08-07-2018, 01:47 AM
Legislature Hall
Laeralsford
Tanvi Misra, Prime Minister of Laeral, shook hands in farewell with the influential Representative she was talking to, and walked out of the Prime Minister's office. "Hold my calls, Nathalie," she said without looking on the way out. The Cabinet was holding a meeting over at Republic House in half an hour to discuss the war in Lauchenoiria, and she fully intended to be there. As she walked through the carpeted hallways of Republic House, security a respectful distance behind her, a journalist passed her in the opposite direction, and did an abrupt about-face. "Madam Prime Minister, what are your thoughts on Hsieh Pai-han's..."
She passed her and kept walking. The side entrance of Legislature Hall was only a few feet away, and her car would be waiting there. When she pushed aside the doors and stepped out into the cloudy day, there was a crowd of people waiting there for her. "Out of Lauchenoiria!" they chanted. "No more deaths on foreign soil!" She paused for a moment, caught by surprise. Cameras from within the crowd clicked, while the protesters kept chanting and waving signs. "Out of Lauchenoiria! How many more Laeralites will die there?" She hurried down to the waiting limousine, where a member of her security detail was holding the door open. She ducked inside and the limousine sped off, protesters yelling at the car as it passed.
Southeastern Yervia Province
Lauchenoiria
"En avant, Laeraliens!" someone called from behind Brandon Lau. In his distracted state, it took Brandon a second to mentally translate it and echo the call. "En avant!" He was sheltering behind a tree, and the rest of his men were scattered around him. The Kerlians were dug in uphill, and didn't seem eager to let the LNSF men and women take the ridgetop. Brandon ducked out from behind the tree, firing at the Kerlians on the hilltop with his rifle. He ducked back behind it. Around him, his men were doing the same thing.
"I count 30 or 40 of them up there!" a woman from one of the other squads called. "Dug in like fleas in a stray dog's back!" From behind another tree, one of the LNSF soldiers screamed, glancing down at the bloody hole that had suddenly appeared in his side.
That's not as many as I'd expected, Brandon thought. The force of Laeralites numbered around 60, although that number was decreasing by the minute. As bullets flew around him, he glanced around at the other LNSF soldiers, huddled singly or in pairs behind the large trees. There! He spied a woman with the stripes of an LNSF Sergeant. "Hey, you!" he called. "Advance by squads?"
She turned, saying something that Brandon couldn't make out and cupping a hand to her ear. Brandon looked down at the white Minjian armband he was wearing (美德, virtue) and ran out into the open from his tree, stumbling into the cover where the other sergeant was.
"We'll advance by squads," he called. "Mine first, yours second. Understand?"
She nodded. "Alright," she said, eyeing his armband. "I'm not a believer, but you'd better trust in those gods of yours. This won't be easy."
"We're soldiers," Brandon replied. "When has our job ever been anything near easy?"
Some time later, Brandon Lau stood atop the ridge with the squads of Laeralites. Their advance had been difficult and bloody, but the Coalition now held the ridge. The sergeant he'd talked to earlier came up beside him. "7 dead," she said, "two of them in my squad, and a good deal more wounded."
Brandon nodded. There wasn't much he could say to respond to that. The two of them stood together, weary but unharmed, looking out into the land beyond.
Laeralsford
Tanvi Misra, Prime Minister of Laeral, shook hands in farewell with the influential Representative she was talking to, and walked out of the Prime Minister's office. "Hold my calls, Nathalie," she said without looking on the way out. The Cabinet was holding a meeting over at Republic House in half an hour to discuss the war in Lauchenoiria, and she fully intended to be there. As she walked through the carpeted hallways of Republic House, security a respectful distance behind her, a journalist passed her in the opposite direction, and did an abrupt about-face. "Madam Prime Minister, what are your thoughts on Hsieh Pai-han's..."
She passed her and kept walking. The side entrance of Legislature Hall was only a few feet away, and her car would be waiting there. When she pushed aside the doors and stepped out into the cloudy day, there was a crowd of people waiting there for her. "Out of Lauchenoiria!" they chanted. "No more deaths on foreign soil!" She paused for a moment, caught by surprise. Cameras from within the crowd clicked, while the protesters kept chanting and waving signs. "Out of Lauchenoiria! How many more Laeralites will die there?" She hurried down to the waiting limousine, where a member of her security detail was holding the door open. She ducked inside and the limousine sped off, protesters yelling at the car as it passed.
Southeastern Yervia Province
Lauchenoiria
"En avant, Laeraliens!" someone called from behind Brandon Lau. In his distracted state, it took Brandon a second to mentally translate it and echo the call. "En avant!" He was sheltering behind a tree, and the rest of his men were scattered around him. The Kerlians were dug in uphill, and didn't seem eager to let the LNSF men and women take the ridgetop. Brandon ducked out from behind the tree, firing at the Kerlians on the hilltop with his rifle. He ducked back behind it. Around him, his men were doing the same thing.
"I count 30 or 40 of them up there!" a woman from one of the other squads called. "Dug in like fleas in a stray dog's back!" From behind another tree, one of the LNSF soldiers screamed, glancing down at the bloody hole that had suddenly appeared in his side.
That's not as many as I'd expected, Brandon thought. The force of Laeralites numbered around 60, although that number was decreasing by the minute. As bullets flew around him, he glanced around at the other LNSF soldiers, huddled singly or in pairs behind the large trees. There! He spied a woman with the stripes of an LNSF Sergeant. "Hey, you!" he called. "Advance by squads?"
She turned, saying something that Brandon couldn't make out and cupping a hand to her ear. Brandon looked down at the white Minjian armband he was wearing (美德, virtue) and ran out into the open from his tree, stumbling into the cover where the other sergeant was.
"We'll advance by squads," he called. "Mine first, yours second. Understand?"
She nodded. "Alright," she said, eyeing his armband. "I'm not a believer, but you'd better trust in those gods of yours. This won't be easy."
"We're soldiers," Brandon replied. "When has our job ever been anything near easy?"
Some time later, Brandon Lau stood atop the ridge with the squads of Laeralites. Their advance had been difficult and bloody, but the Coalition now held the ridge. The sergeant he'd talked to earlier came up beside him. "7 dead," she said, "two of them in my squad, and a good deal more wounded."
Brandon nodded. There wasn't much he could say to respond to that. The two of them stood together, weary but unharmed, looking out into the land beyond.