Muv-Luv Alternative Chronicles: Children of the Dawn
By Emperor of the Ricefields
December 24, 2001
"Hoy. Kumusta p're?" a familiar voice rang behind me.
I never thought that this bastard would still be alive after all this time. All this time and not a single world. God, just how insensitive can a friend be?
I turned around and prepared to give him the best welcoming of his life.
"Carlo! Tangina, bakit ngayon ka lang umimik? Nag-alala kaya ako!" I shouted as I roughly rustled his hair with a tight shoulder lock around his neck.
2nd Lt. Carlo de Guzman. The best wingman I've ever been blessed with, and he's been missing for a year only to return at the most uncanny of times. Only he has the nerve to actually show up all of a sudden during noche buena.
"Sorry, bro. You know I love being a complete mystery. We've both known that since we were kids!" he told me with his usual bright smile.
He wasn't actually lying. Ever since we were in elementary school, he would love to pretend being a spy on some special mission. It would take hours before we'd find out what he was really up to. Man, he was really a handful back then.
Thankfully, he survived Operation Agila no matter how low the survival rates were. He made it despite those odds. Well, what else would I expect from such a hard-headed bastard?
"A part of me tells me that you only came back for the food. Sorry to disappoint, but there isn't much to begin with," I kidded.
Carlo smirked and answered with such a happy expression.
"You know me too well! I'd love to partake in the festivities despite the food shortage."
We both laughed like a pair of kids. Truly, this was the old nostalgic atmosphere that I had missed. Even after all that I had lost, I'm glad that one of them came back even after some time. As they say, better late than never right?
"I heard that you're a captain now. Is it true?" he asked as we quietly walked to the mess hall where the party would be held for the coming of Christmas.
That's right. I was promoted about a week ago due to the reorganization of troops and apparently, the CO thought highly of me due to my performance during my past encounters with those damn aliens. It's funny that I have to thank the very enemy of humankind for my successful position right now.
"By the way, how's my unica hija doing?" he asked with a glint in his eye.
I sighed in exasperation. This guy never shuts up about women and that's a known fact. Even his own subordinates used to call him a ladies' man since birth.
"You mean Bea? She's doing just fine in my unit," I answered smugly.
It seemed like he took the bait and became interested in our current conversation. Good, I got him right where I want him.
"Hmmm. I see. Is she doing fine?" he asked in a jeering manner.
She might call Bea his unica hija, but in truth, he just calls her that because he treats her like his own daughter. It might creep out some people, but I think that it's sweet. We consider our teammates not only as our allies but as our family as well after all.
"We hooked up not long ago," I said as bluntly as possible.
The look on his face was absolutely priceless. I loved teasing this guy even if it came at the cost of tarnishing my own dignity. He never fails to give a good reaction, and it lifts my spirits to see that he's going along with it.
"Huuuuuh? Puta. When did you two hook up?" he asked me with a deathly glare.
2nd Lt. Bea Dizon. She's one of my best fighters and I'm proud of that fact. You could call us both partners-in-crime, but other than that, we never really bothered hitting it off. Relationships would just distract us from the mission anyways. We both knew that.
"I'm just kidding bobo. You know I never take things that seriously," I answered with raucous laughter.
He looked relieved after all that nonsense. Don't tell me that he's actually going for her after all this time. If I recall correctly, Bea has rejected his advances about a hundred times before. This guy might look have the appropriate looks, but most women here focus on the mission and not the men. I actually kinda pity him.
The forces of the Philippine-United States Navy and Army or PUNA are quite small in number after all. I wouldn't lie if I said that the enemy outnumbered us a million to one. That's just how miserable our situation is. Even though we seem weak, we still give our best and fight for the humanity's redemption.
In the year 1973, an extraterrestrial threat known as the BETA invaded Kashgar which was somewhere in Southwest China. They then began spreading their forces like a plague and eventually Europe fell. The Philippines, being totally oblivious of the upcoming threat did little to prepare especially with the occurrence of Martial Law under the Marcos regime. Eventually, the Filipino people had had it and overthrew the dictator with a raging blow.
However, the US forces decided to form an alliance with the Philippines since it was a strategic location in defending against the BETA attacks and so we became official military allies in the Clark Treaty of 1977. Of course this gave us an advantageous position compared to our neighbors in Southeast Asia who either sought help from the weakened United Front of China or were left to fend off on their own. We were supplied great amounts of TSF fighters such as the very first F-4 Phantom and we eventually received second and third generation TSFs years later which gave us an edge against those damned BETA.
Now, we are fighting for survival. The US eventually assimilated us as an official state due to the wrecked government left behind by the Fall of the Malacañang in the year 1992. We still fight knowing that our land will be ours once again. Don't take me wrong. I don't hate the Americans or anything but they are pretty stiff about their military SOPs. It's a pain in the ass to keep reporting every single detail like a human computer. Well, it does save lives so I don't really complain much. I'm sure that the fighters overseas have it much worse.
Several minutes after our hilarious exchange, we finally reached the mess hall, and it was absolutely packed with staff and soldiers like us. Visually, it looked pretty ordinary with the exception of some Christmas decorations hanging on the decks here and there. I've gotta hand it to them though. I expected much less. There was even a huge belen nestled by the corner.
"Welcome to paradise," I showed him with wide and open arms.
It looked like he took a second to breathe in the atmosphere before approaching the diverse array of food laid on the table. It seemed like the culinary unit went through the trouble of cooking traditional Filipino Christmas meals such as pancit bihon, lumpiang shanghai and even dinuguan. The fragrant aroma of the food made my mouth water and naturally, my partner was already excited to dig in. Unfortunately, we had to wait for the Master in Arms who's in charge of the mess hall to order the authorization of food distribution. It seemed strict but realistically, it was advantageous for us latecomers.
"You're here!" a female voice shouted from afar.
I wasn't entirely sure if it was directed at me so I turned to where the voice came from. It sounded familiar, and as soon as I received visual confirmation, it seemed like my intuition was right.
"Don't bother saluting. It's Christmas after all," I told her.
The person who called out to me from the huge crowd was my lovely 2IC or second in command, 1st Lt. Mei Yang. I rarely see her around here because she often hangs out in her own room at this time, but I guess the spirit of the holiday season brings people closer together.
"Did you see the food? The culinary staff really outdid themselves this time! It's nothing compared to what they usually serve," she excitedly announced like a child in a candy store.
"Yeah. Calm down. We still have to wait for the signal. It's barely even midnight yet," I replied.
1st Lt. Mei Yang. She was brought up in Hong Kong however her family took refuge here when the Chinese mainland was occupied years ago. She didn't usually celebrate Christmas there but ever since she arrived here half a year ago, she always couldn't stay still at the sight of Yuletide celebration. It makes me glad that she was able to fit in without any problems.
She then turned her gaze at my mysterious friend who was standing beside me like an ignorant buffoon. You can tell it's Christmas when Carlo is more interested in the food than the women. Truly, this guy is still a handful.
"Captain. Who's that? I haven't seen him around here," she asked quizzically.
Obviously, I had to introduce the two in order to alleviate this awkward atmosphere. But first, I had to direct Carlo's attention to her so I forcefully grabbed his shoulders and faced him away from the food. The rest should follow.
"Ho ho ho. Who do we have here?" he asked while gazing into Mei's eyes.
I was afraid that this would happen. Most of the time, this idiot gets carried away whenever he sees a fresh face.
"1st Lt. Mei Yang. I transferred to this base last June and now I'm part of Cpt. Sanchez' unit," she responded in a firm tone.
Please don't make a fool of yourself. Please don't make a fool of yourself. Please don't make a fool of yourself.
"I see. I'm 2nd Lt. Carlo de Guzman. Survivor of Operation Agila. Nice to meet you," he replied and courteously shook hands with Mei.
I then sighed in relief. I guess this guy has truly grown since the time when I last met him. He seems to handle social relations better now.
Mei then had a shocked look on her face and shouted in pure astonishment.
"Wait...Operation Agila?!"
Obviously she would be surprised. Reports did say that there were zero survivors and this guy right here managed to live to tell the tale.
"You seriously mean that you survived the actual mission wherein Manila was supposed to be retaken in a day?" she inquired.
She must see him as some kind of hero considering what he went through. I was actually planning to ask him about his experiences and how he survived that horrid battle with the BETA. He owes me this one at least.
When Carlo nodded in blunt arrogance, Mei's eyes began to sparkle in admiration. Please Mei, don't tell me that you've suddenly grown an interest in him. Can't you seriously tell that he's showing off?
As the newly acquainted couple were chatting about Carlo's past accomplishments, I saw the Master in Arms enter the premises at the corner of my eye. It's finally time for some grub.
"Ssssshhh. The Master in Arms is going to initiate the banquet. Get ready," I informed the two who were finally done talking to each other.
From here on out, this place will be an absolute battlefield. Due to limited supplies, it's a given that not everyone in this room will be able to get food and so, it's become survival of the fittest.
The Master in Arms then cleared his throat and began with gesturing the sign of the cross.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
The rest of us followed. I took a quick glance at Mei and was quite surprised to see her do the sign of the cross as well. I didn't expect her to be a Catholic, but then again, she might just be adhering to the age old adage, When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
In this case, the Roman Catholics.
"Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord. Amen," we solemnly prayed before closing with another sign of the cross.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are now free to help yourself to the delicious feast prepared today. Merry Christmas!" the Master in Arms shouted in a gleeful cheer.
Forget the fight against the BETA, for today, the war for delicious food begins.
Little did I know that my skirmish would not go as planned, and I was left with the shorter stick. I had already resigned myself to my fate anyways. I just needed to quit moping and eat what little food I had on my plate.
"Cheer up bro, at least you got some food. I mean some of the people here have to share with their squadmates because they didn't arrive on time," Carlo tried to cheer me up with his usual smug-faced smile.
Well, he's got a point. The food ran out in a ridiculously quick timespan of around 8 minutes, and after that, people were left to find somebody to share their food with. Being Christmas and all, people weren't that against the idea of sharing what they had on their plate as a sign of trust and goodwill.
"Yeah. You should be happy with the plain fact that you have food. Some of our comrades are out in the Pacific Ocean to support the upcoming operation," Mei followed before stuffing a single roll of lumpia in her mouth.
Operation 21st, huh? If it wasn't for Mei's statement, it would've completely slipped my mind. Details were vague, but basically some of our best veterans were sent to a location somewhere in Japan to fight some BETA threat lurking there. Come to think of it, I think one of my friends, Christine was sent there too. Hopefully, she makes it through especially since she still owes me big time.
"Oh, I heard about that. Major Protacio told me about it during the debriefing," Carlo said amidst the momentary silence.
Then, a sudden intruder bumped into our conversation. She really does turn up at the most unexpected times.
"Hey, guys. Got any food left?" an all too familiar person uttered behind my back.
The intruder then casually put one of her arms on my shoulder like rank meant nothing to her.
"Even if we had some, why would we share it with someone as disrespectful as you, 2nd Lt. Park?" I replied in a whim.
She then curled her lips in a devious smile. This girl usually has some tricks up her sleeves so I began to get a bad feeling. It better not be what I think it is.
"Well, for one. I have these," she said as she nonchalantly brought up a whole case of beer from the floor.
Beer? You've got to be fucking kidding me.
"Woah! Where in the hell did you get that?!" Carlo shouted in pure astonishment.
"Even if I knew, why would I tell it to someone as selfish as you guys?" she answered in a condescending tone.
Damn it. She knew all too well that alcohol was our weakness and of all days to be exploited, it had be today. I personally didn't mind giving away some of my leftovers in exchange for some booze, but giving it to Diane herself makes it a different matter altogether. It's a matter of pride and right now, I'd rather be eaten by the BETA than show the queen of mischief some form of charity.
However, even with how much my mind would restraint from giving in to her tempting offer, my parched lips would eagerly seek the chilled ambrosia that is beer. Getting one bottle nowadays is already a commendable feat so I'm completely baffled at how Diane even got an entire case. Don't tell me that she stole this from the higher-ups.
No. That can't be the case. Even if Diane is the worst human being on this Earth, she wouldn't stoop this low a level. She has to draw the line somewhere.
"Sige na nga. We'll let you eat with us if you let us have some of your beer," I resigned with a regretful sigh as if all of my spirit had been sucked away.
"Hehehe. Glad you made the right choice," she lightly chuckled with another evil glint in her eyes.
Please. The last thing that you could do is rub it in my face. Well, at least she looks all happy about it, and now I get a chance to relive the experience of drinking my favorite beverage in the known universe. I guess in the end, it's a win-win situation.
2nd Lt. Diane Park. If there's one word in existence that can describe her, then that word would be trouble. If you ask me, I think she's just doing it to quell her own boredom but then again, there are countless activities that you can do here as a means of leisurely passing the time. Apparently, she's half-Korean and grew up here when her mother fled to the Philippines in fear of a BETA attack. Unfortunately, reports said that her mother didn't survive the Manila Massacre around 10 years ago.
Both her younger brother and father are in the front lines in God who knows where. Even though her only family right now consists of her own squadron and us, she still keeps that smile on her face as if to drive the pain away. Well, that's the bitter reality we all face.
"Haaaah! I haven't felt the crispness of an ice cold San Miguel since before the fall!" Carlo exclaimed in ecstasy.
After the first sip, I almost drifted away in a state of euphoria as if I were entranced by Bacchus himself. It's been too long since I just hung out and had a drink with my buddies during my high school years. Besides Carlo and Christine, I don't hear much from my old friends way back when especially those who were stationed overseas. I'd give just about anything to hang out with them again like we used to.
Damn, this bottle of beer is giving me nostalgic thoughts already? I guess all those years of no alcohol really weakened my tolerance.
"Mei? You drink too?" Diane asked puzzled.
I wouldn't blame her. Mei doesn't even look like she has ever touched a single drop of alcohol in her life, yet there she was chugging down a bottle of San Miguel as if it were afternoon tea.
"My parents exposed me to alcohol at a young age so I'm not really inexperienced when it comes to drinking," she replied coolly.
After a couple of rounds, we were almost dry so everyone began engaging themselves in idle chatter. The mess hall was pretty noisy already so there was no holding back. Besides Diane's perverted jokes and Mei's Chinese cultural tidbits, there was something Carlo said that stuck to my head.
"Hey, Bryan. Doesn't this just make you remember all the good ol' days back when we were in the Ateneo?"
I then replied with a solid nod. Take away the girls and the military uniforms and we've basically got ourselves a guys' night out. Before the fall, Carlo and I would just go to some nearby bar or club to talk about things may it be about academics or girls.
I clearly remember our first hangout together. I was so drunk that I spilled out the details of my first crush back then, and Carlo being wasted as well, decided that it would be a smart idea to visit her in the middle of the night. Boy was that a mistake, but reminiscing about it now just makes me chuckle.
"Damn, times really have changed," I whispered to myself.
My head then began pounding like a heavy drum. It felt like everything might just turn into a bad dream by tomorrow...
XXX
Muv-Luv was created by Age. All the concepts and characters from the franchise are theirs. This is a non-profit work of fiction.
Translation Notes:
Hoy, Kumusta p're? = Hey, how are you, bro?
Carlo! Tangina, bakit ngayon ka lang umimik? Nag-alala kaya ako! = Carlo! Motherfucker, why did you only appear now? I was worried!
Noche Buena = Christmas Eve
Unica hija = First daughter
Puta = Prostitute (also used as a curse word)
Bobo = Stupid
Sige na nga = Fine already
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading the first chapter of my very first fanfic!
I was simply inspired to write this because of how not much is said about the Philippines in the Muv-Luv Alternative universe. That's why I decided to write this little side story about how life is in the Philippines during the Alternative timeline. I proofread the chapter myself so there might be some spelling/grammar errors that I missed. Anyways, please tell me what you think about it and feel free to give any constructive criticism concerning the grammar or story.