'Throw your men into positions once there is no escape and they will prefer death to flight'
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This couldn't have been more truer for a regiment of reservists who had been tasked with defending an evacuation effort from the city of Pyiskova which is situated in the state of Osterleek on the eastern fringes of Vistulionir ; right in the path of an advancing Tengu army.
Assistant Commandant Alexos Treskowiek , second-in-command, V(Fifth) Reservist Corp, gave stern orders to mount a defense to the last man if need be. Stating that they were the city's sentinels chosen to watch over the defenceless.
The lead commandant had been shot by a Tengu sniper some days prior to the evacuation while leading a detachment on an reconnaissance mission into the city's southern recreational district.
"Evacuations have been completed, Commandant, " informed the soldier standing in front of his desk.
Alexos who stood looking out an office window watched the blood red horizon and shapes of enemy air vessels edging ever closer.
Wearing his cap and pinning on his rank badge, he slung his service rifle over his shoulder and looked at the young lad.
"Good. And the troops ?," he asked after downing a glass of whiskey.
Clearing his throat, the young soldier answered with confidence, "They've have already taken up positions along the tunnel entrance."
"How old are you, son ?"
"I think 19."
"Name ?"
"Yorkosly Klingetzvar. Or Yorl because everyone here seems to call me by that name which is weird because I don't recall having Aeuric ancestry."
Putting his hand on Yorkosly's shoulder, Alex as softly as his gruff voice allowed him told the fresh faced chap, "Haha, Yorl it is then. Going to be a rough day soon because we need to hold back the enemy advance for as long as possible...even if it means making a last stand."
"You're joking right, Commandant ?," replied Yorkosly in disbelief and denial at the seemingly impossible task assigned to them; a bunch of part-timers who were mostly office workers and college students.
"I very much wish that it were the case but don't worry, there's a plan and it will help us all get through this. ," said Alexos, "Dismissed."
Saluting the Assistant Commandant, Yorkosly left to join his unit.
After the young soldier had, he took another sip from the glass of whiskey while brooding over the loss of his friend and brother-in-arms who was also the Lead Commandant of the regiment.
"Damn it, Breyczkozy. ," cursed Alex at the deceased lead commandant despite knowing that he was crying over spilt milk,"How am I supposed to fucking lead them ?!"
In a fit of anger he threw his drinking glass at the wall and flung the whiskey bottle out the window, silently cursing himself before coming to terms with reality.
Then, he sat down and pulled up the holographic map screen from his wrist mounted Situational Awareness Device.
Outside the building, his troops had already assembled and were waiting for him with growing restlessness.
Rushing outside, he composed himself upon standing in front of his troops all of whom looked towards him.
"First and Second Battalion prepare to head for the southern recreational district. 3rd and 4th will flank from the red light district while the rest, 5th to 8th will strike from the north through the residential zone. ," announced Alexos about the plan of action, "Head out as soon as possible, lives are depending on us. Dismissed."
A sense of urgency coursed through their minds as they hurriedly gathered what ammunition and supplies they had remaining in the armoury before scattering to their respective positions.
There was a surreal kind of silence which filled the air around them despite the enemy flying vessels which were inching ever closer with ground troops marching below their armoured bellies.
"Heaven help us. ," thought Alexos strapping on a helmet and body armour before joining his men.
Every footstep felt like their last as they prepared to stare at death who was clad in an armour of pitch black steel.
The men were all silently clutching their guns as they took their places behind overturned vehicles, armoured trucks and mounted machine guns affixed to sandbags lined with razor sharp concertina wires.
A cold draft blew through their positions followed by an encroaching wave of Tengu infantry.
"Second Battalion, take aim! First Battalion, load rifle grenades! ," ordered their officer, Major Julio Viyczkoweic who was in charge of the southern recreational district's defences as he commanded from inside a gutted out gaming arcade.
His men were placed in buildings overlooking the incoming streets leading towards the recreational district. Their flanks were guarded with booby traps improvised from gas cylinders, sharpened steel poles made into tripwire traps and anti-armour mines.
"Grenades ready, awaiting orders!, " said the Second Battalion's leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Pzskewic, through the radio.
Looking through his binoculars fractured lens, Julio saw the outlines of enemy soldiers marching up through the streets from atop the casino.
"Fire at will. Repeat, fire at will. ," he replied giving the go ahead and not long after he saw the smoke trails of the explosive projectiles as they rose up above the cityscape before raining down like a sudden downpour of lethal shrapnel and concussive force.
This went on for half an hour more as more and more rounds exploded and tore through the enemy ranks who paid little heed to it and just kept marching on like machines.
In the end, all that remained of the surrounding area of the bombardment were broken windows and shattered asphalt streets pockmarked with small craters.
Then, the defenders dug deep and waited for the inevitable chaos that would soon follow.
"Sir, Major Julio's front have engaged the enemy. They are barely holding them back. ," reported a scout to Alexos who had been busy coordinating an assault with Major Dostrizkiy to retake the industrial district by moving through the residential zones with the Fifth to Eighth Battalions who were the most well equipped of the regiment.
The industrial district was an important objective as it provided an emergency route for retreating if the bridges got destroyed
"And any news on the Third and Fourth Battalions?, " asked Alexos after listening to the report to which the scout replied, "Major Niezykwiek ordered a detachment from the Fourth to assist Major Julio's forces."
"Hmmm... I see, perhaps we maybe able to hold our ground after all. Carry on with your duty, Corporal."
"Yes sir."
A smile formed on his weary face after receiving the news, a chuckle escaped his lips as he proceeded to look at holographic map of the city on his S.A.D.
The unit of soldiers who were personally commanded by him had begun to feel restless and were itching for battle.
Noticing this, he quickly thought of a plan and it was to send them on a mission to block the two roads leading into city by blowing up the nearby buildings.
"Captain Sokolov, take satchel charges from the armoury downstairs. You're to blow up the Osvari Enterprise Office in the eastern Osywiec Highway and Kyitzvim Softworks Tower in the western Lyudmillia Highway. This will prevent enemy reinforcements from pouring in."
"We'll get it done, Commandant. , " said Sokolov and after which he rallied his unit to brief them about the support mission.
"Commandant, we're moving out. ," notified Sokolov to Alexos who was keeping close on the state of the ongoing battle on his wrist mounted device.
Turning around, he replied with a rather weak but well meaning smile, "Godspeed, Unit Fenrys."
Meanwhile, Major Julio's front was reaching breaking point as the machine that were roaring for the past hours had run out of ammunition.
This caused the defenders to pull back into the building. However, they made sure to lure the attackers towards their flanks which were filled with traps.
"Hold here. ," said Lieutenant Pzskewic as he led his men into a narrow hallway. Behind them was a oncoming horde of crazed Tengu infantry who wailed and screamed their blood curdling war crys.
A glint from the side of the walls made Pzskewic smirk. The horde charged at them causing a few men to literally pee themselves while trembling with fear.
Just when they had accepted their fate, whips made from tensile metal reinforcement bars with sharpened steel rods sprung from the walls; cutting through the enemy with some of them getting impaled through the skull.
The walls were covered with blood and pieces concrete as Pzskewic told his men to advance through the corpses and check if any of them had survived.
Likewise, the other enemy troops in the nearby buildings were blown up by the gas cylinder traps or cut down in droves by the steel whips.
Then, a thunderous sound of an explosion shook the ground. Looking out of the nearest window, Pzskewic saw the two tallest buildings of the city had collapsed.
"Must be the handiwork of the Commandants personal unit... heh. , " the grizzled Lieutenant-Colonel commented as he watched the huge plumes of dust fall after the buildings.
And as the defense was holding on, Major Niezykwiek commanded his men and attacked the enemy from their flanks causing massive casualties with the initial barrage of heavy machine gun fire and mortar shells.
Meanwhile, the assault on the industrial district had ground to a halt. They saw flames roaring across the other side of the river.
"Lord in heaven... No... it can't be... ," a grief stricken Dostrizkiy silently remarked as he slowly averted his eyes away from the raging flames.
The evacuation zone was gone, reduced to a smoldering ruin where charred corpses decorated the blood stained tarmac.
With a heavy hand, Dostrizkiy passed on the discovery to the Commandant who then promptly ordered them to reinforce the defense. Both of them knew what was to come next.