The Soldier

May, 2081

Federation Fortress "Rock Castle". Verdanian Theater, Northwestern front.

§

'What a bad day for rain….'

A young man sighed as he looked upon the view in front of him, his wavy brown hair fluttering under the cold wind. Black clouds hung over vast grey plains, signs of a storm threatening to spill at any moment. The once verdant landscape full of trees and life had been reduced to a blasted wasteland by the fires of war. Although seeing the devastation in front of him does little to move his heart, maybe because he's never fond of this land after all.

From his current position in the eastern backline, he could hear the gunfires and explosions from all the way he's standing, the cacophony of roaring artillery and the orchestral gunfires does little to affect him nowadays, it's pretty common in his line of work after all. He also has a good outlook on the lower plain from where he's standing, at least three brigades of the Imperial army are currently engaged and besieging a massive fortress situated atop a fortified hill, both sides had been trading blows for days now.

"Sentinel control to Hound 5, radio check, how copy? Over." The communicator stuck on his ear crackled as the operator's voice came through.

"Hound 5 to Sentinel control. Hearing you loud and clear. Over." He replied without much enthusiasm.

Hound 5, that's what he's been called for a while now, it's actually more like a codename for military engagements. His name was Allen Dietrich with the assigned rank of Private First Class. He's a pilot in short, evident from the grey combat uniform he wore.

"Roger, Hound 5. Standby for tasking. Over"

And here he thought he was going to stand on a hill all day.

"Hound 5, you are to regroup with Hound 3 along with the 50th and 51st Panzergrenadier platoon; callsign Lobo and Hiena platoon, then proceed towards the eastern frontline as reinforcement. You will be briefed once you've reached the location. Over."

"Hound 5, wilco. Out."

He put on his helmet and turned it on, the Heads-Up Display appearing on his field of vision. The HUD tends to remind him of the one used in video games, especially first person shooters, sometimes he feels a sense of irony how he's now using one for actual combat. Then he climbed aboard a vehicle parked just nearby, it was painted in grey and red with the flag of the Empire displayed proudly on its side, however calling it a vehicle would be quite the understatement.

The vehicle was more like a tank with legs, eight legs in fact. Its body was shaped like a spider, with two heavy machine guns on its "Head" and two more plasma launchers strapped on the back. The four and a half meters tall machine was something people called a Combat Walker or a Mech, otherwise known as Dragoon. They were created with the purpose of harsh and untraversable terrain combat. The one Allen was using is a light class dragoon called Locke, while it doesn't offer much firepower, its nimble eight legs enables the Locke to move through difficult terrain easily and quickly.

He slid into the cockpit and settled in, the canopy closed with a hiss. With the press of a button the engine roared active and the system switched online.

[System Start]

[Booting IRDS-OS Locke. V.7.4]

[Power core online]

[Actuators engaged]

[Structural integrity at 100%]

[All functions operational]

[Weapon system online]

[Safety off]

[Combat mode engaged]

The dark cockpit brightened as the outer camera's display appeared on the screen in front of him.

[Mission updated]

[Terrain and Environmental data updated]

A notification appeared on his HUD along with a glowing marker that he assumed to be the rendezvous point. Without further ado, Allen began his approach to the battle inside his spider mech, crossing the rocky and muddy ground was easy thanks to the multiple legs, it didn't take too long as in a few minutes he eventually came across the sight of another similar looking mech waiting for him. It was none other than Hound 3 along with the 50th and 51st mechanised infantry platoon that consisted of several IFVs (Infantry Fighting Vehicles) and about dozens of infantry.

"Hound 3 to Sentinel control, we've rendezvoused with Hound 5. Over." Hound 3's voice came through, her voice was clear as day.

"Copy that Hound 3. Proceed towards the objective and await further order. Over and out."

"Hound 3, roger that Sentinel. You heard the lady, let's move out!"

They moved at a brisk pace with Allen and Hound 3 leading the way while the IFVs rode in two rows behind them. Since they were going at almost full speed, they were able to reach the outskirts of the frontline in a few minutes.

"Destination in sight, damn the place looks like shit." Hound 3 announced over the commns.

Allen could see it clearly now, a long line of charred land due to days of artillery bombardment and heavy explosives being used there. Gazing into the battlefield, a melancholic feeling enveloped his heart, while he's not a complete pacifist he still disliked war as much as any sane person. But the irony was this very war was the one keeping him alive. As he surveyed the bleak barren land, he finally had a good grasp of the eastern frontline, since up until yesterday he was stationed in the center.

On the Empire's side he could see rows of trenches with hastily constructed bunkers and fortifications, each one of the line was occupied by dozens if not hundreds of infantry while multiple armoured war machines were scattered across the trench lines. On the opposing side was the federation defensive line, it looked more or less the same with the exception of their defensive structures are much more well made in comparison.

Rock Castle fortress was one of the five main federation bases of operations in the Verdanian theater and considerably the least defended of them all. It used to be a geothermal power plant but was decommissioned long before the war even begin, as conflict started to spread all over Verdania, the federation reoccupied the power plant and started fortifying it until it became the current Rock Castle and started using it as operation center for some of their campaign in the region.

From what Allen had seen from the reports, the fortress was shaped like a grid with many intertwining roads and buildings that formed a maze, full of narrow paths perfect for traps and choke points where the defenders could easily use. The grid-like layout was the main reason why federation only placed a smaller force when compared to the other forts, as it didn't require a sizable army to defend, which from what the intel suggest, only amounted to at least three battalions strong.

As soon as Allen and the others arrived, a visual communication line was opened between their unit and the commander of the eastern front. The person who appeared was a rough looking old man.

"This is Colonel Manuel Venter of the 77th Panzergrenadier Imperial Brigade, I assume you're the reinforcement Sentinel sent so I will go straight to business."

The lieutenant colonel's communication window on the HUD was replaced by a virtual imaging of the eastern front.

"In half an hour, my forces will launch a full scale attack on the federation forces and finally break their gate. But in order to do that, we first need to capture and secure the eastern flank of their defensive line."

The display panned towards said direction, the targeted area was shown to have multiple bunkers and several armoured units stationed there.

"The plan is as follows; four battalions will be sent towards the enemy's west and center line as a diversion attack while the 50th and 51st platoon will move in and secure their eastern line with the dragoons from the Hound squadron as support. Once the area is secured, fire a red flare and the rest of my brigade will begin their assault going through the hole you just made. The diversionary group will press the attack and then we'll catch them in the middle like between anvil and hammer. Remember, speed is the essence of this plan, the battalions sent as diversion will be hitting the enemy hard in order to draw their attention there but they won't be able to hold them for long. We will be covering your advance with artillery but you have to move fast before the enemies could react."

The display switched back into the Colonel's face.

"This plan is crucial to the success of this siege, we can't afford any more failures. Retreat is unacceptable, do whatever it takes to secure your objectives. For the Empire."

"For the Empire." Everyone's reply was passionless, more because of a habit drilled into themselves rather than genuine cheer.

The transmission was terminated, followed by a new notification.

[Mission updated]

[Terrain and environmental data updated]

Two new markers showed up on the east, one marked the place they were supposed to launch their attack from and the other was their objective in the enemy line.

"Alright, then. Let's go." Hound 3 said as they changed course eastward.

Allen was thinking of the plan they were told, it was undoubtedly a bold one, if not utterly reckless. Aside from speed, he thought the plan depended the most on timing. They have to wait for the perfect moment when the enemy forces begin sending reinforcement for their attacked line before the mechanised platoon can secure the left.

Even so there's one undeniable fact about the plan.

'No retreat? So it's a suicide mission then…'

He could guess that by "This plan is crucial to the success of this siege" and "We can't afford any more failures" would mean their army was running out of time and manpower to maintain the siege. In the first place it was a wonder how the federation army hadn't caught wind of this siege and sent in reinforcements, but if they did then the Imperial forces would be caught in the same anvil and hammer strategy like the Colonel wished to employ. That's why time was crucial to them.

To that end, the Empire was willing to gamble Allen and the others' life for one final attack. If they succeed, then the Empire's army would gain an unexpected victory, but if they fail then it's an expected loss and they would just abandon the entire siege altogether.

While frustrating, Allen realised that was simply the reality of the war they're fighting in. Adding to the fact that he's fighting in an unwinnable war against an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, his chances of survival were getting lower and lower with each passing day.

So why was he fighting then?

He always thought he was just being a soldier, following orders to the letter without questioning it.

But….

'What's my reason to keep going…..'

"Hound 5, stay focused. It's about to begin. Over" Hound 3's voice breaks him out of his thoughts.

"Oh.. yeah.. sorry."

They were already at the launching point and were waiting for the signal to attack, though he had no idea what that signal might be since he wasn't listening at that time.

"Hound 5, what's wrong? Your head's out of the game."

"It's… nothing, just nervous I guess."

Unexpectedly she giggled,

"I get the feeling, I don't like our chances either. Though on the bright side, we might get promoted if this plan succeeds."

He doubts that, even if it actually works, the one getting all the credits and achievements would be whoever hatched this reckless plan, which must be that Colonel from Allen's guess. If they want to even get recognition for their troubles, they need to do something better, but of course doing your best and even sacrificing your life for the Empire was expected from all soldiers serving under the Imperial Armed Force. Still on the bright side the Empire was founded under meritocratic beliefs, so his squadmate's hope might not be that wrong after all.

As if waiting for him to finish his thoughts, the enemy defensive line lit up in fire and explosions, the thundering blast of the Imperial artillery cannons signaled the coming attack. Although he can't see it from his position, he would guess those four diversion battalions had begun their assault, now they need to wait until the enemy focused their attention there and receive the signal to strike. They needn't wait long as a bright green light launches itself to the sky, a simple flare signal.

"That's the signal. Sentinel, this is Lobo 1-1, can you see the enemy movement? Over" The Lobo platoon leader asked.

"Sentinel control. A large portion of the enemy units in the east flank are moving out to support their attacked flank. Over."

"Copy that Sentinel. This is Lobo 1-1 to all units, begin the attack, I repeat begin the attack. We're counting on you for support, Hound team."

"Roger that Captain, leave the crossing to us." Hound 3 replied almost enthusiastically, almost too enthusiastic.

'Ah he wants us as shields….'

Locke dragoons were lightly armored but can take enough beating, from the front at least, if hit from the side or back it'll get wrecked faster than they could even realise it. Their legs were also a problem, having eight separate legs means more weak spots.

'Honestly what kind of weird person created the dragoons in the first place.'

But he shook off that random thought quickly, now's not the time for that. With a renewed positivity in mind, Allen charged headlong into battle alongside the others.

Crossing the harsh and muddy no man's land was surprisingly easy when riding a eight legged dragoon and an IFVs, exactly the reason why the Colonel picked them for the mission from what Allen understands. But the difficult part was trying to reach the opposing side before the enemy could realise what's happening.

"This is Hound 3, target spotted. 50 meters and closing in. Over" Hound 3 reported as they moved.

"Hiena 1-1 here, copy that Hound 3. Any sign of the enemy spotting us? Over."

"Negative Hiena 1-1, so far so good."

Unfortunately Hound 3 said it on a bad timing. As soon as they reached the 25 meters marker, the dragoon warning system flared up.

"Ahh shit." Hound 3 cursed through the comms, "All units, they've spotted us. Brace yourself, it's gonna get bumpy."

Soon as she said that, hails of gunfires began raining down and the ground around them started erupting. Thankfully while they had lost the element of surprise, they still had speed on their side, they just had to move faster than the enemy could shoot them down.

"Lobo 1-1. Sentinel control are there any armors on the enemy side? Over."

"Sentinel control. Roger Lobo 1-1. Multiple enemy armored units detected, updating targets. Advise caution. Over."

"Copy that Sentinel. All Panzergrenadier squad, load the anti tank missiles and fire on the targets. Hiena platoon, how copy? Over."

"Hiena 1-1, copy all. Firing ATGM now. Out"

The missiles launched themselves from the IFVs and glided through the air. They were guided missiles so the launchers had to aim properly while moving at high speed. Some were intercepted mid air but most found their target and reduced those armors into burning wreckage.

"Good hit, multiple targets down." Sentinel relayed.

Meanwhile Allen and Hound 3 were busy shielding the IFVs from enemy fire, thanks to the thick armor plating covering the entire front side of the locke, they were able to act as shields, protecting the platoon behind them from almost all large caliber and even tank rounds. But not everything went smoothly, something they're already aware of.

By 5 meter marker, two of Lobo platoon's IFVs were taken out by artillery fire, the missiles fired by the others only managed to take out four targets while the rest was intercepted. Hiena 1-1's IFV was hit by a tank and they were forced to abandon it. But in the end the rest of them managed to reach the enemy line. The dragoons broke through their defenses and lay down covering fire while the Panzergrenadier platoon did their job.

"We've reached the objective! Lobo 1-1 to all Panzergrenadier squad, I'm taking up command! Lobo platoon will disembark and secure the first line, Hiena platoon advance and take the second line. Go! Go!" Lobo 1-1 shouted over the radio as the Panzergrenadier squads began their attack.

The fighting was intense as they were almost surrounded, but with the dragoons and fire support from the remaining IFVs, they were able to push back the enemy from the breach they just made. With no armored support, the federation soldiers were forced to retreat.

Allen scanned the area and at least multiple targets marked by red dots still remained on the radar.

"Hound 3, support Lobo platoon. I'll go with Hiena."

"Roger that Hound 5, best of luck!."

Allen moved alongside the Hiena platoon as they continued on to the second line which wasn't very far. There was a bunker and several infantry blocking their way but Allen quickly took care of it by firing his plasma launcher at the bunker and blew it apart while his machine guns gunned down the rest.

As Hiena was disembarking and securing the second line, they came under attack from an enemy armor, a tank to be precise. It was a federation main battle tank, heavily armored and packs a punch, being able to almost one shot any light and medium armored units in an instant. In conclusion it's something a mere light dragoon or bunch of IFVs can handle, evident from how one shot from that tank was able to destroy one of Hiena platoon's IFV and forced the others to split up.

Luckily, Allen knew where to shoot.

'Those federation tanks have a weak spot on the upper back of their body, it gets exposed if the turret turns left or right so I just have to run around it.'

It was one of the times Allen was glad to have good memories, he read the federation main battle tank's weakness somewhere in the internet and took the time to memorize it.

'Still… I only have ten shots for each launcher so better use it wisely…'

With that in thought he charged ahead into the enemy tank, it immediately fired another round directly into Allen but braced himself with the Locke's front plating. The round smashed into its frame and the cockpit shook, followed by a red alert.

[Warning: Structural integrity at 70%]

He was relieved the armor holds, there's some occasions those tank rounds instantly penetrated even the thick front armor of a dragoon but Allen was lucky he wasn't one of those. Still it dealt out 20% damage to him so he ought to be careful.

As the tank began reloading, Allen quickly maneuvered to its left, the tank was quick to reload and already zeroed in on him. However the shot missed Allen by an inch and before they could react, he was already on top of them with a plasma launcher aimed at their exposed weakness. The blue energy instantly burned the tank inside out.

"This is Hound 5, enemy armor down." He signaled.

"Roger Hound 5, thanks for the assist." The acting leader of Hiena thanked him before continuing with their objective.

It would be good if he can one shot every armor he met but that's just hopeful thinking on his part. In any case he decided to continue supporting Hiena, so far his locke's heavy machine guns were more than enough for the job of clearing out trenches, he counted at least seven squad downed using his machine gun alone, but bunkers requires more firepower to destroy and he had to use several of the plasma charge to blew them up. And as he expected it that tank wasn't the only thing that would give him trouble.

A rocket from a trench smashed into his dragoon's frame, if Allen didn't turn around on time that rocket would've caved his armor in and blew up the dragoon's power supply, he quickly took out the one who fired it along with their squad but two enemy IFV suddenly showed up from behind a bunker and launched their missile towards him, once again he barely survived by blocking it with locke's front armour.

[Warning: Structural integrity at 56%]

He quickly closed in to the first IFV and fired a plasma charge in a spot between the body and the turret, resulting in the IFV exploding in an instant. The second one tried to pull back but he was able to intercept it and blew it to hell. Once again, his internet knowledge saved him, however there's no time to rest.

"This is Sentinel control. Hound 5 be advised, enemy units inbound from the east."

"Copy that Sentinel, how many? Over"

"At least four main battle tanks, ETA two minute, advise caution."

'Caution my ass… I need to retreat.' He complained but kept it in his mind.

"Hound 5 to Hiena 1-1, I'm going to intercept those tanks. Over."

"Roger that Hound 5, we got it from here."

He could see four red dots moving along the zone between the first and second defensive line on his radar, and they're approaching fast. With no other option other than going forward, he charges ahead.

He immediately came into contact with those tanks, their cannon instantly firing at him, one managed to hit him. The dragoon shook as the screen in front went half black, that round managed to take out half of the outer camera, thankfully he was still moving. He quickly took to the left of the tank column formation; they clearly didn't expect a single dragoon to charge directly at them. He aimed at the nearest tank and fired the plasma launcher twice; he wasn't confident enough to hit the weakness from the distance he's at. The first charge missed and hit the side armor but the second charge found its target and blew up the tank.

'Seven left… three enemies…' He counted his plasma charge to keep himself focused.

The remaining tanks already repositioned themselves and fired again, he evaded all three but the tanks must've realised his tactic as two of them moved to his flank while one remained in front of him. Allen realised they're trying to trap him in a pincer attack. They're fast but he's faster, so he went for the gap between the tank in front of him and the one on the left. As expected the center and the right tank moved towards his backside and fired. That was part of his plan.

He quickly yanked the controller to the right and the two shots missed him entirely and instantly changed direction towards the center tank; they were too close to evade and he got the jump on them. Their turret turned around to find him but he found their weak spot first and gave them plasma charge as a gift.

'two enemies left….'

Unfortunately before he could move, a tank round pierced the black smoke in front of him and nailed his dragoon's left leg, blowing two of them in a succession. He almost tumbled to the ground but managed to stabilise the dragoon.

[Warning: stabilizer compromised]

'Fuck….' He cursed inwardly and moved away only to come face to face with one of the remaining tanks.

Both fired their weapon at the same time with the tank round hitting the dragoon's front armor hard while the dragoon's plasma charge only managed to blacken the tank's front surface. But Allen saw a chance and rushed in, it paid off as that tank took the bait and followed his circling movement, exposing their weak spot once again. He dodged another round and fired back two charges, which unfortunately missed so he had to fire another one, this time managing to take the tank down.

"One more… five charges left…'

The last one was smart as it kept its distance as Allen circled around. He had a hard time dodging its fire with only six legs, he was limping while trying his best to keep his front armor facing that tank while returning fire. He was getting desperate while running on his last leg, figuratively, when an unexpected stroke of luck happened. One of his plasma charges actually hit the tank's track and broke it, causing them to lose control and veer off course. Not wasting any more time now that the enemy was dead on their tracks, Allen closed in at high speed, dodging left and right from the enemy's attempt of shooting him down.

The enemy's last attempt was futile as he descended on them and fired his last plasma charge, adding the final tank to the collection of burning wreckage around them.

It took a while for Allen to calm himself, the adrenaline pumping him eventually stopped and he slumped on his pilot seat. Letting out a ragged breathing, he checked the dragoon's status.

[Warning: Structural integrity at 17%]

[Critical damage]

[Stabilizer compromised]

[Empty weapons: Plasma launchers]

[Power level at 30%]

He wanted to close his eyes now that a wave of exhaustion hit him as the adrenaline faded. But unfortunately he was still on the enemy territory and couldn't let his guard down. That's when he heard the radio chatter.

"Lobo 1-1 to Sentinel control. We've secured the first defensive line, I repeat we've secured the first defensive line. Over"

"Hiena 1-1. We've taken over the second line and established a breach, I repeat a breach has been established. Over."

"Copy all, fire flares to confirm. Over."

Allen watched as green flares rose up from the respective lines and into the dark sky.

"Confirmed. A breach has been established. All forward units, defend the breach until allied units arrive-"

Allen didn't bother to hear the rest and sighed in exhaustion.

He looked up again to the sky and saw rain had begun to fall.

Gazing into the weeping sky….

He remembered his reasons to keep on going forward, to keep on fighting.

Because he wanted to go home.