“Heavy CFN and MN casualties near the small city of Brecille have been reported by both sides. VACCOM has so far determined Brecille to be one of the more ‘high importance’ sectors of the second Gallian defense line, necessitating the relocation of more MN forces in the vicinity of the city. Both MN and CFN anti-air units have locked down the airspace in the area, leaving the battle in the hands of the ground forces, with CFN artillery especially pummeling through MN defenses when Brecille was retaken yesterday. But with mounting CFN armor losses, questions are arising on whether they can sustain this local offensive. If Brecille is held, however, MN forces south of the city will be in a vulnerable salient that VACCOM will have to deal with.”

- Geopol Press

+++

Kingdom of Gallia

Near Brecille

June 24, 2025

I OEF Corps

C/4-5 Light Mech Brigade “Donnergrollen”

Niko tossed the cigarette he had been using on the side of the road as multiple Orlish Löwes passed through the road. They were a part of the newly arrived “Rattenkönig” Brigade, part of the old fat Armored Divisions downsized to the modernized, more maneuverable, autonomous, and compact brigades of the Orlish armored corps.

“It’s the guys from the 8th!” Armin shouted from the top of the turret after he had just tossed another spent round off from their mech. “Ain’t they the ones who held the capital first back then?”

Niko chuckled.

“Yep, originally the 8th Armored Division,” Niko said. “They got mauled though, so it’s not exactly the same guys. It’s part of why they got downsized.”

“Still, damn,” Armin said, clearly admiring the Löwes speeding past them. “They must have a few veterans of the Halian Campaign here. They say these guys are real iron. Bloodhounds. Held the capital before the rest of the Queen’s Army reinforced the city.”

“Yep,” Niko looked at one of the tanks. It was clearly one of the veterans, as it still had many marks of combat damage on its turret. The number “737” was also clear on the side of its turret (which was funnily enough, already filled with a number of ERA blocks) alongside a very large amount of kill rings on its main gun. “That one’s an ace right there.”

He followed the tank, as it sped through the highway, disappearing rapidly. Considering that they were sitting on the side of the tree line, waiting for their next set of ammo resupply, Niko’s C Company was quite vulnerable to air attacks. The same was true for those driving on the highway. This was why the tanks from the Rattenkönig Brigade speeding through it came in a trickle.

One minute, a Löwe would speed past them, then nothing. Then another one. Then another one. They were all going in the same direction, but due to the situation on the frontlines, no one was sending them in a full-on convoy.

That just indicates we don’t have full local air superiority. Niko looked up at the sky momentarily. Hopefully, the SAM Battalion nearby can keep things cool though. Not that they can’t just fire missiles and artillery at us. But, what can you do?

Another spent shell was thrown to the side of their vehicle, as two M8 IFVs, most likely also belonging to the same brigade, sped past them. His fellow Orlish soldiers riding on top of the IFVs however were some cheeky ones, shouting at his men as they ran past.

“It’s the spider boys!” One of them shouted as they sped past Niko, who only laughed at the bastards. “You damsels better get a move on!”

The next one then passed by them again.

“Cavalry’s arrived boys! Your salvation is here!” one of the cheeky soldiers gave them a mock salute, as Niko heard one of his privates shouting profanities at the passing Orlishmen. In fact, each time an IFV passed by them, C Company’s column became awake as they heckled the passing troopers, or the passing troopers made fun of them for ‘sitting their ass out’.

“At least we ain’t late on the fight!” Armin shouted from the hatch after he tossed another spent shell overboard. “Have fun in the shit fields, assholes!”

Niko shook his head and laughed.

“Captain,” someone called him from behind. Niko looked back at the direction of their mech. His driver had just arrived, carrying another pack of cigarettes. He tossed it at Niko, who caught it without problems, before whistling in Armin’s direction. “Hey, kid! Want some?”

“Toss the poison!” came the muffled shout from the turret. Sven then tossed the secured pack of cigarettes on the turret’s hatch with an accurate throw. “Thanks, man!”

“No problem,” Sven laughed before turning to Niko’s direction. Niko for his part was quick, already lighting up his next cigarette. “So what’s the news from the top?”

Niko blew a few puffs of smoke from his stick, relishing the short burst of clarity that it provided his mind. He then leaned his back on their mech as he answered his driver’s query.

“16:00 hours,” Niko said. “We’re joining the rest of the brigade in the attack.”

“Night attack?”

“Yep,” Niko said. “Intel’s in. The enemy’s only sending a few crappy older variants of the T-18 and the T-86.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Oh yeah?” Sven grimaced. “They must be getting mauled then. Is it those…export variants? The stuff that ain’t got a proper FCS or thermals?”

“Yep,” Niko replied. “I think they’re sending them in as cannon fodder. Before they send more of their actual tanks. Maybe they’re scared of losing a lot. I dunno. But we’re going to be facing around a hundred of the bastards around Brecille. And inside Brecille.”

“We’re doing an urban night assault?”

“Yep,” Niko said. “What? That’s what we’re trained for, remember? And what are you afraid of? The bastards won’t see us well at night. Just stay calm.”

“We already lost a number of our mechs, Captain,” Sven said. “I dunno, it’s kinda…difficult to imagine how well we’d do. I mean, it’s been days since they took the city. What if it’s a trap?”

“A city’s always a trap,” Niko said. “But, well, we can only really follow what the brass wants. They can’t lose that city. Not now when they’re still setting up better defenses behind us. We’re the delaying force. And the best way to delay them is by striking back to keep them off balance.”

“I see then,” Sven shook his head. “Well, I guess no sleep for us tonight.”

“Oh come on,” Amin popped his head from the turret’s hatch, a frown on his face. “Again?!”

+++

“Gunner! APFSDS! Range, four thousand two hundred meters!” Niko shouted, as Armin maneuvered the turret to aim at the target the Niko sighted and ranged. Their mech was still on the move, with a horde of T-86s ahead of them as they charged forward above the flat fields of Brecille. The only thing giving them a vague sense of cover was the few depressions and elevations on the field that sometimes hid their hull, but otherwise, the charging units of the Rotterkönig Brigade and the Donnergrollen Brigade were exposed in the flat areas.

Still, the outdated Larissan T-86s lacking any sort of good optics or good digital fire control systems meant that at the ranges that the Orlish armor was engaging them, they weren’t able to fight back. Coupled with the Orlish Falcon AH-22 Attack Helicopters flying above them, with their gun pods, rocket pods, and guided missiles wrecking hordes of Larissan armor, meant that the enemy was now too suppressed to respond to them.

Their target, a heavily modified T-86 tank with various ERA blocks on its hull and turret, was already slowly backing up alongside four other tanks in their formation, their guns clearly not firing due to their tanks’ inability to fire at Orlish targets properly.

“Target acquired!” Armin shouted.

“Open fire!”

The shot from their main gun rocked their mech, and Niko watched as their shot slammed into the enemy tank’s turret. Its ERA blocks reacted, trying to stop their APFSDS rod, but it was ineffectual. Niko didn’t break his sights from the tank they had just shot, observing it for a few more seconds on the move, as he saw its crew rush out of the vehicle from the hatches.

“Good shot!” Niko said to Armin. “Sven! Stop the vehicle now! We’re in a good position. Armin, prepare another round!”

The two crewmen both shouted, “Roger!” at Niko’s words as the autoloader slammed another round on their main gun’s chamber, while Sven maneuvered their mech to stop in an area where they could use the slight elevation to hide their hull. In fact, Niko saw that his XO’s LSS Mech also stopped right beside him and opened fire right when its legs stopped, while the rest of his armored platoons carried on, charging forward while firing their main guns on the move.

Niko grabbed his radio.

“1st and 2nd Platoon, don’t stop, and keep firing on the move,” Niko ordered, before receiving a torrent of rogers from his Lieutenants. “3rd Platoon, position yourself on my flanks. We’ll try covering our brothers. 4th, 5th, and 6th, you guys stay behind in a dispersed position. If you see a good target, get those autocannons working, but otherwise, hide.”

On both the left and right flanks of the position taken by his mech and his XO’s mech, the LSS mechs of the 3rd Platoon, six total, stopped, spacing themselves at around thirty to fifty meters apart in the area. Behind them, Niko’s tracked IFV platoons also stopped, with the M8 IFVs of the 4th, 5th, and 6th platoons simply taking potshots with their 25mm autocannons. Some, however, disobeyed, as Niko saw one of his IFVs move forward to not just spam out its autocannon in full auto, but also fire an ATGM at a target.

What did I even expect? Niko shook his head. They all are eager for kills today.

He focused on searching for a good target. Many of the enemy tanks had already gone into a full rout, presenting their rear on them as they drove away, seemingly in an attempt to create as much distance from the Orlish armored formation chasing them. He looked at one of them. Its ERA blocks were larger, and it seemed to be firing its main gun, which meant unlike the majority of ancient T-86s around it, it must be one of the few dozen T-18s present in Brecille today.

“T-18 ahead of us!” Niko said, and Armin immediately turned their gun to the target that Niko’s commander was looking at. “Again! APFSDS, three thousand three hundred meters, hit their hull. If that thing doesn’t die, I want its engine out!”

“Roger!” Armin prepared himself, before pressing the trigger to open fire when their main gun moved to the proper firing solutions. Their shot however flew to the side of their target’s turret at a bad angle, triggering its ERA block. The brief explosion and the fact that the enemy tank’s turret began turning in their direction on the move made it clear to Niko that their shot shattered. “Shit, my shot missed! It’s looking at us!”

“Sven! Pull back now!” Niko ordered, and Sven complied right when the enemy tank opened fire. But the well-timed reverse of their vehicle meant that the shot flew right above their turret, almost grazing the remote-controlled heavy machine guns on top. “Okay! Get back up. Armin, take the shot again!”

Their mech’s legs pushed them back up again, allowing Armin to take aim as their autoloader slammed the next round. Niko held his breath, his digital sights still tracking their last target, as Armin used the laser rangefinder again for a quick check, before preparing to take a shot. It took only two seconds, but those seconds almost felt like an eternity to Niko.

The LSS Panther had no armor—all it would take was one split second of lateness, and they’d be a dead crew to this inferior Larissan tank, and so, he shouted at Armin.

“Open fire!”

Their main gun once again thundered, their shot finally connecting and slamming into the enemy tank’s hull, causing it to stop into a violent halt, as a fire started on its rear, with its fuel tanks most likely ignited.

“Another one!” Niko ordered, knowing that it would only take a while for their automatic fire suppression systems to remove the fire. Another round was slammed into their main gun’s breech, and once again, Armin pressed the button to open fire.

Their shot went straight into the turret ring of the enemy tank, silencing the enemy tank, and causing fires to blow out violently from its hatches. A single person came out of the hull from the thermals, their driver most likely, as their turret completely cooked off.

“We fuckin’ got ‘em, Captain!”

“Excellent shot!” Niko said. “Let’s get those damned medals. Battle ain’t over yet, so let’s get the next target!”

And indeed, they weren’t going to sleep today, as tank wrecks became a night decoration around the small Gallian city as Orland overran CFN defenses—their technological edge completely negating CFN's numerical advantage.