In ????, War was Begin.

Shala trotted over to Iccy and dropped a bar on him before unwrapping hers and enjoying it. She took very slow and delicate chews, seeming to get a lot more than just flavor from it. "...I...love...chocolate..."

Icarus blushed a bit. "C-Couldn't t-tell..." He teased slightly, Slamming down this hatch.

Shala was almost purring to herself as she nommed the chocolate. She was in a different world as the sweet coco melted in her mouth.

Icarus Worked in silence on the next Tank, Before Speaking up, "I-I'm g-gonna b-be on a t-tank C-Crew s-soon." He said, almost nonchalantly. Inside, though, he was a nervous wreck. He might not even see Sh-- He stopped that line of thought right there. "E-Everypony h-here is."

Shala stopped chewing her chocolate. She stared at Iccy. It was one thing to be wanting more crew for the tanks, but to go this far meant something was wrong. And Iccy was someone...well...Not someone she would say isn't ready for it, but she knew he might be better served here at logistics.

"Iccy? Are you sure?...What happen? Did Captain Shields come by? We couldn't need everyone unless we wanted all these tanks going...." She didn't like where this was going.

Icarus simply nodded. "I-I'm t-to fix a-as many t-tanks a-as p-possible, w-with h-help f-from a-anyone c-capable, a-and t-then I g-get t-to pick a t-tank t-to be on. W-Won't be in c-command, w-which i-is p-probably a g-good thing." Icarus left out a Dark snort. With the shape these tanks were in, No one would last too long.

Lieutenant Colonel Indigo Surprise sat in his office. He laid his officer's revolver out on the table, idly loading and reloading it as he looked over maps logistics tables, intelligence reports. Indigo was a special case here. He was no noble, he was no pony of too terrible importance. He came from a middle class family in rural Equestria. The only thing that could make him special in the eyes of regular ponies was that he was a graduate of Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. However he did not just study magic, it was history that interested him. Particularly the history of warfare and weapons. However he had something that made him special in comparison to the other officers around him: his cutie mark was meant for war. The military was not short of leadership, anypony drunk enough could lead a charge into battle. What the military truly lacked was actual command. It took a pony of a certain mindset to send other ponies to their death in the hope that most of their comrades would live. It was for this reason that he was given his post by Celestial Decree just after graduating. He already had a few operations planned and in motion and he could scrap together another one. One of the things he was good at was getting the most use out of the resources available to him. He sent word to Captain Shielder for a briefing.

Shala didn't really know what to think about the big picture. It made her want to smash something. And there were not many things her hooves could smash nearby.

"Dammit.....I knew i should have saved that whiskey. I'm going to have to pull a lot of deals to sneak another one in."

She sighed and fell onto her back. This news was not good, save one part of it. "...Any tank you want? Say....I bet we could get paired up if we play our cards carefully."


------


Captain Shields waited a moment outside Lieutenant Colonel Surprise's door. It wasn't a few hours since he got the news and began making the preparations for what was to come. To be called to his office so soon was either very good new or very bad news. Nonetheless, Shields took pride in his commitment and determination to get it done, and he was going to make sure he got that impression on this relatively new 'superior' officer.

Shields let himself in, having mentally prepared himself well enough for any simple or difficult news. He marched up to the front of his desk and stood at attention with a salute.

"Sir, you called for me, Lieutenant Colonel Surprise, sir?" He started with the expectant formality to a superior officer, though he was used to it being dumbed down with the other officers in less stressful times.

Icarus' Ears perked up at that. "... P-Paired t-together?" He tried not to sound TOO hopeful. "D-Do you t-think it's p-possible...?"

Indigo saluted back, though without the rigidity and properness of the captain's. "Colonel is fine in conversation, Captain Shielder." He loaded his revolver and set it aside before he stood up and motioned the captain closer to look at a map of the front line with different chess pieces set in different positions with colored pencil markings drawn underneath them and across the map, suggesting the pieces are either there for show or for a quick reference. "Do you know what lies at the heart of an army, captain?"

"Well...I mean you might need to say something to Captain Shields, but you never know until you try. You did say you got to pick those that helped you on your tanks. Maybe that will be your foot in the door for it." Shala smiled at Iccy. She would be damned to trust any other tankers with Iccy if she could help it.

----


Shields looked at the revolver before looking back to Indigo. He knew there were many different ways to answer. Some more correct than others. Rather than make an answer that was likely not going to fit his purpose, he chose no answer.

"What would that be Colonel?"

Icarus smiled broadly. "I-I'll ask t-the next T-Time I s-see him!" He couldn't help but blush at her smile, and at his almost over-eager reply.

"War ultimately boils down to one thing: material. That's everything from food, ammunition, and ponies. In any conflict, be it war or an election for a small town mayor, resources is what will determine the winner. We already have this advantage, as bleak as things may seem now we will ultimately prevail. To end this war quicker, we need to capture or destroy their supplies. You don't attack a bear head on, you nick an artery and wait for the rest of it to bleed out. The Kraut frontline is our bear, captain and we're going to sever its arteries." Indigo pointed to his map.

"We know they ship supplies through these routes here. The pawns represent supply and troop transports. What we're going to do is place tanks along these routes here, here, here, here, and here." He placed a knight piece along each of the different routes. "The goal of this mission is to capture or destroy their shipments. The specifics are in this folder." He levitated a folder from his desk, read the cover, and looked through it just to be sure he was handing over the correct documents. After his mind was satisfied he set the document in front of Shields. "Also, I want you to see to it that any and all unicorns that are able to learn the area of effect invisibility spell. It will make our operations go much smoothly."

The folder contained the actual orders and maps. The operation would take place in conjunction with an aerial dogfight and artillery barrage set to take place the next day at 14:00 conducted by some officer on the front line. During the confusion paratroopers would fly in five tanks and set them next to abandoned homes and farmhouses along the supply routes. The soldiers would also fly in some moldy hay that had spoiled to allow the tanks to blend into the background. Orders were to destroy as much of the convoys as possible and to scavenge what they could take and then burn the rest. This was to be done within a projected three hour long time frame of confusion the barrage would provide. Anypony that was still behind enemy lines at 17:00 would be on their own. The orders also state that the condition of the attacking tanks did not matter so long as the turrets could swivel and that they could fire. Arrangements would be made so that the tanks would be fitted with their maximum allotment of shells and cartridges for the machine guns.

Shala could read a bit of how Iccy was feeling. She always suspected that there might be something between them. Now she had a bit of a clue. "Let me help you out here. And then we can pick the best tank for ourselves."

----

Shields paged through the folder a bit. He knew about an operation like this possibly going through. What he didn't like was the fact they would be behind enemy lines, possibly surrounded at any time, with little to no reinforcement for an undetermined amount of time. He knew that every day and week they were there would make pushing the lines back easier until they met up with the front, but if anything went wrong, they were likely on their own.

"...And what of our support? What if we find more resistance than expected? How long are we to hold?" Shields looked up to the Colonel, concern in his voice. His crews were in terrible enough condition. If they ran into any enemy armored divisions there might be trouble.

Icarus nodded, blushing. "F-For now, W-We're j-just r-reconnecting w-wire. s-simple as c-connecting t-the right c-color and f-fusing." he said, showing her how he was doing so on the very tank he was working on.

Indigo sat back down. "I wrote in there that there is a three hour window. Convoys get hit, retreat. So long as everypony sticks to the timeframe, nopony will be have to hold out. Intelligence suggests that there will be no enemy armor moving at this time, but if it is seen before the convoy, don't engage. That's simple self preservation. I don't expect a lone tank of questionable mobility to take on a division. And on the off chance enemy armor does show up, scrap together some anti armor weapons for our flyboys. They can hit them from the top without exposing the tank crew to danger, simple. It's up to the tank commander of whether to retreat or not"

Indigo grinned."I'm not looking for any heroics, this attack is a simple unhonorable attack on relatively defenseless supply trains who stand no chance against shells, machinegun fire, and attacks from the air."

Shala got up close and laid down next to him to get a better look. She knew that the proximity was a bit personal, but she pretended to not notice. "Put the square block in the square hole. Gotcha."

---

Shields looked down at the map for a while. It was to their benefit, and on paper it sounded good. It always sounded good on paper. Every time. But it only took so much to go bad. He had to get something more out of it.

"Sir, i understand how much this helps us, but if anything goes wrong...I have a company of my tankers stuck behind the lines. Can none of the artillery be reserved for them or some more paratroopers spared in the event things go sour? Is there still no tanks to be sent to us yet that can penetrate their tiger tank?"

Icarus blushed BRIGHT red and nodded. "S-Something along t-those lines, Y-Yeah."

Indigo cleared his throat and began to pour himself a drink from a bottle in the drawer of his desk. "I'm not in command of the guns, I simply heard about the bombardment being planned to soften up the line and saw it as an opportunity to wreak some havoc behind enemy lines. However, I will see what I can do to get another unit of reserve troops just in case. I'll try to get a full replacement, they're not presently engaged anyway."

Shala did a few wires herself, a bit satisfied with her work. "So Iccy...You have a special someone waiting for you at home?" She said, turning to face him rather closely.

---


Shields was not that much more comfortable with that response, but it would do. "...Sir...Permission to take part in the operation personally?" He asked. He knew he was technically not needed but there were enough things that set uneasy with him to just let it go without him.

Icarus turned to Shala, bright red, and shook his head. "N-Nope..." he mumbled. "D-Do y-you... u-um..."

Indigo looked up at him sternly, though as he talked his eyes began to show signs of strain, not of frustration but weakness. "I said no heroics, captain. We can't have ponies in our command structure throwing themselves away... on the off chance something goes awry. I hope you can find comfort in the fact that I don't believe in sacrificing lives unless it's absolutely necessary, and I mean absolutely. It's harder to design a strategy that gets your ponies home than it is to simply waste them. I won't let my conscience rest on it. I've been pouring over all of this raw data, piecing this plan together so it's just exact. It's a compulsion I have. I can't even leave my home without triple checking to see if I have my keys. Anypony lost will be lost to their own judgement or unforeseen fate, so long as my orders are followed to the letter." He took a sip of his drink and softened some "If it's so important to you that you accompany one of the crews personally, I won't stop you from arguing your case if you're deeply convicted."

Shala smiled and shook her head. She played with a few more wires, though not with as much effort and concentration as she had been before.

---

Shields was ready to argue. "You plan is solid enough to be a green light, but i deal with these ponies every waking hour. As their officer, they look up to me. With the condition they are in, if i am to send them behind enemy lines, they will need to know its a mission i trust my life on to get them home. Let me be there to make sure it happens as you want it to sir....With your permission."

Icarus fumbled with wires, His nerves practically shot. It was a small wonder no one heard his heart thumping. "S-Shala... u-um... L-Let's s-say I R-REALLY l-liked s-somepony. S-She w-was S-Smart, S-Stern w-when n-needed, K-Kind w-when s-she w-wanted, A-And w-was N-Nopony b-but herself a-at a-all t-times..." he said, absentmindedly fiddling with wires. "D-Do you t-think I h-have a c-chance w-with this p-pony?"

Indigo acted like he was weighing the consequences in his head before nodding. "For the sake of morale, request approved... one one condition. As a favor to me, could you find a pony who's a wood or stone carver? I'd like to have some accurate miniatures for my plans. Using these chess pieces with my cutie mark makes me look like some kind of chess genius or something."