"Any luck on the bus, Adam?" General Rokossovsky asked the Lieutenant who was fixing an abandoned bus.

Adam shakes his head while wiping his hands, which are coated in vehicle oil with a rag. "Well, she is not going anywhere unless we find a compatible spark plug. Other than that, the fuel tank is leaky, I slapped some flex tape on it but the hole is big enough for the fuel to leak beneath the deck. Even if we manage to find a spark plug, I'm not even sure whether the bus would be able to carry the civies back to the train yard."

Hearing the grim analysis, Rokossovsky sighs. "Figured that it would be the case with how broken down the exterior already is. Unfortunately, without the bus, we won't be able to carry half of the people here, much less all of them."

Adam nods after discarding the rag. "I sent Tomasz out to scavenge for the spark plug... Somewhere. Hopefully, he will find one to get this thing up and running. Otherwise, we will have to do many trips to evacuate the citizens here. That or we wait for the politicians to hash out an agreement of sorts."

Tomasz is, surprisingly, a true Polanian citizen and a medical practitioner. However, since he is a Slavic sympathizer, he voluntarily exiled himself to the slum, helping the people there with his medical knowledge. It's due to his help that the civilians here haven't caught a plague yet. Other than himself, there are also a dozen other Polanians who distrust their new government and stick around to help their Slavic neighbors. Life is understandably hard for both the good-willed Polanians and the Slavs, but they've since then formed a strong bond to carry them. It has been a pleasant surprise for both Rokossovsky and Adam to see such camaraderie in this circumstance. They hope that such a bond will help them weather what's about to come.

Rokossovsky pulls out a cigarette pack before offering it to Adam. Adam declines with a shake of his head. "Never fond of smoking myself."

"Smoking kills, son. Don't be like me, don't smoke. You should live a long life with your fiancee." Rokossovsky says good-naturedly, earning himself a wry smile from Adam.

"How's the preparation going, General?" Adam changes the subject.

Rokossovsky turns to look around, seeing both Slavs and Polanians helping each other set up barricades and defensive positions according to the instructions from the Rusviets and Belkans.

"Not good, not terrible." The Rusviet General says. "All who are able-bodied have joined us in setting up chokepoints and fortifying fighting positions. A portion of the labor force also accompanied some of your men to create booby traps. I am surprised that your subordinates have such a seldom-seen crafting experience. I've seen the works of one of them, setting up chokepoints and fighting positions in a manner that would lead the enemy straight into the booby traps. Things like punji and bear traps will slow down an entire unit. While others like the cartridge trap and spiked whip will disable or take out an enemy soldier while also damaging morale. What sorts of conflict did he fight in that warranted the development of such insidious tactics?"

Adam ponders for a few seconds before replying. "If you're talking about Taipan then the man used to be a big game hunter and tracker. Before everything, he ventured a lot into the African safari before settling down for the military for its pay. From some of his tales, Taipan had to deal with not just dangerous wildlife, and sometimes Demons, but also poachers and thieves. I reckon that was when he developed his trapping experience."

Rokossovsky blanches at that. "I would never wish to be on the receiving end of any of his traps. Had I not known any better, I would be pitying the hostile Polanians now."

"You and me both, General. Sometimes, dying immediately is a better option." Adam commented with a nod. "Still, even with our preparation, we can't handle an attrition battle."

Rokossovsky says. "Even with the hunters and their weapons, we're still outnumbered one to three in a stand-up fight."

To get through the days, groups of hunters are formed in the slum. These brave men snuck beyond the barely standing walls of the slum to hunt and forage additional food for their people. Armed with old rifles and shotguns, with barely a few proper Mosins from the Great War era, these dozen hunters bolster the 13-man unit of Alpha in manning the defense. It's from them that the trapper Taipan managed to procure trapping supplies.

Adam frowns. "Bravo did relay to us that the Reich has sent a detachment of support. Us being stranded out here is already enough of a case for the brass at Berlin to risk waging a war over. If we can't evacuate, then at least we can hold until help has arrived in whatever form it might be. Saved us the trouble of breaking through a blockade with limited firepower anyway."

Rokossovsky comments, still surprised about the balls these Belkans have if it is to bail out one of their own. "Rue will be the day anyone is to make an enemy out of one of you Belkans. If they're unlucky, they will face the wrath of an entire superpower." Rokossovsky is smart enough to admit that in terms of priority, he may not stand as high as the Lieutenant in front of him in the eyes of the Reich. After all, a nation can't discard its blood easily, and doing that risks damaging its national spirit.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Nevertheless, he is glad that help is on the way. It's not his life that he is worrying about, it's the lives of the civilians around him that matter the most. The girl they saved prior had recently lost her papa. He would be damned if he let her and her mother perish in this shithole. A sentiment that, fortunately for the General, is shared by his subordinates. He is glad to have picked these loyal and upstanding soldiers to accompany him. Rokossovsky is also grateful to whoever has arranged Adam and his group of morally upright people to escort him. Without their help, Rokossovsky has no idea how he would be able to protect and save these exiled civilians.

Suddenly, a Polanian, Tomasz, runs up to them. "Sorry," The Polanian doctor shakes his head regretfully. "We found no spare parts that could help fix the bus. However, we did manage to scrounge up some additional supplies for the soldiers. Things like fuel and medical kits and so on... My apologies, most of the stuff here had been salvaged by us to keep the slum afloat."

Adam steps up toTomasz and pats the good doctor on his shoulder. "No need for an apology, Tomasz. Honestly, you all have done more than enough already. I daresay you have all made your predecessors proud for sticking with them through thick and thin. You're a doctor and the unofficial leader of this community. You should leave the fighting to us and help take care of the wounded and the sick. If we can't move then we can hunker down and wait for help from the Belkan military to arrive."

Tomasz's eyes widen with hope at that. "Really!? Will we be rescued from here at last?"

Adam nods. "Yes. Help is on the way and we just have to hold down the fort until they arrive. For now, organize the non-combatants in the shelter. If the going gets tough, we will be sending the injured your way also."

Tomasz sighs in relief before bowing. "Alright, I will prepare the people. For what it's worth. Thank you, both of you, for risking yourself for us civilians. Especially more so when we're not even your compatriots or anything."

Adam accepts the gesture with a reassuring smile, while Rokossovsky crosses his hands and nods with power behind his action. "It's the right thing to do, Tomasz, and we gentlemen won't be ignoring an atrocity in progress. Rather, we will help you all get a fighting chance. If Berlin already knows of this and is sending reinforcements over here then you bet your ass that Moscow will not stay silent about this either. Justice will be delivered for all the inequity you all have endured."

The confident tone with which Rokossovsky said it must have further empowered the doctor. Nodding at them both gratefully, the doctor then speeds away to get everything sorted out so that no innocent is caught in the crossfire. Non-combatants are then swiftly herded under a derelict bank, its vault should offer enough protection against small arms fire. To avoid the cliche issue of the vault door being stuck, the door is only partially closed. The non-combatants should be safe in there unless the Polanians go mad and use artillery inside Warsaw.

Adam suddenly sighs, sparing one last look at the bus he has spent the better part of half an hour trying to get working. "Let us go to the front, General. By now, the Polanian encirclement should have been formed already. Best we go and make sure things are as foolproof as they can be." The Lieutenant then moves to retrieve his MP9 that is left on a crate.

"Right." Rokossovsky drops his half-burned cigarette before stomping on it. "By the way, any chance we can get more guns from Thomas?"

"Not with how the Polanians are screening who goes in and out of the slum area by the look of it. Until we pull their attention squarely on us, Captain Surbella won't be able to send the other two Humvees past the blockade without triggering a response against Thomas." Adam explained.

"Despite the train being armed, it's also our sole ticket outta here. Putting the spotlight on the train will risk it being isolated by a literal flick of a switch." Rokossovsky sighs morosely. "Quite a pickle, isn't it?"

Adam smiles wryly. "Indeed it is, General."

Rokossovsky glances at Adam with a grin on his spirited face. "No one can say for sure what will happen in the heat of battle. So, do you regret getting involved in this pitfall with me, Lieutenant? You still have a chance to step back and return to your fiancee, you know? You can take the Humvees and speed away before they can get to you."

Adam jests. "And leave you Rusviets here, hogging all the heroic deeds? Not a chance, sir." The Lieutenant then smiles, adding with a certain steel in his voice. "If I turn my back to this, I will not be the man Aria knows and loves. The act would be no different than betraying my morals and the values instilled in me by the Reich. I would rather die, facing the tyranny of the world first before I would ever, ever discard everything that made up the person that I am today."

Rokossovsky barks out a laugh after Adam's assertion. "Well-spoken son! Very, very well-spoken! That is how a man in this chaotic era should be, sticking to his gun and what he believes in! No matter what the outcome of today might be, you have gotten yourself a friend for life! Belka is surely blessed to have such good soldiers under its banner."

The Rusviet Genera then slaps Adam on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "And don't you worry, I'll make sure you get back to your fiancee in one piece. You need to help me pick some of the tea brands in Berlin too so I scratch your back, you scratch mine."

Adam chuckles at the vow. "One thing at a time, sir. One thing at a time."

"Heh, ain't that right then." Rokossovsky smirked. The men from two different nations take small joy in banters like that. One can never truly guess where a bullet will end up at the end of its flight, after all. Hence getting a grasp on their nerves is always a good thing, even if they're veterans.

As for whether they all can make it out alive, they can only let the Fortune of War decide.