78 War Begins (1/2)
Harmony Training Field.
Ed joined the soldiers in their training. He used a steam rifle and hit all the practice targets accurately. Then he ran several miles, traversed an obstacle course, and sparred against the ordinary soldiers.
”Forge!” A man's voice interrupted his training.
Ed turned around and spotted a tall blond man. ”Yes?” He questioned.
”Please check out our training!” The man requested while saluting. ”I don't know if you remember me, but I was the first superhuman soldier you created!”
”Oh?” He thought for a moment before nodding. 'This was the first test subject from when I created the superhumans. Come to think of it, I never did train with them. The assassination attempt on my life ended up changing my original plans.' He gestured towards the soldier. ”Let's go.”
”Yes!” The soldier nodded enthusiastically, a big grin on his face. He began walking towards a separate training field that was exclusive to the superhumans. ”Oh, by the way, my name is Eli.”
”Eli?” Ed nodded. Did Ray put you in charge of the superhuman soldiers?”
”Yup.” He confirmed. ”That's why I was first when you took on soldiers for the project. I'm one of Ray's right-hand men!”
The duo reached the training field. The 200 superhumans had divided into 10 squads of 10. They flew in the air together in sync, releasing constant streams of flame against the scorched ground beneath them.
”Not bad.” Ed smiled as he watched. ”How good are your men at individual combat?”
”Not good.” Eli sighed. ”We're really good at group combat, but weak in single combat. It's to the point that Ray ordered us to always stick in squads. Of course, we can always beat ordinary people in a one versus one fight, but we stand little chance against espers in that situation.”
”Makes sense.” Ed agreed. ”You guys lack strong bodies. You're the equivalent of glass cannon air support.
”That's why I invited you!” Eli replied, a serious look on his face. ”Help train us for individual combat! There's no way we'll be able to consistently remain with our squads throughout the entire war. The enemy will do everything they can to break us up once they know our weakness.”
Ed frowned. 'If that's true, then they probably already know the superhumans weakness. Nexus would have found out by now.' He closed his eyes and thought of potential solutions. 'Mana infusion? No. The manullium in their bodies would interfere. Make their bodies stronger by using ordinary animal flesh? The minor difference wouldn't be worth the time and effort. Exo Suits would be the ideal solution, but we lack the technology to make them. There must be a simple solution I'm overlooking...' He thought for a few more moments when it suddenly hit him. He smiled while slamming his fist into his palm, indicating his success. ”How about adrenaline shots?” He questioned.
”Adrenaline shots?!” The soldier repeated in confusion. He was looking for a more unique solution that would be related to Forge's powers.
”Right.” Ed nodded. ”We don't have the technology to give you guys strong gear right now. I'm also unable to upgrade your bodies significantly. However, we can easily secure a few hundred adrenaline shots for you and the other superhumans. It won't be a game changer, but it might just end up saving your lives if you end up in single combat against any espers.”
The soldier rubbed his chin and agreed. ”It could work, I suppose.”
”Good.” Ed took a notebook out from his pocket and scribbled a note on it. Then he tore the page and handed it to Eli. ”Take that to the hospital. They'll give you what you need.”
”Mm.” The man nodded and began jogging away.
Ed left the training field and met with Ray. The two sat down in Ray's outside office, which was near the training field.
Ray hesitated a moment before speaking, ”Forge. What's with this delay? When are we going to war?”
”That's confidential for now.” He replied as he sipped a cup of tea. ”I'm not here for that though. I want to hear your strategy for when the war starts. We're outmanned in number of soldiers. We do have a lot of steam mechs and tanks, but so does the enemy. We have almost no espers. Basically, we're completely outclassed. How do you plan to win in these disadvantageous conditions?”
Ray lowered his head in thought for a moment. ”You left out the 200 superhumans and 200 chimeras from those numbers? Can I take that to mean I won't have access to them during the war?”
”Maybe. Maybe not.” Ed smiled. ”I can't risk revealing everything I plan, and not everything is final. But for the sake of your plan, let's just assume our special soldiers don't even exist at all. How would you go about winning? Keep in mind that simply dragging it out into a draw won't work. Our soldiers are loyal now, but that'll hardly last through a long war. The organization is too new for them to feel true loyalty.”
Ray sighed while shaking his head. ”In that scenario, I'd truly prefer guerilla warfare tactics. Florida would become a mess as a result, but we'd likely win the war by default after a decade or two.” A sharp gleam appeared in his eyes as he looked towards Ed. ”But since that isn't an option, then we have no choice but to blitzkrieg.”
”The German rushing tactic?” Ed questioned. ”Won't you need air support for that? To my knowledge, the engineering department has built only a few steam quadcopters.”
”It'll be enough if we play our cards right.” He replied. ”We can drop a compound of oil mixed with fire mana-powder. It'll explode as it hits the ground. Then we'll immediately penetrate their forces and attack their rear lines. We'll need to utilize mana-radio well to coordinate the attack properly across our entire army.”
Ed considered the proposal and frowned. He held up two fingers. ”There are two flaws in your plan. First, we have a very limited supply of mana-powders. You'll have to use light mana-powder instead, which will cause more initial damage but less chaos overall. Second, it's an all or nothing strategy. If you fail, then everything is over. Our forces will be entirely decimated, giving us zero chance of winning the war.”
”Right.” Ray nodded. ”It's all or nothing. There's no such thing as a guaranteed victory in war, but I think this is the most suitable strategy, for we lack supplies and manpower. A quick victory is our only hope. Fortunately, there hasn't been a major war in the world for decades. The generals that have been promoted through the military are lazy and corrupt. War comes with many horrors, but it also creates great men and great generals.”
”You have no experience either.” Ed interrupted, smiling while resting his head against his hand. ”What makes you think you're any better than those that lead the enemy?”
”I'll show you when the time comes.” He replied confidently while standing up. ”Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go make some preparations with the engineering department. I'll admit that I made a huge oversight, so I'm thankful the war is delayed, even if only by a few days. It was foolish of me to assume the superhumans and chimeras would always be under my direct command.”
...
The days quickly passed. Ed spent most of the time mixing with the soldiers, engineers, and other Harmony members. Morale increased greatly as a result. Soon, the day of the Harmony War arrived.
Ed was currently flying near Miami, flames blasting from his feet. The enemy defenses were tight. Soldiers had dug trenches in the ground and set up sandbags as far as the eyes could see. Riflemen kept watch for any enemies. Steam tanks, mechs, and cannons were positioned far behind the trenches. The cannons would release a constant bombardment of fire against any enemies. The tanks and mechs were ready to roll out at a moment's notice.
”Pathetic.” World Walker clicked his tongue. He stood in the air next to Ed, his power over gravity holding him in place. A black glow covered his body.
”You mean how tired the soldiers are?” Ed questioned. ”That was all part of the plan. We should have an easier time now because of it.”
”No.” Bolin shook his head. He pointed towards the top of the city walls. ”I'm talking about them. Those espers sit in the back and send their men to their deaths. Not only that, but it's their fault the soldiers are tired in the first place. I can smell their overconfidence from here.”