High hopes

"This is the 2nd company, we've annihilated the Deutsch field cannon. Securing perimeter and holding down Gorna till commanded otherwise."

"Good job captain Lidkov. The 57th infantry division sent a garrison detachment. Remain in Gorna till their arrival. Afterwards proceed to reinforce our forces in Brok."

"Affirmative."

A confident start for Kiril's first orchestrated offensive. Well, partly orchestrated; it was planned to the smallest detail by Kolonov and his assistants – Kiril was only an actor on this stage… an actor with 999 puppets.

"All companies be aware, we've come across Jaeger patrols. Reporting 6 casualties for 5 Jaegers taken down."

"Affirmative 5th, keep an eye out for more."

The battalion was nearing Brok, the forests, as expected, were lightly guarded. Overall, the 43rd has taken out 25 Jaegers and quite a few field cannons along with their infantry accompaniments. Such low numbers of enemies was soothing, yet concerning. With low numbers on patrol duties, it meant heavier resistance inside the settlements. Most of his subordinates have begun to relax; 'is this what brought our armies on their knees?' 'Is this the power of the Deutsch war machine?' These young bears were patting themselves on the back for running over rogue wolves. They were yet to witness the lethality of an organized pack.

"Don't lose focus! There's more to come. Majority of the enemy forces are entrenched in the settlements. Prepare for intense combat."

Kiril could not let his men be caught off guard by the sharp canines of the Deutsch Jaegers. The battalion has divided itself into two now, as the 1st and 5th headed towards Brok and the 3rd and 4th lay hidden in the outskirts of Sadowne. An ETA of 10 minutes was given till coming into contact with the occupants of Brok.

"5th company second lieutenant reporting. Captain Krichkin has been killed. I repeat Captain Krichkin has been killed. We're suffering mounting losses from the field cannons stationed on the platforms."

"Hang in the 5th, we're suppressing the remaining forces on the bridge. I'll send a reinforcement of 20 Chaika units to your positions. Keep up the heavy fire from the bank."

"Will try our best. We're counting on you Lieutenant colonel."

A bloody firefight; The bone-white colorings of the Chaikas was all but gone in the thick layers of the enveloping muddy banks of the Bug River. With hundreds of shells and thousands of bullets exchanged every minute, the casualties on both sides accumulated. Out of the reported 200 strong garrison in Brok, 500 of the Deutsch forces were filled in every street of the small town. The distinct frequency of explosions and relentless fire from the 50-caliber guns of the Jaegers – the shrieks of the fallen were swept under the rug. Kiril couldn't hear them, he refused to hear them. Kiril along with 140 of his men were storming the bridge which was clearly not prepared for a rear attack. The well-trained forces of the Federation, however, quickly repositioned their field cannons along the northern bank of the river and relocated most of the Steel plates to the bridge, where their concentrated fire would surely prompt the Chaikas to fall back. Yet these were no ordinary sea birds flocking around – these were the imperial army's apex predators, slowly chipping away the pack's strength with their advanced weaponry. The narrow space on the bridge itself provided little mobility for both sides. This was more favorable for the Imperials as their attached cannons were perfect on assaulting chokepoints as each hit would cause more damage than that of a machine gun albeit a 50-caliber. With no room to exercise their lethal mobility, the Jaegers became sitting ducks for the hunters. The onslaught in Brok would continue for another 30 minutes. By the end of it, the 400 steel plates of the 1st and 5th company would lose 65 pilots to the 45 Jaegers and 250 infantry lost for the Federation. Victory has been achieved and the maggots were setting in. Unlike humans, they did not distinguish enemy from ally as they munched away on the dead from both sides.

Placing enough men on patrol duties and counting up the bodies of the dead personally. Lieutenant colonel Kiril Stoichenko has secured Brok. Infantry and artillery were on their way to cross the river safely. Reports from the 3rd and 4th have come in as well suffering only 4 steel plates damaged and no pilots lost. They had plenty of forces to withstand a counter-attack and thus brought some peace of mind to Kiril who otherwise would've worried of an incoming swarm of Jaegers catching the dismounted pilots off guard.

"Yes, 65 casualties. All dead. Remainder were routed. Yes, please notify the nearby patrols of their presence. Will be done. Yes, we'll head out to the rendezvous point in 40 minutes. 43rd out."

Relaying the current condition of the force to his field officer, little to no time was given to mourn the dead. In 20 minutes, the artillery will arrive. In 40 minutes, the 43rd battalion's 2nd company who got caught in a firefight with 2 platoons of Jaegers would join the bulk force and together, head towards the rendezvous point with the 36th mechanized division – consisting of a mix of Komsomol and Chaika steel plates along groups of infantry. This was a mixed battalion – a rather confused sight to most of the Imperial command. Kolonov, however, saw the efficiency of the Deutsch armies operating infantry in unison with steel plates and decided to adapt the concept. What resulted of that was a staggering drop in casualties when assaulting entrenchments and defended cities; the infantry would use the Chaikas for cover from incoming machine gun fire and the Chaikas would rely on the infantry to get swarm the trenches and get rid of field cannon teams while the Komsomols would provide distant fire support on the mobile enemy Jaegers. With all of the dead carefully taken out of their cabins and given a swift honorary salute, the 43rd technical battalion hastily assembled themselves in Sadowne and proceeded to head out southwards – towards Kaluszyn. The time was 0755 hours. The second great offensive, this time codenamed 'Little Saturn' was about to enter its 3rd hour. The 43rd battalion alone has secured the safe passage and control over the north-eastern countryside of Warsaw. The second assault on Siedlice was scheduled to begin in 2 hours and 5 minutes from the moment the 43rd has left Sadowne.

The air laid still around Brok, the forever indecisive breezes of the summer heat brought along the stench of the dead and freshened away the thick scent of oil and burnt cloth as sparks from the damages caused to the steel plate sat very well on the olive-shaded uniform. Standing atop the very cause for this daring assault – the nearest well-maintained bridge across the Bug River – Kiril couldn't help but glance in the clear light blue sky, the Prussian-blue contrasts of the lifeless Jaegers served as a great comparison between the oppressors and the defenders of the land. Those who came here looking for a refuge from poverty and for the greater future of their nation, and those oppressed through their whole lives by a tyrannical hierarchy, leaving no room for complaint, reform nor prospering. This war gave both sides meaning. The Deutsch wolves, fueled with anger and blinded by the vision of a prosperous farm on these very lands. The Russian bears, hammered and shredded by their own protectors, their self-proclaimed father of the land – these Russian bears saw through the greedy visions of the Deutsch wolves and stared directly into their cold, blood-lusting spirits. Amongst these two raging animals of the thick European forests stood Kiril. From the Belorussian province of the empire. A young boy who got conscripted into the army despite his crippling health. The war, as it turned out, served as the best medicine to him; standing on the Brok bridge, he deeply inhaled the ashes of war and the distant pleas of the dying. As he stood on the Brok bridge, he deeply inhaled the fresh harvest of the clean air, mixed with gunpowder that fueled the ashes of war and the distant pleas of the dying. As he stood on the Brok bridge, Kiril let out all the air his lungs have just recently taken in, as he used it to his pleasure and let it go, in hopes it returns into his body again. Once Siedlice, no, once Warsaw is taken, Kiril will come back to this bridge, he'll do another head count of his battalion and have all of them present, some of them headless, some of them well alive. Kiril would definitely come back to Brok, be it him alive or headless. His body would return to this small town; later to get shipped in a coffin to Belarus – to his little hometown. The 2nd Battalion has reached Sadowne, the countdown for the assault on Siedlice was soon to begin.