Counterattack, Part 1
(Republic City Under Attack - LOK)
Isfahan
Wilhelmina and Gunduz went downstairs to the bunker in the basement. There, Shayan and Gebhard had set up a makeshift war room. Their staff sat at battle stations and stood around a table with a map of Isfahan. The sound of ringing phones constantly filled the air as more updates came in from the front.
“We lost Isfahan Tech,” Gebhard said, “Sedeh is completely under enemy control now.”
“Pull back the line to Nausherwan Street,” Shayan said, “We can hold them off there.”
Gebhard turned to the staff. “You heard the man! Get those orders out now!”
The staff picked up their phones and began issuing orders to the troops in Sedeh.
“Ah, you’re here,” Shayan said, “Apologies for the lack of decorations. Or leg room.”
“No worries,” Gunduz said, “It’s a bunker, and we’re at war. This is to be expected.”
“Ma’am, I’m honestly kind of nervous.”
“How so?” Gunduz wasn’t in the mood for snark.
“The enemy’s in our capital right now, and if we mess up, we’re done for.”
“But we won’t, Shayan,” Gebhard said, “We’re not out of the fight just yet. We can still turn this around.”
“By isolating and taking out their leaders?” Wilhelmina said.
“Yes,” Gebhard said, “I’m going to take the field soon. Make myself visible to the enemy. I’ll lure out the enemy commander that way.”
“That would be your brother, right?” Gunduz said.
“Yes. We know Edmund’s here, thanks to Argeiphontes. Next, there’s Theodor Tesla.”
“Thea and her team are on it,” Gunduz said.
The palace rooftop
“One…two…three! Heave!” Alex, Alexandra, Thea, and Magnus heaved with everything they had, pushing the reactor closer to the middle of the rooftop. Even without the majority of its inner components and with the help of a large dolly, it was still extremely heavy.
“Okay, that’ll be visible enough,” Thea said, “With any luck, Theodor’s drones should be seeing it soon.”
“Let’s set up the lights, then,” Alexandra said.
Magnus hooked up a car battery to the reactor and used a foot to push it into an alcove underneath it. Alex flipped a switch, and the LEDs they had put inside the reactor lit up with a light blue hue. The other device they hid inside also hummed. He checked the keyboard on the side and did one more test run. The program Magnus had written took about a minute to boot up, but it successfully activated.
“You think that’ll be enough to fool Theodor?” Magnus said.
“I know my brother,” Thea said, “He’ll be fooled, alright.”
“And then comes the hard part, dealing with him,” Alexandra said, “We ready for that?”
“Once he’s in range, I’ll handle it on my end,” Thea said, “As for defense…”
Tania snapped a scope onto her rifle. “That’s where I come in. Don’t worry, Thea, I’ll make sure they don’t come close.”
“But if they do…” Thea picked up a pistol. “I’m ready.”
“Careful, you’ll only have one clip of EMP rounds,” Tania said, “That’s all I could make.”
“I know,” Thea said, “I won’t miss.”
Alex had seen that gun before, but he had never gotten used to it.
Note to self: never get on her bad side. Good thing I’m going with Alexandra. “Is the Impala ready?”
Alexandra held up the Impala’s keys. “Yep. Car’s ready. Angelica?”
“Just say the word,” Angelica said, “I’ll give those Argus
merde-heads what-for.”
“Looks like this is it,” Thea said, “It’s time to take down Theodor.”
“And Josh,” Alex said.
I’m not waiting for Josh to hunt me down again. I’m not going to run and hide like I did when we left the Reich. It’s time to end this on our terms. Bring him to justice, the way Oskar would’ve wanted.
Magnus pointed at his watch. “Time’s a-wasting.”
“Right.” Alex shook Magnus’ hand. “Good luck.”
“Same here,” Magnus said.
“Take care of Thea for me, will you?”
Magnus nodded. “Of course. You take care of Alexandra too, okay?”
Alex patted Magnus on the shoulder. “Did you have to ask? I will.” Next, Alex walked over and hugged Thea. “Be careful, Thea. This is Theodor we’re talking about.”
Thea nodded. “I won’t underestimate him. You, on the other hand, better be careful with Josh.”
“I promise,” Alex said, “Thea…no matter what happens today…I want you to know how much I love you.”
Thea responded with a light kiss. “I love you too.”
They broke away. Alex took one more look at Thea, Magnus, and Tania. Then he, Alexandra, and Angelica ran to the stairs. Tania clasped her hands, as if in prayer.
“May the Dola watch over us today,” she said.
The palace bunker
“After Theodor, there’s Elias Anhorn,” Gunduz said, “Willie, you ready?”
Wilhelmina checked Enonon. It was still where it was. Although it remained still, her hand vibrated nervously. “Y-Yes. It’s time to end this.”
“Okay, so I know you have that whole ‘don’t kill’ deal going on, but can you at least make an exception for this guy?”
Wilhelmina hesitated, unsure how to answer.
“If I may,” Gebhard said, “I wouldn’t recommend charging straight into Sedeh. Even with whatever you have, you’re still just one woman with a sword.”
“I know, which is why we’re bringing them to us,” Gunduz said, “Got a camera?”
Shayan took out his phone. “What about my phone?”
Gunduz sighed and rolled her eyes. “…Fine. That’ll work. Let’s get going.”
They left the bunker.
“Oh, and remember, Willie,” Gunduz said, “Follow my lead…and act natural.”
Operation Gaugamela forward operating base, Sedeh
The Crusaders set up their base of operations in the Shah Cyrus II Stadium, a football stadium deep in the Jerusalem-controlled Sedeh district. Here, Edmund Remmele oversaw his troops’ progress. As the general issued orders through his Panopticon, Elias lounged in a chair, spinning his knife in his hands.
“We know they’re in Ali Qapu,” he said, “Why aren’t we hitting it?”
“Elias, I need to shore up our defenses first,” Edmund said, “We only just barely made it to Isfahan yesterday.”
“But we made it.”
Is he stalling? Is he secretly a traitor?
“At the cost of several thousand Crusaders.”
Elias casually waved his knife-holding hand. “They were conscripts and prisoners. It didn’t hurt us that much.”
He’s holding himself back. Why?
“In the way of experience and cohesion, yes,” Edmund said, “But in terms of numbers and logistics? If we had lost just two divisions, the Persians could’ve encircled us like we did to their Operation Huma. Our position here is not fully secured yet. We’re still clearing out a few blocks for mines and enemy holdouts. We can’t push into downtown yet. Though we could if we opt for a surgical missile strike, we could minimize our own—”
“No.” Elias cut him off. “I do not want the ex-princess to be killed by a stupid missile. I want to do it myself.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you the last 43 times,” Edmund said.
“You were counting?”
“No, I guessed.”
Theodor entered the room. “Guys, we’ve got a response from the Shahbanu.”
“Ah, so they responded to my ultimatum,” Elias said.
“You already know what the answer’s going to be,” Edmund said.
“I still want to watch.”
Theodor put a tablet on the table. It played a video of Gunduz walking through Naqsh-e Jahan Square, right outside of Ali Qapu Palace. “Guess who’s still here,
mâdar jende?! Let me make this perfectly clear, you knuckleheads. We will
never lay down our arms or sell out our friends. We will never surrender. We will defend our country with everything we’ve got.
Pâyande Bâdâ Irân! Glory to our heroes!”
Wilhelmina popped into frame and waved. “Hey, I’m here too!” She flipped the bird at the camera. “If you’re watching this, Elias Anhorn—HEY, STUPID REGENT, GO FRAK YOURSELF!”
The video ended just as Gunduz turned towards Wilhelmina with a shocked expression on her face and the princess spontaneously started laughing. Elias slammed his knife down on the table so hard it split in half.
“SHAE MAEKX MAE! WAE SHAEL GO DAESTRAE HAER NAEO!”
“Calm down, Elias!” Theodor said.
Elias took a deep breath. Then another. Slowly, his rage subsided. He remembered what he had planned.
“Thank you, Theodor.”
As much as I hate to admit it, Theodor still has some use. “Okay, let’s summarize our goals.”
“We have two objectives here,” Theodor said, “Obviously we have to take the city and kill the ex-princess. But I also want to secure that special reactor my disappointment of a sister stole from me.”
“What’s so important about an oversized engine?” Elias said.
“A lot of things.”
“Are you sure that reactor’s even in this city?”
Theodor picked up the tablet and pulled up an aerial photo of central Isfahan. He zoomed in on the roof of Ali Qapu Palace. A large mechanical contraption was clearly visible. “There it is.”
“Theodor, in my honest opinion, that is a textbook example of a trap,” Edmund said.
“Even if it is, it wouldn’t matter,” Theodor said, “I’ll take Johansen, his squad, and some more men and drones. And I can defend myself. I built a third exosuit.”
And you didn’t bother to tell me? Elias clenched his fist.
We’re going to have a long
discussion about that tomorrow, after the ex-princess is dead.
“What about
my plan?” Elias said. “Are the assets ready?”
“The assets are ready to be deployed,” Edmund said, “We can respond whenever you want.”
“Good,” Elias said.
“Honestly, I’m still not sold on this plan,” Edmund said, “Are you sure she’ll come?”
“I know she will,” Elias said, “People like her always come running to help. I can count on it. Her empathy and compassion will be her downfall.”
Mesopotamia - early morning
The sky was unexpectedly clear today, letting the rising morning sun bake Samir’s dark hair. His eyes looked at the horizon, where the blue of the sky met the light brown of the plains of eastern Mesopotamia. The Crusaders had withdrawn after their previous attack, no doubt to lick their wounds after another failed assault. His eyes looked much closer, and he saw white lines he had painted into the ground at a certain distance from his position. They would come in handy later on, he hoped.
“Say, Samir,” Gulichi said, “What do you think this citadel was used for?”
“What, you want me to bet on it?” Samir said. “Like the other three things you asked me about an hour ago?”
“No, no, I was just curious,” Gulichi said, “I haven’t been outside of Yavdi, so the biggest building I’ve seen were the ones in our cities. No castles or citadels like this, other than Tayisung’s place.”
“Probably was built during one of the countless wars with Persia.”
Fought by thousands of throwaway conscripts, waged by countless monarchs with grudges against each other.
Gulichi turned to Ruby. “You owe me five dinars.”
“So you
were betting on it!” Samir shook his fist.
“What?” Gulichi shrugged. “It’s not like we have anything better to do.”
“We’re probably gonna die anyways, so the money’s not going to mean much,” Ruby said.
Their earpieces buzzed. “If you’re done betting, it’s time for a status update,” Leyla said.
“What do you have for us?” Samir said.
“I hope you enjoyed the supply drop, because that’s the last one for a while,” Leyla said, “Airspace is too dangerous now.” All four of them lowered their heads. “That was the good news.”
“Oh, for frak’s sake, what could possibly be worse than—actually, I think I know,” Billy said.
“We expect the Crusaders’ll start the assault within an hour. We’re still lacking air support.”
Ruby threw up her hands. “Oh, so it’s up to us
again to hold the line.”
“Yes.”
“Is that all?” Gulichi said. “Please tell me you’ve got some more good news. Maybe we’ve been given the order to retreat?”
“Unfortunately not. No order yet. I’m sorry today’s going to be terrible, but you’ve survived far more. Command wants us to tie up Crusader forces which would’ve otherwise been deployed to Isfahan. So let’s keep at it, and we’ll at least have a chance of seeing tomorrow. Got it?”
Gulichi sighed. “Yeah, yeah, got it. Thanks.”
Leyla disconnected. Gulichi leaned against a broken pillar. “If only I was in Isfahan.”
“I don’t think the troops in Isfahan have it much better off,” Samir said.
They’re the same as us. Thrown into the same giant meat grinder to die for the elites. And for what purpose?
Tingvalla - sunrise
The sun peered over the trees and hills to the east of Tingvalla, casting Lake Vänern in shades of purple and orange. Today was a clear day. Which sucked, because that meant Jerusalem’s drones could easily scout out the area. Fortunately, Clara didn’t see any so far. She had woken up early and taken over for the night watch. A pistol was strapped to her side. It wasn’t the Athanatoi-issued Roman model she was used to, but rather a Scandinavian one smuggled out of the town armory. It would have to do.
How long has it been since I last held a gun? Bremerhaven? Damnit. I’ve done so much to move on from Bremerhaven, only to end up in another besieged city. Maybe it’s fate. If Irina were here, she’d say something about the Rozhanitsy or whatever wanting me to confront my past. Maybe she’s right.
A metallic tapping echoed up the watchtower Clara perched on. She peered over the edge and saw Sylvia standing below, a plate of food in her hand.
“I brought breakfast,” she said.
That warmed Clara more than any blanket or heater could. “Thanks, Sylv. But I’m on duty right now.”
“Surely you can spare five minutes for breakfast? You’re going to need it to get through the day.”
It is rather tempting…we never got food this good in Bremerhaven. “Sorry, Sylv. I can’t.”
Although she was fifteen feet below, Clara knew what face she was making. “Clara, if you’re not going to eat, then I guess I’ll sit down and wait until you do!” She sat at the base of the tower. “So you better come down and eat breakfast with me!”
Ah, that takes me back to when we were dating. “Sylv, I’m going to be up here for at least another hour. And it’s going to be a cold morning.”
“I don’t mind, as long as it’s with you,” Sylvia said.
“What if the Crusaders attack now?” Clara said.
“I’ve got a gun.” Sylvia held up her pistol. Like Clara’s, it had been liberated from the armory with the help of the sympathetic security guards. “And besides, I have nothing to fear as long as you’re here. My big and strong Athanatoi agent of a wife.”
Clara blushed. “You don’t have to say it like that.”
I’m pretty small!
“But it’s the truth!” There was something earnest in how she said it that melted Clara’s heart more.
Then her heart dropped like a rock.
Smoke rose from the woods in the west. Trees swayed as if pushed aside. Flocks of birds fled into the skies, and she saw herds of deer fleeing the tree line. The tranquil stillness of the morning air was shattered by the sound of hundreds of engines and the hum of drones. Clara’s face paled when she recognized the black tactical gear of the Crusaders, something she had seen everyday in Bremerhaven. Her hands tensed up, like they did in the weeks after she escaped that doomed city. Her mind raced with memories of Crusaders killing her comrades. It froze on a particularly visceral one. Her nose winced, and her ears heard the sound of thin glass breaking. Her back ached with a phantom pain, and she shuddered as if slammed into a wall. One hand instinctively reached for longer hair that hadn’t existed in years.
“They’re here.
Kreuzies.” She hadn’t used that slang since Bremerhaven.
Clara picked up a loose shard of metal and used it to bang on the tower three times in rapid succession. Seconds later, she heard a watchtower behind her respond with another three rings, followed by the one after that, and then the ones in town. Soon, the whole town sang with the sounds of hundreds of bells—both big and small—ringing together.
“So that’s what they look like,” Sylvia said.
“I
told you they could attack at any time!” Clara climbed down the tower and jumped onto the ground. “You should go.”
Sylvia sighed. “Really? After all that talk we had about Oliver and Irina? I’m staying.”
She playfully elbowed Clara. “And besides, I feel perfectly safe as long as I’ve got you.”
Clara smiled. Her heart rose again. Sylvia took Clara’s hand in her left, and in her right Clara felt the grip of her gun. Which shook her back to reality. “Can we at least get back to town?”
---
Snorrison stormed into the mayor’s office, his hands covering his ears. “What the
helvete is that infernal racket? Don’t they know it’s early in the morning?! A man’s gotta get his sleep!”
The mayor of Tingvalla sat at his desk, attending to paperwork even though it was the early morning. “Oh, that? That’s the improvised early warning system for Crusader attacks.”
“Crusader attacks?!” Snorrison banged a fist on the desk. “There
is no Crusader attack! Unless you just admitted to treason right in front of me!”
“I can see, with my own two eyes, that there are Crusaders approaching this very town,” the mayor said, “Like I can literally look out my window right now and see their drones!”
“Nonsense!” Snorrison said. “Those are
our drones!”
“Chancellor, the last of our drones ran out of power three months ago.”
“That’s defeatist talk!”
“Says the man who issued the unconditional surrender.” The mayor leaned back and put his feet on the desk.
“Y-you!” Snorrison glared at him. “That was the Fylkir! I was merely relaying his orders!”
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.”
Snorrison pulled out a pistol. The mayor didn’t even flinch. “Oh, it appears they missed one when they cleared out the armory last week.”
“They WHAT?!” Snorrison was livid.
“I thought you knew,” the mayor said, “Though I can understand how you didn’t, living in such a delusion.”
They heard gunfire outside.
“Damn bandits,” Snorrison said, “Another raid? Seriously, there are better targets.”
“Listen to yourself, Chancellor!” the mayor said. “Knud might be stupid enough to tolerate your
skitsnack, but not me. You keep deluding yourself into thinking we’re perfectly safe, when we’re not. You keep punishing those who call you out and try to address the coming crisis. And now that the enemy’s here, you still deny they even exist. What the absolute
helvete is wrong with you?”
“Funny, I was just about to ask the same with you,” Snorrison said.
The mayor stared at Snorrison, even more dumbfounded by what this man was saying and the realization that he had somehow become chancellor. “Snorrison, with all due respect…you’re a frakking idiot.”
Snorrison put a bullet between the mayor’s eyes. “And in the name of the Fylkir, you’re dead, traitor!”
Western Lithuania
The Crusaders weaved in and out of the trees, firing off bursts of machine gun fire as they switched hiding places. However, their black tactical gear—which came with no camouflage—made them easy targets for Boris. He ducked into his trench to avoid an incoming hail of enemy gunfire, then he emerged and fired once, hitting a Crusader in the head.
“So far, so good,” he said, “How many does that make it? Thirty?”
“Thirty-five, sir.” Kowalski shot another Crusader. “Actually, thirty-six.”
“And how many men have we lost?”
“Uh…another twelve.”
“Damn,” Boris said, “That’s twelve too many.”
“On the bright side, that means more ammo for the rest of us,” Kowalski said.
“What good’s the ammo gonna be if there’s too much for us to reasonably use?” Boris pointed to the boxes of bullets surrounding his feet. “Imagine a pile twice as large.”
Kowalski took another shot, then reloaded. “Still, ammo’s ammo. As long as we have it, we can still fight.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Boris sniped a Crusader attempting to rush the trenches from the right.
“Say, I’ve been wondering,” Kowalski said, “Why don’t they just bomb us or something?”
Boris crouched in his trench. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ve been thinking that myself. They could’ve just wiped us out while we were building the trenches.”
“Maybe it’s the tree cover?”
“No, I don’t think that’s it. Jerusalem’s never been stopped by trees before. Remember that time we fled Kaunas and we fed them fake coordinates to some woods? Well, they firebombed that whole forest.”
“So much for environmentalism, huh?” Kowalski chuckled. “So if it’s not the trees, then what is it?”
“I don’t think it’s a what, but a who,” Boris said, “Engelbert von Haynau.”
“The Butcher himself? Wanting to…not butcher us?”
“Think about it. Haynau’s been trying to conquer Livonia for months but has always been turned away at Vilnius by Konstantinov and me. He’s shattered Konstantinov’s army now, which leaves only me. He wants revenge against me.”
“If that’s the case, why doesn’t he just incinerate us with some napalm?”
Boris shook his head. “I don’t think that’s what he wants. Maybe what he wants with me is not just death…but humiliation.”
“As if a monster like him could humiliate
you!” Konstantinov said.
Boris shrugged. “Maybe if he got ahold of my sitcom collection, but that was burned with most of Vilnius. Regardless, I won’t even let that happen.” He shot another two Crusaders, then reloaded. “We won’t let that happen.”
“Of course, sir,” Kowalski said.
“I told you, drop the sir! That’s an order!”
“Sorry, sir.”
Boris facepalmed. “Oh, forget it.”
The Pacific - April 1, late, Hawaii time
The sun was close to setting, but the battle showed no signs of stopping. All sides had taken heavy casualties, and the Ryukyuans were no exception.
“
Sakishima reports damage to its rear secondary guns and point defense,” one bridge officer reported.
“Pull it back to
Iguaque and
Mata ki te Rangi,” Higa Ryunosuke said, “Their missiles should provide enough cover.”
“A torpedo just hit
Repun Kamuy. It’s listing to port.”
“Move the Mexicans to reinforce the Ainu.”
“Incoming enemy fighters! Chinese squadron, five klicks and closing from the northwest.”
“Direct suppression fire on the northwest, get Fifth Squadron in the air ASAP.”
“On it.” Two minutes later, the anti-aircraft guns on
Sanzan and nearby escorts opened fire, spraying orange tracer fire into the northwest.
“Status on Fifth Squadron?” Higa asked.
“Final checks underway, should be airborne within a minute.”
A minute passed. An explosion bloomed on
Repun Kamuy, taking out its front gun and a missile launcher. Flak explosions filled the sky, courtesy of the battleship
Hokuzan. Then the jets of the Fifth Squadron roared down
Sanzan’s runway and into the sky, their afterburners clearly visible in the diminishing evening light.
“Fifth Squadron away.”
“Continue the search for
Xi Wangmu,” Higa said, “We need to take out Liu.”
“Understood.”
The bridge crew continued their duties. Higa continued standing near the window, surveying the flight deck and the ships around
Sanzan. Behind him, he heard phones ringing, officers relaying orders, and machinery beeping—the sounds of an aircraft carrier at war. An enemy missile made it through
Hokuzan’s flak screen and impacted on the battleship’s middle, violently tearing cannons and radar arrays off.
“Sir,” one officer said, “Fifth Squadron took heavy casualties and has pulled back.”
“How bad is it?” Higa said.
“Three went down.”
“Damn.”
That’s three more of my men who won’t be returning to their families. “How many did they take out?”
“We…miscalculated. The Chinese had two squadrons, total of 20 aircraft. We were outnumbered.”
“Have Fifth Squadron land on
Noguchigera. What about the enemy squadrons?”
“Still inbound.”
“Direct all suppression fire on those two squadrons. Pull back Third and Seventh Squadrons to
Sanzan.”
“Radar contact! One klick and closing!”
Higa could now see the Chinese formation through the window with his own eyes. From a kilometer away, they seemed like albatrosses lazily drifting across the ocean skies. That image was quickly shattered when the jets let loose a flurry of missiles. Twenty lines of smoke streaked towards
Sanzan. Higa spun around, trying to keep calm. “INTERCEPTION FIRE, NOW!”
The aircraft carrier’s guns directed their fire at the incoming missiles. One by one, the missile exploded, but each remaining one crept closer to
Sanzan.
Twenty missiles, one kilometer.
Sixteen missiles, half a kilometer.
Ten missiles, 250 meters.
Four missiles, 100 meters.
One missile, 10 meters.
Higa opened his mouth. “Brace for—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence before the missile struck the carrier’s superstructure, just below the bridge. The ensuing explosion rippled outward and upwards into the bridge a split second later. The floor split, and flames engulfed the room, incinerating several officers before they had a chance to scream.
The next thing he knew, he was on the floor. He slowly got to his feet, feeling some pain in his torso and arms. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be broken, but he wouldn’t know for sure without seeing the ship doctor. He looked around and saw what remained of the bridge. Most of the consoles had been destroyed or even torn off the floor. The helm and much of the area around it had been severely damaged, but they were still usable. Only two officers were still alive. The rest lay dead on the floor. He staggered over to them. “You two get yourselves to the medics. I’ll take care of this.”
The officers left the bridge. Higa next went to a still working phone and picked it up. “Engineering, status report.”
“They hit the reactor! Nothing too serious, but we’re not going to have propulsion for maybe an hour.”
Frak, we don’t have an hour. “Thank you, Engineering.” He put down the phone and pushed the button for the flight crew. “Flight deck, status report.”
“We’re clearing the debris and wreckage from the deck. It’s going to take a while.”
Them too? “Alright, you guys make sure to get it done ASAP, you hear?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Thanks.” He put down the phone and slumped down into a chair.
They couldn’t have done this on the first day? We’re going to lose all of the progress we’ve made so far at this rate. It must be so demoralizing for the crew, to see the bridge hit like this. Wait, not just this ship’s crew, but everyone in the fleet. I have to do something to keep morale up.
He found a working comms console and opened a public channel, making sure to broadcast on all frequencies. “This is Admiral Higa Ryunosuke.” He took a deep breath, trying to block out the pain in his body. “I’m still here. Some of you may have seen a missile hit the bridge of
Sanzan, which did happen. But I survived. It’ll take a lot more than a single measly missile to take me down. So keep fighting, my comrades! I know we can still win this battle!”
That ought to do it. Higa stopped broadcasting. He sat back down in the chair and tried to make himself comfortable. He had a long evening ahead of him with repairs and strategic planning, but for now he just wanted to rest. Yet there was still a nagging feeling at the back of his head telling him he still had something to do.
Something, something, something…what is it? Wait…
Higa got up again and left the bridge. Making his way down to the deck, he went to the back of the superstructure, which remained intact, and waved down two nearby signalmen. “You two, can you help me?”
“What do you need, admiral?”
“I need you to hoist a certain flag for me. And light it up.”
Higa remained on the deck for a while longer. Once the signalmen found the appropriate flag, Higa helped them affix it to the flagpole and hoist it up. His arms ached, and his hands smarted from rope burns, but he persisted. Once the flag had been hoisted to the top, they next aimed the lights upwards and turned them on. The wind picked up at that moment, unfurling a fully illuminated Ryukyuan flag for all to see. To the allied fleet, it was a whisper of encouragement, and to the Chinese, it was a sign of defiance. Everyone saluted the flag.
“
Sanzan banzai!” Higa bellowed.
Long live the Three Mountains!
“
SANZAN BANZAI!” repeated the crewmembers.
“
Ryukyu banzai!”
Long live Ryukyu!
“
RYUKYU BANZAI!”
“
Sanzan banzai! Ryukyu banzai!”
“
SANZAN BANZAI! RYUKYU BANZAI!”
Ali Qapu Palace, Isfahan - April 2
Behind the lines of machine guns, sandbags, barbed wire, and improvised trenches set up by the Artesh’s most elite soldiers, the palace gates opened. The contradictory sounds of tires screeching and a horse neighing echoed out from the palace, confusing these battle-hardened men and women. Then a black blur with blue highlights, along with a white blur with purple mixed in, zipped past. Wilhelmina heard Heidi’s hooves clopping against the street concrete. Heidi accelerated into a gallop with a determined neigh. Next to her, Alexandra sat behind the wheel of the Impala, equally as determined. Alex rode shotgun and kept tabs on the betharium engine, which radiated light blue from its exhaust ports, with a tablet. Angelica sat in the back with her windows down and a pistol in her hands. All three made eye contact with Wilhelmina. Alexandra nodded. Alex gave a thumbs up. Angelica grinned with eager anticipation. Wilhelmina simply nodded back. At the next intersection, the two split off from each other, Alexandra turning left and Wilhelmina turning right.
“Godspeed, valiant heroes,” Wilhelmina whispered.
It was time. There was no backing down now. She already told Sophie she wasn’t backing down. Now she had to make good on that promise. She was still scared, though. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t. There were so many people counting on her today. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to live up to their expectations.
Calm down, Willie…everything’s going to be fine. Stick to the plan, and we’ll make it.
She decided maybe putting on some music would help her. She reached to her belt, where she had strapped her Walkman. Fortunately, Alexandra and Thea had slightly tweaked it so it could work with wireless headphones, one of which was now in her ear. She pressed play, and the Walkman belted out ancient music, reminding her of better times.
(Destiny (Ablaze) - FE Awakening)
Fire Emblem guide my way through
light and shadow I can’t fall, for
this is the path I’ve chosen to walk, and
I will keep fighting on and on
Our home has been ravaged and torn apart
And many of our friends have given their lives
But I’ll keep their memory dear to my heart
So I’ll protect all those left with my life!
I can’t forget that fateful day
When my world came crashing down and
I lost everything and even more! But
I continued on and made new friends
Forged new and greater bonds lifting us up
And now I rise up with our new strength
To protect the weak is my creed!
For now is the time to fight back (even if the entire world’s gone mad, and)
I won’t rest until I’m done (I’ll keep fighting on and on)
For the sake of all my friends and my home (and for those I love dearly)
For the sake of all the world and my love (I think of you the most of all)
Our bonds are strong
And they shall never falter (hold strong to save tomorrow)
With you at my side
I can face my fate at last (may this never change as)
Darkness is driven out and
Light gathers on our flag
To shine boldly to tomorrow
Our bonds are strong
And they must never falter (hold strong to save today)
This our only chance for our deliverance
Which is why
Let’s rise up
It’s time to fight and seize our fate!
Such is a heroine’s destiny
Binding Shield and Falchion guide our way
Into the dawn!
With her morale restored by an admittedly cheesy song from 26-year-old game, she continued down the street.
---
New format for music links. I'm just going to put the name and source underneath the link in case of DMCA.
There’s the full lyrics for A Heroine’s Destiny I promised a long time ago. They had been finished since the village arc, but I was saving them until this moment. The original plan was to put it a little later on, but I decided against that. I admit I’m not a songwriter and the lyrics are kind of weird, but I tried my best to line them up to the beat of the music. I edited a couple lines before posting because they sounded weird. It still does, but less in my opinion.
Gunduz’s video is inspired by some of Volodymyr Zelensky’s videos taunting the Russians in the early days of the invasion, as well as the defenders of Snake Island. I also reference a few of Zelenksy’s quotes in the previous chapter and later ones.
For these parts, I’ve used LOK tracks, specifically tracks from the last three or so episodes of Book 1, since I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Book 1 for the overall arc and we’re entering the endgame, so to speak. Then again, this
is Part 1 of several...