Chapter 129 - Siege Economy (Patreon)

<---Chapter 128 - First Assault| Table of Contents |Chapter 130 - Defiance--->

Scores of bodies and chunks of unidentified meat linger on the battlefield as daylight peeked over the fortress wall, its rays of light illuminating the sheer carnage wrought in the defense of Fort 4. Over at the horizon, a raging wildfire swept through, consuming and engulfing everything in its path as it spread through the Keru Forest towards Count Leon's main forces. Culo could sense that the wildfire alone may not be enough to hold the assault back for long. They could return in less than a week.

Still, they needed to sort out the captured supplies and ration accordingly. With his own conscripts now devastated beyond belief, the initial euphoria of winning the siege battle was starting to wear off as the nature of their situation sank in heavily. Surviving a day did not mean that the war was over, and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before such a battle was to be struck again.

Fort 4 was in complete disrepair, the entire front half having been collapsed. Lisa's dispatched reinforcement squads helped to clear out the bodies, digging a mass grave out on the battlefield. The immense number of bodies caused many conscripts to tear up as they had to strip their own comrades, who they had been drinking and laughing with just weeks before. "Sorry mate, you won't be needing this when you meet the Goddess." A conscript murmured a little prayer as he took off the uniform of a fellow villager, placing it into a bucket that had blood coalescing at the bottom from the amount of bloodied clothes and boots thrown in.

"The Goddess would probably prefer him naked anyway. He might stink up the whole room if he wore that to meet her, hah!" Another conscript from the village joked. It was humor like this that kept the spirits and morale of the troops at a baseline, preventing both others and himself from descending into utter despair. The destruction wrought across the span of three days was already starting to take its toll on many, some refusing to even leave their bunks and clinging to the walls, praying reverently for a way out of this massacre.

However, deserters were still shot on sight. A few conscripts who had abandoned Fort 4 during the battle were gunned down as soon as they got close to the walls of Ocra without discrimination, their ragged bodies lifted high on poles while birds and insects gnawed at their flesh. It served as a continuous reminder of their dire circumstances, unable to retreat nor move forward.

It was this that pushed the three fort commanders to gather together in the bombed-out Fort 4: Masir, Fort 2, and Fort 6's commanders. Culo, Wez, and Lisa joined the meeting, and all of them were in the same boat. "We can't return to Ocra until General Verian allows us to," Masir remarked with a tinge of fear, trying to cover it up with a brave expression.

"This defense was nothing short of a miracle." Fort 2's commander replied. "I was half-expecting the battle to be on its last legs when I arrived."

"We were on our last legs." Masir nodded. "If it were not for your assistance, we could have all been dead and our entire perimeter of Ocra damaged."

"I don't understand. Why are we still defending Ocra?!" Fort 6's commander gritted his teeth in anger, pacing around the office furiously. "Our former commanders deserted us, and now they treat us like expendable cannon fodder to throw at the enemy all so they do not have to sacrifice themselves!"

The rest could not deny his words. All of the conscripts were either from the city of Ocra or its surrounding villages and towns. The rest had abandoned or been pulled back into the city proper, making it clearly a regional description.

"The official reason I'm hearing on the military radio is that the field army that had been badly beaten in the first strike needs resources and supplies to fuel a second attack once more." Fort 2 Commander spoke up again.

"And that's a reason to give up an entire fort we spent close to a year building?! How does that make any sense? From what I understand, they hate us because we're 'halfbreeds' of suspicious loyalty." Fort 6 Commander motioned to a brand on his forehead, similar to the one Lisa had as well when she entered the refugee camp. Many of the villages on the border had ties to both countries and were subsequently treated as liabilities.

"Still, it doesn't change the fact that we cannot give up Ocra to Count Leon." Culo interrupted. "Count Leon would be a far worse ruler than the current Versian government - have you forgotten what happened during the war of independence?"

"General Verian might as well be a Yual dog now for all I care." Fort 6 Commander crossed his arms. "I say we muster our forces together and launch an attack on Ocra. I will not sacrifice myself nor my men for this callous bitch."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Lisa asked. "There's no way we're breaking the defenses of Ocra with just our garrisons alone."

"We could have all the forts group up, work together to strike in-"

"Even if the Versian field army is badly injured, they still amount to nearly ten times our current garrison!"

"That's better than dying a dog's death for them! If we won't attack, I might as well take my troops and flee." Fort 6 Commander stood his ground, unwilling to budge.

"If you're so adamant about leaving, then why did you come to help Fort 4?"

"..." Fort 6 Commander remained silent, unable to find the words to respond with.

"The truth is, you two are the only forts who responded to our call for help. You two care most about the survival of Ocra. We're all of Ocra here, and no one wants to see it under the control of either General Verian or Count Leon."

"Then what's the alternative?!" Fort 6 Commander shot back. "A fat bitch in the rear, a fat pig in the front, who else is there?"

"The Ghosts," Culo spoke, the other two Fort commanders looking in surprise.

"The Ghosts...? That's impossible. I heard they were all wiped out in Tenar, their tunnels destroyed!" Fort 6 Commander exclaimed.

"News of our demise was twisted to invigorate the population, but we are still here." Culo motioned to Lisa and Wez, all of whom nodded. "We are the ones who muster the defense of Fort 4 along with Masir."

Fort 2 Commander's eyes swept across the room nervously, exchanging a knowing glance with Fort 6 Commander before reaching for his pistol, only for his wrist to be grabbed by Culo in an instant. "Think for a bit longer before you make any move," Culo whispered. "Otherwise, another change of leadership for your Fort might be in the works."

Gulping, the Fort 2 Commander slowly nodded, Culo releasing his wrist in return, though Culo still remained close by to react in case the Fort 2 Commander tried to attack them. "But we were told that -"

"That we're terrorists, seeking the destruction of Versia, the bane of freedom, yada-yada - are you really going to fall for propaganda driven by General Verian and Harrison, who are the ones responsible for your current states?!" Wez shot back angrily. "We fought tooth and nail to hold Fort 4 while others gave up, and the other Versians ran away behind the walls of Ocra!"

The two commanders couldn't deny it - they had seen the battle prowess of the Ghosts like Culo during the battle itself, as though they were war gods roaming the field. Now that a third alternative was starting to come around, they were beginning to be more receptive, Fort 6 Commander getting the gist of what was about to transpire. "You want us to join the Ghosts and usurp control of Ocra."

"Not usurp control." Culo corrected. "We simply want to tailor the circumstances to be more favorable to us. Right now, there is a clear-cut case for us to be supported even by General Verian - as long as we make the right moves."

"Supported? We just got ditched by her!" Fort 6 commander retorted.

"We just made a miracle defense - news of this is bound to spread. Just wait a few days, and we'll start to see the fruits. All I need is for the two of you to agree to join the Ghosts. If you do not want to..."

The underlying threat from Culo was clear as daylight, and the two commanders immediately nodded. It wasn't like that they had anywhere else to turn to. Fort 6 Commander knew his own threat of leaving with his forces was empty, as there was hardly anywhere else he could defect towards without being apprehended unless he was all right with becoming a bandit, something that also did not sit right with him.

"Right now, we got bigger things to worry about." Culo redirected the conversation to a more critical issue. "Count Leon's main forces are still en route. The wildfire might only deter them for a while, and if they come back for a second assault, we won't be able to defend ourselves properly, not with the diminishing supplies we have. Turning General Verian around to support us is one thing, but we need more to stall the incoming attack."

Culo continued explaining his plan, wiping the dust and soot off the office table before writing on a blank piece of paper, drawing up a map. "Instead of concentrating our defenses all into a single fort, we would need to conduct active defense. This means deploying squads to the fringes of our border and performing delaying tactics. Traps, ditches, ambushes. Now that we have successfully evicted the forward assault camp from our vicinity, we'll need to utilize the week's worth of time to -"

Before Culo finished explaining, the arctech radio on Fort 2 Commander's shoulder went off, blurting rapidly. [Sir! We've spotted Yual forces trying to sneak into Ocra via the river! We don't have enough forces to stop them!]

"What?! How large is the attack force?"

[Estimates are about a division and a half. Forward camp spotted just beyond the range of our cannons, too!]

The atmosphere in the room immediately became tense, and the naive thought that the battle was over evaporated rapidly. Culo's heart faltered for a moment, cursing himself for thinking he had the plan all thought out. "We'll reinforce Fort 2 right now. I'll have any able-bodied Ghosts support from the flank-"

[Sir, our forward scouts at Fort 6 are not responding! Other observers report movement attempting to cut off supply lines between Ocra and Desham!]

Count Leon, he hasn't just sent one forward attack force, he has sent three! Culo quickly marked on the map, noticing Count Leon's plan in its entirety. The timing of the attacks was a little off, but the intention was clear. "He wants to cut off Ocra completely before his main forces arrive!" Lisa remarked.

"Then we'll have to stop him. I need all labor workers to start digging the traps and ditches beyond Fort 4. Run the shifts round the clock. You two, go back to your respective forts with my veteran Ghosts, they will assist you."

The two commanders nodded, immediately leaving and hightailing it back to defend the perimeter. "What about us, sir?" Wez asked.

"We still have a fort to capture." Culo began to rally the remaining troops once more, mostly compromised of the reinforcement squads Lisa had brought. Lisa was left behind to oversee the building of the defenses of Fort 4 and Fort 5, the workers now rushing forward hurriedly to get the job done. With the supplies secured from the Yual attack force, they were secured for at least another week or two given proper rationing.

Instead of taking all of the reinforcement squads however, he only took ten men, him and Wez leading the charge towards Fort 3, which had fallen unresponsive during their pitched battle. "What do you think happened to them?" Wez asked.

"Whatever happens, we'll need them onboard as well. If they surrendered to the Yual forces, we'll need to take them out quickly before we get sabotaged on both sides. Both Fort 2 and Fort 4 are in peril if this occurs." Culo replied.

As they approached Fort 3, they noticed that not a single soul was manning the trench lines, not even a scout spotting their approach from the distance. "Weapons ready." Culo motioned with his hands, the ten men raising their rifles to bear as they began to enter the trench lines. Bloodstained handprints and heavy footprints marked the now-hardening mud on the ground, along with scraps of fabric ripped off. Human teeth and ears were also scattered along the route, marking a foreboding warning.

As they reached a central trench intersection where a dug-out outpost was entrenched, a crucified Versian conscript was hoisted up on a makeshift pole, his innards dangling out while he still heaved, each breath causing his wounds to tear apart even more. "H...help..." The conscript muttered, his eyes already lolling in a half-daze.

"What the fuck is going on?" Wez murmured to himself as he focused on his surroundings, scanning for any traps.

"Who's there?!" A loud voice grunted out from the depths of the trench outpost, before a half-naked burly large man emerged through the entrance, his hairy arms pushing aside the strips of fabric that barely demarcated a door, his mouth gnawing on a human finger. "Intruders?!" The burly men instantly grabbed a knife from his belt, flinging it at Culo, who dodged narrowly as the blade flew past his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, Culo drew out his own handgun, firing a pellet into the man's forehead and blasting out his brain in an instant. "Kill everyone in the damn outpost!" Culo immediately roared. They stormed the outpost, finding five other men who were feasting on the rotting corpse of a fellow Versian conscript, the stomach already bloated with fluids and gas. One of them was grabbing a fistful of wriggling maggots from deep within the lungs of the dead conscript, shoveling them into his mouth, dripping with goo.

Some of Culo's men nearly gagged at the sight, while Culo and Wez were taken aback by the scale of the operation. They are cannibalizing each other! Still, they did not allow for any survivors, killing the five cannibals in a hail of pellets that tore them apart without any time to move. Culo hurriedly swept the outpost, noticing that there were more than five other malnourished conscripts huddled in a cage, their gaunt cheeks glistening from the light filtering through the entrance.

Breaking the imprisoned conscripts out, some of them looked hungrily at the body of the cannibals, forcing Culo and Wez to provide some of their own rations to stave off their hunger. "Hey, hey! Look at me, focus!" Culo slapped one of the freed conscripts, forcing him to make eye contact. "What the hell happened here?"

"We... we were abandoned! The fort commander forced us to surrender all of our rations! It's been three days since... I didn't want to! I didn't want to...wait, you're not from our fort, but how..." The freed conscript blabbered, clearly out of his mind, Culo letting him sit down outside the outpost away from the dead cannibals.

"You two, make sure they don't do anything stupid," Culo ordered two of his men. "The rest of you, follow me to the damn fort. I'm going to have a word with this commander."

The cannibal gang they met here was not the only ones, Culo and Wez encountering at least more than four of them on various sections of the trenches, having split it up like territory. None of them had any food rations, nor did they have ammunition, resorting to knives and makeshift melee weapons to hold their ground against the other cannibals. They drank water pooled up in the mud of the trenches, earning themselves dysentery and cholera that spread like wildfire through the ranks.

Culo did not have the time to exterminate every cannibal gang, moving quickly to the fort's gate, which was tightly barricaded, a few guards posted on the flanking portholes and rooftops looking down on them. He and Wez, along with their squad, found themselves aimed at by the conscripts in the fort, a Versian sergeant stepping out above the gate and peering down at them. "Who goes there?!"

"I'm the commander of Fort 5, and I demand to speak with the commander of this Fort!" Culo shouted back.

"No can do, you're going to have to provide something of value!" The sergeant waved his hands dismissively.

"And what would that be?"

"Are you stupid? Food, of course! And ammunition if you have it."

Culo leaned over to Wez, whispering. "How many rations do we have on us now?"

"Right now? Only a few biscuits and maybe five packs or so. Are you seriously going to give it to them?" Wez exclaimed.

"Take them all out," Culo ordered, his men complying. No one doubted him even for a second, not after his heroic feats at the defense of Fort 4, their trust and belief in him at a maximum even if they were not Ghosts.

The sergeant widens his eyes at the packs of rations being laid out on the ground. "Open the gates, open the damn gates!"

The gates creaked open, revealing a mostly empty courtyard. Seems that the bulk of the conscripts have been forced out of the fort rather than in. Instead of conscripts training in the fort, there were a few crates of supplies and cannonballs, while other smashed crates were indicative of a struggle amongst the remnants.

However, instead of them being welcomed into the fort, the sergeant and his guards approached them menacingly, quickly flanking them with rifles aimed. They outnumbered them two to one, forming a semi-circle around them and inching forward. "Now step away from the fucking rations, now!" The sergeant motioned with his own rifle, jolting the barrel.

"What?! We want to see your fort commander!" Wez retorted angrily, Culo and the rest also raising their guns, forming a standoff over the rations on the ground.

"This isn't enough, if you want to see him, you better come back with a whole crate!"

"Alright, we're done negotiating. Kill them all." Culo ordered, the men behind him instantly firing without hesitation, catching the sergeant and guards off-guard. Before any of them could react, the twenty guards were all either dead or wailing from the pain. Two of Culo's men were hit in return, falling to the ground as the pellets maimed them.

"Wez, take care of them and capture the remaining, I'm going to see the fort commander." Culo stormed the fort alone, his armor and rifle ready to fight. Surprisingly, save for two terrified medics, there were hardly anyone else left in the fort, except the commander, who was already scrambling around his office, stuffing rations into his own uniform in a bid to escape.

Unfortunately, Culo barged in through the door before the commander could leave, immediately firing a shot that drove into the thin thigh flesh of the commander, eliciting a pained scream as he collapsed onto the ground. As Culo carefully stepped towards the whimpering commander, the commander's flustered eyes locked onto him. "Please! I can give you food! I have food! Please don't hurt me anymore!"

"And why would I want your food?"

"W-what?! Everyone wants food! Your fort commander left you too, didn't he? He must have taken all of the rations and supplies as well! You can't blame me for what happened - I did what I had to survive!"

"By leaving everyone but twenty of your own sycophants to cannibalize each other out in the field? Impressive." Culo raised his pistol, aiming squarely at the commander's head, who panicked even more.

"I couldn't have them retreat, or they would all die as deserters! You have to understand; this was the only way out!"

"Was it? Did you not agree to help take Fort 4? We could have secured more supplies if you didn't give up your end of the deal!" Culo retorted.

"This is war!" The commander grasped at straws. "I didn't start this war, and I certainly didn't deplete this fort of supplies! I gave everyone an option to surrender to Count Leon if they wanted to, but they turned against me instead!"

"You're right. They always had the option to surrender or run to another fort. But don't think I didn't see the cannibals out there - they did that because you took away all their rations and ammunition! I see them sitting in your crates in the courtyard, stored for nothing while your own men starved! You... you are not of Ocra." Culo took a deep breath.

"I am! And I'll do anything I have to live!" The commander grinned as he pulled out his own pistol, but Culo was faster to the draw, three pellets piercing through the stuffed rations in his jacket as grain and gruel alike spluttered out, rupturing his lungs as the rations mixed into the now gaping holes, his airways blocked by the very own food he had hoarded.

With Fort 3 now liberated, Culo got to work quickly - he opened up the stores of hoarded rations to the cannibals outside, resulting in a mad rush for the food as the famished conscripts tried to stuff themselves. Culo and Wez controlled their food intake with a heavy hand, making sure no one ate themselves to death. A few cannibal gangs were unwilling to change their ways, forcing Culo's men to kill them on sight while survivors scampered out beyond the fort, trying their luck at the border.

Culo had been wondering why the conscripts that had been left out in the trenches did not simply escape to a neighbouring fort. "You could have gone to Fort 2 for assistance, or even radio in the general military channel."

"All of our radios were taken by force too." A starving conscript spoke with a muffled voice as he chewed rapidly on a ration pack, his teeth filled with crumbs of biscuits. "And anyone who tried to escape was shot from the fort by the commander's men."

So he was preventing them from leaving as well. Culo's anger soared, but the commander was already dead. If he had known about this fact, he might have him tortured for everyone to see. However, with Fort 3 now secured, Culo had replenished most of his losses from the Fort 4 defense, though each of the three Forts under his control was now severely understaffed, with barely a hundred soldiers each to hold the line.

As Culo reorganized his troops and healed the damage done, Fort 2 and Fort 6 were undergoing their own skirmishes. Unlike the assault on Fort 4, there were no pitched battles; instead, multiple small firefights erupted along the border. Each commander attempted to sort out to break the forward camps set up around them but to no avail. Instead of setting up a single supply point, the Yual assault forces had adapted, scattering their forces to prevent any single attack from fully displacing them.

Over the next few days, the siege of Ocra began to lull into a stalemate, with the Yual assault forces unable to break through the perimeter anywhere, though their forces began to slowly encircle the region. Reports of ambushed supply convoys and wagons meant to resupply Ocra from Desham only caused more terror and panic among the soldiers; feeling as though a tight iron grip was slowly closing in around them.

Masir and the other commanders were not ready to give up the supply lines that easily, knowing that if everything were to be cut off, it would result in total disaster for Ocra. They dispatched multiple forward squads to disrupt ambush operations, some even escorting supply wagons and directing them into the fort. Through some of the hidden crates onboard the supply wagons, Culo began to receive the first trickle of Ghosts supplies and weaponry from Desham, where Kyle and Sasha were still based. Mammoth hog meat and arcia crystals allowed them to sustain their continued skirmishes to stall the encirclement in due time.

By the end of the week, the Forts were in a far better state than before - at least the Forts that had agreed to Culo's plan. Unsurprisingly, rumors and news of their heroic defenses and their ability to hold the perimeter despite their limited resources spread like wildfire through the population of Ocra. Lisa had sent Ghosts in through their sole secret tunnel from Fort 5, relaying information and accurate news to the population, which was keen to learn about developments on the front.

Sure enough, Masir soon received a formal military order to return to the city's military headquarters in Ocra for a 'debriefing.' with General Verian. "Finally!" Masir clenched his fist with tears in his eyes, achieving his dream to get the hell out of this frontline and back into Ocra.

However, Culo was not as optimistic. "She could very well have you imprisoned or killed even. You represent the face of the city's garrison now - it is in her best interest to make sure you stay down."

Masir's face paled. "She's going to assassinate me?!"

"Maybe. But at least when she does, we'll have Ghosts filming it. Don't worry - your death will be put to a good cause." Culo grinned, smacking him on the back.

Despite Masir's original euphoria turning into reluctance, an official delegation soon came to Fort 5, led by Versian officers and even the official governor of Ocra, one of Harrison's cronies. "Ah, the hero of our city! You are the best that Ocra has to offer!" The governor used flamboyant words to sway Masir, eventually convincing him to accept the invitation, and he moved alone back into the city of Ocra.

He sat into a luxurious arctech wagon prepared for him opposite the governor, who spent the rest of the journey waxing praises about Masir's heroics and valor. As they approached the walls of Ocra, Masir's heart clenched as he watched the countless mounted repeaters and cannons aimed out seemingly towards him, wondering if the governor was just a bait to lure him in.

The wagon easily entered the city, Masir's entrance surprisingly unknown to the civilians living in the city. The civilians themselves were not doing much better in terms of rations and supplies. An air of despair remained dominant through the rows upon rows of shophouses and apartments, many not daring to peek out of their windows due to the heavy military patrols that scoured the city for dissidents. Laborers hauled supplies to workshops, where engineers and technicians worked overtime to repair the damaged equipment and weaponry from the disastrous first battle. Barely clothed women lingered in alleyways, hoping to lure a few prestigious Versian officers and hoard rations for themselves. Children of all ages could be seen working jobs once occupied by young, able-bodied men - they delivered newspapers, cleaned sewage tunnels, and repaired arctech engravings. Some even served as construction workers, fortifying walls of houses and rooftops in preparation for an inevitable barrage.

Shelters and point defense turrets were scattered through the streets while the city was eerily silent, the previous hustle and bustle of the refugee camps and laughter of the citizens all gone, replaced with a tense atmosphere heralding the coming storm. No music, no performances, and not even a juggler that used to grace the sidewalks of Ocra could be seen, a stark difference from the Ocra Masir remembered. One of the few places that was crowded to the brim was the transportation centers, where wagons were overloaded with citizens stuffing their children onboard and sending them off to other cities in Versia, a last-ditch attempt before the Yual forces fully encircled Ocra. Others swarmed the post office, writing letters to their families further away in Tenar and beyond.

In the very center of Ocra was a magnificent temple dedicated to the Goddess, its arched purple lacquer rooftops curling upwards at the four edges as it towered over most of the other apartments by two stories. Despite Versia being a secular country at large, this was a time of war, causing many anxious citizens to begin to put faith in the Goddess herself. They bowed and knelt on their own blankets, bowing to a stone orb statue that was supposedly the manifestation of the Goddess Nona.

Masir's Wagon finally reached their destination - the city's military headquarters, a imposing three-storey building with its own parade square at the front, flagpoles flying the colours of Versia, its fortified walls and grilled windows showing its tenacity. Masir gingerly stepped off the wagon, led by the governor up to General Verian's office, previously used by General Javel before his resignation and migration to Raktor.

As the door closed behind Masir, the office was not luxurious at all - in fact, it looked just like the Fort's offices, with no more additional amenities, paintings, trophies, or anything of the sort a noble would have. It was in the center of this meager minimalist office where General Verian sat, her stern face adorned with glasses as she read the logistical report of the city laid out in front of her in giant handwritten accounting sheets. "Sergeant Masir, can you tell me how one wins a war?" She suddenly spoke without giving a glance over to him.

Gulping, Masir saluted immediately, his posture firm from training. "Ma'am, to win the war, one must defeat the enemy."

"And how would the defeat of that enemy be done?" General Verian pressed.

"Through... through battles and skirmishes." Masir felt uneasy at the line of questioning, wondering if something terrible was about to happen to him.

General Verian put down her glasses, reaching over to the side of the table where there was a kettle of boiled tea. "And a battle is won through strategy. Strategy is the key essence, a tug of war between two opposing sides who seek to gain an advantage over the other. Do you know why I recalled the commanders of the fort and only left a handful of men to guard the forts?"

Masir's eyes shifted uncomfortably, wondering whether he should speak the truth before he finally thought otherwise: "No, Ma'am."

"I expected as much. When Fort 4 fell, it served as a gap." General Verian explained as she placed the nozzle of the kettle over a teacup and poured the hot tea out. "But when the gap is closed-" She suddenly placed her finger, blocking the tea and ignoring the burning sensation. "Then the pressure is applied evenly all across the board, and the pressure begins to build." A small little notch at the top of the kettle began to whistle as hot air steamed out.

Masir couldn't hold back his own thoughts anymore. "The forts were built as a defensive line to protect Ocra. If we're going to abandon them at the first sign of defeat, then-"

"You still do not understand the ramifications of your defense!" General Verian suddenly roared as she slammed the kettle down onto the table, her finger jabbing toward Masir. "The gap served as a weak point for the Yual forces to focus their effort on. With them concentrating on the opening, we would be able to resupply more effectively and direct the battle! But thanks to your 'heroics,' you have now caused the Yual forces to completely encircle the city in a bid to starve us out. Now we are put on the backfoot!"

"Men are dying out there!" Masir shot back, unwilling to take it lying down anymore, not after all he had suffered through. "It doesn't matter what plan you had, not when you failed to convey it to us in the first place! We lost supplies and ammunition stolen by you!"

"To win a battle means I have to make sacrifices. I couldn't risk it. There are Ghosts and spies among your ranks, and maybe you are even one of them." General Verian glared accusingly. "Now, see what you have done. Due to your request for assistance, Fort 2 and Fort 6 were deprived of the men they needed to root out and secure the borders. With each passing day, the Yual forces are cutting out more and more supply lines, endangering our position! Do you understand just how badly you fucked up our entire defensive strategy?"

"If your defensive strategy is to let my men die in vain for a 'trap,' then no, I do not understand." Masir stood his ground, anger rising in his heart. Any thoughts of surviving or running went out of the window when he looked at the woman in front of him, responsible for all the suffering he had endured for the last few months.

"Then this is insubordination. Sergeant Masir, while you may have valiantly defended the forts, I will not tolerate any deviations in my plans. You will be incarnated in the headquarters' prison until further notice and will be tried accordingly. Guar-" General Verian was about to call when an unexpected man opened the door to her office, forcing her to immediately salute. "President Mornero, I wasn't expecting your arrival! This city is not safe, it would be better if you remained in Tenar-"

"At ease." Mornero waved his hands dismissively. "I had no choice but to come and see for myself who is, but here, I hear that you plan to imprison him?!"

"President Mornero, he has violated military doctrine and hampered execution of plans-"

"Nonsense! He's a hero and should be treated as such!" Mornero grabbed Masir's shoulder firmly with a wide smile. "The citizens need people like him - leaders of valor, bringers of hope in dark times such as this!"

Masir was utterly confused as to what was happening. Why is the President here in Ocra?!

"Arrange immediately for an award ceremony. I want all those who participated in the defense to have a military parade and all the supplies they need from the city."

"Sir, this will slow down the recovery of the field army-"

"We must reward our heroes accordingly! Otherwise who would want to defend Versia!" Mornero interjected. "Guards! Get this man changed out into a formal officer's uniform, he is now promoted to fort commander under my name."

Two guards immediately led the surprised Masir out of the office, leaving Mornero and General Verian alone in the office, General Verian already enraged at the overstepping of authority. "President, even if you have the legislative power, this is a clear infraction on the separation between military and government!"

"General Verian, I have received reports from Harrison's informants. The Counts of Kregol and Perlis are about to attack Versia as well."

"What?! We did not attack them in the first battle?"

"Unfortunately, their men and supplies were part of the military exercise and had suffered losses." Mornero sighed.

General Verian's anger dissipated as she flipped through stacks of paper, bringing out her own military plan map. "But this means-"

"Our original counterattack plan has changed, yes. The field army must retreat to Tenar immediately within the next week before we are encircled. Harrison is now delivering supplies to Ocra, and you will receive them in Tenar as well. Leave the garrison enough supplies to hold for two months or more - enough time for us to raise another army to strike back." Mornero explained.

"Then the award ceremony-"

"A mere gesture to raise the morale of the defenders. If we do not do so, then Ocra may surrender immediately to the Yual forces if the field army were to leave. This ceremony will help the people rally around Masir and have him as the hero of the defense. As long as he stands, Ocra will buy us enough time to stall the Yual invasion until our preparations are complete."

<---Chapter 128 - First Assault| Table of Contents |Chapter 130 - Defiance--->