<END OF ACT 1> Reaper's arrival

The time was 2 AM, Sterzic was forced awake by the weird smell, strong enough that he could smell it through the sealed cupola of his Jaeger-3. Within seconds Sterzic has sobered up from the luxurious sleep that he so desperately was deprived of. Within the next 3 seconds, Sterzic has realized the grave danger from this smell. He hurriedly reached for the keys of his Jaeger-3 and had its engine roar back to life. Within the next 15 seconds, the whole brigade was awake, some due to the smell and some due to the noise of engines roaring. Noticing his brigade coming back to life, Sterzic proceeded to switch his radio to the army's radio frequency.

"This is captain Sterzic of the 6th Steel Plate brigade speaking. Anyone hearing this, immediately wake up your comrades and proceed to evacuate through the southern gates, the Imperial troops have called in missile strikes on the city, strong enough to decimate our positions. This is not a training, everyone, proceed to evacuate through the southern gates now."

The smell was familiar to Sterzic, during the Balkan campaign he managed to inhale enough of it when assaulting the backlines of enemy armies. This was the smell of just ignited missiles which were supplied in the Balkans by the Russian empire. This was to be no night shelling operation; this was a full on obliteration of the city. The smell of oil mixed with burning metal was produced immediately after launch but the strong smell could infiltrate even a sealed shut cabin of a Deutsch steel plate. Sterzic was lucky for the breezing winds of this winter so as to bring this stanching smell to Krakow. It seems that Sterzic wasn't the only one who noticed the smell, other units soon responded to his call over the radio of their proceeding evacuation. One rocket was of no trouble to an army as large as the 23rd, especially when counting in that it was spread out in the city. A strike would maximum render 2 steel plates unsafe for use. Yet the smell was strong, very strong. This was a salvo of rockets, about 7 rockets per rocket carrier, estimating the size of the 31st Imperial army, they would likely possess 15 of these carriers. A total of 105 rockets were flying to Krakow. Yet these were Sterzic's predictions, he did not know about the fact that there were 2 whole detachments of rocket carriers reinforcing the army; 20 carriers per detachment. If all carriers were to fire at once – 280 missiles were about to hit the city. They were launched approximately 2 minutes ago; the army had another minute and a half to leave the city.

"Prioritize evacuation of command and the logistical units."

"Central defense command reporting to all units, proceed with caution. Around 30 enemy steel plates are assaulting the central street alone. I repeat. Enemy assault has begun."

"Idiots… they're sacrificing their men to destroy this army. Tsk. Schnauzer, abort our evac! Everyone form up on me! Geutz, relay to Muller the order to hold position and rearguard the retreating forces. Spica, relay the same to Marius. Once done, I expect everyone to put on a fight and take as much of this Imperial scum down!"

"Affirmative!"

This was it. Sterzic's nearly decade long adventure with the army was to end here. In a cold winter night, in the rubbles of what was once a city. The same city that took lives of 4 of his subordinates. The same city that allowed him to mercilessly slaughter prisoners and soldiers alike. Only yesterday Sterzic was the beam of hope for the breakthrough from this sudden attack from the Imperial troops. Yet now Sterzic is nothing more than a brainless charging savage, knowing of his death, but eager to die with pride. His radio box has come to life – full of voices of sorrow and grief. He could hear sobs. He could hear cries. He could hear men wishing farewell to the comrades they were about to die with, the familiar voices of captain Muller and Marius. He could hear Schnauzer – letting out an irritated exhale, he feared no death, but it did irritate him that he had to die in such a God-forgotten place.

"Shit… out of all places… the gorgeous fields of France, ah, the Provençale. The mountains in the Balkans, the hot but oh so fucking beautiful desert sceneries… we have to die here? Life truly is a bitch. Isn't it, comrades?"

He could hear his men respond with a warming chuckle, as though it was a well delivered joke rather than the last words of their lieutenant. All men: Spica, Geutz, Shwarz and Marco. All of them, with different backgrounds, different stories to tell and different service time in the army. All of them were meeting death with their arms wide open. The reaper has finally caught up to them, yet they were to show no resistance to his wrath. Put down your scythe! Oh Reaper! We have been waiting for you. So, take us, hold our hands, and lead us to this place you call hell. Take us… all 6 of us…

Following the counteroffensive of the 31st and the ensuing missile barrage, Krakow was destroyed and the fields around were to bring no harvest for the next 20 years at least. The 23rd Army of the Rhine has lost over 75% of its personnel in the missile barrage and the ensuing attacks from the tailing 31st Imperial army of Saint Petersburg. The whole frontline in the eastern theater witnessed similar incidents… out of the 6 armies, 12 million infantry and 900 steel plates – a grand total of 8 million men and 340 steel plates were lost in the counteroffensive alone. 4 armies were rendered wiped. Von Kaisen would go on to survive this sudden counterattack. He along with the other 5 generals and Von Schlieffen – the grand general in charge of the eastern front were to be the scapegoats for the Deutsch public to blame for the losses. From this point, the tides of war would change. The federation had to negotiate the alliance with the Scandinavian Republic on their terms and also ally themselves with the Sino-Japanese Empire. Completely losing their influence in Malaya. The Federation was in dire need of help to not lose this war. And following the next 3 months after finishing all the hastily negotiated treaties, the federation now had an ally to fight the empire on its eastern front and another ally to aid their technological prowess and fulfill the losses witnessed in the 4-month disaster of an offensive in the Russian Empire. The Federation has lost a battle. No, the Federation has lost a whole front. But the war was not over. The war would rage on, for 5 more years, for a decade, for a century – if need be.

END OF ACT I