First Light of a New Age

Chapter 174: Operation Freedom

Second Civilization Zone, Europe, Deutsches Reich, Germany, Berlin.

4th Year of a New Age, Wednesday, 4th Week, 9th Month of John.

The Reich soldier stood shoulder to shoulder with tens of thousands of his comrades, packed tightly along the defensive lines like a wall of gray steel and flesh. 

The autumn wind cut across Berlin with a bitter chill, but the cold that settled in his chest had little to do with weather, it came from the fear he dared not show.

Tanks and artillery were positioned in rows behind the trenches, pointing their barrels with Robotic units standing idly in silence, awaiting orders and the banners of the Reich fluttered in the harsh wind and against the endless gray sky of Berlin.

Now, the capital was no city at all and became a fortress.

The news had arrived only yesterday, and it had spread into the frontlines like wildfire through the ranks. France was gone. Italy, gone. Poland, gone. Entire nations had been occupied in hours by the Austronesians’ new kind of Blitzkrieg, which seemed faster than anything the Reich had ever seen.

Recently, they heard fresh reports which confirmed that a rapid Austronesian offensive of 10,000 troops from the conquered territories surrounding them were now advancing directly toward Berlin with terrifying speed.

The speed of their march was unnatural, as if the distance itself bent before them.

Among the soldiers, the word “unstoppable” was spoken in hushed tones, passed from one man to the next like a curse. And so Berlin, the heart of the Deutsches Reich, waited for the hammer to fall.

The soldier adjusted his rifle in clammy hands. His name was Kurt Albrecht, though here in the trenches names meant little. In truth, they were all the same and simply “Reich soldiers” in gray faceless and replaceable bodies to be thrown against the tide.

Around him, comrades tried to smother their dread with false bravado.

But they knew the inevitable 

“Why… why do our leaders keep messing this shit up,” one of the soldiers whispered very quietly, afraid that any commander or their leader could hear his words.

“It’s okay, men. They won’t take Berlin,” one muttered, forcing a grin. “The Reich’s never fallen. We are an unstoppable empire that has occupied the entire continent of Europe since World War 3.”

“Indeed,” another added quickly but his voice appeared trembling beneath his pride. “And with the new bomb that the one our engineers built… we’ll freeze them where they stand!”

Kurt swallowed hard. The bomb. He had heard the rumors that the Reich and with help from their vampire allies had forged a weapon of ice magic condensed into warheads, engines of frost capable of turning whole battlefields into frozen wastelands. 

It was their miracle weapon, their last chance and the blade on which helped their survival.

Then suddenly…

“Fire!”

A klaxon wailed, and the order came down the line. 

Swoosh!

Everyone craned their necks as the launchers roared to life. White-blue contrails streaked into the sky, glowing like spears of winter light that were fired into the heavens.

The ice bombs ascended into the clouds, and for a moment, the sight was beautiful and terrifying, but beautiful.

Kurt had seen their power before, though never with his own eyes. Drone footage showed a single detonation freezing an entire enemy robot squad, the one called Men of Stone that were now encased in crystal ice and locked in place like statues.