N/A: Taking the chance, I'll like to note some things I just noticed I put in the Spanish version back in the day which may help understand how this story was built originally.

(1) Unlike my main multi-chapter fanfics, this story was mostly made on the fly, which explains stuff like the Italica arc lasting for four chapters (of an estimated two). Notwithstanding that, major events were already mostly planned by this time (even if only in macro terms).

(2) While this story is primarily GATE, the version of our world used here (pertaining the military academies) is even more fleshed out than it was when I wrote this. In the rare case someone wants to use it (or parts of it), I can share details about it (but if you do use it, please do so with written authorization).

(3) Well, when I originally wrote this chapter (and the whole story) I was a high school student writing about high school students waging war against an ancient army. Can't blame me for some inconsistencies in the name of edgyness and glory, amirite?

There also might or might not be a last reference to Brothers in Arms which might not make sense because it's a translation of a translation. But oh well, it was just me being inspired by it back then.

Disclaimer: "GATE: thus, the JSDF fought there!" and "Girls und Panzer" do not belong to me, all credit to their respective authors/owners. This is merely a fan-made project that seeks no monetary gain or compensation.

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Chapter 8

New Players, Old Scripts

Two women walked among a field of identical graves, their step slow and their faces stiff. One was near the end of her life. The other had four decades on her. They stopped in front of two graves, one next to the other. As the younger left a bouquet of flowers in the first, the older woman read in her mind the name on the tombstone:

Erich Bagner

Killed in Action – Falaise Gap

The younger read the name on the second as she left a second bouquet, her eyes watering with tears. Not able to hold it in anymore, she took her palms to her face and started crying, the hand of the older lady comforting her on her shoulder. With heavy eyes, the older woman simple read on the second, more recent tombstone:

Klaus Bagner

Killed in Action – Battle of Italica

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XXXXXXXXXX

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Temporary barracks, near the GATE, Belgium.
Two weeks after the Battle of Italica...

"Previously, in our adventures behind the GATE..."

"Can't you start your story with something else? Anything? That almost sounds like a badly narrated story recap of secondary importance to the saga."

"Hey, I did take it from a videogame... but I ran out of ideas on how to start."

"And just what are you even doing in the first place?" The British corporal leaned over his friend, a fellow corporal, eyeing the text he was writing on his notebook.

"Writing about what happened after Italica. I plan to write a book about it later, at least from our perspective, called 'Italica: a before and after for operations in Falmart'. Has a nice ring to it, innit?"

"I guess... do you plan to write on our return to Europe?"

"Yeah. Never thought I would do it while wearing my uniform. I could swear they'd kick us out as soon as we crossed back. That massacre of demi-humans back in Italica surely must have gotten us in trouble with some organization."

"I can't honestly say. Do demi-humans apply to international treaties? And even if they don't, they were the ones who performed the attack on Flanders. Who cares what happens to them in the first place? Not us."

The corporal writing sighed softly, resuming his writing.

. . .

"After the troops arrived to Alnus from Italica, the wounded were immediately transported back to Europe while accommodations were made for the prisoners. Coffins decorated with medals and insignias arrived at Europe two days later, holding the corpses of the ones that died during the Battle of Italica, received by a guard of honour from multiples countries, mainly the UK, Germany, Belgium and Russia, and buried on a special cemetery made for them, together with those who fell during the Battle of Flanders.

Only after all formal grieving was over was that the political and social uproar broke out.

It was not an easy task to clarify who was at fault at what, but the obscure nature of all information regarding the other world proved a vital factor for the authorities to mould the narrative into one that portrayed the military students into sacrificial heroes and the enemy legionnaires as barbarians. The few civilians and politicians that still openly doubted those claims had little tools to defy the statements, and as such, remained in the back while preparing their counterattacks.

In an ironic turn of events, audio and photographic evidence of the Flame Dragon that attacked Italica, which caused the mayhem in the first place, proved to be the best weapon in the military academies' arsenal to defend themselves and prove that the casualties were, in fact, not born out of negligence but out of a completely unknown danger, one that shot down two planes and killed or wounded as many students as the later imperial attack of 7,000 legionnaires and auxiliaries.

Arguments were made for and against the strengthening of military academies, at least the ones operating in Falmart. However, even if there was enough (and barely enough) popular support for that measure, budgets weren't that friendly to patriotism and militarism. The solution came in an unexpected way, in some ways: the opening of the expeditions to more academies than the ones initially involved. At first it was for academies of the same countries, but in the end, more countries around the globe had to be allowed.

As such, aside from reinforcements from the same countries, students from the US, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, France, and Italy joined their ranks on exploring the new world. The bulk, however, would still be made from troops of the UK, Germany, and Russia, even if some academies withdrew from the expedition, with limited manpower but extensive material support from Japanese schools (see at the end for a list of academies involved in the Falmart Expedition at this point).

The blame and glory went in equal parts to the officers in charge of the multi-academic reconnaissance teams, which bore the brunt of the casualties in the operation. Hauptmann Karl Schmidt and some of his subordinate officers received a fair share of the blame for the casualties, as well as recognition from how they managed to kick out the dragon away with the few inadequate resources at their disposal under the former's lead. Citing grounds of responsibility and previous service, Schmidt was promoted to the rank of Major on the spot with seniority traced back to the start of the semester, a promotion which, in the opinion of many in the Panzer Akademie and some foreign military students, was "late, but deserved". Most surviving officers of the reconnaissance teams, plus a good deal of enlisted men, received awards or medals, and a patch with a red dragon remembering the victory began circulating the troops that fought against the beast.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, was the award of a formal honorary rank of chärakter Hauptmann for the Japanese Sensha-do student Miho Nishizumi, commander of the seventh reconnaissance team and leader of the only unit with Japanese students which saw action until that point. While honorary ranks weren't unheard of in the military academies, it was the first time it was given to someone that came from a country without military academies. The shock of the event, together with the sense of pride that came from Japanese diplomats and liaisons for GATE matters, aided in drowning the most "unsavoury" elements that the academies didn't the media focusing on, such as the payment for a student private military company from part of the EU to supervise the academies' behaviour in Falmart.

Following negotiations, reactions, accords, and seeing what troops would withdraw and which would arrive, the units already in Falmart began a reorganization to accommodate to their new reality. This was done under the supervision and leadership of Feldgeneral Krause, who replaced Feldgeneral Meller at the head of the Eisernes Kreuz Akademie and was named overall commander of the Academic Coalition, which now had a proper unified command structure compared to the previous eight parallel systems with little synergy.

Finally, as the audio and photographic evidence showed, the Flame Dragon was deemed a major threat and decided to be dealt with. On this, no expense would be spared: the RAF would send modern planes to take out the creature and secure the skies of Falmart, permanently setting the issue of air power in favour of the military academies..."

. . .

"List of academies and schools involved in the Falmart Expedition:
- US: The No-Number (US Army), The Young Breed (USMC)
- Latin America: General Bulnes Military Academy (Chile), General Cáceres Military Academy (Peru), Francisco de Paula y Santander Academy (Colombia), Porfirio Díaz Military Academy (Mexico)
- UK: Lords Academy*, Royal Guards Academy, Royal Armoured Academy, Royal Artillery Academy.
- France: Napoleon Bonaparte Cadets Academy, General Leclerc Tank Academy
- Germany: Eisernes Kreuz Akademie, Panzer Akademie, Preusisschen Akademie, Köln Akademie
- Italy: Julius Caesar's Cadets Academy
- Russia: Sankt-Peterburgskaya Zhenskaya Akademiya*, Tovarishcheskaya Akademiya, Udarnykh Voysk Akademiya.
- Japan: Ooarai High School, Kuromorimine High Schools, Pravda High School, Anzio High School, Saunders University's High School (material support).
- Others: Kampfgruppe Model PMC
*Withdrew, albeit individual students are still present through "exchanges" with participant academies."

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Flander, Belgium
D-Day +37
Morning...

"Get moving, princess. It's a few nice hours until we reach The Hague, and you have way too many places to visit after that."

The third princess of the Saderan Empire, Piña Co Lada, sighed inwards before nodding and transferring from the military vehicle that carried her from her side of the GATE to Earth, instead opting into a nice-looking horse-less carriage, clearly for high-ranking authorities, parked and waiting for her. It also worked without horses, but she had seen far crazier things on her time surrounded by the military students back in Falmart for her to be impressed by it.

What did impress her, however, was the large number of presumably military vehicles and gear stationed on the other side of the portal between worlds. She felt a twinge of fear as her eyes travelled from one position to the other, registering uniforms, vehicles, weapons, men.

These positions were manned not only by the army –and there wasn't any priest in sight, nor any religious presence, compared to the Empire that treated Alnus as a holy site–, but by adults. The first proper adults she had seen regarding the otherworldly invaders, whose gear and uniforms appeared much more modern compared to what the students had back in Falmart. It was at that moment that she, seeing the disparity between these adults and the children fighting against her country, that she realized for certain: the Empire had lost with the first shot. Should the students fail, the adults would come in, all guns blazing against the legions who could barely damage the teenagers fighting against them. Biting the inside of her cheek, the princess got inside the private vehicle with darkened windows and took the main seat, with only training and custom making sure her diplomatic clothes were not ruined by her position.

After her, part of the order came in, all dressed in formal or diplomatic clothes of the Empire. At the distance, before closing the doors, Piña saw a column of imperial prisoners being carried away in a much-less noble vehicle, surely to some obscure prisoner camps, where they would be tortured and interrogated for the pleasure of their jailers. That much was certain: the Empire had done worse things for much less in its quest for conquest and glory.

"Something on your mind, princess?" Asked Grey, not moving his eyes from the window, constantly scanning the area. Piña deduced he was looking out for an ambush, should it happen. A futile effort, she thought, as she seriously doubted anyone was going to help them if someone, even the armies themselves, were to attack them in the open. Next to Grey, but slightly less worried about vigilance, was Norma.

"I was informed not long ago that this place we're going, The Hague, is both a city and an international tribunal."

"An international tribunal?" This got the attention of her retinue, with Grey even taking his eyes off the road for a moment. Bozes kept going after her question. "Such a thing exists here?"

"Yes. It's totally unheard of back in Falmart, where the Empire dictates who's right or wrong."

"The country that established it must be really strong then, and also very benevolent to actually establish a tribunal," stated Bozes, blinking, "Even for a façade."

"That's the thing, Bozes... it's a legitimate thing. As in, it's a place with proper trials, used to settle matters for countries using some international law, apparently." Piña sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I asked around, and apparently it was set up after a major war, so countries could settle their affairs without using weapons."

"And has it worked?"

"I don't know. I couldn't ask that much."

The group fell into an awkward silence. Aside from Bozes, Gray and Norma, the last member of her retinue was Hamilton, her page. Befeeater and Panache remained in Falmart, leading the knights order and trusting Grey, Bozes and Norma could defend her from anything that happened.

Piña casted a glance outward: military students in strange one-person vehicles, like small metallic ponies, were riding around her vehicle. A guard with a double purpose, she analysed: it kept people out, but also prevented her escape.

They weren't the only large vehicle in the column, though. Several unarmoured vehicles, which she had learned were called "trucks", were riding behind them, while at the head were three smaller roof-less horse-less carriages, like simplified –and much more utilitarian, in Grey's opinion– versions of the one she was currently riding on. The three were crowed by military students, and going by their uniforms, probably quite important. Most likely war leaders, or as they called themselves, "officers".

Piña doubted all of them were going as her escort, truth to be told.

XXXXXXXXXX

Further down the convoy, in a truck near the end, a particular group was also talking among themselves, though with no one looking out for ambushes. In a German-made vehicle piloted by a certain black-haired tank driver under the name of Mako Reizei, with Saori Takebe as co-pilot taking care of the former not falling asleep mid-road, the crew of Ooarai's Panzer IV and other members of the 7th Reconnaissance Team were patiently waiting to arrive to their destiny, officially on escort duty for the Sadera retinue, but actually just joining the dozens of military students that got a prized couple days off using the Falmartians' visit as an excuse.

Aside from the Japanese crew of five, the passengers of the vehicle were not unknowns: Maho Nishizumi was there to accompany her sister, sitting next to her, Khoakin Petrakov and his sister Sasha were next to the rear exit of the truck, lazily watching outside, while Peter Roth and Hans Dietrich sat between the Japanese and Russian groups, acting both as intermediaries as well as a blocking force for the girls in case the Russian captain tried another of his crazy adventures.

"Ne, Miporin~" Miho raised her eyes to meet those of Saori, staring at her from the cockpit. "Have you heard anything of the boys joining us on the Falmart adventure?"

"The what now?" Before Miho could answer, a confused question rose from Roth's mouth. "That's what you are calling it nowadays?"

A quiet giggle crossed the group, with the NCO himself giving a quiet smile.

"To answer you, Saori... etto..." Miho took out a pamphlet, giving it a quick read. "There's many people from around the world asking to join... if you want to know something, you should be a bit more specific."

"Then what about... ah, Mako no! Don't fall asleep!" A brief pause later, Saori's face reappeared on the small windows that connected the cockpit and the rear of the truck. "Ehem, ignoring that... I heard there were Americans coming now?"

"Americans?" Another quick read at the pamphlet. "Yes, indeed. There are two American academies coming... and six in total, if you include the two Americas. Not including the others coming from Europe."

"Six schools, huh... you think they'll have pretty boys?"

"What, not happy with the local offer?" Hans' question got a quiet laugh out of most in the vehicle, Mako and Maho aside, as Saori's cheeks turned red for a few seconds.

"I-I mean, is not like you are bad looking yourself, but a woman's gotta be able to choose ya know?"

"Relax, I'm just messing with ya." Hans slumped back on his seat, a heavy sight leaving his lips. "We finally got a much-needed break. Dunno about you girls, but I plan on getting wasted today and stock on random stuff I might want later. Security will surely increase in the shipments for the other side, so it's a nice time to buy whatever you want before that happens."

"What Hans said." Roth nodded, reaffirming his friend's statement. "Overall, just have a nice, pleasant couple days before heading back. Herr Hauptmann Schmidt and some other officers will probably be moving around doing command stuff, but for us, it's time to be free."

"It's Herr Major now, Peter," Hans reminded his friend, jokingly hitting him on the back of the head.

"Might as well be a Gefreiter while he's not here."

"Nice! I'm sure there's plenty of museums and stores in The Hague with cool historical stuff!" Yukari's attitude got even more giggles, specially from her friends, while gaining an amused grin to the Europeans.

"Though, what could they be doing here regarding command?" Hans asked, raising an eyebrow, though still leaning on the truck's side with his eyes closed.

"Well, the event of an otherworld princess and the need to guard her is the perfect excuse to have people moving there," interrupted the heavy voice of Khoakin Petrakov, dozing off next to the rear exit. "Gives us an excuse for a weekend pass, gives the brass a reason to meet old friends and communicate stuff in the same place with all expenses paid for."

"Go figure."

"Wait, will something happen to our teams?" Maho's question arose alarm from the rest, who, lacking any reference stared at the German NCO. Roth, seeing the expectations upon him, was quick to deflect them.

"If there's any, I'm not being told this early. They're probably still trying to figure stuff out before telling the small leaders like me." He shrugged. "If anyone here knows, is the Russian cunt."

"Oi. Only a few people are allowed to call me that, and you ain't one of them, ty cyka." The tone of the Russian dozing off on the back exit of the truck gave Roth a tinge of danger, but it was short-lived as the people's attention shifted to the Slavic officer.

"Petrakov, do you know something about it?"

Khoakin opened one eye and sized up Miho and then went through the entire crew, finishing with the two Germans aboard and his sleeping sister in front of him.

"I'll entertain you for a bit, I guess." He closed his eye again, enjoying the wind on his face. "The brass is reforming the unit, something about making it a 'proper reconnaissance unit' instead of loose teams doing scouting missions without proper vehicles. At last, they saw the light, but it has to do with them securing accurate maps from Italica."

"I see. With proper maps of the area, the need to scout becomes a second priority compared to units capable of performing economy-of-force and engaging enemy forces on their own."

"Wow, nice one, Akiyama. You did study your courses." The brunet girl smiled at the Russian's praise, who betrayed nothing else but a short smile. "But yeah, that's the gist of it. The multi-academic reconnaissance teams are transforming into the Vanguard Regiment, a self-contained unit with proper auxiliary services, chain of command, some staff personnel, and companies and battalions instead of loose teams." He stopped for a while, raising an eyebrow, as if thinking. "Despite the name, think of it as a brigade with units of different types attached."

"Wait, so they're sending us to the frontline again? I thought we did enough already..."

"Sort of." Khoakin answered with a shrug to Saori's question. "But we'll move as a whole for the most part, leaving aside that we can be sent on mission on our own from time to time. The core idea is having a powerful, concentrated unit with high mobility. Expect the only heavy tank being the ones in our current team, in the chance a breakthrough tank is needed."

"So, we're going back to the frontlines..." muttered Yukari, casting her glance down.

"And much safer than before, if you ask me," finished Petrakov, his small smile widening.

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The Hague, The Netherlands

A few hours later, to the delight of most of the students not assigned to the permanent escort unit that would stick to the otherworlders permanently, the convoy disintegrated as soon as they parked in the outskirts of the famous Dutch city. The "honour guard", as they were dubbed, clad in their formal attires, took their place in the vehicles surrounding the limousine carrying the foreign dignitaries and took off, the motorcycles clearing the path ahead for the cars inside their diamond formation.

While the teenagers were dispersing and each minding their own business, including the Japanese crews and their European companions, a small group split off from them, its members getting off their cars and walking into the city in an apparently random direction. They went unnoticed by the rest, who's priorities rather went into how to make the most out of the two days of free time on their hands. After a while, the splinted group arrived to what appeared to be a security perimeter, manned by some very serious students from a Swiss military academy.

"Halt." The group stopped their steps under the hawkish eye of the Swiss. "ID and purpose."

"Major Karl Schmidt, Panzer Akademie von München. This is Major Romy Hausser, from the same academy." Schmidt surrendered his ID, followed by Hausser, as did the rest of the group. "Mission AD-6, GATE Academic Coalition."

Two of the guards checked the IDs on a database, while another kept watching the surrounding area and the rest patted them down in search of anything non-conforming to regulations. Personal weapons aside, which only a few carried, the only dangerous thing the group had were pocketknives of bayonets, for which they got a warning yet were allowed to keep them.

"All clear, Feldwebel," the soldier checking the database informed. "They're in."

"Understood. Herr Major, Frau Major, beware not to make any fuss inside. The situation is already volatile as it is."

"I'll keep that in mind. Truppe, let's move."

"Jawohl."

"Would you look at that, you actually restrained your sassy tongue, eh Romy?" muttered the male Major, hiding a half-smirk on his face as they left the guards behind.

"Shut it, Karl. Even I know not to mess with the Swiss if one can help it," the girl replied, rolling her eyes to the amusement of her companion in rank.

The group led by the two crossed the perimeter and walked at a leisurely pace until they reached a small plaza with several small bars and cafes at its borders. After a brief inspection of their surroundings, Schmidt directed them towards a specific café, which was bustling with military students from a myriad of nations. They dispersed after entering the place, with its two leaders heading to a particular spot after one briefly checked his phone. There they found two other teenagers, both brunette, wearing a British uniform.

"Karl," one of them said upon noticing the pair's arrival, nodding at the blonde Major, "You have to stop getting involved in theses messes, don't you think? First Kaliningrad, now Italica."

"Louis," the German returned the greetings, nodding back, "It's not my fault, alright? At least I made it out alive both times."

The two shook their hands.

"Mind introducing your partner? I know you recently got promoted, but it's still rather early to already be involved with the higher officiality don't you think?"

"Funny, aren't we?" Schmidt rolled his eyes at Hausser's remark, extending an arm in her direction.

"Major Hausser, armoured reconnaissance."

"Ah, the famous Hausser from Kaliningrad? The one that-"

"Why don't you introduce us to your team better?" Louis did not miss the dangerous tone in Hausser's voice, wisely deciding to nod and do as she said.

"Of course. I'm captain Louis Walker, Royal Armoured Academy. Next to me and playing with her camera is corporal Chloe Rozier, my tank's gunner, and that blond fella over there trying to make a crater with his foot is lance corporal Klaus Robinson, my loader."

"I see you are missing a driver," Karl noted. Louis sighed, shrugging.

"Ambush. Sudden braking and the driver smashed his head with the chassis. Hospital for at least two weeks."

"Rotten luck. Got any replacement?"

"With out manpower situation?" a dry laugh escaped Louis' mouth.

"Right, forget I asked. I may have some russkie to cover that spot, though."

"You do?"

"Petrakov's team finally got caught using the modified IS-2, they're reducing the crew to four. I think he'd rather have his sister on a British crew compared to a Russian, especially if it already has a woman in it."

"I see. Can she drive a tank?"

"Better than my own driver, which says quite a lot."

"I'll talk to him on that matter." Hausser cleared her throat, surreptitiously reminding the two of where they stood. A quick look at Chloe, who stopped playing with her camera and was not surreptitiously looking at them with the word 'bored' etched on her face reinforced the idea. "Well, I think our ladies here got bored from us talking."

"Indeed." Karl swept the place with his gaze, counting a rough estimate on the attendants. "I think most people already arrived. How are we on timing?"

"Almost on time," informed Louis.

"Seventy seconds to be exact." Hausser said after checking her wristwatch.

"Time to begin then. Romy, could you?"

"Sure thing." Hausser sighed, rolling her neck and grunting at the crack of her bones. "Such a shame Erich couldn't come."

"Let Weiss work, will you? He's been sitting idle far too long."

"Fine, fine..."

Both German Majors walked over to a podium on a side of the café, quickly gathering the attention of the students present with their sole presence (and their position). After a brief rock-papers-scissors which Romy lost, she stepped forward to address the public in front of him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming. I'm Major Hausser from the Panzer Akademie, and I'm with Major Schmidt from the same school. With that said, I'll go straight to the point. If you want formalities and niceties, go ask the politicians." An entertained murmur travelled through the crowd at the words of the German. "Now, while you will later be assigned to different units, all you have one thing in common: your units will be directly at the frontlines, either as reconnaissance, the glorious armoured recon, any sort of exploration troops, or as part of the upcoming Vanguard Regiment, whatever form it has in the end. Your final assignments and duties will be given in Alnus. Since you will be operating at the border directly in the line of fire, this meeting was schedule with the objective of giving you all a brush over what we know so far of the other side. Schmidt, if you would."

The other Major nodded and stepped forward while Hausser retreated to the back, pushing a button to project a copy of a map of Falmart in the wall behind him.

"Luckily, we secured accurate maps after the capture of an important city, so we have somewhat accurate distances to guide our next movements," he announced, a pointing stick on his hand as he travelled around the map. "This red X here is Alnus Hill, our main base of operations and where the GATE is located. Two large battles have occurred there so far, both victories for us. Roughly 150 kilometres to the north we have the city of Italica, a strategic objective from the two highways that cross it together with large agricultural and commercial importance. We secured it two weeks ago, in part thanks to the Italica Incident most of you already heard about. To put it simply, we fought off a large flame-spitting dragon. We had casualties, definitely higher than expected at that point. Reinforcements arrived later, we fought off a reinforced imperial legion the next day, and we made contact with the third princess of the Empire of Sadera, Piña Co Lada. Yes, that's her name. Yes, you can laugh. Many did."

Giggles were heard around the café at the words of the officer, which delayed the next part of the meeting by a couple more minutes than expected by the two Majors. The following twenty minutes, the two Germans exposed the information about the other side at their disposal, with especial emphasis regarding local bandits, imperial army formations, and the dynamic of the operations carried on Falmart depending on the type of troops and the terrain. An entire sub-section was made for demi-humans, with the limited information gathered so far exposed for reference.

"And finally, main directives and future operations," spoke Hausser, glad to be finally closing the ordeal, "Command wants to finish the war quickly, either by completely defeating the Saderans in the field or at least by getting into a position to start negotiations. Given that, and how quick our advance has been in the weeks before the Italica Incident, the most likely operations to be carried out for the next months are probing attacks and reconnaissance missions on the roads towards the imperial capital, of which we have identified four, only one being a direct road. Finally, there's also the magical city of Rondel, which we have yet to explore. Your future missions will be dictated by these priorities and roads, so expect heavy resistance, long trips, or both. Any remaining questions?"

No hands were raised. Hausser and Schmidt almost sighed there in the podium, glad the whole thing was practically over.

"Very well. Ladies and gentlemen, that's all, you can return to your units, and we'll see each other in Alnus whenever we're sent there. You are dismissed."

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International Court of Justice, The Hague
One hour later...

Field grey uniforms quietly slipped in the far-end of the large room where third princess of the Empire of Sadera, Piña Co Lada, was giving her speech, aided by academic translators for most European languages. One in particular, wore by Major Schmidt of the Panzer Akademie, stopped next to the brown uniform wore by captain Walker, who was standing against the wall with his arms crossed and a bored expression on her face as he listened to the foreign dignitary's words.

"Hey Louis. Have I missed anything so far?"

"Of importance? No, just recently they ceased with formalities." Louis took out his phone, checking the time. "What took you so long?"

"A meeting with the brass. We're still planning the Vanguard Regiment, trying to find a balance between a pure battle formation and a self-sufficient unit. Add politics to top it off."

"Any special consideration?"

"Companies as the main tactical unit, grouped in battalions according to their purpose. Aside from the countries present so far, they'll add a couple or so of the American continent."

"Both Americans?"

"If you mean the country, no. At least one should be from Latin America as well." Karl shook his head. "They'll also give us artillery, pioneers, and proper reconnaissance. It's the non-combat elements that are giving a headache to the brass."

"Will they have the organization ready on time?"

"They have until the princess finishes her European tour, so a week or so. They'll have it on time, even if half-assed."

"Works for me."

Louis kept listening Piña's speech while Karl inspected some documents. The duo refrained from speaking until a third figure emerged from the shadows bordering the large assembly room, joining them. Karl raised his sight from the documents to find Russian captain Khoakin Petrakov.

"What'd I miss?"

"Short or long version?" Asked Louis, casting a side glance at the newcomer.

"Short. I don't care enough for the long."

"Basically, she's saying that she wants to form a government in exile and overthrow her father, the emperor and head of state, her older brother, the first prince and head of the army, and the senate, dominated by the pro-war."

"And the politicians buy it?" While the question was directed at Louis, who had answer, it was Karl who spoke next.

"We don't really know much about the politics of Falmart aside from loose pieces of info. The guys in intelligence are gathering more evidence from Italica, which is a gold mine of data, which will later help to corroborate whatever the princess is saying."

"What does she bring to the table?"

"A legitimate government, for one." Louis spoke like who recites a long-known fact, which wasn't surprising for Khoakin, who recalled the British's fondness of the medieval and antique periods. "She's also stating that barely a fraction of the population is really on board with the fighting. Nationalism hasn't really taken a root there aside from a few major cities, and the army while professional, is not fanatical, and will surrender if overwhelmed, maybe even switch sides if their privileges are maintained. Lastly, she has her own personal chivalry order which has several sons and daughter of nobility in its ranks, which further helps a smooth transition of power as most noble families won't see their positions threatened despite the change of government."

"So, she does offer a tempting possibility to end the conflict, huh?" Khoakin muttered, crossing his arms and joining the other two in holding himself with his back against the wall and observing absently the speech. "As long as she offers reparations, apologies, and economic concessions, I don't see the politicians refusing her on the change of government avenue, specially if the Saderan government refuses to collaborate."

"But still, a government propped up only by our guns will be problematic." Muttered Louis, a veil of worriedness in his eyes. "We can't be anywhere at once, after all. Does she have any troop to help her?"

"She has her chivalry order," noted Khoakin, nodding. "They appear well trained, even if a bit green, with several veterans in its ranks lead by mostly well-groomed nobility. Think of them as shock calvary and heavy infantry, roughly 300 souls."

"There're also locals who might join her," added Karl, storing the papers in his jacket's breast pocket. "She could try recruiting from the bandits and imperial army prisoners in our possessions, and arms them with captured weapons or old guns from our side. Only in Italica I think we got over two thousand prisoners with a few high-ranking officers, enough to start a brigade."

"Will they be loyal?" Asked the Russian.

"They'll be once they see the amenities of staying loyal." Louis dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "We can give them half the wealth of their lifetime in a month with barely a fraction of the cost of a regular soldier for us. They may flock to the princess' side once word of the payment starts running."

"That's an entirely different problem, in a way," noted Petrakov, shaking his head.

"Also, not one we should care about," finished Schmidt, crossing his arms. "So, I heard we are on the protection detail for the princess' visit to the UK, Germany, and Russia?"

"So we are. Hopefully nothing bad happens, I want to rest for a few days."

"Didn't you rest for the last ten days or so?" Louis replied with a snarky tone.

"I'll be dead the day I consider dealing with the press and politicians 'rest'." Karl rolled his eyes, to the amusement of Petrakov.

"Amen to that."

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XXXXXXXXXX

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Secondary War Room, Alnus Military Base.
D-Day +43

"You had to jinx it, didn't ya?"

"Shut it, Petrakov."

"Indeed, shup up, Russian."

"Et tu¸Louis?"

"No, I just want silence."

"Killjoy."

"Shut up, both of you."

The three officers dropped the subject as each took a sip of the beverage on their respective hands, resigning themselves to wait for the instructions of the regiment commander. A couple metres away from them, Hausser and Nishizumi Miho watched them with more than a bit of confusion.

"T-they're... friends, right?"

"At least acquaintances," noted Hausser, shrugging. "I learned about it like a week ago."

"You are... etto..."

"Major Hausser, from armoured reconnaissance." The girl introduced herself, giving a brief nod to the Japanese sisters. "And the guy walking over here is Major Weiss, pioneers."

"Hey Romy, how'd ya been?"

"You would know it, Erich." Hausser greeted him with a small smile, nodding towards Schmidt. "There's Karl, by the way."

"I'm right here." Schmidt appeared next to the two almost immediately, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I think now I understand Erich's complains about escort missions in videogames. Doing as babysitter for a week was a fucking nightmare."

"Tough luck, mate." Weiss shrugged, high fiving Schmidt. "As for me, I've been warm and cozy in Alnus directing construction of defences and quarters."

"We know. Who do you think asked for your ass to be dragged into the recon troops?" Schmidt and Hausser shared a knowing smile, receiving a tired sight from Weiss.

"So it was your fault."

"Don't blame us for making you work."

"Guess I shouldn't."

"Alright, ladies, gather up!" Came the voice of the regiment's commander. With a nod, all officers present walked over to the colonel who towered above a local map on a table. "I'm sure some of you remember miss Lelei La Lelena, a local magician, and her mentor, Cato El Alestan. Well, the guys in intel did their thing, and the two collaborated with tons of information regarding probable targets for operations. So now, it's our turn to start moving our vehicles wherever command needs them to be. Understood?"

"Yessir." A muffled murmur travelled through the room. The colonel nodded, satisfied.

"First of all, some locals contacted command here and gave them intel about the flame dragon's next whereabouts. A local priest of sorts under the name of Rory Mercury offered herself to be the guide, it's somewhere to the south in the Schwarz Mountains. Captain Miho Nishizumi?"

"Hai- I mean, yes, sir?"

"Your company was selected to carry on the search of the dragon's nest. You'll go out in two days."

"Understood."

"Following that, the British's troops requested some recon units for their upcoming mission in the Elbe Kingdom. Mayór Antonov, you're up. The expedition also leaves in two days, with you at the head."

"Understood, sir colonel."

"The rest will regroup their forces in Italica, which will act as our forwards operating base for the following weeks. I have three more expeditions planned, but they're on hold until I get permission from the brass to carry them out without the press going all nuts over them. Also, not a word to those annoyances of the PMC."

A groan crossed over the room, with most officers making little to no effort in disguising their disgust at the "privateers", as they often called the members of the student PMC contracted by the EU to keep their activities supervised. It didn't help that, to many, the news of a supervisor in the form of a student PMC was a total surprised they found out the moment they crossed into the new world. Colonel Laundraff clapped his hands twice to regain the attention of the officers in the room.

"I'll talk with you again in Italica, bar Nishizumi and Antonov, in three to five days. That's all. Ladies and gentlemen, go and prepare your troops for transfer. You're dismissed."

.

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A/N: While this took longer than expected, especially the last part (which took like 3 days). What a way to not finish writing something. Guess it's because I was quite bored when I made this chapter.

You might notice this is way shorter than previous ones. That's mostly because the moment in which I wrote this chapter, and the next two, I was bored with that arc of the story, and wanted to be done with it already. I kinda also popped Rory up out of nowhere for it in the original version as if she was always there. It was also roughly here where I decided to accelerate the story to finish it soon (in terms of time).

The original chapter had roughly five thousand words, while the remake/translated chapter has roughly six and a half thousand. Don't be fooled, tough: there are significant differences. The 7th Team's part was cut short, Piña's part was remade while her speech was cut off, Hausser joined Schmidt on his trip to the meeting, which now included people going to all sorts of first-line units, the appearance of a student-made PMC, and a better characterization of the "friendship" of sorts between Louis, Karl, and Khoakin (which are the OCs me and two friends made back in high school for this story).

One of the most important changes in the chapter is that Schmidt was only promoted to Major, not Oberstleutnant, so the command of the Vanguard Regiment went to another character instead (colonel Laundraff, who still acts as Schmidt's superior in the Spanish version). Likewise, and with the appearance of Hausser and Weiss (who weren't there in the Spanish version), the regiment takes a different approach: it's an umbrella unit with different recon and exploration units, grouped in either permanent or ad-hoc battalions. It won't change much in terms of the story, but it will regarding the setting.

That's all for now. I'll think on merging the next two chapters into one, but that's something for future me. Anyway, read ya later,
RedSS.