"We have three heavies attacking down the centre and four on each flank." Corporal Mann yelled.
"1/4, 1/1, can you cover the left?" She called over the radio.
"1/1, I have a whole set of rats sneaking over the hill, unable sorry."
"Roger, 1/4, Terry what's our status?"
"We are good, just light rounds pinging off the armour."
"Take the lead tank now."
"Targeting, locked, fire." There was a loud 'Crump' as the main gun fired. Cornwall watched the round through the periscope, it smashed into the enemy tank right where the turret meets the main body. The explosion was huge and when the smoke cleared, there was two pieces where the Leviathan used to be. It was a one in a million shot, and the other guy had the bad luck of being on the wrong end of the odds.
"1/6, 1/1, what's your status?"
"1/1, 1/6, I have 1/8 hull down in a tank trap and he is well and truly stuck." Came the harried reply.
"Can you cover him, 1/6?"
"Doing my best Skipper, but the baddies are making everything so much harder than it needs to be." Cornwall smiled at the humour that her people used even in the darkest of times. She was just about to reply when a massive explosion threw dirt and detritus into the air. It was the tank trap that 1/8 was stuck in. The Leviathan would survive easily, but the shock from the explosion would kill the crew instantly. She watched as the smoke cleared and she saw that the tank was laying on its side and there was no indications of any survivors getting out of the wreck.
"1/8, 1/1. Respond. 1/8, this is Cornwall. Answer me Hale."
"They're dead Skipper, we need you to focus on the bad guys right now." Mann called across the turret space. "Come on, we are in deep water here."
"Yep, sorry, 1/3, 4 and 5, target the next bad guy in line, I want a triple team on his turret, Armour Piercing." She watched the next tank in line moving fast, her guys took a moment then fired, the rounds all smashed into the turret at almost the same instant. The result was one very dead tank, it was like the enemy were fighting individually, instead of as a team. They should all know that the turret couldn't take the same punishment as the Hull.
"Skipper we have another four coming over the hillock."
"2nd Squad where are you?"
"Coming up on your sweet little arse." Came the reply. Cornwall groaned, how was it that the man could make her feel violated in the middle of a battle. The man in question was Captain Xavier Glassmann, the only man that she had ever seen as more than a comrade, but as usual her radar was skewed by the smooth lines of a man interested in her. Glassmann had turned out to be a world class Arsehole and an even bigger slut.
"Alright Bumper, cover the right flank and tie up the new comers, we are holding the left."
"Roger Skipper." He replied, he had his big boy soldier pants on now, and he was almost as capable as herself as a tank commander. She shifted her focus to the five remaining Leviathans on her left flank, Mann had been handing out the targeting while she dealt with the right flank.
"All units, HE rounds at their tracks, we will have the advantage if we can immobilise them.
"1/5, 1/1, status?" no response was forthcoming. "1/5, 1/1, Status?"
"1/1, 1/5." The voice was strained. "Heavy armour damage, driver is had it, front drives inoperable, main targeting unit is fried and EMPG has seized." He started coughing before the channel went dead. Cornwall looked through the periscope for 1/5, finding the tank just in time to see it hit by two more shells causing it to explode massively. Cornwall inhaled sharply as she watched her people killed, this was a mess, and the bad guys were getting close.
"Terry, what's our status?"
"We are at fifty percent on AP (armour piercing), fifty five of HE (High explosive), and sixty three on sabot (Shape charge) rounds."
"Ok, Goldilocks Lead to all units, double team each of the Loyalist Forces and bring the rain." She ordered, they couldn't keep taking losses at the rate they were, but they had to be careful not to accidently target their own in such a confused battle ground. For the next fifteen minutes, the Loyalist Tanks were hammered by the Royalist forces.
The battle was made all the more difficult with the Loyalist Forces smothering the skies with Reapers, Hammers and anything they could get into the sky. The kill ratio was sickening, the Loyalist pilots were almost terrible and the Royalist fighters were knocking them down at a rate of six to one. There were streams of smoke trailing through the sky as far as the eye could see, with planes being shot down, or exploding mid-air. It was carnage across the board, finally the last three Loyalist tanks were hit by Hammer-Fist fighter bombers that had broken free of the melee in the sky. It was now time to count the cost of this battle, the butcher's bill would be high, Cornwall knew it, but she forced the bile down and opened the hatch and surveyed the area. Two units had been destroyed killing all on board, but there would other damage that needed to be assessed and reconciled.
"Papa Bear, Papa Bear, Goldilocks 1/1, please send up the repair crews and the medics. At least two units destroyed, no survivors, no further accounting completed, Goldilocks1/1, out."
Gwen stood at the airfield wondering what was going on, Arthur had told her to be ready to depart for a series of high level meetings, by sixteen hundred. Well it was ten minutes past that now and the Prince was nowhere to be seen. They had grown very close over the past few months and she was starting to think that this was it. But Arthur being a typical man, had given no indications of his feelings and she was beginning to wonder if he even had feelings for her. After the initial shock of being dragged away from her studies to advise the future King, she had started to see the man that was to be King. He was handsome, of that there was no doubt, he was very intelligent and intimidated her on occasion with his grasp of politics and the need for diplomatic allies in this war.
But he was also a little boy that felt that he needed to play soldier just to make sure everyone liked him. To be fair, the soldiers needed to know that their future King understood their plight and was not afraid to put himself in the same fox hole that they cowered in as heavy artillery rained down like a thunder storm. It was just that she was so scared of losing him so soon after finding him, it would be the ultimate in heartbreaks. But he always came back from battle in the same condition he left, so she thanked God and went on with the tasks at hand. But she was rapidly becoming angry at him for leaving her standing on the edge of a cold, wet runway, with no umbrella. Sometimes, men were just plain dicks, she mused and made herself smile despite the wet hair and the slowly soaking clothes.
The car came tearing down the approach road and screeched to a halt in front of her. The back door flew open and Arthur rushed out with an umbrella in hand, and a very contrite look on his face.
"My apologies, Gwen, the car slid off the road and it took a few minutes to get it back on the road." He explained, his words tumbling out like a water fall. She smiled, she could see that he was truly upset he was late and felt bad she was wet and cold.
"Well at least you weren't hurt." She replied happily. She had to admit there was a sudden skip to her heart when he said there was an accident.
"Come, we are a bit late and I want to get you out of the cold." They stepped back in the car and it sped off to the nearest hanger.
"Where are we going, Arthur?" She asked.
"Just a couple of meetings I need to attend, we will be gone a day or two, I took the liberty of having a small bag packed for you." She groaned, God knew what she would find in the case he had packed.
The car entered the hanger and drove around to the passenger door of the massive R10 transport that was reconfigured for Arthurs use. Inside it was lovely and warm and there was a steward with a towel and hot tea and coffee. She excused herself and went to the small cabin she usually used when they were on long trips in the massive plane. Twenty minutes later she emerged after drying her hair and drying her clothes with a small spell that had saved her from quite a few potentially cold wet lectures at the academy. Arthur smiled as she sat down and then went straight back to the file that he was perusing.
The war was at a finely balanced point and the next few weeks would tell which way the coin would fall. She knew that the Royalist forces had beaten back the Loyalists on most fronts, but there were vital avenues that were still blocked by very stubborn resistance from Harold's forces. Arthur had been agonising over the number of his troops that had been killed in the actions thus far, he took every death personally. She had no idea how he was able to keep doing it and leading the Royalists at the same time. She worried he would crack under the pressure at any moment, but he continued to be the beacon that his troops needed, often appearing in the middle of a battle to rally flagging confidence and leading a counter attack that would break the enemy hold.
She saw that he was deeply involved in the reports he had, so she decided to sit back and maybe grab a couple of minutes sleep, she had been on the front foot for as long as Arthur and she was wearing down as well, but she understood that her pressures were nothing in comparison to the Princes. As she closed her eyes she watched the strong masculine features of the Prince and smiled to herself. He was a beautiful man, and who knew, when the war was over, maybe he might notice her in the way that men do when a beautiful woman walks past. The sleep over took her and she settled into a blissful and fitful sleep.
Arthur looked over the edge of the papers he was reading and watched Guinevere sleep, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He hoped that he featured in there somewhere, they were as close as two people could be without being involved. He didn't know why, but every time she walked in to a room, his heart leapt and his mood improved five hundred percent. Then there were the dreams of her on his arm as he ascended the staircase to the twin thrones on the dais. He was quite thrown after the dream the first time, but as time went on and the dream occurred more and more, he knew it was his deep self telling him to stop screwing around and make the right choice. He knew that she was the right choice, it was just something that he knew in his heart and soul.
Four hours later, the big transport banked and lined up for the runway in the distance. There was no rain here and the night was awash with stars and you could see the Milky Way clearly. It was a perfect night, not cold but far from hot, and there was a very light cool breeze drifting across the airport. The bump as the wheels touched down made Guinevere jump as she woke with a start.
"Are we there?" She asked.
"We are indeed, are you well rested, I have a feeling tonight could be a very long night. I would hate to think you are too tired." He asked neutrally.
"Yes, I slept very well, although the chairs do not lend themselves to sleeping very well. Arthur smiled and packed away the paperwork he had been diligently ploughing through for the entire flight.
"I think that we might get some dinner before we start any meetings, are you hungry?"
"I would definitely not oppose that idea, Arthur. Where are we anyway?"
"Just outside Paris, so any preference?" He asked. Her mind spun for a moment as she digested the fact that they were near her favourite city, in the whole wide world.
"I would be happy with where ever you decide, I love Paris and I am sure that any restaurant would be perfect."
destroyed killing all on board, but there would other damage that needed to be assessed and reconciled.
"Papa Bear, Papa Bear, Goldilocks 1/1, please send up the repair crews and the medics. At least two units destroyed, no survivors, no further accounting completed, Goldilocks1/1, out."
******
Gwen stood at the airfield wondering what was going on, Arthur had told her to be ready to depart for a series of high level meetings, by sixteen hundred. Well it was ten minutes past that now and the Prince was nowhere to be seen. They had grown very close over the past few months and she was starting to think that this was it. But Arthur being a typical man, had given no indications of his feelings and she was beginning to wonder if he even had feelings for her. After the initial shock of being dragged away from her studies to advise the future King, she had started to see the man that was to be King. He was handsome, of that there was no doubt, he was very intelligent and intimidated her on occasion with his grasp of politics and the need for diplomatic allies in this war.
But he was also a little boy that felt that he needed to play soldier just to make sure everyone liked him. To be fair, the soldiers needed to know that their future King understood their plight and was not afraid to put himself in the same fox hole that they cowered in as heavy artillery rained down like a thunder storm. It was just that she was so scared of losing him so soon after finding him, it would be the ultimate in heartbreaks. But he always came back from battle in the same condition he left, so she thanked God and went on with the tasks at hand. But she was rapidly becoming angry at him for leaving her standing on the edge of a cold, wet runway, with no umbrella. Sometimes, men were just plain dicks, she mused and made herself smile despite the wet hair and the slowly soaking clothes.
The car came tearing down the approach road and screeched to a halt in front of her. The back door flew open and Arthur rushed out with an umbrella in hand, and a very contrite look on his face.
"My apologies, Gwen, the car slid off the road and it took a few minutes to get it back on the road." He explained, his words tumbling out like a water fall. She smiled, she could see that he was truly upset he was late and felt bad she was wet and cold.
"Well at least you weren't hurt." She replied happily. She had to admit there was a sudden skip to her heart when he said there was an accident.
"Come, we are a bit late and I want to get you out of the cold." They stepped back in the car and it sped off to the nearest hanger.
"Where are we going, Arthur?" She asked.
"Just a couple of meetings I need to attend, we will be gone a day or two, I took the liberty of having a small bag packed for you." She groaned, God knew what she would find in the case he had packed.
The car entered the hanger and drove around to the passenger door of the massive R10 transport that was reconfigured for Arthurs use. Inside it was lovely and warm and there was a steward with a towel and hot tea and coffee. She excused herself and went to the small cabin she usually used when they were on long trips in the massive plane. Twenty minutes later she emerged after drying her hair and drying her clothes with a small spell that had saved her from quite a few potentially cold wet lectures at the academy. Arthur smiled as she sat down and then went straight back to the file that he was perusing.
The war was at a finely balanced point and the next few weeks would tell which way the coin would fall. She knew that the Royalist forces had beaten back the Loyalists on most fronts, but there were vital avenues that were still blocked by very stubborn resistance from Harold's forces. Arthur had been agonising over the number of his troops that had been killed in the actions thus far, he took every death personally. She had no idea how he was able to keep doing it and leading the Royalists at the same time. She worried he would crack under the pressure at any moment, but he continued to be the beacon that his troops needed, often appearing in the middle of a battle to rally flagging confidence and leading a counter attack that would break the enemy hold.
She saw that he was deeply involved in the reports he had, so she decided to sit back and maybe grab a couple of minutes sleep, she had been on the front foot for as long as Arthur and she was wearing down as well, but she understood that her pressures were nothing in comparison to the Princes. As she closed her eyes she watched the strong masculine features of the Prince and smiled to herself. He was a beautiful man, and who knew, when the war was over, maybe he might notice her in the way that men do when a beautiful woman walks past. The sleep over took her and she settled into a blissful and fitful sleep.
Arthur looked over the edge of the papers he was reading and watched Guinevere sleep, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He wondered what she was dreaming about. He hoped that he featured in there somewhere, they were as close as two people could be without being involved. He didn't know why, but every time she walked in to a room, his heart leapt and his mood improved five hundred percent. Then there were the dreams of her on his arm as he ascended the staircase to the twin thrones on the dais. He was quite thrown after the dream the first time, but as time went on and the dream occurred more and more, he knew it was his deep self telling him to stop screwing around and make the right choice. He knew that she was the right choice, it was just something that he knew in his heart and soul.
Four hours later, the big transport banked and lined up for the runway in the distance. There was no rain here and the night was awash with stars and you could see the Milky Way clearly. It was a perfect night, not cold but far from hot, and there was a very light cool breeze drifting across the airport. The bump as the wheels touched down made Guinevere jump as she woke with a start.
"Are we there?" She asked.
"We are indeed, are you well rested, I have a feeling tonight could be a very long night. I would hate to think you are too tired." He asked neutrally.
"Yes, I slept very well, although the chairs do not lend themselves to sleeping very well. Arthur smiled and packed away the paperwork he had been diligently ploughing through for the entire flight.
"I think that we might get some dinner before we start any meetings, are you hungry?"
"I would definitely not oppose that idea, Arthur. Where are we anyway?"
"Just outside Paris, so any preference?" He asked. Her mind spun for a moment as she digested the fact that they were near her favourite city, in the whole wide world.
"I would be happy with where ever you decide, I love Paris and I am sure that any restaurant would be perfect."