Author Notes:
Finally, after some hiccup with my PC, in which event I lost many of my drafts, I managed to make the next OBOM chapter at last... And with it, hopefully a repository for visual guide for OBOM. Link to it will be right down below!
Other than that, if you want to support my Mom and me, do consider hopping over to my Patreon page, Discord, and other stories! Cheers! Thank you! And enjoy!
Visual Guide!
G1 Family: https://postimg.cc/K4VBbBJx
USP-9: https://postimg.cc/yW5cKcvV
SG-14.5/20: https://postimg.cc/0r3DvDc2
S-8G/12G: https://postimg.cc/8s3MGMtC
https://www.patreon.com/Heartbreak117
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/Heartbreak117
https://discord.gg/cVZxJ29ruh
https://www.webnovel.com/book/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich_23809095505377305
https://www.webnovel.com/book/in-the-grimdark-sector-with-a-system_31596105108346205
https://www.webnovel.com/book/my-soul.-occupied-body---please-the-other-me...!_35377211308783905
https://www.scribblehub.com/series/2271569/reich-marshal-of-the-belkan-reich/
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
https://postimg.cc/gallery/5fQs4Fv
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Ever since the capital of our Syncra Ascendancy, Everlight, welcomed its first batch of official citizens, the militaristic and self-sufficient city has never gone a single day without activity or achievement. Looking through the video stream recorded live by the many security cameras around Everlight, I am able to see the Dolls either frolicking about while off-duty or darting around to fulfill their daily tasks. Around their feet, NRS-69 Roombas slowly roam across hallways and on the sidewalks and so on to take care of every bit of trash and mud, keeping Everlight as spotless as it could be. When these Roombas have filled their internal trash storage, they levitate off the ground and fly back to their Autonomous Servicing Stations, staying well above the height of pedestrians and Rover-type vehicles carrying on their days.
After I have sated my interest in seeing how the Autonomous Servicing Stations service the Roombas and pooping out small blocks of condensed material that I have no choice but to put them all in the warehouse for now, I move on to switch the view to another camera that offers a more extensive look at the Everlight, again admiring how the once quiet capital is now teeming with newfound energy, even though we only had enough materials to craft 500 Dolls, a number truly unworthy of even thinking about colonizing the rest of this Greenland-esque island, it's still a sizeable manpower increase when there was only Reizen and I on the official workforce. With a small number of the initial 500 citizens filed under Reizen to handle matters of security and policing, the rest of the Dolls are sequestered by Iris into filling jobs like mining, farming, and exploration... Additionally, although Iris can single-handedly uplift the R&D department of the Ascendancy, a couple of Dolls are assigned under her direct management, if only to lessen the strain on her RAM rather than inventing anything new. The same is applied to Iris' administrative duty as well.
As for Aurea and me, we are surprisingly not that busy, even though we're technically leadership figures of the Ascendancy. With Iris handling the heaviest workload, Aurea's day-by-day duty has always been to either immerse herself in the sea of high-level knowledge or help Sapientia and Reizen in guiding me to be more magically adept, though the official classification should be psionic instead of magical, now that we consider ourselves a splintered faction from the Eternal Reich. Aurea is fully intent on being an inventor or designer in the future, aiming to create a separate division under Chief Scientist Iris' oversight. But that will be a story for when she either takes the steering wheel or we can get myself a new body. The latter is something easier said than done, even with Iris and Sapientia involved.
On my part, I find myself surprisingly well-suited to the role of a Grand Admiral. It helps when the paperwork is mostly electronic, and Iris helps everything proceed smoothly like butter. These days, on Iris' advice, I spend more time mingling with the Dolls than sitting behind the desk or the Rover's dashboard. I ingratiate myself with my mechanical citizens, just as they do with me, and Aurea whenever she is confident enough to pop out. Funnily enough, I am viewed by the majority of Dolls as either a respected gang boss, a great drinking buddy, or a chill-as-heck big sister figure. Aurea, on her part, is likened by the Dolls to a cute little sister, a shy student, and a lovable daughter... Really, you can see the colorful personalities of the Dolls from those descriptions alone. Obviously, when the number of Dolls grows past a certain point, acquainting ourselves with all of them will be physically impossible. But that's something our future selves will have to deal with.
Right now, while Aurea is once again lost in the pages of wisdom, I am waiting for the moment when Iris and Reizen arrive in the meeting room that I am occupying. Today, we are holding the meeting that will further define the power of the Syncra Ascendancy.
Accompanied by the sound of a sliding door and the booting up of the holographic projector, Reizen and Iris come into my view. The latter appears with a casual wave and grin, while the former nods and takes her position right next to me. Following behind Reizen are a few Dolls who are, shall we say, more well-built and coded than the others, not literally, of course. These specific Dolls are the ones that are hand-picked by Iris to act as officers and ministers to the various departments that are responsible for keeping Everlight afloat. Their opinions are needed for what's about to come next.
With us all gathered around, Iris nods before snapping her fingers and bringing up a bunch of holographic charts and data tables.
"Alright, people, we have managed to get used to the new normal at Everlight for some weeks already. I think it's high time that we actually come around to express the elephant in the room. We're supposed to be a military junta. Overwhelming firepower is our defining feature. Yet, look at what we're still using to defend ourselves with: hand-cranked turrets and, Yggdra forbid, an assault rifle platform that fires literal peas at something even a little bit armored up? Face it, we have to do better than this if we are to truly put the word Grand into the title of Grand Admiral..."
"So," Iris claps her hands together. "Get your pens and spreadsheets out. We're not leaving until we have a workable armed force designed!"
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"Currently," Reizen starts yet another topic on what's now the third or fourth day we have been bashing our heads on the meeting table. "The few Marines, Military Police, and other security Dolls are still equipped with the initial stock of STV-410 assault rifles Umbra has acquired from the GAD Module. Needless to say, against normal biological matter, the 7.62x39 mm cartridge performs adequately. However, I suspect the power of this cartridge, which can be described as intermediate at best, will be severely lacking when confronting threats like magical barriers or high-density bone armor or hides of some beasts."
Iris, who has been resting on her holographic spinning chair, adds with a lazy wave of her hand as she stares at the ceiling above us.
"It's an issue the Eternal Reich discovered in the 1930s in our timeline. Back then, the Reich contended with not just mortal armies but also the monsters created by wild circumstances. The Reich has no choice but to adopt battle rifles and the like, weapons with remarkably powerful projectiles to even think about penetrating the tough silicone skin of those monsters before killing them outright. I would imagine that, having been chased down by a Tide Mauler once, you should comprehend the concern being raised by Reizen, Grand Admiral."
"Such an understandable fear is not lost on me, Reizen, Iris." I nod with a smile of understanding. "And while there are certainly applicable options from where I came from, I am curious to know what weapons the Eternal Reich chose to outfit its standing military with back in ye olden days."
Reizen nods before looking over to Iris, prompting the AI to swipe her finger vertically in the air to bring up a series of blueprints floating around for all to see.
"Given our current manufacturing capacity and the needs and capabilities of our military, the best mass-production option for infantry weapons is the very things that carried the Eternal Reich through almost two full centuries. And I am talking about the weapons from the Belkan Reich era that were chiefly designed by Doctor Einstein, namely the G1 series of infantry firearms and whatnot."
"G1 series?" I ask with a raised eyebrow. "They sure as hell look like the roller-delayed blowback G3 and its derivatives from my previous life to me. But given that the Eternal Reich is basically Germany in a more mystical form, I am not surprised that somehow there's an Einstein crafting a Cold War-era weapon in what's basically the WW2 period. But seriously though, two centuries?"
Iris ignores most of my spiel, but does reply with what I identify as a proud, patriotic smirk.
"Our G1s and their variants were built to last, refusing to use wood or cheap stamped sheet metals to ensure final quality and reliability. Of course, that means our weapons at the time were heavier than most, but it was nothing some physical training couldn't fix. And because the guns were crafted around larger, powerful rounds, they basically never run out of style and relevancy in the Eternal Reich arsenal, at least not until personal energy weapons become a staple of modern warfare."
I then turn to Reizen when I hear her interject from the side with a fond, reminiscent smile.
"Of course, for the G1 series to ever stand a chance at being around for fifty years, much less two centuries, they had undergone a few evolutions to keep them churning along. The last official military-adopted version of the G1 line of battle rifles was the G1A5; the name is subject to change, depending on the variants. For example, the integrally suppressed submachine gun derivative of the G1 is called MP9A5SD. Due to its longstanding, widespread adoption, power, and reliability, the guns are even used and produced well into the mid-26th century by private entities, last I checked. In fact, I used to have a collection of original G1-series A5-pattern firearms before they got lost through a hull breach."
Iris chimes in as well.
"To further expand on Reizen's point, the G1-series is a family tree of weapons that can be chambered in different rounds and set up in myriad ways. However, the series is most commonly known for being select-fire weapons in the form of a submachine gun, battle rifle, precision sniper rifle, and light machine gun. They are usually chambered in the very common and proliferated 8x57 mm cartridge, and 9x25 mm for the submachine gun variant. The obviously bigger ammo means more powder and grain are involved, consequently giving the bullets more kick to punch through armor and tear flesh. Additionally, the Eternal Reich arms industry, at least up until the point we crashed here, has consistently updated the bullets and loads for the cartridges. Data of which I already have and can be easily implemented in our automated factories."
"Huhm... Tentatively speaking, if you give the OK signal, it will only take me a couple of hours at the latest to get the production line going for these old Eternal Reich ballistic weapons. Our production rate is only capped by the rate at which we acquire materials and the need to maintain the factories, basically." Iris adds after giving me a thoughtful look.
"I believe I am sold when you give me such a lucrative bargain." I say easily enough. Honestly, what Iris and Reizen described is basically a deal tailor-made to our specific situation on planet Arcadia.
It's hard not to mirror the steps of the mother nation that rose to prominence by fire and steel, defeating not just human armies but monstrous terrors that would have wiped nations on 1940s Earth. Besides, adopting the Reich's proven infantry weapons may as well be a way for us to not just pay homage but also solidify our status as their splintered faction in the eyes of many.
With my agreement of Iris' suggestion all but set in stone, I turn to once again scan the list of notable infantry weapons used when they still called themselves the Belkan Reich instead of the Eternal Reich.
- G1A5 battle rifle, which is basically a Swedish-made Ak4D but on steroids and chambered in the big 8 mm Mauser: modular fore-end plus a rail system and a 6-position adjustable-length buttstock with a cheek support comb optimized for aiming optics.
- G1A5K or Para, a shorter variant with a retractable buttstock instead of an adjustable one. It's suitable for paratroopers and naval personnel.
- PSG1A5 sniper rifle, an accurized, long-barrel version of the G1A5 with adjustable ergonomics. Famed for its accuracy and comfort, it seems.
- MG1A5 machine gun, a light support weapon for a Fireteam or a Squad built on the same basis as the G1A5. It features a lengthened receiver to provide additional recoil length for the bolt group, thus mitigating recoil impulse. Another visual change is the presence of a long barrel shroud over a longer heavy barrel. Beneath the shroud is an integrated bipod for stability.
- MP9A5 submachine gun, the go-to weapon of vehicle crews and special operatives of the Reich in the old days, it seems. Instead of the common 9 mm Parabellum that people of my old world are more familiar with, it's chambered in the exotically more powerful 9x25 mm cartridge. Needless to say, the Special Air Service boys of the United Kingdom would have loved to get their hands on this SMG.
- Most notably, all variants of the G1 can be made integrally suppressed for special operations. These integrally suppressed guns are also capable of venting excess gas in supersonic cartridges to turn their bullets into subsonic projectiles through hand-waiving means that will honestly take me so much time to even break down how they're able to do so. Additionally, other than the MP9A5, all other variants share the same magazines, whether they're a 100-round drum or a 10-rounder mag. This will no doubt lessen the logistical profile by quite a lot.
Of course, there are also other weapons like:
- USP-9, which is basically a Heckler & Koch USP pistol but chambered in 9x25 mm instead of .45 ACP. There is also a spec-ops variant of the USP-9, being the USP-SOCOM, which features, you guessed it, an integral suppressor and compensator combo. However, believe it or not, the USP-SOCOM is chambered in 12.7x40 mm Semi-Armor Piercing High-explosive round. The SOCOM variant is actually what Reizen would have been gifted with had she managed to finish her RAVEN Program graduation ceremony. More than an honorary weapon, it's a weapon that can blow a torso well off the rest of the body.
- SG-14.5 and SG-20, precision-built anti-materiel sniper rifles that are chambered in 14.5x114 mm and 20x110 mm respectively. These actual payload rifles look no different from the Denel NTW-20, albeit with a more streamlined look to it. Again, these are more specialized weapons for the supersoldier Ravens of the Reich, but that doesn't mean normal mortals can't use them.
- S-12G and S-8G, actual shotguns that look like a buffed-up Mossberg M870. While the former is suitable for human utilization, the latter is actually chambered in God forbid full-power 8-gauge shells, something that will normally knock your arm clean off your socket. Given that the Dolls are stronger than baseline humans, I don't think we will ever utilize the 12-gauge version of the shotgun, however. Bitches love big cannon, and the same can be applied to guns.
- There are also additional knick-knacks like grenade launchers, anti-tank and anti-air weapons... All with the suffix A and whatever number attached to their names. Honestly, given what I have seen of the Eternal Reich infantry arsenal in the 1930s, something that only a military of the 1980s and beyond can possibly even possess, it's no wonder the Reich kept winning the land war.
It's literally the meme of a coughing baby versus a hydrogen bomb being acted in not even the middle stage of what should be called the World War 2 period. And this is only the infantry weapons, Viola know what's supposed to be in the Reich's roster when it comes to vehicles and whatever else.
Letting out a meaningful sigh, I then turn to the Dolls who have been patiently waiting for our discussion to enter a calm period.
I ask them. "Are you girls confident in hoisting an 8-gauge shotgun and a .57 caliber sniper rifle across snow and mud?"
The Dolls look at one another, seeing the confidence and resolve in their eyes before gazing at me. One of them nods, grinning as she raises a thumbs-up and excitedly says.
"Stick with your choice, Boss~! These are some good gears being planned right here, and good gears keep you alive. Simple math!"
With the representative's agreement, I turn and nod in Iris' direction, sealing yet another decision that will shape the Syncra Ascendancy to be better and stronger.
... But then Iris introduces the need for standardized vehicles, and I find myself collapsing in mild exhaustion and hunger. This meeting will never end in a timely manner.
[E-Ehm... Umbra, fight!] Aurea's cute cheering does give me an adrenaline injection, however.