Cherry Blossom Snow

Germany

Despite Reinaldo's efforts to maintain neutrality and avoid conflict, Martian soldiers, under the guise of ensuring protection for the Soviet Union, engaged in skirmishes with German forces with alarming frequency. Germany escalated with brazen attacks on weapons depots, which undermined the Soviet Union's defensive capabilities. Upon receiving news of the attacks, Reginald rushed to Reinaldo's office. Reinaldo yelped with surprise and sat up on his desk, breathing heavily. Norabel emerged from under his robe, a smirk playing on her lips, a thick white fluid dripping from her mouth.

"Is there something important?" Norabel asked casually, wiping her mouth.

"Germany has escalated their assault," Reginald declared urgently. "These were targeted attacks on weapons depots within the Soviet Union. We can't keep ignoring this. We need to do something."

"What do you propose?" Reinaldo inquired, his expression grave.

"Hadassah is ready to direct all Martian forces on Earth to retaliate," said Reginald. "But we need your approval to proceed."

"I do not want war," Reinaldo insisted with tears in his eyes.

Norabel interjected, "With all due respect, Reinaldo, the time for caution has passed. We cannot allow our enemies to dictate the terms of engagement. We must show them that we will not be intimidated."

Reinaldo sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "I understand your concerns, but I cannot make this decision lightly."

Reginald nodded solemnly. "I understand. Since I arrived on Earth, I have done everything in my power to avoid war, to refrain from violence whenever possible. But we must act swiftly to protect the Soviet Union and its people."

After a moment of tense silence, Reinaldo straightened up, his expression resolute. "Very well. Prepare the Martian forces for retaliation. But make it clear that our objective is to defend ourselves, not to escalate the conflict further."

Reginald nodded, a sense of urgency driving his actions. "Understood. I will make the necessary arrangements with Hadassah immediately."

As Reginald hurried out of the office to carry out his orders, Reinaldo turned to Norabel, his gaze troubled. "I hope we are making the right decision."

Norabel met his gaze with unwavering determination. "We are doing what we must to protect our people. That is all we can do."

Immediately following the Soviet Union's retaliation, Germany issued a declaration of war. This finally pressured Reinaldo to declare war against Germany. This would quickly prove particularly devastating to Germany, whose leadership had vastly overestimated their own power without adequately assessing what the Soviet Union was capable of, especially with Martian support.

The Soviet Union's massive bombing raids utterly destroyed Germany's primary lines of defense. In an effort to minimize civilian casualties, Reinaldo specifically targeted military installations while leaving residential areas largely unscathed. However, once this pattern became clear, the Wehrmacht began operating out of businesses and neighborhoods. In order to stay true to his principles, Reinaldo directed an immense ground invasion to fight in the streets. While the ground forces would be held off for quite some time, within a week, the bombers reached Berlin. Soon, raids by large bombers were phased out in favor of smaller craft launching precision strikes. This eased the process, but it would still prove tedious.

Throughout 3940, as concentration camps were captured and liberated, colossal stockpiles of chemical weapons were seized. The question of what to do with these potent remnants of hatred weighed heavy on the minds of those tasked with their safekeeping. In the midst of such turmoil, Reginald, a voice of caution and reason, turned to Reinaldo in his office with a question that carried the weight of ethical dilemma and practicality intertwined.