Bury my Soul at Dor'ville (Tafatu Galra)

[Greywall]

The entire Eastern Tafatu Army was in utter dismay, mass routing for Dor'ville flooded the city with battered and bloody survivors. All of them speaking of how swiftly the enemy devastated their defenses. 

Dor'ville wasn't completely recovered from the UST war, civilians began to file Southward to escape the coming battle. Tafatu defenders began digging trenches, placing gatling guns and field guns to prepare for the oncoming strike. They numbered in only 20,000 or so, riders scrambled to reach leadership as the East fell. 

The Tafatu would only hear the sounds of aircraft above as bombs dropped on Dor'ville, striking buildings and killing soldiers and civilians alike. After the bombings came the distinct sound of mechanized hell, leading columns of infantry toward the city were some Galran Corbas tanks. 

Tafatu soldiers rushed into their trenches, rifle in hand pointing at the approaching Galrans. Field guns marked where they could hit them, the sound of enemy artillery began to strike around Dor'ville. "Easy and hold! Easy and hold!" Shouted officers, "We fight them here! This is our city!". The Galrans simply strolled up ready to do bloody work. 

Galran Corbas entering Tafatu

[Greywall]

Dor'ville fell.

Columns of Galran infantry and armor marched South to Ferville to seize the last major Northern Tafatu city and flank Frannerri forces past the river and breach Central Frannerre to eventually seize control of Central Touli. 

Galran General Jebediah Davis had received word that his Shiysil 'counterparts' were struggling. "Leave it to Touli trash to fight Touli trash and you never really get disappointed. Bastard savages can't breach the Tafatu capital. So i'll have to stamp it for them." 

Davis planned to fight whatever was waiting for him at Ferville and then finish off the Tafatu military at Le Troi. 

Ferville had amassed a force of 60,000 standard infantry, 400 field guns, 100 mortars and 10,000 cavalry. Leading them was the newly minted Tafatu General Yeeda, Yeeda was pulled back into serving the Tafatu Republican military given the dire circumstances they faced, he now would be tasked with defending the city of Ferville. 

[Greywall]

Despite reinforcements, despite the Tafatu fighting like hell to hold the city. Ferville was on the verge of falling to Galra.

General Yeeda was pushing his men to the breaking point, amid a city utterly destroyed after 3 months of hard fighting, Tafatu's best soldiers that could be spared from Le Troi weren't making much headway against a Galran military force that was better trained, better equipped and far more determined to win. 

Yeeda now commanded a Tafatu force of nearly 150,000 troops supplemented by massive recruitment and volunteers. Everything the new Republic had was being thrown at Galra and it was still not enough. Sheer manpower was being sacrificed to slow down and buy entire days to prepare for the next big push by the Galrans. 

Citizens had long fled in mass to the section of the country now sandwiched between the two front lines, many of them trying to cross the mountains to Southern Tafatu. 

A small passage through the South did exist but ran the risk of dealing with the UST and many Tafatu still didn't trust the Union. 

Omani was sending what he could to Ferville, the situation was becoming like it was during the Union war, a meat grinder. Only this time it was going against the Tafatu, to stop the Galrans from flanking their allies to the North it could at a great human cost. 

[Greywall]

Ferville fell, the Tafatu gave up 45,000 lives fighting bitterly against the enemy, attempts to reach Frannerre for reinforcements but more importantly supplies either went unheard of or failed to reach. Omani watched as thousand of young men were thrown into a sacrificial slaughter against an enemy he never could conceive in his worst nightmares. Galra decimated the Tafatu army, sending it in full retreat in the winter weather. 

2 million civilians flooded Frannerre's Southern border to cross into free Frannerre, creating a massive crisis of refugees into the Kingdom's exposed Southern border with Tafatu, hundreds of thousands more rushed south to take their luck in the mountains. Kendaya and his government filed to operate in exile within Frannerre, if they fled South the Galrans would pursue them in a sea of fleeing civilians over a mountain and slaughter millions to reach them. Le troi fell easily to Shiysil an everything came to an epicenter, the last crossing into Frannerre that bypassed the Marse river. 

Rock Hill Farm, a small town of barely 200 people, built by Reserian settlers during the 1800s and nothing was to be found here but some rolling hills and sweet potato fields. General Omani decided it had to be here, his final stand, Yeeda went South with hundreds of thousands of fleeing troops to live an fight another day. Omani was left with barely 60,000 men left, but manpower wasn't the issue, ammunition and small arms were. Tafatu drained its entire stock of war materials defending Ferville, it could not arm more than 40,000 troops and even then they lacked enough ammo to fight effectively. Artillery batteries were low on rounds, weapons from the UST war like 10mm single shot rifles and gatling guns were drawn out from what storages they had left, and as if that wasn't enough. Food. Food was running out and running out fast, without a proper harvest due to the year long war the Tafatu were running out of food quickly. A famine was inevitable and Galra decreed it a fitting punishment for the occupied people. "Let them starve for their sins" Jameson noted. 

Omani and his men dug defenses and prepared for the final battle, they had Marrish volunteers with them at last, but they were probably the best equipped soldiers here now. As the harsh cold settled in, scouts reported movement coming toward them. "Two days, they'll be here". Omani knew he wouldn't last long, but if anything whatever time he could buy would be worth it, his men were the last of the hardened veterans from the UST war, a dark thought that was. These brave men fought and won their independence only to face death now. But they saluted their general and were ready to die for their Republic. 

The last stand of the Tafatu Republic

[Greywall]

Shiysil gleefully took the capital of Le Troi from what little resistance remained. Burning, raping and pillaging the city with reckless abandon. Chanting mockingly "Tafatu" over and over again, they burned republic flags, books, even people. They were lost in utter blood lust and savagery after a year of brutal fighting against the Frannerri and Tafatu, losing thousands of comrades in the process. So mad were these insane people they even went into the infant ward of the hospital, the very one the republic made its stand during the UST war and began throwing infants out of the building laughing. 

"Fly little Tafatu fly!" 

Most men above the age of 16 were immediately executed in mass graves outside the city, children were made into plaything for the army telling them to run as fast as they could before shooting them in the back. The massacre of Le Troi resulted in the deaths of over 190,000 innocent civilians. 300,000 wounded, countless rapes and billions of dollars worth of property damage. After they had their fun they marched to connect with the Galrans for a final battle with the Tafatu army. Or what was left of it. 

Omani and his men had accepted their fate, this was death, all of them were hardened veterans of the UST war and now the Great War. In front of them was a massive horde of savages, machines and zealots who wanted them dead. Behind them were 2 million fleeing civilians and the last of the Tafatu government. No one had heard from Frannerre if they would receive them, Omani sent runners to inform Frannerre of what happened. Of what was going to happen. 

Once Omani and his men fell, the Galrans and Shiysil would be able to go around the Marse. The General sent Yeeda and what men that couldn't fight South.

"We die, but liberty won't. We plant the seeds here brothers...let us ferment the grounds of children's liberty with the blood of our enemies." 

Galra arrived first, bombing from the air sending the Tafatu fleeing for cover. They had no defenses against the bombers as they tore entire squads apart into shredded flesh. Then came ground forces, Shiysli and Galran. 

The Tafatu were using everything they had left, guns from Marrlan, Frannerre and Ashinara. Along with leftovers from the UST war, some old 10mm single shot rifles and gatling guns. As the day dragged on the bloody work of defending Rock Hill Farm went on. Omani's last artillery batteries only fired once enemy armored units became visible. But even then the Tafatu found themselves fighting  brutal and horrid losing situation. And to make matters worse, its was snowing. 

"They're breaching the East!" 

"Get us fire support on the upper ridge!" 

"Watch those clankers!" Tafatu pointing to armored car column 


The battlefield began to wrap around the farming community as SU forces pressed hard on Tafatu lines, while the Tafatu army was putting up a respectable resistance now, they were going to run out of ammo soon. Some farmers who decided to remain began helping make some explosives using fertilizer and nitrate for their fields. Putting them in clay pots or whatever they could find. The Tafatu would light these bombs off before throwing them at the enemy. Others who stayed were brave men of the village fighting with the soldiers using hunting rifles and even old muskets when Tafatu was a colonial territory. In about 4 minutes every major structure near the front was gone. A few windmills and farmhouses were reduced to debris. Things got worse once the tanks showed up. 

"ARMOR! ARMOR DOWN THE HILL!" shouted a soldier, and up came Galran tanks pushing past their infantry who struggled to climb up the hilly terrain against Tafatu shooting at them. "Zero in our artillery! FIRE FULL SALVO!" Omani shouted. During the fighting in Ferville Omani had developed a technique in using field guns as early anti tank guns. having them fire directly at tanks approaching instead of using them as artillery. 

"Fire at will!" Omani shouted, sending a roar and shaking of the earth as dozens of field guns fired off. It was successful, destroying the first set of Galran Corbas tanks and stopping their advance. But they only had a few rounds worth to do that again. Eventually they would be out of field gun ammo. The sun began to set as small arms fire continued to show tracers all up and down the hillside country. Omani survived today. 

[callmedelta]

Cerise smacked the side of the stubborn old mule. “C’mon Marlon, move!” Of course, the stubborn ass did not move. On a level, she could sympathize with the animal. Cerise wouldn’t want to plow a field like this one, all rocks and rolling hills, but it was that or starve. Cerise had to do the work of plowing the fields and taking care of little Elliot since Pierre got conscripted, but you wouldn’t see her just giving up like that. There wasn’t anything more to it, you just needed to put your head down and do it. Cerise smacked Marlon’s side again, yet still he didn’t move. Cerise could do most everything on the farm, but animals just did not seem to like her. At least Marlon just ignored her -- the hens had pecked her on more than one occasion. Cerise looked up, and seeing it was about midday, sighed. “This isn’t over,” Cerise said. She had to go check on Elliot. The kid was just old enough that he didn’t need Cerise watching over him at all times, but young enough she didn’t trust him not to slack off on chores if she left him alone all day. Cerise made sure to get Marlon some water first, at least.

The field Cerise had been working on was in view of her cabin, but it was still a bit of a walk back. She didn’t see Elliot working outside, but she had told him to get his outside chores done before it got too hot today. As it turned out, the child had listened to her. Perhaps Elliot would have a good head on his shoulders one day. Cerise made a simple lunch for the day, but as the pair sat down to eat, Cerise had a bad feeling in her gut. Looking out to the fields, she saw a group of people cresting the hill. No, more than that it was practically an entire village’s worth. The ones at the head of the group seemed to notice the farmhouse and began to run their way, almost frantic. Cerise grabbed the family’s rifle. In the time it took her to do that, the number of people already seemed to double. Christ, how many were there? Cerise held her gun down, but at a position where she could easily raise it if need be. The man at the front didn’t even seem to notice it. “Oh thank God,” the man said, hands on his knees as he panted. “Are we in Franerre?”

~

It was a common joke in the hamlet of Blagnac that you could tell which season it was by which government official came around -- the election man in the spring, the conscription officer in the summer, the tax man in the fall, and no one in the winter, because it was too much of a pain. The only way north was on the so-called ‘big road,’ an ironic name for the wagon wheel ruts that went north to Herblay, the next hamlet over. That wasn’t even a proper town either -- if you wanted to get someone on the telegram, you had to go all the way to Chartres, which was an 11 day ride away. Cerise had left Elliot in the care of a friend, taken the fastest horse in town, and made it in eight. Unfortunately for them, Chartres’ telegram went through Saint Parsson, which was occupied by Shysil. Chartres’ roads going north weren’t much better than the ones coming out of Blagnac, but it was a small comfort to Cerise. It would take her another 5 days to get to Torcy. Their telegram may have gone through Saint Parsson, but their rail line continued north. All in all, it would take just shy of a month for news to reach Pareau…

~

Jadwiga sighed, looking at the reports. She was beginning to feel numb. It was just bad news after bad news after bad news. The Queen didn’t know if Franerre had the resources to take care of refugees from Tafatu on top of their own. Still, she couldn’t exactly turn them away now, could she. Jadwiga ordered that the Tafatu government in exile be brought to Pareau as soon as could be managed. They were lucky that there was set to be a General Staff meeting soon -- this information about Tafatu’s fall would be most critical.

[Greywall]

Kendaya and his staff were quickly ushered toward Pareau, tired and exhausted from what had transpired along with the mass of civilians still flooding the Frannerri border.


Back in the last few miles of free Tafatu, Omani's forces were breaking apart.

Hundreds of men would be wiped out in mere seconds as ferocious aerial and armored assaults destroyed most of their forward defenses. The last of the artillery rounds were spent, Omani was out of time. "Get what men don't have arms and ammunition to flee North!" Omani commanded, his officers tried to reject the command but he simply held to it "Do as I say! Fight another day! For the Republic!"

25,000 Tafatu would begin the retreat to Frannerre leaving behind the last few 10,000 or so to hold the line to the death.

The final battle line came to the center of the hilly terrain where dugout trenches, gatling gun positions and improvised explosives awaited the Galrans and Shiysil forces. The last battle Omani commanded had come with several fertilizer bombs being set off to the surprise of advancing enemy soldiers. Omani himself arming himself with a bubba rifle, revolver and his old UST saber. "Its here we die men! For the Republic! For Tafatu!" The spread out battle lines slowly began to fall as MK2 Clanker tanks, tankettes and corbas tanks assisted ground forces in destroying the defenders. High above aircraft would speed up the destruction of the Tafatu defenders.

In a matter just 3 hours over 5,000 Tafatu were dead as Omani's forces were now entirely encircled and being butchered. Jameson could have just shelled them but seemed to enjoy the thought of physically overrunning their position. Another hour and the gatling guns fell silent, out of ammo, rifles fired desperately at the advancing enemy but armored units made the task impossible. The farm Omani had set himself up in was now underfire as his unit engaged advancing Galrans not far now. He contemplated his life, everything that led to this moment, how he regretted the endless war that plagued his homeland and now that he wouldn't be there to liberate it.


"Old Ancestors, hear my words. I swear. I will see in the next life, a free land here." Omani chambered a round and joined his men in the fray. The intensity of enemy fire shredded any building nearby into dust reducing cover to nearly nothing. Everyone was dying around the general, the farmers who stayed to resist, his men and finally a round found itself into his lower gut. Omani dropped the rifle as pain shot up into his chest and arm with more rounds entering him. He fell to the ground as more of his men fell.

Galrans began rushing his position as he cleared his revolver from his holster and fired at them, killing to before the other riddled the general with .30-40 rounds. He didn't feel much after the first few, he left this world a martyr for the Tafatu.

The Galrans stripped him of saber and mockingly took his body to display as a final victory over the Tafatu Republic. Jameson had the blade given to him personally.

"What a relic, this is Seleucidinian steel. Back when they colonized Southern Touli. Its mine now." He placed it in a chest of stolen items from the warfronts, his personal trophies.


Tafatu had fell at last.