Alexander slumped in his seat, massaging his temple.
"Assaulting a heavily fortified island… this was doomed from the start."
He murmured, dropping his hand.
If he had a unit of pathfinders it would've been possible.
They're basically mini D'élites.
Not quite as powerful, but infinitely more numerous.
Well at least compared to the seven D'élites…
"…or was it eight?"
Alexander whispered aloud.
Just then there was a familiar knock on the door.
And without waiting, a pair of pink eyes poked through the darkness.
"Alex… It's time for bed."
Her voice was barely above a whisper as she slipped inside.
Alexander, sighed.
"Yeah, I'm coming." He said, "How was your afternoon?"
Elizabeth smiled warmly.
"It was well, and I even have some good news."
"Please, let me hear it."
Alexander took her hand, and the couple stepped outside.
"The factory manager said mass production of the M-01 is possible in a relative sense. So guess who's finally getting their rifles?"
Alexander paused in his tracks.
"Are you serious?" He asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.
The factory had been in limited production due to the shipping of specialized parts and the training of the workers.
But now…
"Yes, not only that, but the ammo plant is beginning production. We're starting with the 7.92 round, but in the future…"
She trailed off, leaning into him.
Alexander chuckled as he held her close.
"Finally, some good news. Now only if I had a way to use it."
Elizabeth looked up, curiously.
"What do you mean, my love?"
Alexander sighed.
"I mean Elena island, those cannons… they keep us from approaching without getting shredded."
Elizabeth, pressed her chest against his.
"How is that? Our rifles should have almost double the range of those cannons."
"Well yeah but–"
Alexander tilted his head curiously.
"Hey, wait a minute…"
He hadn't thought about it before, but he had the range advantage in this situation.
"…I forgot about the rifles!"
He grabbed her by the waist, hoisting her up with a feral grin.
"You're a genius, a beautiful, terrifying genius."
Elizabeth giggled in confusion as Alexander pulled her into his embrace with a kiss.
"Alex," she whispered against his lips, "I didn't do anything, but don't stop."
Alexander must've kissed her a hundred times before he finally sat her down.
"We're dealing with pirates, they're armed with shitty cannons and muskets. Why didn't I realize that?!"
Elizabeth giggled.
"Well, it's good you never underestimate your foes, even if you overestimate them."
She teased, touching her lips.
Alexander laughed, he couldn't wait to see the look on Klaus's face.
He was already heading back to his office when Elizabeth cleared her throat.
"Uh, where do you think you're going?"
Alexander's grin faltered.
He looked back at Elizabeth, who stood with her hands on her hips. A teasing smile played on her lips.
"Oh… oh but the plan! I need to organize it, Klaus and Hans… I need their input! We have the key!"
Elizabeth stepped forward, taking Alexander's hand and tugging him away from his office.
"There's always tomorrow, my love. Besides, imagine how much better your plan will be after a night of rest."
Alexander sighed.
"Fine, I guess..."
Elizabeth leaned against him as they walked, and Alexander couldn't help but smile.
What would I do without her?
"Liz?"
"Hm?"
"I really do love you."
Elizabeth giggled.
"I love you more."
— — —
The next morning, Alexander was in his office with Hans and Klaus.
It was early dawn, and sitting between the men was a freshly manufactured M-01 bolt action.
It was equipped with various attachments.
From an extended box magazine and scope.
To a strap stretching from stock to barrel.
"Gentleman, I present the solution to all our problems."
Klaus was the first to respond.
"Sir, with all due respect, the problem was never with the equipment. It was the–"
"Cannons."
Alexander cut Klaus off with a smirk.
"But tell me something, have you considered the range of both these weapons?"
Klaus and Hans exchanged curious glances, before staring at the rifle.
"I bet you haven't."
He pressed a finger on the table, "because you've never even seen this outside the hands of pathfinders. Have you?"
Both men shifted, their eyes narrowing with thought.
Hans then lit up with a grin.
"Sir, you're right! I've heard stories of pathfinders sniping imperial mages from nearly a kilometer out!"
He looked down at the gun.
"I thought it was because of their EA, (military term for Essence abilities) but…"
"…it was the gun." Klaus finished with a grunt.
Alexander nodded.
"Pathfinders are skilled, no doubt about it. But nothing can make a bullet travel farther than the weapon itself."
Hans stepped forward, "Sir, do you still have the map of Elena island? I think I have an idea."
Alexander reached beneath the desk, pulling out a rolled map.
"Klaus, get that gun."
Alexander ordered.
Klaus took the rifle, examining its qualities.
Alexander unrolled the map, and Hans leaned over it.
After a moment of silence, he pressed a finger on the watchtower.
"Sir, I believe Madam Hinata is more than capable of clearing this tower. With it clear, there will be a narrow blind spot in the pirate's reconnaissance."
He dragged his finger to the pier.
"With the watch tower clear, a direct line of fire opens up. We use the tower to clear the pier, a squad of sharpshooters should handle this effortlessly. To be thorough we can have Hinata assault it directly under their cover fire. With the pier clear, we can row in the main assault force."
He dragged a finger to the fortress.
"If the pirates are alerted by now, they'll be prepared to fire on the pier. But, our sharpshooters will be able to pick off every man who even attempts to man those cannons. Effectively trapping them."
He looked up at Alexander, his grin never faltering.
"We won't have to rely upon Madam Hinata to assault the fort alone, because it'll be the pirates who sally out. It's the only logical solution. And when they do so, we'll use the main force to set up a kill zone."
"Sounds solid," Alexander glanced at Klaus.
"Your thoughts?"
"It's a good theory." He grunted, "But I'd wait until we got solid information before acting on it, sir."
"Yeah, I talked with my beloved," Alexander tapped the table.
"She'll send an Agent to survey the island a week before the attack. That way we'll have updated intelligence."
Klaus nodded.
"That's good, sir. But another problem is that we lack sharpshooters. You can't teach a man to shoot like a pathfinder in two months. We'll be limited to talent and skill, not training."
Hans agreed.
"Yes, sharpshooting is comparable to art at these ranges; We can't teach men how to paint, only guide those who're artists."
Alexander fell silent, he had found one answer only to stumble into more problems.
"Sir." Hans said softly, "We'll need to start training with these rifles as soon as possible. When will we get more?"
"Right, they should be here any minute now. I saw them packing on my way out, we should get about 5,000 rounds of ammunition too."
"That's excellent, sir. The more time we spend with the rifle, the faster we become sharpshooters."
"But with only 50 rounds each? We gotta be really conservative. I'll have these men eat, sleep, and breathe rifle discipline. They'll even name their rifles."
Klaus cracked a rare smirk.
Alexander chuckled softly.
"I'm sure we'll be getting more ammunition when production picks up, anyway–"
A knock on the door cut him off.
"Sir! There's a convoy at the gates!"