Author Notes:
Christ, don't these guys ever quit?
Jokes aside, shout out to Private Sam Caldwell and welcome back Captain Jack! As always, don't forget to enjoy the early releases!
As for us over here, Mom got finish her first session of therapy and the result is... Meh to Ok-ish? I don't think it would work instantly so we will have to keep a close eye on her progress.
Other than that, Monthly Recruitment Drive is up as usual! A reminder that it's running from now to the 24th, so don't miss out on the discount for newcomers!
https://www.patreo-n.com/Heartbreak117
https://ko-fi.com/heartbreak117/goal?g=0
------------------------------------------------------------
If there's one thing that the Polanians have started to realize ever since they kickstarted the whole war with the Belkan Reich, it is that there really shouldn't have been one. After investing hundreds of thousands, more than a million soldiers even, and failing to make as much as a dent in the war momentum of their Western neighbor, even the most stubborn fools must admit that, just perhaps, they have played the wrong card.
BOOM
A rumble, a shake of the very place they're occupying, has interrupted the momentary trance of the Polish Revolutionary Command Council... Or what's left of them. When the consequences of their bad decisions start catching up to them, it's a given that some members of this once high and mighty governing body are left... Indisposed.
Shaking his head to clear up a befuddled mindset, Jankowski glances around the meeting table. The once wistful and confident Chairman is no more, now nothing more than a man who is lacking both in sleep and a peaceful meal. Quite frankly, Jankowski expected that this war would be somewhat of a slog, where the Polanian Army would have the upper hand at first before the war situation devolved into a stalemate, then a ceasefire. Belka was supposed to have its hands full with the Allied forces further West, and Polania was supposed to have the element of surprise... A lot of 'was' and 'if' were expected, truthfully, and it's a given that some of them might not be fulfilled, but never in Jankowski's wildest vision did he expect that the Reich was more than capable of smashing all his hopes and dreams into pieces.
With a sigh, Jankowski addresses the other councilors in the room, having noticed that nobody has said anything in the past half an hour and that they're now down three people.
"Where are Arkadiusz and Brunon? It's..." Jankowski takes a look at a titled clock mounted on a visibly cracked wall. "Half past 9 already."
The councilors look at each other before one of the more senior members replies in a dry tone.
"Brunon took a dip, wanting to be anywhere but here. He's been out of Warsaw since yesterday and can be anywhere either North or South by now. Arkadiusz though, we don't even know what happened to him. He's been missing, literally."
Jankowski massages his temple, already feeling the onset of yet another headache. "And Bogumil?"
One councilor who's trying to shakily light up a cigar answers in a similarly shaky voice. "Dead. Barely halfway through the Vistula River when the bridge Bogumil was on collapsed after an explosion, taking Bogumil along with it. I was lucky enough to cross that bridge before him, otherwise, I would've been a goner."
"Fuck..." Jankowski drolls. "That's a quarter of us gone."
After a bit of a struggle, the councilor manages to light his cigar at last. Taking a drag of it to calm his nerves, the man then comments bitterly.
"I would have joked about us, each taking a piece of Bogumil's alcoholic empire, but then I realize we have bigger stuff to worry about... What should we do now?"
Jankowski listens as a sleep-deprived councilor interjects.
"I ran into our Generals earlier, they did not paint an optimistic picture. Of our Western Army Divisions, half are already destroyed or routed by the Belkan Blitzkrieg while the other half are either missing or are too weak to stage a solid defense."
"Mind telling me how we have missing Army Divisions?" Jankowski can't help but ask.
"It means we can't find their divisional headquarters or their chief commanding officers. The Generals are in the middle of trying to consolidate a proper defense line as we speak, but given that I saw a bunch of confusing, but grim reports being delivered to them before I left, I reckon that such an endeavor will be utterly meaningless." The council member explains with a wry shake of his head.
"It's not even a week, and you already got crushed by defeatism?" An old member takes a jab at the earlier speaker.
Nonplussed, the man replies with stoic acceptance.
"We got reports from survivors, or deserters depending on how you look at it, that we have Belkans already marauding and causing massive damage to our military in the Greater Polania region and due North of our country. We're effectively cut off from the sea, and a large majority of our forces to the West are cut off from supplies or one another. Our totally ineffective communication system has made us too blind, deaf, and encumbrance to even mount a proper retreat. The Belkans apparently don't even share a lick of our trouble, so they have been crushing us at every twist and turn. The fact that they have been able to bomb Bogumil with impunity means that we don't even have a modicum of aerial dominance. It means that we, at all points, are at risk of being bombarded to death, with the only reason why we haven't been is properly a combination of luck and mercy!" The man suddenly shouts near the very end. "Don't you see how fucked we are!? We are businessmen, not soldiers! And you're telling me that I should put faith in a losing investment!?"
He then points at a smoke column billowing skyward that is visible from the windows in the room. "That was the ammo dump for Warsaw's city garrison. Without it, we may as well fight them with a bunch of sticks and a rock!"
The admonished councilor has the decency to frown before leaning back into his cushioned seat. Stroking his beard, the old councilor says. "How can this be possible, for everything to fall apart so swiftly... Can we have our forces in the East diverted to aid the ones in the West?"
"I am pretty sure if we start doing that, the Rusviets will steamroll the Eastern territories even faster than they already are. They're too crucial there to be ordered elsewhere, and they're the only ones actually fighting a damn still."
"Even when they're so hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered?"
"Apparently so."
Jankowski chimes in. "The Eastern Divisions, we can't touch them. We at least got somewhat of a buffer zone between us and the Belkans, but the Rusviets, not so much..."
The one holding a half-burn cigar quips. "Then what would you have us do!?"
"If you ask me, who the fuck will I ask? You're the businessmen, I'm a political figurehead!" Jankowski snaps back before forcefully taking a calming breath. "... There are two obvious choices that I can see right now?"
"And they are?"
One fat council member asks, leaning in with obvious hope. Jankowski nearly rolls his eyes at the man's belly, considering the current ludicrous pricing of food commodities in Polania. The civilians need to tighten their belts quite a lot, but the governing body of Polania, Jankowski and his family included, don't have such limitations. However, Jankowski at least has the dignity to not overindulge in what the rest of his nation lacks. Nonetheless, now is not the time for that train of thought.
"We either fight, or we run." Jankowski admits with a harsh sigh. "Thinking deeper, we can technically do both. Have the Generals shrink our defenses, and center them around Warsaw and our Southern territories. Start scraping the bottom of the barrel as well, arm all of our citizens with whatever weapons we can give them, and enough food to keep them in the fight. Together, and with a bit of stubbornness and luck, we can force both the Belkans and the Rusviets into a slog. Make it more trouble than it's worth for them so we can force them into a negotiation table. What comes after that, we'll think about it later."
The fat man interjects. "What if the Belkans track us down and send their aircraft at us? We have no defenses against them, not since our Air Force have all been eliminated."
"That's why I say we will have to fight and run." Jankowski frowns, forming a fist on the table. "We have to head South and dig in, it's still more easily defended than Warsaw."
Jankowski rubs his temple once more.
"God, I need a drink... We're effectively boxed into a corner when our Southern neighbors are bonafide Park Rangers with their vaunted neutrality acts and Romania may as well not want to take us in due to them bordering Rusviet... As worse as it sounds, were Sardegna still a thing we would at least stand a better chance in allying interest. Now, we're on our own. Worst case, we can run further South to seek political asylum, but that basically means we will lose everything we work for." The last part is said with obvious distaste. "We all have devoted too much to this..."
The councilors look at each other, understanding the hesitation in the other's gaze. To these business-turned-political figures, such a move is as bad as asking them to commit suicide. However...
"We are already losing money as is. If we pack up now, we can at least keep our lives and live comfortably elsewhere." Understandably, it's the fat man who said that, earning the nods from the few people in the room.
Only Jankowski has an issue with this, however. The man signed away a great many deals with these devils, in the vain hope of being the one to carve a mighty Polania into the annals of history. Jankowski basically accepted being a puppet dancing on these sponsors' strings, as long as his vision could be made a reality. For a time, his interest with these sponsors quite perfectly aligned as a stronger Polania meant more money for these businessmen. Yet, now that things have taken a nosedive and they all are seriously considering packing their bags and running, Jankowski finds the last vestige of his dream to perish. There won't be banners of Winged Hussars flying over the rest of Europe in this life, not if the sponsors decide that the situation is unsalvageable.
Fortunately for this Chairman, the council is willing to go for one last gamble.
"We see the potential in your suggestion, Chairman. As such, it's imperative that we carry out this plan of yours swiftly."
Jankowski nods tiredly. Fickle as it may be, there may be hope, albeit one that is fueled by the blood of many.
"Then we must work with the Generals. Since we are all in agreement, they will have no choice but to do our bidding. We must also prepare a nationwide broadcast... Belay that thought, we don't even have a working radio. No, we must send messengers our, a great many and with speed to deliver our total mobilization order. We'll start heading to the Southern military region while everything is getting ready for our last stand."
All other members of the Revolutionary Command Council nod, not even thinking much of their disastrous decision to conscript the entire, loyal population of Polania. There will be consequences for such an action but everyone in the chamber seems to be perfectly unaware of them. After all...
They are mere politically-minded businessmen and individuals.
And one of the greatest banes is to have uncultured people meddling in military affairs. Any military leaders worth a damn will see that this plan Jankowski proposed and signed by the rest of the Council is no different than truly asking the regime, and its people, to burn in Hell together. They aren't the ones fighting on the frontline, so they truly don't know what the Belkans and Rusviets are truly capable of. Running, hiding, and turtling won't save the Council from what's about to come. While the Reich may shy away from actively attacking unarmed civilians, they have no qualms about purging hostile armed combatants, no matter their origins. This is proven when they punished the Sardegnians for their follies. As for the Rusviets, they are even less scrupulous and are ready to shell an entire city's worth of population for days, as long as the atmosphere of the city is deemed hostile to the red banner. Such is a justifiable crash out after the Polanian racism bullshit hit daylight.
In other words, Jankowski and the rest of the Revolutionary Command Council will be in for yet another rude awakening.