First Battle

“Command here. All units, make your last preparations and wait for my order.”

Wilhelm grinned when he heard Captain Joseph’s voice over comms… Or at least, he thought he did. It was always hard to tell from inside a cybersuit. Right now, his squad had a clear view of the NSR army outside of Fort Ackermann, and none of them seemed the wiser. In these forests near the fort, the Republic couldn’t see the enemies on their flanks; that was the key to Captain Joseph’s plan. Alongside Wilhelm, Rudolf leaned against a tree, nearly caving it in.

“Watch it, or that thing might fall... Your suit’s way too big, Rudolf. Do you want to be a magnet for their bullets or something?”

Rudolf, for the first time, let out a short laugh. “Yes, actually. Why do you think I asked for this shield?” He lifted a heavy, long metallic shield, stained in the same black as the rest of his suit. 

“Fair enough. You think it’ll hold up like it did in our spars?”

“No, but it won’t need to. So long as we catch them off guard, this should go smoothly… Just don’t dash ahead, Wilhelm. We need to fight against them together, not divided.”

“Yeah, yeah. You made that very clear the other day.” They’d lost their match against Storm and Bowie narrowly, and Rudolf had many, many things to say on the subject. Wilhelm had listened, if only because of Rudolf’s superior rank, and today, he intended to follow Rudolf’s key instruction: work together, and follow his lead. Easier said than done.

“Wil- Er, Lieutenant!" Levin’s voice interjected. “We’re ready whenever.”

“Got it,” Wilhelm said. Then, he opened up a channel to Joseph. “Captain, Squad Azure’s raring to go. Now?”

“Slow down, Frei,” the captain said. “When it’s go time, you’ll be the first to know.”

Wilhelm thought about saying that they’d all know at the same time, but said nothing. Instead, he took another look at the gates of Fort Ackermann. Outside of it, the battle was already underway; the EIF, in their standard, dull blue, and the NSR, in their faded reds, painted the battlefield in a way that reminded Wil of the other day with Mathilde. Speaking of…

The two hadn’t spoken much today, each too distracted by what was to come. Even now, Mathilde stood nearby, but she busied herself with rearranging her squadron’s positions and instructing Damian, the drunkard Cyberitter from the other day, at length. Wilhelm counted himself lucky that the two didn’t work together directly. For once, I’m glad Rudolf’s my partner.

At some point, she must have found Damian’s conduct satisfactory, as she turned away from her squad and looked at the battlefield. Her dark green suit blended in with the trees: a practical choice, suited for camouflage. As Wilhelm looked her way, he heard her voice.

“You sure you’re focused, Wil? We have a job to do, here.”

“Huh? Yeah, of course I am. Just… waiting for the captain’s order, you know?

“Aren’t we all? Each second, more and more people die… What’s he waiting for?”

“Must be someone in the other team shitting their pants. My bet’s on Bowie.” Although he couldn’t see it, Wilhelm could feel Mathilde’s look of disapproval. I’m probably right, though.

“Whatever the case, let’s end this quickly. Do you see the way their army’s moving?” Wilhelm took a look, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Shifting, and turning, but…

“Look at the motion in their army. Their right flank responds to little, but the left flank adapts quickly. Wouldn’t you say?”

Wilhelm squinted as he looked at the Republic army. As he looked, he saw what Mathilde meant: a constant shuffle of organized movement, close to them. 

“That means that their more competent officers are on the left… Right next to us, that is. Keep an eye on that, Wil. Look for anyone with suspicious movements in the crowd. And when the time’s right, don’t just follow the captain’s orders. Do what you think is right.”

“...Why tell me this?”

Mathilde didn’t respond, for a moment. Then, she said, “The captain would tell you the same thing, if he could see what we do. And… you're going to rush in anyway, aren't you?“

"...Was it that obvious?"

"Yes."

Wilhelm laughed. "When the captain said that the Red Reaper might be around, I was never going to do anything else. Thanks for the heads up, though. I'll make things quick."

"Yeah, I really doubt that...  Well, you're better suited to that than me, so I'll wait outside and keep track of their leader's most likely location. If you need any help, feel free to ask."

"You got it. Thanks, Mathilde."

Then, the captain’s voice returned. “It’s go time. All squads, attack! Now!”

____________________________________________________________________________

Rudolf’s black cybersuit sprinted towards the battlefield, all too quickly for its size, and the rest of Team A's personnel followed. Their targets had seen them now, but it was too late. The slaughter began. Countless rounds flew into the NSR’s forces, without concern that it might hit their allies on the other side. Red mechanical bodies fell, one-by-one.

Next to Wilhelm, Levin ran side-by-side. “Wil, we’re ready to fire!”

“Then do it!” From behind him, the soldiers that Levin had drilled for the month answered in one moment. United, their bullets rained onto the Soviets, spreading chaos across the battlefield. Wilhelm focused, watching the battlefield as Mathilde had suggested.

The Soviets had abandoned any dreams of pushing forward. Although their soldiers outnumbered the EIF’s, they had given up on holding their position. Instead, they lashed out, sending accompanying volleys towards Wilhelm and his squadmates. In unison, Rudolf and his squad lifted their shields, blocking much of the fire and redirecting the rest. Bullets ricocheted across the battlefield, falling harmlessly like raindrops. Then, Mathilde and Damian’s squad sent back another volley. Red exosuits dropped, but the Republic still stood strong.

Even with the resulting smoke from the unrelenting gunfire, Wilhelm could still see, thanks to the cybersuit’s capabilities. He stared, and stared, until he finally noticed something. One, lone exosuit that looked just a little different from the others, moving around wildly. Each time they slipped into vision, they vanished, covered by a sea of red metal.

“Levin, get the guys ready for a charge! We’re going in!” Without waiting for a response, Wilhelm dashed forward. Rudolf’s unit provided the perfect cover. Wilhelm slipped through into the melee and lifted the sword off of his back. In the chaos, no one had noticed him yet. 

Wilhelm’s cybersuit roared into power as he swung the blade, pushed to its limits by the sword’s weight. The red, battered exosuits in his path caved under the blade’s pressure, just as he’d imagined. A swing to the body, then a stab through the head, did the job. Again, and again, Wilhelm reaped without a fear in the world. Once, a pilot got close to landing a blow, but a bullet flew through their visor first. Someone patted Wilhelm's back, shaking him slightly.

“You’re welcome,” Levin said. “All due respect, Wil, but you’re making it hard to follow you. The guys are having a tough time keeping up. Not sure where they're all at, to be honest with you.”

Wilhelm kept moving towards his destination. “Then have them move faster, or stay behind.”

In the maelstrom of combat, Wilhelm lost track of the person he’d been looking for.

“Mathilde, where are they? I’m in deep now. Can’t see a damn thing but bodies.”

“From your location, they’re… About ten meters north, Wil. The outer pilots are busy with the rest of us, so now’s the best shot that you’ll get. Don’t waste it.”

“Got it.”

“I… Yeah. Good luck, Wil.” The channel ended, and Wilhelm kept moving. Then, another voice came over the comms.

“Frei, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” The captain had noticed.

“Ending things. I’ve got a path to their leader, and I’m gonna take it.”

“...No, you aren’t. Not without your squad. Wait for them, then move. That’s an order.”

Wilhelm cursed but did as he commanded, cutting down nearby NSR soldiers in the meantime. When they’d all arrived, silence filled the air. Half of them were gone. Dead, or missing, Wilhelm couldn’t say. But he wouldn’t back down, not when they were so close.

When they at least reached the center, the officer that Wilhelm had seen had nowhere left to hide. Dyed in the same red with a silvery trim, they pointed towards Wilhelm. At first, he’d thought they were aiming at him. Instead, five larger, tougher exosuit models flew forward. Another set of bullets flew from the remainder of Wilhelm’s squad, with one of their enemies dropping immediately. But the rest continued, as their leader tried to sneak away.

He's running? ...This isn't the guy I'm looking for, but I'm here already. Better get to work.

Then, Wilhelm flew. On his back, his hands, and his feet, rocket thrusters took him into the sky. Bullets tried to meet him, but he moved too quickly, dodging each with ease before vaulting right behind the NSR officer. Then, he sunk his blade into the officer’s back, piercing through the front of their armor. Wilhelm pulled out the sword. Shrapnel and blood scattered onto the ground, and the officer fell to the ground. For a moment, the world was still.

That moment of confusion was enough. The remaining NSR pilots scattered, fleeing away from the fort. Levin took aim with their minigun, and a spray of bullets flew through two of the remaining elites. As for the rest, Wilhelm’s squad took advantage of the chaos, finishing the job as the enemy fled. They all stared at each other, just for a moment. Is… Is it really over?

“You’re done, Frei,” the captain said. “Get out of there. You’ve done enough.”