A/N: Thanks for reading this far and big celebrations for a fifth chapter release! Next milestone at 10, then 25, 50 and so on! Hopefully you'll hang around to see what happens :)

Ochenkov's eyelids fluttered open and he gasped for breath. In response, pain erupted across his body and he felt tension across his arm and chest, looking down to see various small tubes coming out from those locations. There were patches all over his chest attached to electrodes spewing out readouts on hospital machines surrounding his small bed.

The general was by no means a small man and his frame overwhelmed the mattress, spilling over the sides. He managed to shift his neck and watched a nurse beside him noting down numbers and graphs. When she saw he was awake she created a warm smile across her face to try and soothe him.

He too tried to smile back but could not hide his strife. He did his best to motion her over with his head, the rest of his body completely unresponsive to his demands for motions. "Where are men?" His Northern accent was thick and slurred his words together. It was part of being from one of the mountain tribes and he had always struggled with the new language forced upon him.

"Your men?" The nurse looked baffled and flipped through some of the papers on her clipboard. "Men...men...men...there's nobody here on the list..."

My men!" Ochenkov bellowed, something feral and deep and much in tune with a bear. "Where are they?!"

In answer to his question a doctor came flying in, his lab coat swirling behind him. Following him was a well-dressed military man, a long overcoat running down to just below his knees, black with gold trim and buttons. At the top was well-coifed black hair, like that of a smooth crow and his face was spotless and clean-shaven. The only blemish was an old scar that ran over his right eye down across his nose, finishing above his lip. By contrast the blonde doctor of Scandinavian looks was completely forgettable (and Ochenkov subsequently did this).

This imposing man was Christian, the Martyr General, who piloted the Iron Maiden Goliath before he was put in a top advisory role. He too smiled at Ochenkov but it did nothing to calm the beast, for this wild animal had a personal hatred for this specific general.

"Christian! Where are men?!"

"They are dead Ochenkov." His voice was cold and frosty. His sentences were abruptly delivered; even if they were short normally he seemed to add an extra edge to their curtness.

"Where are they?"

"I suppose they're still up in the mountains somewhere. The Goliaths are being dismantled for scrap metal and parts. We'll retrieve the bodies eventually for a proper burial, but one of them was fairly destroyed. I doubt they will be salvageable." Christian made a little signal to the doctor and a syringe was inserted into one of Ochenkov's tubes, some form of nerve-calming serum. "Now Ochenkov," Christian said as he leaned up on one knee, his foot against the tribesman's bed, "what did the Silver Hawk say to you?"

"I say nothing of Hawk. How do you..." Ochenkov's eyes widened. "You know when you sent us! It was suicide!" Ochenkov's head rolled from side to side as he attempted to thrash in anger but the morphine he had been given was doing its job, and he was starting to fight just to keep his focus on the hated general.

Another signal from Christian, a different injection this time. "We had a suspicion Ochenkov, nothing more. You are a capable general for Enia, you might have had a chance. Not a high one but a chance the same."

"You send men to die." While his body was becoming more docile, his eyes could not be killed and channelled Ochenkov's passion.

"There are very few needless deaths in war, but you are far too low in ranking to understand these things. Everything has a purpose and a point and everything has a chance. Why didn't you save them Ochenkov?"

Ochenkov looked away and clenched his teeth. "I did not know. Was ambush."

"There is a much bigger battle coming general, one that will eclipse all the others of the past. We need to be one step ahead of it and your role in it has arrived. I need that information."

"Where are men Christian?"

Christian gave out a sigh and withdrew his leg. He turned to walk out but stopped at the doorway. "There is a great shift coming to this country, to the world even. I wonder if your friend, the Kaiser, will be able to handle it. Maybe we will need a better man for the job." Christian smiled at the young nurse and she twirled her hair and giggled a little at it, completely oblivious to the impact of the Martyr's words.

* * * * *

Brigadier General Marian, entrenched in his black overcoat with gold trim, swept up the stairs leading into the conference room. It was one of the few places left with solid wooden doors at its entrance, crafted from a once majestic oak tree, and Marian ploughed through them, his entourage of assistants scrambling to keep up with his pace.

He entered to find the usual long conference table surrounded by the usual fellows: General Christian, Finance Minister Oberwald, Prime Minister Basheet Kumar, the Kaiser Namio, and now Brigadier General Marian. The five of them made up the official political council for the Enian Federation during wartimes. Otherwise there was a normal conference meeting between the different factions of the federation that would debate and confer but at this moment it was only them who would meet.

"What happened with Ochenkov, Christian?" Marian delivered the opening line to the group, even though he was the one who was late.

"He won't talk. Dealing with the trauma of his loss. Just keeps asking where his men are over and over."

"Then we must go with what we know." The Kaiser pressed a button on his chair, and the metal table's surface began to glow until a map of the world was illuminated. "We understand a major attack will come down from the north through the mountains, starting at this base." Namio reached across and pressed a spot on the table and a red "X" appeared under his finger, around the same place Ochenkov had been ambushed.

"There is a large bulkhead coming through the southwest and moving to attack Narrius, as we anticipated." This time it was the Prime Minister Basheet speaking and he had a pointing stick circling a spot within the borders of the Enian Federation, and it too developed another marker. He also drew a line coming towards the city of Narrius from the Artisan Confederate and the digital map responded.

"What is the situation like in Narrius, Marian?" Namio said.

"We have deep entrenchments set up and are well prepared to fend off the assault. There are five generals in the area, combat ready, and I myself will be on the battlefield to oversee it all."

"Excellent." The Kaiser turned to the Finance Minister. "Oberwald, how many resources can be devoted to the cause in Narrius? That's the biggest warzone and I'd like to commit long-term to it."

Oberwald observed the table scrupulously and withdrew a small leather book from within his overcoat. It was amazing that it was tucked away within his uniform because it was taxed to the limits due to Oberwald's round girth. Plus his consistent sweat should have easily ruined the paper pages. The minister flipped through his notebook and studied its contents. "If it progresses we may need to make slight cutbacks to some cities in the east to bulk up the western frontier but I don't see any need for major reforms or budgets. We should be able to outlast this one."

"What about the north then sir?" It was the Martyr General Christian.

Before the Kaiser could answer, Brigadier General Marian stepped in. "We are beginning the construction of various forts along the northern passages. Travelling through the mountains takes time no matter how big or small the strike force. It is dangerous in that area and we must stay out of it, giving them the territory so that they suffer by nature and we do not. In that time we will have built up a moderate force and constructions, and it will be Ochenkov who resumes his role once he recovers."

"Ochenkov?" Christian stifled his laughter with a smile. "He already lost to the Silver Hawk. He is a mess. Why should he-"

"He knows more about the north than anyone else and he will seek revenge." Marian's voice boomed in reflection of his nature and build. Tall, dark, powerful, he controlled the armies for a reason.

"He also holds a potential ally," Namio spoke softly. "His connections to the tribes in the mountains may allow us to call upon them for potential resources, guidance, or even troops. They too will not want their land violated."

Basheet pointed to a spot further north than Narrius along the Western border and a third "X" was marked. "There is another issue though." All other figures became fixated on the Prime Minister. "There is a small farm town here, in the green fields of Eufloria, called Easley. It gives us very little surplus food resources but many of its households try to commit a son or daughter to the army and they are deep supporters of the government."

"What's your point Basheet?" Oberwald asked.

"There is a very small unit approaching the town of roughly ten Goliaths, and fifty standard infantry, led by a veteran staff sergeant. Other than his Goliath, none of them are unique and nothing would indicate the force exists for any other reason than taking the town and moving straight towards the heart of the country."

"So it is not the pincer motion of north and south but actually a trident?" Marian shook his head a little in confusion. "Doesn't make any sense."

"Why is it so weak in the middle?" Oberwald inquired.

"It's just a distraction. It is such a weak force by comparison they hope we send a much larger entity to quickly beat it at minimal loss to ourselves. If we don't stop it, it ploughs through the middle of the country heading for the capital. If we send too little it becomes a drawn out battle of losses on both sides. A cunning move."

"You sound as though you envy our enemies Christian. How unusual from you." Marian turned to face the general in challenge.

"I am not inferring anything like that, simply that they have made a challenging move and we must rise to meet it."

"What forces do we have to send there Marian?" Namio was holding his head in his white-gloved hands in distress.

"Very little sir, unless you wish I send a general there to dispose of this quickly, but we lose quite a lot of firepower if we do that. I could go and have it done within a week but we would lack considerable force in Narrius."

"No Marian, I would not wish to send you away from that city." There was silence in the room for awhile as they all thought. "Is there anyone ready in the academy we could send?"

Basheet pulled out a small metal tablet and examined the screen but he shook his head. "We have none who are ready. Even the most senior class just started their advanced training on Chi a few days ago."

"Then we send them."

"Your Excellency, are you mad?! We cannot send novices without combat experience to win a potentially key battle." Christian slammed a fist against the table in anguish.  

"Some of them are future generals. There are many unique Goliaths sitting in hangars up there being unused. They need to go to battle sooner or later. Let them deal with this as their first real test. If they truly do have the great potential to win this war and wars in the future then they will be able to handle this without issue."

"But their classes!" Christian protested.

"Send their teacher with them to finish off their classes. It shouldn't be any issue. It will be good for them.

"Marian, please talk some sense into his Excellency!" The Martyr General shook Marian but to no avail.

"I agree with our lord's command. This will be an unexpected counter to this assault if we send rookie specialist Goliaths to deal with them. Afterwards they will be quite pivotal to the future battles."

"Thank you Marian. Basheet, please send the news up to the academy. Get me the top students. Deliver an order to mobilize for war."

* * * * *

Nami hadn't spoken to Porter since that day in the hangar. She hadn't looked at him either as they sat through class and the other students seemed to take notice that Porter was no longer being stalked. For a moment Porter had enjoyed the sudden freedom but his guilt wouldn't let him hold onto it. He had to amend things with her but he couldn't find the right way to approach.

In the meantime, he was sitting in Mr. Shotuku's class, who was delivering a powerful lecture on meditation and controlling chi. A slipper shot through the classroom and struck Porter between the eyes, knocking him onto the floor and sending his mind reeling. "Pay attention Porter! Chi can be the difference between life and death, not just because it can save you in battle but also because overusing it can kill you! It is your very life you draw from. You must value your life and learning is a part of life so value it."

The class chuckled but was silenced by a glare from the elder teacher. "Class is dismissed then. Also, Chase, Nami, Raul, Riya, Ardwen, and Porter, stay after." Everyone else filed out. "So then, it seems that we are to be deployed for war." the teacher spoke without hesitation and shock rippled through the group, except Porter who lay baffled on the ground. Shotuku held up a piece of paper. "This is an order from the Kaiser himself requesting the mobilization of Goliaths from the top students here at the academy. You are the six who have been chosen."

Chase looked at the other four who were standing next to him at the front of the class. "Great counting old man. You said six, I see five."

Mr. Shotuku shook his head at Chase. "What about that one?" He pointed at Porter on the floor, whose tongue had lolled out of his mouth and who had a K and O in his two eyes. "He is the sixth."

"Him?!" Chase exclaimed, not disguising his shock and humour. "But he isn't the top of anything. He isn't even the average at most things." A slipper smashed down on the top of Chase's head and he too crumpled into a heap on the ground.

"But you are not the one deciding who goes and who stays."

"Where are we being sent to Mr. Shotuku?" Riya's soft voice wafted through the air like joyous music.

"A small town on the western frontier, Easley, my lovely student." Shotuku had a silly grin spread across his face and he leaned in towards Riya and bowed his head, as though to kiss her hand.

Suddenly, Porter sat straight up and pointed a finger at his teacher. "You stay away from her you old pervert!" The class's collective jaw dropped. Even Chase on the floor had an open mouth after that statement. Mr. Shotuku's eyebrow twitched and his second slipper rocketed through the air and cracked Porter's skull.

"Foolish boy."

"But Mr. Shotuku," Riya asked, "what about our classes?"

"Oh don't worry, I am coming with you all to continue to teach you. You couldn't seriously think that you would get to shirk your studies would you? No, but at least now we will practice what has been taught."

Upon seeing Porter so gravely injured, Nami had rushed to his side and cradled his head and soothed him while he babbled in an unconscious fog. "Mr. Shotuku, shouldn’t we tend to his head wound? I think you might have broken his skull."

"Bah, a true warrior will survive. He'll be fine." Actually he takes quite a good beating from my slipper technique, thought Shotuku. I haven't seen someone capable of being hit so hard, so consistently in a long time. Interesting. "Anyways we deploy in five hours. Get your things together and meet at the launch bay. Your Goliaths have already been sent down to Earth. I will see you then." He left, along with three of the six. Chase was sitting rubbing his head while Nami was cooing over Porter.

"Oh Porter I forgive you. You were just dumb from being hit in the head so much. Of course! How could I not see it? Don't worry though, we get to go to Earth together in a little romantic town and we will fight side by side and protect each other..." And on and on she went until she had to eventually drag Porter to the bay so they wouldn't miss their shuttle.

A/N: Hidden agendas and competing egos? It's time for the group to suit up for war and engage. Let the fun begin as Goliaths take to war and relationships begin to flourish!

Thanks for reading! Big celebration for the 5th chapter. Can't wait to see where we go from here.