A.N: I thank all of you who have read this story so far! I'm still surprised at the reaction that I've gotten for this. I'm still working on the next chapter. It'll be considerably shorter than this one, but that's due to the nature of it. Once again, tell me if you notice any problems. Enjoy!
It had been a few days after the survey. The town as a whole had agreed on the installation of the solar farm, much to the JSDF's relief, as some stress could be taken off of the generators, which had been running almost nonstop for the last few months. The estimated time for the construction, with a portion of the civilian populace aiding in the clearing and construction of the farm, would be around two to three weeks. At this time, Ayako was speaking to General Hazama about the projected benefits of the farm.
"If we continue to garner support like this, the generators powering the city could be moved into a standby role. Hopefully, within three month's time, we can convert all the settlements in the surrounding area to either wind or solar energy." Ayako explained.
"That's quite a short time frame. Are you sure that you can accomplish something that substantial? You don't have a large survey team, and only a handful of engineers from the PMC." He said.
"I believe that we can acquire assistance from the general populace. They can assist in clearing the land and building the enclosures, while my engineers can construct the solar farm itself. They seem pretty amazed that we can harness the power of the sun and convert it into electricity. They refer to me, my escort, and my survey team as 'Sun Harvesters'. That amazement can prove beneficial, General." She retorted.
"I understand that. Now, why ask for help from the populace? They don't understand how the technology works." He asked.
"If we show them that we trust them enough to aid in the construction process, they might be more forthcoming to more forms of non-petroleum based energy. As far as I know, winter must be harsh for these people. We could possibly talk them into using geothermal energy for heating their homes."
"Hmm. Well, Miss Hashimoto, you seem to think that this will turn in our favor. I hope that you are correct."
"I believe I am, General. Just give me and my men time. We can win them over to our side. I plan on doing anything I can think of to win their trust." Ayako said, smirking. She stood up, bowed to the general, and left the room.
"I still don't know why you didn't just shoot him in the leg. It would have incapacitated him just as well as if you'd disarmed him." Cohen said.
"I didn't want to cause a panic. We're trying to win hearts and minds here. You don't want to just go around shooting people left and right." Moore replied.
"What would have happened if Moore had hit his femoral artery? He would have bled to death before he could have gotten medical attention. I feel that Moore handled it as best he could given the circumstances." Santiago added.
"Why give medical attention to a goddamned thief? Let him die. Less scum in the world." Coughlin replied.
"People think that WE'RE scum, Coughlin. The view on PMCs isn't great. You can thank Blackwater for that. Running people off the road, shooting civilians, pissing off the locals... Would you like it if we were killed? I think a lot of people would. They think we're just as bad as Blackwater just because we're PMC's." Abrams retorted, raising his voice.
"There's a reason we're pretty secretive about a lot of our operations. There's people out there that look for any kind of ammo they can to discredit us. It's better to give them as little ammo as possible." Moore replied. The door to the command center opened and Ayako walked out.
"Alright, Mister Moore. We can head back to our quarters. I believe we have ensured our operation in the surrounding area for quite some time. I don't think that we'll have to worry about encountering any problems with the solar farm." She said.
"That's good to hear, Miss. We'll escort you back to your quarters." Moore replied. He then gave the signal for his team to fall in.
They walked with Ayako in the middle of their formation. They were trained for this. In the case of a conflict breaking out, they would form up around the package and escort them out of the combat zone. Ayako pulled on Moore's sleeve. The formation stopped and Moore turned to look at her.
"Yeah?"
"I saw someone over there that I wish to talk to. Let's go over and speak to him."
Moore nodded. When Ayako broke off, him and his team followed.
When they reached Ayako, they were surprised to say the least. She was talking to some JSDF CO. He was laden down with scrolls, boxes, a scepter, and what appeared to be a large bundle. He also had an extravagant cloak draped around his shoulders and was wearing some sort of nobleman's hat. When they further closed the distance, they could make out what she was saying.
"Thank you for saving the people of Ginza. My niece was there and if you'd not been there, I don't know what would have happened!"
"It's fine, Ma'am. I was just doing my job..."
He looked embarrassed. When the team had gotten within earshot of Ayako, she turned to them.
"These are my armed escort. They're security contractors from Bellerose International. We're part of the Special Region Renewable Energy Project. This is First Lieutenant Yoji Itami. He is the Hero of Ginza." She said.
"Nathan Moore. Team leader. Pleasure to meet you."
"Daniel Abrams. Second-in-command and designated marksman. Good to finally meet you."
"Manuel Santiago. Combat lifesaver. It's a pleasure."
"Rory Coughlin. Rifleman. I'd shake your hand, but..."
"Danila Cohen. Rifleman and radio operator."
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you..." He said.
"Would you like some help carrying that back to your quarters? My men and I can assist you." Ayako asked. The team looked at her with a suspiciously.
"That'd be great. Thank you." Itami said. Ayako looked at the team. They nodded and took some of Itami's burden. As they walked to his quarters, Ayako tried to engage in conversation.
"So, First Lieutenant Itami... Just how did you get all these commendations?" She asked.
"I killed the fire dragon." He replied.
"Fire dragon? I don't think the dossier said anything about those. Exactly what was it?" Moore asked.
"Probably the best way to describe it was if you take a tank and put wings on it. Then give the tank arms and piss it the hell off when you blow one of them off. It... was a massive danger to everyone. We had to take it down and no one was willing to do it. I decided to do it, at the behest of a new friend. The downside is that I wasn't ordered to do it. And I left post. The best way to describe what I did was go AWOL." Itami answered.
"So why did you get all these awards? Strange that they're rewarding you for insubordination."
"Well, I did get punished. A two week suspension and a one month salary cut. I'm also no longer in command of my recon team. But me and my team rescued some captured Japanese citizens, so I don't know if it leveled it out or not. I've been moved to resource investigation."
"And that job is?"
"Just drive around and look for resources. That's what I was told to do."
Moore and Abrams looked at each other suspiciously.
"That's it? Nothing else? Sounds like demotion to me." Abrams commented. Santiago nodded in agreement.
"Sounds like bloody a dream. No PT, no constantly getting shot at, no worrying about nothing else but food, water and gas." Coughlin added.
"Sounds peaceful." Cohen agreed.
"If you ever need help, let us know. Beats babysitting a bunch of eggheads." Coughlin said.
Ayako shot him an irritated glare. She turned back to Itami.
"So, is there anything you might need from our company? Survey equipment? Extra guards? Anything?" She asked.
"T-that won't be necessary. I think they'll cover it. I'm thinking I won't need any of that."
"Are you sure? We are here to help the JSDF. If you need anything before you set out, let us know."
"I'll keep that in mind."
They reached Itami's quarters. They had set everything down on his table, leaning their rifles against it when there was a knock at the door. Moore went to open it, but whoever was on the other side beat him to it. Standing in the doorway was a blonde-haired female elf, a young girl with bright-blue hair, and another girl, younger than the blue-haired one, dressed in a frilly black and red dress, cradling a halberd. They looked at him. He looked at them. He turned to face Itami.
"Friends of yours?" He asked. He never got an answer as they shoved past him and into the room. They bombarded Itami with questions so quickly that Moore couldn't translate it fast enough. A few moments later, Itami had settled them down and introduced them.
"Miss Hashimoto, these three are friends of mine." He said.
"Oh, I know all about them. They were with you at the National Diet, were they not?" She asked. Itami nodded.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Moore, allow me to introduce them to you."
"That will not be necessary." The child with the halberd said. Ayako was surprised at the interruption.
"I am Rory Mercury, apostle of Emroy, god of darkness, war, death, violence, and insanity. It is a pleasure to meet you." She said, ending with a smirk.
"I am Lelei La Lalena. I am a mage and translator for the JSDF." Lelei said, shocking the team with how emotionless her voice was.
"Hello. I'm Tuka Luna Marceau. It's nice to meet you five." She looked away, trying to avoid their gaze. They looked considerably scarier than the JSDF. Their hard expressions put her off. Moore noticed this.
His expression softened.
Girl's scared out of her wits. Better fix this. He thought.
"Sorry if we came off a little rough around the edges. We're pretty okay once you get to know us. I'm Nathan Moore, team leader." He said.
"Daniel Abrams. Second-in-command and designated marksman. Good to finally meet you."
"Manuel Santiago. Combat lifesaver. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
"Danila Cohen. Radio operator and rifleman."
"Rory Coughlin. Rifleman. Great to meet you. Especially you, miss."
He winked and smiled at Tuka. She hid behind Itami in response, peeking out over his shoulder.
"Rory, is your name common in your land? You don't look Japanese." Lelei asked.
"I'm not Japanese. I'm from a beautiful land of emerald called Ireland. My name's actually more common than you'd think. Not as common as Conor or Jack, but common enough." He said.
The questions kept coming. What kind of rifle is that? Why aren't you wearing the same uniform as the SDF? Why do you have such strange accents? The night dragged on and eventually the team had to get some rest. They bid farewell to Itami and the girls. They took Ayako to her quarters before heading to theirs.
"They don't seem all that bad. Lelei's voice creeped me the fuck out though. It's like talking to a damned robot." Coughlin said. He leaned his rifle against the wall and laid down on his bed. The room had been given an renovation. Instead of having cots, they finally had bunks, lockers to store their gear in, and even a table with two chairs.
"Yeah. I wonder why that is. Do you think all mages are like that?" Abrams asked.
"Probably not. I'd guess that's just her personality. She was kind of quiet the whole time, save for asking questions and translating." Santiago said.
"That Mercury woman seems less sadistic in person." Cohen said.
"Woman? She looks like she's fuckin' twelve!" Coughlin replied.
"Didn't you watch the diet? It turns out she's older than anyone on earth. Nine-hundred or so." Santiago added.
"You're pulling my fuckin' leg! I thought she was making that up! Y'know, kids being kids and all that."
"Did you try picking up her halberd? Thing's too damn heavy. No way that girl's normal." Abrams commented.
"Fine, fine. I believe you. Next you'll be saying that there are nazis on the moon."
"All of you get to sleep! We've got a long day ahead of us."
Moore shut off the lights.
It was around midnight. The door to the barracks opened and a male figure, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, stepped out and walked around to the back of the barracks. As he left the door he pulled the hood over his head.
The figure leaned against the barracks wall, his tense demeanor relaxing as he stood there. He heard footsteps coming around the side, but they were too close. He'd just have to deal with whatever it was.
Rory Mercury rounded the corner, a wry smile on her face.
"Shouldn't you be asleep, Moore? You talked about how busy a day you had tomorrow." She asked.
"Shouldn't YOU be asleep?" He said, his voice rife with fatigue. He pulled the hood down. He looked like he'd not gotten any sleep at all. His hair was a mess and sweat glistened on his forehead.
"Sorry. I just had a bit of a nightmare. A bad, bad, bad nightmare. It's over now but I don't think I'm gonna be able to get back to sleep without taking something." He finished.
"Taking something? What do you mean?" Rory asked.
"Drugs, sleeping pills, soporifics, sedatives, herbs. Whatever you want to call them. Sometimes I'm like this. It doesn't happen often anymore, but sometimes it'll come back. I needed some fresh air."
"I can see that. It's a nice night out."
"Yep. Real nice. Kind of reminds me of Maine. I used to live in a place called Los Angeles, the City of Angels. You can't see the stars at night there. Too bright out."
"So this 'Main' isn't like Japan?"
"Not at all. It's in a different country. Mostly forest with small villages and towns. At least around where my family lives."
"You have a family? You never mentioned that."
"I don't talk about her too much. No one asks." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He showed Rory a picture of him and Melissa. It looked like summer, with him wearing shorts, a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses and Melissa wearing a sundress. They were both smiling.
"Is it just you and your daughter?"
Moore nodded.
"Her mom died 5 years ago. It's the reason I started doing all this. The pay's good, so she won't have to grow up like I did." He put the phone back in his pocket.
"And what was that like?"
"Not exactly ideal. Dad died before I was born and Mom was never around. Too busy working to take care of me. Got older, got stupider. Got into trouble and the judge gave me community service. I got to talking with a guy who was a recruiter for the Marines, and I decided it was better than being at home."
"How did that turn out for you?"
"Better than if I'd stayed in L.A., that's for sure."
"Hmm. Well, it was nice talking to you, Moore. You enjoy the night. I'll take my leave."
With that, Rory left and Moore was alone.
The survey team and armed escort were gathered around a large map of the area surrounding Italica. Ayako was speaking to both Moore and the leader of the survey team.
"According to one of the recon teams, there is supposedly a hot spring around here." She pointed to a spot on the map. It was about fifty or so miles outside Italica.
"I think that we should see if it is capable of supporting a geothermal energy plant."
"Are you sure, Miss Hashimoto? This might be a bit too far out. Shouldn't we continue with the surrounding area around Alnus?" The Chief Surveyor asked.
"How many other small settlements are there? Most of the population moved to the settlement near Alnus when the JSDF erected it. We can worry about the small projects after we've verified if the larger ones are worth tackling." She replied. The Surveyor nodded.
"Now, since we don't exactly know where this spring is, I think this could be a good time to try to work with the JSDF. I've requested that the recon team who discovered the spring accompany us and show us exactly where it is." She continued.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Abrams whispered to Moore.
"I know. If it turns out that nothing is there, we won't have to worry. If it turns out that there's a threat there, we'll at least have backup." Moore whispered back.
"Miss Hashimoto, since this is rather far off the beaten path, wouldn't it be much safer for you to stay here? Me and my team will accompany the survey crew." Moore said.
"Correct, Moore. I will indeed be staying at Alnus. I'll be finalizing the preparations for the solar farm at the refugee city. Now, since we've decided on our plan of action, I expect you to begin immediately."
"You heard the boss! Let's get saddled up!" Moore shouted. The teams sprang into action, and within a half-hours time, had gotten their vehicles ready for the journey. The recon team were also preparing their vehicles.
"Now comes the hard part." Moore said.
"Time to meet the recon team?" Abrams asked.
"Yep." Moore replied.
They began walking over to the Recon team.
Shino Kuribayashi had just finished packing the Humvee. From the other side, she heard Sergeant Major Kuwahara's voice.
"Shino! Get over here! We have company!" He shouted.
"Yes Sir!" She responded.
She walked around the Humvee and saw the mercenaries who guard that businesswoman. The rest of her team had already assembled.
"This is Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi." Kuwahara said, motioning at her. She saluted.
"Good to meet you all." The blond-haired one said. She didn't show it, but she was surprised that he spoke Japanese, instead of fumbling through English, trying to get his point across.
"My boss said you know the location of a hot spring near Italica. We want to scout it and see if it can be converted into a geothermal energy plant. We were told you would be assisting us. I'm Nathan Moore, and this is my team. Daniel Abrams, Rory Coughlin, Manuel Santiago, and Danila Cohen." He said, motioning to the rest of his team.
"Good to meet you all. We're ready to go when you are." Kuwahara said.
"Let's do this, then." Moore said. He turned to his team and said something in English. She didn't understand what he said, but it got them moving to their Humvee. Kuwahara told her to move out, so she boarded the LAV.
"Sir, why did that company hire mercenaries? We could protect that small of a group of people!" Shino said.
"That's beyond my pay grade, but they don't seem to be too bad. Maybe the company didn't trust us. This is our first real military operation. Maybe they wanted to ensure their safety of their team." Kuwahara responded.
"Maybe. But maybe they should put more trust in us. We ARE their military, after all. I mean look at them! They don't even look like professionals! Wearing t-shirts and jeans, not wearing helmets..."
"I agree with you on that, Shino, but for now we'll have to deal with them. We've never seen them in action, so we can't just dismiss them."
"I guess. But they've been keeping to themselves. They haven't even gone to the town except for that one time! I'm having a hard time trusting them. That's all I'm saying. What if they're spies for another country or something?"
"You can't rule that out just yet, but if it turns out that way, you know what will happen to them. They've walked into the lion's den. I don't think that there's any country that would do something that foolhardy."
"I guess you're right. We're going to keep a close eye on them, though. Right?"
"Yes. We will."
After some time, they reached Italica. They were to meet with the JSDF stationed there, refuel their Vehicles, and make their way to the Spring. While Cohen and Santiago refueled the Humvee, Abrams walked over and spoke to Moore, who was consulting one of his phrasebooks.
"Hey Smoke, did you notice how the little brown-haired one keeps watching us? It's kinda weird." He asked.
"Yeah. I noticed. Just ignore her. It's what I've been doing." Moore replied, not looking up from his phrasebook.
"I keep feeling her eyes on the back of my head, though. It's too creepy."
"I thought you were used to it like I was. Spent too much time with people throwing suspicious glares at me."
"Like when you were in Afghanistan? Everyone watching you all the time."
"Every time we left the wire."
Santiago and Cohen shouted that they were ready, so Moore and Abrams loaded back into the Humvee. RCT3 gave the go-ahead, and the group set out for the spring.
They reached the forest surrounding it, and had to leave their vehicles behind. After nearly an hour of walking, they reached it. To Moore, it looked like the mouth of a cave with water running out of it, forming a small stream.
"This is it?" He asked Kuwahara.
"No. The townspeople said that the spring was further in the cave. It's almost a straight shot there." Kuwahara replied.
"Alright. I'm going to go scout it out. Check for viable threats. I'll take three of my men. If you want to volunteer any of yours, go right ahead."
"Do you think we'll be sending you in alone? I'll send two of them in with you."
Moore nodded. After that, he began shouting orders.
"Coughlin! Cohen! You're with me! Abrams! Set up overwatch on the mouth of the cave. Santiago! Coordinate with their medic. We might get hurt in there. Kuwahara? Can you get your men to set up overwatch on the mouth of the cave?" Moore asked.
"Yes I can! Set up overwatch on the mouth of the cave! Don't fire on our own men if they come running out!" Kuwahara shouted.
"Kuribayashi! Tomita! Accompany them!"
"Yes, Sir!" They both resounded. They walked over to where Moore, Coughlin and Cohen were.
The three contractors had mounted theirs on their rifles when they arrived. "You two have flashlights? Can they mount on your rifles?" Moore asked. The two nodded. "You can? Alright. We'll lead the way. You two provide fire support. If something in there moves and it's hostile, shoot it. If we're outnumbered, we'll fall back into the killing field we set up at the mouth of the cave. If someone trips, provide cover fire for them until they can get back on their feet. I'm not losing anyone in there. You two got that?"
"Affirmative." Tomita answered.
"Yes." Kuribayashi answered.
"Alright! Let's move out!"
The group stepped into the mouth of the cave, their lights illuminating a considerable portion of the passageway. The water wasn't that deep here, maybe ankle-deep on Moore. The further they went in, the more humid it got. It didn't take long for them to reach the first bend in the passage.
"Stop!" Moore whispered, the team stopped advancing. "I'll scout ahead. I'll tell you if it's safe to move up."
Moore advanced in a low crouch. When he reached the bend, he pressed against the wall and pulled a small LED flashlight from a pocket on his vest. He peeked around the corner and scanned the area. Nothing. He switched off the flashlight, stuffed it back in his vest and returned to the team.
"Clear! Move up!"
They did as he told. Another thirty or so feet later, and they heard something. It sounded kind of like a growl. They scanned the area, but didn't discover anything. Suddenly, something materialized in front of them. It was reptilian, but it was as tall as Tomita. It's scales were speckled yellow and green, and the way it materialized was reminiscent of a chameleon changing its camouflage. When it saw them, it let out a loud hiss, and began advancing on the them.
"OPEN FIRE!" Moore shouted.
The group did as he said. They let loose a torrent of lead that ripped the reptile apart. In a few seconds, it was over. The shots rang out and reverberated in the cave. Coughlin shined his light on its corpse.
"The fuck was that?!" He said, panting.
"Don't know, but I'd say that it's hostile. Animals don't hiss at friends. What do you three think?" Moore responded.
They never got to answer. From deeper within the cave, a chorus of hissing was heard, and it was moving closer.
