your best to put together decent Revolutionary Trooper disguises. Ask Edelina what she would like to wear; everybody else can just deal with what they find.
>>3213277
While making a curious suggestion as to the cut of clothing.

I suppose this was a bit of an odd one. That's fine, we can keep on.

Writing

>>3213552
Honestly, there's not enough background material to even start something like that. If I were to plan on modding anything instead of making my own thing at some point it would probably be Panzer Corps, for shits and giggles.

Right. Disguises. Hm…well, you didn’t have to adopt a particular uniform, you thought. Revolutionary Militia looked rather irregular in their dress, and often simply appeared to be in what they normally wore, though perhaps with the addition of concealment of their faces. Yet, the quality of your equipment would harm the verisimilitude of that particular façade. Luftpanzers were odd and ill known even in the Reich, they certainly would be mistaken for some strange light tank scrounged up from somewhere, you bet, but the paratroopers’ weaponry was more suspect. The Kar1914 wasn’t a new weapon by any means, but it was far more modern than the usual bolt action rifles being carried about here. One could say they were captured, but would the Revolutionary troopers really let mere militia keep such weapons? They seemed to hold disdain for their native Halmeggian volunteers, or perhaps, rather, conscripts. You’d have to at least look a little bit official; then you could bluff the rest of the way with that ratty old armband, and more influentially, your command over the Vitelian language. It was a tongue with some serious capacity for sauce; some girls went wild over the accent. You’d seen at least one female Revolutionary fighter; maybe the western language could find multiple ways of being useful.

With a proper focus, you rifled through drawers and closets looking for decent clothing. The Revolutionary troopers from Vitelia itself, you recalled, wore shabby dull olive uniforms, and they didn’t seem to be particularly constant in shade, either. Theoretically, you could put something together from scraps…couldn’t you? If not from here, then at least from the rest of the houses combined…

>roll 1 set of 3d3. 1 counts as a 0 for the purposes of each dice.

Rolled 1, 3, 2 = 6 (3d3)

>>3214534

>>3214549
3 suitable sets. Pretty decent.
...Oh, yeah, I didn't say it was basically -1 for each. I could have just said a -3 modifier, couldn't I?

Oh well. Average roll is alright.

Picking through everything, you found three sets of clothing that could be mixed and matched about, that were decently sized for a few of the Fallschirmjager- and yourself. The rest of everybody made do with the leftovers. Alexander, you deemed, would be posing as a noncombatant accompaniment- you simply didn’t trust him with a gun or a knife, whether or not he decided to use one. Though it was a thought that, if things went to shit, an unarmed man would be far less priority a target- you really didn’t need Alexander getting himself shot despite his nasty attitude.

As for what to put Edelina in…there was no shortage of women’s clothing around, all of the homes had seemed to house married couples, and two of them had had at least teenaged daughters. Edelina was a bit tall for a woman, but so long as her breadths didn’t exceed the clothing’s tolerances it would be fine. Spoiled for choice, you decided to go to the Princess to ask about her tastes in fashion, though you did find something in one of the daughters’ closets that seemed rather…racily cut. No, this was fitted to a less busty woman, it was clear. Though….you shook your head. No, be nice to the poor dear.

“Your majesty,” you stepped over to the truck; she and Alexander had been placed inside it, but they were at as opposite ends from one another, edged as far away from their respective sibling as they could be, so the brother brooded deep inside the truck. “Princess,” you made sure to add, to specify. “If I can escort you over to the houses, now. We need to find something more comfortable for you to get crammed into.”

Edelina blinked at you, then nodded steadily, before pushing herself out of the back of the truck and onto the ground. She looked rather smart in the Royal Guard uniform, admittedly; though her build meant she couldn’t wear it as properly as Alexander could. She was simply unable to fasten the top two sets of buttons; to force it would either harm the clothing or, more likely, the princess. So it stayed loose, but now there would be a replacement.

“So,” you asked as you stepped along, though your head was on a swivel for any unwanted observers, “What sort of fashion do you prefer? High Waist? Low neckline? You’re not competing for anybody’s wardrobe so you’ve got some options.”

“What do I prefer?” Edelina repeated, “…It would be more convenient if I tried to pass myself off as a man, no?”

“Pfff.” You couldn’t help but snicker. “Nah, fat chance of that.” You looked over at Edelina, and she had a downcast look in her eyes; it was obvious to both of you what the problem with trying the aforementioned tactic would be.

“These are rather bothersome, in how little I can do about their tyranny upon my shape.” Edelina mumbled in something close to discontent down to her chest.

You opened your mouth to say something encouraging, but elected not to. It was the sort of encouraging that was by nature in ill taste to say to polite company. “It’ll be fine.” Still, the thought in the back of your head. “You know, it’s fine if you’re not completely covered.”

“I would look like somebody of a character I disapprove of.” Edelina knew immediately what you were suggesting, and even her gentle tone of voice could not hide that she didn’t like the idea at all.

“Though you would certainly not look like a princess.”

“…I suppose not.” Edelina frowned. “…The autumn is windy and chilly. The lower layer may be something more-”

“Captain.” A drier, duller voice. Uh oh. Was Owl 3 here to… “I believe I can help her majesty better,” Owl 3 slipped beside you and between you and Edelina, “At choosing clothing for her.”

“…Ah.” Edelina was surprised, slightly but not unpleasantly. “Yes, that would be much better. I apologize, Captain, but I could not ask for your help with…” Edelina brushed her bangs to the side, as they insisted on falling sideways, and as she did so she looked back down, “…buttons.”

“Sure, sure.” You smiled and waved them along. As soon as they went far enough towards the houses, you punched yourself in the forehead, hard. “God damnit,” you sighed raggedly. “Should have sent Winnifred to go dress herself in something new…”

You hoped to find paint somewhere in this place, and not so much luckily as expectedly, considering its prevalence in home maintenance, your people did find a can; though it was black paint and thus not really anything of the sort you were looking for. You told the crews to do their best regardless; but also to be careful. Splattered paint of the same color as what was fresh on the turret might look…suspicious.

“Captain?” Princess Edelina ambushed you while you were waiting for your crews to do their best to conceal the markings of your tanks, “I wished to speak with you some more.” Winnifred had dressed her up in a simple black skirt and a loose, baggy navy blue sweater that looked like it had come from one of the males’ closets. It worked, you supposed, but you would have gone for a tighter fitting sweater…

“About what?” you were nothing if not open to your charge. A quick lean back, a look side to side, before muttering, “The book’s safe and sound, if that’s what you wanted to ask.”

“Er.” Edelina was greatly concerned for only a moment. “…I suppose it is obvious what it is isn’t it? It’s fine if it ends up nowhere…it simply cannot end up in the hands of anybody who would be looking for it.”

“Anybody who would be looking for it? Like your brother.”

“…Yes.” Edelina had delayed in her answer; had she accidentally revealed something? Then, who the hell else would be looking for a crusty old book? No matter, nobody had the slightest clue you had it save for the Princess. While strange, this little aside was irrelevant, as Edelina followed that with, “I wanted to ask about another matter, actually. When you spoke with my brother and I, before escorting us out, he had…choice words concerning my character.”

“A few people’d have more words for his.”

“…Maybe.” Edeline sighed, looking off with her head tilted; the ratty mess you’d turned the ends of her hair into were looking less terrible as the night went along, maybe as the appearance of her former hair length faded from memory with no reminders to refresh your internal picture. “That is not the first time I have been referred to as foolish, however, and he is not the only one who has criticized me as such.” She continued to stare off into space, her hands together in her lap, golden eyes hidden neatly behind wide sunglasses, but which you could see behind as you looked at her from her flank. “I know nothing of war, of fighting. Halmeggia was a peaceful country. I know it has been such because of the efforts of my ancestors, and after that the might of the Reich, but I believed that that meant that being sheltered as such made Halmeggia a place where peace could spring forth from, to the rest of the world. However, now…” Edelina frowned deeply. “I ask this of you because you are of the Reich, and a soldier. Your profession is conflict, and as you are a commander, you must be good at it.”

“Well, not necessarily.” You tried to chuckle.

“Far more than the likes of me, then.” Edelina spoke immediately after your modest claim. “Is it foolish to believe in our fellow man? To come to compromise, to seek resolution rather than victory? With all that has happened…surely all of the people of this country could see what terrible happenings could come to pass, but Halmeggia’s people are set against one another. My family save for my brother have all been murdered, and as for the rest of my countrymen,”

The princess pursed her lips; in spite of her seeming to put up a stoic front, you saw a tear well up in her eye. “I am wanted dead by so many, because of the circumstances of my birth. I am aware of politics and matters of state; and I know that my very existence is considered a threat. I am not even allowed to live, my family was not allowed to live…” The tear swelled and came loose, rolling off of her cheek. “I ask this of you, a master of arms, a warrior because…I want to know the truth. I do not want to hear kind words like those spoken to reassure a child. Everything that I thought would not happen because I trusted in the goodness of man, did. Yet, my faith is not shaken, but my confidence in my reasoning is.” Edelina continued to stare, seemingly into nothing. “I merely wish to know if I have made terrible mistakes…in continuing to do my best to be compassionate and gentle.”

>You can’t let the bad times destroy you. If that’s what’s important to you, then why let the misfortune in your life win over it?
>It’s pretty foolish, yeah. The world’s not a nice place, and it gets even less nice in times like this. It’s just the way things are. You can’t hug and make up with somebody who’s got their gunsights lined up on your forehead, after all.
>Who knows? I’m not really any more qualified to talk about that sort of thing than anybody else. I’ve got no answers that’d be better than what you come up with for yourself.
>Other?

>>3214624
>>It’s pretty foolish, yeah. The world’s not a nice place, and it gets even less nice in times like this. It’s just the way things are. You can’t hug and make up with somebody who’s got their gunsights lined up on your forehead, after all.
There's a time for compassion but right now it is not this time.

>>3214624
Tough call, Reinhold really hasn't had the night to be hopeful. Even before he wasn't necessarily nice to people unless it was jokingly with his mask on. But he did care deeply for a few people.

>Who knows? I’m not really any more qualified to talk about that sort of thing than anybody else. I’ve got no answers that’d be better than what you come up with for yourself.

>Other?
Love the people who love you, hate the people who hate you. However there does seem to be plenty of people all too eager to step in and call the shots here aren't there? And they ain't willing to talk to each other without a lot more people getting hurt first.

>>3214624
>I think your that your faith and ideals are admirable, specially with the shit hand you've been dealt, but I think you need to temper them with reality and experience. Men aren't perfect and can be cruel. Sometimes it's impossible to hug and make up.

>So my opinion? Continue to strive to be how you want to be: compassionate, benevolent, gentle as you've said, but realize that it isn't always going to work and sometimes you'll have to fight for the things you care about.

>>3214674
Second

>>3214624
I'll go with this >>3214674

Hey guys, won't really be doing an update until late today, so chill til then.

>>3214651
You wanted the truth; the truth is that you're an airhead.

>>3214663
I don't know the answer to your question, but I do know this; love love and hate hate, and there's plenty of people hatin' right now.

>>3214674
>>3214792
>>3214831
Your beliefs are just fine. They just need some adaptation, a bit of healthy change so they grow and get better, so do your best but don't be trapped by them.

I'll call the vote here but I'll post again when I actually start writing after my game.

I am no longer completely dead. I ought to stop thinking I can still reliably do updates the same day of such.

Anyways, I am writing. This will probably be a long one.

This wasn’t the sort of thing you were good at. Normally, this would be the sort of question that would be answered with a shrug, and the advice that one should do as they do, but the Princess wasn’t asking for that sort of answer. You had to actually put effort into saying what you thought was correct instead of why somebody should just answer a question themselves. That sort of answer was something you gave to a lot of questions asked, since something about playing at being a lot better than you were made plenty seek advice from you, in spite of you having rather less than a philosopher’s mind.

The first things to come to mind, while probably more honest in a way, weren’t things you thought you should say to a girl on the verge of tears. ”Yeah, that’s pretty dumb” lacked anything but an edge for Edelina to potentially slice herself open on.

“I think,” you picked carefully, “That you’ve been dealt a shit hand.” Rough language wasn’t polite to use in this sort of company, you knew that much, but that kind of vocabulary was more genuine. “You’re nic, and I think there’s something to be admired that you’ve stayed that way, but there’s a whole lot of people who aren’t nearly as nice as you are running around right now. So your ideals have to be tempered with that reality, and the experience from where you think you’ve gone wrong. You know people aren’t perfect, sometimes, they’re absolutely awful, and even when they aren’t there might be no way to hug and make up. I mean, I think you ought to go on doing as you feel is right, being compassionate, benevolent, gentle, all that, but sometimes…” You settled your chin on a fist and dimly recollected last night in bits and pieces. “You’ll have to fight for those things, and there’s nothing else you can do about it. It’s not stupid to not want to fight. It’s only stupid to die because of it.”

“Nothing else can be done about it?” Edelina said wistfully, raising an arm and turning it, inspecting her limb. “I suppose not. But then, I am pitifully weak, and unable to fight. There is a means to amend that, but…” her frown deepened, and her eyes closed. “That may lead to more terrible things than my death.”

“You don’t have to do even a bit of fighting,” finally something you could play to your strengths with. A big grin, a quick draw and twirl of your sidearm on your finger. “That’s what we’re here for. Give us a bit of credit, yeah?”

Edelina, to your pleasant surprise, smiled back, and sniffed. “I suppose I should, shouldn’t I? I apologize, I did not mean to be critical of your efforts.”

“No offense taken.” You holstered your pistol again, “Anyhow, I’m gonna make one final sweep. Go ahead and get packed in again, we have to try and find a shred of hospitality somewhere around these parts.”

-----

While radio communications were kept completely silent, you had still encouraged talking between the crews and soldiers; specifically, you wanted everybody to spin decent yarns about the fake history of your revolutionary band. Owl 3 even advised that people have contradicting accounts of what had “happened”; small inconsistencies, she had said, made the overall story more believable, more human. It was alright for you to have different origins; after all, you were pretending to have clumped up together after being dispersed, much as you hoped to do in actuality for the first Revolutionary group that would take you in. You couldn’t be much distracted, in spite of ideas floating around in your head as you looked for any movement and listened for any sound up from above the cupola, though you did keep one ear of the headset on; your Dhegyar crew were having some fun in concocting a tale where you legitimately did nothing but screw around in a town until everything fell apart; oddly believable in quiet sections, to be honest.

After the initial burst needed in order to separate you from your former “lines,” it became far safer to allow the Fallschirmjager to dismount and run ahead of the tanks. You lent the paratrooper fireteam leader your borrowed armband; he, you , and Schneider were the ones who got to dress in the three sets of clothing that could be best fobbed off as RAGV trooper uniforms. Nobody was dressed in anything recognizably Reich nor Halmeggian any longer; besides your equipment and perhaps your accent, there was nothing to place you unless your tanks were scrounged through. Halmeggia’s arms and equipment trading with the Reich, and the number of its people that wouldn’t sound out of place in Zeissenburg, however, meant both of those vulnerabilities were pitifully tiny ones.

As you were going on, you had trekked a surprisingly long way without encountering…anyone. Abandoned camps that were tragically lacking in anything useful, unless bubbling oats on smoldering coals could be considered valuable materiel-as lip curlingly oily or tongue parchingly chalky as canned rations were, they could at least be guaranteed to not be poison, quite unlike potentially sabotaged food or wells.

Suddenly, a heavy rustling.

“Stop!” You called in Vitelian; you taught your crew a few important phrases, for the better of seeming the part. ”Who is out there?” you demanded, drawing your sidearm, “Show yourself!”

The rustling increased, and a stout, winded man stumbled out; he had a rifle slung over his back, but he was making no attempt to ready it, instead putting his hands on his knees and spluttering out in your direction, “Are you…ha, hoo…are you…with the Revolution? Please…please say yes. God’s sake.”

…What a fortunate development this was.

“…Ah, si,” you led off in Vitelian, “I am Commander….Stronzo…lio,” a fake name was thought up on the spot. “Strazzo,” you corrected, “Of the Revolutionary Army of Greater Vitelia. You seem rather upset; well, no reason for that any longer, aye?”

The short man wore the cap of a Vitelian Revolutionary trooper and the identifying armband, but his wear was otherwise certainly that of an irregular, a longcoat with a red scarf like he was simply out for a morning walk. He was heavyset; not overly so, but the sweat coming off of him and the panting of his breath showed well enough that he was not a man inclined to hard labor or marching. In short, he did not inspire confidence.

“Thank God yer ‘ere, uh…whoever ye are again,” the panting, wide faced man wheezed, looking warily about as the paratroopers doubled back to inspect what was going on, but visibly relaxing when he saw an armband that matched his own. “Mah name’s Ghis Cappacho, and I’m an uh…team leader. Yeah, team leader, ‘r tha’s what it is. We could…hoo, hoo…” He had to take a few deep breaths, “…really use ye help, yeah? We really, really don’ know whatta ‘ell we’re doin’, but…” he straightened with new resolution, “We’re still ‘ere ta help, yeah?”

“I can see that,” you cocked an eyebrow high. A look back to Sergeant Schneider, who stared at you cluelessly; you barked something in Vitelian that he couldn’t understand, but you made hand gestures that you both knew well; the real message in such. “Well then, lead on, good man. Show us your unit, and we’ll make plans from there.”

“Great!” Cappocho bounced on his heels, “We’re uh, jus’ o’er ‘ere, down tha road, actually, yeah? The way you were goin’…man, this is good…”

He didn’t even really question you at all; you looked the part, you were in the right area, and you hadn’t shot him; that you were friendly wasn’t the result of a correct deduction on this chubby man’s part, but desperation to find allies. This opportunity had fallen into your lap, but you didn’t feel very optimistic about all this…

-----

“Hey, uh…guys!” Cappocho called out as he led the tanks into a clearing a few minutes down the road, “I brought…help?”

There were no prepared positions; no lookouts. Just a pile of satchels against a tree, and two pairs of what could be generously called fighters spaced out from one another, seeming to have just been conversing. They inspired even less confidence than their soft bodied leader.

A look over “Team Leader” Cappocho’s four subordinates told you…that there was a reason the pudgy man could place himself in charge of them. Absolutely none of them looked like a person who could last a minute in a real fight. They were all unfit looking in one way or another; two were clearly boys who couldn’t have been far out of secondary school, and could have been in it, even, while the other two…were girls. Older than the young men, certainly, they were adults, or at least grown enough to appear it, but they were near certainly domestic; no cords of trained muscle to blend into the army like Wolfe, not even the lean but still fit body of Owl 3, but young women who wouldn’t be out of place gossiping outside of a coffee shop. They were all at least armed, but you could tell with a glance that they were unfamiliar with their weapons and thus were likely as deadly as a cooked scallop to a proper soldier; one of the boys, annoyingly, held his rifle with his finger on the trigger, clearly trying to look tough by having it at the ready, though nobody else had their gun in hand. All of the Revolutionary militia were in awe of your tanks, and they couldn’t tear their eyes from it.

The young men were not manly sort of boys, to say the least. The one who insecurely grasped his rifle in particular had a baby face, round and soft with a button nose, with a chin that faded into cherubic cheeks. Try as he might to have looked like a scary fighter, his thin arms and loosely hanging shirt, and the Revolutionary armband that had seemed to slipped down to his elbow, and his big wide eyes made him look like somebody who lacked a single intimidating bone in his body. His comrade close to him; his friend, perhaps, didn’t share the sort of boyish look some girls would find attractive. His face looked like somebody had upended a bowl of oatmeal into it for how pockmarked it was, and his little eyes and mouth contrasted terrible with his large, broad nose. His physique was equally feeble, and there was no doubt that this might have been the first physically taxing activity he might have done in a long time, and he looked about constantly like some sort of rodent on constant watch for predators.

As for the young women, while they were both certainly not of the sort that should be allowed anywhere near a fight, they at least didn’t seem as unfit as the boys. They were both rather plain and thin, and one of them wore large, circular glasses that were the roundest aspect of her, with the second being her ears that stuck out on each side of her head. The girls had been wide eyed and concerned when you showed up, but when you had dismounted to draw closer, their apprehension had unexpectedly turned to…well. Their cheeks had flushed, and one was whispering in the other’s ear as both looked at you like one might eye a strudel hot out of the oven.

This wasn’t exactly something you were unused to seeing, and it wasn’t like you were too picky to chase skirts that were less than a seven out of ten, but what might have blocked you from trying to pick these ladies off had you seen them in a disreputable establishment was that they were at that dangerous area in appearance where they could have been in your preferred range, or too young. That said, you weren’t here to pick up dates; and the younger ones tended to be proportionally easier to wrap around one’s little finger.

They were all dirty and worn, but they didn’t have the hollow eyes of people who had undergone their baptism of fire. When you asked Cappocho about this, he answered readily.

“Oh, uh, yeah, we haven’t been in any fights, jus’ asked to…stick around places, after we got passed our guns and armbands, we came from in Reichsport, but the Revolution’s not really…held there. Anyhoo. But then jus’ a bit ago, when I was goin’ around, a buncha tha Duke’s goons came outta nowhere, and they tried ta shoot at me! We’ve been sorta…goin’ round since, til we found somebody who knew what was goin’ on…”

You couldn’t have asked for a better group to fool utterly; a bunch of clueless but plenty eager volunteers who knew about as much about a war as you did about growing figs. Which wasn’t anything at all. Cappocho had seen you as somebody who, by virtue of you having not shot him and having acted the part, was his ally, and somebody who must have been dependable.

However, there was no doubt these people would be utterly useless in a fight. Not that you planned to get into any, but there was the possibility all the same. These people also absolutely should not have been around here, or having anything to do with this war. They had been riled up and volunteered their service to the cause, but the RAGV only viewed them as spare meat. You could certainly just move on, and find at the very least militia who weren’t just city people who cluelessly stumbled into the front. Were you not in the situation you were in, or were you actually with the RAGV while maintaining a shred of principle there would be no second thought given to sending these people right back home after having them put down their weapons and strip off their armbands, to stay safe until everything was over.

>There wouldn’t be an easier group to win over. So be it; this command was yours now, and you would slot neatly into the Revolutionary command structure with your group of imposters and useless if well meaning volunteers.
>These people were too simple and harmless to exploit fully; their only use was as dispensers of more suitable weaponry for your people, and armbands. Command them by the authority the RAGV has placed upon you for them to hand over their materiel and return home.
>Tell Cappocho he’s out of luck, and move on without him. It would be for the better for the Revolution to be impaired by these useless lumps, but not better for you to babysit them.
>Other?

>>3219260
>>These people were too simple and harmless to exploit fully; their only use was as dispensers of more suitable weaponry for your people, and armbands. Command them by the authority the RAGV has placed upon you for them to hand over their materiel and return home.
We don't have the motor transport for them anyway.

>>3219260
>>These people were too simple and harmless to exploit fully; their only use was as dispensers of more suitable weaponry for your people, and armbands. Command them by the authority the RAGV has placed upon you for them to hand over their materiel and return home.

>>3219260
>>There wouldn’t be an easier group to win over. So be it; this command was yours now, and you would slot neatly into the Revolutionary command structure with your group of imposters and useless if well meaning volunteers.
The more 'authentic' looking fighters we have with us the better our credibility is, and we're at a walking pace now anyway so transport shouldn't be a problem. If need be we can just leave them behind at any time. May as well bring them along for now and keep them safe from getting themselves killed by the AUSC.

>>3219260
>>There wouldn’t be an easier group to win over. So be it; this command was yours now, and you would slot neatly into the Revolutionary command structure with your group of imposters and useless if well meaning volunteers.

>>3219260
I personally think they are perfect, but I'm almost 100 percent certain Edelina will object.

>These people were too simple and harmless to exploit fully; their only use was as dispensers of more suitable weaponry for your people, and armbands. Command them by the authority the RAGV has placed upon you for them to hand over their materiel and return home.

If they were eager enough for the Revolution to leave their lives and risk death just ordering them away may not be enough though.

>Other?
Tell them that RAGV forces are not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction. Those not equipped to move quickly are to be placed on standby until a General Order calls them. For their safety, until those mincing toffs are beaten back, their identifying bands and weaponry are to be returned.

If they see any other volunteer bands they are to spread the word.

>>3219260
>There wouldn’t be an easier group to win over. So be it; this command was yours now, and you would slot neatly into the Revolutionary command structure with your group of imposters and useless if well meaning volunteers.

When this all blows over and we're back at home in the Reich, let's grow us some figs

>>3219419
Supporting this.