Chapter Text
Chapter I: Papa Bravo
The Large-scale Offensive was in full swing as the Gran Mur did nothing to protect its populace from the onslaught of the Legion. Under the red night sky, the once-great city of Liberté et Égalité. The capital of the Republic of San Magnolia, lay besieged at the hands of the Legion. The once proud city of the Republic became scarred by the relentless flames of war. Within this chaos, Captain Vladilena Milizé, also known as Lena commanded the last bastions of resistance against unyielding hordes of the Legion. Her voice, once filled with unwavering resolve, now trembled across the communication channels, issuing what could be her final orders.
As the Legion forces were enclosing their position, Captain Milizé barricaded herself with what remained of her forces under her command. A mixture of Republic soldiers of the Alba race who once turned their backs on the Colorata, people the Alba deemed as inferior. They were exploited and abused for almost a decade before this battle and the Colorata soldiers who were referred to as Processors decided to assist their former oppressive overlords, despite that they had no obligation to do so. Their last stand was where it all began: Palace Blancneige.
"Razor Edge Squadron, move to the northern flank!” She commanded. “We can't let them breach the city center! Spearhead, I need you on aerial surveillance. At the first sign of the Legion activity, report immediately! Everyone else, fortify your positions. We hold the line here, for our Republic, for our honor!"
As the Legion's forces advanced with terrifying precision, Lena's strategic mind raced against time to find a sliver of hope, to find an opportunity - a critical point of failure in the enemy's onslaught Yet, with each passing moment, the weight of an inevitable conclusion pressed heavily upon her shoulders.
Her squadrons, comprised of the bravest souls she had ever known, responded with unwavering loyalty, but their numbers dwindled rapidly against an enemy that felt neither fear nor fatigue.
"Captain Milize, Legion reinforcements have breached our defenses! What are your orders" came a voice, static-laden but resolute, over the comm.
Lena paused, her heart heavy. "Hold your ground, Razor Edge. Reinforcements are on their way. Spearhead, provides covering fire. We shall not yield."
But the promised reinforcements would never arrive. Encircled and vastly outnumbered, Lena's forces fought with the ferocity of those who knew they were standing on the precipice of history. The forces under her command were not only defending just a city but an idea – a Republic that was once built on the values of liberty and equality, now crumbling to ashes around them as both soldiers and civilians were doing around the Alba Captain. This was something that people died for in the past. This was their home, it’s all they had ever known and would know.
As the battle raged, Lena's tactical screen flickered with loss after loss, each blip vanishing like a snuffed candle in the dark. Her heart ached for every soldier under her command, every life extinguished under the cold advance of the Legion. In an act of desperation, the once proud Captain decided to send a message through the entire network. She hoped that maybe there was a unit out there that would assist them. A flicker, a spark that was considered to be hope which she tried to keep lit by uttering these mere words of pleades for assistance.
“All units on this net, be advised: we are taking heavy fire from the North from enemy Legion due North of our position.”
Little did the Captain know that no help would be coming. All the help she ever could have asked for was already at her disposal.
“All active Processors and Republic Divisions on this net, this is Palace Blancneige. We're holding our own but have enemies to the north and are taking fire from that direction! Request you engage all targets north of Palace Blancneige. I repeat, request you engage all enemy targets north of Palace Blancneige, over.”
It wasn’t just the north, the south, the east, and the west were all slowly eaten up by the flames of the Legion.
“This is the Palace Blancneige, be advised, that we are taking heavy fire from Legion Units. We're down to 80% combat effectiveness.”
The government has caved into the pressure that was forced upon them even before the battle started. The President of San Magnolia was killed while trying to escape to the South, along with the majority of nobles and high-ranking military staff. Captain Vladilena Milizé was left as the final competent officer in the entire Republic. However, she was a mere child, a child who saw the world she once knew crumble below her feet with each passing minute.
“All callsigns, be advised that enemies to the north are attempting a forced in-detail assault on Palace Blancneige. Be advised, that hostile forces are attacking Palace Blancneige!”
No help would come, no matter how hard she screamed, no matter how much of her comrade's blood she kept spilling to give her and her remaining soldiers a measure of pace, a space to breathe. No help will come.
“We need support from any operational unit in the area! We're taking major casualties, military and civilian. Request you engage targets north from the Palace, over!”
There was no response, Lena didn’t hear any other soul responding to her pleas as the situation was growing to be desperate.
“Palace Blancneige to all callsigns, enemy fire is threatening to destroy our position, we can't take much more of this!”
The Legion stormed onto the main grounds of the Palace, leaving the entire Squadron completely wiped out as the survivor’s retreats were paved by the blood of their fallen comrades.
“Palace Blancneige is taking heavy fire! We're down to 50 percent combat effectiveness, we need support or we’re going to fall, over!”
Lena looked in horror from her post, seeing Legion forces breach nearly every Republic defense in sight. The silvered-eyed Captain looked around her, seeing a mixture of wounded Republic soldiers who were completely exhausted. Processors who were unable to fight anymore, let alone pilot a Juggernaut and civilians, hobbled together, many refusing to accept their upcoming fate.
“All callsigns, this is Palace Blancneige, be advised, that our situation is critical, we can't take much more of this! We need more time to get these civies out of here!”
But there was nowhere for the civilians to be evacuated to, they were now surrounded by the Legion forces, Löwe types, and Dinosauria’s turning Juggernauts into bloodied scrap metal and trampling on the basic infantry armed with mere rifles that did little to no damage to the marching Legion. All the hope that remained tight in her chest. Her promise of fighting to the very end was sniffed out by the flames of reality.
“All callsigns, be advised, that we have civilians taking up arms to defend the Palace but they're untrained! We're on the verge of being overrun, we need help NOW!”
In a desperate attempt, some of the civilians who barricaded themselves along with the dying soldiers took up arms, grabbing whatever they could get their hands on. Their scratch consisted of mere Rifles and rocket launchers that they decided to use in a futile attempt to prolong their survival just by a mere breath.
"Lena! They're breaking through the main gate!" The desperation in the voice of one of Lena’s most trusted officers was palpable, a stark contrast to the calmness she tried to maintain. The Legion blasted their way through the man-made barricades as they found themselves fighting in the courtyard of the palace.
“This is the Palace Blancneige, combat personnel are mostly dead, and we're below 10% combat effectiveness. Request additional fire support over!”
Most of her officers were dead as well. Most of them were wiped out by a large explosion that was the result of the constant artillery barrage of several Grauwolfs, giving their lives to buy their Captain precious time to organize a defense.
“Papa Lima, all callsigns, enemies are closing rapidly on our position. We're hanging on by a thread here, over!!”
Lena had barricaded herself along with a ragtag team of wounded Alba Soldiers, Processors who started to lose their will to fight, and a couple of civilians who merely survived for this long based on God’s sense of cynicism and irony. Perhaps this was the kind of fate that they all deserved. For starting this war, for creating the Legion for the sake of war. Humanity’s greatest sin came down on their godforsaken world where all will be judged as equals.
“ALL CALLSIGNS, BE ADVISED, PAPA LIMA IS COMBAT-INEFFECTIVE, WE'RE PINNED DOWN!! THEY'RE COMING AT ANY SECOND NOW!”
The small Ameise units were walking up the stairs of the Palace as they mowed down the remaining wounded who would have never stood a chance, painting their stairs with their blood. pulverizing their bodies, dead or barely alive with their mechanical legs like shredded flesh.
“LEGION IS INSIDE THE PALACE, I REPEAT, LEGION IS INSIDE THE PALACE-!!!!”
Lena’s radio connection got cut off, but it never mattered as anyone could hear her pleas and cries for help or a chance of salvation that never came. If she only worked harder, if she only realized it much sooner and was able to do more than she could have then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.
“Captain, we’re going ahead,” one of the Processors uttered as he instructed the remaining survivors to buy what little time they had for Lena to utter her last words of encouragement. Lena couldn’t help but nod reluctantly. She had previously pleaded and begged her soldiers not to give their lives for her sake, but they all made up their minds and the ones who didn’t were held at gunpoint by the Processors- to be used as human shields if they didn’t cooperate.
The Captain was left alone in the barricaded office that was once of her dear uncle. She never found out what happened to him but he was likely killed along with the majority of the military. She was surrounded by the bodies of her former comrades. Many had their entrails spread across the room. It felt more like a slaughterhouse than a military command post. Outside she could hear the soldiers scream in pain as their limbs were ripped apart and being disemboweled alive.
“This is Captain Vladilena Milizé to wherever is listing to this net. I am the last soldier in the Republic of San Magnolia Armed Forces still standing…I’ve lost all my staff and….Annette…..Oh God….Annette.” Lena broke into small sobs as she buried her hands into her face, reminiscing how her best friend met such a cruel fate at the hands of the Legion before gaining back her composure. The sounds of gunfire and artillery deafened her sobs. No one could hear her and the Legion didn’t care. “I don’t want to die. Raiden, Anju, Kurena, Theo……Shin…..Shiden, if you’re still out there….If you’re still alive…Please forgive me….I couldn’t catch up with you….I won’t reach the place where you go…I’m sorry…I did all I could. I tried to be brave like you, I tried to fight like you. I’ve lost too much to bear.”
Lena's voice trailed off. The truth was clear: she was tired and she was going to die here, her options dwindling as the enemy closed in. Yet, Lena's resolve completely crumbled. In the midst of despair, her fire and determination that she was once admired and well known for, that pushed her to her limits are about to be snuffed out by the Legion that stormed into her office with a large boom, leaving a trail of what remained of the last defenders of the Palace. that covered the Legion units in a mix of entrails and blood. The self-propelled mines that were known for making mince meat of her men all stared at the poor captain as a Dinosauria, a heavy-tank type of the Legion that came from a large hole in the wall slowly approached her until it stood still right in front of her.
A solemn silence enveloped her command post. She took a deep breath, the sounds of the encroaching Legion a grim symphony heralding the end. In her final moments, Lena attempted to muster the final ounce of hope to avoid herself to succumb to her despair, however, she was scared of what would come after. The Alba captain saw in the reflection of chrome that her once beautiful skin and her black uniform were bathed with the blood of her comrades, fitting for the nickname of: ‘Bloody Regina.’ She didn’t even look human anymore.
<<I finally found you>>
The Captain gave the Dinosauria unit in front of her a forced smile as she couldn’t contain her tears rolling down her cheeks, washing away the blood of her comrades.
“Please…..Don’t let me forget.”
Her whisper was met with a quick slice from the Dinosauria unit, decapitating her from the neck down, as she felt her head hitting the pool of blood that consisted of a mixture of her comrades and her own. Her last thoughts were not of despair but of regret. Regret that she didn’t fight hard enough, regret that she wasn’t able to save her home, the people, and everyone. She regrets that she was unable to fight for a world that was free from the shadows of war. But above all, she regretted that she failed to uphold the promise of seeing her old Squadron once more.
“I won’t forget........”
The city's flames and the burning flag of the Republic reflected in her fading gaze, as the last citizen of the Republic died at the hands of the Legion.
Perhaps this was something that she deserved.
This marked the day that the once-great city of Liberté et Égalité fell at the hands of the Legion and so, the curtains of the Republic of San Magnolia burned along with it. Their flag once reigning with pride lies in the pools of the blood of the ones that used to wave them.
<<The White Queen is dead, long live The Red Queen>>
