Author Notes:
First of all, shout out to Sergeant Garrett Knee! Who has been the first newcomer in a long time, I think? Big thanks to you, mate, and I hope you will enjoy the early access chapters!
Really, I hope you and everyone else enjoy the efforts and research I have to invest into both RM and GSS kek. The latest RM chapter on Patreon, for once, will kickstart yet another bout of migraine for me hahaha...
Sigh, my itenary is all messed up, and I am somehow loving the rush, if you can even call it that. Two hours spent today queuing for medicine, another three spent fixing the broken faucet and plumbing, no idea how long I spent writing, and dinner is only worked on after this, which means I will have dinner in around 1:00 AM.
Other than that, the next bout of Monthly Discount, set at 25%, will start on the 1st of March till the 22nd of March, hopefully...
Can postimages.cc fix their damn server, please?
Empress Lu (if postimages.cc actually works):
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Ever since FOB Northolt opened for business, multiple C-400 Atlases have acted as premium airliners, transporting manpower and war materials from mainland Europe to London at record speed. Each flying bus can ferry a maximum of 40 tonnes of payload, an utterly absurd figure that may include munitions, soldier supplies, troops, and even infantry fighting vehicles. The sole runway of Northolt soon finds itself put to the test as one Atlas after another lands, swiftly disgorges its payload, and then taxis down the transit lane before taking off as early as possible. If not for the Marine Combat Engineers reinforcing the landing strip and propping up supporting facilities, FOB Northolt would have found it to be impossible to service a dozen Atlases on an hourly basis.
Of course, while Belkan soldiers and officers have grown to regard the high-pitched, draconic growling of the Atlases as a soothing lullaby, the same can't be said for the Erusean refugees and military collaborators, now that they've surrendered. Many of them, even the airmen, are unable to stomach the combined cacophony of multiple counter-rotating turbopropellers beating in tandem. Some even equate the racket caused by Belkan logistics to be even worse than having an entire B-17 formation taxiing all at once. As such, Belkan sentries have to hand out ear protection to the Erusean refugees and surrendered soldiers they are carrying, if only to ensure the kids and the injured can get some rest while the medics are giving them a look over. Still, this is but a minor development on the grand scheme of things.
When people first hear the words "404th Iron Blood Panzer Division/Ghost Division", they immediately think of the numerous powerful main battle tanks it regularly fielded as its spearhead. However, the true backbone of the 404th and other similar Panzer Divisions has always been their Panzergrenadier formations, highly experienced soldiers riding inside Puma IFVs and escorted by mobile gun systems. Formations that have been the very first to arrive and the very first to be deployed throughout Northolt's local territory. This is to ensure that FOB Northolt is left completely undisturbed and that no stray Erusean unit can even think of setting up shop right across the road with indirect artillery. When the bulk of the Division's Leopard MBT, the non-autoloading ones, arrives with the subsequent ferries, it's expected that the 404th will be kicked into overdrive and truly encircle and lockdown all of London for good.
Nonetheless, this swift airlift operation has highlighted a noticeable limitation in Belkan military logistics, and that is that the C-400 Atlases are unable to carry superheavy loads. It takes multiple trips and Atlases to ship a Tank Company by air, wasting precious resources, time, and effort in a task where a larger airframe can do for less. Granted, the benefits of the C-400 are that it can land and take off anywhere, anytime, which removes the need for complicated airstrips. An example is FOB Northolt, which has a minimally prepared runway yet is perfectly capable of hosting C-400s in abundance.
A larger airframe may not necessarily offer the same benefit, but the Belkan military can't deny the allure of faster force deployment in secure, second-line bases with properly prepared facilities. As such, with the Reich Marshal's explicit permission, developments on tactical and strategic airlifters have been ongoing for some time. Airframes that will be more than capable of ferrying pallets that the C-400 would have given up on. Perhaps it isn't a surprise when this important task is left in the purview of Dreamer and Einstein and the likes, with even Nicolae voluntarily signing herself up for the fun it may possibly provide.
Only Yggdra knows what sorts of aircraft the Shoggoth will ultimately come up with. And whether or not there exists an aircraft manufacturer that can accommodate her design, or ONI would have to build it up from scratch. Nevertheless, that will be a story for another day.
With the takeoff of yet another batch of Atlases and the pending arrival of a new one, the time has come for the 404th to perform their pre-battle ritual... Eating lunch. Can't exactly fight on an empty stomach now, can we?
Due to the rushed deployment order, many of the 404th troops are now hungry or at least starving enough for a light meal. As such, FOB Northolt, rather than commandeering the base's readily available kitchen, which has nowhere near the output required to feed thousands, decided to pitch up mess tents, and big ones at that. Each mess tent has its own chefs and cooking stations to warm up pre-packaged meals for distribution. These meals are, of course, highly nutritious and easy on the soldiers' bellies. They even come with vegetarian options, too, and most important of all, they're made to be tasty or at the very least, better than average.
Best of all, you have unlimited non-alcoholic beverage refills, coffee included. Suffice to say, meal times, whether it's breakfast, lunch, dinner, or midnight, are always packed, if only to enjoy an unending mug of delectable blend. The Eruseans, who have their own food distribution channel set up by Belkan logistics, suddenly find themselves wanting that bustling atmosphere in the Belkan mess tents. Don't misunderstand, the Belkans give them food and drinks that taste miles ahead of their dreary cuisine, but the mess tents from afar remind the Eruseans of happy memories like a fair with food and laughter all around. Something that the Eruseans haven't had the chance to host for years.
It's in one of these tents, however, that a special guest comes to enjoy their meal.
"Hey! It's the Marshal!" A Panzergrenadier who has been downing a glass of milk says aloud.
His voice isn't that loud, but the ever-familiar title being uttered causes nearly everyone in the tent to perk up and search for the Marshal's figure. It takes little to no time at all for the dining Belkan soldiers and officers to spot Yuki's figure and welcome her one after another.
"Marshal! It's an honor to have you join us!"
"Marshal! Lunch is as great as ever!"
"I recommend the rice bowl today, Marshal! You can't go wrong with the beef being served!"
"Marshal! Ma'am, can we get a serving of beer?"
Mess tents and chow halls are the few places where soldiers and officers don't have to mind rank and titles all that much, so soldiers and officers aren't strictly required to stand and salute Yuki. While some of Yuki's most avid supporters still go through the respectful motions, many are more comfortable with greeting Yuki as not just their big boss, but also their comrade in arms.
The Marshal has gone with the 404th through thick and thin, through glory and loss, every step of the way. She has led from the front, from beside, and from the rear. Her presence is ever felt throughout the ranks and files of Belka's elite Division. All of them owe their lives and honor to her, and all will gladly bleed for the Marshal of Belka. Yet, Yuki never treats them as cold statistics and pawns to be moved across the sand table. Many times a week, Yuki can be seen visiting the chow halls and mess tents that the 404th set up, to dine and chat with men and women who comprise her personal military unit. This has long fostered a sense of deep camaraderie between them all, and it's in these DFACs, dining facilities, that the troops can joke and banter with Yuki like best of friends. But...
"Ain't no way I can sign off on that beer serving, Captain Kult. If I do that, then the next thing you know, we'll all be turning Buckingham Palace into Swiss cheese!" The Marshal quips back to the daring Captain, who requests beer instead of coffee. "And if I recall correctly, hasn't your wife grounded you from even touching a lick of alcohol? What, you want her to round up the Military Police and put you in a basement or something?"
"Aiya~! Can you please keep my wife out of this, Marshal?" The Captain in question shudders half in exaggeration, half in fear.
The brief banter has led to those in the know and those who are used to seeing Captain Kult smacking skulls with a shovel to laugh at the Captain's expense. The laughter then spread to most of the mess tent like an infectious disease, with even Kult himself chuckling before raising a toast with his coffee.
"Enjoy your meal, Marshal! We'll be going ahead and getting ready for deployment!"
"Mother Goddess bless you victory, ladies and gents!" Yuki gives the departing Captain and his subordinate an easy salute, which they all return, before grabbing a plate and heading to the servers. There, trays of steamy hot food are presented for diners to pick an option that has everything they need, entree and dessert included. Ultimately, the Marshal settles for a simple pasta dish, a cut of steamed banana cake, and yogurt. Now with food in her hands, Yuki moves to join a table where some familiar faces are seated.
"Aleph, Jirou," Yuki greets the two men of different races and statures with a smile.
The pair has been serving under Yuki's command from the get-go, and they are one of, if not the most decorated, Panzergrenadiers in the 404th. More than anything, they can be considered as friends of the Marshal, as the trio soon concoct a wide variety of discussions, mundane and otherwise, to keep their table lively, but perhaps the liveliness can be most attributed to Jirou, who is a bolsterous Oni. The sound of their animated discussion even managed to pull attention from other tables toward them. Other soldiers and officers also have their own ideas and opinions to interject: What to buy as a souvenir? What to expect upon riding out from the FOB? What to do when the dust has settled? Each person has their own interpretation, each has something to do and to look out for in the capital of this hostile kingdom. Regardless, this civil conversation between bosses and subordinates boosts the fervour in the hearts of these men and women a notch.
With the Marshal here in person and all of her preparations in place, morale is as high as ever for the famed Ghost Division. The talk is only cut short because Yuki has finished her fine meal, and Brigadier General Alexa has come to whisk her away for battlefield command. Major Aleph Morrick and Sergeant Jirou depart to lead their Mechanized unit as well. Now that enough tanks and IFVs have been assembled, and all the Panzergrenadiers are well-fed and well-maintained, the gate of FOB Northolt is opened at last, and a tide of steel and firepower rolls out with dusty wakes.
Escorted by Marine Guns-A-Go-Go Ospreys, the 404th Iron Blood will be bringing the fight directly to the throne of Erusea.
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The Eruseans have thought that the earlier, constant artillery and bomb strikes are bad enough, that the Belkans surely can't conjure up anything else that can be worse than what they've all experienced recently. Yet, when the rumbling of heavy treads and spinning propellers all join up in one crescendo of promised destructive certainty to whoever stands in the Marshal's way, when the Belkans arrive in force, the remaining Erusean civilians and combatants lingering near FOB Northolt find themselves falling to their butts in utter disbelief and sheer terror.
The Iron Blood Division is proudly flying their Division Banner, showcasing the famous, or infamous in the eyes of Eruseans, the symbol of the Marshal's premier personal military unit. The aura exuding from long-time war veterans and the way they travel is more than enough to stun the weak-willed individuals into silence. More than once have the outlier Capitalist nobles come bearing the white flags, hoping to bargain with the 404th and maybe even meet with Yuki herself to discuss favorable conditions. Yet, laughably enough, these surrendered nobles are left in the dust by the speeding and focused Belkan Panzergrenadiers. It's not the illustrious 404th that detains them, but the Belkan Marine Military Police who do so under armed escorts.
Now that's quite a low blow to these haughty nobles' arrogance.
Yuki's Division joining the fray is something that can't be hidden, not when they're proudly displaying the Iron Blood banner. Even with their lives on the line, Erusean Loyalist recon troops must bring the news back to Buckingham Palace. The intelligence they carry back, however, only acts as one final nail in the coffin for the Kingdom of Erusea. Colonel Bradshaw knows that there's no salvaging, no miracle left anymore that can turn the tide around. So, with a heavy heart, Colonel Bradshaw only leaves behind a dig in order before heading to the King's resting chamber with his command staff.
It's time for a decision to be made regarding the future of the Kingdom of Erusea.