Reich Marshal of the Belkan Reich

RM Vol 4: War – Chapter 66: Case Yellow (Day 17 – Logistical Stop)

HONK HONK HONK

The sound of multiple train engines reverbs throughout the dark of the night. It's past midnight, but the logistic hub that is a Belkan military train yard never ceases its thrums of life. The place is well-lit thanks to multiple floodlights, a necessary measure given the 24/7 working hours the site has been going under ever since its conception. On average, a train arrives every half an hour, but sometimes the number fluctuates to two or three. Unlike many other stations in the Reich or elsewhere, this trainyard primarily exists to service and outfit the metallic steel dragons of Belka. Loading or offloading may be done anywhere else, but it's in trainyards that never sleep that the war trains are kitted out to work at peak efficiency. Flatbed cars? We have those in abundance. New piston? Just grab one from our well-stocked storage. Armored cabs? How big do you need? Missile launchers? Well, you come to the right place, we have missiles of all sizes and variety. In other words, trainyards are where the Belkan land dragons become the jack-of-all-trade that people have come to know and love. And today, this particular trainyard is hosting a special guest:

Thomas the Train.

After its brief stint as a hospital in Dunkirk, the train was swiftly packed up and ushered back to Belka. The motherland once more has a need for the train and the expertise of the crew that runs it. Quite happily, they all answer the call. The trainyard is where Thomas will receive a round of service and loadout change before being sent away to the Eastern Front. The crew will also get a much-needed day off, getting the time to hit the bar or communicate with their family.

Stepping off the train are Adam and Lukas, with them both taking a moment to turn and look at the long line of cars that form the rest of Thomas the Train.

"What's next?" Lukas speaks with his arms raised to support the back of his head. "From a missile carriage to a hospital train, what's next on the line for us, pal?"

Adam smiles wryly while stretching his back, earning himself an audible crack. "Bloody hell, that sounds bad for someone my age." Adam blanches, thinking that the time spent cooped up inside the train has finally caught up to him.

Lukas interjects with a smirk. "Oh, don't let the missus know about this, otherwise she will ground you flat at home."

"It will be wise not to, yeah." Adam plays along. "Aria will no doubt school me for not taking care of myself. As for what's next for Thomas, we're back with being a supply ferry with guns. They need us up in the Polanian side of things now."

"Aight, so the good old days are back." Lukas comments with a nod. "Feels like a mighty long time since we got a normal supply mission."

Adam shakes his head as he eyes some of the disembarking and saluting crew of Thomas. The decorated Lieutenant returns a salute of his own before saying.

"You're speaking as if we didn't do supply runs in the Ustian front. And that happened like what, a few days ago?"

Lukas shrugs before reaching for a cigarette in his jacket.

"Hey, back then was different. Supply runs or not, we were blowing shit up left and right, using everything that shouldn't be anywhere on a freaking train. Try to keep a straight face when you explain to your family how we managed to sink a battleship on a landbound train. That's not a conversation I would like to spend an hour of my life trying to explain away."

"Huh." Adam, crossing his arms together. "Fair enough."

As the both of them converse and Lukas has lighted his cigarette, Captain Surbella hops down from Thomas before them. Adam gives the man a respectful nod while Lukas raises an arm as he puffs out a ring of smoke. "Yo, Cap."

"Still here, you two?" Surbella comes close to them and pulls out a cigarette as well.

Lukas offers the man his lighter, replying. "Yeah, well, I guess we're about to wrap it up here, I guess?" The Sergeant then turns to look at Adam. "Are we calling it a night, or day, depending on how you look at it?"

Adam nods. "Kinda? I only need to hand over the proverbial key to Thomas to the overseer of this berth."

The three of them then collectively look around, seeing no overseer in sight. After pulling a worker for a brief chat, they learn that the overseer is being held up by another train that came to the station with bits of zombies jamming up its braking systems. Adam sighs.

"Well, that is indeed a pain to clear up for any train. Those silicon bodies tend to stick in the oddest of places."

"So, shall we just all hang around here like headless chickens or what?" Lukas asks the two of them, with both him and Surbella now sporting a smoke of their own.

"Nah, we're good." Adam shrugs. "It's only a formality for me to talk with the overseer. The workers already know what needs to be done and they're perfectly capable without us harping over them. Tomorrow is when we reconvene with the rest of the crew for the usual stuff."

Lukas hums. "A rain check on the maintenance work and cataloging our new equipment and cargo. By the way, I hear we will get our hands on the new weapon cars, right, Captain?"

Puffing a smoke, Surbella answers. "The Sunburst MLRS. The brass wants to test and see whether it's worth putting such a weapon system on an armored train."

Lukas stalls for a bit, wondering aloud. "Wait, isn't that the thing the Army used to burn out Dunkirk?"

Adam and Surbella nod. "Yeah, the very same."

Surbella adds.

"See it as a replacement for the Ustian 220 mm we used before, a sort of breakthrough weapon on a mobile platform that is Thomas. While it's doubtful that it will be part of a standard loadout, the Sunburst is a nice option to have when we need to run through a blockade. Speaking of that, there are rumors that those old 220 mm garnered the interest of our military scientists as well. So don't be surprised if we will haul them around in the future."

"Mother Goddess above, Thomas is getting more and more exaggerated by the day." Lukas says in exasperation.

Adam pats the Lieutenant on the shoulder with a grin. "Ain't nothing gonna beat the fact that we will have to run a mobile landing pad for Harriers and Ospreys later. Be thankful we weren't asked to be aircraft maintainers on top of our duty of running Thomas."

Lukas coughs. "Right, three unfoldable flatcars, landing pads for VTOL aircraft, and five car-worth of aircraft supplies. Maybe I said it too early about this upcoming trip being a normal supply run."

"Technically, it really is a normal supply run." Adam adds. "But we are supplying fighter aircraft... In a more direct manner."

"So is this part of the reason why we need an MLRS system?" Lukas asks, but it's Surbella who replies.

"Think of it as we need the MLRS to secure a safe zone to deploy the landing pads. I reckon the Polanians won't mind us scorching them hot. Only this time, it's us dishing out the blow instead of the Reich Marshal."

"If you put it like that..." Lukas drags his cigarette with a grin. "Yeah, I can see the necessity for such a weapon system on Thomas. Payback is a bitch."

Even Adam must huff in agreement. "Yeah, it sure is."

Safe to say, after what Thomas and the crew experienced in Warsaw, a blood debt exists in the hearts of these Belkans. Much like the rest of the crew, Adam, Lukas, and Surbella, those who have seen the vileness of the current Polanian regime firsthand, vow to see the end of this tyranny. There can be no greater honor for these men and women than being a part of the finishing blow to a corrupted government and vindicating the dead.

Adam sighs. "Ok, that's enough talk. We should retire and recharge our energy. It's been a long, long work schedule."

"Yeah..." Lukas says while puffing his cigarette. "We have been at this since Day 1, right? I think this is the first time we have had a more than 24-hour rest period since the whole shebang started. Yeah, it's high time we hit the shack."

Adam puts his hands into his coat, nodding at Lukas and Surbella. "Then you two go ahead first and have a good rest."

Surbella returns the nod, asking. "Then what about you, Kemper?"

"I'm gonna head over to the comms building, and see if I can hail Aria over in China. Can't really call her the normal way, after all." Adam explains. "I have to check in with her and report that I am still, in fact, alive and well."

Surbella huffs with the slightest hint of a smirk forming on his face. "Then we'll leave you to it, Kemper. Have a good time."

The trio part ways, with Adam going off alone in the bustling trainyard while the others head to their designated dormitory building. Due to the nature of the trainyard running a constant business, it's quite hard to find a secluded corner anywhere close to a berthing area. Most of the time, you will have to navigate around the organized chaos that is cargo boxes, tool carts, and yard workers going about their jobs. Back in the old days, running a highly demanding place like a trainyard on a 24/7 basis is like waiting for a disaster to happen. If not for modern work and safety regulations and the updated infrastructure, trainyards like this one would have encountered one accident after another. And even then, fatal incidents can still occur. It's why overseers like the one Adam was supposed to meet exist, they're responsible for supervising and making sure the workers are safe at each berth, with maintaining work efficiency being a closed second priority. Of course, overseers alone won't be able to ensure a nonstop grind. For this, one needs to know that the Belkan Reich leverages well the physicality of its supernatural citizens. Better yet, a robust benefit and healthcare system ensures the workers remain healthy and happy. A workday is also divided into multiple shifts with strict oversight to ensure each shift change won't result in a catastrophic mistake. The multilayered strategy ensures the trainyard is always active in the pipeline of the massive logistical network the Belkan Reich has constructed. And, much like the trainyard, all other logistical hubs and critical industries are put in the 24/7 work plan, with each of them having a different tailor-made strategy provided by the Reich to ensure their operation at peak efficiency, nonstop.

As for why the Belkan Reich can't really expand on this 24/7 work plan to the wider civilian sector, the answer is quite simple, yet complex at the same time. Firstly, only the government can afford the wages of the numerous workers required to run the shifts daily, all week long, and on repeat. Other than that, it's the lack of qualified workers as even the Reich can't just hasten the training process without compromising on quality. The last reason, ironically enough, is the fact equipment sometimes reaches its limits before the workers. While workers can work shifts to avoid exhaustion, the machinery can't. This is why such a demanding work plan is best left in government care and the military sector. In other words, no one else can foot the bill for such a hungry upkeep. With these thoughts in mind, Adam has unknowingly found himself in one of the private rooms of the trainyard's comms building.

Laying in the center of the room is a communication terminal and an unironic phonebook. Pulling out a chair by the terminal, Adam sits down and peruses the thick, yellow block of papers. It takes him a couple of minutes to find the number that he wants to input. Right after typing in the numbers on a keyboard and pressing the call button, Adam reaches out to the right side of the terminal and pulls a desktop microphone closer to his mouth. He then searches for the headphones and soon finds them safely hanging by a metallic outcrop on the other side of the terminal. Putting the headphones on, he soon hears a beep before someone says on the other end.

"Belkan embassy in Beijing, how may I help you?"

Adam then slowly and calmly reported his name, rank, and affiliation before stating his request. "May I trouble you to check if Miss Aria Klein, my fiancee, is available for a call, sir?"

"Ah, then you're in luck, Lieutenant. Miss Aria has just returned from her excursion. I will have you connected to the phone in her room in a moment."

Adam smiles softly, eager to hear the voice of his fiancee. "You have my thanks, sir."

"It's no trouble at all, Lieutenant." Then comes another beep, followed by a brief calming lull.

And then. "Adam!"

Hearing the cheery voice of his Nekomata fiancee, Adam's smile grows into a silly grin. "Aria! It's so good to hear from you! How has China been treating my fair lady?"

"I will recommend you to bring the whole family over for a tour the next chance we have. It's a shame that I can't share what I see, or wear, with you in a visual manner. Although the heat is a bit of something I still have to get used to."

Adam whistles. "Now that's high praise, but one that I am inclined to listen to. And indeed, it's a shame, but nothing is more important than taking care of yourself over there so you don't suffer from a heatstroke."

"Said the one having to ride into the heat of battle on his shiny metal dragon. You're the one who needs a guardian angel, Adam, but I will be sure to follow your advice nonetheless. Once I am done here, I will rush back to Berlin with some souvenirs. Keep yourself safe, ok, so that you can see me wearing a Cheongsam when you return."

"Oh, with a promise like that, you know I won't be able to miss it." Adam chuckles, already envisioning her in a Mandarin gown. "That said, can you spoil some of it for me, the dress I mean."

"Well, it's a simple red with some gold accents here and there, that's one. The other one is a white Cheongsam with some orange and red flower embroidery. There are some others, but I do like those two the most. They were part of a gift for the embassy and I was able to receive them and some jewelry due to my part in the ranch deal."

Adam whistles. "Wow, my girl is climbing up in the world... Which she dislikes."

"You know me, Adam, I can't handle wearing these glossy accessories. I would sooner ride a bike than wear them into a ball or something."

Adam laughs. "Don't jinx it, Aria. With our luck, we may as well be dragging ourselves to a ball once we're all back in Berlin."

"Urgh, I just want my own corner of the outskirt. All these high-profile talk is using up my social energy faster than I can recharge."

"Well, at least you don't have to deal with the old, pre-purged Long Dynasty. I heard that back then, things were much, much worse and hard to stomach..."

And by the time Adam realizes, he has been talking on the phone for half an hour, only stopping when Aria expresses her love for him and reminds him to go to bed. But to him, those half an hour was well spent and he will do it again whenever he can. Very soon, Adam won't be able to contact Aria for a while. The upcoming foray into Polania will demand the utmost attention of himself and that of Thomas' crew. There must be no room for mistake, no quarters to give to the Polanian foes. While Adam and Thomas are just parts of a war machine, they are no less deserving of the chance to deliver a sucker punch to the enemy that wronged them. To accomplish that, indeed, Adam will need to hit the bunk.

And that he will.