Crystalline Universe: Team Fortress 2 Overwatch - Volume 3: Crystalline Universe: Bloodline's Curse Chapter 81 The Other Sides Of The War
NOTE: doesn’t allow stars () in front of my titles anymore so from now on, I’ll mark the fully updated chapters with another type of star () and the chapters without a star will be updated in the future.
City of Stryi, Ukraine, 119 km behind the frontline.
[Blitztrooper] – “Bewege es! Mach weiter so! Schneller! ” (Move it! Keep the line going! Faster!)
The huge line full of men, women and elder numbering around 500 moved escorted by soldiers of the XX toward an empty field outside of the city. Each dirty, starving and in a poor health condition as they marched against their will toward their impending fate.
Suddenly, the line came to a halt as the prisoners heard the sound of a firearm behind them.
[Blitztrooper] – “Nichts zu sehen, dieser war mde. ” (Nothing to see, this one was tired)
[Blitztrooper lieutenant] – “Zum Teufel schaut ihr alle zu? Bleib in Bewegung! ” (The f.u.c.k are you all watching? Keep moving!)
The captives turned their head away from the dead man shot on the floor and kept walking toward the field. As the group moved forward, a few men sobbed silently inside the line while others acted as they did see them.
Inside one of the hotel, Darlynn attached her armour chest plate tightly around her chest before putting her helmet on. Azur exited the bathroom without a single piece of armour on her, instead, she’s in her usual popstar style dress.
[Darlynn] – “What are you doing? Where is your armour? ”
[Azur] – “I don’t need it, I’ll have my mask and it should do the job. ”
[Darlynn] – “This is serious! You can’t go around dressed like this in the military! ”
[Azur] – “Who said I can’t, miss aristocrat? ”
[Darlynn] – “You’ll foil our plan! We need to- ”
[Azur] – “Time’s running, let’s go! ”
Azur stepped out of the hotel chamber before Darlynn followed her in a hurry.
[Darlynn] – “You’re mad! This is madness! I shouldn’t have brought you here with me! ”
[Azur] – “Look, I hate those armour, they are heavy and they smell after wearing them for too long. ”
[Darlynn] – “You have to look formal- ”
[Azur] – “Formal and dumb. ”
The two quickly descended the stairs and walked out of the hotel to join up with the escorting soldiers.
On the field, the prisoners were forced to dig trenches like pits which extend over a few hundred metres. Meanwhile, the soldiers polished their weapons and tested their machineguns all the while keeping a watchful eye on the inmates.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Darlynn Mann, Henker der zweiten Klasse mit, hm… Azur Ameri, Henker der dritten Klasse. ” (Darlynn Mann, Executioner of Second class with, um… Azur Ameri, Executioner of Third class.)
[Darlynn] – “bejahend, Leutnant, wir inspizieren die Truppen. ” (affirmative, lieutenant, we’re inspecting the troops.)
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Ah ja, Sie werden mit der Effizienz unserer Mnner zufrieden sein. Auerdem mssen Sie Ihren Freund wegen Verstoes gegen die Kleiderordnung melden. ” (Ah, yes, you will be pleased with the efficiency of our men. Also, I suppose you need to report your friend for violation of the dress code.)
Darlynn glanced in frustration at Azur before turning her embarrassingly toward the lieutenant.
[Darlynn] (in an embarrassed tone) – “Haha, ja, das werde ich sicher tun. ” (Haha, yes, I will do that for sure.)
As soon as the trenches were dug up, the lieutenant ordered his men to line up the prisoners in front of the trenches. The executions began, and as Darlynn watched, the secret camera inside her visor recorded the event in full details and colour.
In the war room, Sniper and his generals planned the next steps of the battle of Warsaw. The Judge and Mazzatello sat in a separate table beside the main meeting as their troops were not involved in the upcoming offensive. Segreto also sat with them since the Judge allowed him to oversee the discussion.
[The Judge] – “This battle must have been the biggest pain in the ass I ever faced in my military career. ”
[Segreto] – “Tell me about it! When I saw the number of causalities, I thought it wasn’t for the battle but for the entire war. ”
[Mazzatello] – “We can’t break the enemy’s main defensive perimeter. We’ve lost 4 divisions of XX elite Blitztroopers just trying to break one hold out point. ”
[The Judge] – “We need fresh new minds! This war has tired us, the old officers, out so much that we can’t even think straight. ”
[Mazzatello] – “I heard you were a good strategist, Segreto. The Judge told me you helped him plan the successful breakout of a trapped army inside an Allied encirclement. ”
Segreto, being Mike behind a mask, was the Admiral of his personal fleet prior to his betrail of Sniper and Talon so, naturally, he knows how to organize battles and plan strategies.
[Segreto] – “Look, my friends, if I were in your position, I would have used those new Panzer-26X for other purposes than field combat. ”
[The Judge] – “Huh? What use do you mean by that? ”
[Segreto] – “I’m talking about a new type of doctrine. With the Allied holdout, Blitzkrieg-2 that you all used won’t be of use since they have fortified shielded ground positions. War of movement is useless, you need a war of infiltration. ”
[Mazzatello] – “What are you suggesting? ”
[Segreto] – “Equip those tanks with the new EMP drill, since they have a stealth system, they can go inside shield without fear of detection. Then, each tank will wreak havoc inside enemy positions after which your organized army can easily beat a disorganized enemy. ”
[Mazzatello] – “This is quite a weird way to battle… ”
[The Judge] – “But I believe it could give a satisfying result. At this point, I’m open to all suggestions, even ones like this. ”
[Segreto] – “I’m glad you liked it. ”
[The Judge] – “I will propose this at my next staff meeting. ”
[Segreto] – “The battle could be won before our blood is spilled. ”
Meanwhile, an officer approached the planning table with the intention of pointing an attack point to Sniper. But in reality, he discreetly put a small suitcase below the map table, right in front of Sniper’s feet. The officer was nervous as he backed off after explaining his point to Sniper.
Segreto was the only one who noticed the unusual officer sneaking something under the table. He bent down and observed the mysterious object under the table and quickly realized what exactly was in that suitcase.
Silently, Segreto excused himself and walked toward the conference table while trying to be sneaky as possible to prevent the officer from seeing him. But just as he approached the table, the officer noticed him and started to walk toward the exit. Without hesitation, Segreto ran toward the man and jumped on him. After a short struggle, the man broke free and exited the room in a hurry.
[Segreto] – “There is a bomb under the table! ”
Outside, the officer pressed on the switch which detonated the bomb hidden in the suitcase. Sniper, in a calm demeanour, used his ability to contain the explosion in the suitcase.
[Sniper] – “Mazzatello, catch the man, will you? ”
[Mazzatello] (in a nervous tone) – “Yes, my lord. ”
[The Judge] – “Impossible, a security breach, a traitor amongst us! ”
[Sniper] – “The meeting is over, I want mister Segreto, mister Xavier of the Talon security bureau to stay. ”
All the generals and staff members left the room in a hurry and without delay as they all felt the emperor’s wrath. At the exact moment when the last officer left the room, Xavier’s knees dropped to the ground. His face was so pale that it was almost white, his hands shook like crazy as he stared at lord Sniper with eyes filled with tears.
Sniper stared at him without a word before suddenly pulling his face into the fireball caused by the explosion. Segreto watched as the man fell to the ground with half of his head missing.
[Sniper] – “Now that we are clear of garbage, I want to address something of actual importance. ”
Segreto stayed quiet as he stared right into Sniper’s eyes. The two sworn enemies were face to face, except, it wasn’t time for them to have their final duel yet. Every of Mike’s pains started with this man, every single ounce of hate is caused by him but he will solve this conflict one day when the time is right and when his mind is at peace.
[Segreto] – “Which affairs do you wish to address, my lord? ”
[Sniper] – “I need a new chief of Talon’s security. Would you be interested? ”
[Segreto] – “It would be my pleasure to serve. ”
[Sniper] – “Good, so it will be then. ”
Sniper slowly marched away from Segreto with the contained explosion but he was suddenly stopped by Segreto’s voice.
[Segreto] – “Do you believe Mike could have been the man behind this attack? ”
[Sniper] – “Animals remain savages but men will always face justice. For every dirty deed a man commits, he will face an uglier future. Mike, he will bleed, bleed until there is no more left to him than pity. ”
[Segreto] – “The man with the most bloodshed on his hand will one day find his own blood amongst the red sea. A sinful man can still repent but a devil will always burn in hell. He will bleed, bleed for an eternity. ”
Segreto and Sniper stared stiffly at each other in silence, each trying to read the other’s mind.
[Sniper] – “Heh! I like you. Be loyal, be dutiful, be obedient and you will be rewarded. ”
[Segreto] – “The “message” is clear, you won’t need to worry about it not being respected… my lord. ”
Sniper didn’t realize that Segreto’s version of “the message” wasn’t to obey him but to apply his statement before it. All this time, Sniper and his men didn’t doubt his true identity, he managed to fool everyone behind his disguise.
[Sniper] – “Very well, dismiss! ”
Mike planted himself, the seed of revenge, deep into the Sniper’s foundation. Every day, he grows stronger. Plant roots have the energy to prop up the strong asphalt road and even shatter the hardest of rocks.
The first wave of men was lined up and shot by soldiers armed with machine guns. Their bodies filled the bottom of the pits they dug earlier while smoke from their wounds propagated through the air.
Darlynn closed her eyes as the corpses dropped down but Azur watched without blinking. Soon after, Azur turned her eyes away from the scene with signs of nausea. The officer stared at Azur with unease the longer she spends around the field and finally, the man snapped and turned toward Darlynn.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Warum hat sich dein Freund so angezogen? ” (Why did your friend chose to dress like that?)
[Darlynn] (in a nervous voice) – “Oh, meine Freundin… ihre Rstung hat einige schwere Verletzungen erlitten… ” (Oh, my friend… her armour sustained some grievous injuries…)
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Oh ja? Ich habe das Gefhl, sie verspottet uns. Sie denkt, sie ist Anders, nicht wahr? ” (Oh yeah? I feel like she’s mocking us. She thinks she’s different doesn’t she?)
[Darlynn] – “Nein, nein, meine Freundin, sie wollte nicht… ” (No, no, my friend, she didn’t mean to…)
[Azur] – “And what? You say that you feel insulted because I dressed like this at your formal murder ceremony, herr swastika? ”
Azur advanced toward the man and accompanied by a menacing stare, she carelessly spat in from of the lieutenant.
[Azur] – “Now, watch me show disrespect to you and your platoon of fancy costumes killers. ”
The lieutenant didn’t understand a word of what was Azur saying but he didn’t need to be a genius to understand the menace she made. Frightened by her show, the officer backed off a few metres before raising his hands to the soldiers.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Wachen, Wachen! ” (Guards! Guards!)
Two soldiers soon came running toward him and pointed their guns in Azur’s direction.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Sie sind jetzt in groen Schwierigkeiten, Sie… Sie… bedrohen einen Offizier… ” (You are now in big trouble, you, you… making menace to an officer…)
[Captain] – “Hey, hey, was ist hier los? ” (Hey, hey, what’s going on over here?)
A column of vehicles advancing on the road beside the field stopped by with a full company of troops.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Wer bist du und was machst du hier? ” (Who are you and what are you doing here?)
[Captain] – “Kapitn der 56. Kompanie der 24. deutschen Division: Soldaten der Freiheit. ” (captain of 56th company from the 24th german division: soldiers of liberty.)
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Leutnant einer Abteilung der 2. XX-deutschen Division: die Reichswachen. ” (lieutenant of a detachment from the 2nd XX-german division: the empire guards.)
[Captain] – “Es war eine schne Einfhrung, aber ich muss diesen unschuldigen Menschen erlauben, nach Hause zu gehen. ” (It was a nice introduction but I must allow those innocent people to go home.)
Upon hearing the captain’s words, the lieutenant stepped toward him and stared him into his eyes with a mocking smile.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Komisch! Ich kann mich nicht erinnern, den Befehl erhalten zu haben, diese Ratten gehen zu lassen. ” (Funny! I don’t remember receiving order to let these rats go.)
[Captain] – “Nun, ich frage nicht. ” (Well, I’m not asking.)
The Liberaforza soldiers rushed in to free the prisoners but their XX captors refused to hand them over and pointed their weapons against the soldiers.
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Dies ist auf Bestellung unseres Vorgesetzten, also bringen Sie Ihre Mnner in den nchsten zehn Sekunden besser von diesem Feld. ” (This is on order from our superior, so you better get your men off this field in the next ten seconds.)
[Captain] – “Wie niedrig mssen Sie sein, um Zivilisten hinrichten zu knnen? ” (How low must you be to execute civilians?)
[XX-Lieutenant] – “Das ist Gerechtigkeit fr diese Unglubigen des Reiches! Willst du auch dort landen? ” (This is justice, for those infidels to the empire! You wanna end up there too?)
[Captain] – “Du machst mich krank, Bastard! ” (You make me sick, bastard!)
Without a warning, the captain punched the lieutenant in the face and knocked him onto the ground. Soon, all the XX and Liberaforza troops engaged in a fierce fight of fists and guns. Seen the moment, Azur grabbed two knocked out Liberaforza soldiers, dragged them under a tree and took their clothes.
[Darlynn] – “What the hell are you doing?
Azur threw a set of uniforms to Darlynn and proceeded to wear the other set on herself.
[Azur] – “It will be fun, trust me! ”
[Darlynn] – “What do you mean? You caused me enough trouble for today! ”
[Azur] – “Ugh! Darlynn, please quit your little aristocratic act and be a real showstopper for once! ”
Soon, Azur and Darlynn exited the wood and entered the fight dressed as Liberaforza soldiers. Charging right into enemy lines, Azur put down 2 XXsoldiers with ease before running toward another one. Meanwhile, Darlynn stayed behind, confused by the massive fighting that is happening around her.
[Azur] – “Darlynn, come on, think about what they did to those people! It’s time we give them a lesson! ”
Darlynn took a few deep breaths, closed her eyes, remembered the time where the girl she was trying to save was shot dead by a XX officer and opened her eyes filled with resolve. Before Azur could see it, Darlynn was also engaged in battle, taking on 2 XX soldiers at the same time.
That day, the pair beat down 48 XX soldiers, freed 60 prisoners and marked their first official act resistance against the XX’s heinous actions.
On the other hand, somewhere in the empire, Mike sat by his new desk as the chief of security of Talon.
To be continued… Next Chapter: [The deal]
