Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 148: Unity Forged in Chaos

Three months after the dimensional invasion

In the redesigned depths of the Military School, a few hundred meters from the devastated Invalides, the National Defense Operations Center hummed with intense activity. Holographic screens projected a France fragmented into colored zones: red for lost territories, orange for contested areas, and finally, those precious green islands that were gradually expanding - the reconquered territories.

Adrien Valcourt contemplated this changing cartography from his central command post. At 47, this former colonel turned general coordinator of the National Unity bore on his shoulders the weight of a responsibility that no military manual had ever anticipated. His rise to power had not been without turbulence.

Three months earlier - The first critical 72 hours

The initial collapse had been total. The government, hastily evacuated to secret bunkers, had lost all effective authority. Prefects, cut off from their means of communication, improvised local crisis centers. The armed forces, scattered and disorganized, struggled to understand an enemy that defied all their doctrines.

It was in this chaos that Adrien Valcourt had taken an initiative that would change the course of events. Using his network of former Saint-Cyr and War College comrades, he had launched what he ironically called "Operation WhatsApp" - improvised coordination via encrypted social networks and messaging applications.

- "All active and reserve military officers, all civil security officials, all certified hunters: meet at Military School, access via Invalides metro if still accessible. Objective: national emergency coordination. Valcourt."

This message, relayed from contact to contact, had created a snowball effect. Within 48 hours, more than 200 people had gathered in the underground installations of the Military School, transforming these places into a makeshift headquarters.

Present - The administrative machine in motion

- "Situation report, Léa," Valcourt asked, turning to his former lieutenant, now promoted to Director of Integrated Tactical Operations.

Léa Moreau, her face marked by three months of intense stress but eyes bright with determination, activated the tactical interface. "Mister Coordinator, here is our progressive reconquest assessment."

The hologram came alive, showing the arrows of French progression across the territory. "Phase 1 successful: stabilization of main metropolises. Lyon has been entirely secured for 15 days, defensive perimeter established at 50 kilometers. Marseille, same for 8 days. Bordeaux and Lille are in final consolidation phase."

Vincent Delcourt, former prefectural chief of staff turned National Logistics Coordinator, took over.

- "The concentric circles approach works perfectly. We first secure a central urban core with our elite forces, then gradually extend the perimeter by integrating local forces."

François Reignac, former head of the General Directorate of Internal Security, now responsible for Civil-Military Coordination, nodded approvingly.

- "The supervised citizen militia system we’ve established is proving itself. 50,000 volunteers trained in three months, organized in cells of maximum 20 people, each supervised by a certified hunter or active military personnel."

But the real revolution wasn’t military - it was administrative and political. Adrien had achieved the unthinkable: making entities that had been fighting each other for decades work together.

- "Report from the Director of Unified Guilds," announced Valcourt.

Sarah Chen, former legal officer of the StarSky guild, had established herself as mediator between private guilds and public authority.

- "Mister Coordinator, we officially signed the Paris Accords this week. 47 French guilds and 23 European partner guilds have signed the Temporary Unification Pact."

She displayed a complex holographic document. "Concretely: pooling of training resources, sharing intelligence on creatures, coordination of interventions by geographical zones, and above all - temporary abandonment of patents on anti-dimensional combat techniques."

Vincent whistled in admiration.

- "You managed to get them to agree to abandon patents? StarSky’s lawyers must have had a collective heart attack."

Sarah smiled bitterly.

- "They understood that patents on a destroyed world aren’t worth much. Pragmatism prevailed over greed."

Léa resumed speaking, displaying new tactical diagrams.

- "Our great innovation is the total integration of profiles. Each reconquest unit now associates A-rank hunters, specialized military personnel, civil security members, and even trained civilian volunteers."

She zoomed in on the Lyon example.

- "Lyon-Alpha Reconquest Unit: 12 A-rank hunters supervising 40 military personnel, 20 specialized police officers, 30 firefighters trained in anti-creature combat, and 80 civilian militiamen. Total: 182 people organized into 9 complementary tactical groups."

François Reignac added: "And above all, each group is autonomous in its sector but coordinated at the global level. We’ve reproduced the cellular organization model, but on a national scale."

- "Let’s now talk about the real problems," Adrien cut in, returning to his usual pragmatism. "Doctor Lemoine, health report."

Medical Colonel Lemoine, responsible for Emergency Medical Coordination, displayed concerning statistics. "Mister Coordinator, we’re currently managing 180,000 internally displaced persons, 45,000 wounded in treatment, and approximately 12,000 people presenting severe psychological disorders related to dimensional trauma."

- "Solutions?"

- "We’ve transformed 23 high schools into temporary housing centers, 12 sports complexes into field hospitals, and we’ve mobilized 3,000 volunteer psychologists through professional networks."

Vincent Delcourt continued on the logistical aspect:

- "Supply-wise, we’re holding steady thanks to coordinated requisitions. We’ve temporarily nationalized food distribution in reconquered zones, while maintaining a fair rationing economy."

- "Phase 2 of reconquest: rural expansion," announced Léa, modifying the holographic map. "We’re now proceeding village by village, following main communication axes."

The screen showed green arrows progressing along highways and railways.

- "Strategy: securing communication nodes first - highway tolls, stations, regional airports - then gradual extension toward rural communes."

- "Concrete example: the reconquest of the Lyon-Geneva axis," she continued. "Alpha-7 Progression Unit: 25 hunters, 60 military personnel, 40 local volunteers. In 10 days, they secured 8 communes, established 3 permanent control points, and trained 120 new local militiamen."

François Reignac added:

- "The key is local adherence. In each reconquered village, we immediately organize a citizen assembly to elect a local defense council. Inhabitants become actors in their own protection."

Sarah Chen presented the most revolutionary aspect: "We’ve also achieved a major innovation: forced technological pooling."

She displayed equipment diagrams.

- "All guilds have pooled their research on anti-dimensional equipment. Result: we now produce 500 portal detectors per week, 200 weapons imbued with magical energy per month, and we’ve standardized 15 inter-guild combat techniques."

- "Most impressive," she continued, "is our adapted quantum communication system. We can now coordinate simultaneous operations across the entire territory, even when conventional networks are disrupted by dimensional energy."

Adrien stood up, contemplating the tired but determined faces around the table. These men and women represented the impossible: a national unity government born from absolute urgency.

- "My friends," he began, "three months ago, we were strangers, rivals, sometimes enemies. Today, we lead together the reconquest of our country."

He activated the global display, showing the green zones gradually extending across the map of France. "Look at these results: 23% of national territory reconquered, 8 million people returned under French protection, 45,000 militiamen trained and operational."

François Reignac nodded approvingly:

- "And above all, zero mutiny, zero mass desertion, zero collapse of a reconquest unit. Unity holds."

- "It holds because we chose total transparency," Adrien replied. "Every decision is made collectively, every piece of information is shared, every success and failure is assumed together."

Léa took the initiative: "Mister Coordinator, we’re ready for Phase 3: coordinated general offensive."

The hologram displayed a complex operation plan. "Objective: simultaneously strike the 23 portal stabilization devices we’ve identified. If we succeed, we’ll definitively close 60% of active portals on the territory."

- "Forces required?" asked Adrien.

- "All of them. Absolutely all," Léa replied without hesitation. "156 A-rank hunters, 2,300 specialized military personnel, 1,200 elite volunteers, plus all available heavy equipment."

Vincent Delcourt added:

- "Logistics: 48 hours of preparation, real-time coordination through our quantum network, and emergency evacuation planned for 50,000 civilians in operation zones."

Adrien looked at each face around the table. These people had abandoned their political quarrels, their corporate rivalries, their personal ambitions. They had created something unique: a truly national unity government, forged in urgency but solidified by victories.

- "My friends," he declared solemnly, "in 48 hours, we’ll launch Operation Renaissance. If we succeed, we’ll have proven that united France can reconquer its territory. If we fail..."

- "We cannot fail," Sarah Chen cut in with fierce determination. "We’ve already achieved the impossible: making individualistic hunters, rigid military personnel, scheming politicians and frightened civilians work together. Now, we’re going to reconquer our country." freēwēbηovel.c૦m

François Reignac stood up first: "For united France."

One by one, all council members stood up, repeating the formula that had become their rallying cry.

Adrien contemplated this scene with emotion he could barely contain. Three months ago, they were strangers. Today, they formed the backbone of a new governance model, born from catastrophe but carrying hope.

Outside, in the command center corridors, hundreds of people worked tirelessly: military personnel, hunters, civilians, all united in the same objective. Broken France was rebuilding itself, village by village, city by city, in a unity that the invasion had paradoxically made possible.

In the silence of a dark apartment, a robotic voice from two metal collars suddenly resonated:

- "Beginning of phase 2. Reactivate the dimensional portals!"

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