Heartbreak117

I am back... With probably the shortest freaking chapter I have ever written in my entire life.

And I bloody hate it with a passion. Believe me, I would rather shoot myself than have to go through the whole ordeals to post a chapter that's not even 1.2k words long. Heck, I am not even sure whether it's up to my usual standards or not and I am beating myself over and over because of it.

As you all have noticed, Tet holidays are right around the corner in Vietnam. And for me, this means endless chores and stockpiling supplies. So much so I don't even have the time to think, much less sit down at my PC to write a few proper sentences...

But we have to look at the silver lining, right? At least the bank sent me my pay before they went and grabbed a cold beer or a casket of one.

Mom's injury is fine, she's healing well, thank Yggdra and the Gods. But I am severely burned out, I think? If that's true then it's a first for me.

Stay safe, you all. And truly, on behalf of my mother, thank you for sticking around and supporting this useless author.

"Form a line, people! Slowly and orderly! We'll be getting all of you outta here soon!"

"Women and children first! Women and children first! Prioritize those that are weak, injured, and sick!"

"Hey hey! We need a stretcher here! This lady is pregnant!" One 501st soldier waves at the pair of medics who have just loaded a young girl onto a MEDEVAC Osprey. The two medics, after making sure the blind girl is situated properly, immediately rush to the pregnant woman with a stretcher in their hands.

One of them scans the woman for further anomaly while the other medic quickly checks the state of the first aid administrated to her by combat medics when she has been rescued. "Not good, we need to bring her back ASAP! Help me place her on the stretcher!" The medic in charge of checking her health status ordered, prompting the other medic and the 501st infantryman to gently lift her up and place her on the stretcher. In the process, the woman lets out muffled gasps of pain while her tears are falling freely. The Belkan soldiers have no idea who has fathered the child in her belly, and frankly, it's a can of worms nobody wants to open. But they note with a touch of surprise that the woman seems to cradle her belly protectively. What that means, well, it's not their job to figure it out.

"She has developed internal injuries due to her trauma and lack of nutrients. The child in her is draining her too and if she's not monitored 24/7, we may lose both of them. She needs the help, fast." A medic gave the trooper a short rundown.

"The portal?" The 501st soldier asked, receiving nods from the two medics. "Roger, you guys work your wait to the portal. I will see if I can hail a cab for us."

The trooper moves away, breaking out into full sprint to search for a spare Humvee or a MEDEVAC vehicle that can swiftly carry the pregnant woman to a proper hospital.

With the subduing of the Sardegnian military presence in Auschwitz, what followed next should have been the processing of captured territory and recovered assets. Yet, much to the surprise of the Belkans, and rescued captives. Combat alert has been raised to the maximum level and an evacuation notice for non-combatants has been given. The order comes from the Marshal herself without a clear indication as to why. The chain of command pushes through the confusion, they don't need a clear reason to perform an order after all. Hence currently, ground elements of the 501st Airborne Division are assisting the Auschwitz captives in getting the heck out of the city. Utilizing Osprey airlifters and mechanized units, the 501st transports the non-combatants out of the AO. Due to the pressing evac order, these individuals will be relocated to the three FOBs surrounding Auschwitz first until a proper refugee convoy can be set up.

While setting up a lifeline for hundreds of thousands isn't quite in the job description of the 501st, they have been performing quite well thus far. The field officers adapt and instruct the airborne troops to set up secured corridors so that they can funnel the liberated prisoners. This makes sure that they can maintain order and avoid chaos that will slow down the evacuation process. Of course, to migrate a city worth of people, many of whom are in bad physical and psychological condition is a tall order for everyone involved.

To lessen the workload and hasten the pace, the Marshal explicitly requested the help of Nicolae. Ordering the 501st to set up a clearing, Yuki has Nicolae punch a hole in space, creating a portal that leads straight to one of many installations under ONI. That said, not everyone can go through this portal. This is only reserved for severely incapacitated civilians who won't survive a trip to the FOBs. The reason for this is that Belka doesn't have a large enough facility to hold everyone without incurring absolute anarchy with these traumatized individuals. The last thing Belka needs is for everyone to riot as soon as they get away from Auschwitz.

Then there are also the somewhat able men and women, those who can walk on their own and are lightly injured. This group is given a large guard detail to be relocated on foot to the outskirts of the city. Whatever comes next, the non-combatants are better off elsewhere.

Fortunately for Belka, those who aren't going through the portal have been largely cooperative so far. Mostly because they're still weak, grateful to the Belkans, or their will to live is already gone. The latter though has taken up nearly 1/3 of the civilian headcounts. Will they ever recover from this traumatic experience? Nobody knows for sure as even Belka PTSD treatment has its limit.

Like an organized ant colony, people, soldiers, and vehicles came in and out of Auschwitz at a rapid pace. Very soon, the evac is half done despite the short notice. Nonetheless, the undercurrent below Auschwitz's castle is reaching its peak. A sense of trepidation thus befalls the living beings that are still inside the city, even the inexperienced, mana-insensitive civilians can feel the executioner's blade above their necks. Something is coming, something that is not supposed to exist.

The air is trembling, the ground is shaking. The sky, already grayed out due to winter, grows darker as thick clouds start swirling above the castle ground. The sudden onset of darkness causes a wave of fear to spread among the civilians, thankfully, a few elves quickly cast mental calming spells to keep the evac on track. That said, the experienced 501st knows this atmosphere very well for they thrive in it, it's the atmosphere of war. Perhaps what's gonna happen next will be their most glorious combat up to date.

The Overseer Yuki, who's by now looking out the side of an Osprey, frowns as she feels the shifting of the air. When she and Sirin first sensed the eerie feeling coming from below the castle, Yuki immediately ordered a full-scale retreat from the castle. While she could have ordered an investigation, Yuki's instinct warned her that it was much wiser to use all the time they could have to prepare for an inevitable encounter. Because of that, Yuki pulls out all the stops, calling in ordnance from everywhere as long as they can get to Auschwitz and back. Not stopping there, she raises her homeland's war level to the max. Yuki even goes as far as to warn her allies, the Long Dynasty, and Ustian Reformists, and cryptically advises people like her Aunt Amaterasu and Vill-V. Basically, Yuki does everything to safeguard Belka's interest in the event that what's about to go down at Auschwitz will spill over.

Yuki knows that this is Gaia's response to everything, really. She can only hope that her preparation for this eventual date will be enough.

Heartbreak117

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