They screamed murder!

The boggy ground separated the people in need of help and the people who give help, the latter stood straight in clean uniforms, overlooking the surrounding forest from their walls, the former stood in dirty, ragged clothes, looking down at the boggy, wet dirt. The fog was setting in, small rays of sun were still fighting their way through, yet the fight was being lost. Decisively. The two sides didn't bother to look at each other, a mutual agreement was formed to stare in silence, disbelief and grief at the body that presented to be in the middle of the field. Slowly sinking in as the wet, muddy homeland was taking it's offspring to a better place; a safer place. The silence remained, as though an unknown entity commanded it to stay. Yet the silence was broken, exactly every 3 seconds. The rumbling of the steel plates seemed to disobey this unknown entity, and tried its best to banish the silence. In between the two sides, lay two young soldiers, one was to lay in shock and the other was to lay in confidence of the success of his next actions. A weeping cry broke out, similar to the cry the soldiers of the fort have heard before, a cry full of agony and screaming for help, as though they were reliving the memories of Katowice. The only image that could be brought up in their heads was the image of a Deutsch steel plate grabbing and tearing their friends, brothers and fellow countrymen apart. Yet this cry was not to be due to the tyranny of the steel plates, this was a cry of hopelessness and the utter inability to accept the fate that was about to become to the soldiers of Kielce. The crying stopped. The silence has reintroduced itself; yet not for long. A gunshot followed the audacity of the rumbling and the weeping cry to break the silence. The young Pole who just a minute ago drilled a bullet in the back of Maximius's head, has now drilled a bullet into his own. Silence was to remain no more. The horrified citizens of Krakow; the citizens that were given hope every time just to witness it get taken away were to take no more of this joke. They didn't want hope – they didn't need it.

The culprits of all the chaos caused at Kielce were steadily moving forward in their 'Jaeger 3' steel plates. This steel plate model was infamous among the Russian ranks as a deadly mobile threat equipped with two 50 caliber machine guns; these models brought terror to infantry and steel plates alike, however, they were known to have light armor and a one-man crew which made them vulnerable to even one hit from a 65 caliber field gun. These 'Jaeger 3' steel plates were monsters in the hands of experienced pilots – and the 3rd steel plate brigade of the 23rd army of the Rhine were the veterans of combat. Their steel plates were monsters – they, were monsters.

"Sir Sterzic, 2 distinct gunshots were heard 250 meters away, estimated weapon used seems to be a mere handgun. At our current rate, the origin of the gunshot will be reached in 25 seconds."

"Affirmative private Marco. This is officer Sterzic on the brigade channel speaking. All Jaegers, prepare for combat! I need Marco and Shwarz to increase speed by 2 meters and proceed so on the right flank. Spica and Geutz, same orders for the left flank. Second-in-command officer Schnauzer increase speed by 1 meter and position yourself as reserve. Everyone to build formation around me, I'll be in the center and will also increase speed by 2 meters. Final note, do not underestimate these scum! They've taken the lives of 4 of our comrades, leave none alive and immobilize anyone who surrenders! All hail the Chancellor!"

With these bold and clear commands, Sterzic has ignited the spark in his demoralized brigade, Sterzic knew, his forces were to be eliminated if an ambush was set up. Yet he didn't care, he wanted blood – he wanted revenge. There was no going back from the tragic fate that Sterzic has just sealed himself. All the hope he had – has been put on the stakes as he was about to roll the dice.

Meanwhile panic continued to ensue in the Kielce fort. The refugees of Krakow were not willing to have their lives protected by such tyrants that have just slain their light of hope. Hope was not a word for them, not anymore. In disorderly fashion, they proceeded to run the opposite way, away from the fort – towards the rumbling; taking all their belongings and the torches that they carried through the long 3 nights (that were still somehow alight). They ran, like a flock of sheep in the presence of a herding dog. The remainder of Maximius's subordinates tried to stop them – they tried to herd them; this was no use, Pyotr tried his best but at the end of it lay in the ground as the force of 365 people was too much for him, he was trampled. His comrades shared the same fate (excluding Alexei and Misha who dropped their weapons and joined the fleeing stock). As Pyotr lay on the ground: trampled with a bleeding head injury. He whispered to the sky:

"Sorry sir. I'm sorry. Officer Maximius. I'm sorry. I couldn't, give the people. Hope…"

"What have we done… All Jaegers disengage! These were not hostiles! I repeat, these were not hostiles! All fire to be halted immediately!".

His hands are now in blood. Yet this was the norm for him, Sterzic took action in the European offensive and pacification of the Balkans. Blood wasn't something out of this world for Sterzic, blood paid his bills and blood gave him reason. Yet this blood wasn't the same as before, this blood was a curse; a curse that will follow him all the way to his deathbed. The citizens of Krakow who ran in a disorderly fashion with all their torches out were mistaken for enemy steel plates. They were to be dealt with like steel plates – they were mown down. One by one, hundreds of bodies have lost their souls just like their souls lost hope not a while ago. This was a massacre. Flies were now on a feast. None have survived. Sterzic blamed himself, not Von Kaisen for giving such vague and incompetent orders, not his subordinates who should have noticed the screams, not the refugees of Krakow for acting so mindless in the face of enemy steel plates – he only blamed himself. His anger and thirst for revenge have lead him to irrational decisions. His anger and thirst of revenge have made him a monster.

"This is officer Sterzic speaking. All units. All units to set up a defensive perimeter and bury the dead. Second-in-command Schnauzer, head to Krakow to Herr General and report our actions. Ask for his permission- ".

His voice was breaking off. Sterzic was in a state of breakdown, for the first time in his military career he began to feel like a monster of the Deutsch federation. His heart no longer beat for his fatherland. The fatherland was now beating his heart. Pain and shivers were felt all over his body.

"Ask, for his permission, ask for his permission to fall back and regroup with the army. All units proceed to act. Sterzic out."

A man entered the war with the goals of turning the tables around, little did he notice how the war turned him into a heartless, cold monster; no better than his Jaeger-3…

A long week has passed. Long enough to bury the 2 corpses outside the walls of the Kielce fort and 365 bodies on its outskirts. A mutual agreement was somehow telepathically reached between Sterzic and captain Ilyukov; latter being the commander in charge of the make-shift fort – he stood at a short 168 cm height yet possessed a deadly commanding aura. Sterzic, on the other hand, has obeyed the forest around him to provision his brigade and offer a deserved funeral to the 365 bodies. A cigarette was being smoked, by everyone from the brigade, Sterzic was never a smoker, yet the events forced him to join in. He felt the need to smoke, and his participation seemed to moralize his subordinates, as the group sat beside a campfire, rumbling was to be heard. Schnauzer was coming back with orders.

"We're wrapping up, all pilots to be ready for movement".

With a bold tone, Sterzic stood up and headed towards the rumbling sound.

"Mr. Sterzic, orders from command have been received, we are to fall back and join the ranks of the 23rd, yet our path is to be altered, a stop is to be taken a bit south from here, it is said that a small group of Russian steel plates was detected from our scout planes."

Schnauzer wasted no time in greetings, he could read the atmosphere among his brigade.

"Affirmative second-in-command Schnauzer, share the orders with the rest of the brigade and get them in the details, I need a toilet break".

With a closure to the brief conversation, orders were shared and the brigade now was in movement, the village that was to be infiltrated for a likely skirmish was Pińczów – a village that lay abandoned by its population, Sterzic took this report seriously since the village did indeed hold a valuable point which would intercept his brigade from Krakow, as he looked upon his steel plate with eyes full of disgust and hatred, he quietly whispered a sentence under his breath,

"I hate my job."

With a weak but not low morale, the 6th steel plate brigade of the 23rd army of the Rhine head out towards Pińczów.