VR WARS Volume II - Coalition Army

CANNON FODDER

Rui’s distant gaze into the horizon alerted Mariam to his intentions; having known him for most of her life, she could almost tell what he was thinking by his expression alone. “The crossings are taking place as we speak.”

“How many do we have on the other side?”

“…About a company of Panzers and their supporting elements,” she instantly relayed the information arriving at her through the radio. “Captain Flávio says the Tigers and Panthers found a shallower side to cross 3km upstream and are beginning their crossing as well.”

“Wha-?!...That’s not enough!”

“What the hell is the 1st Regiment even doing?! They should’ve been the first ones across!

“…There was a minefield on the left, so they had to slow down. Captain Alvaro says they should arrive at the river within the hour.”

“Yeah, so what?! In the meantime, we’re stuck with a bunch of lousy regular students covering our river crossing!”

With newer reports coming in every minute of units becoming bogged down for one reason or another, incapacitation in dealing with the many unknown variables nearly crippled the chain of command. That was until he took the reins back into his firm hands, “Ten tanks and two hundred people, huh,” the Commander-in-chief calculated the numbers while his subordinates drowned in worry, then a cunning smile formed on his face. “We can work with that!”

Upon hearing their leader convey such words with confidence, at first, everyone fell into silence. Then a collective murmur erupted practically at the same time, and while it instigated a revelation of mixed feelings, it was confusion that stood out the most. Regardless of everyone else’s reaction to the enigmatic-coded message, Mariam, knowing him longer than anyone, quickly deciphered the underlined letters that were unconsciously exposed by Rui’s facial features, mainly his sadistic smile that craved for collateral damage.

“…Yo-you can’t do that!”

“It is the only way, Mariam.”

“But–”

“I can and I will,” he extended his hand in the direction of the looming menace and leaned over the radio next to Mariam to address the entirety of the UC. “To the regulars on the other side of the river, my orders are…attack the IF’s vanguard and destroy them!”

“!”

“…”

Though most would think his plan was devoid of logic, this was a textbook tactic favored by Rui, that much like a board of chess, it involved the sacrifice of unnecessary pieces to achieve a crucial victory. The meaningless deaths of a few hundred regulars on the Donets river would be the key factor in acquiring what they needed the most: time.

Those degenerates should be able to entertain the IF long enough to properly organize a defense and get most of my force safely across the river, ha-ha-ha.

“Ooh, what a…brilliant plan, sir.”

“In-indeed!...That should do the trick!”

And while the rest of the hierarchy did their best to hide their apprehension about committing to the waste of precious human resources and opposing their Commander-in-chief, second only to Pedro, Mariam did the opposite. “Sending those students to die is contradicting everything we gained thus far! How can you do that, Rui?!”

“Huh?”

“We set out to encircle the IF frontline so that we could keep combat to a minimum and avoid casualties all–”

“For this moment.”

“Wh-what?!”

“We did all that to conserve strength for the gruesome match that would happen after crossing their frontline, whether that be at Kursk itself, the plains surrounding it, or the Donets river matters not,” he explained with a face of absolute tranquility. In his mind, it made perfect sense to sacrifice a few to save many. “…Right now, putting the Donets to our backs is more important than anything else. Our time to shine has arrived, ladies and gentlemen! Kick up into a new gear, UC, and cross that damn river!”

“How can you be so callous? They are people like us!”

“But not the same as us.”

“…That’s where you are wrong.”

She’s changed so much in a few weeks…I guess we really are done… That f*****g mongrel threatens our very way of living! He will pay for everything that he’s taken from me! The Prodigies are meant to stand at the top of society, not the regulars!

Not entirely satisfied with Rui’s answer, much less happy with his way of thinking, Mariam continued to monitor the radio in an attempt to block out her feelings about the matter. Unknowing to Rui or even to herself, the way Angelo and the UAT functioned had changed her way of seeing things; she knew the country needed to win the SCRF at all costs, but did the means justify the end? For two decades, the Prodigies had ruled the country, improving many sectors that were lacking, like the health system that had been deteriorating for years and the creation of new trade to decrease the unemployment rate. The success of which managed to drop the margin of 15%, something that had never been done for fifty years. Nevertheless, those few changes had come at a cost. The disparity between Prodigies and Regulars had at long last reached a point of no return. Considering that the country needed both social classes to survive, Mariam saw Angelo’s rebellion against the system as a backlash to years of abuse and a prelude to how things could very well end. The last thing the country needed was a civil war, and people like Rui and Pedro were the catalyst in which that scenario could very well come true.

Other banks of the Donets River

Having heard loud and clear the message Rui broadcast over the radio, the entire UC contingent on the opposite banks of the river rose their voices in discontent, completely disbelieving the transmission that out of nowhere ordered them to throw down their lives for the sake of the greater good.

“Prodigy f**k!!” “Murderous asshole!!” “Screw you!!” “Do you think we are cannon fodder, i***t?!!”

These were merely some of the many remarks uttered around, almost instigating a mutiny and immobilizing the entire unit. Sensing the disarray getting out of control, lieutenant Bruna, the woman in charge of that sector, attempted to contain the collateral damage before it reached a critical stage. Having been through that type of situation already, she knew her students' apprehension about committing a suicide mission was a challenge to overcome, but one she had always managed to do. Moving along the river banks with the wind at her back carrying her like a messenger from the heavens, Bruna rallied her company to fulfill their destiny in one last gruesome match.

Every student at the UC, prodigy and regular alike, had been ordered to lay down their lives for one reason or another at some point in that competition. The fact that they continued to do so lay in the principle that their sacrifice was an instrument to a success that brought them closer to their final goal, a victory that stood atop their broken bodies.

To assure that their dream would come to fruition – that their institution remained operational for them to conclude their studies to work and have a chance at living – it was the duty of every officer in the UC not to question their Commander’s judgment and abide by his authority.

And Bruna was no stranger to this concept; her iron will to follow true in every order given to her and see the job done by facing every adversity together with her students had earned her the reputation of being an ‘Iron Maiden.’

“We’ve got our orders! We’ve got tank support with us, so let’s get it done!”

“…But…lieutenant…we don’t even know how many IF troops we’re going to face.”

“Doesn’t matter. What matters is the entirety of the UC reaching this side of the river unscathed.

Despite seeing reason in her statements and knowing well the predicament there would be if the IF counter-attack hit the other units amid a crossing, that bitter taste of feeling utterly helpless to change their fates remained vividly present in their tongues. More than once had they been subjected to this cruel tactic of self-sacrifice to achieve an overall victory, and the feeling of being thrown at the wolves, thus far, had never subsided. In fact, it could be said that acknowledging those types of orders was getting harder with each attempt.

Fortunately for Bruna and her students, the presence of a company of Panzer IV tanks was as welcoming as it was reassuring.

“…Yo! I’m going to position my tanks further in, follow up with the infantry once we give the all-clear sign,” a man with darkened skin and curly hair pronounced from inside the tank's turret as he prepared to close the hatch.

“Will do! I’m glad to have you with us, Filipe.”

“Same, Iron girl. They should be a ways off still, but if we make contact with them, we’ll try to draw them towards the left and away from the crossings.”

“I see…” Bruna said, realizing what Filipe’s intentions were. “I don’t think they’ll be as stupid as to fall into a trap, even with you using your tanks as bait, but I’ll create a fallback position just in case.”

Understanding her judgment, the man gave a final salute before locking down the hatch and disappearing into the inside of his machine. The roar the tank’s engine made when it came to life surpassed all other sounds in the vicinity, deafening anyone close by to its immense power. As these old behemoths, IRL outdated and forgotten, dawdled off into the distance, communication between the ranks once more resumed. Seeing their fellow students' fading silhouettes proved to be an inspiring factor that made the comeback of discipline.

Shaving off the discontent that beckoned disarray, the once displeased regular students packed up their gear and put on a new face. They loaded their vehicles with extra ammunition, going so far as to even rob some anti-tank artillery and mines from the other units arriving from the river crossing to reinforce their anti-tank capabilities.

With the general discontentment gone and her students lined up in formation, Bruna gave the order to move out. Putting the river to their backs and leaving a dusty trail as the tracks of their armored vehicles brought about the mark of civilization to the ancient nomad steppes, they steamrolled over to the closest hill at lightspeed, where Filipe’s vanguard had gradually grounded down to a halt.

Looking at each of their faces, she could tell they were terrified of the looming sand cloud whispering ever closer, an indication that the Iberians had tanks leading the counter-attack. When it came to a fight between the soviet T-34 and the German Panzer IV in 1943, each was fully capable of dealing lethal damage to one another. Since both were well balanced in armor and had good reliability in the end, it came down to the crew’s experience, the quantities fielded by both sides, as well as whoever shot first.

Considering that both sides knew each other's battle records when it came to experience, they were newcomers to modern warfare, so they were actually balanced out in that sense. As for strength in numbers, credit had to be given to the IF; the sight of the Iberian vanguard, an entire column holding a hundred tanks charging across the open fields, sent shockwaves deep into the earth. The tremors were so massive they even reached Rui’s position on the other side of the river, confirming his suspicions of the seriousness of this developing stage of the battle. Yet, the psychological effect of which did little to no damage to the spirits of Bruna and her students, who had already come to terms with themselves that this engagement was nothing more than a suicidal delaying action.

With the enemy drawing near by the minute, oblivious to the ambush waiting for them, set by two hundred and fifty Portuguese students, the chance of who fired first fell to the latter.

But the ravenous battle of attrition brimming with pure hatred that would unfold later in the day would bring a chill to anyone watching the live broadcast in the real world.

…This overstretching baren land will be their graves…and ours. Bruna spared one final thought to the endeavor they were about to come across, breathing profoundly and letting go of every unnecessary feeling that may come as a hinder. “So let them come…let them come.”

And so, with her mind clothed in a stillness, many seek and so few ever find, her final words would be a testimony to the UC’s reputation and a monument to their nation’s perseverance.