Author Notes:
Yup, it's a long ass delay on my part, I know. My apologies for that unannounced time gap. As usual for this time period in the year, Mom and I have many things left to do for us to survive past the Lunar New Year holiday. I still expect many such long gaps until we are done with Tet as I will have to run around fixing the house.
Moving on, big shout out to Captain RoyalDragon and NovelReader for their contribution to the betterment of the Imperium and the Belkan Reich! I hope you two will enjoy the early access chapters!
Having said that, I must ask a certain General, General Setsuna, that you have yet to voice your desire for a specific self-insert character into RM. You have helped Mom and I a lot, so don't forget to use that ticket, your honor!
Now then, onto the next RM chapter!
Yuki Royal 6: https://postimg.cc/vgNm32j1
Yuki Royal 7: https://postimg.cc/bZcs7Mv1
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"Major Maple." I greet the female officer who is hunching over an open 17-inch rugged laptop. The laptop is wired to the nearby holotable to export battlefield intelligence into the external visual display. "I am told that you're now the acting commander of FOB Rochford."
The Major, and the rest of her staff in the Forward Operating Base's Tactical Operations Center straighten and salute me. "Hail Marshal!"
I return the gesture cordially before saying. "At ease, ladies and gentlemen. You all have better responsibilities than saluting me, right now."
Heeding my words, the room returns to its previous professional bustle. Comms are chiming. Logistic requests are approved. Analysts are crunching numbers. Orders are relayed and given... All of this happened in FOB Rochford's recently established nerve center, the TOC. It's created by linking multiple smaller Mobile Command Center containers, each with an integrated mission command module, and not dissimilar in look to shipping containers, into one extensive ground-level command block. Unironically, this fused-container setup is rated for heavy machine gun-level of firepower and shell fragmentation, which is miles better than whatever buildings the Eruseans constructed at the former RAF Rochford. Such a capable command structure is necessary for FOB Rochford to direct the Erusean theater of war. Sure, the battlecarriers could have fulfilled the same job, but they don't have the same frontline command gravita. Troops tend to expect you to be in a reasonable physical distance for them to have a morale buff, not you tucking away in a floating fortress while they slave in the trench. Redundancy is but a side benefit, and frankly, any FOB worth a damn should have one such command structure or bunker. Otherwise, how can you coordinate a combined arms task force properly?
I step closer to view the colored symbols on the holographic map. Ever so slowly, some of the blue rectangles on the map shift, either to secure tactical positions or to engage with red diamonds and yellow quatrefoils. The latter, in particular, are crossed out and greyed out, if they're red diamonds, or are converted from yellow quatrefoils into green squares, their status changing from 'Unknown' to 'Neutral'. Coincidentally, the holotable comes with a legend and neat features like the ability to apply a color filter to territories of different factions. Currently, the majority, if not all, of the land that comprises Southend-on-Sea falls squarely under the blue filter, marking the stretch of territory seized by my Marines. The rest of the map takes on different shades, with more yellow than both red and green combined for understandable reasons. And in case you don't get it, the red is basically any Erusean faction under Heaven that comes toting actual firearms, and that even includes the supposedly courtable militia faction in London. Caution must be warranted despite my given directive to tackle the militias with a diplomatic approach first.
Having seen the force deployment map and the constant back and forth of the two Expeditionary Strike Groups' Marine Logistics Groups, which is a mouthful and a half, I find myself nodding in appreciation of the two Marine Colonels' coordination. Given that both Colonels had to squeeze their two Marine Brigades into a land as small as Shoebury, their subsequent moves in seizing Southend-on-Sea and building a fluid network of logistic routes to fuel the frontline can be equated to a work of art. Colonel Hopson and Colonel Sarq managed the division of landing sites, deployment zones, and mission objectives well. Their efforts prevented a messy post-landing phase and catapulted their invasion speed, saving precious time. This then allowed us to grasp this coastal region without much interference.
With a press of a button on the side of the holotable, I change the view setting to highlight the logistics highways of the whole invasion. Like an intricate artery system, the two Colonels, together with the experts of Marine Logistics Groups, work out a flowing network of manpower, equipment, and supplies going from the battlecarriers to the Shoebury logistics hub and FOB Rochford before heading to the frontline units, using all three routes of sea, air, and land. Of course, there have been some hiccups that I've learned from field reports. A couple of times, the size of our bigger HX Truck variants found themselves awkwardly stuck at a narrow passage that was filled with Erusean citizens' street gubbings. Of course, nothing can ever stop the blood vessels from pumping, so certain measures were used to keep the blood streaming to where it's needed.
Now that I am satisfied with the current state of the war, I turn to Major Maple, who is taking a breather from liaising between the Marines and my SOF soldiers and Ravens. "Given that our Marines are now actively widening our strategic depth, I presume your immediate superiors are all in the frontline?"
The Major nods as her caramel-colored elven ears twitch. "Yes, Ma'am. Colonel Hopson and Colonel Sarq both opted for frontline command with the boys and girls, leaving Major Heller and me holding the fort in Shoebury and Rochford."
"I see," I hum with a small smile. "That's quite expected of the rambunctious men in the Corps."
The comment brings about a wry smile on the Major's face. Coincidentally, both Majors serving under the two gung-ho Marine Colonels are female. It's safe to say that the 3rd and 4th Marine Expeditionary Forces have a lot more in common than just numbers and equipment.
Giving the clearly older dark elf Major a comforting pat on her shoulder, I say. "You all have been doing good work so far, accomplishing a sound opening passage in this page of the history book. I will be counting on you all to write the specifics for future generations. So, fight on, but don't forget to take care of your well-being. I, for one, can see that you will need a cup of coffee, Major Maple."
"Thank you, Ma'am, I will grab just that in a moment." The Major smiles warmly, feeling both touched and proud that the Reich Marshal has just expressed her trust and complimented their units. The Major, despite being much older than I, doesn't seem to feel any shame in receiving a caring gesture from a paradoxically younger superior.
Yggdra blesses the open-minded Belkans; I quite possibly couldn't have become a Reich Marshal if not for that, and many other reasons.
"Before you do that, however, mind connecting the command network to wherever my new quarters are? I reckon things aren't quite done yet since my decision to relocate here was quite abrupt in itself." I inquire of the Major, quite pleasantly surprised when she replies.
"Actually, Ma'am, our ONI and logistics staff have already prepared a suitable accommodation for you, even kitted it out with a necessary office space as well. It's converted from a well-furnished, yet recently made uninhabited officer's house. For security, we have erected a Hesco bastion, and a C-RAM system alongside a security post is nearby to provide all-around protection."
I blink my one red eye. "Well, that's surprisingly fast. Surely my transit from the Elbe to here hadn't taken that long, right?"
The Major smiles proudly. "That's because the officer's house is in the prime real estate location in FOB Rochford's schematic. Its placement just happened to coincide with the deployment of our security measures, ma'am. The cleanup and installation of proper equipment, however, were made swift thanks to the coordinated effort of the ONI and logistics."
I giggle in gratefulness. "I will commend the men and women involved, then. Now, if you can direct me to where my quarters are, I will make myself scarce and leave you to that coffee."
The Major nods. "I will have an aide guide you there, ma'am. Have a good night."
I chuckle as someone comes up to us in response to Major Maple's beckoning gesture. "Or a good morning, since it's already past midnight for a couple of hours already."
"... Just try to take a wink of sleep, ma'am, you're still too young to push yourself like us." Major Maple advises softly with genuine concern as someone who is my elder in terms of age.
"Thanks for the consideration, Major, but I'll live." I nod at her before following the aide outside, where Erika and the rest of my bodyguards are standing on alert, as per usual.
With a nod from me, Erika and her men and women fall into formation around me. Due to the distance and the size of our group, we take a pair of Humvees for a brief drive to my temporary quarters at FOB Rochford, passing a couple of security checkpoints and guardhouses, alongside sections of durable Hesco walls. When we arrive, a pair of sentries salute me as a group of soldiers patrols nearby. If anything, I feel like Major Maple understates the security level around this officer's house, as opposite to my quarters is a barrack built out of pre-fabricated parts. Should something happen, help is literally a stone's throw away.
"Heh, if this ain't security, then I don't know what is." I smile before following Erika and Lola inside as they go in first to perform a security sweep.
Upon entering, I come to see what can only be described as a typical Erusean aesthetic furnishing, albeit above average in terms of comfort and usability when compared to common Erusean folks. The living room, a small library, and a kitchen dominated the ground floor of the building. Upstairs, the bedroom, shower, and office area commandeered the remaining living space. Quite utalitarian, all things considered. Ultimately, after my luggage is secured, I communicate with Erika and Lola about my intention to take a quick shower before holding myself up in the recently refurbished office. By the way, I totally do not ignore the exasperated look from Erika and Lola upon hearing that I will be tackling more work when I should be asleep. I also miss the calculating look in Erika's eyes upon seeing me disappear into the shower.
Perhaps a bit unsurprisingly, Erika and Lola even went as far as checking the water source and food ingredients for signs of contamination before I even stepped foot into the bathroom.
Once my hygiene is taken care of in a swift manner, Lola is the one to hand me my more functional officer wear instead of my formal dress uniform. This means actual Flecktarn and not my usual gray or white look. No complaints about the fitting here, as I've made sure the military factories producing these uniforms don't cut any corners. A lot of the time, you can see off-duty soldiers and officers even wear their uniforms in their daily lives, just because they're that easy on the skin and uncomplicated to maintain.
Now that I've changed into something more appropriate for possible frontline ventures, I immediately hit the desk and turn on the assembled C4I terminal, which is basically a decked-out computer hooked up to an additional 17-inch rugged laptop and a handheld military tablet. I basically have everything but a server room in here. With Erika and Lola guarding the doorway, I connect to the battlenet with the big computer to monitor the ongoing war effort, while using the laptop and tablet to tackle miscellaneous tasks. I soon find a rhythm in my new station, far away from home, multitasking paperwork and supervising Major Maple's coordination with a joint SOF-Marines detachment in securing a surprisingly active Erusean strongpoint around the interchange West of Southend. So lost in this new tempo that I am only shaken out of it by Erika announcing from beyond the door.
"Yuki, Teacher Bryn is here." In a private setting like this, Erika, as my friend, addresses me by my name, while calling Bryn her teacher due to our shared past student-teacher relationship.
I put down the tablet in my hand. "Please, let her in."
With the opening of the wooden door, a snappily dressed Bryn, adorned in her combat fatigue without all of the gears, comes in. In her hands is a tray of hot beverages.
"Oh my, I do hope that it's coffee." As I stand up and move away from my desk to greet Bryn with a smile, I manage to catch Erika giving me a wink before closing the door behind my Valkyrie.
Cheeky gal, she clearly tattled to Bryn so that she could come and rein me in before the sun comes up.
Bryn, falling into the role of my caretaker away from home, replies as she steps forward. "Not coffee, but some specially brewed tea."
Moving past me to lay the tray onto a small drink cabinet in the office, Bryn adds. "You need sleep and rejuvenation, not something that keeps you up and working even more. The successive flights have already put your body under enough stress."
Bryn then turns to fix me with a stare. "Drink some of this first, and if need be, I will see to it that you'll lie on a bed. The Marines and ONI you built aren't useless enough to require your constant handholding, big event or not."
Her admonishing look causes me to scratch my cheek and look away with a guilty smile. Although I know there's no escaping this, I still ask.
"Don't you have to manage the recently arrived Night Witches?" Over the years, the Night Witches have grown from just being a special unit of my 404th Division into a unique Reconnaissance Squadron of 1000-strong under Bryn's direct command. All are Witches, females of varying flight-capable races.
And the Night Witches Squadron is the first 404th-affiliated unit to come to Erusea, thanks to their extremely high-mobility combat doctrine and loadout.
Bryn shakes her head sternly. "The girls are mature enough to sort themselves out. We all agreed that taking care of you is more important. Not that I wouldn't have done this otherwise, everyone back home counts on me to keep your workaholic tendency in check, to a certain extent."
Bryn then steels her gaze, suddenly approaches me with an intensity that causes me to gulp and step backward, only to feel my butt hitting the edge of the desk. Bryn leans over to me, her hands finding purchases on the edge of the desk, next to my thighs.
My Valkyrie maintains her calm look as she gazes down at me with her sapphire blue eyes. "So, will you be complying quietly, or should I make you willingly do so? Both options end in the same outcome."
As her presence starts to overwhelm me, I feel a heat rush to my cheeks as I firmly sit my supple butt on the desk. My hands move to guide Bryn's to grab my rear before they circle Bryn's neck. There's still some time left till sunrise, so I guess I can indulge a bit, right? Bryn is here to take me to bed, right?
Sensing that I am turned on by her closed company, Bryn will be lying if she says she doesn't feel a tinge of prideful possessiveness and accomplishment. Bryn warrior's heart beats in joy, seeing the master she pledged to once again falling victim to the Valkyrie's display of loving affection. Bryn is most certainly gentle toward me, and I love her for it, of course, but it can't be helped that I also cherish her dominant figure just the same. With a certain need echoing out of my breath, I whisper as I lean into her.
"Make me..."
"Alright..." Hearing my answer, Bryn lets out a gentle smile, yet her eyes and hands that are groping my bottom are showing anything but.
Finally, it's Bryn who speaks to Erika, standing guard outside. "Erika, unless it's important, Yuki won't be receiving any other guests."
"... Understood, Teacher. Also, I will set up a privacy ward, just in case the wall here is thin." Erika speaks in understanding, and with a bit of a smirk in her tone.
I will pay Erika back for tattling to Bryn, but I will probably reward her later for what happens next.
Thankfully, Bryn really does set up a privacy barrier as she starts turning me bare.