A/N: So I decided to upload a different prologue that serves as exposition instead of just "Jotaro and Josuke versus commandos".
Fort Lavenworth, 1992
The Secretary of Defense thought he had seen hell on Earth when he led an infantry platoon through the jungles of Vietnam, but the sight in front of him made him sick to his stomach. The bloody demise of the prisoners combined with the nonchalant reaction of the Special Forces Captain who did the deed shook him to the very core. As much as he tried to fight it, the Secretary of Defense doubled over and threw up all over the observation room floor. Judging from the retching sounds he heard, the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, all hardened military men with over a couple of centuries of service between them, had the same reaction.
"What is the meaning of this?" The Chairman of the JCS demanded of the young officer who was casually wiping bloody chunks from his boots. "Wh-how did that even happen? You…don't tell me you're a monster!"
"I'm no monster, sir. Simply a patriot who cannot sit idle while a new threat sneaks up on America. Those prisoners were already condemned to death. I simply used this as an opportunity for my demonstration." Captain Jason William Sadler replied as he casually strolled into the observation area, noticing the looks of fear on the brass' faces as he walked in. "As for 'how', I believe a couple of friends would be able to help me explain."
As if on cue, two men walked into the room. One was a young man with chin length blonde hair and wore a dapper suit while the other was a bald older man who wore a set of Army BDUs with several qualification badges sewn on as well as the rank of a 4-star general.
"Enjoyed the show, gentlemen?" The general chuckled. "Don't worry, this is just the tip of the iceberg."
"That was nothing short of a nightmare, general! And who are you supposed to be?" The Secretary of Defense turned towards the younger man, recognizing the newly-arrived general as the commander of the US Special Operations Command.
"Funny Valentine, CIA. I was assigned as the chief investigator into the Cairo incident a couple of years back." The blonde young man replied. "The power you just witnessed is called a Stand by an NGO known as the Speedwagon Foundation. It's the power behind Senator Phillips' untimely demise that year."
"This power is also what helped me get through West Point, the Gulf War, and countless other challenges this nation has thrown at me. My team wasn't known as the deadliest ODA in Iraq for nothing." Captain Sadler continued. "Agent Valentine and I met shortly after he came back from Egypt. I happened to be doing my own research into what happened, and between his findings and a booze up with my brother who works at the foundation, we managed to piece together a pretty decent picture of the situation."
"To sum it up, gentlemen, a Stand is the manifestation of an individual's fighting spirit, and fighting spirit is in no short supply in the US Armed Forces. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of assholes around the world who have Stands as well, including the terrorists who killed Senator Phillips and slaughtered their way through Cairo."
The USSOCOM commander said. "Judging from Agent Valentine's reports, conventional troops and even special operations forces would have a tough time against Stand users, which is why I have a proposal."
The general leaned forward and planted his palms on a table with a firm smack.
"The only effective counter to a Stand user is another Stand user, which is why Captain Sadler proposed we set up a dedicated unit within SOCOM composed entirely of Stand users. Having been recently selected to join Delta, he would have a good pool of candidates to start with and make his way up from here." The special ops general continued. "This unit can also be used as a force multiplier in conventional wars and give us advantages we could never have imagined. Imagine the results promised by Project STARGATE, except much, much more varied and effective."
The Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff simply stood there and looked like they were lost in thought, and some had hesitant looks on their faces. Seeing that they needed one last push to be convinced, Funny Valentine stepped forward and spoke.
"Gentlemen, when I was in Cairo, I encountered a KGB agent who was also a Stand User. Turns out he was transferred from Germany at the last minute to investigate the Cairo incident as well. It shouldn't be a surprise that the Reds had their own equivalent to STARGATE, but the implication that they knew about Stands is troubling to say the least." Valentine addressed the group. "Who knows how many rogue agents are running around with Stands these days after the Wall fell? If unchecked, Stands will pose a grave threat to our national security unlike anything we have seen before. For the sake of this nation's continued peace and prosperity, we must take pre-emptive action and push ahead with Captain Sadler's proposal."
After some hushed whispering among the brass and a few contemplative moments, the Secretary of Defense spoke up.
"Very well, then. I'll discuss this matter with President Brown." He said. "If all goes well, Captain Sadler is free to pursue this pet project. As long as you deliver results, you'll have all the budget you need."
"Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And with that, I believe it's time for the meeting to adjourn." Captain Sadler said before keying his mike. "Send in the cleaning detail, out."
After a couple of minutes, a group of prisoners flanked by heavily armed Military Policemen filed in and set about the unpleasant task of scooping up the broken lumps of human flesh caused by Sadler's demonstration. As the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary followed Sadler and his accomplices out, they wondered exactly what kind of genie they had let out of the bottle.
[LOCATION REDACTED], 2009
The auditorium was filled with 20 US Army soldiers as well as a handful of service members from the other branches of the armed forces. They recently graduated from a specialized selection course commonly nicknamed "Jedi Academy", and their pride was shown in their immaculate dress uniforms. Among one of them was a young woman with short brown hair and green eyes. Despite being not as well-decorated as her peers, the commendations and badges on her dapper blue Army Service Uniform showed she was no stranger to action. She wore a marron beret with the beret flash of the US Army Special Operations Command with a First Lieutenant's silver bar in the middle. On the left side of her tunic, she wore a ribbon bar that included deployment ribbons as well as a Silver Star with a bronze oak leaf. A Combat Action Badge was pinned above the fruit salad while the Parachutist Badge, Air Assault Badge, and the Sapper Tab were pinned below the small stack of ribbons. On her right breast pocket was a metal badge signifying her tours of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, above the badge was a set of Canadian jump wings, and in between the two was a black plastic nametag that read "JOESTAR".
"First Lieutenant Joestar, step forward!" Major General Sadler, the guest speaker for the event and the one who made all of it possible, called from the stage.
"Sir!" The young woman replied and marched from her seat onto the stage, her gleaming jump boots with pants neatly bloused into them made clear thudding sounds upon the wooden stage with every step. She halted in front of General Sadler and snapped a crisp salute. The General and Colonel Betters, who was the CO of the young woman's new unit, got to work replacing her shoulder boards and beret flash with those of a Captain. Once all was said and done, the general instructed the woman to raise her right hand.
"I, Joanna Mary Joestar, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
"Congratulations, Captain Joestar." General Sadler said as he shook Joanna's hand.
"Thank you, sir." Joanna said as she saluted Sadler before marching back to her seat.
"Now, with that order business out of the way, I can finally get on with my address. I didn't just call the Captain forward to promote her, but to send a message. It's a reminder of the oaths you all took when you first signed up, the oath to defend this great nation and her constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. However, your enemies from now on will no longer be conventional enemies." General Sadler began his speech. "No, your enemies will be like you; they possess powers the general public can't even imagine, powers that treat the laws of physics as mere suggestions. A single Stand-using operative can annihilate entire platoons of Marines, go toe-to-toe against a main battle tank, and laugh off a full carpet bombing. But this is why you are all here. Not only do all of you have Stands, but also the hearts to use your abilities to preserve freedom and not promote chaos."
Joanna nodded in agreement as she listened to the general's speech. Unlike other Army courses she did in the past, no family members were allowed to attend the graduation ceremony. If great-grandpa Joseph, uncle Jotaro, and Shizuka were able to attend, they would have been so proud of her despite the path the picked for herself.
"The 1989 Cairo Terrorist Incident, the 2001 Italian Gang Wars, and the chaos that engulfed the globe in the aftermath of Second Impact all serve as painful reminders that this world needs Stand-using warfighters such as yourselves to preserve our civilization." Sadler continued. "You are the only line of defence against the enemies of liberty who wield otherworldly powers, and I have great expectations from every single one of you. The road ahead will be tough, but I have full confidence in your abilities to take the fight to any who dare threaten our nation."
Joanna thought back to the stories she had heard about her family. From Jonathan's struggles against Dio all the way to Josuke's hunt for justice against an elusive serial killer, and how her grandfather George gave his life in Cairo so Jotaro, Joseph, and their companions can live another day and finally deal the killing blow to DIO. Maybe this was the chance for her to live up the Joestar name and prove her worth as a member of the family. Joanna took the general's words to heart, especially since he was the one who recommended her to attend Jedi Academy in the first place after seeing her in action in Korea.
After finishing his speech, a skeletal arm wearing tattered Vietnam-era fatigues materialized behind General Sadler's back pulled out a flask from an inner pocket on his dress uniform jacket. He unscrewed the cap before chugging the flask's contents down in one go.
"I got an empty flask, an open bar, and twenty-something stone-cold badasses." Sadler toasted the audience with the empty flask before tucking it back into his uniform. "This night is a celebration of your achievements, and I'm sure you are all bored as fuck right now, so let's get this fucking party started!"
The evening was filled with alcohol-fueled fun as the newcomers mingled with veterans, and booze of all kinds were consumed with impunity. A dull roar filled the air, a mixture of boisterous laughter, tall tales, and friendly ribbing between the service branches.
"Captain Joestar, a moment of your time." Joanna turned and found herself face-to-face with Colonel Betters.
"Sir?" Was the only reply she had.
"I'm sure you might have caught on already, but other graduates have completed courses like Ranger School, the Q Course, BUDS, and whatever the hell kind of training pipelines Marines and airmen to go through." Colonel Betters said. "While your service record is impressive, you…don't quite have the level of 'education' as they have. And because of Big Army politics, you can't attend any of those schools I mentioned because none of them are open to women. However, I have a solution. You'll be shipped north of the border next week to attend the training course for the Canadian Special Operations Regiment. They'll be able to train and officially qualify you as suitable to serve in a special operations unit."
"No objections, sir." Joanna said. "It'll be nothing compared to Jedi Academy."
"Excellent, and I don't mean to sound like Darth fucking Vader, but don't fail me." Betters said. "A lot of strings were pulled both here and north of the border to put you on this course, and the Canucks only accept a handful of foreigners to attend."
"Of course, sir." Joanna said. "I'll come back ready for the fight."
"Good, that's what I like to hear." Betters nodded before walking away. "Now go have a good time."
A/N: I'll use this part as a glossary of sorts to help explain some of the terminology.
Fort Lavenworth: A military prison that houses soldiers who have committed serious crimes, including what I assume are people waiting to be executed.
Project STARGATE: A real-life US Army project from the late 70s aimed at exploring the potential of psychic powers for intelligence and military operations. The movie "Men Who Stare at Goats" is based on this project. Yes, I get the irony of casting Obi-Wan's actor as a journalist uncovering the secrets of "Jedi warriors."
Q Course: Selection and qualification course for US Army Special Forces (aka Green Berets). In real life, the course wasn't opened to women until at 2016.
BUD/S: The US Navy SEAL selection course. No females have been admitted so far in real life.
ODA: Operational Detachment - Alpha, what a US Army Special Forces squad is officially known as. Each ODA has 12 personnel with a variety of specialties.
Other: The Canadian military (which I'm a part of) is pretty progressive when it comes to gender integration, for better for worse. Training for CSOR (a hybrid between US Army Rangers and Green Berets) and JTF2 (our version of Delta Force) is open to women, but standards are stupidly high.
In true JoJo tradition, General Sadler's first and last names are musical references. His first name refers to Jason Everman, a former Nirvana drummer who fought as a Green Beret in Afghanistan. His last name comes from Barry Sadler, a Vietnam veteran turned musician responsible for the Ballad of the Green Berets. His middle name comes from the fact I envisioned him as a heroic version of William Stryker from the X-Men movies.
With all that's said and done, I hope to continue this story either in parallel with Stand Proud and Make Yourself a Legend or continue it after I'm done with my other fic.