Emre was quite powerful, it was true; they had wrested their independence from the Reich itself, with relatively little help during the darkest early days, but it had been incredibly costly. Besides the radicals, none wished to actually fight a further war with the Reich, especially alone. Vitelia had shattered in a civil war recently, and was in no shape to be an ally as they had been in the Emrean Liberation’s latter half. Contributions to Fealinn and Felbach had been meager in light of avoiding large scale conflict, and as a result both had been trampled under the Reich’s armies with not much of a fight, with a demoralizing defeat of the token forces sent to each. Halmeggia’s civil war had been seen as a slackening of tensions when it first kicked off, but its duration was astonishingly short, and it had not panned out to be as much a thorn in the Kaiser’s side as many had hoped.

As the southern nation of Delsau preferred a policy of appeasement and nonaggression, the only nation whom was strong and close enough to be of great help was then Naukland. However, Naukland had grown complacent with its place in the world, and was ill interested in sending her sons to experience the horror of a great war it had ever been spared from having to fight, preferring merely producing and selling the means of engaging in combat rather than engaging in it in any serious capacity. Nauklanders were also famously self-confident and prideful. They claimed to be the direct inheritors of the legacy of Nauk Imperial, and boasted of how Alexander had never subjugated them even as the north and east all fell before his might. They relished in their influence over Sosalia and the northern trade routes, and their invincibility granted by tall mountain fortresses and a sea patrolled by one of the most impressive fleets on the globe. Such had made them lax, passive, and unwilling to crusade to another country beyond their impregnable castle. There were those who were driven enough to advise and act otherwise, but they were the exception to the rule.

Naturally, interpreters had been brought, as most Nauklanders saw little need to learn anything but Old Nauk, but there would be no need of them. Raphael Du Renard had found that interpreters often failed to convey properly the words intended, and his mastery over languages allowed him to always have the proper word ready to draw like a winning card into a poker hand.

Raphael and his entourage met with their Nauklander counterparts at the meeting hall in the Emrean embassy in Naukland’s capital of Stor Ankomst; “Great Arrival” in their tongue, and according to legend the place where the first king of what would become Nauk Imperial, Sverrsk the Conqueror, landed with his grand fleets. Much of Nauk Imperial’s actual founding was lost amongst legends and fairy tales, but they had spread over and conquered much of the continent’s east and center. All of the diplomats were dandily dressed in well fitted suits of black, grey, and brown, save for Raphael who wore white, with a vivid red poppy on his lapel. The hall itself was decorated in the swooping and swirling styles of Emrean nouveau-rococo, a garden recreated in stone and plaster over the circular room, with the tables and chairs in similar but more subdued style.

“Salutations, gentlemen of Naukland,” Raphael bowed ever so slightly with his hand over his chest as the two groups approached one another. “I am Raphael Du Renard, and I have been sent here by my nation ahead of our leaders to discuss the extremely important subject, of our futures.”

The Nauklander diplomats were immediately impressed that the leader of the mission was speaking to them in their tongue, rather than hearing from any interpreter. The young man that appeared to be their interpreter, meanwhile, breathed an unsubtle sigh of relief.

“Come and sit, my friends.” Raphael beamed, and beckoned, “Ah, this is my third time in Stor Ankomst, and I am tempted to get things over with as soon as possible to enjoy the sights and sounds, the smell of the sea, but I come so all of these may be preserved, so that the world shall not lose the bounty of its free peoples, that the torch of Democracy and Freedom may be held aloft in these dark hours. Thusly, I would request that we engage in discussions with haste, but not leave any stone unturned. Not when we would otherwise come away ignorant to what is at stake.”

All present sat at the round table in the middle of the rotunda, a few speaking lowly among themselves, but Raphael sat straight upright and looked directly into the eyes of his other, who was quite a high level representative indeed- the Vice-President and Chancellor of Naukland, second in command of the nation’s executive branch of government. Any man would be intimidated by the importance of such a meeting, but Raphael knew not to show a hint of such, beyond respectful deference to the other nation’s interests.

“Raphael Du Renard,” the Chancellor pushed up his spectacles and spoke reverently, “It is a surprise to hear you speaking in Old Nauk. Indeed, your reputation precedes itself. However, before we speak of certain futures together, I must consider the needs of Naukland and her peoples, just as I am sure you feel the need to do the same for Emre and the republic. Do you know, for example, of the Caelussian Federation?”

“It is difficult not to know of them, good Chancellor,” Raphael replied, “With their dominion over near a whole continent under their collective constituents, and their activities on the east of Sosalia in their support of Twaryi, both their mighty potential and their will to expand are clear as a bright summer’s day! Especially concerning is their near-subject state’s recent expansion into Ellowian territory, as well as their allegiance with Netilland, shaky as it may be. The shadow of Caelus looms ever larger by the day, though many deign not to notice it creeping close.”

“Interesting.” The Chancellor of Naukland closed his hands together on top of the table and tilted his head forward a mere midge, “You must know, most of your countrymen would not know such things that concern even the basic newsreader of this nation.”

“As would yours not concern yourself with the Reich.” Raphael’s work was to be diplomatic, not to roll over. “Yet I am sure all allies are willing to learn for one another’s benefit, yes? Especially if our rivals are planning as we are.”

One of the Nauklander diplomats made an alarmed exclamation, “You couldn’t possibly mean-“

“I do.” Raphael smiled thinly, knowing the risk of making too calamitous a proclamation. “Neither Netilland nor Twaryi could defeat Ellowie on their own. Say that either the Reich or Caelus makes the conclusion that, should we unite, they might be defeated. Perhaps they might settle their differences and make friends, while we fail to come together. What then, when either of us must face their combined might, but alone?”

Although Raphael needed no interpreter, there was one regardless to translate his own speech to his fellows; and they as well as the Nauklanders rose up in uproar. A brief storm of speculation, desperate doubt and doom-saying was tolerated for a few minutes, before the Chancellor cleared his throat, and all gradually fell quiet again.

“Mister Du Renard,” the Chancellor said in a low voice, “From the way you say this, you suggest that we have no choice. Am I correct in this assumption?”

Raphael’s smile had not left during the whole interlude, and upon being prompted, words easily flowed from him. “There is a choice, dear Chancellor. We unite against enemies that are inevitable, or we are broken by a storm we saw coming the whole time. We will resolve our differences. Indeed, we have to. So let no more distractions of who can help who in what way or whose problems are more a priority take precedence. We speak further, knowing that should we not come away having made the beginnings of a pact of strength, then our doom is mutual.”

-----

You are Lieutenant Rondo Von Metzeler, of the Archduchy of Strossvald’s army, on a military mission to Netilland for the purposes of helping train the former rival nation’s growing army. However, time had shown that your role had required you to be more…active than one would think an advisory position would ask. Much of your duties here had been more leading the troops assigned in combat capacity than simply having them train, and they were on as good as the front lines- so oftentimes training and fighting overlapped when engaging with insurgents, or the odd Twaryian trespassers.

Usually, the situation was calm enough that command decisions fell to your commanding officer (you were both the same rank but he was designated commander and you made no objections to such) Lieutenant Richter Von Tracht, but he had gone to a Langenachtfest social he had been invited to- and took the nominal commander of your assigned unit with him, leaving you in charge.

That an attack would come tonight was completely predicted, and your taking of command had made it your preemptive responsibility, but where you were called first was not where you’d been expected. The UGZ in the adjacent sector, UGZ-07, had risen up; as expected, but you had not been expected to be called to it so soon; before the other attack that was predicted to take place tonight had occurred.

So it happened, that you and your quick reaction contingent had been called to provide emergency aid in quelling this riot, but if you did so, you would potentially sacrifice one of the Netillian colonial towns that was your duty to protect, and that you knew an attack was likely to descend upon. A spiteful attack against invaders and occupiers, an assault unlikely to heed mercy nor compassion, to raze the town and steal or destroy all in what the insurgents would likely consider completely righteous action.

The political moves were obvious, but you were wary of such games. Your gilded family always weighed the political options, chose pragmatically, often to the detriment of all others. When you were young, you saw yourself someday standing among knights. Later, among the upholders of justice. This route had been denied to you, naturally, as justice was a concept the house of Von Metzeler feared, and feared even more that their eldest son would serve it upon them.

So the question here was not of tactical viability, nor of political gain. Not when you were in command, not when this was your responsibility.

Should you wait, ignore the commands from above, as your duty was to your charges locally and not to whatever favors the battalion commander was granting in order to aid their fellow on a completely different sector, that was out of your direct line of responsibilities? The UGZ issued a general call for emergency. Troops would be flowing in from everywhere. No aid would be prescribed for the beleaguered towns you now guarded, and waited for an alert from. The destruction in the UGZ would likely be limited. The destruction of whatever town was targeted would likely be total.

Yet. The Netillians were the invaders of this country. Were you to stand before Ellowie and be asked to defend Netilland’s conquest and exploitation of her, you would be hard pressed to defend it. So, would an honorable sort thus, when forced to make a choice, defend those who were more downtrodden? To go and suppress the riot in order to lessen the scale of destruction upon those who were indeed unfairly treated, while the justice of the natives was visited upon those who indeed unjustly declared this land theirs? This was a command. You could do this, and just as easily have it claimed that there was no knowledge one of the local towns would be attacked.

This choice was not only for you and Krause’s deployment, though. The reaction force included Ellowians themselves- the 4th platoon, “volunteers” made a part of a Netillian unit through the so-called Assimilation Program. Yet, would they take comfort in defending Netillians against their countrymen? Or would they rather try and calm the citizenry? You knew most of them did not consider themselves traitors to their nation, merely that they still served it, but under a different master. Would such a belief be damaged if you used them as a tool against those who were said to fight for their freedom?

>Follow the plan from before, and wait for an attack upon one of the colonial towns- UGZ-07 was not your responsibility, and preparations had been made to save those who could not defend themselves- those who would be more victimized were of more priority to aid, regardless of nationhood or loyalties. A true knight helped those whom no others would help, after all.
>Follow orders to aid in quelling the UGZ uprising. The charge of a true knight were those who were oppressed, and in quelling the uprising, you would ultimate aid the Ellowians- the exploiters of conquest were undeserving by comparison.
>A true knight vows to aid all he can, and calls upon holy strength of duty and justice to succeed. You could split your force- your valor would carry the day, though by equal token, said valor could turn out to be recklessness to doom both of your duties…
>Other?

Past Threads are collected here: https://pastebin.com/UagT0hnh
Twitter for announcements and various horseshit is @scheissfunker

>>3562620
>Follow the plan from before, and wait for an attack upon one of the colonial towns- UGZ-07 was not your responsibility, and preparations had been made to save those who could not defend themselves- those who would be more victimized were of more priority to aid, regardless of nationhood or loyalties. A true knight helped those whom no others would help, after all.

A real shame those orders where so garbled and unclear, I guess we’ll just have to stay here to avoid any confusion or friendly fire from such a hectic situation.

>>3562620
>Follow the plan from before, and wait for an attack upon one of the colonial towns- UGZ-07 was not your responsibility, and preparations had been made to save those who could not defend themselves- those who would be more victimized were of more priority to aid, regardless of nationhood or loyalties. A true knight helped those whom no others would help, after all.
We need time for our troops to prepare ! How could we have expected an attack in this holy (?) day! After that, we need to find the Coordinator Von Tracht to command us! So much time wasted!

>>3562620
>>Follow the plan from before, and wait for an attack upon one of the colonial towns- UGZ-07 was not your responsibility, and preparations had been made to save those who could not defend themselves- those who would be more victimized were of more priority to aid, regardless of nationhood or loyalties. A true knight helped those whom no others would help, after all.

>>3562620
>>Follow the plan from before, and wait for an attack upon one of the colonial towns- UGZ-07 was not your responsibility, and preparations had been made to save those who could not defend themselves- those who would be more victimized were of more priority to aid, regardless of nationhood or loyalties. A true knight helped those whom no others would help, after all.

It'll be a bit before an update I'm afraid- game night obligations and all that. However, calling in the mean time.

>>3562762
>>3562794
>>3562965
>>3562971
Why are plans made if not to be followed? In the meantime, darn, seems like the orders didn't come through right. Could you repeat them? For the next few hours?

Sorry for the massive delay. Update now coming.

…The course was clear. The UGZ-07 would have many rushing to help- it was not even really your responsibility, you would be in attendance for the sake of favors between officers. Your other responsibility took precedence; that to defend those whom would otherwise not receive any aid this night. Netillian or no, foreign or native, the residents of the colonial towns did not deserve to be wiped out unopposed. Not if you had anything to say about it.

“Inform Battalion Command that the message received was unclear,” lying was unlike you, but what else were you going to do? “Before we embark on any operation, we need to properly assemble the men, after all. Our commander is absent, and we need him to properly organize these matters. Request that we at least be given time for such; if there is no time, then he should call upon another unit.”

The staff officer you spoke to understood your true meaning, put a finger on his chin in thought, until you nodded to him. “…Of course, I’ll relay your message.”

“Good. You.” You spoke to an aide next, “Tell Lieutenant Wielzci to prepare his men for deployment immediately. If the UGZ is under attack, I will wager we will only have a few minutes at best before an attack on either of the towns is nigh. Keep watch for red flares. We do not move until one of those is spotted.” It would be unusual for the insurgents to waste any time, but you couldn’t discount them betraying your expectations. What was important was that when the time came, you had to be ready to respond, and not dealing with something else entirely.

All there was now was to wait. Tense waiting, outside the command tent, watching the stars for a new one to be born as the sounds of intensifying chaos rang from the northwest, from UGZ-07. Thankfully, not from UGZ-09. The waiting gave you time to think, to pass the time.

You had bought a Langenachtfest present a day ago; it was meant for Yva, not for particular closeness, but because you thought she needed a bright spot while cooped up in the UGZ. It was an incredibly gloomy place, but Yva never acted particularly affronted by being placed there. You figured it an act; and for all she’d humored you while you spoke with one another, you thought she deserved some compensation. It was a glazed red clay bottle of herbal ointment, with twine tied over a cork stopper; you knew she likely did not actually need it, but…you had, in truth, been at a loss of what else to get her that you thought she might appreciate. She spoke relatively little about herself, though she hardly hesitated to converse on other subjects, including that of yourself.

One might mention that it would be kind to spread the seasonal joy around, but you had something planned for your companions in general later. Preferably on a night where men would not be dying.

A flare from New Houdeberg’s direction; a green, no problems. Communication difficulties with Reismuhle meant that they could not give updates by radio; though flares were to rise in any case. The worst scenario was that a cable had been cut, but field telephones could be finicky, especially with the abuse they had to suffer. Equipment broke. It was a fact of life. It was a mercy that your unique tanks had ready access to a machining shop for some parts, though already a few were chimeras of different tanks on the inside, as far as their engines went.

More time, spent trying not to be distracted by floating spirits coursing through the night above. Long, streaming serpent-like creatures that stretched across the sky. Thankfully, they were pale, translucent; none could mistake them for the bright light of a flare. You didn’t like these things; the supernatural had rudely intruded upon your life, and you did your best to try and ignore it, though…if it were not for it, you would have lost your best friend to battle. Was it hypocritical to try and use it for your own ends and ignore it in all other cases? It did frustrate to know so little about it, which was part of why it was more comforting to try and ignore. Though if you could learn more about it…

Maybe that was the source of your curiosity in Yva. You knew what she was- sort of. She must have known that you suspected at least, perhaps knew. It helped that she was a woman. A gentle, soft spoken woman, and not some wound up Valstener or a…whatever the large hooded one was. Something told you that one wasn’t even human.

“Red flare from New Houdeberg, commander!” a headquarters aide shouted near your ear, “They’re under attack!” It had been ten minutes; finally, the enemy had decided to make their move.

You turned in New Houdeberg’s direction; indeed, falling from the air, a red point among the numerous other lights. There was no hesitation as you drew your own flare pistol, stepped out a few paces, and shot a reply into the air. This was a simpler reply than to try and send a telephone message, especially if the cables had been cut just before the attack.

All of the vehicles had been started, warmed up, and were read in a column. Krause, astute as he was, already had the column facing northeast towards New Houdeberg; he merely waited for you as you sprinted for your tank, and in a few mighty steps and a leap, mounted onto the turret. The hatch up top was open and waiting for you to occupy it, and you slid into it easily, before your gunner Halmann passed you your headset.

“Finally,” your driver, Dekhart complained, “Thought we were gonna be wired up for nothin’. Chalk one up for Veal Pounder I guess.”

You kept good relations with your crew; didn’t treat them as you knew most noble officers did, as but appendages meant to obey without question, as pawns. However, you were all business in the field. “Cut the chatter. Get moving forward, be ready for harassment on the road. If the cable was cut on purpose, they probably know somebody’ll be coming. Keep the headlamps bright, and the first sign of anything suspicious, we leave the road. We won’t be losing anybody before we hit the battleground itself. Move out!”

-----

People kept getting in Anya’s way. A lot of them were women with something to say, but Anya didn’t care to listen. Something about her clothes or lack of jewelry. She hadn’t changed back to her golden dress; what she needed to do required something she wouldn’t have to rip to move right in. It didn’t help that she was short; shorter than most women here, especially since she didn’t wear heels. It meant every wayward pain in the ass felt confident to get in her way. She had places to be; because she’d be damned if she’d leave something alone if it could go as wrong as this could.

Anya didn’t like most women, and she disliked the ones at this party particularly. Especially when they didn’t have the stones to come up alone and walked up with a trail of hags, like the most eminent obstacle in her path thus far did. A taller women who wore a gold circlet, and was absolutely covered in flash; her trail was a pair of women who were less decorated, presumably to not outshine this bimbo they’d stuck themselves to. Who had for some reason considered Anya a person of interest. For what reason, Anya couldn’t fathom.

“You’ve been making quite a stir, shorty,” the tall woman sneered, “Where’d your shiny dress go? Not so vibrant and glamorous without it, are you? No gems, no gold…poor you, having to make up for that with-“

Anya really didn’t have time for this. “Get out of the way before I punch you.”

The tall woman put her hand over her mouth and chortled lightly, “You can’t punch me, little boy. I am a Duchess, King Wladysaw’s cousin. I am in line for the throne. Lay a hand on me and you-“

Anya lost patience about there and punched Duchess whatever her name was right in her nose. That both shut her the hell up and got her out of the way. Anya hadn’t tried to break her nose, but the screeching that was sounding off behind her let her know that, evidently, being related to kings didn’t make one any harder than normal. Whatever she was in the middle of threatening to do, maybe she’d reconsider it after Anya saved her cousin the royal highness’s ass. If she could resolve this before the scene developing behind her turned into something more than a surprise.

Anya had gotten a pretty decent description of the potential assassin, and saw enough of the servants around to know what they’d be wearing, but she doubted that the man only had a pistol like his partner had said. She tried to think like he would- since they came from below and stole a disguise, that meant that the guy could have brought along anything that could fit. Anya knew from experience that smuggling things a lot more deadly than a peashooter was easy if you didn’t get searched thoroughly. She had a plan for if he pulled out a pistol early…she didn’t have any plan for if he started chucking grenades. You had to get closer to get a good grenade lob in, but if one timed it right it was a lot harder to avoid, especially if the target didn’t see it coming.

Where was the king…where was the Weasel King…ah, there. At a platform on the second floor that towered above the dance floor. Pompous as could be expected…he seemed to be gearing up for a speech he wasn’t ready for yet. The King looked a lot younger than Anya had expected- he was pretty attractive, too, but that mattered a lot less than if there were any servants with long black hair screwing around close by.

…There he was. Too close to the king to be comfortable with.

“God damn it.” Anya muttered. She’d told the Gendarmes about the risk, and she saw that the ones near the king were clearly on edge, hopefully from the warning, but she didn’t trust them to perform when the time came. If you wanted a job done right… “Outta the way!” she snarled at the mess before her as she pushed and bumped through the stray people loitering about, unbuttoning Richter’s jacket that she’d taken from him on the way. The patterning on the sheer shirt she wore ought to keep her decent enough, but it felt damn near like wearing nothing. “Oi, you!” she shouted at the disguised assailant. He didn’t react, but reached for his beltline; a mistake on his part. Anya slung off her jacket and threw it at him, the mass of it wrapping around his head and cutting off his vision. Even the quickest draw couldn’t shoot blind.

An opponent that couldn’t see also had a handicap that Anya appreciated as an unfair trade for her being shorter and smaller. She reached for her hairpins; steel, straight, and sharp. A brief thought was made upon whether or not to kill the assassin while he was still surprised and reeling; she chose not to, instead putting all her strength into wrenching his arm down that was reaching for whatever weapon, intending to ram the spike through his hand and staking it to his leg.

The assassin disagreed with her plan, though, and yanked his hand away. He was too strong for Anya to resist that movement, but it still meant the hairpin sank deep into his thigh.

“Gah-!” he bit off his own cry of pain and tried to spin away, grasping at the jacket covering his face.

]i]Oh, no you don’t[/i], Anya sprang forward again, trying to keep their arms from reaching for whatever weapon they stashed. The Gendarmes had noticed the chaos and a pair were coming over- good. If she just held out for a few more moments…she leaped behind him and pulled the jacket harder over his face, trying to get at his arm to lock it, when she noticed a flash of steel from the corner of her sight. Anya shifted at the last moment, and felt a burning pain as a stiletto sliced past her middle, leaving a slash along her side. If she held on longer he’d stick her like a pig…she had to let him go. As soon as she did, he thrust the jacket away from his face and assumed a knife fighter’s stance towards Anya; she’d clearly been promoted on his list of threats. He gave her no time to get ready as he lunged forward, and she barely managed to parry his stab with her remaining hair pin, held in her left hand. It was impressively strong not to bend, she thought as she pushed the knife aside and caught the attacking arm with her right arm. As she began to throw the man, an unexpectedly powerful punch caught her in the side of the head. Anya felt so dizzy she couldn’t stand up for a moment, and stumbled, her mind blank, but regained her senses just in time to see the assassin turn around and pull his pistol out.

Anya made a clumsy dive for the gun, and succeeded in dragging down the armed hand. Fuck this guy for thinking he could take her out with one punch, who the hell did he think he was?

“Damn you, you bastard!” he cried as Anya used all her weight to wrench the gun from the man’s fingers. She’d take offense at the comment later. What was taking those fatass Gendarmes so long? She scrambled to her feet to see the man trying to make one last reach for another weapon…just before he was tackled by a pair of red jacketed guardsmen.

…God, finally, Anya thought as she slipped the pistol into her trousers pocket and she picked her jacket off the ground. She still felt that blow to her head something fierce, as well as the wetness of blood at her side. She’d handle it. It’d be fine. Though…damn, if she knew Richter, he was getting into trouble. He’d need her help. No time to stick around and celebrate, she thought as she lunged back around, holding her head and feeling blood running off that too. Hold on, you oaf, She thought with a low groan, I’m coming to get you too.

-----

The National Liberation Front fighters had been smart; there had indeed been mines on the path, but careful heads had prevailed over them. They would need to be cleared come morn, but with only a small delay, you were at the outskirts of New Houdeberg; apparently named for a city in Netilland, which had been absorbed into the capital city of Berkesseburg a couple of decades ago with its expansion. Whether that mattered to the insurgents or no, in the time it took you to arrive, the rebels had done quite some work. You were prepared to have come in with the headlamps on, as the rebels would surely have no tanks out here at least; even if they were somehow in the UGZ-07. How that was…you couldn’t even fathom. For them to have them in the first place, let alone be able to smuggle them into the city…

Regardless; the town was aflame, and a few taller buildings were brightly burning and lighting up the whole place and more. You saw no atrocities in the streets, though people were fleeing for their lives. Apparently the NLF’s goals were purely destructive in nature, though you would not have been shocked at any murder going on. The resistance was more civilized than Netillian pamphlets liked to let on, it appeared. However, that would not lessen the degree of the bloody business about to take place.

As arranged, the trucks fanned out behind your tank and Krause’s, whereupon the infantry dismounted. They were Ellowian themselves; whether that would be cause for concern was something you’d have to see. From your measure of having spoken with more than a few, though they had no love for their new Netillian superiors, this was their way of helping their own, as they saw it. When pressed for what they would do if the Army in Exile returned…most remained rather quiet. Perhaps such a level of honesty on that front was sign of a connection between you, which you’d need now that you were in battle against their brethren.

Bullets hadn’t started flying yet, but you could be damn certain the insurgents would be taking notice of you quite soon.

“First and second squads are ready.” Lieutenant Wielczi said up to you; you peered out of the side hatch of the turret over your gunner’s shoulder. Von Tracht had been shot in Sosaldt for hanging out of the top too often, and you were nothing if not wary of snipers in a place as this. “We’re ready to get on with this. How do you want to take this?”

Intelligence had suggested up to a hundred fighters, potentially; surely an overestimation, but with two tanks and half a light infantry platoon (about thirty men not counting Wielzci and his senior NCO), the odds were not fantastically in your favor if even half the maximum estimate was present. That, and even though fires lit the colonial town itself brightly, from far away, perhaps you had the advantage of the cover of darkness. Or would you want to discourage the NLF fighters from remaining in the town? You certainly didn’t have the men to surround the place and besiege it…

>Remain at the outskirts and fire at targets of opportunity. Once the NLF see that a response has arrived, and with tanks, they’ll surely withdraw.
>Form up everybody and advance into the place. The rebels lack for heavy weaponry, while you have tanks- to allow them to linger in the town could be disastrous, and the risk of close combat would have to be taken ere New Houdeberg be reduced to ashes as you sat outside it.
>Keep away from the town itself, or attacking into it; secure an avenue of escape for the citizens. You won’t be able to minimalize the damage to property without sacrifice, but you can save lives relatively easily.
>Other?

>>3564335
>>3564335
If they are smart insurgent, they will withdraw as soon as we arrive. We should just make a show of force and secure a way out for citizens.
Some kind of mix between 1st and 3rd

But only with suppressive fire, we don't want to force Elowian to kill their brothers. We could even try to send a Elowian party to negociate an insurgent withdrawal.

I'm in favour of acting quickly because I'm still convinced UGZ-09 will be a target, and the attack on the Langenachtfest feel pretty weak at this point (only one assassin). Maybe they plan to attack as the Lord Protector is evacuated or something along this way.

As a summary
>Make a lot of noise to provoke a withdrawal. Priority is to save citizens and then if possible save their estates.
>Ask if we have volunteer to try to negotiate under a white flag a quick withdrawal (The city is already burning, no Brüder gegen Brüder)
>Try to act quick so we can move on as soon as possible

>>3564335
>>Remain at the outskirts and fire at targets of opportunity. Once the NLF see that a response has arrived, and with tanks, they’ll surely withdraw.

>>3564335
>>Remain at the outskirts and fire at targets of opportunity. Once the NLF see that a response has arrived, and with tanks, they’ll surely withdraw.
Saving lives more important than their property. Also you can argue that this way the Netillians are still reaping what they've sowed.

>>3564332
You can't slice with a stiletto, it has no edge.

>>3564335
>Other.
Leave the infantry outside to secure an evacuation route, lead the tanks into the town.
Rev the tank engines as loud as possible, let out some machinegun bursts in a safe direction. In short, try to scare the insurgents off.

>>3564383
>You can't slice with a stiletto, it has no edge.

I've seen examples of things referred to stilettos that still had an edge, but if it's a misclassification, then fair enough. The thing being referred to was a long thin knife, with a edges.

>>3564335
>Remain at the outskirts and fire at targets of opportunity. Once the NLF see that a response has arrived, and with tanks, they’ll surely withdraw.

Honestly I think these rebels are in it to win it. They prepped mines, cut the cable wires and are STILL attacking after seeing a response flare. If they don't start dropping back immediately once we start firing then
>Form up everybody and advance into the place. The rebels lack for heavy weaponry, while you have tanks- to allow them to linger in the town could be disastrous,

Also yay Anya! She did good glad we got the pins.

>>3564335
>>Remain at the outskirts and fire at targets of opportunity. Once the NLF see that a response has arrived, and with tanks, they’ll surely withdraw.
Let's make a racket

>>3564335
>>Remain at the outskirts and fire at targets of opportunity. Once the NLF see that a response has arrived, and with tanks, they’ll surely withdraw.
>Keep away from the town itself, or attacking into it; secure an avenue of escape for the citizens. You won’t be able to minimalize the damage to property without sacrifice, but you can save lives relatively easily.

Combination of the two, once civilians are secure (as secure as they can be) we can make the decision to follow up into the town and mop up if the insurgents stick around.

>Form up everybody and advance into the place. The rebels lack for heavy weaponry, while you have tanks- to allow them to linger in the town could be disastrous, and the risk of close combat would have to be taken ere New Houdeberg be reduced to ashes as you sat outside it.
Sounds like a good way to get Grozny'd

Time to run. Very late. Oh well.

>>3564355
>>3564368
>>3564373
>>3564973
>>3565532
Surely they'll run away? They would not stay to face your might!

>>3564383
Another tactic to scare people off; a bit more aggressive use of armor.
>>3565649
A concurrence to open a breach- a way out, at least.

How honorable, Von Metzeler. Trying to save everybody. How long can you do such? Can you even do it tonight? I suppose we will see.

Writing.

“There is enough bloodshed in these times,” you told Wielzci, “These insurgents will surely flee when they see that this much of a force has come to oppose them. Make a show. Fire to suppress. Instruct your men to only do so much as coerce the enemy from this side of the town, so that the civilians flee to us and they draw away.”

“…Lieutenant?” Wielzci seemed confused, “You would not have us fight?”

“I will not have your men butcher their own brethren. No matter what those higher than us may desire.” You felt your blade at your side, touched the hilt with your hand. Some questioned why you carried it about. Your crew complained that the tank was cramped enough without it banging about. Others mocked that you carried it about, saying you played at being a knight. You did not play at it. The blade was a constant reminder of what it required to be a man of honor. That you were more than a mere killer or obedient pawn of whomever would seek to make you dirty your hands with that which they lacked the courage to do themselves. You would take no orders that would sully your honor, only to shift the blame later. Your deeds were yours. If there was any option at all to reduce the suffering of even your enemy this day, as they were kin to those under your command, what honor would you have if you did not make every attempt to minimalize harm? The buildings could burn. The gold could flow to rebuild them. Both were immaterial in comparison to blood.

Wielzci seemed to look as to disagree. “…They aren’t gonna just lay down their arms and never fight again just because we let them go here. At some point, we’re gonna have to fight them. You know that, don’t you?”

“Some point.” You agreed. “Not tonight.” Wielzci said nothing, so you spoke further. “I am acting commander. I have given my order. Follow it.”

“…Feh.” Wielczi looked away, then to his senior enlisted man. “Go to first squad, I’ll go to second. Form a line and shoot at targets of opportunity. Instruct the men not to try and hit anything.”

“The tanks will be moving forward as well.” You added down to them, “For this to work we have to be seen by both them as well as those we are trying to rescue, after all.” Then, to your crew. “Driver, advance forward, slow. Gunner, give the Ellowians a good show. Do not aim for targets, but do not hesitate to destroy everything around them. Aim to strike fear in their hearts.”

“You sure about that?” your gunner said back, “I don’t think they’ll show us the same courtesy.”

“If the enemy is in fact content to make this a duel to the death, I will not offer my head to them. Should the situation change, I will not take leave of my wits for the sake of mercy that will not be accepted.” You turned the intercom switch to link to platoon radio. “Frederick. We are moving forward now. Our intent is to not kill anybody, but to let the enemy flee away and the civilians to flee to us.”

“You intend not to kill anybody, while riding a machine made to kill.” Krause observed the irony of it. “Fine, then. We’ll just let them burn the town, though?”

“It is not our duty to protect the property of a nation of oppressors. Let them see the fruits of the seeds they sow; what matters more here is ensuring the safety of lives. Should we battle with the insurgents, I would rather do it with men besides those we have now. I will not have them slay their own, nor will I slay their people in front of them.”

“No need to lay it all out, Rondo. I know how you work.” Krause admonished. “Let’s go, then! If we are not finished by the time Richter returns, he will think us incompetent!”

You grunted, not agreeing or disagreeing. If Richter Von Tracht were to declare anybody incompetent, he would be invited to look at his Academy scores. “Driver, forward.” You said after switching to intercom, “Take us to the edge of the town, then halt.”

As you requested, both you and Krause’s gunners made decent fireworks displays. Their fire needed not to be accurate to churn up the earth and cause stones to fall; the blast of a five centimeter cannon, let alone that of the eight, was plenty enough to cause any few foes you saw running about to flee- the sharp eyed would notice that the shells were not throwing up enough debris to be anything but armor piercing shot, but in a battle, it was rare to be so focused when the entire ire of an enemy was focused on one’s own unprotected body; and there was more than enough shooting from two squads and two tanks coming in.

The approach was easy due to all the suppression, though you remained huddled in the armored cupola rather than dare show a bit of yourself. Once you were close to the town and could see positions of potential snipers better, you could only relax somewhat…until you spied a Netillian uniform. One of the sentries that had been deployed, and had presumably run over here. He stared at your tank- clutching his rifle like a piece of flotsam as though he were adrift in a sea. You stuck yourself out and waved him over, but he would not move.

“Wait here,” you instructed your crew, “Keep me safe. I have to venture out a moment.” They knew better than to try and stop you, as you exited the tank out the side hatch and hit the ground running, with but a pistol and your sword. It would be enough; you did not intend to get into any situations that would require more.

You hit the edge of a far building, crept along the side- your tank and Krause’s were still in full view, but you had to be careful anyways. There was no telling if the enemy would act as you expected, or if they would commit to a bloody battle on this day of rebirth.

A furtive peek around the corner, the sound of crackling flames, the heat emanating from here and there banishing the winter’s cold. You saw a fair few people running about, but most appeared unarmed. With a deep breath, you crossed the street in a few quick bounds and closed the distance between you and the Netillian soldier.

“Lieutenant Von Metzeler!” the Netillian soldier exclaimed as you ran up beside him, his knuckles white as his hands remained locked about his rifle.

“Keep it down,” you told him, waving your hand by your throat. “There were two of you. Where is your partner?”

“He was right behind me,” the Netillian said breathlessly, “I lost him a few blocks back…Why’re you here on your own? Where’s the Ellowians?”

“Don’t worry about th-“ a flicker of movement in the corner of your eye. You were moving before you even thought about it. Ever since your time at the Academy, you’d been quicker, in situations like this. It had never failed to help you. A shape came around the corner, and you snatched them by their body and whipped them around front. Your pistol was carried in your hand, but you didn’t intend to use it- especially when you spied what you had caught.

They were ragged, scrappy, and held an old rifle, but there was little mistaking it when you looked at their face. The fighter you just caught was a young woman, who couldn’t have been older than fourteen or fifteen years. She stared up at you in shock, then to the gun in your hand, then to the sword at your side.

“…The Swordsman..?” she said, her voice high and thin. What somebody like this was doing with a weapon, you had no idea. Were they alone? Or had they gotten lost in the chaos following your arrival?

>Best to be safe. Disarm the child and knock her out, then leave her.
>Take them prisoner. If these people just delivered themselves into your hands, they were still an enemy, and would have information. Possibly.
>Let them go. You were not here to take them or to fight; honor that and tell them to leave this place.
>Other?
Also
>Take the sentry away from here and remain at the edge of town. If the other man was lost, then you couldn’t risk anybody to go in after them in the state of this situation.
>Go further into the town to try and find the sentry’s partner (Take the sentry you’re with, or no?)
>Other?

>>3566221
>>Take them prisoner. If these people just delivered themselves into your hands, they were still an enemy, and would have information. Possibly.
>Take the sentry away from here and remain at the edge of town. If the other man was lost, then you couldn’t risk anybody to go in after them in the state of this situation.

>>3566232
Supporting

>>3566221
Also supporting this >>3566232

>>3566232
+1

I am writing once more.

>>3566232
>>3566237
>>3566247
>>3566254
Consensus on grabbing your little girl and going home.

Writing.

Even if the young militant had been of skill or strength to oppose you, they were not in a state of mind to fight you at all. With a swift pull at the gun, you tore it from their hands, and lifted the young lady by her coat.

“Wha-!?” she yelped, “Put me down! Help! Help me!”

“We are moving back to the tanks over there,” you told the Netillian sentry, gesturing back down the road. “If your partner has gotten lost, we can’t go in after them. Not with the numbers we have, or the situation at hand. They’ll have to fend for themselves.” It wasn’t particularly noble to have to potentially trade lives, but what other choice was there? “Now, follow me. Go when I go.”

No time was given for the young fighter’s allies to hear her call and respond to it, even if they were brazen enough to risk being attacked by armored war machines in attempting such. This was a dangerous time- if a young fool was not intimidated by stray fire, no matter how much of it went out, they might figure out that undue mercy was being shown. The less time you spent tempting any would be heroes, the less chance there was of that unfortunate development taking place.

Your reckless advance back to the armor caught you no stray bullets, nor did any come for the sentry you retrieved or the prisoner you took. No civilians came your way just yet, but neither did any insurgents. While you waited for one or the other, the sentry and prisoner both were taken to where they were sheltered by your tank, rumbling quietly as its engine idled, no sharp report of its cannon or cracking cough of its hull machine gun having been heard since you came back near it.

“Keep her restrained,” you told the sentry, putting the girl down. “You can handle it. She’s a little girl.”

“Y-yeah.” The sentry had calmed down some since returning to the reassuring presence of tanks, though he was still breathing hard. “Er. Sir.”

The prisoner said no more complaints; she simply stared at you. One would think that she would be more distressed by capture, but not so. At least, she made no show of such.

The town continued to burn, but a trickle of civilians began as a few appeared to notice your formation, which quickly turned into a stream the likes of which quickly became disruptive.

“They’re crowdin’ up front the tank!” your driver complained, “More an’ more of ‘em!”

A mass was indeed rapidly forming and expanding. Something had to be done, or else the situation could throw your carefully assembled line into a chaotic mess that could be exploited.

“What are you doing out here?” A middle aged settler in his pajamas shouted at you, “You’re supposed to protect us, not let these bloody bastards burn our houses down!”

Protest was to be expected. Having your things burned was unpleasant for anybody, but it was also not your concern. “Move along,” you told the colonists roughly, waving your hand back towards the Ellowian soldiers, “There are be soldiers in that direction, one of whom is called Lieutenant Wielzci. He will keep you safe, so long as you are orderly. When the town’s population is more or less accounted for, we will escort you to New Jorgenstohn.”

“To hell with that!” another civilian shouted from the back, “Go do your job and kill those bandits!”

“Wielczi? That sounds like an Ellowian name!” a woman spoke up, “Are our saviors those who think they’re foolin’ anyone? Of course they won’t fight! Damn lowlander butchers! They’re probably watching our things burning to ash and laughing!”

“You sound like an Imperial, too!” yet another man shouted in the now clamorous crowd, seeming to sense it safe enough to complain as the insurgents had fled, “My brother was killed in a war with the Archduchy, always knew you pigs were a scheming lot! I’m seeing no reason why any of us should trust any of you! There’s not an Ellowian Bandit corpse to be found around!”

They weren’t letting you get a word in edgewise. “Citizens!” you shouted at the top of your voice, doing your best to overpower the rising bitterness, “You are still not safe! Go south and to my men immediately!”

“Cowards!”

You would allow many an insult, but you would not be called a coward. You grit your teeth, and snapped your gaze to the sentry you had gotten back. “You! You were assigned here to watch out for a potential attack. Towns have their own militia and constables for keeping the peace. Pray tell, did they enter battle and bravely resist?”

“No,” the Netillian answered, “They fled when the insurgents showed up in such force.”

“Then I will not hear a word against those who have come here having accepting that they may die.” You said through clenched teeth, spitting at the townspeople assembled.

“W-what else were we supposed to do?” protested a man despondently, “What else’re we supposed to do against a whole mob? That’s what the army’s for, isn’t it? You’re the ones who have to fight!”

“So go an’ do it!” another shouted up.

You didn’t know all of the details of what had gone on tonight; the colonists were howling for blood, and they expected it to be delivered to them. You saw no need to fight this night- not when the insurgents were no longer attacking. Pursuing them could even prove disastrous- but it seemed these people would accept naught less.

>Who are these colonists to make demands of you? You are not their servant. Inform them that if they will not follow your command, you will carry out your will by force.
>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.
>What choice did you have but to pursue the insurgents now? Who could say what these people would resort to if they believe the army would not protect them, even if without specific intervention, nobody would have come here at all? There would have to be battle tonight after all.
>Other

>>3568443
>>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.

>>3568443
>>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.

>>3568443
>>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.
We've done what we came for let's move on. There's still the other towns and the UGZ to worry about.

>>3568443
>>>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.

>>3568443
>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.
Start putting out fires. It will look like we prioritized saving their livelihoods over revenge, and that's something they should appreciate.

Also Rondo best boy.

>>3568443
>>If they wish not to be cooperative, then debating was a waste of time. The insurgents had fled. You could make a request for fire engines and their escorts and remain to secure the area, but you’d be damned if you were going to do more for this ungrateful lot.

Maybe let slip we liberally interpreted some orders to even get here at all. We already stepped out of line a bit to drive off the insurgents at all.

>inb4 the angry crowd starts swarming our tanks and attacking us and von Metzeler ends up being forced to kill the very civilians he was trying to save and his hero complex is shattered driving him into depression and beginning his Punished von Metzeler character arc

>>3568709
Eh he didn't like them already before this already; I doubt it would be that traumatic for him.

>>3568709
Don't encourage tanq to make any more of our main characters go crazy

Sorry about the delays; after today I should be back on track, but lately I've been juggling a few things at once. I'll try to have an update in the evening today.

>>3569218
Update when

>>3572100
In the evening, didnt you read his post?

>>3572100
Yeah totally this evening haha not...last one. Or this morning. Or afternoon.

...It'll come soon.

Debate on this was a waste of time. There was too much history between Netillian and Ellowian to possibly have this mob be reasoned with. What mattered was that the insurgents appeared to have fled; a request for fire engines and their escorts could be made, and you could secure the area as best you could, but to do a single thing more would be too much for this ungrateful mob. It was entirely possible that this would not be the only target tonight; though this and the UGZ would be the only attacks tonight that would have the benefit of surprise. The Border Zone command would likely be in uproar, and all units mobilized. It would be a long, long night for everybody.

You switched from intercom to platoon network. “Frederick, do handle these people,” you murmured spitefully, an eye of contempt across the lot. “I need to go back and move our riflemen to begin securing the area. I will also make a request to headquarters for damage control.”

“I’ll take them.” Krause said back, “What’s the ETA on damage control, though? UGZ-07’s probably eating plenty of that, you know.”

“As long as somebody arrives before the whole place burns down.” You sighed. You only had a bit more than thirty men, ten more if the tanks were emptied. Even if you had ways to fight the fires- water cannons, bulldozers, demolitions to prevent the spread…to do that and maintain security as well as watching over the civilians still here? Madness. You would need three times the number of men to do all of that effectively while maintaining security against an insurgent return. It was all you could do to make sure none of them were coming back.

Naturally, the sound of chaos over at UGZ-07 still echoed in the night, and the fires weren’t bright enough to drown out the spirits flitting in the sky under the stars. When your request back to the regional headquarters was relayed via the camp HQ, you got a rude message relayed back.

“They’re demanding to know ”why the hell you aren’t at UGZ-07 as ordered.” the staff officer back at camp told you over a scratchy sounding radio. “…Though they said they’ll inform damage control about…where you’re at.”

That was at least something. “Did you inform them of whom was taking responsibility for this?” you demanded.

“Responsibility for what?”

“If command is upset about us not having proceeded directly to UGZ-07, then it is because of my actions.”

“…I see. I will relay that.”

This wasn’t particularly because of your debt to Von Tracht. It was simply easier for you, technically under him, to take this hit. A layer between you and the Netillians existed, and it could function as armor decently enough. It wasn’t as if you had a military career in mind, let alone one with Netilland. Though after you had gone off to Sosaldt and with what happened there…you wondered if any of you had such a future. Your comrades from then besides Krause and Von Tracht had gone other places- you heard little word of much besides their general location, which the Major deigned to let you know.

Von Neubaum had gone to distant Halmeggia. What he did there, you had no idea, but Halmeggia’s civil war had evidently not gone long, nor had the ideal successors to the kingdom emerged triumphant. The Major found this humorous, for whatever reason. Von Neubaum had gone to Plisseau after that, along with Von Walen and Von Igel. You didn’t much care for any of them, but Von Neubaum had something to him that you couldn’t put your finger on- some sort of vile streak that you hadn’t looked into but could smell like a rotten corpse on a hot day. At the very least, you would not have to deal with whatever he really was.

You weren’t going anywhere until a damage control detail showed up, but you kept in contact with the base camp, in case the other town that was a potential target had its sentries shoot bad news up into the sky. It was doubtful, though. Another attack now risked them being caught by far more of their foes than they could reasonably handle. If their leadership had brains at all, they would slip away into the night and wait for the atmosphere to calm before thinking of taking another step. A town razed and a UGZ in open revolt was already a lot of chaos for the region. Before today, local resistance had been meager- for the sake of long term plans, they couldn’t throw the Netillians into too great a panic. One hundred insurgents was an impressive attack against a single town; against even your group’s light company, underequipped and lacking in experience as it was, they would at least be bitterly tested if not crushed outright.

…The night would tell, you thought as you crossed your arms and closed your eyes inside the tank with a deep and heavy sigh. If it was kind, then nothing further would happen. If it was not, then you would find yourself in command of this mess.

-----

“I haven’t seen you ‘round here before, but then, I haven’t seen a lot of people. Who’re you?”

You were Richter Von Tracht, but you at least had the wisdom to know not to tell that to whomever this was, in a tunnel network that was linked to a hideout beneath the Manor where a Langenachtfest social was taking place. A member of the Ellowian resistance, surely. For your part, you had taken the clothes of one of their fellows, so you looked nothing like somebody the Ellowian might take umbrage with. The issue now was what your excuse for being down here would be. You looked plain enough in dress to be anybody- though you doubted that this person would believe you were a random passersby who got lost and ended up deep in subterranean tunnels. Unless you claimed to be looking for the Secret Empire of Ilsce Segras.

A better look at this person who had tapped you on the shoulder, rather than perhaps sticking a gun in your back, might have been prudent. The female voice didn’t threaten you as you turned around; and it turned out that they didn’t need to, because there were two people with her. All of them were in their late teens, at best; a pair of young women and a younger boy. If they were with the Ellowian insurgency, they were probably here instead of above because their youth made them undesirable in a battle. Hopefully.

It was too dim to tell much of the others besides them being shorter and slighter than you, but the one who had addressed you was rather androgynous looking- she definitely had a woman’s voice, but her black hair was short and scruffy, ending just at her ears, over which she wore a floppy cap. Most of her was covered by a thick sweater- she didn’t appear armed.

“You just gonna look at me? What’re you, mute?”

>They’re children, and you need to leave. Maybe it wouldn’t be very chivalrous, but it would be easy to beat them up and retreat.
>Perhaps you could find a few things out- claim that you are of the resistance, though you’ll need a story for why you’re down here…(What?)
>Make a bluff; claim that you’re new and you got lost down here.
>Nod.
>Other?

>>3572459
>>They’re children, and you need to leave. Maybe it wouldn’t be very chivalrous, but it would be easy to beat them up and retreat.

>>3572459
>Nod
It's just goofy enough to work.

>>3572459
>>Nod.

>They’re children, and you need to leave. Maybe it wouldn’t be very chivalrous, but it would be easy to beat them up and retreat.
There is no way we can take three of them fast enough before one can reach for a weapon or calls for help

>>3572459
>>Nod.
Let's see how gullible these guys are.

>>3572459
>Nod

If they dont buy it then when we talk we should stumble over words and lisp. Maybe mention we work with the Risen that raided Mayor Gespies town.

I'm amazed Richter wasn't immediately shot ambling around down here.

>>3572459
>Nod
I don’t really know much about gas attacks in the setting, but if there is some plausible way we could have breathed something in that burned our vocal cords, I would have that be our story.

If there isn’t much fruit down that path,
>Make a bluff
Say that we are part of another resistance cell who heard that this could be a good place to make contact with a more formidable group, and we were trying to bug out through the tunnels.

>>3572459
>Nod.

I am here once again. Earlier than...lately.

>>3572464
Beat up children. Well, teens.
>>3572509
>>3572515
>>3572520
>>3572716
>>3572717
>>3572807
Pretend you can't speak. Hey, if your waifu is shit, don't say anything.

>>3572717
>I don’t really know much about gas attacks in the setting, but if there is some plausible way we could have breathed something in that burned our vocal cords, I would have that be our story.

Conveying said story might be a bit harder than usual, but sure. It's entirely possible; though gas attacks are thankfully uncommon. For now, at least.

Writing.

A verbal answer, you thought quickly, would likely give away your identity. Your capital-region Strossvalder accent had gotten you in trouble in the past, and Ellowians would likely immediately discern that you didn’t belong here. It was a bit a silly idea, but…

You nodded. Yes, you were mute. Of course.

The young woman blinked at you. “…Really?”

A short gesture was made towards your throat. You’d be a gas attack victim, you thought on the spot. What sort? Did it matter? You inhaled dramatically and waved your hand about- maybe that would be interpreted correctly?

“You’ve got bad breath?”

…Your hands fell by your sides. It wasn’t hard to assume an annoyed expression.

“He can’t talk, Tia.” One of the youths, the male, behind the androgynous girl said with a steadied demeanor. “He’s an adult, are you gonna complain that he can’t talk to you?”

“Give me a break. Being shoved down here while everything’s going on up above sucks. Anyways.” This Tia person grabbed you by your sleeve and started pulling you down the tunnel. “Come on, stink breath, Drachen says we’ve got to round up the stragglers and take ‘em to the UGZ. You know how to use a gun?”

You levelled your hand out palm down and tilted it side to side, dismissively. A fair underrating of your talents in that area.

“Eh, doesn’t matter, as long as you know how to use one, you’re better than us, at least.” Tia seemed rather bitter about that, though you certainly couldn’t ask why. Or object to being led around. These children didn’t seem to be skilled with the meager arms they had at their belts, but it was a risk you couldn’t take. Who knew, maybe you would find something interesting out down here.

“Tia, are we really gonna take this guy to Drachen?” The other young woman said in a high, cracking voice. “We don’t even know who he is!”

“Who would be down here except people with us? Not like the Netillians know about the tunnels, or where they pop up, or they’d have come down here already.” A bold assumption by Tia. To be fair, you were not a Netillian. Well, technically. A few generations in the Archduchy made you of them, didn’t it? “There’s plenty of people we didn’t know. I couldn’t tell you who a quarter of the people are. Again, are you gonna complain that we have more friends?”
You walked a ways, guided by an old iron oil lamp held aloft by one of Tia’s companions. Were they really taking you to the UGZ, or just to a place before it where you’d be passed to somebody else? If it weren’t for the young insurgent telling you, you’d have had no idea. The tunnels opened up some, the tiny railway still going through the center- off to the side, you saw a diminutive locomotive. It appeared to be an electric type, as there was no boiler nor furnace from what you could see. A sensible decision for a tunnel vehicle. Off to the side of it was a large room with an equally large rolled up steel shutter; inside the dimly lit space was a spread of tools, and a pair of resistance fighters stood about, idle. They too looked to be in their younger years, around the same age as your escorts.

You nudged Tia’s shoulder and pointed to the workshop. “Oh, that?” she obliged you, “Notice how fancy all of this is, huh? These have had a lot of work put into them, we even have places like that to fix the trains…and to build a few other neat things. You wanna know something cool?” You nodded, and Tia grinned. “Oh, it’s cool, yeah. You know what a tank is? Well, they’re normally real big, but we got a few of these tiny, tiny ones, for maybe one or two people…one, I think, was what it was supposed to be like, but with the smaller people you can cram two in!” Tia sighed, “I’m small enough…but I guess that’s all.”

“Tia, those are supposed to be a secret…” the young man with you said warily.

“Secret how?” the other young woman snapped, “They’re gonna be up in the UGZ by now, they’ll be about as secret as Tia’s preference in men.”

“Shut up.” Tia grumbled, “But, yeah, they’re already going to be up there. The real secret’s where they came from.”

“Do you know?” the young man asked. Apparently his respect for restricted information was limited to what he knew himself.

“…Nope!”

“Oh.”

You had been very interested in where these rumored tiny tanks had come from, as well. You’d certainly never heard of the Ellowian Insurgency of all things having access to such; a tank was a very difficult thing to smuggle in a subtle fashion, but you supposed if a very small one was transported in pieces and reassembled elsewhere, it wasn’t impossible, but the practical uses of such a thing were limited indeed.

As you moved on, more support personnel was spied roaming around; all rather young, or women. You guessed that the men were reserved for fighting days, such as this. You had heard that Ellowie was having manpower issues in recent times, and this war they lost wouldn’t have helped such. The remnants of their army, however many there were of them, fleeing the country, also would have adversely affected the male population. At least, those that weren’t cooped up in UGZs.

“Hey!” Tia led you towards a very dirty, greasy looking middle aged woman with matted brown hair dressed in thick coveralls, who looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. “Hey, we need to ride the train.”

You had been volunteered to ride a train to the UGZ, you guessed. The greasy woman looked up at you with a dour expression. “Who’s this?”

“A straggler, I guess. Another guy who got lost.”

“Fourth one today…” the woman grumbled, “Fine. I’ll start up a thing…don’t delay too much, Drachen’ll want to know where he came from and who he’s with, he’s not one of the folks who came here with the NLF.”

“He can’t talk.” The male child said. “Something’s wrong with his throat or something.”

“…Really.” The woman peered at you skeptically. “Well, there’ll have to be some way of knowing who he is or what he wants. Drachen can find out all the same. Come on, quiet person. You’re needed elsewhere. A fight’s on and the Netillians outnumber us by way too much.”

>It seemed you had been drafted. Go along willingly.
>Refuse. Make some stern motion that you wanted something, or that you were better off doing something else.
>Motion that you need to go to the bathroom, or some other excuse- and attempt an escape.
>Other?

It seems I'm off my groove with these writing times. Or maybe it's because I've fucked up my sleep schedule again.

>>3573399
>>Motion that you need to go to the bathroom, or some other excuse- and attempt an escape.
I'll all for trying out dumb ideas tonight

>>3573399
>It seemed you had been drafted. Go along willingly

>>3573399
>>Motion that you need to go to the bathroom, or some other excuse- and attempt an escape.

>>3573399
>>It seemed you had been drafted. Go along willingly.
I think there would be plenty of opportunity to slip away in all this chaos, especially if the resistance is losing. Failing that, if we manage to make a big hero of ourselves with our above average shooting that can give us some clout to work with if we get taken back to this Drachen.

>>3573607
Sup

>>3573434
>>3573601
Surely some mercy for the needy?

>>3573448
>>3573607
>>3573685
Welcome to the Resistance. Maybe. Aren't they being a bit too trusting? Maybe that's suspect on its own.

Writing.

>>3573772
How do you pronounce Twaryi?

…Well. You’d gotten this far on this flimsy bluff, why not take it all the way? You nodded, and motioned for the others to show the way.

The greasy woman didn’t return the nod. She stood up from the chair she was sitting in, and went. “Come on, Tia, and the rest of you. You’re coming too.” That wasn’t what you or the kids expected, and they happily stepped behind as the woman led you to one of the miniature electric trains. “Tia is my niece,” she told you as she cranked the train to life, “Interesting, aren’t these. Normally down here we’d have a handcart, but the person who set these up didn’t want to work that hard, ‘seems. They didn’t stick around to explain.” She motioned to a seat just aft of the driver’s. “Sit there. Let the kids chatter among themselves. I’d rather have somebody not so loud right behind me for once.” After you both sat down, and she made sure the others were in too, she added, “Gets cramped in a few places. Keep everything inside the cart and you should be fine. That means you, Tia.” With that, she started the train moving, an attendant at a switch ahead giving the thumbs up to go.

The locomotive wasn’t all that quick, but it didn’t need to be in tunnels like this. The train’s headlamp illuminated well enough the tunnels ahead- and in places, there were no lamps along the way- it would look pitch black from a distance, the only light being that which bounced off of the walls from the lamp, and in the darkest places, the walls would tighten unnervingly around the little train.
“So,” the dirty woman sighed, after a few minutes of your journey. “What’s your name?”

You said nothing. As you hoped would be expected.

“Just a joke. Guess you ought to know mine. It’s Rat. You’re probably thinking, that’s not a real name, and you’re right. It’s what everybody calls me anyways. Even Tia.” She leaned back around, and her grey, shadowed eyes bored into you. She didn’t seem overly concerned with anything coming in the way ahead. “So how’d you lose your voice? Witch in a magic forest take it away?”

The expected silence, aside from the teens whispering to each other in the back and the clanking of cars and squeaking of wheels on track. You tried your best to repeat your story from earlier of a gas attack, though with a few more steps.

“Hm. Twaryians give you a lungful, huh? You got really lucky. My sister’s husband got a breath of Red Death. He could hardly breathe, I hear. Least for as long as he lived after that. A few days. Tia’s father. At least Red Death needs you to breathe it. Not like Flayer, turnin’ you into a scorched black mess if it so much as blows on your skin.”

Red Death, officially known as Sanguisilite, was a particularly ugly chemical that induced heavy hemorrhaging in the lungs, as well as the thin membranes on the inside of the nose and mouth, and the eyes. It did not kill cleanly at all.

“The war over east was something different, I hear,” Rat continued, “Call me craven, but I’m thankful we’re not tangling with Caelussian hounds at the moment.” A few minutes of quiet. The tunnels widened once more. “Probably wondering what sort of auntie’d let her niece be in this sort of thing. Normally I wouldn’t have her anywhere near this, but at least I can keep an eye on what trouble she gets into here. Else she’d get into somethin’ stupid or have to be locked up in a UGZ.”

A few more quiet minutes and you rolled into…a much more developed looking station. The lamps were much brighter, and there were now several tracks- demand to this place must have been higher, as you spied a few handcarts around. It had many more people, as well- this place had men, unlike the last, though more than a few appeared to have one injury or another restricting them from fighting. They were doing odd jobs, slotting rounds into clips, hurriedly moving crates on dollies, and you spied a fighter being borne on a stretcher at the other end of the underground station. They wore no specific uniform, though a few you noticed had the pale grey uniform of the Ellowian Army, while others wore Ellowian Helms with the crest of the winged Lion upon it; the Republic’s emblem. Some made do with a field cap, distinctively square in shape.

“Hey, Rat,” a man in one of said uniforms strode up beside the train, his arm in a sling. “What’re you doin’ here? Anything new from the Lighthouse?”

“A straggler,” Rat gestured back to you. “He’ll want to see Drachen.”

The uniformed insurgent squinted at you, and frowned. “Will he now.”

“Yep.” Rat rose up, “Come on, people. Up and out. You’re not gonna visit here to play.” Rat looked back to the man, “You short-handed anywhere?”

“Everywhere.”

“Long as you keep ‘em underground. I find out Tia got put on bomb running and I’ll gut you alive.” Rat took you by the arm as you stood about and gawked. “Come on.”

Rat deftly dragged you through the bustling, crowded station, and into a corridor. While this place was well developed, it was roughly finished, and beams held up some sections of tunnel rather precariously. However, the place wasn’t big enough for it to take long for you to reach your destination.

You were led into a brightly lit room, where a rather diverse cut of Ellowians were surrounding a table. It looked to be a map of the UGZ, if you were to guess, and pieces were moved about on it. Several different lines had been planned out- whomever was responsible for the plans had put a lot of time into it. From what you could see, unexpected gains had been made, and what you could hear was much debate on how much further to exploit said gains. The room gradually noticed you- a few went right back to talking with the others, but one man went around the lot to come to you. He was a man who had clearly been through a rough time, as a mottled burn mark on his neck crawling up his jaw could attest. His hair was blonde and wiry, and stuck up all over, but his green eyes were bright and gleaming with energy. He wore…an oddly familiar chocolate-brown jacket, loosely over black pants and a shirt. You would have placed him in his middle forties- about. The only grey about him was in a few marks of stubble.

”Well then, Rat,” he said, cocking an eyebrow at you, “Who’s this guest you’ve brought in?”

“A volunteer who got lost.” Rat told the man. “So a few of the scraps said. Thought you might want to check otherwise. Apparently he’s a mute, though.”

“Interesting,” the blonde man smirked, and scratched his shadowed jaw, “Verrry interesting.” He shambled to your side, “Where’re my manners? Around these parts, I’m called Drachen. I like it better than my real name. I’d ask you to introduce yourself, but, well,” Drachen shrugged, “You don’t need any introduction, do you, Kommandant?”

>… (He must be mistaken. Squint cluelessly.)
>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.
>Politely ask if you can just turn around and leave, this “volunteer” business was a misunderstanding.
>Other?

>>3573929
It depends on if you're from there or not. Twaryians give it a very sharp Tvf sound for the first syllable, so it sounds like Tvfaryee. It's more difficult for not-Twaryians to say, since they would be pronouncing the W as a V. They usually give the T its own syllable, thusly.

>>3573982
>>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.
If he can recognize us by face I don't think there's much point trying to bluff.

>>3573982
>… (He must be mistaken. Squint cluelessly.)
Keep it up.
Just in case

>>3573982
>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.
If he knows our face, he knows it.

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149 KB JPG

>>3573982
>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.
The play here is probably keep up the lie just in case this is a bluff, but really, I think our face would give something away. Some flash in our eyes or a twitch of a frown, something we give away because he has caught us on our back foot. I think it goes without saying we are really in the shit now.

>>3573982
>>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.
What the others have said.
"Have we met before?"

>>3574022
Hey tanq, would Richter's 'no fear' mental conditioning be able to kick in here or is it only for actual combat?

>>3574028
It keeps Richter from being overcome by fear, theoretically. It doesn't render him immune to being surprised.

>>3573982
>>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.

>>3573982
>>Respond amiably. You didn’t have any subterfuge in mind coming here, after all. Or so you would claim.

Jigs up. Richter is NOT good at this shit, and I think he's fairly (in)famous enough that if random Netilland soldiers recognize him then the intelligence network here certainly will.

Respond that it would've been fun to fight alongside them against the Netillians in UGZ-07. It actually would've been neat to see how it turned out.

I'm fairly sure Richter knew about that attack happening beforehand right?

I think the best we can hope for here is to both not get killed and make contacts amongst the resistance. A resurgent Ellowie works just as well as Twaryi and Netilland at war again for Strossvald.

>>3574057
>I'm fairly sure Richter knew about that attack happening beforehand right?

"Knew" is a strong term, but it was an extremely likely event to happen from his perspective, at least.

>>3574002
>>3574016
>>3574022
>>3574023
>>3574049
>>3574057
Do I know you? Also, shit.

>>3574010
Stare blankly.

Alright then. Writing.

Out of all that could have happened, what you didn’t expect was to be recognized. No point in delaying the inevitable, as you searched your memories for wherever you must have met this man. He did look oddly familiar, but you couldn’t say you’d ever met him…at all.
“Do I…know you?” you asked as you squinted at Drachen.

The blonde rogue smirked at you and shook his head. “Not so mute after all, huh? Probably not, but I know you. All that running around in Sosaldt was fun, but once Mittelsosalia popped up, things started getting too blasted quiet. Meanwhile, my place of birth, ever near and dear, gets overrun by the north. Took some inspiration from the old Kommandant, went back, and here I am.” Drachen shrugged, winked, then strolled towards the door backwards, facing you, while the other Ellowians stared daggers into you. “Hell of a time to drop in. I can sympathize with wanting things a bit less public, so how about we step out for a bit? Don’t worry, I’m not gonna stab you.”

From where you were standing, you didn’t see yourself as having much choice in the matter, but you appreciated not being interrogated in front of a room, at least. “Sure.” You followed Drachen out into the hall; granted, this was far from private, but at least you weren’t the center of attention.
“So, Kommandant,” Drachen leaned against the wall, and pulled a small box of cigarettes and a matchbook from his pocket, “What brings you down here? I would have thought I’d have heard of somebody like you coming round here, but I guess not, huh? Guess you’re not a celebrity everywhere.”
“I hadn’t thought I was a celebrity at all.”

That made Drachen chuckle. “Yeah, right.” He pulled a cigarette out of the little box, “Smoke?” you refused with a small wave of the hand. “Fine.” Drachen put away the box and struck a match on the wall. “See,” he said holding the cigarette in his teeth while lighting it, “The big problem here isn’t you showing up, it’s you showing up down here, you get me? So let’s get that out of the way. Somebody tell you how to get down here?”

“I went exploring and found it by accident.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. You thought it best to keep at least a few things close to your chest.

Drachen made a face like you’d told a funny joke. “Come on, no bullshit. Did you really come down here for the reason Rat said? To help the cause? Keeping that Archduchy accent down? Somebody must have told you the way into one of the tunnels.” Drachen blew smoke away from you, out the side of his mouth. “I can understand why you’d keep it down, ‘course. The Archduchy’s sent a few military missions over, to help train Netilland’s army. They’re trying to make friends in a changing world. So potentially, you’re workin’ with the enemy, hm?” Drachen glanced at you sideways, “See how that could make somebody tellin’ you where we are a bit awkward?”

“I do.” Drachen had all but outright told you he knew of your actual allegiance. Either that, or he was bluffing impressively well. “Like I said. Nobody told me of how to find this place. I got down here, and when I found out where I was, thought it would be a good time to help out with the thing going down in the UGZ, that’s all.”

“What thing?” Drachen asked coyly. “You know about that?” He took another toke of the cigarette. “Whose side’re you really on, I wonder...?” A blow of smoke to the ceiling as he looked up and sighed. “You came from the east on one of the e-trains. That means you either wandered way too far, or you popped in from under the Manor. Guess that means the King’s not getting shot tonight. Ol’ Sichel was so confident it would go off without a hitch, too. Even with all the word getting out.”

That wasn’t something you were about to apologize for, you thought as your gaze remained fixed on the Ellowian. His demeanor felt like it should have been getting cooler- perhaps your fame from the past was worth more than you wagered.

“Gotta be honest, Kommandant,” Drachen crushed his cigarette against the stone wall, “You’re really throwing a wrench in things, but I guess that’s what you do, huh? If I were smart, I’d lock you up and try to trade favors with your friends, but I’m awful sentimental. Wouldn’t be nice to you, and it wouldn’t be very considerate of the Republic’s prime bachelorette either, and I’ve got a bit a soft spot for both. So I’ll just ask you one thing, and we can move on from there. You really want to work with us, or do you want to forget you saw anything down here and go back up like nothing happened? No hard feelings if that’s what you want, but you gotta understand then, that means we have to make a deal. If you just turned right back around and started killin’ us after that, I’d look pretty damn stupid. But…”

Drachen pointed at you with his cigarette and smiled broadly, “I don’t think you’re that sort of guy, are you? To just grovel before the Military Council and wipe us out for our hospitality? Nah, I’d say you’ve got some rebel streak about’cha. At least enough for me to ask this and not get it thrown in my face.”

>You’re right, I do have a rebel streak. Which is why I do want to join forces. But in a subtler manner than fighting in your battles.
>Don’t ask the impossible. Of course I have to go back, but we can have an arrangement that benefits both of us…(Like what?)
>I’m here, aren’t I? I overheard that you’re undermanned everywhere. If I need to prove anything, give me a mask and a gun and I’ll let me actions speak for me up in the UGZ.
>Other?

>>3574641
>>I’m here, aren’t I? I overheard that you’re undermanned everywhere. If I need to prove anything, give me a mask and a gun and I’ll let me actions speak for me up in the UGZ.

>>3574641
>I’m here, aren’t I? I overheard that you’re undermanned everywhere. If I need to prove anything, give me a mask and a gun and I’ll let me actions speak for me up in the UGZ

Honestly anything less and they won't trust us. Especially if we go topside and go right back to UGZ 07 under the Netillians.
BUT
>Other?
I must send word to my officers, a simple message that you can read. No secret codes or the like, but I do not wish to fight my unit.

Message would have to be something like: Party not to my liking, found a better one elsewhere but I think the kids should stay home. Will be back home soon Love Richter.
That's awful and i'd come up with something better but I'm working

>>3574641
>You’re right, I do have a rebel streak. Which is why I do want to join forces. But in a subtler manner than fighting in your battles.
Richter is already planning to do work against the not!SS, no? Simply work with the resistance on it.

>>3574641
>You’re right, I do have a rebel streak. Which is why I do want to join forces. But in a subtler manner than fighting in your battles.

I waited for this moment.
ELLOWIE WILL RISE AGAIN! REMOVE NETILLAND!

>>3574723
To add onto this, regardless we need to make sure we say we are working on our own volition here. Basically 'pulling a Sosaldt' again, Strossvald can't be implicated.

tanq do we recognize this guy as that Deaths Head officer we captured way back when in Todesfelsen?

>>3574989
Nah, it's not that guy. You don't recognize him, though he recognizes you.

>You’re right, I do have a rebel streak. Which is why I do want to join forces. But in a subtler manner than fighting in your battles.
I always was in favour of supporting the Ellowian army in exile, and I thought I was the only one.
It's a bit late to get on the train though.

>>3574641
>>You’re right, I do have a rebel streak. Which is why I do want to join forces. But in a subtler manner than fighting in your battles.
It would be easier to take advantage of this situation if we had clearer guidelines from the Major as to what our objectives are here. Maybe if we establish a working relationship with this guy we can report back to the Major and she can use us as a middleman so the intelligence office can support the resistance or coordinate with them or do whatever they would do with that sort of connection.

>>3574682
>>3574723
Put me in coach I'm ready. While sending a letter to my officers about how I'm going to violently deflower them. Wait, wrong letter.

>>3574748
>>3574762
>>3575134
>>3575229
Let's be friends, but not here. And details.

Aighty. Writin.

Would Drachen really trust you, you wondered. Even if his high opinion of your reputation was genuine…then again, you had no particular love for Netilland, did you? So long as the end result benefited the Archduchy, you were nothing if not supportive of a rebirth of the Ellowian state…well, in its previous form, not its current puppet reign under Netilland’s military governance.

“You’re right,” you said, with a voice of resolution, “I do have a rebel streak. Which is why I want to join forces with you, of course. But I think I would be of more help supporting you in a subtler matter. If we’re considering this seriously.”

“Subtler?” Drachen raised his brows, “You were making like you were ready to dive into the fray a moment ago.”

“It’s not an unwillingness to endanger myself, but when I think about where I can make the most impact,” you pointed up, “It isn’t raising a rifle against Netilland. I have a position alongside them. A useful tool, certainly. Though, I want to say, if we’re going to become allies,” you leaned in closer and said more quietly, “It’ll be like in Sosaldt. I am not of Strossvald. My comrades are not of Strossvald. Strossvald does not need to be dragged into this; expect no aid from them. This is a personal matter.”

“A personal matter?” Drachen squinted harder at you, “A personal matter. Most would think you were talking shite with that line, you know.”

“Well-“

“Hold on a minute, I’m not done. See, I’ve heard of what you’ve been doing. Talk of you helping my countrymen, even when it wouldn’t help you. Heard tell a kommissar’s goons vanished after you inquired about them harassing a village. Heard you were involved in trying to make things better in the UGZ near you. That all, and with you being in Sosaldt, with what you did there, an’ going in all the way, Drachen pointed his thumb at you, “Hear some people say you did it for a woman, there’s debate on which one, but I’m damn sure this is for more than some tail, huh?” Drachen let down his hand. “So that’s why I don’t feel stupid trusting your word. I don’t know for sure why you feel the need to do this. I’ll assume that’s what the personal matter is. I just think I can be sure that whatever it is, it won’t be worth trading our asses over to the Netillians. Or the Judge-forsaken Caelussian bastards, for that matter.”

“…” Your mouth frowned a little on its own. “So…I suppose that is that, then? I’m unsure what happens next…”

“What happens next,” Drachen said, putting a hand against the wall and leaning on it sideways, facing you, “Is this. I trust you won’t tell anybody. UGZ-07’s going to become a quagmire. We don’t have that many people, but we have enough to make getting into all this a real pain in the ass. See, I was a Sergeant in the Ellowian Army a good long time ago, and I ended up a Captain back in Mittelsosalia’s army, and had plenty of tussles in between. I’ve done this sort of rigmarole before. A few diversionary attacks here and there to make it look like there’s way more of us. Too many for the area to handle.”

“I’ve heard of such plans,” you murmured ruefully.

“Yeah? Hopefully they sounded like they’ll work, then. Anyways, they’ll have to call in support, dry up the adjacent sectors- and the Border Zone treaty means there’s limitations. We get the luxury of fighting the Netillians with their hands tied. All we have to do is keep up a grinding city fight that looks bad and eats resources. Twaryi’ll take notice. What’s more, in a few days, somebody’ll be visiting from Mittelsosalia.” A knowing look gleamed in Drachen’s eye, “And if she sees a mess, then there’ll be no hiding this from those who’d support us. It’s not tactics or strategy. It’s politics. Nice little Langenachtfest gift for the Military Council. If you don’t want to pick up a gun and head in, I’m afraid there’s not much you can do for us right now. Later, though, that’s when the real effort begins. I’ll have somebody find you when I need you. Besides that, as long as you don’t shoot us, we should be golden.”

“You make this surprisingly easy for me,” you muttered.

“It won’t be easy for long.” Drachen’s light tone of voice went dark, “It’s easy to start a fire. Keeping it burning through the night’s not so simple. Be ready.” Drachen smiled again and patted you on the shoulder. “Best for you to get back up to the surface, then. Came from the direction of the manor, yeah? I hear they’re throwing a party. Might be fun to go to.”
“Well,” you admitted, “I was in attendance.”

“And you came down here? Get outta here, come on. Find Rat back at the platform and tell her you want me to take you back. Tell her our hearts have yet to burn out, that’s our pass phrase for tonight. She’ll take you back no problem.”

You nodded, and turned to leave without interruption. “Good luck, then.” You said. “Enough that the grit of the Liberation Front is more than what is needed.”

-----

Where the hell did that moron go?

Anya had gone right back to the tunnel, and Richter’d already gotten lost. God damn it all, she left for…what, five minutes? That cut in her side still hurt, and her head was only slowly ceasing to spin from taking the haymaker to it. On her way back she heard a few snide comments about her having had too much to drink- before they saw the blood. Anya would have really liked a drink right now, but she needed to keep as focused as she could. Richter had just walked on into the dark tunnels- and who knows who could have found him.

Anya didn’t find anything either. It was too damn dark- she had to hold her lighter in front of her constantly, and the light it gave was practically negligible.
Well, there was a way for her to find something.

“HEY, RETARD!” she shouted into the darkness, “GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!”

Echoes. Then, the tapping of feet.

“Big sis?”

Oh, goddamnit. Anya recognized the voice of one of her Ashes- whose name for her was one that was both cute and stupid at the same time. Better than them calling her mom, at least.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Anya hissed, “Didn’t I say not to go poking around in this sort of shit?” Anya tried not to swear in front of the children, but she was a bit on edge right now. Getting shanked would do that. “Never mind. Listen, I’m looking for a dumbass. Has anybody else come down here recently?”

“Uh, yeah! Some weirdo who didn’t talk.”

“That’s him.” Anya didn’t need any further confirmation. “What way did he go?” The runt, who was about eleven years old or so, pointed behind Anya. She turned around, and there was a door. “Oh. Thanks.” Anya pushed through the door.

“Wait!” the Ashes girl tugged on Anya’s waist in the wrong place, and Anya had to grit her teeth to keep from cursing a whole lot. “They don’t know you, let me take you in, it’ll be better that way.”

Anya let the girl lead the way. She couldn’t respond for fear that when she stopped biting her tongue she’d let out the tail end of what being squeezed on even a small knife wound felt like.

-----

“Hold up,” Rat said after you gotten proper clearance to go back the way you came, “Another train’s coming down the line. Who knows why. Don’t think there was any requests sent out for that direction.”

“Alright.” You were somewhat curious of what it could be, too. You made small talk in the meantime. “Sorry about lying to you. I wanted to be careful.”

Rat shrugged. “It meant a quiet train ride. Made you a good listener. If Drachen’s fine enough with you to just let you go, I don’t mind.”

“He said he used to be in Ellowie, then he went to Sosaldt,” you recounted, “And now he’s back here. How long was he in Sosaldt? Do you know?”

“More than twenty years now.” Rat said, “Came back after the invasion was finished, started tying things down. Not a lot of people had a plan after we got conquered, but he did. It’s all you need to rise up in these times, though it’s not like he doesn’t have his charms.”

“I feel like I’ve seen him before,” you said to Rat, “I don’t know where. I know I’ve never met him.”

Rat shrugged. “How many people did you get to know in Sosaldt, if you’re the storied Kommandant?”

You slumped. “Not many, I admit.”

When the train started pulling in, both you and Rat watched to see what was in it…and you weren’t prepared for what came.

Anya jumped from the train before it came to a stop, landed on the platform, and grabbed you by your collar and pulled your face down to hers. Something in that fire in her bright green eyes was…alluring. Less so was what seemed like a trickle of blood running down the side of her head.

“Give me a heart attack, why don’t you?” Anya snapped at you, “Whatever you’re doing fucking about here, you’re done. I cleaned up the mess you left for me, because the Gendarmes are all a pack of fat ass clowns. Now come on. We’re going back. Getting a drink. Dancing. I don’t give a shit, as long as it’s not you galumphing off on your own to where the Judge doesn’t even know.”

“One after another…” Rat coughed off to the side.

>You’re right. There is a party on, isn’t there? We should head back.
>Is that blood? Are you hurt? You should stay here a bit and have that looked at. (While you do what?)
>The party stinks. Let’s do something else instead, if you’ve gone to the trouble of chasing after me. (What?)
>Other?

>>3575867
>You’re right. There is a party on, isn’t there? We should head back.

Normally I'd say get that looked at but if we return and she suddenly has all of her wounds bandaged the Gendarme might get suspicious.
Better to get stitched up at the Manor and let her indulge in the glory of saving a King.

>>3575867
>>You’re right. There is a party on, isn’t there? We should head back.
Also describe Drachen to Anya; maybe she'll know him.

>>3575867
>>Is that blood? Are you hurt? You should stay here a bit and have that looked at.

>>3575932
Second

>>3575867
Supporting these >>3575932 >>3575951

>>3575897
>>3575932
>>3575951
>>3575986
>>3575997
Head back- if there's any treatment to be done do it back in the other place. Also ask about the dragon guy.

>>3575954
Stay back here, you.

Not going to let all her effort dressing up go to waste then. Writing.

You continued looking into Anya’s eyes as she glared at you. Did she really not care at all that she was wounded? “You’re right.” She wasn’t getting any happier the longer you took to answer, “There is a party on, isn’t there? We should head back. Plenty of both of those things there.”

The fire faded in Anya’s eyes. “Good. First train back, then.”

-----

A driver besides Rat took you back- on the way, you asked Anya why she was hurt. She told you to save it for later; that she was fine. Anya was stubborn about whether or not her getting hurt meant she was out of the fight- you were certain it nearly killed her back in Sosaldt, but there wasn’t near enough blood nor did Anya seem weak enough for whatever it was to be serious.

“You still have the dress, right?” you asked Anya.

“Of course I do.” Anya said, “I’m thinking I can sell it later for a lot. Designer says he’s famous, after all. Or that he will be famous. One of the two.” She paused. “So what were you doing here?”

“Making friends.”

“So we’re off to our deaths, then.”

“Ha.” You made a fake, dry laugh. “No. It means this leader of the NLF around here, Drachen, is one of our allies. Of a sort. Not that we’ll want to announce it publicly. He said he was in Sosaldt, and he calls me Kommandant like he was in the Army of the Republic. Since he was in Sosaldt, it’s a long shot, but…have you heard of anybody like that? He has blonde hair and green eyes, if that helps.”

“I dunno.” Anya said with hardly a thought. “A lot of people go by fake names. A lot of people called themselves something that was supposed to be scary, Drachen wasn’t that rare. I dunno why he kept the name going back. Besides, if he was part of Cyclops’s crew he was in the west. Not my stomping grounds.”

“He said he was in Sosaldt for more than twenty years,” you added, “Surely that’s enough? I mean, it’s…how old are you, about?”

“About as old as you, don’t you think? We’ve talked about this, I dunno what my birthday is. My mom didn’t know.” Anya’s mouth curved down for some reason, “…Huh. Nah. Whoever he is, he don’t ring any bells. Over twenty years though…that’s a really long time to be there. If you’re in Sosaldt for that long you’re usually moving south at some point, or staying in one of the bigger places like Gusseisenholz.”

“I suppose he’s another mystery then,” you decided.

In more time than you thought it took to get to the other station (this driver must have been more careful), you returned from whence you came. The driver bid you to scram, with a sullen comment that, since you both wandered down here, this entrance would have to be “closed up.”

After you were clear of the resistance, Anya told you how she foiled one of their plans, just before you unintentionally went to have talks with them.

“Oh, I uh,” Anya paused her introduction of the story, “I might have bled on your jacket a little.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve bled all over my clothes. Let’s have a look. Sit on that bunk over there.”

Anya took off your jacket, and pointed you to her wound. It took a significant amount of effort to not look elsewhere on the translucent fabric, even though decorative patterns hid most of what would be considered the most indecent.

“It’s clotted up,” you concluded, “I’m sure we can have somebody here look at it. You said you saved the King, though? Surely he’d appreciate being saved enough to lend a few stitches.”

“He almost got shot, but the guy didn’t count on me being more than good enough for him,” Anya aid confidently, closing her eyes and smirking, “I kept him occupied for the Gendarmes to realize they had to do something, and they tackled him. He hit pretty damn hard though. I think he almost knocked my brains out of my head.”

“Speaking of that,” you rose again, “Wait again, let me see if I can get a wet towel from the bathroom or something.” The blood had dried black and ugly on Anya’s head and side; you wouldn’t suffer her to be marred by such ugly stains if you could help it. Thankfully, the bunker had clean cloth to go with its access to water piping, so you were able to return to Anya and dab away the dried blood on her, to return her to ballroom standard. “That should be better. Did you stay and receive any accolades?”

“Nope.” Anya shook her head. “After the guy was down and the red jackets were on him, I went straight back to look for you.”

“Oh.” You prepared to throw the bloody cloth into a corner…then thought better of it and stuffed it under the mattress on the bunk. “You…didn’t have to do that.”

“My ass I didn’t have to.” Anya retorted haughtily, whipping her hair to the side away from you and straightening her back, pushing out her chest, “I’m half thinking you need a leash put on you, for how far you wandered off. What if you weren’t lucky? Then I’d had to have come around.”

“Fine. Thank you.” You said crossly while rolling your eyes.

“It was nothing.”

“For saving the King, too. You took a few hits, and you deserve something for that.”

“…That was nothing, too.” Anya repeated. “…Hm, something…well, for now,” she got up, “Let me go and get my dress again. I want to go dance.”

“You…want to dance.” You echoed flatly. “Who are you and what did you do with my retinue?”

“If we don’t, we’ll have wasted all that time Grumpus had us do spinning around,” Anya turned back and yanked you to your feet, “Hurry up, they probably won’t do this for much longer if enough people tell the King he can’t have a party when people are trying to kill him.”

-----

Anya was changed back in no time- once again, you traded your clothes, and all was right. Well, except one thing.

“Hold on,” you told Anya as soon as you were both in the light again, “I need to fix something.” You shifted around behind her. You hadn’t been away long, but…Anya’s back was far more distracting than you remembered when it was in a backless dress.

“Well, whatever you need to fix, hurry up.”

Right. “Give me your pins, I need to put your hair in a ponytail.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize it was something so important,” Anya’s voice overflowed with the stick of sarcasm.

“It is very important.” You weren’t being sarcastic, though.

You drew your hands through Anya’s hair to pull it backwards, and…

“…I see these got some more use,” you said as you looked at the blood encrusted on Anya’s hairpins. A few pulls along the steel sections got…enough, of it off.

“Yeah, they’re pretty cool.”

“There,” you turned the pins in place and secured Anya’s hair back, “All is as it should be.” You batted it back and forth.

“Do that again and I’ll sock you,: Anya growled.

You ignored the threat. “So what, drinks first or dancing? You said you wanted both.”

“One’ll make the other more fun. What do they have?”

“Sparkling wine and spirits.”

“I’ve never had sparkling wine.” Anya said blankly.

Really? You thought, “It’s got effervescence. Fizzy like cola.”

“That sounds great!” Anya immediately assumed that because it was fizzy like cola, it must have been cola. She’d be sorely disappointed if it was a dry wine, you thought.

You didn’t get far towards the objective, though, before you were stopped in the hall by the woman who had been accosting Captain Kelwin earlier; though she had a pair of red jacketed Gendarmes minding her as well as the flunkies. She spied Anya and shouted, “There she is!” in an odd voice, perhaps related to the cloth she clenched tight around her nose. She was shapely, pretty, and covered in gems and jewels…and furious. “You.” She snarled at Anya, who seemed utterly unimpressed. “You laid a hand on a cousin of the King, the Royal Blood of the House of Wladysaw! On the Duchess of Diameniglica! In times of eld you could lose a hand for that. Guards, apprehend her.”

“Hold on,” you got between Anya and them, “What’s this about?”

“I punched her in the face.” Anya said like nothing serious at all was happening.

“…Why?”

“She’s annoying, and she wouldn’t get out of the way.” Clearly Anya didn’t care much for higher social graces. “I don’t care who or what she is.”

“You’re her partner?” the Duchess sneered, “You have a low standard indeed, to pick some trollop off the street most like. That matters not. Punish her or turn her over to me, or I will do my utmost to torment you, do you understand? Do it here, and now!”

>Ignore her. This would be likely be seen as a great offense, but what did you care?
>Refuse, and ask if that is the reward of those who would save the king’s life. (Probably will want to say what to do if this doesn’t work)
>Anya can take it. Apologize and surrender Anya; you didn’t need a political enemy like this.
>She can’t be serious. Carry out some mock punishment clearly meant to take the piss and be on your way. (Like what?)
>Punch the Duchess in the face.
>Other?

>>3576456
>Refuse, and ask if that is the reward of those who would save the king’s life. (Probably will want to say what to do if this doesn’t work)

>She can’t be serious. Carry out some mock punishment clearly meant to take the piss and be on your way.
Bat the ponytail if necessary

Ok, Guys. I called it. The true target was UGZ-07. Problem is, now we are in cahoot with the Ellowian. Meaning all our preparation for a decisive and glorious strike to prevent UGZ-07 from falling are severly undermined.
My plan was to rush to the Kommandatur or whatever it is called to secure it. It's where the leadership is and I remember the place being undermanned and most importantly full of weapons.

We could still do the same thing that was done in New Houdeberg. Move in, but just disperse and not search for actual confrontation. Maybe leave them to pillage the place while only protecting leadership, pretending that our small number and the fact that the great protector is still under threat limit our ability to quell the revolt properly.

I'm quite lost because we keep swinging side. Ellowie with its proud martial tradition as an underdog and traditionnal ally of Strossvald always felt like the logical group to support but I'm now well invested with Netillians and it was supposed to be our night to shine.

Good things we took the Ellowian platoons with us. Discretly collaborating with Ellowian resistance will be easier in the coming night. We will have to be really weary about witnesses though, I still want those reputation points.

>>3576456
this >>3576468

>>3576468
+1

>Refuse, and ask if that is the reward of those who would save the king’s life. (Probably will want to say what to do if this doesn’t work)
Bring us to the king so he give an appropriate punishment for either his saviour or his cousin's tormentor.
I can't wait for him to be in love with Anya

>>3576456
>>Refuse, and ask if that is the reward of those who would save the king’s life. (Probably will want to say what to do if this doesn’t work)
>>She can’t be serious. Carry out some mock punishment clearly meant to take the piss and be on your way.
If need be slap her hard enough to keep up appearances; it's not the first time we've used force on Anya.

>>3576456
>>Refuse, and ask if that is the reward of those who would save the king’s life.
>If it doesn't work, appeal to the king himself.

>>3576468
Bat the pony tail, and worse comes to worse bring it to the King. Hopefully he doesn't favor her, especially since it sounds like his relatives are eager for his death.

>>3577783
Supporting

>>3576456
>Other
Punish Anya my informing her she will have to burn her dress and forfeit her accouterments at the end of the day. Try to play into respecting the duchess’ authority to prevent her from demanding some more immediate punishment.

Dead on Saturday. Better now.

>>3576468
>>3576474
>>3576478
>>3577783
>>3577804
Piss off both women involved. Very efficient.

>>3576481
>>3576753
>>3577783
>>3577804
Go to his majesty directly.

>>3576485
Smack her in the face, maybe this time she won't make fun of you after it.

>>3579050
Give up yo shit.

Writing now, update will be soon.

>>3576470
Technically, UGZ-07 isn't part of your responsibilities. The one close to you that you've been doing all the work with is UGZ-09. That said, it's not impossible to play both sides- but being a double agent is risky business, after all.

As it was, few you knew took the High Protector seriously, let alone acknowledged his royal status. This Duchess was his cousin; besides being young and pretty, you doubted anybody truly respected her position. You had to wonder if she even wielded any real power.

“I think not,” you declared firmly, “Miss Nowicki, I heard, subdued an assassin who would have made an attempt on his highness’s life. Is this the sort of favor the Ellowian royalty gives those who aid them?”

“Keh.” The Duchess tried her best to give you an intimidating glower, but unlike the Major, she was shorter than you- and compared to the Intelligence Office lady, she was so much the lesser. “My cousin’s affairs are his own. I will not wait at your convenience to seek redress. Beseech me or insult me. Make your decision carefully.” She seemed quite confident, but the red jacketed guards didn’t share that. When you had mentioned what Anya did, they had looked at each other and seemed reluctant to be there any longer. Evidently they did not respect the new royal status enough to do their bidding for petty grudges.

You made a heavy, dramatic sigh. “I suppose I have no choice but to lay down the most terrible humiliation upon this young woman.” You swiped at Anya’s ponytail and batted it to the right, then left, and repeated such a few more times like a cat with a springy flower. There was a sort of soul-purifying feeling to watching her hair fluff up as you hit it.

The Duchess was rendered dumb.

“I will be going, then,” you said, wrapping your arm around Anya’s, “We will be going directly to his Majesty and High Protector Wladysaw XI, so if you wish to pursue this further, we will be there.”
It probably was far from over, you thought as you gently pulled Anya along, but maybe you’d bought a little time with that stupid performance. Either that or she’d rush to get there first and screw you over. Best to head straight over-

As soon as you were out of sight of the Duchess Anya wound up and punched you right in the side.

“Gah!” you coughed, and your hand shot to your ribs, “What was that for?”

“I said if you hit my hair like that again I’d sock you.” Anya said sorely, “You think I was bullshitting?”

“Some way to thank me for covering for you. Gehh…”

“Quit being such a baby, I didn’t hit you that hard.” Anya grumbled, “…But. Yeah. Thanks. I would have been fine, but…thanks. I probably would have gotten in more trouble handling it my way.”

“Were you going to punch her more?” you asked slyly.

“Maybe.” You’d have guessed Anya wasn’t being serious, but you weren’t sure now. “Hey, is this the direction the drinks are?”

“We should go straight to the High Protector,” you told Anya, “So his cousin can’t get her story to him first.”

“What if she already told him? Besides, I think I’ll need a drink before talking to him. Or five.”

“Please see him with me,” you repeated, “Just in case. You’ve seen him, right? Help me look for him.”

Anya relented, and you led her towards the ballroom, where you expected his majesty to be. Hopefully, you wouldn’t encounter any more characters who were out for you in one way or another. Like the Kommissar from earlier, Zohl. You hadn’t gotten to see him yet, though you’d heard plenty- Anya at least would know what he looked like, even though the escorts would probably make him stand out.

When Anya pointed him out, on the second floor, he didn’t appear like you thought he would. Most people would be alarmed that an assassin had tried to kill them, but Wladysaw XI seemed almost amused, like it was a spot of excitement. You had been gone for almost an hour, and you were certain that the attacks you anticipated would have begun- yet that seemed no reason to halt the festivities.

The man himself was a dark brown haired man, likely in his late twenties or early thirties, and he wore a golden gorget and many sparkling rings upon his fingers, but besides that was much less gaudily decorated than some of the other socialites, in a black suit with a soft green shirt underneath. He was speaking with what looked like an official of some sort, by their lack of martial uniform, with a wine glass held lazily between his fingers and a look on his face like some plan unknown to all was going awfully well. You went straight for him- time was of the essence.

“Hold it right there, sir,” A guard stopped you before you got too close, “No approaching the king without-“

“Who is this?” Wladysaw interrupted the guard, and approached from behind, apparently losing interest in who he was talking to before, “Move along,” he told the guard, “There is no threat from this man.” He looked back to you, “I believe you are the Coordinator, from the Archduchy, here to aid in training the Military Council’s men?”

You bowed reflexively- Wladysaw was shorter than you, and lesser nobility were not meant to flaunt their height over their betters. “Your majesty,” you said, still facing the ground, “I am Richter Von Tracht, and indeed, I am of the Archduchy. It is a pleasure to meet with you.”

“And who is this?” the King motioned to Anya. She didn’t bow, or curtsy, or anything, but he didn’t mention it. “I am told this young woman foiled an attempt on my life. When I last caught a glimpse of her, she was dressed quite differently.” He glanced at your jacket, “In your clothes in fact. I much prefer her current apparel, however.”

“As do I.” you blurted, then coughed, belatedly covering the comment, then cleared your throat as if that was what you were trying to do all along. “Yes. This is Sergeant Anya Nowicki, part of the Archduchy’s army, and my retinue.”

“I see." Wladysaw said, "Lady Nowicki, may I take your hand?” Anya hesitated, but offered her right hand, and flinched when the King kissed it on the back. “There has been quite some talk going around about you, miss, even before your heroism. Specifically your scars. They are quite imposing this close.”

Anya pulled her hand back from Wladysaw’s. “Yeah. Well.”

“If it were not for that scar across your face, you would be quite fetching. A shame.” The king said casually, “But I suppose it matters naught next to a strong character.”

“Hm.” Anya wasn’t as vocal as you thought she’d be- maybe she just couldn’t think of anything to say that was polite, and did what she thought would be wiser and keep relatively quiet.
“I would request opportunities to acquaint ourselves with one another, but,” the king chuckled to himself, “It appears you are already accounted for, with the hold Von Tracht has on you.”

…Your grip on Anya’s arm had tightened. You didn’t even notice that you were doing it.

Wladysaw shrugged. “Of course, it would not do for you to have no reward for your deeds. Whatever you name, I shall do my utmost to see that you have it.”

He was clearly talking to Anya, but she didn’t say anything at first. Was she waiting for you to declare something for her?

>Mention that Anya got into some trouble with the Duchess, and request that be cleared up, and entirely forgiven.
>Prompt Anya to declare what she wants as a reward; it is her’s to claim, after all.
>Mention that you may have been having difficulties lately in carrying out your tasks, and that some extra resources your way would be appreciated…(RP Reward, for later Requisition Purchases)
>Other?

>>3579555
>Mention that you may have been having difficulties lately in carrying out your tasks, and that some extra resources your way would be appreciated…(RP Reward, for later Requisition Purchases)

>>3579555
>>Prompt Anya to declare what she wants as a reward; it is her’s to claim, after all.
Suggest while doing so that more resources for our unit would always be useful if she can't think of anything she wants personally. Hopefully she'll get the hint or at least not ask for something stupid.

>>3579555
>>Mention that you may have been having difficulties lately in carrying out your tasks, and that some extra resources your way would be appreciated…(RP Reward, for later Requisition Purchases)

>>3579555
>Prompt Anya to declare what she wants as a reward; it is her’s to claim, after all.

I was going to say get our unit some Munitions Casters but I want Richter to give that to her personally. If she can't decide then resources towards that would also work.

I don't think he has any real clout to help us out here.

>>3579555
>Prompt Anya to declare what she wants as a reward; it is her’s to claim, after all.

Must resist urge to ask for our magic tank back.

>>3579555
>>Mention that you may have been having difficulties lately in carrying out your tasks, and that some extra resources your way would be appreciated…(RP Reward, for later Requisition Purchases)

Rolled 2 (1d2)

Tied up then?
To the dice.

1 is ask Anya what she wants.
2 is claim the reward for yourself, in the form of gear stuff.

>>3580117
Late but
>>>Mention that you may have been having difficulties lately in carrying out your tasks, and that some extra resources your way would be appreciated…(RP Reward, for later Requisition Purchases)
I'm sure with the RP we have we can always get Anya that grenade launcher she's been drooling about.

>>3579555
Richter is for Maddy tanq. Cease your heresy immediately.

>>3580360
I second this cease and desist order

>>3580360
I object! There are no legal documents stating that these two individuals are locked into a conjugal union.

tanq please continue your heresy.

“Well,” you picked up where Anya wouldn’t, “Our unit has had some difficulties in carrying out the tasks required of us, and there’ve been signs that it won’t get any easier. So, it would be appreciated if your influence could have some extra resources directed towards us…”

King Wladysaw XI’s smile lessened, then faded. “Hm. I can…see what I can do. Perhaps it is not so obvious from how I carry myself, but in spite of me being a monarch, I have little control over military affairs. My Gendarmes are the limit of what I am allowed, and they are as of now rather small in number…though I do have political clout. I can see what I can do.”

>For what the King of Ellowie lacks in power independent of the Military Council, he still has the power afforded to even a mere puppet. 12 Requisition points have been added to your total, bringing it to 16 RP. This is before any rewards brought about by tonight’s interventions.

“Would this please Miss Nowicki?” the king asked.

Anya didn’t seem very comfortable with being referred to by her last name. Perhaps because it wasn’t her true name, perhaps because it was but it was rooted to her mother. You’d never asked which it was. “It would please me, sure.” Anya muttered.

“You are certain?”

“Yeah.” Anya must have been finding it very hard to keep herself down. As far as you knew she wasn’t suited for upper social interaction whatsoever- and being unable to say much of substance must have been making her terribly uneasy, from what you could make from the curved tilt of her bushy eyebrows.

“Then I will do my utmost. Such would be the least I am obligated to.” The king nodded, “Miss Nowicki appears to be intimidated. Is she of common birth?” he asked you.

“She is.” It would have been rude to mention that she was a bastard from Sosaldt- such was practically the subject of scandals in any court you knew of. “If his majesty does not mind, my partner and I have not engaged in much revel since we arrived. I intend to take Miss Nowicki to the floor and dance with her as is proper.”

“Ah, I take no offense. Far be it from me to get in the way of so eager a will.”

You bowed once more, and led Anya away. As you went down the stairs, you asked Anya her opinion on you taking what was ostensibly her reward from her. “I thought about insisting you make your request,” you told her, “But when you were keeping silent…did I take away anything you wanted?”

“What? Nah.” Anya blew a dismissive raspberry, “Honestly, I don’t know what I would have wanted from him that wouldn’t be a huge trade down. A big sack of money? I dunno. I just figured he couldn’t give me anything I actually wanted, so it was better for you to go for what was good for the unit. More appropriate for you to ask that as commander, anyways.”

“As long as you were alright with it. You were wounded, after all. How are you feeling? If anything opens again, we can have a doctor here right away to stitch you up.”

“I’m fine, stupid, quit asking that so much.” Anya gave a testy quip in response, “If I wasn’t I’d say something. No need to be a pest.”

“…Fine, serves me right for caring.” You muttered irritably, “You wanted a drink first, right? Though I couldn’t very well tell the High Protector that we wanted to excuse ourselves for that.”

“Well, duh. I still have to dance with you, don’t I?”

“If that’s your attitude I’ll need a few glasses myself,” you shot back.

“You want to make a bet on who can down more?” Anya suddenly brightened up with a challenge.

You had to seriously consider it.

>A Holiday Social is no place for a drinking contest. Besides, dancing with dulled senses would be something as is, let alone if both of you were staggeringly intoxicated.
>If you turned down a challenge, she’d make fun of you. And that would be unacceptable. How hard could she be to beat, anyways?
>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.
>Other?

Short I know but I got to here and reconsidered it not being a choice at least.

>>3580360
>>3580364
>>3580404
Nothing wrong with wanting to keep your friends away from questionable men. It's not possessiveness at all!

>>3580416
>>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.
We can throw our own party with the rest of our guys later.

>>3580416
>>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.

>>3580416
>A Holiday Social is no place for a drinking contest. Besides, dancing with dulled senses would be something as is, let alone if both of you were staggeringly intoxicated.

>>3580416
>>>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.

>>3580416
>If you turned down a challenge, she’d make fun of you. And that would be unacceptable. How hard could she be to beat, anyways?

We're likely gonna be super busy the next couple of days with revolts, go grab some sham-paggin.

>>3580416
>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.
Having promised help to two very different people today, there will be plenty of opportunity to drink later, but precious little to dance in so lavish a setting. Let’s finish the night on a more upbeat note.

>>3580416
>>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.

>>3580416
Also I'm surprised given that UGZ-07 is probably going up in flames and with an attempted assassination there doesn't seem to be much of reaction in here right now.

>>3580416
>>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.

>>3580416
>>Offer to take care of that when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to break- better hooch could be procured in a private event anyways.

Somebody kill me.

>>3580437
>>3580447
>>3580461
>>3580522
>>3580537
>>3580593
>>3580610
Private proceedings. Maybe other people will be interested too.

>>3580463
Get wasted now, because you'll want to be later.

>>3580450
Anticipating having to walk in a straight line.

Writing.

>>3580581
Funny, isn't it?

“Maybe later, when there’s less watching eyes and social norms to crack open,” you told Anya, “Besides, the stuff here wouldn’t be ideal.”

“That a yes or a no?” Anya pressed you.

“A yes, but later, and somewhere else.”

Anya didn’t seem very pleased to be delayed, but she sighed, “I’ll take it. Better keep your word.”

That said, she still insisted on trying the sparkling wine. As you feared, it was a dry sort, and Anya coughed as though she had breathed smoke upon imbibing it.

“Blech,” Anya gave the long stemmed glass a withering look, “That’s not like cola at all!” She regarded the glass further. “Well, as long as it has booze in it. Bottoms up.” Anya proceeded to drain the flute in a manner you were wholly sure was not the way one was meant to drink that sort of beverage, before she picked up another and downed it like the first. “Alright. That should be good.”

“So then…shall we dance?” you asked, trying to sound a suave caricature. Anya squinted at you, reached for another glass, and pitched that down her throat as well. “You’re hilarious.” You muttered drily.

“Shut up,” Anya grabbed you by the arm and dragged you into the ballroom. “So how does this work,” she asked as she saw other people circling about the floor in one another’s arms, “Do we just break in there?”

…To be honest, you didn’t know either. Though admitting that would be a defeat. “I hear it’s traditional to wait for the current song to end so that nobody accidentally bumps into you. So we’ll wait for that. It should only be a few more minutes at best.” You remembered that, for whatever reason, the king lorded over everybody on the second floor, rather than coming down for the dancing. He didn’t even appear to have a partner. Surely it couldn’t have been difficult for him to just get one. That wasn’t the only thing on your mind as you waited, watching the flutter of dresses and listening to the sigh of strings, the singing of wind instruments and backing of piano. “With how it is here, you would never guess that there was an attempt on the king’s life, let alone that the UGZ-07 is going up in flames.” At least that was the impression you got from the insurgents’ activities and what Drachen claimed his plans would be.

“This is basically just to make the king look good, right?” Anya suggested, “Probably just doesn’t want to mess up his party. Maybe there’s some novelty in somebody trying to kill him, considering his blood’s not meant shit for so long. Maybe with the UGZ stuff, nobody’s bothered telling anybody here. Maybe everybody knows but it’s not their business to care. Not like we’re in a hurry to get out.” Anya thought a moment, “Well, actually, seems like you were just about to dash over there on instinct. Whatever.”

It did sour the mood a bit knowing you were here doing this while your men were potentially fighting. However, such was the plan all along, was it not? If you hadn’t been in attendance, you wouldn’t have met with the resistance, nor gotten favor from saving the High Protector’s life. No, nobody would begrudge you being here. Though if they did, you wouldn’t blame them…

You sized up Anya again, in preparation to hit the floor. She was short, but not enough so that it would make this difficult since she had donned heels; not like Maddalyn, who you thought would need rather high shoes to match where Anya was right now. It had been too long since you’d seen her, you thought. Could she be coaxed into wearing something like Anya was right now? Maddalyn was quite prudish, even in private, and she tended to dress more modestly. Though if you held her tight enough it hardly mattered.

She would have been furious if she knew you were here with Anya, about to do this in her absence. Likely sad, as well. The poor little woman had such a terrible self-image. Maybe you’d return to a more confident Maddalyn when she received that engagement ring. Hans had joked about how you wanted her to meet you with nothing under her dress, and you could go either way on that, but you did hope she arrived wearing that ring.
“Hey. Song’s over. Quit zoning out,” Anya dragged you forth. “Hey, you didn’t pick up any drinks at all. Head in the game, fairy.” Anya slapped you twice on the cheek lightly, and you put yourself back in the present. Could you pretend Anya was Maddalyn? No, she wasn’t even close. Except in height. That and to treat anybody as Maddalyn would be to smother them in affection; and that would absolutely not do here. This was for fun, you thought, just treat it as such. That’s probably how Anya would treat it.

You assumed a place on the floor, and put your hand in Anya’s, and the other on her back, and she did the same for you. You could feel from her skin and muscle that she was very tense- though she’d probably be damned if she’d speak up about that. It was a bit funny to think that this fearless mercenary who did not balk at being shot at or being wounded, or apparently threatening to blow herself up, was uneasy at the prospect of dancing at a social scene. That wasn’t to say you weren’t unsure on some level, but when you framed this as a battle…things just made more sense, as though you were sure a conclusion was on its way and thus you could stride on the current path with confidence.

The music started; a song you recognized distantly but didn’t know terribly well. The room began to move, and you did your best to compensate as you took Anya around, trying to float along the now swirling sea.

>Roll as many sets of 1d100 as desired. Higher is better. The more you do, the longer you dance for. If you roll below a 20 after the first, though, you’ve messed up enough to sort of screw the mood so it might not be best to try and salvage it after that…

Rolled 25 (1d100)

>>3582266
A dangerous game...

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>3582266
>>3582274
Oh god, we didn't even drink anything.

Rolled 91 (1d100)

>>3582266

Rolled 74 (1d100)

>>3582266
So I hear there's a piano at this here party. Be a shame if somebody danced through it

Oi, stop rolling boys. A 91 is pretty nice, and the odds we surpass that are lower than the odds of a sub-20 roll...

>>3582319
Yeah 4 rolls seems good enough.

>>3582319
>>3582337
Noted then, capping at four.

>>3582312
Cheeky.

Writing.

The first song, you were still getting used to this new environment, and you very nearly stumbled into other dancers, the pillars, and once Anya knocked into you and nearly tipped you over, but the look on her face after told you it hadn’t been on purpose. The end of the first round had the people near you giving wary, even dirty looks, but you certainly weren’t about to give up yet. You guessed that your blonde partner felt the same way, as she bit her lip in frustration, and you saw her mutter something under her breath that she didn’t deign to repeat, but her hold on you didn’t loosen and when the next song started, you were both ready.

This time went much better, as neither of you tripped over each other nor did you bump into other people, or outside of the bounds of the dance floor. However, you both couldn’t help but be stiff and lacking in flow, as the first time had probably spooked the both of you into being overly careful. It wasn’t terrible, but it was far from good. Thankfully, the song was a rather short one.

“Alright, enough warm up, it’s time to stop messing around.” Anya said curtly, and she adjusted her grip, and slid herself close, putting herself right in your chest.

“What?” you coughed in surprise, “Isn’t this-“

“I’m not gonna look like shit if I can help it. This should motivate you, shouldn’t it?” It certainly made your blood pump faster. “Straighten up! This time we’re serious, yeah?”

The next song started before you were quite ready, and Anya forced you along, but it only took a moment to adapt. She was right- her being this close did motivate you, as your steps quickened to the beat. It was a faster paced song, which you didn’t notice until later, as your mind was set entirely on weaving a tapestry of step over the floor. You reached the edge, spun Anya around, and continued in a graceful spin to the other side as though you ricocheted directly back. Dots connected in your head to match this to your practiced par routines, and everything suddenly…flowed. You worked up a sweat with how you swept across the floor with Anya, but when the song ended your blood was still up- more, where was the rhythm?

“Alright, calm down there,” the press of Anya’s body went away, and you stared blankly at Anya, who had a cocky grin smeared across her face, though she was looking at the other dancers and not you. “That was pretty damn good, and they know it.” She looked back at you, “Remember that for when you get back to your midget, yeah? It’ll blow her socks off.”

“Ah. So you enjoyed that?”

“Wasn’t it obvious?” Anya knocked on your crown, “Hey, anybody alive in there?” You were too flattered to take offense. “One more. I don’t think you can get better than that last one, but I feel like doing one more song.”

“Me too.” You didn’t pull Anya close for this; you didn’t need the extra energy this time. As the song began, it was slower anyways, more a waltz, so though there wasn’t the bliss of the rapidity of movement, the intensity of moving precisely with one another, you had your flow and could read the current of the room, so you did well enough. This time was longer, and instead of being frantic, this dance was calming, peaceful, and when it ended you and Anya faded readily apart and left from the floor, along with a few others. It seemed that things were slowing down anyways, though the band played on for those who were willing.

“I’d say this should be a night, but,” Anya looked towards the front of the manor with half closed eyes. “I get the feeling that either we’ll be stuck out here a bit or that nobody’ll be waiting for us back at camp. It’s not like I’ve heard anything being announced about the stuff going on tonight. I wouldn’t be surprised if we were kept here for our safety or other crap though. Maybe if we leave with a few of the guys you have patrolling around? If somebody didn’t round them up for their own uses.”

“Nobody would do that. I gave explicit orders to not follow a word from anybody but myself or my officers.” You had guessed ahead of time that somebody would try and steal away your soldiers, and had taken precautions against such.

“Just in case. Though, if it turns out everybody’s trapped here, you can probably find anybody important locally here. I dunno.” Anya shrugged. “I’ve had my fill. If we really want to get out it’s not like it’d be difficult.”

>Look around the party for somebody. There was still business you could take care of. (What sort of person do you want to look for?)
>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)
>You might be done at the manor, but that didn’t mean you were heading back to camp. There were things you needed to take care of with the Major…(Head to nearby Kamienisty)
>Other?

>>3582535
>>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)
If someone sees us just say we're going to check on our men.

>>3582535
>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)

Young men and women sneak out all the time for *reasons* if we're questioned.

>>3582535
>>>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)
Grabbing an escort or two sounds wise if we're walking

>>3582535
>>>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)

>>3582535
>Other: See if we can off that commissar while we're still here.

>>3582535
>>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)

>>3582535
>>The less time you spend here now, the better. It’s time to hit the road, regardless of who approves. (Sneak out if you are obstructed and head back to camp.)
Dont forget the booze
also dont forget Kelwin

>>3583893
Supporting

Late update, I know. Plans for today went several directions and now I am here.

>>3582542
Leave and say you want to check on the men.

>>3582573
Leave and say you're planning to scramble some eggs

>>3582648
>>3582712
Scram
>>3582597
And get some of your people with you.

>>3583893
>>3583933
Like your friend Alcohol. Also Kelwin.

>>3582679
Go shoot Kommissar Zohl.

It's a walk-out then. Good try and wanting to kill the mosshead.

Writing.

“We should be leaving,” you agreed, “But first…I need to drink something myself, I’ve been parched this whole time. Oh!” You remembered with a slap to your head, “We need to get Kelwin back too! The Judge only knows where he’s gone off to, I haven’t seen him since we got back…”

“Then we should split up and look for him.” Nya said, but you nabbed her before she could get away. “What? Do you have any clue where he is? We’ll cover more ground.”

“Just in case,” you muttered, noticing a red spot spreading at Anya’s side, “…besides, you’re bleeding again.”

Anya bent sideways to look. “Oh, goddamnit,” she swore, “Probably ripped back open when you were throwing me around.”

“Sorry.”

“No regrets,” Anya snapped back at that, “It’ll be fine. I wasn’t planning on having to wear this again anyways.” You would have disagreed with that, but thought better of expressing that out loud. “…I mean, not that the dress is bad or anything, I just dunno how much I like these sort of things now that I’ve been to one. I don’t like being where I’m not wanted, I’ve spent enough time in Todesfelsen to at least have that figured out.”

“…Hmmm.”

“Alright, let go of me,” Anya pushed your hand off of her, “We’ll stick together. I keep you from getting kidnapped or getting lost, you’ll keep me from being pestered by bimbos decorated like the tree. Deal?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, “I’m going to guess he’s upstairs. Just a hunch. Last I saw him he was being accosted by a group of women. I mean, I just figure, he was dragged up there-”

“That he’s getting laid?” Anya cut in, “So just leave him here.”

“Well, no. The people I saw him with were the Duchess and her group.”

Anya shrugged mightily. “Well, not much chance of that, then. I saw them after and they weren’t chasing him around. I guess he’s just hiding. He seems like the sort that would.”

What’s that supposed to mean? You wondered internally, but you led the way on up towards where you thought the likely culprit rooms were. One smoky break room yielded no results- when you asked the crowded, rather rowdy room, they denied seeing anybody like Kelwin recently. A few of the military men inside recognized Anya, having seen her perform her good turn for the day, and asked to shake her hand. Anya left that room with an aura of smugness that you could feel radiating next to you like a sun.

The next room yielded nothing as well, but it was oddly empty; you only had a moment before a tall and broad burly fellow the next door over came around and called for the both of you to get out.

“That room is reserved,” he said in a very urban, low class sounding accent. “ As are the next two down. I need you both to step out of there.”

“We’re looking for a man,” you said, “A man called Captain Raley Kelwin. He’s about…this high, and has a boyish look.”

“He’s got a face like a chick.” Anya added helpfully.

“Have you seen him come around? Towards any of your rooms.” You finished.

“Nope. I would have seen. And told him to scram.” The large man motioned and you both obediently exited.

“Who is reserving all these rooms, and why?” you asked.

“Captain of State Security Kommissar Zohl,” the large man said, arms crossed. “He and some guests are engaging in high stakes gambling and betting. Nobody comes in without his say so, so your guy wouldn’t be in there.”

“I see. Thank you anyways.” High stakes gambling? You had thought that Zohl had gone upstairs to…well, have relations with…you didn’t know how else to refer to the unfortunate woman with him other than a slave. Gambling?

As you walked on, you talked with Anya about it. “What in the world sort of gambling could he be doing?”

“The kind nobody’s allowed to see or get in on, obviously. So not poker or baccarat.”

“How in the hell do you know what baccarat is?” you asked, befuddled by that mention.

“Guess.” Anya said flatly. “It’d be too convenient if he was playing sixshooter roulette. If nobody’s allowed to see, maybe it’s not the game, but what’s being bet. Who knows? He seemed to have a stiffy for you, so if you wanted to get in on it, I bet you could.”

It was worth consideration, but then you thought about how any gambling game, in order for you to participate, required some manner of betting in. If the stakes were high, and knowing what you did of the cruel Kommissar, what had to be bet would be…you looked at Anya.

“No. We still have to find our Captain, or else we’ll have to send you out in the woods again to dredge up another one.”

“Ech. Yeah, good point. Besides, we already have a wager tonight, right?” Anya winked at you with a smirk, “One I bet I’ll win. Well, so long as everything outside isn’t too fucked up. Here’s hoping.”

After a few more rooms, you finally found Kelwin… having wedged himself under a bed in a combination lounge and rest area, both for ladies to compose themselves from the vapors…and to address them another way, or so you heard. His legs to his knees stuck out from the side, and it looked like either somebody had tried to pull him out, or had tried to steal his pants before giving up halfway. When you moved to the other side of it, his wide eyes glinted in the dark.

“Oh, hello, Coordinator,” Kelwin sounded relieved, “Could you help me?” he asked meekly, “I’m…stuck.”

“Are you still a virgin?” Anya mocked with a merciless cackle as she crouched and looked underneath with you.

“Uhhh,” Kelwin’s eyes darted back and forth. “Y-yes, but…Why are upper class women so frightening?”

“They’re not all like that,” you sighed, gesturing for Anya to go to one end. “One, two…rrggh.” The bed wasn’t particularly light, but with two people, it was easy, and Kelwin was able to escape.

“Thank you,” the young officer breathed lightly, “I don’t know how long I was stuck under there, but I think people were pretending not to notice me…and I was too embarrassed to cry out for help.”

“What were you doing under the bed?” you asked. You had an idea of why, but you wanted to hear it from Kelwin.

Anya was far more presumptive, and to be fair, she had been from the get go. “So which one tried to deflower you, huh? Was it the Duchess, the Weasel King’s oh so great and glorious blood?”

“Well…” Kelwin turned red, “Yes. She and her friends pushed me up here, and she…put my face in her…chest. That was all well and good. Then she touched me. A lot. With...such soft hands...
”
“Wow, what a whore.” Anya muttered snidely. “Oh, do go on. So why are you stuffed under the bed instead of all the way up to her broke-ass nose?”

Kelwin frowned despondently. “She has a very nice nose…”

“Pfffheheheh, not anymore, she doesn’t,” Anya snickered.

Kelwin frowned, but continued. “Anyways…I wouldn’t have minded if it was her. She is highborn, beautiful, graceful…a-and, who knows, maybe if I let Kamilia Izabet Von Katski take advantage of me, it could…bloom into something more…” Kelwin toyed with his hat in his hands, that he had to retrieve from having fallen off under the bed, before shoving it over his head and pulling the brim over his face, “…Saying it all out loud makes me realize how silly it all is, really. Anyways, it didn’t happen that way. She tried to substitute one of her friends, and that was…well, unacceptable. So I fled and trapped myself by accident. A long time ago, back in the slums at home I was always able to fit into tight spaces fine, but I suppose I’ve grown too much since then.”

“Don’t worry,” Anya feigned a sympathetic downturn of her head while patting Kelwin on the shoulder, “I’m sure under that bed was the tightest spot you’d have found yourself in anyways, considering the company otherwise.”

Kelwin scrunched up his face. “…I don’t understand.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Anya looked back at you, “We found him. Can we get going? Being reminded of that annoying bitch makes me think she’ll show up to be a pain in the ass again if we don’t get the hell out.”

“You’re leaving?” Kelwin’s face fell. “Oh. Hm.” His features drooped ever more in a slip of disappointment. “I feel like a right fool, then. I spend the whole time stuck under a bed.”

“Cheer up. We’re getting drinks on the way out.” You said, “that’ll surely help your opinion of the night.”

The Captain nodded gloomily; he didn’t seem to be very reassured by that suggestion. Maybe something else could lift his spirits?

>Offer to help set him up again. Somehow. You weren’t entirely sure how you’d do it. (How? You could just make an empty promise, too, but that would probably be seen for what it is.)
>Tell Kelwin that he deserves better anyways. Your impression of the Duchess of whatever was that she was horrible.
>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much. Plenty of people would be staying later.
>Other?

Right after I said I'd write I died for a few hours. Apologies.

>>3585033
>>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much. Plenty of people would be staying later.
>Tell Kelwin that he deserves better anyways. Your impression of the Duchess of whatever was that she was horrible.

>>3585033
>>Tell Kelwin that he deserves better anyways. Your impression of the Duchess of whatever was that she was horrible.
>>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much. Plenty of people would be staying later.
He can round up the rest of the guys that aren't escorting us back later.

>>3585033
>>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much.
Plenty of people would be staying later.

Part of me wants to tell him the situation outside, but on the other hand the political dynamic has changed enough that I don't think I want him to be experienced in command anymore.

>>3585033
>>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much. Plenty of people would be staying later.

>>3585033
>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much. Plenty of people would be staying later.

Warn him that if he stays we have been up to quite a bit without him, so try to keep aware of his association with us. Who knows though, maybe some better behaved ladies will be out and about now that the duchess has been given the proper Sosaldt greeting.

>>3585033
>Tell Kelwin that he deserves better anyways. Your impression of the Duchess of whatever was that she was horrible.
>Say that he doesn’t have to leave with you, if he doesn’t feel like he accomplished much. Plenty of people would be staying later.

>>3585033
supporting this >>3585102

Kill me 2 Electric Boogaloo

>>3585038
>>3585044
>>3585103
She was a ho, bro.
>>3585079
>>3585098
>>3585102
>>3586700
Stay a little while longer, not like it could get worse.

Does saying the duchess a shit or not constitute different votes? Eh, I don't think anybody disagrees with that statement anyways.

Update soon.

“Don’t worry about it,” you looked to the ceiling dismissively, “Really. You deserve better than…Von Katski? Her. My impression of her was horrible. Manipulative and vain.”

“Yeah, just a hint, if some broad tries to entrap you it doesn’t matter how rich she is because you’re not gonna like how you get screwed.” Anya backed you up, “Happened a lot where I came from, people’d screw up and let something besides their brains think for them, bam, may as well be charred chicken.”

“Charred chicken?” Kelwin repeated, squinting at Anya. “But…she’s…she’s a Duchess. She’s pretty, she stands tall and straight…Since I was little I thought, I wanted to marry a princess, if I could, and…” Kelwin rubbed his head. “…I suppose I’m naïve, but…I don’t know.”

“Maybe the more polite sorts will come out now that the big fish’s been given the Sosaldtian traditional greeting.” Or handshake? “Anyways.” You took the stick again, since Kelwin was dancing around whatever point he was trying to make. “You don’t have to leave just because we are, if you don’t feel like you’ve done much. Plenty of people will be staying. Just do me a favor and round up the men outside when you’re through, alright?”

“Of course, Coordinator. Er. Richter, can I call you Richter?” Kelwin’s confidence was reaching Maddalyn levels, you thought with no small share of concern.

“Of course you can.” The sound of music and socialization reached even here; it was near impossible to remember that mere kilometers away, abject chaos reigned. “I wouldn’t presume you know what’s happened since you’ve been stuck under there, have you?”

“No.”

“Well, the Sergeant rescued the king from being shot.” You said, with about the amount of concern the king himself displayed.

Kelwin’s eyebrows furrowed. “…And there hasn’t been a lockdown? A cancellation to the party? They’re just…going on?”

“Not much talk about what’s been going on outside either. Seems like everybody’s being kept in the dark as much as possible so this event goes smoothly.” You summed up what you knew of the situation. You didn’t mention your…new friends Captain Kelwin wasn’t a rebellious sort at all. In fact, he was a member of the Defense Party, and for all his objections to ill treatment of Netilland’s new subjects, he indeed believed that they had been rightfully conquered. Was it correct, you wondered, to get too chummy with somebody who, should you go all the way with the Ellowians, would doubtless become your enemy?

“We knew things might happen though,” Kelwin said, “Do you think our people are doing fine? I’d feel, well, absolutely awful, if something was going wrong while we were…just here.” Kelwin hadn’t been clued in on the certainty of the matter. Your own confidants knew that, in order to maintain appearances, you should be here anyways. Kelwin was friendly with you, yes, but he was not of the Archduchy. He was not privy to all of the information.

“They’re fine,” Anya insisted for you, “Now come along and get some wine in you, it tastes like arse but you really need it.”

-----

You and Kelwin got a couple glasses each into you, and you parted ways amiably. Instead of leaving out the front, Anya chose for her and you to vault over the fence around the manor. You were surprised Anya could do it in a dress, really, but neither of you had particular problems.

“Alright. Gotta be serious now.” Anya’s light mood she had at the party vanished without a trace. “Welcome to the shit.” The drinking contest you proposed would be put on hold, it seemed. “Even if tonight is going better than expected it won’t be that way everywhere. C’mon, hurry up, we have to get back right away, and I need to put some pants and boots on. If I get shot at while I’m wearing this I’m gonna die for sure.”

“Who’d want to shoot at you in that? It’s perfect protection.”

“Plenty of people would back down south.”

It didn’t take long to find members your patrolling Netillian platoon, providing a layer of security a good ways out from the manor. They were on edge- once one got away from the manor, the intensity of the distant combat became clear, and it was most certainly more than the stray skirmishes that were typical of distant fields.

“Coordinator, sir,” the sergeant leading the dispersed squad saluted you when you got close enough for him to shine a torch at you, “Have you heard anything about what’s going on? One of the flares popped red, we saw, but we haven’t gotten word from, well, anybody…”

“Which flare?” you asked immediately.

“Reismuhle’s. There was a hell of a lot of gunfire coming from there, cannon shots too, but it’s quieted down. If you’re out here…it means we can all head back to base soon, right? I don’t like how much is goin’ on with how much we ain’t bein’ told so far.”

“You’ll be escorting her and I back to base, yes,” you told the Sergeant, “the rest of you stay until Captain Kelwin collects you. As far as what’s going on tonight, rest assured that you are probably not at risk.” That conclusion was a simple one; if the UGZ-07 was transformed into a warzone, the whole Border Zone around would be on high alert. With as heavy a presence locally as you’d put up, if there were any other priority targets, it would take a foolhardy foe to attack you’re the strongest and most ready positions.

That was what you’d say to them if they asked further; you knew from what Drachen said himself that the NLF was likely to focus on the UGZ for the time being instead of going on any other raids to draw away their manpower from the all-important siege.

The wail of sirens came from Kamienisty; fire engines, you recognized. They were only meant to be deployed in a risky environment such as this when an area was reported secure. That was some bright news for your men, at least, who you expected to be the only ones who would be ready right on the dot. You shared as much with your nervous escorts as they led you down the road back towards camp.

Without motorized conveyance, though, making it back to the camp took longer than anticipated. No interruptions to your trip were made, besides distractions from your own forces. Notably, another patrol from the Blue Knights armored cavalry, ranging beyond their usual territory, but they didn’t stop and offer you a ride.

When you made it back, the camp was near empty. Sparse Ellowian volunteer pickets greeted you as you went back in, but there were no Strossvalders to be seen. The headquarters command tent was sparsely populated by Netillian staff officers, all in a state of distress and very relieved to have somebody to tell them what to do coming back.

“You are back, sir,” a staff officer manning the radio saluted, “We have prepared a report of what has happened in your absence.”

“The situation is not still ongoing?” you asked.

“It is, but, our own involvement in what has become a very large local situation has fallen off some.”

The staff officer apprised you of said situation. Evidently, though both telephone lines to both colonial towns you were watching were cut, only Reismuhle was attacked, and was set aflame. Von Metzeler had gone out with the reaction force, and…not fought the insurgents at all?

“Am I hearing you right?” you asked the staff officer of this.

“He explained his decision as minimalizing casualties while driving off the enemy successfully. He captured a single prisoner. A child soldier. Otherwise, there have been no casualties either on our side or the militant insurgency’s, though civilian casualties have been confirmed. Much of Reismuhle was set afire, and it is likely much of it will be razed to the ground considering the time it took for damage control units to be dispatched.”

“I see.” It was a very fortunate decision to make, if you were going to have continued acquaintance with the NLF. “What of the civilians themselves?”

“They have been transferred to New Jorgenstohn, as per the acting commander’s decision.” Another staff officer who had been watching over a map said, “They were reported as being discontent with the acting Commander Von Metzeler’s decision to…not engage in battle with the enemy besides a show of force, but they were in no position to deny shelter. Since the raid on Reismuhle, no signal of an attack on New Houdeberg has arrived, nor of any disturbances around New Jorgenstohn. Such has been the state of affairs as far as we have been concerned.”

“Although, it’s not been too good elsewhere, to say the least.” The radioman said, “UGZ-07 is in full, open revolt. Units have been called in, in what’s been declared an emergency situation. Acting Commander Von Metzeler…ignored the calls, in favor of handling our local developments. Battalion command was, and is, rather upset about this…you will probably want to speak with them.”

>You couldn’t avoid it forever. Get on the phone with Battalion Command and hope for the best.
>You didn’t feel like talking with command tonight. Get in touch with Von Metezeler instead. (And discuss/inquire about what?)
>Claim that you’re about to be indisposed for a bit. Maybe there was a space for that drinking contest after all if your share in the chaos tonight had ended…
>Other?

>>3586904
>>You couldn’t avoid it forever. Get on the phone with Battalion Command and hope for the best.
Best not to bullshit them for too long.

>>3586904
>>You couldn’t avoid it forever. Get on the phone with Battalion Command and hope for the best.

>>3586904
>>You couldn’t avoid it forever. Get on the phone with Battalion Command and hope for the best.
Now we need to somehow find a balance between helping both sides.

>>3586904
>>You couldn’t avoid it forever. Get on the phone with Battalion Command and hope for the best.

just tell command that von Metzler had to wait for our word before he could head over to UGZ-07 and that we'd be on our way pronto

>>3586904
>You couldn’t avoid it forever. Get on the phone with Battalion Command and hope for the best.

Be sure to mention to them if they give us any guff that there was an "attack", as it were, against the King and we are currently searching for anymore insurgent activity in the area to explain the delay.

>>3586904
>You didn’t feel like talking with command tonight. Get in touch with Von Metezeler instead.
Get a sitrep out of him before we talk to command.

>>3586921
>>3586927
>>3587046
>>3587062
>>3587240
How responsible.

>>3587367
Talk to the Mets

>>3587159
And blame it on him too.

Writing.

This would probably catch up with you at some point, so the sooner you took care of this, the less painful it would be. “Put me on the line with Battalion Command. I’ll talk with them now that I am back.”

The Battalion Commander of the 5th Combined Light Infantry was Lieutenant Colonel Bauyer, a man you hadn’t met with often and had few dealings with besides general guidance and briefings, but you’d heard plenty about him. Much of it generously given to you by the Major, as such was “relevant” to you. Bauyer wasn’t particularly satisfied with his position. He’d been a rising star, but a political enemy had put him in charge of a less than prestigious unit. He was hungry for glory, mindful of reaching out to offer favors, trying his best to clamber upwards rather than staying down, even though you certainly wouldn’t have complained about being a Lieutenant Colonel in general.

“I have Battalion Headquarters on the line,” the staff officer on the radio said to you warily.

You nodded, and took the phone. “This is Lieutenant Von Trach, coordinator for the 5th Light Infantry Battalion’s first company.”

“Coordinator.” Bauyer’s hard edged voice came over the radio, “I could not reach you, nor any of your sub-commanders, for the better part of two hours. Are you aware of what is happening on this night?”

“I am not,” you lied, “I was at the High Protector’s Langenachtfest social, where there was an attempt on his life. I returned to my camp, and there was report of a raid on a town in our sector. What is happening?”

“The High Protector’s..! Ugh.” Lieutenant Colonel Bauyer took a moment to compose himself. “UGZ-07 has suffered a collapse in security. All units within marching distance have been called to contain the threat. This includes 5th Battalion.”

“UGZ-07 is not our area of responsibility,” you pointed out, “Is the uprising really so large that an adjacent sector has to abandon its responsibilities to go take care of another unit’s duties? 1st company itself has been on steadfast patrol tonight.” You wouldn’t normally get away with backtalk to a lieutenant commander. Your coordinator status gave you this rare privilege. There was also the matter that you suspected that Bauyer wasn’t doing this because he was ordered- rather, he wanted the prestige of coming to the rescue of whoever would have their reputation most harmed by the disaster of this uprising. You were even less open to the idea of risking your life for this man’s glory now that you were in secret accords with the Liberation Front. Of course, if Bauyer put his foot down, and you were unable to find some way to stall, you would end up having to do this; not that you couldn’t cause some amount of trouble.

Bauyer seemed to know this too; the unique position your situation gave you to be a potential thorn in the side.

”Listen, Coordinator,” he did his best to assume an aura of patience, “You have some idea of how business is conducted, yes? And politics? I know that your men have access to some small measure of mobile operations capabilities. The battalion commander whose UGZ is currently burning down would really appreciate the favor, and I would, too. I’m offering the carrot here, you see? Get your men moving, along with as many tanks as you can muster, and I can promise you’ll get more than your fair share for putting down, what, a bunch of untrained mob? Refuse and quote sectors of responsibility and such, and perhaps I can just ask another company, but you know how I can make you look on paper when it comes time to requisition equipment and supply, don’t you? Think of how you could be gaining instead of losing, won’t you?”

The classic method of persuasion. Would you bite, though? More importantly- could you?

>Claim that you cannot in good conscience send your company anywhere in force, let alone to another sector entirely- a colonial town was sacked already, and reducing your readiness to respond to a local threat was unacceptable. Let him come with whatever threat he could muster.
>A reward, hm? Perhaps you could partake. You had to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too much against your allies in the open? It could be very dangerous. Surely the NLF would understand, and you could try and limit the damage you do.
>Be as brusque and blunt as possible and say that you’re not willing to kill yourself to do anybody any favors, and if he has a problem with that he can take it up with the Archduchy. You are there to train the men of 1st company and advise them, not to lead a charge into a conflict you have nothing to do with.
>Other?

>>3587580
>>A reward, hm? Perhaps you could partake. You had to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too much against your allies in the open? It could be very dangerous. Surely the NLF would understand, and you could try and limit the damage you do.
Making it more and more obvious we want to avoid fighting the NLF would just raise suspicions.

>>3587580
>>A reward, hm? Perhaps you could partake. You had to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too much against your allies in the open? It could be very dangerous. Surely the NLF would understand, and you could try and limit the damage you do.
Try to get an update on the situation from the Lt Colonel; maybe by the time we manage to march our guys over the heaviest fighting will be over.

>>3587580
>>A reward, hm? Perhaps you could partake. You had to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too much against your allies in the open? It could be very dangerous. Surely the NLF would understand, and you could try and limit the damage you do.

There's still opportunities to aid the NLF here, and they didn't say they needed us to do anything special right now. He DID say that we should bring as many tanks as we could muster. Our fuel supplies must still be critically low yes? Or at the very least believable enough that we can send a small force without committing ourselves mightily.

Especially since we've already been attacked and need a considerable force to remain behind and protect against further attacks. We just lost a town! How much can he expect?

Besides our position probably gives us some shield to refuse suicidal orders or some measure of independence in conducting our part of the operation.

Hell, just heading over there and using our mobile advantage to go "search" for the route the rebels used to smuggle tanks in may be enough, or at least keep us out of a city fight.

>>3587598
I think the plan for the NLF was to make this fight last as long as possible (at least a few days) to make the Netillians look bad for visiting dignitaries and a particular lady with a lazy eye and tremendous eyebrows.

>>3587615
I was thinking that we tell him since our infantry is scattered all over the place between the towns and the social it'll take some time to gather them so we'll just respond with our tanks. That should give us the excuse to keep us out of any CQB fighting.

>>3587580
>>A reward, hm? Perhaps you could partake. You had to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too much against your allies in the open? It could be very dangerous. Surely the NLF would understand, and you could try and limit the damage you do.

>>3587580
>>A reward, hm? Perhaps you could partake. You had to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too much against your allies in the open? It could be very dangerous. Surely the NLF would understand, and you could try and limit the damage you do.
Playing both sides is essentially our job description. Agree to help and then send as few forces as possible, probably just a tank or two and an infantry squad or two. We desperately want to be of assistance, but it's all we can afford to send considering the strained circumstances in our own sector, after all.

>>3587580
>Claim that you cannot in good conscience send your company anywhere in force, let alone to another sector entirely- a colonial town was sacked already, and reducing your readiness to respond to a local threat was unacceptable. Let him come with whatever threat he could muster.
The NLF intends to make UGZ-07 a bog, and if we agree to participate it'll be hard to pull out.

Updeito suun.

>>3587593
>>3587598
>>3587615
>>3587628
>>3587681
Gib stuff

>>3587720
I want to stay home.

>>3587621
Upcoming vote will cover what you want to commit with.

A reward? Perhaps you could partake in such a generous offer. You did have to play both sides to survive, after all. What would happen if you weighed too far against the Netillians in the open, after all? It could be a dangerous move in a dangerous game. Surely the NLF would understand, they knew that you had to maintain a level of cover here to work with them to your best extent. Though for your part, you could try and limit the damage you’d do to them.

“I could lead my forces to aid the 28th Infantry battalion, yes. Considering mutual benefits.” You feigned musing carefully.

“Excellent,” the Lieutenant Colonel said, curtly but with gladness, “I knew you were a man who could be reasoned with, Von Tracht.”

“You do know that our contribution is going to be rather limited though, potentially, yes?” you added, “With a town burning, the threat of insurgents still present locally, and especially the limited fuel for our tanks and what trucks we procured-“

“I will have fuel delivered immediately.” Bauyer interrupted you, “Don’t concern yourself with that. Proceed immediately towards UGZ-07. If you ask around the perimeter, you will be directed towards the 28th Infantry Battalion’s forward headquarters. Whatever forces you choose to bring, keep in mind that your reward is proportional to how much debt you put the 28th in of us. You understand? I will know if you move forth only to sit around with your thumb up your ass. This favor isn’t moral support. I’ve heard a little about who you are and what you’ve done. I’m not the only one who will know if you half ass this.”

Such a rosy relationship the two of you had. “Of course. As long as I’m allowed some time to prepare my troops and equipment.”

“Do not take long. My acquaintance is of the mind to call upon the 13th Mechanized Guards if you take too long. I won’t have those Kommissar’s dogs seeing any more undue glory if I can help it.”

…Wouldn’t it have been so much more convenient if they were the first ones called up instead. Then again, if Netilland’s more elite infantry with the best equipment came in, perhaps they’d take a few lumps, but the resistance you’d recently made contact would also likely take much more damage. How you were meant to satisfy the demands made of you while avoiding damage to the resistance you wanted to work with was something you were still figuring out.

“Inform me of what you intend to send, as well.” Bauyer went on, “So I can tell the 28th what to expect.”

“It would help my decision of such if I knew more about the situation,” you sniffed, “I hardly know a thing about what is occurring in UGZ-07 other than that it is far from ideal.”

“…I would have rather left such for when you reach the forward headquarters of the 28th , but I do know a few things. The insurgents have captured the central command post, it can be assumed, as no transmissions have come from their wireless since soon after the uprising began. Inexplicably, armor contact has been reported to be in the possession of the insurgents. Defensive lines have been set up around the UGZ itself, and the outer sections are supposed to be free of any enemies, as is the southernmost sector, but there has been little in the way of reconnaissance. Firm lines have not been drawn within the UGZ itself, as the insurgents have been committed to guerilla tactics, and whatever forays have been made into the place have suffered heavily for lack of overwhelming numerical superiority, as well as general lack of anti-tank weaponry to neutralize the insurgent’s armor support.”

“I can see where my tanks would be desired, then,” you observed mildly, “What sort of tanks do the insurgents have, getting around the question of how they got them in there in the first place?” You knew how they got them in there; the underground tunnels that you were absolutely unaware of. Where they got them in the first place was still a mystery.

“What few reports there are indicate they are very small. Lightly armed and armored. As to how they got there, nobody can think of how. The effort needed to smuggle them through normal shipments would be incredible, so I’m sure they have some hole in the perimeter or a careless corruptible rat they’ve been sneaking things through to build them. That’s what I’m guessing they are, at least. Some sort of tractors with metal plates stuck to them. Hardly an opponent for real tanks.”

“Easy enough to dispatch, yes.” You thought back to what the younger members of the resistance you’d met had blurted about these mysterious small tanks. The way they spoke of them didn’t indicate that they were converted from farm equipment or the like- there was an odd implication that they had been specially made for this purpose. Something you would think was beyond the capabilities of the Resistance, especially considering how it appeared to lack for skilled personnel. Or personnel in general that weren’t reflective of scraping for whatever they could get.

“One would think, but these small tanks have been causing a disproportionate amount of trouble.” The Lieutenant Colonel grumbled, “Without heavy artillery or assault guns, the fighting is slow work indeed. I hear the munitions casters are at least making a good show of their worth. In any case, you should be making ready to summon your troops, brief your officers, and move out as soon as possible. This uprising cannot be suffered to persist right in the face of the Twaryians, most of all. It makes our forces look feeble. Inform me of what you intend to deploy with, and get a move on.”

>Choose what you want to move to reinforce the UGZ operations with. You can probably count on support from local troops there…but you may trust your own troops better. That, and they don’t gain experience from not fighting/operating.
>As a reminder to what you have, you have three 50mm gun armed tanks, two of which have hull machine guns, one 80mm gun armed tank, and trucks to transport half a platoon; ie approximately thirty men and their command element. The twinned 20mm armed tank is still in repairs and will be available at the start of the upcoming week.
>As far as manpower goes, you have your three Netillian platoons and your Ellowian platoon. The Ellowians are more experienced and better at fighting, but another battle using any of the Netillian platoons will likely bump their experience level up from Green. While you can take more than half a platoon, trying to stuff along more than a squad will probably require marching, and a slowed response.
>Also note that you can’t take everybody if you were to go with more than what you can move quickly with- the base camp cannot be left unguarded.
>Also, every tank taken must have a commander and crew in order to be fighting fit. You have four commanders including yourself, and three crews.

Special actions and proposals can be written in as always, as well.

>>3588331
Take our most experienced Netillian platoon in the trucks, and take a machine gun armed 50 and the 80mm tank. If we want to do as much as we can to help the resistance I say we see if Anya can command the tank we don’t pick.

Speaking of helping the resistance, I would see if there is any way we can get them to fortify a certain position or choose a good fallback area. If we come in and start rolling them up, they can at least tell us what area they would like to be driven to.

>>3588429
This and load an extra squad onto the tanks to bring as much of the platoon as possible.
I don't think we can communicate with the resistance but apparently their plan is to use hit and run tactics to draw in the Netillian forces and escape without engaging decisively, so as long as we only pretend to push them without actually slaughtering them they should retreat into their tunnels on their own. The trick is to put up enough of a fight that our own troops don't get slaughtered either, since the resistance troops aren't going to know we're going easy on them on purpose.

>>3588429
>>3588580
Supporting

>>3588429
>>3588580
+1. I think the most useful contribution we can make is neutralising the NLF armour given that unlike the actual people its going to be hard for them to withdraw those once they decide they've done enough damage.

>>3588580
Support. Push towards the command post; it's a natural objective for us to want to retake.

>>3588331
The 50 and 80mm tanks are fine but if we actually want to help the NLF we need to draw this out. I think they'll be okay with losing the city if they win their political battle of making Netilland look weak to Twaryi and Vang's republic.

To do that we need to take our greenest FULL platoon and have them march while we escort them. When questioned we say we need the trucks back in our district to chase down insurgents.

Have Von Metzeler and Krause remain here but inform them of our findings and our plans to slow walk helping UGZ 07.

We also need to find a way to contact them, even indirectly to have them understand the Netillians plan.

Bauyer is going to want us to kill the armor, which we may want to pursue but we want to give the enemy armor pleeeeenty of warning we are coming to give them time to evade our clumsy, clumsy efforts.
Damn those slippery rebels, one step behind at every turn.

>>3589694
I don't think we can be that obvious; as the Lt.Colonel said people will know if we're half-assing things. Also better us fighting the resistance than getting Zohl's unit involved.

You thought you could play both sides, anons, but you're going to fuck this up.

>>3589816
As that one guy who has a month named after him once said, the die is cast.

>>3589934
That guy got a bad end.

Writing update when I wake up all the way. Which should be soon. Blah.

>>3588429
>>3588580
>>3589405
>>3589444
>>3589611
50 and 80, take three squads of third platoon under Lieutenant Kristoph, two in trucks, rest desant. Have Anya steal Krause's seat in the 80.

>>3589694
Take a full platoon at walking pace, note on being particularly slow.

Full speed ahead with your brightest. Let this be their exam for the quarter, I suppose.

I'm happy that you're already planning on how to deal with this, it'll probably help in deciding particular actions to have more information given once you arrive. Which will happen. >>3589611 for example has a good plan on an objective you can perhaps take while satisfying both sides, but of course, two timing political factions is almost as dangerous as two timing women...

>>3590785
Ey boss, you've probably been asked this stuff before (and I ain't bobbing the archives for the answers), feel free not to answer any or all of this, but I've been wanting to pick your brains for a while, so I got some questions.
>Could you say if there were any media, fictional or otherwise, you could point to that felt particularly influential to your initial worldbuilding, supporting characters designs/personalities, etc. in Panzer Commander?
>How much pre-planning/general research went into a "script" for the quest before the first thread, did anything come out spontaneously as you went along?
>Expanding on that, did you have a start, middle and finish thought out for the story in the early days? Is that "hard plot" still progressing how you'd planned it to? If not, how badly has the will of the players jeopardised/prolonged/improved it?
>Imagining you could show thread #49 to yourself 2 years ago, would you have you expected an end to the quest by now? Are you glad it isn't over yet?
>Not to bury it before it's dead, but, as of right now would you consider continuing on with the IP you've built for the Panzer Commander universe in some other form, after this main story concludes? Either in another interactive /qst/ format or perhaps more traditional medium with only your own input? A HARDBACK PANZER COMMANDER IN EVERY DIRTY BOOKSHOP BY 2020
>Most cliche question for last, if you could start the quest over again (again), would you?
Once more, please don't strain to answer anything your don't remember or that might give away the story, I realise this is a wall of text to slog through and write out answers for while you're busy making updates, so you don't have to answer all of it if you don't want to. Thanks for all the hard work regardless.

>>3591346
also hot damn I wish my ID would stop changing

Evening is the new morning don't you know.

>>3591346
>Could you say if there were any media, fictional or otherwise, you could point to that felt particularly influential to your initial worldbuilding, supporting characters designs/personalities, etc. in Panzer Commander?

I like to take from a wide variety of sources, both fictional and historical; I've read plenty of history books and accounts from soldiers and such, and that all gets thrown in the pot. If I actually named where I got my influences my hackery could be very finely identified, though, so I dunno how much I want to share on that. A discerning eye could probably tell, anyways.

>How much pre-planning/general research went into a "script" for the quest before the first thread, did anything come out spontaneously as you went along?

>Expanding on that, did you have a start, middle and finish thought out for the story in the early days? Is that "hard plot" still progressing how you'd planned it to? If not, how badly has the will of the players jeopardised/prolonged/improved it?
The start and finish (or rather, finishes, there's not only one precisely defined line), yes. The middle, not so much- hence why there were choices of where to go for each major leg. I wish I wasn't so slow writing, especially lately as it seems I've knocked myself out of alignment somehow, but otherwise everything has been dandy. There are mistakes I wish I could go back and revise, but maybe the same things would have happened regardless. Choice in female characters is always a contentious subject; I don't have complaints or anything, it's just fun to consider the "what ifs".

>Imagining you could show thread #49 to yourself 2 years ago, would you have you expected an end to the quest by now? Are you glad it isn't over yet?
I don't think I would have expected an end to the quest by now, and I'm glad it isn't over yet, but if I were to show anything to myself two years ago it would be a knuckle sandwich for passing up internships.

>>3592415
>Not to bury it before it's dead, but, as of right now would you consider continuing on with the IP you've built for the Panzer Commander universe in some other form, after this main story concludes? Either in another interactive /qst/ format or perhaps more traditional medium with only your own input? A HARDBACK PANZER COMMANDER IN EVERY DIRTY BOOKSHOP BY 2020
I've already done a side story, so I certainly wouldn't be averse to it. Building the setting has resulted in a lot of avenues to take that, after all. Including in its past. For actual media? I wish, but >implying anybody would pay money for any part of this.

>Most cliche question for last, if you could start the quest over again (again), would you?
Well, it's been almost three years since this started, not counting the initial one that this is a do over of. I recently became a cake, so if I, for some insane reason, restarted again I'd have to run for at least that long again, not counting the six month diversion for Luftpanzer. If I'm still running quests rather than being a productive member of society by age 30 I should be euthanized.

So no, probably not. Though that's easy to say now and easier to not hold myself to later.

Anyways, now, finally, I begin.

>>3592415
Italics was meant to be spoilers, but whatever.
There were contingency plans for if you dumped Maddy in the vault like she wanted is all.

>>3592416
Just thought of one more thing; bring Emma's can along in case we really need to contact Drachen.

“I will be proceeding with all haste once I collect my troops.” You told Bauyer, “Three quarters of a platoon, and two of my tanks. It’ll be tight to carry all of them, especially at night, but if I proceed too slowly or with too few then the 28th might not have a suitable first impression of me.”

“Such will be shared with them. Good hunting, Coordinator. Lieutenant Colonel Bauyer, out.” With that, you supposed it was time for you to get a move on.

“Get me on line with Lieutenant Von Metzeler,” you told the staff officer at the radio. He did so, and when you reached Von Metzeler, he greeted you and repeated the situation you had heard, with little in the way of new developments. You in turn informed him of your recent developments (save for the news involving your new connection with the insurgency- that was far too risky of information to potentially have intercepted)- and for him to return with the tanks and round up third platoon and Lieutenant Kristoph for the new mission to UGZ-07. “You and Junior Lieutenant Krause have done enough tonight, come back and get some rest.”

“Who will be commanding the second tank, then?” Von Metzeler asked.

“Sergeant Nowicki.”

“…I see.” Von Metzeler replied, ”Whose crew will she be commanding?”

“Krause’s. Will there be any issues with that?”

“If I may substitute my crew instead,” Von Metzeler proposed, “Not that I doubt the Sergeant has seen her fair share of combat, but a pair of Krause’s crew members may be problematic if she is in command of them.”

“A female being in a position of military leadership is unusual but hardly unknown.” Perhaps you felt some need to defend your relatives in pointing this out, rather than Anya herself.

“It is not that. Said persons are smitten with her. That may impede their ability to fight.”

…Oh. That was certainly unusual. From what you’d heard, most of the men who were single didn’t find Anya very attractive; something to do with her aggressive, abrasive attitude. It was a more convenient state of affairs, to be sure, but now that that had changed... “I will follow your suggestion, then.” You had a thought at the last moment. “Ah. Also, I want you to go to the cottage and pick up some tea for me. Bring it to my tank.” Said Tea was Emma; and Von Metzeler would know what you were referring to.

It took the better part of an hour to round up the required men again, but it helped that the likelihood of enemy attacks was now significantly reduced. Armored patrols from the local armored cavalry were supplanting the role your men were having in the night anyways. That they weren’t being called to the UGZ-07 instead of you…well, the same could be said for the mechanized guards. Army political machinations. In this sort of environment, perhaps they would not result in disaster.

Anya got changed back into her uniform, in spite of still refusing to wear it correctly, though after you informed her that she was coming along, a grin cracked her face open and she left once more, returning with her waist burdened by a belt laden with ammunition pouches, a grenade stuck in, and her otherwise being more than prepared for a fight. Her weapon, though…

“Where did you get that?” you asked, pointing to it, “That’s a Reich submachine gun.”

“It is?” Anya looked over it again, “The maker’s mark was scoured off, not that I’d know anyways. I found it in a cache that the Ashes were told about. Decided to take it for myself. You saying that the Kaiser’s got an interest in things over here?”

“…Perhaps.” It wasn’t a revelation that made much sense to you. What point was there in the Grossreich meddling over here? Then again, Loch had been screwing around in Sosaldt… “There will be plenty of time to think about that. When Lieutenant Kristoph of Third Platoon gets here, I want to have a short briefing and get on over to UGZ-07.”

Anya frowned. “UGZ-07, huh??” She leaned in close and whispered, “Whatever you’re thinking, you’d best have a plan. You’re fixing to piss off everyone, and you know it.”

“I know what I’m doing.” You reassured her.

“Make sure you let me on to if you’re going to try anything stupid,” Anya stabbed her finger into your cheek, “And even if you want to try and play things this way, if somebody points a gun at you, you’d better not hesitate to shoot first. I’m not intending on sacrificing my life for the sake of looking good to an enemy in a fight, and your ass better not even think of doing the same.”

>Right back at you. If you get shot tonight I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of how it was my fault for taking you out dancing.
>I’m sure that even if I do anything stupid, you’ll be right there to save me, won’t you? I have nothing to worry about.
>I won’t be able to help it. Walking this tightrope is impossible if I don’t think before I shoot. If I’m punished for that, then I gambled poorly, that’s all.
>Other?

>>3592671
>>Right back at you. If you get shot tonight I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of how it was my fault for taking you out dancing.

>>3592697
>>I’m sure that even if I do anything stupid, you’ll be right there to save me, won’t you? I have nothing to worry about.
So the Reich may possibly be involved in this mess huh? Not a good sign....

>>3592697
>>Right back at you. If you get shot tonight I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of how it was my fault for taking you out dancing.

>>3592697
>>Right back at you. If you get shot tonight I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of how it was my fault for taking you out dancing.

>>3592702
>>3592880
>>3592888
Back at you.

>>3592888
Save me blondie

Maight, writin.

>>3592697
>“I know what I’m doing.”
Haha, you're controlled by anons. You actually don't.

>>3593424
Which includes yourself.