Ash and Steel.[P/MT|Semi-Closed]

[State of Ordena]

Barracks of the 345th Motor Rifle Regiment,
Vostokaya Oblast, Chernova.

Alarms and sirens blared as the Barracks of the 345th Motor Rifle Regiment sprang to life with soldiers rushing to put gear on and grab weapons and ammunition. Mikhail strapped into his Kevlar armor and threw on his ballistic helmet as in the far distance the rumbling of explosions could be heard closer to the physical border with what was Krasnova. Officers and political commissars barked orders and commands as the troops made there way outside into the main staging area. Armored personnel carriers and transport trucks idled in the dark, plumes of exhaust smoke rising into the cold air. This was not some sort of drill like Mikhail and his comrades had remembered going through before, this was real the fascists were coming. No more than 45 minutes ago the Ordenite Krijgsmacht launched a sudden assault against the Chernovan border which was the beginning of the Zhukov defensive belt. Intense electronic warfare measures allowed Ordenite warplanes to essentially cross over with little to no resistance as air raids against military targets began. The 345th Motor Rifle Regiment were among the first units which were slated for deployment to defensive positions in such a scenario as this. Mikhail now sat in a transport truck heading towards what would be the immediate frontlines of the war so far as a political commissar sung patriotic songs to keep up morale.

The night sky became illuminated as Chernovan surface to air missile batteries targeted Ordenite planes. The sounds of war and battle grew louder as the column made there way closer to the front lines. Mikhail could only think of his family and friends as even he didn't know if he would ever see them again. The most forward positions of the Zhukov defensive belt consisted of obstacles and mines followed by trenches and pillboxes manned by Chernovan soldiers stationed there. However contact had been lost with those positions not long after the invasion had begun. The 345th Motor Rifle Regiment would arrive at it's positions arrayed 30km away from the border and along with accompanying units which made up it's Motor Rifle Corps defend their land from the Ordenites. Vostokaya Oblast was defended by over 3 million Chernovan Red Army troops of which were primarily conscripts that in this scenario would be used to delay and slow down the Ordenite advance throughout much of the defensive belt. Therefore they were primarily meant to man preexisting fortifications and positions with little in the way of maneuver units such as tanks.

The Ordenites however had retained the element of surprise as the Chernovan Stavka had not come to conclusions sooner that the Ordenites were intending on striking Chernova. It was assumed by the Chernovan State Defense Committee that the Ordenites were primarily focusing on it's geopolitical entanglements with the Golden Throne. Mikhail hopped down from the bed of the transport truck along with his fellow soldiers as they rushed to man there positions and fortifications. Mikhail would take up positions in a trench system which also fielded pillboxes and bunkers. Further back behind them and most of his fellow soldiers was another trench consisting of several political commissars and other soldiers manning machine guns in which it was intended to shoot deserters and those who fled during battle. Once the two hour mark was reached since the invasion began Mikhail and the men could sense that the fascists would set upon them soon and they would be in for the fight for there lives. Already some of the men were getting cold feet and would attempt to leave there positions as the political commissars and officers threatened them with death if they did not remain at there posts.

"Artillery! Brace yourselves!"

Suddenly the earth shook as explosions erupted throughout there positions as Ordenite artillery was now firing on them. Mikhail got low as low as he could inside the trench as dirt was flung into the air from the impacts of the munitions. A near by pillbox was struck directly by an artillery shell as chunks of concrete were torn away and a cloud of dust settled over the area. Then it seemed if the sky it self begun to roar as the sound of sirens overhead which were approaching Ordenite close air support planes. Larger explosions tore through there positions with some landing direct hits on emplacements and killing soldiers. The sound was deafening as artillery and close air support pummeled them for what seemed like eternity, Mikhail shut his eyes covering his head with his arms hoping not to be struck down. A commissar had jumped into his trench as he shook Mikhail out of his cowering and shouted at him although his voice could hardly be heard over all the noise. Mikhail would be picked up off the ground by the commissar as he had his rifle shoved into his chest, he grasped it firmly as the commissar pointed out at no mans land.

In the distance he could make out tanks and armored vehicles coming there way. Mikhail had never actually seen Ordenites before but was drilled relentlessly in the military and in school about them and there atrocities against there brothers in Krasnova. The horizon looked to be chalked full of them as they steadily advanced towards the 345th Motor Rifle regiment's positions and the positions of adjacent units. The Chernovan's divisional artillery had now begun to fire focusing on counter battery and the advancing Ordenite armored push as explosions erupted with shells landing every which way. There would be little in the way of a response from the Chernovan Air Force as the closest airfields to the border had been neutralized by Ordenite cruise missile strikes in the opening minutes of the invasion. Communications was also becoming more and more difficult due to active electronic warfare which was hampering cohesion between command and control.

As the Ordenite armor got closer the Chernovan defenders begun deploying anti-tank weapons including ATGMs targeting the main battle tanks. Suddenly a loud buzzing sound followed by a whine could be heard by one of the ATGM teams as a Ordenite FPV drone had honed in on them and dived right into them before exploding. The advancing Ordenites had now deployed their offensive capable drones as they begun to sow havoc among the Chernovan defenders. Mikhail watched in horror as one of these drones hovered near by and then immediately dived down into the trench exploding among two comrades, shredding them with shrapnel. The commissar beside him had withdrew his service pistol and was shooting in the air at the drones as others did the same. By now the Ordenites were well within range to begin laying down effective suppressive fire as there infantry fighting vehicles 50mm autocannons opened up on them. The commissar who had at this point been standing up above the trench shooting at drones was suddenly thrown back violently as he was struck with a 50mm shell and torn to pieces thereafter. Mikhail dropped to his stomach as he crawled away in terror as he could hear the screams of his comrades being torn to shreds by Ordenite guns, he still held on tightly to his rifle as battle raged around him.

One of the last surviving pillboxes was struck twice by a Ordenite tank, obliterating it and whomever was unfortunate enough to still be inside. Infantry were dismounted as they closed the distance with the Chernovans before chucking grenades into the nearest trench. More Chernovans fell as the Ordenite infantry established a foothold with adequate armor to support them as drones flew overhead chasing down fleeing Chernovans with screams heard in the distance. The bark of machine guns could also be heard as the farthest back trench line had opened up on there own fleeing comrades, cutting them down one by one. Mikhail observed this while keeping a low profile to hide from roaming Ordenite infantry and before long had found a dug out which he entered that contained several scared Chernovans who pointed guns at him. Recognizing he was neither an Ordenite or a commissar they lowered there weapons and spoke of what to do and how they were going to survive. After some convincing Mikhail's new found group armed themselves and took what supplies they had and left the dug out looking to bypass the commissar trench line and escape to some other friendly unit. The Ordenites had not yet found them as they were still clearing other areas and engaging in firefights with scattered Chernovan conscripts.

By now an entire Ordenite Panzer grenadier company had been deployed and were systematically clearing out the defenses here. No prisoners had been taken as the Ordenites ensured that all Chernovans they encountered were killed on the spot. Soon enough the Commissar trench became the only real point of resistance as their MGs barked pinning down Ordenite squads temporarily until a FPV drone had flanked the trench and dived down and silenced them. Mikhail and his group of survivors had managed to escape the fighting which had led to the overall defeat of the 345th Motor Rifle Regiment and most other elements of the Motor Rifle Corps. However, due to the rapid advance of the Ordenites the group was forced to take up hiding in a nearby forested area to avoid capture. Meanwhile in the grand scale of things the Ordenites firmly held the momentum in the fight as they continued to advance either destroying Chernovan forces in there way or bypassing them entirely. Over the next 24 hours they would cover over 80km of Chernovan territory from there starting point at the border with over 3,000,000 Ordenite troops so far.

[The Macabees]

JONAKSBURG, VIKAR OF KRASNOVA
______________________________


"Vikaro Hahk-Lorán," said the young woman staffing the emperor's reception area, "He is ready for you."

"Very well," nodded Díeg, standing. The emperor hadn't kept him very long, as was usual for these meetings. Periodically, Fedor flew into Jonaksburg or Fedorograd, calling his vikaro in Krasnova to discuss the likutats and the Ordenites. Though typically pleasant, Díeg suspected that today's chat would be a bit more tense. About 100 kilometers north of the city, the Ordenites had launched another blitzkrieg. This time, against Chernova.

Behind the double oak doors to the particular study He had decided to use today, the wide room was well illuminated by an outward-facing wall made completely of glass. The imperial palace in Jonaksburg was, like the rest of the city, brand new and was one of the more modern-looking palaces that Díeg had seen. But it was beautiful all the same, sitting on a terraced cliff facing the open ocean. They faced said ocean, looking out at it from above from a room hanging over rocks against which the waves were splashing. One of the panes was open, and a gentle breeze swept in, carrying a sweet saltwater scent along the noise of the crashing water. On either side, bookcases covered the wall, from floor to ceiling. The middle was very open, with chairs and tables to read. Díeg turned to watch the young woman close the doors behind him, his eyes gazing over the expensive art hanging along the room's back wall.

"Your Imperial Majesty," he said, bowing, "it is an honor and a pleasure to host you in Krasnova again."

"Thank you," replied the emperor. Fedor looked distracted, as if his thoughts were on something else. He added, "I fear that these visits will become less frequent."

"Oh?" Díeg arched an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Nevermind," answered the emperor, changing the subject. "The cities have been quiet lately."

"Relatively, yes," said the vikaro. Fedor took a clean teacup and serving plate and placed them on a square low table between them. Taking a kettle of hot tea from the side table next to him, he poured a cup for Díeg as the vikaro spoke. "Our garrison in the country is significant, of course. The limikari are especially influential. There are so many of them that every site is heavily fortified. Even the Chernovans have remained relatively pacified."

"Good, good." Fedor took a sip of his tea. Though the emperor was no longer the young man He was when He first ascended, He was nonetheless still young for a leader of His caliber — only in His early forties. Yet there was an unmissable ageing to the lines of His face, as if He had been living beyond His years. Díeg acknowledged that the emperor had, in fact, lived beyond His years. Ever since his coronation, Fedor had lived through one crisis after another. Some were forced on Him, others of His own making. Certainly, the world as it existed today was in great part a product of Fedor's policies. It was no exaggeration to say that Fedor's impact on not just the empire, but on the region as a whole, was immeasurable, except for perhaps the lines on His face and the graying in His hair. But His energy belied his aging. "We will be adding another city to your vikar."

Díeg put his teacup down. "Another city, Your Imperial Majesty?"

The emperor nodded. "Belozersk."

"The Chernovan city?" asked Díeg, confused. "You want to seize it?"

"Indeed," confirmed the emperor. "I have already discussed this with the general staff. Belozersk is an important commercial and military port, and these facilities will help us station another kríergrup in Krasnova. More importantly, Belozerk is an important logistical hub, with rail access to the Chernovan interior. With the Ordenites likely to conquer the country, we face the prospect of having to liberate it in a future war. It will be important to control logistical systems along our likely direction of attack. I've come to deliver your orders in person, before they are communicated via military channels. I will also be meeting with Kríerlord Lepón, who will be involved as is customary. But you are effectively the governor here, and our visions must be aligned. It is important that our logistical infrastructure is connected to Belozerk, connecting it with the Chernovan logistics system, and that it happens quickly and efficiently."

Díeg was keen on the news of a third kríergrup. There were two fleet groups in Krasnova — formidable, but ultimately too small and in need of reinforcement in case of a major war. Three was probably still not enough, but without holding the eastern ports, a larger fleet could not be permanently serviced. That also meant that Belozersk and other nearby satellite harbors would require a substantial investment to prepare them for this new kríergrup.

Liberating Belozersk would be no simple matter, though the task was in the hands of the military. Fedor confirmed, "Lasagos Mendosai will command the operation. Only forces already in Krasnova will be available. And I don't want this to be a big thing. The Ordenites will already be annoyed by us taking advantage to take anything at all. However, I think that the operation will also be scrutinized by our allies, and it will certainly anger the communists."

"Do we have a casus belli?" inquired the vikaro.

The emperor nodded. "We are seizing it to pump weapons into Chernova before the Ordenites can close the port."

"And we are sending the weapons?" asked Díeg.

"Maybe," Fedor shrugged. "Maybe not. I certainly don't intend on allowing access to the GRR. The opposite, in fact. Look at what happened in Magdaran. We turn on the faucet, but now we can't get rid of the bloody communists. That is a tragedy I will not allow in Krasnova."

Díeg took another sip of his tea, then realized it was empty. Noticing, the emperor motioned to put the cup down on the table. He reached over the side table, grabbed the kettle, and poured the vikaro some more. "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty. You are quite the host. Perhaps soon we can enjoy some tea again, but this time in Belozersk. Will the city retain its name?"

"I don't know," said Fedor. "I have half a mind to rename it in honor of my son. First, though, it needs to be taken. Second, it needs to be held. Then, maybe we can think of frivolities."

Their meeting was coming to an end. Díeg chanced a question. "Do you think a war with the Ordenites is coming soon?"

The emperor turned to stare out at the sea. After a moment, He turned to look back at the vikaro, and answered, "When that war comes, it will be too soon. I am not sure the world is ready for that war. Millions will die." There was another moment of silence. Then, He added, "You are doing good work here, Vikaro Hahk-Lorán. The empire is proud of you and I will leave Jonaksburg in full confidence that I promoted the right man for this job."

"You honor me, Your Imperial Majesty," replied Díeg, bowing deeply.

Fedor smiled. "You will one day govern all of Krasnova. All of it."

The emperor stood, suddenly. He said, "Are you hungry? Let's get a bite to eat. Then, I must bid you goodbye, as I am meeting Kríerlord Lepón this evening."

Díeg would not learn of what Fedor discussed with the kríerlord until much, much later. Díeg Hahk-Loran sometimes wondered whether he should have left the kuncil. It was typical, of course. The most prestigious end to a career in the imperial bureaucracy was to be governor or the equivalent. The position of Vikaro was even more prestigious because it was unique. But there was certain information that only a kríerlord was privvy to. Díeg, apparently, did not need to know more than what was happening at Belozersk, at least for now.

[State of Ordena]

ZHUKOV DEFENSIVE BELT

The Ordenite advance was now reaching the 48-hour mark and had made it over 100km into Southern Chernova. Still well within the Zhukov defensive belt the Ordenite armored thrusts frequently collided with Chernovan defense lines and fortifications either bypassing them or destroying them directly. Air superiority for now was firmly secured by the Ordenite Luftwaffe due to previous long-range strikes that had neutralized nearby Chernovan airfields preventing actual resistance to Ordenite warplanes outside of surface to air batteries. A quarter of the entirety of Ordenite offensive air power in Krasnova had been allocated for the invasion. Ordenite strategic bombers and fighter bombers laid waste to defensive positions and related infrastructure as the advance continued with the city of Ugolny now being threatened. The Chernovan Red Army had mustered over 600,000 troops for Ugolny's defense and with orders from the Stavka to fight and defend their positions at all costs, the defenders had entrenched themselves considerably.

The defenders were afforded ample time to fortify themselves as the bridges over the Vetma river had been blown and Ordenite pioneers had to construct bridges for their troops to move across. During this time, they were harassed by Chernovan partisan mortar and sniper fire. Despite the initial headaches the bridges were constructed and the advance continued towards the city's outer defenses which mostly consisted of trench systems, minefields and anti-tank obstacles. Ordenite artillery and subsequent air raids over the city pummeled the area and its defenders for over an hour before Ordenite mechanized and armored forces came into view. The city was protected by four layers with every subsequent layer becoming more and more densely defended in which the city's commander had faith that the Ordenites would not make it through all layers without significant casualties. Partisan attacks and raids increased in frequency as the Ordenites begun their siege of Ugolny.

Two Panzer armies and one Field army were committed to the battle. Field commanders had agreed to conduct a two-pronged pincer move in order to encircle the Chernovan armies within the vicinity of Ugolny before destroying them entirely. The defenders of Ugolny would be under constant surveillance by Ordenite drones which hovered and moved through the skies above them even with efforts to shoot them down, more would come to take their place. Artillery and air strikes continued as Ordenite armored forces moved to conduct the pincer on the left and right flanks of the city. The 158th Army faced the Chernovan defenders directly in order to keep them in place as fierce fighting erupted, unlike previous engagements the Chernovans here fought tooth and nail to keep the Ordenite invaders from closing in on Ugolny. However, due to Ordenite air supremacy the Ordenites were eventually able to complete their pincer moves and begin encircling the city and the Chernovan armies entirely.

Now the Ugolny pocket with over 600,000 Chernovan Red Army troops trapped inside the Ordenites would begin to gradually squeeze the defenders in and bombard them which would take some time. Meanwhile the Ordenite advance continued in other directions with the major towns of Khotkovo and Biryuch under attack in the Western direction while Lyskovo and Amursk in the East were already under siege with on-going battles deciding their fate in the coming days. Reservists and reserve formations were still mobilizing with some units already being sent off to join front line formations embattled against the Ordenite Army. This was also being done further inland as orders from the Stavka had brought the entire Chernovan People's Army to full war readiness with the various military districts scrambling to bring formations to combat ready status. The Central Headquarters of the Workers and Peasants Resistance also put out orders on the mobilization of partisans in areas either under Ordenite occupation or in the immediate vicinity of Ordenite forces.

Tens of thousands of partisans had begun operations in the first hours of the war as they conducted reconnaissance to identify Ordenite logistics patterns and routes before staging attacks and ambushes on them. Whole areas in the Ordenite rear would see partisan activity and attacks surge in frequency as not only Ordenite troops and logistics were attacked but also the necessary infrastructure that would facilitate the war effort for them. Bridges and highways were common targets that could disrupt the efficiency in which Ordenite armies were resupplied. In response Ordenite rear guard troops frequently raided settlements cleansing them of all inhabitants and burning the entire settlement down. Central Security Troops had been following behind the main Ordenite advance and along with military police would look to fight off partisans and secure the rear areas of the Ordenite Army.

Across the former border additional Ordenite armies now being joined by what was termed as the Krasnovan Volunteer Legion were preparing for their inevitable deployment into Chernova as a second wave which would amount to an additional 2.7 million troops that were to soon join the war. The Chernovans were also preparing and planning for new counter offensives to further delay and bleed the invaders. The Southern, Southeastern and Southwestern Fronts had now been activated in which the Chernovan Red Army intended to field over 3.5 million troops including adequate armored and mechanized forces which would need to be transported over the next few days. The start of hostilities also invoked plans that had long been drawn up on how to conduct war against the Ordenites occupying Krasnova. The Strategic Rocket Forces through several missile regiments began launches of LY589 Hellion Cruise Missiles and R-51 tactical ballistic missiles against pre-targeted locations in and around Ol'khovka.

ZVEZDA BAY

The initiation of war between Ordena and Chernova had been swiftly communicated to all branches of the Chernovan People's Army including the Chernovan Navy. The Zvezda Bay was a strategic area in which could decide the fate of the war. Several Naval bases permeated the Eastern coast facing the bay which hosted the Zvezda Fleet and numbered just over 600 naval warships. In the event of a war with Ordena the fleet would be deployed to challenge the Krijgsmarine for supremacy over the Zvezda Bay and disrupt attempts to conduct amphibious landings. The Ordenite Krijgsmarine had since its subjugation built up Zvezda's coasts with infastructure and bases in order to host over 1,000 naval ships of which 400 were stationed just within the bay alone. In 48 hours since the start of the war the Zvezda Fleet had been able to organize a detachment of 60 warships which moved out from Chernovan territorial waters looking to encounter the Krijgsmarine at sea. Soon enough the Chernovan naval detachment would encounter a newly deployed patrol of Krijgsmarine ships in which a fierce battle would ensue between both sides.

Due to the closer proximity of Northern Chernova and the Northern parts of Zvezda additional attacks by TEL launched R-51 tactical ballistic missiles by the Strategic Rocket Forces looked to target Ordenite naval bases and infrastructure in the area. Of course, the Ordenites had similar plans and launched their own attacks through air, land and sea with the use of cruise missiles and ballistic missiles which would target Chernovan naval bases, infrastructure and ships as well.

[The Macabees]

BATTLE OF BELOZERSK
______________________________


A lone HALE drone surveyed the vast blue sea, confined in the northern and eastern distances by the coastline that swept from Krasnova to Chernova. From where it flew, Jonaksburg just barely glistened in the east, and Belozersk was hardly visible in the north. Below, cargo ships sailed up and down sea lanes to destinations that, if the drone wanted to, it could know by requesting that information from the network. But it was not concerned with the cargo ships.

Over a space starting just to the UAV's south, a vast armada was assembling. Kríergrup 'Jonaksburg,' named after its primary home port, was in full battle display. It was organized into several layers, and the element in the clearest view was its electronic warfare and cyber operations fleet. In fact, this very drone had originated from one of the fleet's two drone carriers. Two of the fleet's EW frigates were also in view, although one was just a small dot. The drone could enhance its sensors to focus on it, if it wanted. It did not. But the frigates were manipulating the EM spectrum, which for the UAV meant the occasional dead space. It filled in those knowledge gaps from the network, where the network had alternative assets feeding it data.

One of those alternative assets was a smaller ISR drone that hugged the Chernovan coastline rather tightly, flying at just the right altitude to minimize detection. It was sniffing for Wi-Fi and other industrial telemetry data. But this was not the larger drone's business.

Its signal systems were more focused on specific surface vessels. These were Chernovan and Ordenite warships entering and leaving the coming zone of imperial operations, and oftentimes more ambiguous-looking ships, including cargo ships, whose acoustic data had been picked up and flagged by the fleet's submarines. This data was stored locally in buoys, which were floated to the surface periodically, once the submarine had left its area of patrol.

It was especially interested in the spatial relationship between tracked vessels and Kríergrup 'Jonaksburg.' Besides five carrier strike fleets, 'Jonaksburg' also had an amphibious operations fleet. That fleet had quickly moved closer to the Chernovan coastline, with one VTOL assault carrier, three LHDs, two LPDs, and one LST sailing in a pocket of the fleet's three frigates, as well as protected by the kríergrup's screening fleet. These assets were mostly in clear view, as the drone continued flying overhead at high altitude. Invisible were the fleet's insertion vessels, small SOF submarines, which had put several Grup Koda units onshore several nights ago. These Grup Koda teams were by now transmitting data of their own into the network, which the UAV could tap into if it so wanted. Of course, that data was not its business either, but rather the business of the CW operators who were now combining SOF data with ISR telemetry to hack into Belozersk's energy grid.

Of all the fleets, though, it was the amphibious operations fleet that was most important to this particular HALE UAV. That was because it was that fleet which would take center stage in Belozersk's seizure.



On the border of Chernova and the Likutat of Jonaksburg, there is a large, rough city named Lubyansk. Like every day in Lubyansk, the city streets were hustling and bustling, like rivers of people and machines through low-rising tenements.

It was normal in Lubyansk to see an imperial soldier. In fact, it was normal to see many types of imperial soldiers. Regulares, limikari, airmen, even the occasional navyman, could be found in Lubyansk on any given day. Chernova was not a country that was friendly to the Golden Throne. Worse, it was an ally of the GRR, that communist needle in the empire's side. The Golden Throne tended to militarize unfriendly frontiers. Chernova was no exception.

Even so, some eyes looked up, and heads turned as long columns belonging to the 214th mechanized made their way through the broad central highway that had been paved right across the town. Behind it, the 891st mechanized and 78th armored followed. They were an imposing sight and it was obvious that these imperials were here for different reasons than the others.

These divisions' men were not battle-tired, but they were nevertheless tired from the relentless overnight movement that had taken place the previous three days. The Ejermakt had taken great pains to disguise the movement of these ground forces toward the Chernovan border, moving both men and their equipment by rail only by night. Three divisions, all in all, were not as significant as the number of men being pitted against each other further north, along the Ordenite sector of the Chernovan border. They could very well just be on their way to reinforce the frontiers, now that the Ordenites were extending their control over more of the island. Nevertheless, the Ejermakt disguised the transfer of men and their vehicles as much as possible.

As for the people of Lubyansk, they soon dissipated into their homes as evening came upon them. They suspected that something was afoot. Being no strangers to war, the Lubyanskites shuttered themselves inside to wait out whatever was coming.



The UAV still flew over the stunning crystal-like waters of Polya Bay.

A broad EW attack was taking place across the city's battlespace, which was now coming into being although the Chernovans did not quite yet realize what was going on. Though neither the drone nor anyone in the Golden Throne's military structure knew the true effect of its EW attacks until later, the truth of it was that it was only moderately successful (r. 10/20). There were some brief windows of interference, some successful decoy launches, but otherwise it would be learned that the Chernovan IADS around Belozersk was barely degraded. Improvements would have to be made. Improved kill chain synchronization. Spectrum forensic analysis. Decoy density adjustments. But that was all for later. Now, where the EW attack had proved lackluster, though not entirely a failure, the Grup Koda had done much better.

Over the past few days, naval special forces had closed down on pre-designated targets on which they had been given extensive intelligence. This included satellite data that would be updated consistently, even as they operated in-country. These locations they worked to sabotage. Grup Koda had a rich history of stunning, heroic, and sophisticated operations in the past, and so it was not a surprise that they had been counted on for this pre-operational sabotage mission. Several SAM launcher units, key engagement radars, and two command vehicles, as well as three light SAM vehicles, were confirmed destroyed (r. 18/20). The drone could not see it, but even if it was not conscious of the data, the data now existed in its network. It otherwise hardly paid attention to the series of explosions that rippled along the coastline to the north. Neither was it necessarily conscious of the successful hack (r. 18/20) on Belozersk, which sent the port district of the city into chaos as a sudden electrical blackout descended upon it. The rest of the city fluttered with rolling electrical shortages, as the port struggled with backup generator failures. Though the drone was not cognizant of this, it did immediately "see" a dozen strike aircraft inbound toward the Chernovan coast from the fleet's assault carrier.

These twelve multirole fighters were sleek beauties, and had never been seen in combat operations. Today was their debut as the official replacement of the GLI-76 Falkon. Charcoal-colored jets raced toward land, their stealthy, angular bodies glistening beneath the sun. They disappeared as suddenly as they came, as they made their run on missile sites and their radars that remained alive or unconfirmed.

As the fighters made their run, a joint air-land assault sprang upon the half-dazed city defenses. Air-cushioned landing craft rushed toward the port, as overhead tilt-rotors escorted by helicopters transported more men. By now, the fleet group's other carriers had joined in, launching air strikes of their own to the north and south of the city, along the highways. Ships were launching missiles too, adding to the mounting chaos of battle.

The amphibious force struck the port facilities, while the air assault units rapidly deployed to take the city's major airports, as well as key bridges that would soon be vital. LCACs thundered, literally, as they were quite loud, across the bay. From its vantage point, the drone could see white spray trails cutting behind the vessels in their charge. Surviving enemy SAMs opened fire, striking down quite a few of the helicopter escorts. A surface-to-surface missile struck one of the landing ships, causing an explosion, though the boat slowly trudged forward regardless. Unfazed, the LCACs ran up directly into the container yard, dropping their ramps with heavy thuds. Vehicles poured out, quickly pushing into the port interior and seizing control over facilities still reeling from the electrical blackout. Some resistance that the defenders had managed to organize to oppose the landings was blasted aside. Once their contents were totally divulged, the LCACs closed their ramps back up and withdrew.

It was like a scene from an action movie, as tilt-rotors and their escorts flew over the city on approach to their landing zones. Gunfire abounded, and there was even the streak of a missile or a few trying to take down the invading forces. Some of these missiles struck home, sending airmen to their fiery deaths. Imperial aircraft and helicopters made sure to suppress these launch sites upon discovery, but there always seemed to be another enemy lurking in the unknown. Regardless, the success of the air mobile mission was predicated not on whether the enemy would launch some missiles, but on the ability to establish a secure LOC to their positions. For today, this LOC would go from the port to the fortified positions held by soldiers brought in by air. Accommodating this, additional landing craft arrived in waves, bringing not just reinforcements but also Tiznao armored trucks heavily laden with supplies. While the fleet could continue to supply the men in the city, these forces would need some sturdier supply lines to hold the city and the territory around it. For now, though, imperial forces sufficed with their supplies from sea, as the sun steadily came down and the sky darkened.

Fighting in the city continued throughout the night. Colorful tracers criss-crossed each other like laser beams, with rhythmic explosions from ongoing missile strikes and bombs providing powerful illumination at frequent intervals, like strobe lights made of fire.



214th mechanized crossed the Chernovan that same night, bypassing border stations and allowing rearguard units to destroy or capture them. They attacked along the main highway artery reaching from Lubyansk to Belozersk. With no artillery preparation or warning of any kind, the 214th achieved the element of significant surprise (r. 15/20), covering 100 kilometers within an incredible seven hours. Grup Koda and ISR drones had helped clear their way, aiding significantly in their lightning progress.

The division was basically in the city the next morning. Using the bridges and crossroads captured and held by the airborne forces, ground forces poured into Belozersk in strength.

Alarmingly, local Chernovan military forces were gathering in significant numbers on the northern side of the highway, threatening to pinch the 214th off. It was the 891st, moving up the highway next, that was in charge of holding said highway. However, the 891st did not plan to simply defend it. Rather, it immediately went on the attack, peeling off the main artery onto numerous subsidiary roadways. Their objective was to push the Chernovans back. Unfortunately, the enemy was well entrenched and prepared to meet the attack, sending the 891st reeling back onto the main highway (r. 1/20). The fighting, in fact, spilled onto it by early afternoon, threatening to cut off most of the 214th from its overland LOC. They would have to be supplied by sea, but the amphibious operations fleet would require additional resources, and supplies on the ground would be tight for a time. Thus, the 78th armored was diverted from its original mission of rapidly reinforcing the 214th, and was instead pitted against the Chernovans, who had cut the highway in half. Covering for the 891st's poor showing, the 78th armored successfully restored the LOC to Belozersk and threw back the Chernovans in disarray (r. 16/20). Nevertheless, the situation on the flank remained precarious.

Worse, the 891st had suffered abnormally large casualties for what should have been a resounding success. Instead, it was left licking gaping wounds so significant that the division was pulled off the line. It would be replaced by the 1080th mechanized, but it would take the 1080th eighteen hours to arrive with its men and some equipment. The remaining equipment wouldn't arrive 'til an additional six to eight hours. In the meantime, the 78th covered a gap that should have been a mechanized division's responsibility.

This responsibility, now assigned to the 78th included a major rail line that ran along the coastline to the port city. This rail continued deeper into Chernova, which was a major reason why this city was of such interest to the Golden Throne. The rail had to be connected to the empire's, which ended at Lubyansk. Thus, the armored division was also expected to extend protection to tracked cranes, trucks, their crews, and other foremen that were rapidly starting to lay track north from Belozersk using pre-fabricated track panels held in warehouses in anticipation of operations similar to these in Ordenite Krasnova. They could lay track at 5 kilometers on a bad day, 10 on a good one. By the time the line united with Belozersk's hub, additional forces would already be pushing up from Jonaksburg.

For now, though, one mechanized division held the city and its outskirts. One armored division held the road to the city from the south, a role it was not intended for. And one mechanized division had been so resoundingly licked that it was pulled out to reform.



That drone, flying at high altitude, with long endurance, continued observing the battlefield as it evolved. Now, it was also facilitating communications between land, air, and sea assets.

It "observed" the raging tails of fire trailing missiles hurled by ships from long distances. These screamed over Chernovan land, traveling over wilderness, towns, and homes, until striking somewhere deep into the country. More of Kríergrup 'Jonaksburg' joined in as that first night turned to day, and the ground offensive up the highway began. With the defeat of the 891st, a carrier strike fleet that had been supporting was now fully sent into the mix. Its arsenal ships joined in on the missile strikes, helping to increase the firepower on Chernovan forces attempting to assemble significant forces either along the highway or north of the city. Whether with the rattle of cluster munitions or heavy rain-like pattern of the submunition warheads, ship-launched missiles paired with the aircraft-dropped munitions wreaked hellish havoc on any Chernovan force attempting to organize into a larger force, joining in that role and in the defense of friendly units with those units' plentiful tube and rocket artillery, which thundered throughout the day and into the second night of the war. The drone had the "honor" of witnessing this hellscape firsthand.

Air operations were perpetual. Flight decks, whether that of the supercarrier or the LHDs, were busy without a time for a break. Flight deck crew worked long shifts. Drone carriers remained busy too, whether in retrieving them or launching. Some drones would not be recovered for a long time, including some that hovered over an area waiting for an anti-air battery, rocket piece, or artillery tube to open fire, then launching a missile, oftentimes dropping a bomb, and in some occasions even by directly crashing into their targets.

If it felt that the empire's forces were trying to overwhelm their enemy, it was because Fedala's gamble in such a brazen seizure of Belozersk was predicated on Chernova's much more significant predicament with the Ordenites. Ordena had crossed the border with 3 million troops. The Golden Throne's small invasion of one city, near its own frontier, with less than 100,000 men, was a sideshow in comparison. It was vital to overwhelm the Chernovans locally, so that by the time they could assemble the necessary forces to counterattack, the Ejermakt had already pushed not just the 1080th, but two additional corps moved up from bases located nearer to the Ordenite border with the Likutat of Ivanovka. This would bring more than a quarter million men to defend Belozersk and a sizeable portion of its hinterland, with the support of an entire fleet group. But bringing in these forces that quickly required open use of the highway, which required it be held securely, which required overwhelming firepower applied to enemy units attempting to organize for counterattacks.



Many thousands of kilometers to the north, Fedor looked over the final version of a public statement on the seizure of Belozersk. He was in Fedorobad, which spanned across a broad, unlikely valley nestled between the harrowingly tall mountains of eastern New Empire. It was the only major surface-only city in the satrapy, and it was also new. If it stood out for anything, beyond the inhospitable cold, it was the unusual number of minarets and mosques for an imperial city.

Fedorobad sat at the heart of a system of "new towns" and "new cities" built in the highlands of eastern New Empire for the sake of housing tens of millions of Scythian refugees and an even larger number of veterans from the Gothic War. It reflected the cultures of its transplanted peoples, including the Zenitharianism of the Scythians — thus, the minarets and mosques. But the city also reflected the militarized nature of the Lyran frontier, crawling with regulares, limikari, and even local gendarmeries formed up by veterans who were being paid by local governments as security and policing forces to avoid the alternative existence of trained unemployed war fighters driven to violence. And, on top of mosques, minarets, fortified buildings, and countless tenements holding a burgeoning population, Fedorobad was decorated by numerous government buildings and monuments dedicated to Fedor, the empire, liberty, and the military victories earned by the people now settled in and around the city. It was, in other words, becoming a budding metropolis of clashing ideologies and cultures, bringing life to a part of the satrapy that had for decades just been a cold, mountainous blight.

But it wasn't in the city that Fedor read the public statement. Rather, it was in one of the tall mountains some forty kilometers south of the city center that He was visiting a secret laboratory carved right into the rock. "How is the project going?" He had asked the director.

The director had said, "Excellent, Your Imperial Majesty. Everything is on track."

"Good, I would like to see the Conscious," said the emperor. But then the statement arrived for his approval, and, given its priority, Fedor temporarily stepped aside, while the director turned his attention to other matters. Finally, the emperor was done writing up the proposed statement, sending it back via encrypted satellite communication, and then turned back to matters on hand. But these matters are for another time to explain.

The statement was distributed not long after its approval,

To whom it may concern,

The Golden Throne has commenced military operations to seize the Chernovan city of Belozersk. Belozersk is an important port city and trade hub about 100 kilometers from the border of the Jonaksburg Free City, and therefore an important supply artery into not just Chernova, but into Krasnova in general. We consider it of the utmost importance that Belozersk is denied to Ordena, which has invaded Chernova with over 3 million men. Belozersk will fall to the Ordenites unless it is taken first.

Our military forces will not attack beyond limits established by the attached map. The Golden Throne claims Belozersk and an outstanding hinterland, and will negotiate with the city government on a treaty to establish it as a free city of the Vikar of Krasnova.

If Chernova accepts what is a foregone conclusion and agrees to a ceasefire along the borders proposed in the attached map, the Golden Throne promises to pay a monetary price for Belozersk in the form of weapons. Chernova faces a long, tough conflict against the fascists, and the Golden Throne is willing to be its arsenal of freedom, just as it has done for other victims of Ordenite blitzkrieg. However, if Chernova insists on contesting our claim, the Fuermak will have no option but to cause wider damage to the Chernovan military, undermining its defensive efforts against the fascists. We urge the Chernovan government to see the reason for our seizure, understanding that Belozersk is likely to soon fall to the enemy, and accept our terms. Belozersk in imperial hands is in the best interest of both parties, and to the detriment of the fascists.

Thank you,

His Imperial Majesty Fedor I

[State of Ordena]

BELOZERSK

Out of all the scenarios that could of been predicted during an Ordenite invasion the prospect of an two-front war had been considered slim at best. It had been a for-gone conclusion to most in the Chernovan State Council that the Golden Throne would stay neutral and perhaps even offer assistance at some point. When explosions rang out throughout the port city of Belozersk those notions were proven to be very much wrong. The speed and complexity of the assault that was being carried out had effectively caught the Chernovans completely off guard in and around Belozersk. The 128th Combined Arms Army were responsible for the defense of the city and the outlying areas, the 57th Mechanized Corps were currently present in and around the city at the time of the attack. Due to the confusion caused by electronic warfare efforts along with the speed of the attacking force the 214th Mechanized had penetrated over 100 kilometers into Southern Chernova from the border and by the next morning entered the city in force.

Having by now realized they were under attack the 371st and 325th Motor Rifle divisions began to deploy their forces on the northern side of the highway. The 288th Tank Division had been withheld as a operational reserve. When the 891st Armored went on the attack to contest the highway the two Motor Rifle Divisions were well entrenched and ready to meet them head on as fierce fighting erupted. It would evidently send the 891st Armored reeling from the fighting now occurring on the main highway. The arrival of the 78th Armored and subsequent fighting was able to dislodge the Chernovan defenders as both Motor Rifle divisions were driven off after significant air power pummeled them mercilessly. Eventually the 288th Tank division was sent into the fray as part of an attempted counter attack. However with the presence of hostile naval forces and subsequent aviation the 288th was forced to withdraw along with the remnants of the 371st and 325th. The 57th Mechanized Corps had been considerably mauled by the Fuermak forces during the initial round of fighting which led to the loss of Belozersk.

The 128th Combined Arms Army therefore began to regroup as the previous Mechanized Corps was sent to the rear for reforming and would be down to only the 64th Mechanized Corps and the 67th Tank Corps. By now the news of the attack coinciding with the Ordenite invasion had reached the Chernovan Stavka in which now had to adjust their war plans in order to deal with the Golden Throne. Therefore what was now known as the 'Belozersk Front' was formed from the military district the city formerly answered to when it came to military affairs. The front would be made out of the Red Army forces allocated to the new defensive operation. Due to the positioning of Krierarmada warships and strike aircraft the Red Army left a 25km gray area between the captured city and the forward positions of the Belozersk Front. The 128th Combined Arms Army would be joined by the 136th Combined Arms Army and the 150th Guards Tank Army. However the 128th would largely be deployed in the forward positions while the 136th and 150th would deploy farther back and when the order to attack was given would go on the offensive.

The Stavka had deemed that the Belozersk Front would be of low priority as the Ordenite invasion would take precedent over the deployment of the Red Army. In the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Belozersk the Workers and Peasants Resistance units whom in a scenario such as this would upon being in the enemy's rear areas organize an insurgency. They would begin to in complete secrecy organizing themselves from which they would form revolutionary committees and armed units once weapon caches were accessed. The Red Star would begin to grow in size with a core of several Red Army officers whom would lead operations for over 5,000 insurgents divided into 50 detachments that would be dispersed throughout the occupied territory. Their initial orders would be to maintain surveillance on Macabean troops with a strict ROE in which stressed only in self defense. This intelligence would then be disseminated and then used to plan future insurgent attacks and be sent to the Red Army.

UGOLNY POCKET

Day 5 of since the start of the Ordenite invasion and subsequent battle of Ugolny began. The area in and around the city had been effectively encircled and cut off as the bulk of the initial invasion force advanced further in land. The 158th Army had made some progress in penetrating the defenses but the Chernovans fought fiercely for every position overrun was done so with blood spilled. The 227th and 240th Panzer armies made up the rest of the encirclement utilizing artillery barrages and consistent air strikes to pummel there way through the Ugolny defenders. The Chernovan defenders fought stubbornly only abandoning their positions when overwhelming firepower and force was thrown at them and casualties mounted. Ugolny it self a city of over 20,000,000 inhabitants were mobilized as laborers to build fortifications and dig trenches for the soldiers as well as gather wounded and the dead. Ordenite bomber raids routinely targeted the city looking to level it entirely or force the population to flee.

Meanwhile the partisan effort continued to intensify as Workers and Peasants Resistance detachments continued to launch daring ambushes and raids on Ordenite logistics requiring more effort from Central Security Troops to pacify them. Towns and hamlets on the periphery of the city were subsequently raided and razed to the ground following partisan attacks as retaliation. As communications between the defenders of Ugolny and the Stavka degraded they intended to take it upon themselves to organize attempts to break out of the encirclement. Due to the sheer size of the Chernovan forces trapped within the pocket they would launch counter-offensives in several directions. These counter offensives in all would utilize over 200,000 troops and would largely be launched at night in order to avoid complete exposure to Ordenite forces.

As nightfall settled in the Chernovans launched there breakout as 200,000 troops advanced outward against Ordenite positions. In these directions were prioritized by Chernovan tubed and rocket artillery as they looked to soften up Ordenite forces that would be in there way. Due to the fact they were not afforded main battle tanks they would have to rely on armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles along with their organic mobile artillery. The fighting was chaotic and brutal as the attacking Chernovans encountered the positions of the Ordenite Army who looked to stop them from breaking out of the encirclement. Ordenite artillery and air power soon enough begun to pummel the Chernovans as the coordinated counter offensives began to break down. Local partisan detachments also got involved as they launched attacks on Ordenite Army positions and looked to sow confusion as what Chernovan troops could escape the encirclement did so. In this time frame over 30,000 Chernovans were able to break out from the pocket and would eventually join partisan forces operating in the countryside. All the while the siege of Ugolny would continue.

ALONG THE MAZUTKA RIVER

The advance had been steady for the Ordenite advance in the Southwestern direction with Khotkovo and Biryuch having been seized after clearing out any Red Army defenders. The Mazutka river was the last major boundary before heading more into the Chernovan interior. Army Group West consisting of the 305th Army, 367th Panzer and 405th Panzer armies now looked to cross the river and penetrate into the Chernovan heartland. Facing them would be the recently raised Southwestern Front which fielded the 518th Combined Arms Army, 583rd Tank Army and the 530th Combined Arms Army. Along with several additional conscript formations the Southwestern Front could depend on over 700,000 troops of which 300,000 were semi-professional and contained sufficient mechanized and armored elements. This was expected to grow as more available Red Army manpower could be mobilized and deployed to the front lines. Ordenite air supremacy would continue to hamper these efforts as Ordenite bombing raids targeted key infrastructure necessary to move forces. Several rail yards and a hub suffered significant damage to Ordenite missiles further delaying Chernovan mobilization in the early stages of the war.

Several bridges were the only immediate routes to cross the Mazutka as Ordenite commanders sought to capture as many of these bridges in tact that they could. Therefore an operation was organized which would see Fallschirmjager deploying in order to seize these bridges while ground elements of the 305th Army moved in simultaneously to make crossings. Preparations would be made hours before the operation began as Ordenite fighter bombers conducted SEAD missions to clear out Chernovan air defenses. Then came the movement of dozens upon dozens of transport helicopters and attack helicopters up and down the Mazutka moving to secure pre-existing bridgeheads. Resistance was waiting for them as Chernovan troops had already entrenched themselves in and around the bridgeheads. For the most part the Fallschirmjager were largely able to deploy directly into the area of operations albeit casualties were had due to air defenses that had survived which downed several transport and attack helicopters.

Just over 3,500 Fallschirmjager were deployed for the operation as most ended up in vicious fighting with a waiting enemy looking to deny them any further advance into their motherland. On schedule elements of the 305th Army followed up as columns of Ordenite fighting vehicles moved towards the embattled bridge crossings. The Chernovans were determined to put up fierce resistance as elements of the 518th Combined Arms Army were moved in to reinforce their comrades. Artillery duels erupted across the Mazutka as both sides sent barrages at the other hoping to gain the upper hand attrition wise. The Fallschirmjager would soon be forced to retreat due to increasing casualties as in the first few hours of fighting lost several hundred men. As both sides reinforcements arrived the Ordenites would launch several assaults to push the Chernovans back across the bridgeheads. In most cases these first assaults were decisively defeated due to the presence of strong mechanized and armored forces.

Ordenite fighter bombers and attack helicopters strafed and bombed the Chernovans frequently who responded with MANPADs and SPAAGs. A sort of stalemate between the two sides would go on for over 24 hours before the Ordenites devoted greater resources in order to tip the balance into their favor. Ordenite bombers and fighter bombers launched a pre-assault barrage of Kalibr cruise missiles and other surface to ground missiles from over 20 bombers and 15 fighter bombers. The resulting strikes had essentially crippled the 518th Combined Arms Army whom the Ordenites had conducted deep strikes utilizing cruise missiles and other surface to surface munitions. These strikes had struck the Army HQ wiping out much of it's leadership and command staff while other strikes had destroyed several logistics hubs and the complete annihilation of an Chernovan military base housing hundreds of enemy soldiers.

The follow up assault by the 787th Panzer division had thrown the Chernovan defenders into disarray as the Ordenites had now secured a bridgehead across the Mazutka. The 832nd Panzer grenadier Division and 864th Panzer Division followed in there wake creating an 60 km bulge in the Chernovan defenses along the river. The 74th Tank Corps would be moved in to meet the advancing Ordenites as they clashed in open battle.

BATTLE OF ZARECHENSK

Army Group North was considered the most combat potent of what consisted of the initial Ordenite invasion force. Several Panzer and Mechanized armies made up the Army Group which employed over 2,000,000 Ordenite troops. Following the initial Battle of Ugolny and the successful encirclement of said city and several hundred thousand enemy troops, the forces of Army Group North advanced a further 70km before coming upon the city of Zarechensk. The city was significantly industrial with sprawling factories and warehouses which employed a majority of it's inhabitants. It also served as the front lines of the Southern Front which consisted of over 4,000,000 Red Army troops including conscript formations. The city's defense consisted of over 200,000 conscripts and the 73rd Tank Corps. They were now well entrenched with ample time to prepare despite Ordernite bomber raids which flew quite far to strike at logistical infrastructure and targets of opportunity. Due to the city being next to a major highway that leads directly to Novigrad, the capital of Chernova. Therefore both sides were determined to control this highway and thus Zarechensk was fairly fortified by the defenders.

Conscripts in trenches and dugouts awaited the advancing Ordenite troops belonging to the 900th Panzer Army. The Panzers initially had overrun several trench lines before being met by the 73rd Tank Corps. T-26MRS and T-10 Heavy Tank Destroyers clashed with Ordenite Panzerkampfwagen Löwe VII tanks in a high pitched battle consisting of over 2,500 tanks and thousands more armored fighting vehicles. Unlike previous engagements so far, both sides would have air support as Ordenite and Chernovan fighter jets chased and fought each other over head. While both sides ground attack craft brought in close air support. The Battle would see hundreds of tanks lost between both sides with the Chernovans happening to gain the initiative against the Panzers so far. The 73rd Tank Corps would seek to challenge the advancing Panzers as additional engagements saw the 73rd Tank Corps defy the odds and hold up the Ordenite attempt to capture Zarchensk. Both sides suffered considerable casualties however the 900th Panzer Army would endure the most having lost 30% of it's tanks and armored fighting vehicles.

It seemed this was the case along the front lines with the Southern Front putting up significant resistance to Army Group North. Meanwhile Army Group East faired better as it had made 100km in additional gains. There was some good news for the Chernovan Stavka in developments of the war concerning Zvezda Bay as subsequent R-51 ballistic missiles and Lyran exported Hellion-II cruise missiles wrecked havoc along the Zvezdan coast facing the bay. These strikes had succeeded in disrupting the operations of 6 Krijgsmarine naval bases and yards with warships even confirmed to having been damaged as a result. Other similar strikes occurred on the former city of Ol'Khovka which was a major hub for Ordenite forces in Western Krasnova with some casualties reported. Disruptions aside the second wave of 2.7 million additional Ordenite troops and the Krasnovan Volunteer Legion had now begun moving in across the liberated border with Chernova.

The fight had only just begun.

[State of Ordena]

BATTLE OF ZVEZDA BAY

Over the past week since the invasion commenced both sides navies fought in the Zvezda Bay for supremacy. The Chernovan Navy who were largely based on their predecessors in the Red Star Navy looked to employ tactics which would target Ordenite aircraft carriers and logistics. Chernovan attack submarines prowled the Bay seeking out Ordenite vessels to sink as the Ordenites would respond with anti-submarine warfare measures. The Chernovans were known to maintain a considerable fleet of Maritime patrol aircraft which were mostly bombers which were armed with anti-ship missiles and if under attack by the Krijgsmarine would deploy out to sea launching its payload.

This exact scenario would occur during the initial fighting with Krijgsmarine vessels becoming targets for Chernovan maritime bombers. Clashes were fierce between Chernovan and Ordenite warships which resulted in both sides suffering losses with the overall figure being over 200 vessels were destroyed or severely damaged. Elsewhere both navies were mobilizing and deploying for open sea just North of Zvezda Bay with the objectives being the same in to deny the other the ability to safely enter the Bay.

However the Krijgsmarine as part of the greater war effort and to dissuade foreign powers from intervening mobilized several fleets which numbered over 2,000 naval vessels. These fleets would upon their arrival to the theater erect an blockade of Chernova's entire coast line which stretched from Zvezda Bay to near Western Krasnova. This was also part of the Krijgsmacht plan to draw out the majority of the Chernovan Navy into pitched open battles in order to destroy them.

BATTLE OF KRASNOSTAV

Army Group East had so far some of its best success since the start of the invasion. On the 1st day alone, they covered over 80km of Chernovan territory before later penetrating another 100km reaching the approaches to the city of Krasnostav. The city was built in recent years due to the sheer amount of Krasnovan refugees entering Chernova and at the time of the invasion had over 50 million inhabiting it. In the wake of the invasion Krasnostav would be fortified by conscripted civilians and garrisoned by two whole armies while the approaches to the city from where the Ordenite advance was coming from contained several more armies.

The impressive gains on behalf of Army Group East were largely due to the performance of the Hurtenwehr armored formations that were attached to the Army Group. These formations had been involved in past conflicts concerning Krasnova and were highly decorated and combat hardened, the Chernovan conscripts stood no chance against such soldiers. Lyskovo and Amursk had fallen rather quickly in encirclement battles which subsequently had put the Southeastern Front on the back foot against Army Group East. Out of all the Front's mobilized in response to the invasion it was the Southeastern that had been caught the most unprepared to face Army Group East.

Subsequent Ordenite missile attacks and bomber raids had sowed confusion and chaos throughout the Red Army situated in the South East. Krasnostav would be crucial for the Ordenite war effort as the city was a rail hub that connected it too much of the Eastern half of Chernova. The Chernovans fought an extensive elastic defense against Army Group East which bought the defenders of Krasnostav sometime in order to prepare for a siege. Before long the Red Army had been pushed back to the outskirts of the city as the Ordenites fought to encircle them. Ordenite Panzer and Mechanized formations clashed with Chernovan armor and mechanized forces. Ordenite bombers and fighter bombers pummeled the city mercilessly as civilian casualties rose and more and more of the city's populace began to evacuate the city before the war came to their homes.

Despite this the city committee of the Chernovan Communist Party in Krasnostav had raised and armed militias numbering over 500,000 strong for the defense. As the Ordenite Army were concentrating it's forces in anticipation for the siege of the city. The Chernovan Red Army devised a counterattack in order to disrupt the enemy's actions and movements in the area. A preemptive artillery barrage signaled the start of the attack as one tank and one mechanized Corps advanced against the marshalling Ordenite Army. The counterattack had targeted an identified weak point in the spearhead of the Ordenite advance on Krasnostav. The far numerically superior Chernovan counterattack slammed into the Ordenite spearhead which was caught by surprise and subsequently routed from the Southern approaches to the city.

The Chernovans pressed the attack after being successful so far as they were able to inevitably create a 40km bulge in the front lines. This would see the Stavka order the full might of the forces defending Krasnostav to exploit the bulge and drive the Ordenites away entirely. An entire Combined Arms Army would move to exploit and expand the bulge in the front lines as the Ordenite Army rushed reinforcements to stop the counterattack. Ordenite air power would prove crucial as fighter bombers and strategic bombers pummeled the attacking Chernovans while the Ordenite Army mounted a counterattack of their own. However, because the bulk of the Ordenite Army in the Krasnostav direction were still in transit, the counterattack became more of a localized success as several towns were cleared of the Chernovans. The Chernovan Red Army maintained much of its recovered ground and began to fortify and dig in anticipating another Ordenite attack to dislodge them.

[State of Ordena]

UGOLNY

The siege on the city had been on-going for over a month now since the start of the invasion. Section by section the city fell to the Ordenite Army in brutal urban fighting which consumed hundreds and even thousands by the day. However, they had only managed to capture a measly 13% of the entirety of Ugolny while the Chernovans still stubbornly held the vast remainder of the city. The Chernovans had established a heavily fortified belt of defenses that cut through the city and with their vast numbers even in their current predicament they could afford to wage a brutal war of urban attrition with the Ordenites. Ugolny had suffered greatly under siege as the Ordenites over the past month had continuously bombed it hoping that this alone would break the will of the Chernovan defenders. It did not and only added to their determination to fight and to kill as many of the enemy until they themselves were killed in battle. The urban ruins only gave more hardpoints and fortifications that the Ordenites would eventually have to break down and clear themselves.

Casualties were already mounting over the sustained combat that the Ordenite Army had to endure in the city against the Red Army and partisan militias. The latter were regularly used to mount counter attacks against Ordenite positions to probe for weak points so that future Red Army counter attacks could exploit them. Much of what the Ordenite Army had been able to secure in the city were part of the industrial sprawl dotted with factories and warehouses that once churned for the state. The 158th Army had been the driving force in the siege and was fully committed with reserves and all. Although due to the stubborn defense maintained by the Chernovans the city largely remained under their control even as they faced dwindling supplies from being completely cut off from the outside. The front had moved past them, but they intended to remain a thorn in the Ordenite's rear until death. Partisan activity continued to pick away at Ordenite logistics in the area as entire settlements continued to be ravaged in reprisals. The Army Group command responsible for the on-going siege had since lost their patience and wanted Ugolny pacified immediately.

Therefore, an alternative had been found in the form of the Strafkorps who were the penal legions which while mostly operating in a supporting role were also capable of being directly put into combat. One hundred thousand penal troops had been transported to the front lines in Ugolny for a new offensive that was hoped to finally break the defenders and see to it that the city was finally pacified. They would be the first wave of the offensive and would soak up enemy fire and casualties while also identifying enemy strongpoints and potentially making head way into enemy positions. Once their sacrifice was deemed acceptable to the Army Group command the actual offensive would begin seeking to exploit what the penal troops would die to make happen. Over the next several days before the offensive the structure that the penal troops were subjected to was put into place as barrier troops set up checkpoints and other control mechanisms.

Three entire Strafdivisions would begin to take up starting positions on the front lines. They were generally poorly equipped due to their expendable nature and function in combat. Every penal soldier was given a Sturmgewehr model 58 assault rifle which in the Ordenite Army had been phased out 3 decades ago in favor of the Sturmgewehr model 68. Ammunition was restricted to an amount that was insufficient for normal combat troops. The penal troops were expected to die in mass with their survival not calculated by higher command. One slim act of mercy was the preliminary artillery barrage which thundered across the city as distant Ordenite artillery batteries roared to life. The ground began to shake as shells started to impact no man's land and the most forward perceived Chernovan positions. Not all of the incoming artillery shells were purely meant to destroy as plumes of white smoke began to spread which was to act as a screen for the advancing penal troops. Whistles sounded and the attack was on with an initial wave of 20,000 penal troops who had no mechanized or armored support surged forward toward the Chernovan defenders.

What transpired was not a battle but a slaughter as the Chernovans were well entrenched and fortified with interlocking fields of fire. The first wave was essentially being fed into a meat grinder as hundreds if not thousands died instantly when the Chernovans opened fire with all they had. They were the first of five waves that would crash against the Chernovan defenses looking to breakthrough anywhere they could. Within the first two hours of the initial assault much of the penal troops that were sent forward had been killed or mortally wounded and left to die in no man's land. Those that survived either were pinned down or had found shelter or were making there way back to what they presumed was friendly lines. Waiting for them were the barrier troops which consisted of machine gun teams and monitor officers who spoke through loudspeakers.

"You're disobeying direct orders. Resume the attack or be sentenced for cowardice."

The retreating remnants of the first wave a disorganized mess of wounded and shell shocked soldiers did not heed the warning. Their were no further warnings or even warning shots as the machine guns barked spewing lead at the penal soldiers. They went down in droves to their own guns as retreat for them was inconceivable and that their only fate was to be death for most. When the machine guns ceased much of them littered the ground while others who were seemingly spared were rounded up by other barrier troops. They were not executed immediately like the rest but instead put in with the awaiting second wave. Another 20,000 penal troops would be sent forward after another preliminary artillery barrage now with additional intelligence on Chernovan hardpoints that exposed themselves fending off the initial wave.

The second wave fared little better against the determined Chernovan defenders. They too would be decimated in short order with the remnants also attempting to return to their own lines but instead were met with machine gun fire. This cycle of violence and bloodshed would continue with the next two waves as they were thrown at the Chernovan defenders. The final wave of penal troops would signify a change in tactics with the assault as the artillery fire persisted as the attack began. Behind the penal troops came the Panzers trudging forward as their 50mm chainguns tore through occupied buildings and other fortifications. The Panzers were outfitted with urban warfare kits with additional armor for increased survivability. The last wave of penal troops fared far better than previous waves as they grinded down the Chernovan defenses here.

Now the actual breakthrough would commence as elements of the Panzer armies surged forward to exploit what the penal troops had done. The defenses had finally broke after the persistence of the penal troops. The Ordenite Army would then make rapid advances through the city as several high pitched battles took place as the Chernovan defenders were grinded down and inevitably destroyed. Much of the 100,000 penal troops had fallen in the various assaults and there bloodletting had preserved the lives of actual Ordenite soldiers who were more than likely to be needed for future battles.

[The Macabees]

BELOZERSK, CHERNOVA VIKAR OF KRASNOVA
______________________________

A convoy of armored vehicles and a few luxury SUVs snaked up ITK600, the central highway between Lubyansk and Belozersk. Some of its lanes were closed due to the repaving project, but with the highway closed to civilian traffic for the foreseeable future, the remaining lanes were prioritized for military purposes. A parallel route would soon open to ease some of the restrictions on non-military use, but 'til then ITK600 remained the key artery for imperial forces in the annexed city and its hinterland.

The initial force of 100,000 men had by now grown to almost a million, as the overall number of forces in Krasnova rose to 25 million with five additional million brought in from the United City-States. It was a considerable deployment that signaled the empire's intent to annex the city to the Vikar regardless of the war's outcome.

From inside one of the SUVs, Díeg Hahk-Lorán studied the newly laid rail that flanked the highway on the northern side. Two sets of track had been built or expanded to connect imperial railways with Belozersk's Chernovan-built hub. Workers were toiling day and night now to reinforce the hub, allowing for more tonnage to be loaded and unloaded. The vikaro had also just signed the paperwork for the next phase of the Belozersk port expansion project, which included not just the facilities in the city proper but also supporting facilities along the coastline. It was an incredible infrastructural push that underscored the importance the empire was putting on the acquisition and on the seriousness with which the empire took the freshly minted city-state's defense.

Within a few hours, the convoy arrived at the outskirts of Belozersk's southermost suburb, Chigansk. The highway there became a boulevard, which the Ejermakt complained throttled their lines of communication with forces in the city. Díeg watched the crews standing outside the entrance of a large tunnel, in which an enormous burrowing machine carved a path below the town. Soon, the ITK600 would continue on all the way to Belozersk, buried beneath the buildings that Díeg was reticent about demolishing, lest it create any more resentment against the empire that was necessary.

Chigansk was provincial, but even as they got closer to Belozersk, there was a certain backwardness to it. Soon enough, the boulevard would be monumentalized, bringing it to the standard of the rest of the empire's major urban areas. It sloped gently upwards as they entered the city and, as if reading his mind, the other passenger in the back of the SUV said, "This will surely make for one of the most beautiful views in the empire."

Díeg looked out the window through which the dukvikaro pointed. The waves crashed against the rising cliffs that separated them from the narrow strip of beach below. He said, "The Chernovans will be hard-pressed to forgive us for taking it from them."

"They will be thanking us soon enough," the dukvikaro replied. She turned to look at him and smiled.

He could not help but smile back. Her blue eyes dazzled him as she reached over to kiss him on the lips. A tinted piece of glass separated them from the front seats, dividing the cabin in half. No one knew of their affair yet, least of all his wife, and he would not have idle talk between his guards be the cause of her learning of it. Besides, the dukvikaro was young; a lover, but it was his wife he'd spend the rest of his life with.

"It's good to have you with me, Anabel" he said. He meant it.

The smile never leaving her, she answered, "It's an honor to attend the conference. And it's always a pleasure to attend with you."

Truth be told, he hadn't invited Anabel for business. The other dukvikaro, Clement Gerosia, had stayed behind in Fedorograd. As his deputies, the dukvikaros helped multiply Díeg's presence in the likutats. She would have better served in Chernaya, where relations between imperial settlers and the local zenitharian population were quickly deteriorating. Veterans were being settled in the likutats in such large numbers that they would soon eclipse the locals, and the fact was stirring dissent among the Chernayans. Elsewhere, the Krasnovan population had been so depleted and weakened by years of Ordenite occupation and numerous wars, but the spirit of independence remained strong among a people who considered themselves separate from both the empire and their Krasnovan neighbors. Even neutralizing the Kysetians, historical enemies of the Chernayan zenitharians, had gone only so far in reconciling the eastern-most Krasnovan free city to imperial rule.

But with his wife and children with him in Jonaksburg, he hardly had an opportunity to spend time alone with his lover. The conference in Belozersk gave them both the opportunity to spend at least two nights in the city, and he was thinking of making up some excuse to extend his stay by a few more days after that. After all, why shouldn't the vikaro stay to oversee the formal incorporation of Belozersk into the vikar?

Indeed, Belozersk would in no more than two days formally become the ninth free city — likutat in the díenstadi language — of Krasnova. The treaty of ascension into the imperial federation would make for the first democratic elections in decades, after a long period of communist rule.

In return for its loss, Chernova would be the recipient of a significant flow of war materiel. Though the Diplopalatio was at first determined to pay only lip service to its claim of seizing Belozersk to deny it to the Ordenites and use it as a logistical hub for an international effort to arm Chernova, things had changed when the Solisians asked to send a detachment of observers to the city. Seeing it as an opportunity to improve relations after almost coming to blows in Magdaran, the Golden Throne not only agreed to allow the observers but also proposed to the Solisians that they lead the communication with Chernova to coordinate the arrival of weapons, ammunition, medicine, uniforms, foodstuffs, and other necessities of war. It would be an enormous undertaking, and though the empire had little love for the communits in Chernova, there was agreement that the supplies would at least force the Ordenites to grow their ground forces in the country. The byproduct of that was fewer Ordenite soldiers to man the Killian Frontier.

The convoy soon arrived at the People's Hall of Chernova, the city's communist assembly before liberation. It would soon be demolished to make way for a new, larger, more impressive legislature building, but for now, it would do as the site of Belozerk's accession. Díeg tisked at its brutalist architecture. Anabel wrinkled her nose at it. But when his guards opened their doors and helped them out, their faces immediately transformed to expressions of utter seriousness and professionalism.

Delegates from the city were waiting for them at the bottom steps of the wide staircase. After greetings, they were led up toward the open doors of the hall and then inside, where the final details of the treaty would be hammered out and the agreement signed.

Belozersk now belonged to the empire not just de facto, but de jure.

[Arakhkhar]

T H E 　B I T T E R　C O U N T R Y

---

Nikolayevsk, Chernova, Greater Dienstad
14:02, The Present

A match struck, it caught and scratched, and a fire lit. Clutching the cheap cigarette between his two gloved fingers, he watched intently until the tip glowed a gentle red before placing the stiff paper to his lips.

Those who had met Oberst Fausste could say of him little in objection - but there was little also of him to give praise to either. In fact, of Albert Fausste, very few indeed spoke much of him at all - though this was not quite a discredit or merit on his part, for he was neither resented by his peers nor unusually talented in dissembly. Almost uniformly mild-mannered, thoroughly but not sufficiently zealously patriotic, and an altogether relatively inoffensive sort of man. What talents he did possess were left ultimately unknown, if indeed they existed whatsoever - within state testing, he had always scored somewhere in the higher-quartile of his class, but never quite at the top. The son of a drunkard retired officer for a father and a mother who had long since been out of her prime, his upbringing did not ultimately do him too much a disservice, for he was at the very least able to relocate to Berlina at the behest of an old landsmacht connection.

Those who knew him as a child regarded him affable, the sort who had a rather trustworthy face, but one that was perhaps possessed by something else. It was not quite accurate to say that he had ever truly been deep in thought - not per-se, but it was at least some variety of contemplation. Rumination, at least, would insinuate that he would know such a condition other than his present one, imply reason for melancholy - but it was not so. His roundish face had an altogether ruddy complexion, his eyes of dull blue just a touch close-together, always with some kind of far-away, somehow perpetually scrutinizing gaze.

It was then that he had been contemplating something, as always he did - it was a condition natural to Ordenites, but something not even he quite understood. If you shook him, asked him just what he dwelled on so, he might have smiled, brought out some unconnected and ultimately meaningless stream, only to release it entirely, the form vanishing even to himself. But of course, even from these contemplations could emerge seemingly impossibly strong convictions that he had been right in the moment; Convictions that he would fight for, if only in the moment.

As for such a man, he perhaps meandered moreso than sought the position of Oberst, carried drifting by the tides of the state. A purge, some new and disastrous campaign, or the ever-churning Kravenite gears in Dietsland, turning Ordenite men and officers into meat as the colossi railed against each other. All of this served, unknowingly to Fausste, to his benefit - the officer corps finding necessity for at the very least, *capable* men. Largely at his father’s urgings and with a position at a military academy made available, the young man was largely obliged to make his career one in the military.

In military service, he was not much different from how he had been more regularly - inoffensive as an officer and thus not regularly privy to the regular power-plays. He was not oblivious to them, nor could it be said that he was imperceptive - he was simply never deemed much a threat. Not zealous or inspiring enough to send to Dietsland, not well-connected enough to have a station somewhere in the homeland. Which brought him here, to Chernova, so it was - the orders came via an envelope. When he realized at once he was going to Chernova, he only sent a letter to his parents, that after passing through the censor was more stamps of blocks of black-ink than actual words. But through it, they knew - and the family was silent. Sometimes, all the time in this place, that was all one could be.

He took a deep breath of the dirt-cheap cigarette, taking it between his fingers again. At once, he found it a touch too much, and right there, he began to cough, wheezing severely. And it was then, that around the corner, a black state-car rolled about, carrying with it two expected guests.

The car came to a halt about the turn, right in front of him. The little street was beside one of the local Ordenite command posts coordinating the war-effort - a boon. Fausste left the cigarette burning in his other hand as he straightened himself in a more presentable manner. The door clicked open, and he was struck at once.

Out from the door, one after another, a pair of women - both adorned in their uniforms of pristine black, little silver pins adorning their collars to mark them each the rank of Subcommander, first-class and second-class respectively. But it was not so much the uniforms which struck him, but their appearance - entirely pale, and quite unlike anything he had seen before, and the first with eyes that seemed ever-so slightly luminary in the dark alley. She got out of the car with a certain confident stride, a sharp step followed by an elegant saunter. She gave a brief salute, one returned half-heartedly by Fausste. There was something quite Imperious in her gaze and in her tone - she briefly looked the man up and down, before speaking in gently accented Ordenite.

“Allow me to introduce ourselves - I am the Subcommander doch Niveta of the Imperial Guard. You shall have to forgive my associate, Subcommander doch Laea, she does not speak your tongue. As I am sure you are aware, we are to be the assigned Liaison officers of our government in this sector.”

Fausste was stricken, but in a manner he knew not how to express. It was as if the contemplation on his face vanished completely, if only for a moment. He let a brief smile, and began reciting.
“I am Oberst Fausste. Welcome to Chernova, Subcommanders doch Niveta, Laea.”

He cleared his throat, and continued.
“I am to acquaint you with some of your tasks, here. As per the agreement between our two governments, you are to remain here for the time being, observe the conduct of our operations, render assistance where it is prudent. All of this to the extent to which it is approved by the general staff.”

“Very well. My associate and I will require quartering, for the duration of our stay. Might you show us the way?”

“Right this way, miss.”
Fausste gestured to the door, and the guard beside it opened up. The trio were ushered their way inside, and they walked briskly.

They walked just behind the young Oberst, and for a while, they had been silent. He had made only passing-note to some of the rooms, the busy step of officers and their aides always accompanying. Ever so often, one would give a rather contemptuous glare for the sight of the pair of Lirvittians. As they came about a corner, Niveta called out with a smile;
“You know it is unhealthy to smoke, yes?”

Fausste jumped ever-so-slightly where he stood. He had nearly forgotten about the cigarette between his fingers, and with a start, he let it drop to the ground, stamping it almost autonomously.
“Well, yes,” he started, seeming to find for himself a need to explain his habit. “Ah, it is just a habit. A bad one.”

“It was not a command to put out your vice, Herr Fausste. Just… friendly advice.”

“Denilid etu, Niveta?”
So called from the back, came the voice of Laea in her native language. A bit quieter, but somehow almost exasperated with Niveta. Niveta turned back, gave a brief smile, but said nothing.

Fausste, could have simply shot down whatever avenue of conversation the woman behind him had hoped to pursue - but there was something which compelled him to respond. Perhaps it was the fact it was the first non-Ordenite he had met in a lifetime, or perhaps… some little wandering, as always, a wish to see where this too might lead.
“It’s the cold, if you must know.” He started deeply; “Always the cold. You might get used to it, if you lived here, but the wind here… it rises from the west and it comes in mad storms.”

He stopped under a dim florescent light, turning and pressing his back to the wall, head facing the pair, each regarding him with curiosity.
“But that is only just the point of the dagger. No - there is a bitterness about Chernova. I first stepped off, and immediately it struck me, like the first sight of lightning.”
He suddenly found himself regretting having stamped out that cigarette. A sigh passed his lips, and he gazed up at the light.
“It is intolerable. These… cigarettes, they…” He struggled to find the word…

“They provide warmth for you?”
Niveta asked in her lilted tone.

“No, not warmth, not itself - just… a distraction from the cold. One does not feel quite as cold, even if one is not… warm, per-se. Not because the bitterness is dispelled, but because you simply don’t notice it anymore. Even if it is poison.”

“An honest answer, Herr Fausste.” Niveta replied gently. “So long as you recognize it as a vice. Among my people, we have something of a saying - ‘Every debt will have its due.’ Be careful you do not accrue too much.”

Laea gave a small sigh, putting her hands on her hips and tapping her foot impatiently. She shared the same feline grace in movement as her companion, but not, apparently, the same sense for talk.

Fausste stared Niveta down, only for a moment, and turned back to the corridor, walking in step once more.
“I must commend your knowledge of our language, Frau Subcommander.”

They passed a pair of staff officers - a quick glance hazarded from a sharp-jawed Oberleutnant and the characteristically frigid eyes of a Dietslander veteran regarding him briefly, as if to offer him condolences for the affair thrust on him before walking on.

Niveta, for her part, seemed to take some thorough pleasure in all this, answering Fausste’s evasion with her own remark.
“It is a necessity of service. Words are never truly wasted, Herr Fausste. It would be a shame to miss something.”

Something about the way she spoke left a touch of ice to flow through his veins, but thinking little of it, he carried on. At last, they came to the steel doors of an elevator - he shoved the button, and when the doors came creaking open, he almost rushed inside. The pair followed in step - Laea after Niveta, the latter in her most characteristic saunter. It was there, under the little but brighter elevator light that Fausste got a much better look at his two guests, turning to regard them as he pressed the button for the fourth floor. He spoke in a low tone.
“Service is a virtue - Among your people.”
“And yours.”
He thought for a moment. The smile from Niveta’s face never dissipated or wavered for a moment. He met it, just for a moment, with the barest flash of a matching grin on his own face.
“And ours.”

The bell rang, and the steel doors rattled on open again. The two Lirvittian ladies, following rather than leading the young Oberst, still stood by the door but did not quite move from their present position. Niveta added sadistically - “After you.” Fausste awkwardly maneuvered past the pair, trying to avoid contact - though it was just a touch unavoidable, the cloth of his uniform once or twice brushing against the pallid lady. Niveta’s smile grew a touch wider as he brushed past. Following the end of his ordeal, Fausste took a moment after to brush off his uniform with a few frantic sweeps of his hand. The staccato click of Lirvittian heels followed thereafter, right behind him, reminding him but to pick up the pace.

They came only a few paces more, navigating just a small greyish corridor poorly lit, before finally settling on a little, quaint door about the dormitories, unlocking it.

The room was modestly appointed. A pair of spring-hoisted mattresses, a pair of desks beside each and a little state-table at the center of the far-wall of the room, a puny lamp adorning it. A framed portrait of Oberländer hung vigilantly on the left wall, the only decoration to an otherwise colorless abode. It was once a room for junior officers, before becoming what it was as of present when the officers in question went to war.

Fausste took a couple steps inside, and turned again to face the pair.
“These will be your quarters for your stay. There is a toilet down the hall, about three doors, and on your right. Modest, perhaps, to what you are accustomed to.”

Laea muttered something to herself, to which Nivata picked up and translated. She let a small rise, and spoke happily.
“She says, ‘we have slept in worse places,’ herr Fausste. And that you, too, seem tired.”

He cringed, just a touch. Of course he was tired - every bone in his body ached, his feet were weary and the eyelids felt like iron. But, somehow, it was not in that sense that he felt she had meant.
“I will have someone send for your things. If you have need of something - reports, maps, whatever you should find necessary - feel free to send for me. You may be called on by myself or the other officers.”

“But of course, herr Fausste.” Niveta made no attempt to disguise the amusement in her voice. It was something that irritated Fausste without end. “For our work. I will be sure to note your… hospitality.”

“Right. We will meet again. Good day.”
And with that, Fausste gave another salute - one returned with practiced ease by the Lirvittians - and left with a step more swift than strictly necessary.

He found much to dwell on indeed.

[State of Ordena]

KRASNOSTAV

Army Group East had been trading blows with the Chernovans near Krasnostav for nearly an entire month now. The defenders were determined to die to the last man defending the city and this began to show for both sides with casualties suffered. The Southeastern Front had chosen this city to be one of the first major set piece battles against the Ordenite invaders and therefore had committed much of it's resources to doing so. In the weeks that followed since the initial battles the Red Army defending the city had swelled to over 2 million, this did not take into account local militias that had been raised. The militias had also swelled in size with an additional 2 million taking arms to defend their homes. Krasnostav had become a well defended fortress with the approaches to the city having well entrenched defenders and other fortifications to delay and bleed the invaders. Army Group East on the other hand had seen its numbers grow from reinforcements to almost 2 million troops. The defenders still held the numerical advantage, and they used it well by launching several counter attacks against Ordenite lines outside of the city. They would only further delay the Ordenites attempt at encircling the city and trapping them all inside.

For this effort over 275,000 became casualties among the Red Army and militias. Though they had did their duty and denied the Ordenites from their objectives so far. Army Group East had attached to it the Krasnovan and Macabean volunteer legions who had fought alongside their Ordenite counterparts so far. The Army Group Commander had a personal distain for the Macabeans even though they were technically comrades in arms. This distain had begun during the Second Krasnovan War and the subsequent war against the Golden Throne that occurred several years prior to present day. He considered it an act of betrayal taking into his account his prior service as an NCO during the War of Golden Succession in which he participated in the battles along the River Styx trying to repel Havenite Army offensives. What he witnessed there had carried with him years later and he had considered Macabeans something akin to brothers in arms.

He had personally saw to it that Army Group East would receive the over 100,000 strong Macabean volunteer legion. Comprised of the Weigar, Varis, Prince Henrik and the Jonach I Corps. During the battles over the last 3 weeks the Macabean legion was deployed as the tip of the spear of the Ordenite advance on the city. He intended to give the Macabeans a trial by fire as offensive operations took place however the Chernovan defenses proved formidable and the Macabean volunteer legion was ill-prepared for the kind of fight they were taking on. Their saving grace was in their fellow Ordenite comrades who had come to their aid in battle. However, the Prince Henrik Corps would suffer over 12,000 casualties during this time. During this time the Army Group overall suffered 174,000 casualties attempting to breakthrough to the city. A small portion of the overall casualties could be attributed to the partisan activity that was increasing steadily overtime.

Now a new offensive was preparing to be launched following the arrival of replacements to replenish the losses suffered. Army Group East would once again advance on the city of Krasnostav as the Chernovan defenders braced for what would be another period of brutal fighting. However unlike before the militias would be sent to the front lines after being thoroughly riled up with anti-Ordenite rhetoric and a quest to avenge their motherland. The militias were no more than light infantry although they were afforded some armored vehicles as both sides began trading artillery fire. Army Group East were able to make some progress towards the city however upon encountering the masses of Krasnovan militiamen and conscripts the progress began to slow until it ultimately grounded to a halt. The Ordenites were forced now to transition to the defense as over 2 million Krasnovans time after time surged towards them.

Many of them were simply armed with a rifle and some ammunition and maybe some grenades. Others had a rifle with no ammunition and some only had grenades and other improvised explosives. What armored vehicles they did possess were used to shield others from small arms fire while some were modified into vehicle borne IEDs which they intended to drive into Ordenite lines. Ordenite artillery did them no favors as groups of conscripts and militiamen were blown to pieces and or shredded with shrapnel. Ordenite tanks and armored fighting vehicles laid down suppressive fire utilizing their 50mm chain guns which cut through scores of the enemy at a time. However this did not stem the sheer tide that the Chernovans were throwing at them currently and the attackers seemed to be endless. Ordenite air power would be brought in as Stuka fighter bombers strafed the advancing hordes with ground attack bombs and even the planes own autocannon.

Even when initial waves were decimated by Ordenite defensive fire more waves appeared advancing on their front lines. This would continue throughout the next 24 hours until the waves seemingly stopped coming. At this point the commanders responsible for the defense of the city were satisfied with the stoppage of the Ordenite advance and stood down the remainder of the conscripts and militia. This came at a price of over 675,000 casualties with the dead and dying littering the fields as far as the eye could see but the defenses continued to hold and the Ordenites kept at bay. This was the price to pay for freedom against the Ordenite menace and one that the people of Chernova and Krasnostav were willing to pay in endless amounts of blood.

The Ordenite Army on the other hand had suffered far more manageable casualties with the overall number showing up in after action reports being 90,000. The reports were steadily moving up the chain as it became obvious that the Chernova campaign would require much more troops than initially anticipated. However with the knowledge that the Golden Throne had seized a Chernovan port city, it was considered a strategic priority to ensure that the Chernova campaign was properly fueled with men and material. The logistical nodes across Eastern Krasnova would start to churn day and night in order to feed what was quickly becoming a war of attrition. A war that Ordena was very familiar with and more than happy to play despite the human cost required.

[State of Ordena]

ZARECHENSK

The advance on the city of Zarechensk had felt like a slow grind for Army Group North. The Chernovan Red Army fought them at every turn and did so with determination and fanaticism that made the subsequent battles all the more brutal. The past 3 weeks had been some of the fiercest fighting of the campaign so far as the Southern Front had been conducting a elastic defense, giving up ground but at a cost for the Ordenite Army. Counter attacks were conducted frequently with mobilized Worker Defense Brigades which were organized civil defense militias which had already showed their value in battles elsewhere. The core of Zarechensk's defense was 200,000 Red Army troops while the Worker Defense Brigades numbered over 600,000 militia which were pushed forward to delay the enemy as much as possible. Subsequent casualties were high but slowed the advance on the city while reinforcements were deployed to shore up the defenses. When the Ordenite Army reached the approaches of the city they were met by an onslaught of Worker Defense Brigade troops which were sent ahead of the forward positions to further delay the incoming Ordenite advance.

Ordenite combat engineers were already dealing with obstacles such as anti-tank ditches and minefields. This forced them into kill-zones that were pre-sighted by Chernovan artillery in which casualties mounted. Once again, the Red Army bet on themselves to conduct a successful elastic defense as its forward manned positions were only meant to further delay the Ordenites. These positions would last for several hours before eventually being cleared of defenders as survivors withdrew to fall back positions. All the while Ordenite one-way attack drones guided by reconnaissance elements looked to pick off Chernovan defenders and positions. However, the air-defense grid which covered Zarechensk was competent and for every drone that got through many others were shot down. This complicated matters for Ordenite air power involved in the battle which sought to rapidly assert control over the airspace.

Unlike the initial invasion phase of the war which saw rapid encirclements such at Ugoly. The Southern Front had mobilized over 4,000,000 troops and thus Army Group North would have a numerical disadvantage going into the battle. Thus, the Ordenites had decided that Zarechensk would be taken directly which was more so decided by the OSUP Military Directorate than the General Staff of the Ordenite Army. In their eyes the priority of the campaign was to blitz a salient all the way to the heart of Chernova and it's capital Novigrad where in a swift decisive battle the enemy could be defeated. Everything else would be utilized to hold mobilizing Chernovan forces in place to allow a swift advance on the capital. Now the consequences of this overly political decision were now playing out in on-going battles across Chernova. This would ultimately become an attritional war, and the campaign would need large injections of reinforcements in order to keep the momentum going.

Until then Army Group North would have to make do with what they had. In the pre-dawn hours, a massive, concentrated artillery barrage was unleashed on the positions of the Chernovan Red Army defending the outskirts of the city. This barrage would go on for two hours before the order to advance was given to Army Group North who pressed forward against the Chernovan defenses. The Chernovans did not try to hold off the Ordenites for too long and gradually gave up ground in order to fall back to positions closer and closer to the edges of the city. The further the Ordenites advanced the more resistance and enemy fire they encountered. This would lead the Ordenites to the Industrial district which was their way into the city proper and was heavily fortified and defended by the Red Army and Worker Defense Brigades. When Army Group North had received it's reinforcements which put it's troop numbers to over 4,000,000 would they begin combat operations to siege down the city. This of course would require the flanks to be fought over and cleared so that the Ordenite Army could encircle Zarechensk.

Renewed heavy fighting would begin over the city as Army Group North sought to encircle it with assaults being mounted against the flanks and the city itself. Heavy artillery fires by the Ordenite Army targeted forward positions of the Red Army and their direct rear areas. One way attack drones looked to overwhelm air defenses while also striking targets of opportunity before they were shot down. Then the Panzers and other mechanized forces surged forward along the front lines in and around Zarechensk. The Industrial district would take many lives from both sides as fighting took place. Three Motor Rifle Divisions were responsible for the active defense of the district who were well prepared for the Ordenite Army. Fighting here was brutal as entire factories, and industrial complexes had to be fought for and even when the Ordenites did drive the Chernovans out they responded by demolishing entire buildings in their wake to further hamper their momentum. The drive on the flanks of the city had done little to turn the tide in favor of the Ordenite Army as it seemed that for every inch of ground they moved through, they had to fight prepared and well defended positions.

The Chernovans had established a defense in depth on the flanks of Zarechensk in preparation for the inevitable Ordenite encirclement battles. These defenses were filled with a combination of Worker Defense Brigades and Red Army troops. Further lines had been formed in the rear which held operational reserves and would be where reinforcements could be funneled through to the front lines. Ordenite reconnaissance drones constantly fed information to Army Group commanders who then coordinated with drone units and the Luftwaffe in planning out strikes against the Chernovan defenders. So far though the Battle of Zarechensk had begun to slow down and further major operations until an expected reinforcement wave arrived.

NIKOLAYEVSK

The town had been taken early on in the campaign in Chernova. Containing a pre-war population of over 90,000 civilians when the war came to them it was swift and brutal and several thousand of them became victims of the war. Another 26,000 were able to evacuate and flee northwards as the Ordenites mechanized armies surged forward from the border. Another few thousand were detained and taken away shortly after the town was cleared of the Red Army. These consisted of local officials, police officers, men of fighting age who were deemed as potential future combatants and individuals containing useful skills that would serve better elsewhere. This left just 45,000 remaining in the medium sized industrial town of Nikolayevsk. Fortunately for the population remaining the town had use of which the Ordenite war machine tearing through Chernova could give a new subservient purpose.

The town contained a industrial zone on the outskirts that was once a modest steel fabrication plant. Finished materials would then be loaded on trains at the town's rail hub and would be sent off to larger regional hubs. Now the plant would serve a different purpose altogether as the Ordenite Army had converted it into a logistics hub and a repair depot for armored fighting vehicles. Ammunition and drones brought in from across the border would inevitably arrive here and would be stored here until units further towards the front needed them. The rail yard was the most critical asset that the town had as trains arrived almost nonstop day and night ferrying supplies and personnel. A field headquarters had been established in one of the town's many buildings which were still structurally intact. Checkpoints were omnipresent throughout the town as civilians looking to move around the town were required to pass through these checkpoints and show what was called a Temporary Civilian Control Card which effectively gave every person residing here a tracking number and color-coded classification stripe.

The ID cards would be the only way anyone could move through the town or gain access to work and food distribution points. A strict curfew had been announced shortly after the town's capture by the Ordenite Army which started at 7pm and lasted until 6am the following morning. The entire town had been divided into new districts with those that contained better intact buildings that had not been severely damaged from previous fighting were reserved for Ordenite military personnel. Others were labeled as Labor dormitories and were where much of the general population resided now. They had been compressed into fewer habitable zones in order to ease the task of monitoring and guarding the population for the occupational troops stationed in the town.

[State of Ordena]

NIKOLAYEVSK

The room had once been an office, municipal, forgettable. Now it was stripped down to function. A metal table, two chairs, a wall with flaking paint. One light overhead, too bright for the space. No visible cameras, though Irina knew better than to assume that meant anything. Heinrich Engel did not sit immediately.

He stood near the table, glancing once at the folder laid out in precise alignment. Then he adjusted it not to open it, just to square it with the edge. Only after that did he take his seat.
Irina remained standing until he looked up.

“Sit.”

His voice wasn’t harsh. It didn’t need to be. She sat. For a few seconds, he said nothing. Just observed posture, hands, the way her eyes moved and then tried not to. The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable, then longer still. Finally, he opened the folder.

“Y-27144,” he read, not looking at her. “Mikhailova, Irina. Reassigned industrial labor. Block 3B.”

A pause.

“You passed through K-17 this morning.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”

“On time.”

Another small pause, like he was confirming something already decided.

“That is consistent.”
He closed the folder again without turning a page. Irina blinked once, unsure if that was good or bad. Engel folded his hands on the table.

“Tell me,” he said, “how long does it take you to walk from your building to the checkpoint?”

She hesitated just slightly.

“Ten minutes.”

“Ten.”
He nodded faintly, as if agreeing with himself.

“And yet,” he continued, “yesterday you arrived three minutes later than expected.”

A beat.

“There was a line,” she said.

“Of course.”

He didn’t challenge it. Didn’t even look skeptical. Instead, he leaned back slightly.

“Lines form when flow is interrupted,” he said, almost conversationally. “Interruption can be random. Or it can be caused.”

Irina said nothing.

Engel watched her for a moment, then shifted his gaze to her hands.

“Your work assignment is in Section Four of the plant.”

“Yes.”

“Assembly calibration.”

“Yes.”

Another pause.

“You are efficient,” he said. “Your output is above district average.”
There was no praise in it. Just a statement. Irina nodded once, unsure if a response was expected. Engel tilted his head slightly, studying her.

“Efficiency is valuable,” he continued. “But it can also conceal deviation.”

The word hung in the air longer than the others. Irina felt her shoulders tighten but forced them still.

“I follow my assignments,” she said carefully.

“I am sure you believe that.”

Not agreement. Not disagreement. Engel opened the folder again, this time turning a single page.

“Two days ago,” he said, “a minor discrepancy occurred in a shipment from your section.”

Irina’s eyes flickered just once. He noticed.

“Nothing significant,” he added. “A labeling inconsistency. Corrected before departure.”

He looked up now, directly at her.

“Do you know about this?”

“No.”

The answer came quickly but not rushed. Engel held her gaze for a few seconds, then nodded faintly.

“Good.”

He closed the folder again. Silence returned. This time, it felt heavier. After a moment, he spoke again, more softly.

“There are two kinds of error,” he said. “The first is mechanical. It happens without intent. It is corrected, and the system continues.”

He tapped the folder lightly with one finger.

“The second is human. It introduces uncertainty. And uncertainty spreads.”

Irina didn’t move. Engel leaned forward slightly.

“The system in Nikolayesk is… delicate,” he said. “It depends on predictable behavior. Small inconsistencies—arriving late, mislabeling, deviations in routine—they seem harmless in isolation.”

A slight pause.

“But patterns form from small things.”

He let that settle. Then, almost gently:

“You do not seem like someone who creates patterns of concern.”

Irina swallowed, barely noticeable.

“No.”

“No,” he echoed.

Another pause. Then he shifted, just enough to change the tone.

“Your neighbor,” he said, as if recalling something minor. “Entrance 2. Apartment 14.”

Irina’s chest tightened before she could stop it.

“They were removed,” Engel continued. “You are aware.”

“Yes.”

“You entered the apartment after.”
It wasn’t phrased as an accusation. Just a fact placed on the table. Irina’s mind raced but her face stayed still.

“The door was open,” she said. “I looked inside.”

“Of course.”

He studied her again, longer this time.

“Did you take anything?”

“No.”

A beat.

“Did you move anything?”

“No.”
Silence. Engel watched her for several seconds, then gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

“Curiosity is not a crime,” he said. “But it often precedes one.”

He stood.The movement was unhurried, controlled. The conversation, apparently, was ending. Irina stayed seated, unsure if she was dismissed. Engel adjusted the folder once more, aligning it perfectly again. Then he looked at her not coldly, not warmly. Just precisely.

“Your classification changed this morning,” he said. “Temporarily.”

Irina’s stomach dropped.

“It has now been restored.”

A pause.

“Do not give the system a reason to reconsider.”

He stepped away from the table.

“Return to your assignment, Mikhailova.”

Only then did he gesture slight, final. Irina stood, her legs steady only because she forced them to be. She walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out into the corridor. Behind her, the room went quiet again.Engel remained inside, already opening the folder not to review her further, but to make a small notation in the margin.

[Arakhkhar]

I M M A N E N T　D I S A S T E R

---

The Frontline, Chernova, Greater Dienstad
14:52, The Present

The footage came in packets. In each, a little volume, a collection of stories and moments of which much could be written in themselves, told from the perspective of hovering drones, of Red-Army and Ordenites skittering about in trenches, and from the heavy breaths and shaky amateur videotography of Stroßtruppen recorded in low-fidelity. The stories they told were not told to many, but only to a select few, and more accurately it could have been said that they were unspeakable. Of course, it was necessary to collate it all - useful information could be extracted, and the geo-tags attached to each could be utilized in all manner of tactical and operational planning, or to determine the success or the failure of an assault, the strength of a position.

There, below, caught in the corner of a drone's camera, was Soldat Karl Weisswitz, 19 years of age. One might, at first, consider him unremarkable for Ordena - neither too tall nor too short, neither thin nor fat, and yet, a somehow angular component to his face, blue eyes kept in a quite permanent squint, giving him the distinct expression of a bird of prey on the hunt, if not for the smile that had kept him through the mud and the trenches and the rain and the washing of blood. An amiable fellow, as he was recalled, but not altogether someone of particular interest in any measurable variety, with perhaps the sole exception having been his sense of humor, which, of course, he always acknowledged as a rare quality in his race. Somewhat, perhaps, of a rarity - for he did not inhabit a lebensblock in one of the major cities, instead, borne into a little village by the name of Wichtshausen, a farming community named for the once eminent Wichts family that had settled it a few centuries ago. A believer in the party, if the records held to be true, and one who had himself a promising future, or at the very least, so it had seemed for him. When he was deployed, here, to Chernova, he could not help but to think of his Fraulein.

For a moment, there he was - a Man, a Soldier, a Husband-to-be, a citizen, a Son, a Brother, and above all else and again stated - a Man. There he was, crouched, holding a rifle in his clammy hands, within a length of trench no wider than a cupboard, standing there in an inch of rain that had thus-far been abated only by slats of wood salvaged from pallets that had been slotted in. Beside him, about twenty meters, a machine-gun nest stood idle, its occupants lazily smoking away in the evening. The drone's hovering footage flickered, the sound of the buzz of motors whined. A sort of whistle might have been heard - and suddenly, booms, like cannon-fire but more rapid in succession, not a steady drum-beat of shellfire but all at once. He looked up, and at once knew the sound. He rushed, gripped his helmet, and thus he dove into a little cutout into the trench.

Thump, Thump, Thump.

Each time, a little closer. Mud and Earth sent to soar in the air, as steel dove to the sound of the roar of the rockets.

Suddenly, a blast. Dust and mud shot out before him, and the dull thud became thus a deafening boom, as an MRLS rocket slammed just around the trench. Nothing could be heard over it, nothing could be seen as a thick layer of that accursed dust blanketed everything. But it was the heat that came with it - fuel sent out into the air, ignited, a primitive thermobaric munition but destructive nevertheless.

Slowly, steadily, a clammy hand gripped the edge of the trench's barrier, shaking on contact. 'Alive,' he thought, his only thought. In the time of a flash of lightning, he turned his head to his right, shaking. The machine-gun nest had ceased to exist. The Reds weren't meant to have heavy weaponry, here - the reports, they said, told nothing of it.

The offensive there could not be allowed to occur, lest there be a bloodbath.

---

Nikolayevsk, Chernova, Greater Dienstad
16:54, The Present

There Fausste leaned, upon a metal rail of a metal balcony in a fortress of metal. For officers, there were some meager comforts, those that the state could afford, little breaks like this one among them. Fausste had, sometimes, spent those precious few breaks smoking, but between the little puffs of white-black smoke, he had time enough to ponder his condition, something which was, admittedly, characteristic of him as he sadly attributed about himself. 'Still,' he thought, 'Was it done for our sake, for the sake of us as citizens, or simply something calculated - a spreadsheet somewhere in Berlina, maybe, determined that it would be better for the state's sake that its officers be rested and capable.' Both, perhaps? Squarely the latter? He wanted to believe the first, but simultaneously he did not, for it was no place of any man to put his desires above those of the state, and yet, still, there was an appeal of, if not a loving state, then one that understood its race; though he bore no hopes and in the cold logic he knew it was the latter. They were not incompatible, not in his mind, but somehow, he pondered. But the lick of the wind was bitter to his cheek, and no warmth stirred within him.

Suddenly, a sound - behind him, startled, he turned on his heel. The creak of ungreased metal turning upon a hinge, the door behind him, and at last, that wonderful, hated, lilted chirp. "Would you mind particularly if I should join you, Herr Fausste?"

Something at once roused within him, only to be turned away at once - he turned back down to face the street below him, and without looking at Niveta, he muttered something along the lines of meager acquiescence. She at once came to the opposite side of the railing, leaning over it in that uniform of black, a sigh passing her lips, the breath turning white in the cold air. A slight smile touched her lips, fading as soon as it arrived, and for some time, she said nothing. Fausste simply overlooked the regular transit of trucks, soldiers, and workers passing below, ever the sound of the street as this - but at last, he would be first to speak. "Why is it that you are here, Subcommander?"

She was taken aback for a moment, before speaking something of an utterance. "How do you mean? Here, now, in Chernova? This balcony? Some metaphysical sense?" - and to this, Fausste answered, "In general. Your people, in Ordena. I cannot imagine it is quite anything like the silk and velvet you are used to, in your Empire. And, surely, you must understand that to many, here, you are not welcome." He turned, to face Niveta, putting the cigarette again between his fingers. "Is it some cruel personal interest of yours, or of your superiors, or some latent sadomasochism of your race, of that I can have no certainty." He pressed the cigarette between his lips, breathing in heavily - too heavily, and at once the air turned acrid and he forced out a set of heavy, raspy coughs. Niveta seemed to regard him impassively, and it was this at once which had served to infuriate the Oberst, and so he spoke again. "I cannot say for certain of what strategic interest it is of the Empire to watch foreign men die in the name of their fatherland. Why should it be, really? You who remembers not your fathers, you... you who regard us, all of us, like a statue, impassive, like stone, except only to come about like a disappointed, yet perpetually amused parent, knowing something no-one else does and somehow frustrated with our inability to grasp it, yet you refuse to even voice that which it is you find to be our error. To you, your race, you must find it perpetually amusing, the dealings of us little mortals, scurrying before you and dying in droves. So, I ask, what could you understand of it, you who will see generation after generation of Men, real Men, be born into this world, fight and struggle within it, die within it and rest forever in the Earth? Perhaps you will have stood here, an attache, and you will report, catalogue this too as an encounter with the locals, a little curiosity of a race alien to you and to whom you are accustomed to. What do you know of Man, except as Slaves or as Slaves to be? Tell me, why are you here?"

Niveta, at first, said nothing. The hated smile again returned to her lips, and for a few moments, she thought.
"I believe to attribute to me a failure to understand would be a mistake. Though, of course, you are right in one respect, and one respect only - I will never be quite as you are." She leaned back, a look as if to explain something self-evident. "I will watch you die, Fausste. Or, at the very least, I will live long enough for that to happen, or so I might do naturally." She thought for a moment. "In my home, my grandmother's estate, there was an old library - collections of tomes ancient and new, the whole place had about it the smell of, you might have guessed, old books. Therein, there is a fireplace, an old one, built around the time the estate was, some centuries ago, so one had to feed it firewood which we would keep by it. Now, as a girl, we, and my sisters, would gather by it as our tutor read us stories of days long ago, but always when we did so, he struck up the fire beside it, always set and always ready. I would listen, but I would watch also, the fire growing from a little touch of red-orange to a crackling, popping, even roaring blaze about each and every log, lapping hungrily at each one. I was brave, then, and I did not fear it, though of course I knew it was dangerous - we are a people sensitive to light, after all. But the discomfort wore off, with time - and so, at the end of some story, the other children would go to bed, but... there I remained, to watch the fire. I watched it come from roaring, and popping, ever to a more soft crackle. There is a stark beauty in fire - alive, in a sense, alive in that it, too, comes to die. And when the flame came to embers, I stood by to remain, comfortable perhaps but somewhat sorry to see it coming to die, and soon enough, I knew, of course, it too would die at last."

She continued; "What is admirable about a flame, herr Fausste, is not its death. The glow is beautiful, and not even the knowledge that it too will die detracts from that. Your Ordenites, they... intrigue. There is something, perhaps, in the spirit which reminds me ever vaguely of our own, but different, perhaps, if not by race, then by time. Our scholars tend to categorize your government on the same level as others, but in truth, there is something about it. Passion, perhaps, but not quite - I have recalled, when recounting and learning about your country in preparation for this assignment, how I had to study your leader, your old leader, Mueller. Superficially, yes, a competent leader of men, transformative of their nature in how completely he remade the society he inhabited, not unlike my own Empress. But... oh, how did he put it..." she thought for a few moments. "He seemed a man possessed. An otherwise quiet man, left to himself, who when faced with certain prospects at once was seized by a powerful and indefatigable force, one which seemed almost to alter his own state of being, that the man speaking aloud would not be the same one who would be content to be so calm, quiet. Your party, the one which currently runs Ordena, was once about the size of a university chess club, and with roughly the same political effect. Tell me - how is it do you think it even remotely possible that a man might come, in a few short, trivial years, to go from a wretch, a worm in the mud, to becoming the leader of a new, powerful Reich? Who, in the course of one, brilliant, terrible, great, infamous, and immense life, laid the foundations for a world superpower?" She leaned in, the smile dimming from her pallid face. "Let me tell you this, as an outsider indeed and only, as you have called me, impassive as a statue. I regard you as the fire, and in such a short time what inferno has there ever been quite like Ordena? I believe he was, in fact, a man possessed of immeasurable gifts for one of his species, and who in time will be counted in the world as one of its prodigal sons. But it was not his prodigy, but in him the prodigy of a race. There is a kind of unconsciousness, an unconscious but sleeping volksgeist, one that animates a people, and in him it was though all of the ghosts of your ancient past had been revived at once to inhabit him with the voice of a living history. That he, unlike others of your own, was singularly and solely devoted to a single task that consumed him and so many others, yourself included, into one project that has gone far in his shadow. How magnificent did that fire burn! And you ask, in your naïveté, for which I cannot blame you, why I should stop to watch - why indeed, for any purpose, did I stop to gaze at the blaze when I was but a child?"

“But the resemblance is superficial, for what I can see, of course.” Niveta continued, and Fausste tensed but every muscle within him and clutched the cigarette once again in his jaw. “Mueller was an exceptional man, too, but he, in time, died. Possessed as he was in life with that indefatigable spirit, he wore himself down. His muscles began to give, the mind began to fray, and in only, little, meager time, what was once a roaring orator slowly, but surely, withered. Think - what is Ordena? I mean, really? The old politilogues and theorists felt it to be the realization of the ethical state - not so-much a rejection of the Socialist principle, but the rejection of its conclusion of class warfare in the realization of a new kind of society. But, as an ethical state, it was designed by and for a kind of human ethic - the racial ethic. But an ethic of man was instated, indeed, created by man, and thus, was subject to him, so the ethic reflected the man. And the ethics of men were dependent on man - indeed, they even cheered, they cheered so that it was the construction of an ethic that was realized of the race and not in the other manner; the ethic that realizes the race. Let me speak of what would become of that, because for the present and for the times after your very first leader, Ordena has become something else. The reification of the ethic, not the actualization of it, and therein is where the problem lies.”

“The Empire is the actualization of an immortal ethic. It is written into my very flesh, how this ethic, fundamentally an idea, has shaped me so. My very nature was determined at once by forces I can never quite comprehend, as for my entire race, the same. The ethic, in this case, shapes man, rather than the reverse, and so I am shaped. If the ethic of man, the struggle of man, is a flame, than the Empire is a star, unalterable by man, a light that will not go out whether any of us wish it."

Fausste listened, and he could not help but pass smoke, before uttering a retort.
"The stars, too, will blink out."

Niveta's smile returned to her face.
"Indeed. But it will go-out long after you, or I will ever come to see it. There are those things that shift unseen that regard even my Empire like we consider your Ordenstaat, things infinite and incredible if I ever was to tell you of them, and who must regard us, if at all, with only quaint curiosity. There is beauty in the transient, herr Fausste. I believe, herr Fausste - I believe in the ideal of Empire."

Fausste was about to speak, as something from deep within welled up as if to explode this very moment - but suddenly, the door behind them again creaked open, and in-came a younger Ordenite officer who spoke quickly in his shrill monotone, giving a sharp salute. "Oberst Fausste, Subcommander. You are needed in the staff-room, urgently. If you would come with me..." - he stepped aside, as to let them pass. Fausste let out a sharp sigh, glancing to Niveta and then to the officer. "At ease - we will go. What is the urgent matter?"

"They would not say, only that you both were needed urgently in a situation concerning the front."

"Very well."
Fausste casually tossed the cigarette from the ledge.
"Duty calls."

[State of Ordena]

SEREBRYANSK

Before dawn, the skies above Serebryansk came alive with the sound of engines. Air raid sirens wailed across the Mazukta as radar stations failed one after another, their screens dissolving into static under waves of Ordenite electronic interference. Then the first explosions struck precise impacts against communications towers, air defense batteries, and bridge control stations followed moments later by the dark silhouettes of transport helicopters emerging through the low cloud cover. Along the riverbanks and across the sleeping industrial districts, defenders watched in disbelief as tiltrotor aircraft descended through smoke and tracer fire toward the crossings, rail yards, and government quarter. Operation Silberfang had begun, and for the first time in the war, the battle for Serebryansk was no longer approaching from the outside, the enemy was already inside the city.

Operation Silberfang was a zealous plan to secure the city of Serebryansk mostly in tact through a massive air assault and ground operation. Three entire Fallschirmjager divisions would insert themselves into the city with the objective of catching its defenders entirely by surprise. Once major infastructure was in their hands a ground assault consisting of a Panzer Korps would sweep away what resistance remained in and around Serebryansk. The entire Mazukta had erupted as Army Group West launched another general offensive to finally drive the Chernovans away from the river entirely. Serebryansk had been their anchor point in which the entire 'Central Mazukta Front' depended on for the defense.

The Serebryansk defenders had for all intents in purposes been caught entirely by surprise. The commanders on the field did not expect such a sophisticated operation from the Ordenites citing what the past two months had been like. Ordenite electronic warfare had allowed the Fallschirmjager to approach the city almost undetected, until the very last moment. By then the air defense network which shielded the city had already been severely degraded and picked apart in the lead up to the operation. Therefore Ordensheer transport aviation along with Luftkriegskräfte assets had been able to enter the city with minimal casualties. Of course, there were losses as Chernovan defenders wielding MANPADs or operating anti-air gun batteries which had not been neutralized were able to shoot down unlucky transports.

However, by sunrise much of the 30,000 or so Fallschirmjager had been deployed in and around Serebryansk. Most of the river crossings that directly fed into the city had immediately come under Fallschirmjager control. The railyards were contested with Chernovan defenders there refusing to give an inch to the paratroopers. The Government quarter was also hotly contested with the Fallschirmjager able to take several buildings but were now locked in a fierce battle. During the pre-dawn deployment,vehicles had been airlifted into the area of operations of which were typically used by the paratroopers. The defenders had been divided throughout the city although time was of the essence due to the Fallschirmjager's limited ammunition and their element of surprise which would soon fade.

Their saving grace would be an entire Ordensheer Panzer Korps which now pressed forward in a frontal assault on Serebryansk. The on-going fighting with the Fallschirmjager meant that the defenders could not mount as significant of a resistance against the Panzers. As they entered the city the defense had truly been lost as what remained of the Red Army in Serebryansk began to retreat. This was happening all across the Mazukta as the Red Army here had been thrown back from the river with Army Group West continuing there advance.

[The Macabees]

CHERNAYA, VIKAR OF KRASNOVA
______________________________

Díeg noticed, quite irritably, that the façade of the Consultative Assembly looked like it always had. Three doors, each shrouded in ogee arches, intricately decorated with geometric shapes that filled the portal's exterior down to the zellige. Though the vikaro admitted that the medieval palace was beautiful and certainly could hardly have said it was incomplete from an aesthetic point of view, it certainly was incomplete. If not aesthetically, then — it will have to suffice to say — politically. Indeed, Díeg had distinctly remembered setting aside significant capital for the further embellishment of the structure, as commanded to by His Imperial Majesty. Fedor wanted to show the city he was its benefactor, and came not to replace the old ways, but to strengthen them. But the traditional Chernaya had so far rejected these advances.

That wasn't to say that imperial beneficence hadn't reached Chernaya in general. All the opposite. Indeed, on his approach to the Consultative Assembly, Díeg caught the spirals of the soon-to-open Imperial Temple of the Willed being raised on the tallest hill in the city, where all could see its splendidness. There were the other usual signs of the empire, including Díeg's palace, the Arch of Liberation, and the sprawling public space known as Liberation Park. But most conspicuous of all changes was the ocean of high-rising glass and steel skyscraper tenement buildings built to house Fuermak veterans being settled in the Vikar of Krasnova.

Despite all this modernity and civilization, he could not help but feel that Chernaya was the same dirty city it had been when the Ejermakt had first ridden into it. The same dirty-faced throngs crowded its streets, all of them straddled by countless vendors peddling their wares. Like clockwork, one could hear their religious folk sing from their countless minarets. Those loudspeaker blaring towers were everywhere. In so many ways, very little had changed here since the liberation.

If anything, the bulk of the empire's presence in the city — its military and the settled veterans —, lived superimposed on and separated from what had come before. There were endless blocks of new multi-story residential buildings, many of them the typical high-rise variety that the empire favored. Each of them was filled with condominiums owned by military veterans given it to them as a retirement bonus for their service. These neighborhoods abutted the multitude of imperial bases in Chernaya's outskirts, with their seemingly infinite barrack buildings. But these elements sat separated from historic Chernaya, the original city remarkable for its zenitherian faith among the much more numerous Krasnovan population that inhabitated the island. When one was in Old Chernaya, one felt they were in Old Chernaya.

An unfortunate consequence of this zenitherian "exceptionalism" in Krasnova was that the Chernayans were also the most willing to resist the imperial occupation through violence. The sheer number of ground troops in the likutat helped to suppress the worst of it. They were helped by local security forces composed of settled veterans, paid for by the likutat's own government, ironically. Of course, the Chernayan government was required to, required by the treaty of incorporation signed with the Imperial Bureaucracy.

Attacks, though, were common enough to trouble imperial authorities who needed the Chernayan hinterland to stabilize in the face of a coming war against Ordena. To further remove some steam, the armed forces — the fuermak — typically recruited from the most volatile segments of societies. These recruiters were trained, equipped, and shipped out to other territories, satrapies, and subject allies, where they were occupiers. Upon completion of a full term, usually 20 years, but sometimes less if the fuermak was demobilizing and needed to shed weight. That was the case now, with hundreds of millions of veterans who fought in Gholgoth now being offered early retirements. There was therefore no room for new Chernayan recruits.

Escorted by imperial statgard personnel, Díeg entered the Consultative Assembly's primary chamber. All 580 members were present. His presence had been requested, which mean the assembly sought to get something out of him, but that did not mean that all assembly members were there happily. All the same, anyone who had pretended to call in sick would be frustrated by the treaty rights which disallowed the option in cases of an imperial visit, like this one. The statgard were happy to make house calls, when necessary.

"Welcome, your Imperial Excellency," greeted Waleed il-Fares, the Ali Falih Kadhim (Prime Minister). "It has been too long since you last graced this hall."

Díeg would have snorted, but he managed to maintain his composure. He very much doubted the Chernayan parliament was happy to see the vikaro.

Il-Fares, in any case, made it clear that the period for greetings would be short. "It is with sadness and concern that I hear of the two dead boys last week, and of the twelve arrested by your military. Our youth is the flower of our people, you must understand. The community as a whole lies in a depression because of these and similar events in the recent past. In fact, there are thousands of Chernayans held in prisons."

"Very sad, indeed," replied Díeg, then twisting it into a retort, "but remember that those...boys, some of them as old as in their 30s, the youngest teens, all stand accused of aggression against the imperial military and security forces. You can understand how that is intolerable for an empire dedicated to keeping the peace."

Il-Fares remained nonplussed. "This Assembly thinks it would be wise for the empire to show leniency. By doing so, it would acknowledge the value of peace between Chernayans and settlers."

"We've proven our commitment to the Chernayan people already," Díeg answered. "Need I remind this Assembly that the empire redeployed Kysetian units to Mananakop and Magdaran, thereby removing one half of the armed forces involved in the incessant skirmishing between the two peoples. All of them on the Kysetian side. And your traditions have been upheld and honored by the Imperial Bureaucracy, including in the rules that define this Assembly."

The Ali Falih Kadhim changed tack. "The Imperial Temple of the Willed does not...uphold or honor our traditions, as you put it. The Chernayan people find it outright sacriligeous."

"There are veterans of the Imperial faith," said Díeg, calmly, "who require its services."

There were murmurs among the assembly, but il-Fares raised his hands to quiet the chamber down. He said, "This Assembly would see it as another sign of incredible goodwill by part of the Empire to halt construction of the Temple. We've discussed it and encourage the Imperial Bureaucracy to complete the Temple as a mosque. An Imperial Mosque, as a gift bestowed upon Chernaya by His Imperial Majesty Himself. Build your Temple outside of the Old City, among those communities that it will serve."

Díeg chewed on that for a moment. On the one hand, it was an egregious request. The Imperial Bureaucracy built Temples, Koerts, Arkes, and other monuments where they most desired. Chernaya hardly had the leverage to demand such a thing. On the other hand, he supposed that such an agreement could buy him time to further pacify the likutat before the next big war. It was therefore an interesting proposition.

"The Assembly will condemn Zenitharian violence against the imperial armed and security forces?" he asked.

Murmurs, this time louder, filled the hall. Il-Fares raised his arms to silence them once again. "Yes," he answered.

The murmurs intensified into outright bickering between the assembly members. There was clearly a division among them on the matter. Díeg speculated on how many of the Chernayans present in the chamber looked forward to a day in which the Ordenites swept the empire back out of the region. Or, preferrably, that both foreign powers would simply kill each other off, leaving Chernaya free and independent. It was a shame that they did not understand that their current status was as independent as they'd ever be. Some of them did, many of these politicians and their constituents did. But so many saw the empire as a conqueror and suppressor, a culture seeking to simply dilute Zenitharian Chernayan culture into nothingness. Díeg supposed they were right about that.

He plotted his next moves. The bad apples needed to be removed at a faster pace. Silently contemplating some sort of program to train, equip, and ship these elements out to Potthan to fight in the Barjaanistan holy war, the vikaro at first said nothing in response to the Ali Falih Kadhim. Satisfied he had given enough consideration to the proposal, Díeg finally said, "I will order a temporary halt to construction of the Temple in the Old City. I cannot guarantee this will be permanent. Your request will be taken to Him." His own idea would be pitched too, but he did not mention anything about that to the assembly.

"Very well, vikaro," replied il-Fares, who shallowly dipped his head. "May our two people coexist in peace, inshallah."

They discussed some other matters, mostly details concerning legal suits headed to the Imperial Koert of the Willed in Chernaya. The Imperial Koert served as an appellate court for local cases. It was tasked with interpreting cases from the perspective of federal law where treaty rights deferred to imperial authority, and local law where it did not. Díeg had no say over legal matters. But he intently listened to the assembly, feigning interest in their petty concerns.

After leaving the grounds of the Consultative Assembly, his motorcade sped its way east and out of the city. Díeg was already mentally exhausted, but he had a date with a Fuermak supply base. It was a surprise inspection, which was his duty to conduct frequently across the vikar, of a base receiving a new shipment of prepositioned equipment. As he journeyed to his destination, the vikaro simultaneously issued orders to prepare his jet for an imminent flight to Fedala, to speak with the emperor.

[State of Ordena]

RASTENBURG, ORDENSSCHUTZGEBIET OSTMARK


Rain smeared against the windows of the Bezirksprotektorat as another convoy rolled through the streets below. Even from six floors up, the sound of tracked vehicles echoed through Rastenburg's administrative quarter. The invasion of Chernova had entered it's ninth week and the entire city felt the strain. Hallways that once moved with a slow rhythm of bureaucracy now carried officers, clerks, security personnel, and messengers at most hours of the day. Inside the district coordination chamber a large operations map covered the far wall, marked with rail lines, fuel depots, partisan activity reports, and supply corridors stretching north into newly occupied territory. Several sectors across the frontier with Chernova had been circled in red grease pencil. Bezirkprotektor Alarich Eichelbaum sat at the head of the table reviewing stacks of logistics reports. Across from him stood Generalmajor Johann Falkenrath of the Ordensheer Territorial Army Command, wearing his field coat over his officer's uniform which was still wet from the outside rain.

Also in the room but closer to the wall were two observers, Staatschutz director Heller of the State Protection Directorate. The SSD in Ostmark represented and answered directly to the Central Security Directorate in Berlina. Standing next to Director Heller was OSUP Commissar Dietz who was the OSUP Territorial Directorate's representative in Rastenburg. Neither had spoken a word since they all assembled into the chamber. A administrative clerk was also present in the room and would record the minutes on a terminal in the corner.

"How are our front-line soldiers doing on the front, Herr Generalmajor Falkenrath?" Eichelbaum broke the silence first setting his reports down to glance at him directly from his desk. Heller and Dietz remained quiet but set their eyes on Falkenrath, awaiting his response. A loaded and politically risky question to be asked in front of individuals who could have the Generalmajor stripped of his rank and imprisoned at a moments notice.

"Progress on the front is steady and our soldiers are eager to soon set foot in Novigrad." Falkenrath replied. While this was his safest choice of words and was technically true the reality was that for the past several weeks partisan activity in areas liberated near the former frontier were on the rise. He'd read many reports on their attacks and the damage they've been able to cause in the rear. A sense of uncertainty had come over him since then which he could not shake, although he ensured that this did not spill out in conversations with others.

"And how is the homeland, Herr Bezirkprotektor?" asked Falkenrath as Eichelbaum leaned back in his chair glancing over at the portraits of the Herrscher and the Oberprotektor on the wall. It was as if he could feel their gazes on him and they were not physically in the room with him.

"Ostmark is a model colony of the Ordenstaat. They are going to implement our policies here to other colonies in Dienstad, you know?" he answered. "Wanderjar, Gordonopia, Killia, even as far as Dietsland."

"When we finally secure the entire Schonheit continent. Our Ordenstaat will last for a thousand years." Eichelbaum continued as Falkenrath didn't respond, he had heard it all the same from bureaucrats like him. While he was a faithful member of the party, Falkenrath was more of a pragmatist due to his service in the Ordensheer.

"One campaign at a time, Herr Bezirkprotektor. Chernova has yet to be won and there is still much more fighting to be done." he said. The Ordensheer so far had advanced nearly 2000km inland and while they had won much of the initial major engagements. It was now becoming obvious that the Chernovans would not so easily be routed and capitulated as other recent conquests had gone.

Over 10 million troops had now entered the front which was much needed for the Ordensheer who had so far suffered over 1 million casualties. Not even Falkenrath could comprehend how many Chernovans had been killed or wounded so far, or how they have continued to mount a stubborn resistance to Ordenite advances. Although their was a creeping danger that if left to fester for too long would inevitably spell disaster for the campaign. Chernovan partisan activity in newly liberated areas had significantly spiked in the last two to three weeks which was beginning to have a profound effect on logistical matters. Supply convoys were constantly requiring military escorts to be able to make their rounds to forward bases and depots. Highways and rail networks were noted to be coming under strain from repeated sabotage attacks.

It was also starting to become apparent that as the Ordensheer continued to advance, urban settlements were noted to have been thoroughly picked clean of any kind of industry. The Chernovans had simply dismantled industry in settlements in danger of being taken by the enemy and sent them off further north to be reassembled and made operational. In other cases entire settlements had been purposefully razed to the ground, even the collective farms had been torched. They intended to leave nothing of use to a post-war occupation.

"Well, what brings you, Herr Generalmajor to Rastenburg?" Eichelbaum asked. The Generalmajor removed his leather gloves one after the other placing them neatly on the table. Then he took his officer cap off and set it on the table too.

"Contrary to what you may have heard concerning the war in the North. It is becoming evident that our supply lines are becoming targets for partisans and so far these attacks have caused delays."

"How long?"

"A few days at most. Though the frontier here is at risk of partisan attacks." Falkenrath responded. Several attempts since the war began had been thwarted by security forces leading to numerous arrests and summary executions.

"And what is your solution?"

Falkenrath turned and walked over to the far side of the room where the operational map was and pointed out 3 sectors which Eichelbaum was responsible for as Bezirkprotektor.

"Transfer these sectors to the Ordensheer. That way no infiltrators can easily waltz in and cause a catastrophe."

Eichelbaum shook his head. "Giving those sectors to the Army would see production quotoas here drop significantly." he scoffed. "How should i explain that to the Oberprotektor, hm?"

"It is of military importance that the rear areas of our soldiers on the front are secure from all threats. The whole war could become a whole lot more difficult if we prioritize your quotas." Falkenrath responded. The Bezirkprotektor was beginning to get frustrated over where the conversation was going.

"This war depends on our quotas here in the Ostmark and elsewhere. Would you like to see for yourself what would happen if the troops hundreds of kilometers to the North could not receive the supplies they need?" Eichelbaum retorted. The tension was at it's peak now in the room, the clerk in the corner was glued to their terminal typing furiously as the meeting continued. This was when Commissar Dietz spoke up for the first time since the meeting began.

"The Party’s primary concern is maintaining the operational tempo that will see the war won without hampering the administration in the Ostmark." No one responded as the words were left to hang in the air. The statement was less advice and more a reminder that higher authorities were already paying attention. Falkenrath looked back towards the map on the wall.

"You administrators, only thinking in your quotas and production tables." He remarked.

"That tends to happen when wars such as this depend on them, Generalmajor."

Falkenrath let out a short laugh, "Fair point." For a second some of the tension was eased. Then Director Heller stepped forward setting a dossier down and opening it.

"There is another issue." he said. "Unauthorized allocations of emergency fuel reserves to the front."

Eichelbaum slowly turned his gaze towards Falkenrath who did not protest. The room turned tense once more.

"My logistics officers redirected those reserves under emergency authority."

"Without administration approval, Generalmajor." Heller responded.

"The fuel was needed on the front for the Panzers, else they would of been stuck during an offensive."

"You bypassed government authority." Eichelbaum added.

"I bypassed paperwork." Falkenrath shot back.

"That paperwork ensures the armies on the front are supplied." Falkenrath stared at him for a long moment before finally shaking his head. The Generalmajor showed signs of lack of sleep with deep bags under his eyes. Everyone in the room seemed to show the same lack of rest. Rain continued to hammer the windows outside. Finally Eichelbaum opened a red directive folder in front of him.

"The three sectors will receive temporary military authority until further notice."

Falkenrath looked up immediately.

"Rail lines transfer to the Ordensheer logistics command during this period. Industrial labor operations will remain under civilian administration." Eichelbaum continued.

"State Protection liaison officers will be attached to both commands until the situation resolves itself." Now nobody looked particularly relieved or happy. Which typically meant that the compromise was workable.

"Once the situation resolves. Authority returns pending review from the Oberprotekorate."

Falkenrath was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded once. "I can work with that."

"You'll have to."

The Generalmajor gave a tired half smile. "You really enjoy reminding everyone this territory runs on paperwork, do you?"

Eichelbaum finally allowed the slightest hint of amusement show on his face. "No, Generalmajor."

Outside on the street another convoy rumbled through in the rain.

“I enjoy reminding the army that someone still has to keep the lights on behind them.”

[State of Ordena]

ARMY GROUP NORTH


The arrival of additional reinforcement waves had greatly bolstered the combat power of Army Group North which enabled it to finish off the Chernovan defenders in Zarechensk. This would put the vast Ordenite armies of Army Group North on a path to reach the strategic rail hub city of Chernogorsk. The rail hub in the city ensured that much of Southern and Central Chernova was connected and even stretched on further north towards the capital and beyond. Both sides knew of the importance of holding the city and would set the course for the making of a massive battle for control. Much of Army Group North's engineers and construction units were hard at work restoring and constructing the existing railway network behind the frontlines.

This work had been taking place even after the first shots of the war were fired. The Ordensheer were heavily reliant on functioning railway networks in order to transport their armies and supplies. Tens of thousands of laborers either employed directly by the Ordensheer or conscripted from the population in Chernova and in the Ostmark. Railways and highways were repaired or expanded to meet the needs of the Ordensheer. Chernovan partisans had become more of a nuissance to Ordenite logistics as they regularly attacked railways and trains with explosives. Specialized Hurtenwehr formations who typically were deployed to guard sections of railway track were employed to deter partisan attacks.

Additional Hurtenwehr formations were deployed to hunt down and destroy partisans. These operations typically resulted in entire communities being slaughtered or relocated to temporary open air camps closer to the pre war frontier. Chernovan POWs were generally transported out to the Ostmark where their fates awaited them in labor camps. Meanwhile the armies of the Ordensheer having been fresh off their victory in Zarechensk would now be moving towards Chernogorsk. The Chernovan Stavka had moved reinforcements into the area in anticipation for the battles to come. Several Fronts were formed specifically for the defense of Chernogorsk with each one being named after it which would account for over 8 million soldiers.

The Red Army had developed several defensive belts which would seek to grind down the Ordensheer before they reached Chernogorsk. From there a strategic reserve would be committed to a counter attack which would drive them back and hopefully turn the tide of the war. The entire front rested on the defense of the city for the Red Army as if it fell to the Ordenites then their logistics would be hampered considerably and Novigrad the capital would soon be under threat. The entire Chernogorsk Oblast is declared a Strategic Defense Zone by the State Defense Committee which was Chernova's war cabinet which formed shortly after the Ordenite invasion began. Much of the city's industrial production had already been converted to war production as spewing out munitions and armaments for the Red Army.

Only 300 kilometers stood between Army Group North and the city of Chernogorsk with the plan being that the city would be converged on from several directions with the desired outcome being a envelopment. After lengthy reconnaissance efforts the opening strikes began with ballistic and cruise missile salvos from the ground and air which targeted sections of railway tracks leading in and out of the city. Further salvos would target munitions storages and enemy staging areas as it was intended to cripple the defenders before Ordenite forces even arrived. Fighting would begin shortly after in outlying towns and settlements as forward elements of the Ordensheer encountered Red Army defenses which consisted of trench systems manned by conscripts.

Ordenite one way attack drones and FPVs harrassed these positions as artillery rained down on them. The Red Army also had drones and were recieving more modern variants from the Golden Throne who were now delivering supplies and armaments to ensure Chernova was not easily steamrolled. Vast areas of the frontlines would become grey zones with drones lurking for easy targets. As the initial shock of the invasion had come to pass the Chernovan Air Force had become more active in contesting airspace from the advancing Ordenites. Air duels had now become another normality across the battlefield with burnt out remains of downed aircraft dotting the landscape.

The most forward elements of Army Group North's advance consisted of several Panzer armies. They were referred to as Panzer Group 1 and had faced the brunt of Chernovan defenses so far during the campaign. So far resistance from the Red Army was tolerable as their conscripts were easily swept aside for the sake of the advance. However this would change upon reaching Novaya Sloboda, a town which had as of late been overwhelmed with refugees from the frontier Oblasts overrun by the Ordensheer. The Red Army had dispatched several Mechanized and Armored Corps to launch counter attacks against the spearheads of the Ordensheer advance.

This would lead to heavy fighting which would delay the advance on Chernogorsk. As the full weight of Army Group North began to catch up with the spearheads the counter attacks proved to be futile and simply a waste of men and material. Eventually the first major defensive belt was reached as the Red Army defenders braced for the worst. Heavy and saturating artillery barrages came first with the Panzers and mechanized troops following up in their wake. The Chernovans fought savagely and very stubbornly, fighting until the last bullet and man in most cases. Envelopments were what the Ordensheer generally implemented if the enemy's resistance was overly stubborn which would lead to those trapped inside being subjected to artillery barrages and aerial bombings until ground troops were sent in to crush what was left.

The Red Army utilizing it's mass that had been concentrated in the area for the defense of Chernogorsk began organizing and launching counter attacks against the advancing Ordensheer. Whether these counter attacks succeeded or not was of no concern to the Chernovan Stavka for as long as the Ordensheer could be delayed the Red Army would be able to fight another day elsewhere. These counter attacks focused on a pertruding salient made by the advance of Army Group North towards Chernogorsk. This salient was swiftly fortified and defended by the Ordensheer as countless thousands of Chernovans threw themselves at the fortified salient attempting to break through.



KRASNOSTAV

Dark tendrils followed the vast armies of the Ordensheer into Chernova eager to find there next victims. Krasnostav had fallen weeks ago after the final Red Army holdouts had been snuffed out and destroyed. Much of the city was in ruins following the heavy fighting that had occurred in and around it as civilians who either couldn't evacuate or chose not to tried to put their lives back together and move forward with what's been going on around them. Little would be done to now rebuild the city as what reconstruction was being done were focused on making the lives of the occupation regime more tolerable. Krasnostav had got its name due to the abundance of Krasnovan refugees which had now called it home after escaping a worse fate in Krasnova.

Two Infantry divisions made up the garrison force for the occupation of the city. A military regime had been installed with a Ordensheer officer at the head. This would be a temporary arrangement until it was decided that a civilian government could be formed. In the wake of the city's capture came the Central Security Directorate or ZSD as they were commonly referred to who were the main security apparatus of the Ordenstaat. Their reputation in the occupied territories told only of death and the efficient manufacturing of misery for whoever found themselves in there crosshairs.

Just hours prior to the start of the Chernovan campaign the ZSD were instructed on how they would operate in Chernova. All Chernovans were to be considered potential enemy combatants whether armed or unarmed and that ZSD personnel would be in charge of wiping the scourge of communism and filth from the land as they saw fit. A initial force of several thousand followed the Ordensheer into Chernova comprised of ZSD personnel, Hurtenwehr, Police battalions and Krasnovan collaborator auxiliaries who would be doing the heavy lifting for the task to come. At first there was little in the way of killing as the ZSD personnel situated themselves and got familiar with the lay of the land before launching operations. The first operation took place in a town 20 kilometers inside the Chernovan border which had been identified as where partisans were operating from.

A security sweep was conducted and much of the town was turned upside down by Hurtenwehr soldiers and Police battalions to which they found hidden weapons caches and explosives used to conduct sabotage. The entirety of the townspeople were rounded up forcibly and marched out into an open field and given shovels to dig there own mass grave. Once the mass grave had been dug the Krasnovan auxiliaries were tasked with carrying out the executions in which the victims were sent into the pit and shot while another group of victims were then sent in and the process continued until the entire townsfolk had been laid down in the pit. Alcohol was provided as a reward for the Krasnovans who happily accepted and drank to their hearts content following the mass murder. The town was then thoroughly looted before being set ablaze and abandoned.

As the Ordensheer advanced further the amount of ZSD personnel steadily increased to meet the sheer amount of Chernovans that were now in the rear areas. The growth of the partisans in the country side meant that there were plenty more victims for the ZSD. Hundreds of thousands would be rounded up in security sweeps and then murdered in masse by Krasnovan auxiliaries. Due to the fact that more permanent killing facilities were not available due to the war the ZSD carefully picked secluded locations which would be used as killing sites. By the end of the Battle for Zarechensk, the ZSD had liquidated over 1 million Chernovans deemed as communists, partisans and provocateurs and there own numbers had grown exponentially.

The ZSD could now count on over 1 million personnel along with several Hurtenwehr formations, Police battalions and Krasnovan auxiliaries to carry out their work. Colonel Konrad Eberhardt had recently transferred to the newly occupied territories that once made-up Chernova. A 15-year veteran in the Central Security Directorate he had originally been assigned to Scythia in the early years of his career before eventually moving on to Krasnova. He had climbed the ranks of the ZSD through his work in what was formerly known as Vostok in which he personally signed off on the death warrants of countless thousands of people. Krasnostav would be no different as Eberhardt began his work carrying out what was instructed of him from his superiors in Berlina.

Following the capture of the city their still remained millions of civilians who had either tried to flee too late before the Ordensheer closed their envelopment or had chose to remain. Many had perished during the battle itself whose resting places were in collapsed buildings that had been destroyed by artillery and bombs. Tens of thousands had already been conscripted into clearing debris and rubble from the roads while others were used to restore damaged infrastructure which would be needed for the occupation regime. Several security sweeps had been conducted since Colonel Eberhardt had arrived which had caught up thousands of people accused of working for the communist government or being partisans. Meanwhile much of the remaining population were being screened as potential labor that would be transported back into the Ostmark.

Trains had begun to arrive daily with cars being packed full of Chernovan able bodied men which were destined for the harsh conditions of the camps. This was part of a evolving strategy to combat the growth of anti-Ordenite insurgencies. Although it had been estimated by the ZSD and the Ordensheer that following the defeat of the Chernovan government and the occupation of most of the country, large portions of the population would need to be culled in order to keep the security situation manageable. Several killing sites had already been established around the city as condemned individuals were herded to these locations where they would be met by armed Krasnovan auxiliaries. Eberhardt himself had attended several liquidations largely to ensure that operations were keeping to the efficiency that was demanded of them. He had no qualms about the killings themselves as he had long long ago become desensitized to it and no longer felt any sort of emotion concerning it. There was too much work to be done in the city and the surrounding area for him to care.

[The Macabees]

AT SEA
______________________________

An imperial satellite passed over the Earth looking at the eastern fringes of central Greater Díenstad. Below, an armada of ships was spread out over the vast blue sea like a pattern of metallic grey dots amidst the occasional white spray of the waves. Just over 1,000 ships were arrayed there, between Krasnova and Greal, belonging to the kríergrups Jonaksburg, Fedorograd, Xtaulpec, and Manutec. The last two were headquartered in Theohuanacu, but had made the northward voyage to rendezvous for a major military exercise not too far from the Ordenite-controlled coastline of eastern Krasnova, but far enough away to avoid accidentally impeding Ordenite naval movements related to their ongoing war in Chernova. This wasn't the first exercise in the area, of course. Five had already been held in quick succession, justified as preparation for a hypothetical war against Lyras in defense of New Empire. But it was the largest thus far.

Kríergrups Berliston, Leintaboro, and Paquat, three-fourths of the naval strength stationed in New Empire, were also holding separate exercises in the Sea of Crowns. They were drilling for a hypothetical scenario requiring the blockading of the sea giving access to western Krasnova. These too had been held several times, usually with a rotation of fleet groups. Even Visbotek had come from its home ports in and outside its namesake Díenstadi city to conduct exercises in the area as recently as two months before.

"What do you gander the Ordenites are thinking about at this moment?" Komador Antón ver'Kasín was looking at Bandleutnant Henré Nammer.

Nammer could but guess. "I think they're used to it by now, wouldn't you think?" he said.

The IS87620 Bavieka, a supercarrier named after the warhorse of a medieval warlord, creaked around them. A deep grunt ricocheted between the tight metallic walls that confined the human spaces on the ship. Though the seas were calm, she liked to groan sometimes all the same. So did the crew. Despite the rotations, more naval exercises meant more deployments, and the expectation was for the burden on the kríermada to grow, and quickly. The Imperial Bureaucracy had already forewarned relevant international governments of its intentions of hosting naval exercises around the island and in nearby seas in another month, then at two week intervals, "to maintain deployment efficiency," per the official press statements.

"A big war is coming, I think everyone can see it," continued the komador. "The war in Magdaran was just a small taste, contained, shackled. What's coming will be much more intense. And it's no secret."

The bandleutnant, a rank equivalent to flag lieutenant, contemplated that silently. Admiránt Gregor Makal and his XO, Leutnant Beredor Vergén, were with them too, away from the tacticians going over the tactical plot. The four of them sat in their command chairs, receiving updates and barking commands. The Bavieka was the Kríermak's flagship, a given knowing the rank of the men sitting in those chairs. That meant that Antón ver'Kasín, son of the duke of the same name who had been executed for treason during The War so many years ago, was expecting to take command when "the coming war" turned into something real, tangible, and in all likelihood highly deadly. Perhaps that was why his mind seemed trapped by the prospect. And for good reason, as a naval battle northwest of Krasnova would define the trajectory of any war in Krasnova, since it would pinch off the lane as a line of communication for the loser.

Not everyone saw war as inevitable. To some, the feeling was distant. That was what Vergén thought. He said, "The emperor couldn't be crazy enough to get us into another war with them."

The komador looked at him with a steely gaze, saying, "It's not His choice alone."

It was true. The Imperial Bureaucracy actually seemed more reticent to go to war than its allies. Mar'si press was especially bellicose, and jingoism could be read in papers across the region, calling for wars of liberation on the lands being swallowed up by the Ordenite war machine. The Golden Throne had its fair share of yellow press as well, and the government, of course, did its part in stirring anti-Ordenite sentiment by so pursuing such an aggressive policy of shadowing the Ordenite expansion, always right within the limits of the non-aggression pact. But in Magdaran the empire had upheld non-aggression, despite the strong anti-Ordenite coalition that formed there. And the official tone of its bureaucrats was consistently set upon financial priorities, requiring peace, trade, and commercial prosperity — all things incompatible with a major war.

Still, ver'Kasín could not shake up that feeling of foreboding. The Ordenite invasion of Chernova had undoubtedly stirred up feelings of uneasiness among the political class. It was obvious that it was the invasion that had triggered this escalating flurry of naval exercises. Tonnage to Krasnovan ports had also risen to heights suggestive of a military buildup. It wasn't only Krasnova, either. Data from ports in San Castello, Nicaro, Potthan, Samarasta, Killia (especially), and practically everywhere else all pointed in the same direction. The Golden Throne was preparing for something.

"The Ordenites will just as well attack us before His Imperial Majesty could give the order," said Makal, the ship's commanding officer. Perhaps that was the something. It was the Ordenites who were planning to follow up on their victory in Chernova with an invasion of the Krasnovan Vikar — an attack on the free cities.

The press here played its role too, and it wasn't just the large broadcasters, but an online army of monetarily stimulated independent propagandists. Some played clips recorded on cell phones and compiled into dramatic short-form content showing the extreme violence the Ordenites were showcasing in Chernova. One could log onto Accelafeed or any other social platform and see endless footage of combat, including the annihilation of armored columns and the butchering of countless men. They carried the same message: the fascists would bring their savagery upon the free people of the empire, unless the imperial army stood between them and the enemy, valiantly and victoriously. There were also videos of Berlina and other Ordenite cities showing the wretched living conditions in an autocratic police state. Most of this footage was fake and AI, but most people on the internet couldn't tell the difference anyway.

Truth be told, Ordena was the yin to the Golden Throne's yang. They needed each other. Indeed, they had been feeding on each other during the recent years past, despite the flashes of war here and there. Their footprint had grown across Greater Díenstad, from Wanderjar and San Castello to Samarasta and Fustera, in a game of geopolitical chess. But all games have an ending, a way to win. All games, in this sense, are unstable. Though theory always seems to care about the end result, the humanity of the game was in the process itself. This meant a world outside of equilibrium. A world that could slip one way or another at any time.

Ver'Kasín could feel it in his bones that the tipping point was imminent. He said to the group, "I don't know who will start it. But it will start, and soon."

[The Macabees]

CHERNAYA, VIKAR OF KRASNOVA
______________________________

Díeg Hahk-Lorán had been busy in recent months, with travels from one side of the vikar to the other on a daily basis. After his last audience with Chernaya's Consultative Assembly, the vikaro took a private high-speed train to Jonaksburg, where his dukvikaro Clement Gerosia debriefed him on the ongoing integration of Belozersk into the imperial federation. From there, he took a train to Sterlya, where the food situation since the fourth war's end was only gradually improving. It was one of the last cities to surrender during the war, being garrisoned by Ordenite-aligned forces that had decided to withstand a siege rather than defect. It was already suffering from them, since Datosk's destruction in the second war from nuclear attack had isolated Sterlya from international markets. The war, a dire economic situation, and the loss of Krasnova's most important port city in the west had all come together to create near-famine conditions. Food imported by the military was helping, as was the reopening of Datosk — renamed Jonaksburg —, but of all the free cities, Sterlya faced some of the direst challenges. The vikaro spent a few days there organizing additional relief efforts through local limikari forces, until ultimately leaving to make his presence at Forzala 1's Krasnova Grand Prix in Fedorograd.

He remained in Fedorograd for only a few hours. Not even an hour after the race ended, Díeg was already on his high-speed train to Chernaya. He returned not to meet with the Consultative Assembly again. In fact, he wanted nothing else but to avoid them altogether. They had attempted to block his progress in Chernaya by unanimously passing a bill banning foreign recruitment of young radicalized zenitharian youth for the battlefields of Barjaanistan and Potthan. Of course, it was Díeg who had ordered the local administration to organize a recruitment drive of local Chernayans via these proxies, working through zenitharian religious leaders who had come from overseas, specifically eastern New Empire and others from Mahdah, to galvanize young Chernayans to participate in an expanding holy war in the far west. So he had vetoed the bill, naturally. Now the Consultative Assembly, or the Majlis al-Shura as it liked to call itself exclusively now, was up in arms.

Up 'til now, the vikaro had been travelling with his other dukvikaro — and, remember, lover —, Anabel Jingosé. His wife and children were in Fedala again, and he hadn't seen them in over a month. But he hardly thought about them at all with Anabel around. But she had not gone on to Chernaya with him, instead taking another train back to Sterlya, where she'd continue overseeing improvements to the emergency food distribution process there. Alone, he suddenly longed for a short respite, making plans to spend a few days in the imperial capital after wrapping up business in the Zenitharian enclave.

The train arrived at the central station in the city, one of two with high-speed rail connections. A motorcade was waiting for him there, taking him the rest of the way to Barbakán Idal Monset, a large limikari base in the western suburbs named after a famous 19th-century military commander. Tall walls made of reinforced concrete were topped with barbed wire. A deep trench, with barbed wire to the front and back, surrounded the entire perimeter, with strong bridges providing access into the base area through heavily fortified gates. Inside, a pair of wheeled light tanks greeted the motorcade as it made its way to the center.

Thousands of men were marching up and down the streets of the base, the old rifles at their shoulders and old-style uniforms marked them as Chernayan recruits destined for the far west. Idal Monset was the nucleus of the operation. It was here that all volunteers recruited by zenitharian agitators came to receive five weeks' worth of military training. They were taught to shoot, how to move as units, and how to protect themselves from the multitude of battlefield threats. An entire week was devoted to drone warfare; both surviving and propagating it. In fact, the Ejermakt was running a top-secret program to collect data from drone use in Barjaanistan and Potthan, to feed into the learnings driving change within the imperial armed forces. They were doing the same with the drones supplied to Chernova.

Stopping, finally, at a drab but large building, a platoon of limikari soldiers escorted them inside. At the door, a group of general officers and some of their chiefs of staff were waiting for the Díeg.

"Vikaro Hahk-Lorán," said the highest-ranking one, coming to a salute, "it is an honor to have you at Barbakán Idal Monset. My men are here to make sure your every need is met."

"Thank you, Leutstrategos Pizarro," replied Díeg. "Let's continue to your command room."

Giving a deep nod, the general said, "Of course, Your Lordship. Follow me."

After various twists, turns, and long hallways, they all finally arrived at a checkpoint manned by eight rifle-carrying guards. They were, of course, let through. Behind the checkpoint was a large platform onto which the entire group stepped. After a sudden jerk, the platform began to descend gradually into the earth. Lights traveled with them down the tunnel, illuminating metal-enclosed walls separating them from rock and dirt.

They stopped as the platform very lightly touched the ground floor. Another tunnel greeted them, this time to a hydraulic door that was already hissing open in anticipation of the generals and their guests. It revealed a busy world of complex electronic machinery, manned by military specialists and their commanders, all talking to one another or via headsets. Lights of various colors flashed and shone on computers, servers, and other devices, and Díeg assumed that those who worked here understood what the colors all meant. He didn't. Anyway, guided through the maze of workstations and equipment, he was taken to an interior, soundproofed conference room. Only Díeg, three of his aides, and the top-ranking generals entered. The rest waited outside.

Inside, other general officers were already waiting for them. They wore the patches of other units. Regulares. They stood to attention when he came in. Díeg quickly ushered them all to take their seats around a circular table. Its surface was covered by a display, though it was dark and off at this time.

"PROYEKT MUJAHID is proceeding at pace, it looks," said the vikaro to break the ice. He already knew the numbers. He didn't have to see it. They were exporting New Imperial and Chernayan fighters by the hundreds of thousands. By the end of it, millions will have flowed through Mahdan ports and to the battlefields. But it didn't hurt to praise the base's command for the hard work in organizing the training prior to shipping them out.

Leutstrategos Pizarro, his name and color betraying his Zarbian roots, gave another nod and answered, "Thank you, Your Lordship. The program has been essential in our efforts to bleed the local zenitharian militias of their fighters. At the current rate, Chernaya will soon be more díenstadi than zenitharian." They all seemed quite proud of that, given the smirks and looks of approval among the commanders. "Which will be crucial when it comes to securing our rear in the coming war for the island."

"Indeed, and that is what we are here to talk about," interjected one of the generals belonging to a regulares unit. His name tag read GROSJAN. Henrique Grosjan was a Frommian with an illustrious military career. As a young officer, he served during the War of Golden Succession, leading first a platoon, then a company, subsequently a battalion, and finally a regiment in Ruska and Safehaven. Not only surviving the bloodbath at the River Styx, Grosjan also commanded units of increasing importance through the end of the Havenic Territory's conquest. In the years immediately after, he commanded a regiment in Guffingford on the Stevidian Frontier, as it was known at the time. But bored of border defense very quickly, Grosjan volunteered to serve in Theohuanacu, commanding a regiment involved in the annexation of Zealand and, afterwards, a division during the First Pirate War. It was his division that first entered Tiwanaku, an important metropolitan fortress that was soon converted into a strategic imperial naval and military base. Always seeking action, as that was the surest path to promotion in the empire's army, the Frommian general's division was deployed to North Panuli in M.C. 2027 as reinforcements to bolster a buckling defensive line around Panuli City were rushed into the country during the short war against Ordena. It was during this war that the empire took Fedorograd permanently, linking him thus to his ultimate fate of Lasagos over the field armies of Komsektor Chernaya. And the finale to his career would be the conquest of the entire Krasnovan island for His Imperial Majesty Fedor I, an island he had already fought over in the last war, commanding a corps, then an army, and then an army group.

The screen on the table before them suddenly flashed alight. It fluttered a bit, but a three-dimensional map soon displayed for the easy viewing of those present. It depicted what the empire called the Chernayan Frontier, a long strip of heavily militarized land separating the vikar from Ordenite Krasnova. A colossal forest that usually provided a thick wall of sorts to separate the two warring powers was still largely left burnt to a crisp. Indeed, the Golden Throne had torched it in the previous war to prevent the passage of Ordenite movements through its passes. Sprouts of green existed here and there, including some trees purposely planted through local public programs and private ecological organizations, but overall the terrain was still very bleak. It would likely get worse very soon. Tall mountains abutted the Chernayan Frontier to the southeast, providing a natural barrier. The western flank was secured through the thickly wooded swamps and, further to the west, the tall mountains separating Ol'khovka from Jonaksburg. These mountains had been taken in the last war, and their passes were fortified by the imperial army.

Various unit markers were distributed across the map. On one side of the border, they were regulares and limikari units distributed across the likutat and to its rear. On the other, the markers depicted known or suspected Ordenite and Krasnovan-draft units. It was all very elaborate, and the military situation in Chernaya was very clear. Millions of regulares defended the frontier, but in recent months millions and millions of additional limikari had been pouring in. 60 million limikari, in fact: three-quarters of their strength on the island. Putatively, they were there to suppress any zenitharian insurgency that the local militias could cook up.

"I introduce you all to OPERATION LANSA." Lasagos Grosjan clicked a button on a remote he held in his hand. The markers on the screen changed. This time there were only regulares units, and a lot more of them than there were now.

"OPERATION LANSA is the name of the first phase of the imperial liberation of northern Krasnova," continued the field marshal. "During this phase, Komarmees Sexta will launch an attack on Yukar and New Impen. Its ultimate objectives are those two cities and securing the Tuktar Frontier sector between them. Upon successful completion, Ordenite forces in Chernova and former-Zvezda will be separated from each other. This will leave enemy forces in Chernova isolated and occupied with a Chernovan army fighting a foe that cannot be resupplied by land." It was, of course, hoped that the two rival armies would simply beat each other to death. It would make the eventual imperial annexation of Chernova all that much easier. "Upon its conclusion, our armies will immediately shift to new follow-up operations involving the seizure of Ol'khovka and, more importantly, the drive to Gryaznaya."

Arrows followed his every word, illustrating the paths of advance of Grosjan's army group. On paper, it was a masterstroke to quickly put Ordena on the back foot in Krasnova. The Emperor had made clear to everyone involved in the planning that he expected the island's liberation to be relatively quick, as the bigger war would be fought off of it, in Killia. Nevertheless, everyone involved expected nothing but complications. They knew how difficult the road ahead was. All of them had fought against Ordena at some point in their lives already; they understood the horrors that were coming.

"Do we have enough men?" asked Díeg.

Grosjan shrugged. "I could always use more. But with no additional troop commitments from elsewhere in the empire, we'll have to hope that what we have will do."

If an outside observer knew of the contents of this top-secret, classified meeting, they would wonder where those additional units of regulares would come from if no reinforcements were coming from elsewhere. That context did not come up at this meeting, however. They all knew the details of OPERATION LANSA intimately.

"Forces in New Empire are already being prepared for their eventual redeployment to the vikar," said Díeg. "100 million of the satrapy's field army is being made available for the campaign in Krasnova, plus at least 15 million soldiers from Theohuanacu. Our numbers will swell very quickly, while the kríermada endeavors to blockade the island from reinforcement and resupply." These were the operations being simulated on a now-almost-weekly basis off either end.

This time, another officer spoke. His tag read BASAL. Another commander of the old guard, and now in charge of CCL Armee. Komstrategos Antón Basal said, "In the meantime, CCL Armee's Kríerinformati Corps are proceeding with PROYECT VANGUARDIA. We have directed our units to supply public information drops concerning the redeployment of five million regulares, twenty percent of the field army's strength, to San Castello to strengthen imperial defenses in the small satrapy." The psyop campaign intended to misinform Ordena on the total size of imperial forces in the vikar, misleading them into believing that it was safe for them to temporarily reinforce their invasion of Chernova with frontline units posted on their side of the Chernayan Frontier.

Díeg was briefed on these and other operations, asking various questions throughout, well into the night. By the time they had finished and returned to the surface, it was nighttime and the full moon was out. It seemed to close to the earth at that moment; the vikaro was, for a brief second, mesmerized. But he quickly snapped to, following his escort's hand motions toward the motorcade. The vikar would not rest at Idal Monset that night, though the local commanders had been told he would. Instead, he was driven back to the station where his private train was waiting, taking the high-speed rail back to Sterlya to spend a few days there with Anabel. Afterwards, he promised himself to take a quick vacation back to the imperial capital to see his wife and kids.

[State of Ordena]

NOVIGRAD


A lone drone passed over the urban sprawl that was Novigrad the capital of the claimed RSU successor Chernova. Below, plumes of black smoke and fires could be observed towards the Southern edges of the city. Army Group North had fought tooth and nail to reach the capital city and as winter began to set in the Battle of Novigrad was beginning. Much of the summer and fall months had been spent securing the city of Chernogorsk and then the difficult advance towards the capital, fighting a series of battles against the Red Army. Once the outskirts had been reached the Army Group subjected the city to intense bombardment with rockets, missiles and artillery shells. The bombardment soon became constant as the Ordensheer fought to breakthrough the outer defenses of Novigrad manned by Red Army garrisons and raised workers militias and university students. The Luftwaffe soon added to the destruction as waves of bombers saturated the battlefield with ordinance looking to break the defenders. Ample reinforcements and operational reserve available to the now Novigrad Front would be rushed in on orders of the Chernovan Stavka as the battle would intensify.

Grefeiter Paul Brenner had only weeks ago been assigned to the 3rd Panzergrenadier platoon belonging to 2nd Company, 117th Panzergrenadier Regiment. Coming in as a replacement to replenish losses suffered by the Regiment he was the youngest in his squad at the age of 19. He had waited for this moment his whole childhood while in the Ordenssozialistischer Jugendbund where he and other children were brought up on the principles of Ordenite Socialism and what was expected of them as they went into adulthood. Prior to the opening stages of the assault on Novigrad the regiment had been in the rear being refitted and it's losses replaced, it had been considerably roughed up in chasing the Red Army that sought to grind them down as they gave up ground. Brenner had seen little in the way of actual combat since he arrived in Chernova and had previously been in a reserve unit of the Hurtenwehr stationed in what was now known as Fernostland.

The time that followed after the capture of Chernogorsk was marked by increasing casualties on the Ordensheer. Chernovan partisans had become much more organized and decently equipped and were more of a problem then ever in the rear areas and even on the advance. The Red Army despite the losses it suffered since the beginning of the war continued to fight ferociously in the face of the Ordenite war machine which had recently swallowed up Wanderjar and United Gordonopia. Estimates of casualties suffered since the start of the war for the Ordensheer is said to be in the hundreds of thousands. They were effectively fighting two wars, one against the roaming partisans and the other against the Red Army. The 41st Panzer Division along the front lines outside of Novigrad during the first major assault were directed towards a trench network northeast of there mustering point. The area was covered in pocket marks made from artillery shells detonating during Ordenite mass artillery fires to soften up the defenders who were well entrenched.

Chernovan artillery responded in kind, both sides filled the skies with drones largely acting as artillery observers while others consisted of loitering munitions stalking their prey like vultures. Once the command was given the 41st Panzer along with many others advanced forward under another round of artillery fires brought in to support the advance. Panzerkampfwagen Lowe 2A7 main battle tanks rumbled forward accompanied by the ever so vigilant Wolfsritter Infantry fighting vehicles. Inside 1st Squad's vehicle, Brenner sat humming a patriotic song which was popularly used during OSUP rallies and other events. The sound of battle was muffled inside the armored vehicle as his platoon's 4 Wolfsritter's advanced forward towards the trenches which were being heavily suppressed by autocannons and machine gun fire. A smoke screen was was deployed ahead to break the enemy's vision before troops began to dismount into the fight. Here and there anti-tank guided missiles struck a vehicle but a single hit was not enough to bring down a Ordenite armored fighting vehicle, those that were stopped in their tracks were usually immobile due to there own treads and tracks being damaged or destroyed completely.

Sitting beside Brenner was the platoon sergeant Eberhardt but preferred to be called by his callsign Bär. He was the oldest and had been part of the platoon for the longest, a grizzly veteran of several military campaigns. Across from Brenner was Kraus and Falk who were a few years older than him and were nearly inseparable friends. One was a joker who was known to make inappropriate jokes and talk too much during briefings. Falk on the other hand was the silent type, a person of few words and physically intimidating. Then there was Weiss who typically carried and operated the Panzerfaust anti-tank rocket launcher and showcases a vast technical knowledge on anti-tank weapons and keeps drawn diagrams of enemy tanks and vehicles. The squad leader sat near the Wolfsritters door ramp, Reinhardt who went by the callsign Wolf 1, a competent NCO who has aspirations to eventually become an officer and lead a larger unit.

"Thirty seconds until we are upon the enemy trenches." there radio's cackled to life as the men readied themselves for battle. The Chernovans in the trenches had took a fair amount of losses as the assault progressed. Despite this they threw everything they had at there attackers in a effort to slow them down. Once the platoons Wolfritters arrived only meters away from a section of trench the panzer grenadiers begun to be offloaded. Holding his StG-90 battle rifle was becoming a challenge due to the excitement coursing through Brenners veins as 1st Squad looked to storm a trench line. The sounds of battle were loud and almost deafening as explosions and small arms fire dominated what anyone could hear. As they came through the smoke, several fragmentation grenades were thrown into the trench itself to clear out any enemy combatants hiding in wait. Much of the trenches here also contained dugouts that the Chernovans huddled in during bombardments and was where they ate and in this instance slept in. The dugouts would need to be cleared too as the platoon moved into the trenches themselves and initially faced little in the way of resistance.

"Clear the dugouts with grenades." Reinhardt relayed to his squad as they stacked up on near a dugout. There platoon sergeant primed a fragmentation grenade and chucked it into the dugout. The enemy hiding inside shouted in panic before the grenade went off showering them in shrapnel. Then a burst from there battle rifles ensured that anyone inside could not surprise them as they worked the trenches. Brenner was in the rear of the squad ensuring that there rear was covered as they navigated through the enemy position. The next dugout went just about the same with grenades being thrown in and a burst of bullets before moving on. Although this time one of the Chernovans survived and emerged from the dug out still out of it from the concussive blast of the grenade in a confined space.

Brenners eyes widened as he raised his StG-90 and fired a burst which struck the soldier center mass bringing him down. Drones buzzed overhead from both sides and so did artillery fire as the battle continued. Third platoon had successfully occupied the trenches as did the rest of the regiment in there area of operations, for now they were afforded a brief lull in the fighting. In the distance another barrage of artillery was impacting Chernovan positions as Brenner took up a spot in the trench with his squad.

"The war will be over by Christmas at this rate, comrades." Brenner said as there platoon sergeant looked over at him. Eberhardt had been through many wars and had become more cynical as time went on as a soldier himself. He scoffed at the young soldier who had only just now experienced a taste of real combat and the capital had yet to be breached.

"Is that what they tell you before coming here?" Brenner smiled at Eberhardt's response, his morale and faith in what he was here for as a soldier of the Ordenstaat was still in tact.

"Feldwebel, look how we've done here so far. We'll be planting our flag in there capital in no time." Brenner responded as he looked in the distance of smoke plumes and the vast skyline of Novigrad.

"You haven't seen real war yet, boy."

[The Macabees]

IVANOVKA, VIKAR OF KRASNOVA
______________________________

White-capped mountains, rising like a spine, blocked the sun as it descended in the blood-orange sky. Below, the old royalist heartland of Krasnova, Ivanovka, turned on its lights in a ripple-like wave across the city.

Not many years ago, imperial troops scaled and took those mountains. On them were built radars, missile sites, artillery fire support bases, and all the roads necessary to connect these and other installations. All of that infrastructure built into the mountain range dividing Ivanovka from Ol'khovka would have its moment to shine soon, but not quite yet. For now, the troops in those mountains looked down upon Ol'khovka with cold, hungry eyes, as winter winds swept through narrow ravines, whistling along the way.

Ivanovka itself was a city of churches, as the locals called their temples, though they were confusingly not the same churches as the ones in Holy Panuli, San Castello, and Mananakop. They all worshipped the same god, but with different rules and ideas about seemingly immaterial things. But these things were important enough to launch believers into a tirade about why one sect was better than the other. In any case, the skyline of crosses and bulb-like domes, each painted with its own vibrant array of colors, had just recently been broken up by the towers of the Temple of the Willed. Despite this one change, very little had changed about Ivanovka, at least as far as its skyline was concerned. Unlike cities like Jonaksburg and Fedorograd, Ivanovka was getting very little attention in terms of aesthetics. It was in the realm of military matters where things had changed the most in recent years, though even more so in recent months.

Of course, military traffic up the ITK 300, a highway that connected Ivanovka with the northwestern frontier, had increased since the annexation of Belozersk. But the sudden growth in military activity, on top of what had already been a large martial presence in the likutat, had to do with more than that. Maybe it was just a general anxiety about what was going on the other side of the frontier. Maybe it was driven by the fear of the Ordenites crossing the vikar's borders and invading the free cities. Maybe it was something else. But the imperial military within the corner of space nestled between the borderland and the mountain foothills, where there was just enough valley for tanks and vehicles to drive, was most definitely abuzz in more than just the usual manner.

Dieg Hahk-Lorán had flown into Ivanovka the day before. An armored convoy took him on the long drive to Zelerod, a small base town straddling the frontier with Ordenite Krasnova. There, local commanders waited for him just inside the walled base complex that made Zelerod the Ejermakt's forward-most headquarters in the sector. Saluting their vikaro as he stepped out of the giant eight-wheeled armored monstrosity they had brought him in, Díeg waved them down, and they proceeded further into the base's interior on foot.

"That is one of our SAM pits. Not sure you can see it," pointed General Macrose, who was giving the vikaro a tour. Díeg could just barely see the red tip of one or more missiles, but that was impressively about it. The launcher was hidden behind netting, nestled within surrounding buildings, and if the general hadn't pointed it out, Díeg probably wouldn't have even noticed it. Macrose added, "It's to protect them from drones. The recon ones."

Not far away, the high-pitched whistle of a train sounded like a blaring alarm, interrupting them momentarily. "A supply train," said the general. "The station is not far away. Come. Let's see what it brings."

"Expecting anything in particular?" asked Díeg.

General Macrose shrugged. "Not really...though, they did say the armored battalions would get their Nakíl 2s."

The commanders must have tired of walking because one of their escorting enlisted men said something through his hand-held radio. A minute later, a line of little utility vehicles came to pick them all up and drive them over to the train station. Sure enough, as they rounded the corner, they could make out the ends of barrels, leading ultimately to the whole tanks. They parked on train cars, barrels resting atop the storage end of the hull, while awaiting a crane to pick them up and place them on stable ground.

"It looks like the new tanks are here," said the vikaro. The general was smiling giddily.

Díeg continued talking, "I've liked everything I've seen so far, general. You run a tight ship here."

"Of course, vikaro," the commander replied, bowing slightly in gratitude. "When the war against the fascists breaks out again, my people here will be the first in the line of fire. We'll be the ones taking the first bullets, surviving the first barrages, and pushing for the first objectives. If we lose our discipline, we've lost everything. That's the way I see it, at least. And until I'm gone, that's the way my soldiers will see it too."

"Good," said Díeg, who placed his hand on the general's shoulder. "The empire needs more good men like you."

They continued with the surprise inspection. Visits like these, several of them every week, had kept Díeg busy since the emperor had put him in charge in Krasnova. The general guided him past the barracks to show him the primary eating facilities, where thousands of soldiers were eating dinner, suddenly stopped, dropped their forks, and rose in salute. They were all waved down, of course, so that they could continue to eat their dinner in peace. The visitors inspected the salad bar and the kitchen, and were then on their way to the next thing. Díeg had to admit, the kitchen and eating facilities were immaculately clean. Macrose really did keep things in sparkling condition. When they reached the vehicle depots, the AFVs were almost all just as clean, despite having come from the field less than an hour earlier.

It was important that Zelerod be maintained to this standard. The same was true of all imperial bases, but Zelerod had its own reasons, and the general had already mentioned them. Before the Ordenite invasion of Chernova, Zelerod was simply part of a dam holding a very narrow sector of the front between the mountains and Chernova. But now, that sector had expanded, now that the Ordenites were occupying all of the land. Imperial tanks would be crossing the border through the town soon.

Now forming part of a larger defensive bastion, Zelerod was in the process of being integrated with the fortified defensive belts being raised across Belozersk. ITK 300 was being expanded, a branch — the ITK 330 — connecting it with the newest likutat. With the ITK 300, 330, and 600, it formed a logistical triangle between the three major administrative centers of the northwestern Krasnovan frontier zone: Belozersk, Ivanovka, and Jonaksburg. All the increased activity along these highways and their tributaries involved the imperial army, as it prepositioned field meals, medication, ammunition, mortars, missiles, and millions upon millions of tonnes of other supplies. Though officials claimed the military buildup was defensive, and truth be told, the size of the current army was defensive at best, the sheer volume of supply flowing into the sector spoke to larger ambitions.

Macrose was showing Díeg some of the measures troops across the front were taking to conceal the buildup. Row upon row of vehicles sat beneath thick sheets of fabric and netting that from the sky looked like open land. In one corner of the base, even many of the barracks buildings were made to look like something else entirely — like a training ground for new, local recruits. These barracks were empty now, but it spoke to just how many troops the army expected to have on base soon enough.

The sun was setting, though, and it was long time that the vikaro was on his way. He was driving back into Belozersk, where he'd stay for a few days. Anabel had been left as his deputy in the city since their first visit. The engineering projects being undertaken by the armed forces and the government were intense enough to warrant the constant presence of the vikar's utmost imperial authority, and since Díeg expected to be in the area most of the time, it made sense to assign Anabel to Belozersk. Clement, the other dukvikaro, remained in Fedorograd, responsible for the day-to-day administrative work of running a federal constituent state.

Díeg didn't care about staying close to Clement. He'd call Clement to him if the man was ever needed. Anyway, what the vikaro was thinking most about that time was whether he'd make it back in time to the new likutat before Anabel fell asleep.

"Hey," he said, turning to the general, "you wouldn't happen to have a helicopter I could borrow?"