Duty of the National Defense Forces Officer Corps: Episode 6 (128/225)
If the Marshal himself decided to lead the new weapon straight into battle, there was nothing his subordinates could do to change it. At best, one staff officer's plea that "the soldiers should at least learn the basics of operating the new weapon" managed to tie down Kaif Bayern for a short while. But it was just that—a fleeting moment.
Kaif figured that having them spin their wheels for a few hours while pitting this new beast, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Tank, against the premium heavy tank, the Tiger, would give some idea of its performance. And the results were nothing short of astonishing.
"The Tiger, famed for smashing every tank in its path, couldn't even scratch the T-Rex's armor with point-blank fire, and that impenetrable fortress of armor was shattered to pieces by the T-Rex's secondary cannon, not even its main gun... Yes, this proves the T-Rex's superiority!"
Just as Kaif prepared to charge into battle with the T-Rex, the staff officers grabbed him again, citing every excuse in the book. If anything happened to him, they'd be the ones left exhausted, so it was an unavoidable choice.
What, you say the performance is great, but the soldiers aren't familiar enough with the controls to deploy right away? According to Kaldir Astra, the interior was designed based on Tiger controls—how hard could it be to get used to? Frustrated by the foot-dragging, Kaif climbed aboard the T-Rex himself, twisted it this way and that, and blasted the main gun at a practice target.
The result? He put on a full display as the super ace of tank warfare. Famous from his youth as a monster who soloed over a hundred enemy tanks in a single sortie, Kaif hadn't completely lost that fire—even now, for the Marshal's sake, he flew anti-air missions in a Tiger with its tank gun and racked up over ten fighter kill marks.
"Hmph, even at my age, I haven't forgotten the tank controls I learned as a private. Are you telling me our army's tank aces can't handle this? This commander is truly disappointed in you all!"
To put it more bluntly in the language he used: You guys messing around? Even I, the deputy commander, have been using skills I learned decades ago, and you can't? If you're really saying you can't, I'll drill you until you can?
Decision made—now all that was left was to head to the front, slaughter the Lucid bastards, hang their heads from spears on the tanks, and return in triumph. Ah, beating Tigers in tank duels and with the Marshal's demonstration? Fair enough... Hehehe! At that point, the staff could no longer keep him at base.
"Alright, men. We're off! But no need to tense up. Just like always—crush the Lucid scum, grind their corpses under this massive steel beast until no trace remains, lop off the enemy commander's head, skewer it on a spear, and march home victorious! What could be easier? Death to those filthy Lucid dogs! Los, los, los! (Forward, forward, forward!)"
Rumble... grrrumble... After the Marshal's stirring speech, a division's worth of T-Rex tanks revved their engines, shaking the ground as they rolled out. According to Kaldir, they used semi-gravity energy vents instead of tracks, hovering slightly off the ground—but with that many, the earth was bound to quake anyway.
Behind the grimly advancing T-Rexes came armored cars carrying infantry in reinforced suits and laser rifles: a pack of Pumas. Officially classified as armored cars per their creator Kaldir's whim, but made of Atlanium, they might outdo their name and win tank fights against Lucid forces. They'd find out in combat.
A formation of T-Rexes and Pumas boarded a waiting warp ship—originally bound elsewhere, but requisitioned by the Marshal's authority for transport—and headed straight for the planet where Lucid occupation forces and Atlantis National Defense Forces were locked in fierce battle.
Stepping off the transport, the first sight was villages reduced to ash heaps amid artillery barrages. The ruins hinted at the lives once lived there, a grim partial glimpse of war's horrors. This planet, rightful Atlantis territory, what had it looked like before the war? What stories did it hold?
Unable to contain his boiling blood, the berserker—no, Kaif—aboard his T-Rex paused solemnly before the endless village ruins. But as a soldier, he had no time to grieve. The battlefield called.
Tearing his gaze from what looked like corpses, he met the division commander leading local forces and received a report. Despite the unannounced visit from the Marshal, it was detailed enough to satisfy him. But toward the end, as the Marshal's brow furrowed, the mere division commander was powerless to fix it.
"According to your report... the Lucid scum only invaded this planet relatively recently, right? And in that short time, so many villages lie in ruins? What happened to the people living there?"
"I-I'm sorry, sir... We didn't have enough t-time to evacuate all the c-civilians..."
The division commander, who had failed to stop the Lucid landing attempt and couldn't drive them back into space, wasting time in a stalemate, confessed before the Marshal. But dragging a commander from battle wasn't feasible, so Kaif let it slide.
Once a planet lets enemies land, the only option is to smash the beachhead as fast as possible. And luckily, the Defense Forces had been gifted weapons far superior to their old gear. Not a bad spot for a debut—not perfect conditions, but workable.
A glorious debut for the T-Rex tanks and Puma cars. Kaldir, the designer and maker, must be bursting with pride that the Marshal personally tested her creation. Engineers, gearheads—whatever—they all melt for those who appreciate their work.
"What's your division's attrition rate? 20%? 30%? If you can't hold, retreat to a safe line at your discretion. I'll handle the rest personally."
After hearing the full report, Kaif's decision was simple: "Advance!" To troops worn down by endless fighting, it was like rain in a drought—they could finally retreat safely and rest.
The disciple of "Lion of Defense" Grozny, the berserker Kaif, had descended on the planet! Word spread like wildfire across the battlefield, igniting hope in exhausted soldiers and ensuring an orderly withdrawal without panic. In contrast, the Lucid lines facing him erupted in chaos.
"Fuck, the Marshal's actually grabbing the controls and coming himself? Wasn't that all bullshit? Fuck, fuck, fuck! No wonder the landing felt too easy—it was a trap!"
"Where the hell were our intel guys? Didn't they report the Marshal was coming? Jerking off in some corner?"
To the Lucid troops, Kaif's image was this: That bastard drives around with a huge banner and the Marshal's flag screaming "Shoot me if you can," so unless you're suicidal, run! Our forces outnumber his ten-to-one? Fuck that, ten times ain't enough—run while you can!
Boom! Boom! Boom! As the orderly retreat continued, Kaif's fresh armored division opened fire. Alpha models with laser cannons or beta with standard guns, every T-Rex shot obliterated some painstaking Lucid construct.
Bunkers the Lucids built to dig in after landing, carefree aircraft strolling the skies without AA fire, light tanks thrilled for action against a local Atlantis division lacking heavies like Tigers... All became T-Rex prey.
Steel beasts emblazoned with bold iron crosses on their turrets lived up to their tyrant lizard name, chomping through victory-drunk herbivores in relentless advance. Lucid soldiers scattered in panic before the sudden tyrants. But the T-Rex pack seemed even faster than their flight.
"We're fucked! That damn Kaif's here! Run!"
Calling the enemy commander "damn" was unwitting highest praise, but they had no time to realize—they were too busy fleeing one more step.
"What? You said this planet was ours any minute...! Screw it, I'm running too!"
"Hey, if the machine gunner runs, what about our squad?! M-Me too...!"
Already morale-bottomed after being dragooned from their homeland, the Lucids dropped weapons and bolted at the mere rumor of Kaif. NCOs, officers, and MPs meant to stop them had long fled.
Even generals, hearing his name, panicked and escaped with cronies. No trace remained of the heroes who boasted upon landing, "As invincible Imperial troops, this is child's play!"
Kaif, cruising with his Marshal flag flapping as usual, noticed the massive Lucid disarray and puzzled. Looks like... before we even test the T-Rex fully, more of them will trample each other fleeing than we kill...
No will to fight, just run? Truly honorless scum. Fine, I'll gladly crush them. Not one spared!