2017-05-29: Their First Taste of Battle
- Cutscene: Their First Taste of Battle
- Cast: Riesenlied
- Where: Old Petra
- Date: 29th May 2017
- Summary: Riesenlied watches her troops deal with the stresses of their first real battle.
-Old Petra-
Operation: Gungnir is over.
Once a proud colliery town along the border of the Badlands, Old Petra has fallen into shambles and desolation following the drying of the once-rich iron veins in its mines. It does not help that it was, even during its hey-day, plagued with rumours of something darker happening within the bowels of its mines. But today, it is the site, the temporary home of so many Hyadean soldiers. These soldiers have, at best, dealt with one real battle in the form of Arctica, and for a large subset still..
This was their first foray into a real battle.
This was the truth behind the Hyadean forces. Forced into a defensive position for the last few centuries, they have plenty of rookies who've been raised on training and mock battles. Raised on the promises of glory and conquest. Raised with skewed expectations that don't always line up to the reality of live combat. For all the efforts every trainer and commander have put forth into shaping the troops into fighting form... there is no substitute for experience.
Riesenlied kneels next to a fallen Demon soldier, who's clutching at her shoulder and trembling. She took a massive hit from a Drifter's Crest Sorcery, and the left side of her torso is in disrepair. She looks towards her commander, whispering:
"I--I heard they were going to discharge me. They said I was unfit, I was a failure. Commander..."
Riesenlied shakes her head gently, and places her hand to hers. She was ailing as well, her left arm more or less non-functional from all the extra damage it's taken during Gungnir. But she doesn't complain about it.
"You won't be forgotten, or left behind. And if they call you Tainted, then know that you have a home amongst us, the Ebony Wings."
The Demon soldier nods very slowly, clearly not at all at grips with her situation at present. She glances away from her Commander, shaking her head and whimpering. "Thank you."
Riesenlied turns her head from where there's yelling, just slightly further down the barracks.
"How could you just hoot and holler like a madman?!"
The heavyset demon with a massive, log-shaped trunk pounds his chest. "I slaughtered at least six humans during the assault! I'm going to become a Quarter Knight one day!" His companion, a slightly more spritely sort with lupine fangs, is clearly not on the same wavelength. "Ydda DIED in the assault! How can you be so happy?! It wasn't meant to be like this!" "Ydda died because he was /weak/!" he guffaws -- and his cheek contorts from a thrown punch afterwards. He growls, and slams his fist into his companion's gut in retaliation.
"Enough!" Riesenlied shouts, stepping between the two -- and pulling one back and throwing them aside to give them space. "Allur. Ydda won't be forgotten. We will honour his memory in the memorial service tomorrow."
Allur grits his teeth and points. "But Brynja here is...!"
Riesenlied turns towards the larger demon, looking up at him. "Brynja, that's enough. Cool your heels, and remember that you would not be standing here if Ydda did not protect you from the missile strike."
The heavier demon pauses. That struck a nerve. He hesitates, before growling, "B-but I slaughtered in his memory nonetheless...! Bah!" He stomps off. She can't get through to everyone overnight, but planting the seeds of experience and reality in so many of these troops is important.
It is important, if they, as a species, as the collective survivors of Hyades, are to grow up. To mature into people. To open their eyes to the reality of the world, beyond shallow doctrines that paint the world of war and conflict in simple shades of black and white, beyond the propaganda of conquest whose original context may not even be clear anymore.