Chapter One: Pavlov's House
They have no right to respond.
They have no right to question the reasons.
They had no other desire than to fight and die.
—Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Horsemen
She studied the map box carefully. Now, safely inside the armored vehicle, heading towards the next target, seemed like the perfect time. Some might find the cramped, dark rear of the"Lion" unsettling—no windows, no legroom, and almost no warning if an anti-tank missile or something similar were about to claim their life. But she didn't care: for now, it was up to others. Once they were down the ramp and out from the rear, that was her responsibility.
She surveyed the front lines, if they could truly be called front lines. The situation was rapidly changing. Friendly forces marked with red diamonds were maneuvering on both flanks. Blue rectangles marked suspected enemy positions and units were in confrontation with them. The 1st Regimental Combat Team's mission was to capture and hold the atmospheric processing station in the Neubacher Gate district, marked"Smoke Room 3". The 1st Battalion of the 1st Rifle Regiment would launch an armored assault along Rhino Street and Lifa Street, with Indian infantry and the 1st Lancer Regiment of the 3rd Battalion of the Mike Infantry Regiment providing advance support . The 1st Regimental Combat Team's light armored reconnaissance force—the Lima Infantry Regiment—would cover their southern flank during their advance, then establish defensive positions near the Kolki Bridge, about 1.5 kilometers from the target. The 3rd Battalion would serve as a reserve, launching an attack using the breach when the time was right.
They left the northern flank to the Sidonia, specifically the 4th Knights Guard Mechanized Infantry Brigade. The brigade's objective was to launch an attack near Government Hill, but doing so would also cover the 1st Regiment. The rest of the southern flank was their problem, or more precisely, the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Rifle Regiment. She happened to be responsible for a small portion of it. The 1st Golf Company of the 2nd Battalion was tasked with holding a series of crossroads near the Liberty Station Memorial Park to prevent encirclement and keep ground traffic open. Her platoon was responsible for a crossroads right in the center of the park's northern end. She had found the position that best suited the commander's intentions. Above the park stood a beautiful concrete building, destroyed by fire in the chaos preceding this small operation. During the Imperial era, it had been an office of the Central Tax Bureau. Unsurprisingly, the angry locals had burned it down at the first opportunity. From here lay a panoramic view of the surrounding cityscape, particularly the park's 1.5-kilometer semi-open area, which would form the cornerstone of her platoon's defense.
The Lioness came to a sudden stop, the ramp slowly descending, a beam of sunlight pouring in, followed by a pungent smell of war. Since Operation Sword of War began three weeks ago, almost every corner of the Green Dome had been permeated with a nauseating stench—a mixture of burning propellant, burnt building insulation, vehicle exhaust, smoke from explosions, ruptured sewers, and the stench of corpses, suffocating and ever-present. She tried her best to ignore the smell. She told herself that one day she wouldn't be able to smell it anymore. The last person got out of the vehicle. She flipped the map box back to her chest, pre
