Foreword
Hello again. I hoped everyone enjoyed the last chapter. This chapter will help us reflect on what they're fighting for.
K-ON:
Song of War
"This soldiering thing sadly deadens that very good thing, humanity."
-Lewis Wallace, Civil War general, author of Ben Hur-
Track 3: Initialization
0.000.127.M42
0430 HRS
May 31, Sunday
Imperial Eagle, East Entrance
Sector 214, LOCATION CLASSIFIED
First light hadn't broken in. It was that early in the morning.
The cold breeze swept through the Imperial Eagle, taking the dust off the boots of the soldiers standing by for the gates to open. They each checked their equipment making sure they had everything for the mission ahead.
"Does everyone have their Lasguns fully charged?" Lt. Shuuji asked, the breezed blowing over his dark brown hair and hazel eyes.
All of his camouflaged comrades checked their guns, making sure it wouldn't overheat. It was still an experimental weapon after all.
Mio in particular checked the lethality setting of her weapon. "The power setting is too low on this one." So she turned the small lever and set it at L-3, the highest lethality.
Mugi on the other hand was applying camouflage pattern makeup on her face before strapping the green helmet on her head.
"Mugi, is this enough?" asked Ritsu.
The blonde girl looked at Ritsu and replied, "There's a little space on the left." She began to apply a patternless shade of brown and dark green with a few black stripes on strategic places.
Yui however, needed no help with the war paint. She already painted her face beforehand and was checking her equipment instead.
Lasgun… check.
Extra Clips… check.
4 frag grenades… check.
KA-BAR combat knife… check.
Green Carapace Helmet… check.
Black boots and camouflaged uniform… check.
Brownish green backpack… check.
"I've gotten everything. Ah, Lieutenant, How long are we going to be in the field?" Yui asked.
The young teen replied, "As long as required. Pack just enough."
With last preparations in place, they faced their commanding officer, eyes full purpose.
"Listen, I cannot assure you of your lives." Lt. Shuuji, began. "But I can assure you that no one in this squad will be left behind. Living or dead. Strap on the cloth of your shoes. We're going hunting."
And so they did. With a damp green cloth strapped over their shoes, the Eastern Gates opened and they marched deep into the heart of the forest. It was dark and the dirt was soft. But they marched on in perfect cadence, neither one slipping, all with guns at the ready.
Mugi, Lt. Shuuji and another recruit formed the spearhead.
Mio and Ritsu the left flank.
Corporal "Stew" and another formed the right flank.
Yui was left in the middle group with two other recruits.
They marched on like this, not knowing what they would find when they reached sector 216. It was a mind dulling march but they could not give in to laxity. Many times they had fallen into ambushes as a result so none in the squad dared to give in to autopiloting.
As they reached the end of the forest, Lt. Shuuji raised his left arm slightly, signaling them to halt and kneel down.
On bended knee, the young Lieutenant gazed his surroundings, making sure his hazel eyes missed nothing in this dense forest.
There was a dark shape just ahead. The Lieutenant slowly raised his Lasgun to his shoulder and made one last check on the object.
His eyes focused…
"A stump. False alarm." He quietly quipped.
Standing up once again, the squad marched, relieved it was nothing to fear.
"It's a little too quiet." Ritsu quietly said.
Yui replied, "There's nothing to fear right now. We're still a mile away from the sector."
"Still that far?" one Corporal complained.
"Better than being nearer." Another retorted.
Mio replied, "Don't complain too much. We need to save our breath for when we can actually see the base."
Mugi asked, "Do you really think something happened to them?"
Yui replied, "I hope not."
0.000.127.M42
0500 HRS
May 31, Sunday
Unknown, Unknown
Sector 216, LOCATION CLASSIFIED
Having treaded lightly and carefully, the squad reached a large clearing with soft hills, few trees and many rocky outcroppings to provide cover. The grass was thick and tall making it easy to hide.
The squad hid behind a large group of rocky outcroppings that formed two hills. From there, they crawled forward while blending with their surroundings.
Mugi took out her binoculars and gazed through them.
"There's the base." She said, focusing the lenses.
Lt. Shuuji borrowed the tool and saw for himself the base. It was a large complex about the size of the Imperial Eagle. On the west side(the side he was viewing) was a large smelting factory. However it blocked his line of sight, so he could not see what was on the east side.
He turned back to his squad and saw their eager forms. None were winded.
"The base is well within sniping range. But nobody will fire today." He softly said. "Ritsu and Inayama, I want you to skirt around and check the south side."
Both nodded.
"Then Mio, Yui and Sarusui go and check what's up front."
The three nodded.
"Everyone else, start laying the traps and look for an Exfil point." He said, ending his orders.
All squad members walked off to their duties whilst staying in cover and avoiding detection.
Ritsu and Corporal Inayama skirted the outskirts of the forest combing it naturally until they were able to find a good vantage point to watch over the south side.
"Let's move up here." Ritsu told her comrade.
They went behind the hill and crawled forward until they could see the entire base.
Where the west side was a smelting factory, the east side was the warehouse where they build. The south side had a large hole in its wall. Something had blasted its way through. Though signs of sentries were there, most of them had been blown up leaving the stumps that they could see.
The front gate was completely blasted through. All that remained were rubble and sand on the edges of the charcoal covered wall.
"Woah. That's seriously wicked. What the hell happened here?" said Corporal Inayama
Ritsu replied, "Who knows." "But it's strange. There's no sign of occupation. They were just raided and left there. What could've happened?"
"Hey, Ritsu…" the corporal asked.
Ritsu faced him wondering what he was going to ask.
"Have you ever killed anyone?" He finally answered.
Taken by surprise, she had no idea what to say. "N-no. Of course not. What do I look like to you, a murderer?"
The corporal replied, "No, I was just curious… What do you think is down there?"
The sergeant sighed and said, "Well, actually I'm already curious about what's down there."
"You're gonna go?" the corporal replied.
"Yeah. It's abandoned anyway. We might even find buried treasure." Ritsu said before darting past the hills towards the base.
The corporal ran after her, as carefree as she was.
Entering through the open path to the south wall, Ritsu and her Corporal looked around the deserted wasteland of steel and bricks. There wasn't much left but rubble and the only souls that were there were them.
"A really large battle took place here." Ritsu said, combing the rubble.
"I bet tanks rolled in here and shot everybody up." Said, Inayama as he knelt down and saw tank tracks. But he also uncovered footsteps though they didn't dig as deep into the ground. "Take a look at these footprints."
Ritsu walked to his side to see them. "Okay, Sherlock, what's with them?"
Inayama replied, "They're too light."
"What?" Ritsu asked full of confusion.
"These footprints are too light. No human being walks that casually unless they weighed like a baby." He said inspecting it and the path it was leading to.
Ritsu looked at the path it was headed and began following it to a space slightly off center of the base. She followed them until their traces stopped completely as if the person disappeared.
"Talk about disappearing tricks." Inayama quipped.
"I could say the same to you."
Ritsu and Inayama followed the source of the voice and saw the rest of the squad walking towards them, having come from the main entrance.
"What were you thinking?" Mio said, anger in her voice.
Ritsu scratched her head and said, "Well, it's completely deserted."
Mio replied, "Well you didn't tell us that! If Yui hadn't spotted you guys…"
"Alright, that's enough." Lt. Shuuji interrupted. "Ritsu, What you did was reckless. You were lucky this time."
Yui then announced, "We'd better start investigating. The Commissar would want to know what happened here."
Soon, Lt. Shuuji and four recruits started combing the area, looking for anything that could give them a clue.
Corporal Inayama on the other hand, told the other girls about the footsteps and showed them where they ended.
"So they just disappeared?" Mugi said, a little skeptical about it.
"I'm serious! Take a look. Completely gone." Retorted Inayama.
Mugi, Yui and Mio took a look at the last line of footprints. As he said, it ended in an empty space on the floor. But there was more to it however.
Mugi noticed that the empty space seemed to glitter with an ethereal sparkle.
"I can feel a presence there." She thought as she took a step closer.
Somehow, the closer she was to it, the greater the pull on her soul. But as she moved closer to it, the sparkles started shining to contour a shape.
"What is that thing? It looks very similar but I can't recall where." Mugi said as she moved to closer to it, unaware that she was falling into a trance.
Yui looked at where her friend was gazing and saw the almost invisible, arc-shaped structure.
"Mio, this device was never here before." Yui told her friends.
Mio looked at it and said, "What the- was this here all this time? Why do we see it only now?"
Even Ritsu could see it and said, "Holy crap. It's like a miniature version of the one in the base."
All four girls could see the black and bone white Webway Gate. But when Inayama looked, he couldn't see it. Proof, that the technology was active and strong.
"What the hell are you girls talking about?" he said. The perplexed recruit walked to it and reached out with his hand, accidentally touching it. Jumping back, the gateway suddenly became visible even for him to see. But with its visibility, the gateway activated. The ruinous bolt of lightning in the middle of the arc split and struck five directions around them. Suddenly, 5 Ulthwe Storm Guardians manifested from the struck spots. They towered over the recruits, the blood red eyes of their visors pulsing to life.
"The Mon-keighs have returned. Just as the Farseer predicted they would." Said one of Eldar Conscripts.
Bewildered, the five recruits knew not what just happened. These slender but well built strangers in weird armor and a somewhat pointed helmet appeared out of nowhere. Without much thought, Yui pulled up her rifle and aimed at the one behind her only for him to yank and throw away the gun to the side.
The other recruits could feel how outclassed they were. As they huddled together, back to back, the Storm Guardians moved in closer, like a hunter with a cornered prey.
Then one of the Eldar gets a shot to the back of his head, a burning hole from laser fire. Despite the attack, he is unharmed.
Alerted by the attack, the other Storm Guardians look towards the east and see the other half of Pus-1 moving into cover.
"Quickly, slay them!" said one Eldar as he sprung into action with three others to decapitate their advancing enemies with their power swords.
The last Storm Guardian quickly moved and raised his sword to strike down Mio.
Corporal Inayama tackles him to the ground at the last second and shouts, "Go! Retreat!"
However Mio instead aims her Lasgun at the Eldar but hesitates seeing her comrade struggling with him.
Yui picks up her Lasgun, then quickly moves closer and aims the Lasgun point blank at the Eldar's head and empties the weapon into it.
Ritsu then helps up Inayama to his feet and shouts, "C'mon, while don't see us!"
Mugi moves behind cover and begins giving suppressing fire to the remaining Eldar. Mio snaps out of stupor and follows suit taking cover behind a steel beam and providing laser fire, leaving Yui, Ritsu and Inayama to get closer and flank them.
"Damn these Mon-keigh. I will not die by a flashlight." Said one of the Storm Guardians. All four continue their assault, whilst evading laser fire from both directions.
"Fall Back!" Yells Lt. Shuuji as the four Eldar leap and attack the comrades at his side.
They aliens managed to pin four of the recruits to the ground but were unable to strike as a volley of laser fire from Yui, Ritsu and Inayama burns through their armour. They roll out of the way as Lt. Shuuji suddenly bashes the left temple of one with the butt of his gun.
The Eldar then promptly gives him a flying kick to the face, sending him flying back a few feet. "I'm going to enjoy this." The alien said as he walked to his downed prey.
The other four recruits crawled back as the other three Storm Guardians aim their shuriken pistols to execute them.
"Throw a grenade Yui!" said Inayama.
She shook her head and said, "I can't! it'll blow our guys up!"
Inayama grunted in frustration but then suddenly bolted towards the Eldar whilst screaming. He caught their attention and fired shot after shot, knocking away the pistols from their hands.
When he got close enough, he pulled out his knife in a reverse grip and attempted to stab one. That Eldar evaded via sidestep and with his free hand, yanked Inayama by the collar and threw him to the ground, and stepped on his throat. As that Eldar was about to strike, one of the recruits tackled him from behind only to get thrown to the ground in a flawless act.
Yui and Ritsu concentrated fire on the Eldar only for him to evade their shots with such ease and precision whilst still standing on top of Inayama.
"Why those little…" Mio said before attaching her bayonet on her gun and charging forward.
"Mio!" Mugi yelled but it was too late.
Mio quickly made a thrust but the Eldar parried the weapon to the side like a fencer in practice. He quickly moved in and grabbed Mio by the neck and raised her up and aimed his sword to pierce her gut. The other recruit moved in close and aimed his Lasgun point blank at the Eldar's left armpit and fired till the Eldar fell dead, dropping Mio and releasing Inayama.
Completely outnumbered, the other Storm Guardian threw a grenade at Mio and Inayama causing her, the Corporal and the four other recruits to run away. The perfect distraction.
That Eldar took advantage of the confusion and rushed to Ritsu, taking her by surprise. Unable to react to him, the Eldar grabbed and slung Ritsu over his shoulder before running towards the Webway Gate as the grenade exploded.
Yui quickly aimed her Lasgun at the Eldar but it was too late. He had run into the gate, taking Ritsu with him in a flash of light.
"Ritsu!" Yui cried out as she ran to the gate but was unable to enter.
"Aaahhhh!" was the cry of the last Storm Guardian before Lt. Shuuji stabbed the Xeno with its own sword.
The young officer then looked at his squad and said, "Everyone okay?"
But none would respond. The circumstances were not favorable.
Yui most especially felt disheartened that she wasn't able to save Ritsu. She fell to her knees, feeling the guilt and shame. "I'm so sorry. This is my fault."
Mugi went over to Yui and said, "It's not your fault Yui. We all fought hard today. We'll find her wherever she is."
0.000.127.M42
0600 HRS
May 31, Sunday
Unknown, Unknown
Sector 216, LOCATION CLASSIFIED
With spirits pretty low, Pus-1 sat down to take a breather from the events that transpired.
"What were those things?" asked one recruit.
Mio replied, "They weren't human that's for sure. No human being could react that fast. It would be illogical if they were."
Lt. Shuuji clasped his hands and said, "We were definitely outclassed this time. If they weren't so arrogant and stopped toying with us, we would've been already dead. This is worrying me."
Mugi then said, "But what really worries me is that they have Ritsu and we don't know where they took her. They'll begin interrogating her as soon as they reach their camp. As long as we can't find them, she'll be at their mercy."
Lt. Shuuji sighed knowing things didn't go well. "I'd say the best plan of action would be to alert HQ. Currently, we don't have the means to find her or the strength to rescue her."
"So we're just going to turn back!" Yui yelled, standing in anger.
"But Yui…" Lt. Shuuji said with a pleading tone.
Unfortunately, Yui was too blinded by sorrow and rage to see clearly. "I'm disappointed in you Shuuji. You're supposed to protect your squad as the commanding officer. If you can't even protect one person then you're no soldier at all!"
Yui ran off, taking her equipment with her.
Corporal Inayama placed a hand on the young lieutenant's shoulder and said, "I don't think she's angry with you. She's more angry with herself right now."
The lieutenant sighed and said, "We leave in twenty minutes. I'll see you guys at the gate."
With that, he walked into the abandoned smelting factory doubt filling his steps.
Mugi followed him from a distance and when both were inside the factory, completely out of sight, Mugi asked him, "Are you okay?"
The lieutenant faced her and said, "I wish I was. It's so easy to blame Ritsu for her own misfortune but really, there are no bad soldiers. Just bad commanders."
Mugi walked closer and said, "I still think you're a good commander. Yui's just upset that she lost a friend and was powerless to do anything about it. I'm a little upset about it but, I know that with you leading us, we'll be able to bring her back. I still believe in you."
Caught off guard, young boy blushed with wide eyed surprise. But the second after, he smiled and hugged her. "Thank you Mugi. I don't know what I'd do without you."
This time, Mugi was caught off guard and was completely wide-eyed with surprise. But deep down inside, she was bursting at the seams with joy.
0.000.127.M42
0620 HRS
May 31, Sunday
Unknown, Unknown
Sector 216, LOCATION CLASSIFIED
All the remaining recruits were present at the gate. They marched onward into the forest, moving swiftly through the trees.
No longer needing stealth, they went into a light jog, hoping to get to their destination much quicker and much sooner.
As they neared the border between sector 216 and 214, Mugi saw two human shaped shades in the distance.
She raised her fist slightly and the entire squad stopped into a kneeling stance. This one was no shadow this time.
Yui and Mio moved up, carefully stalking their prey. As they went closer, they noticed that the figures were wearing green cloaks and carrying a strange looking gun. It was similar in design to the Eldar pistol they encountered earlier.
"More of them", the two girls thought.
As soon as the two figures turned their backs to them, the two girls continued their stalk, pulled out their knives and ambushed their prey, stabbing the knives in the spaces of armor on the neck.
With the girls carefully laying down the dead bodies, the other recruits moved forward, disheartened that the enemy was so close. At that moment, only the worst was possible.
Lt. Shuuji didn't like the odds. "The base is definitely in danger. We don't have time for subtlety anymore…. Bayonets!" Everyone mounted their bayonets and ran towards the east entrance. By the time they could see the buildings in between the trees, it was as they feared. They saw the base on fire and under siege.
A little past the entrance, a 5-man squad of Cadian Imperial Guard hid behind a recently blown up Leman Russ as two 10-man squads of Ulthwe Guardians pinned them down with shuriken fire.
Seeing that they still had the advantage, the 2nd Eldar squad began moving to the left to flank the defenders.
Without hesitation, Pus-1 ran to the edge of the dirt road behind the Eldars and threw a volley of grenades at the 1st Eldar squad. By the time they heard the clank of the grenades hit the floor, it exploded, sending the Eldars sky-high and in pieces.
The 2nd Eldar squad looked back to see Pus-1 hiding behind nearby trees and rocks. 5 of them moved into small trenches on the road and began shooting back at Pus-1 while the other 5 kept firing at the Guardsmen.
"We can't keep fighting like this!" Yelled Inayama.
"We're all gonna die!" yelled another recruit.
"No one but the enemy will die!" Retorted Lt. Shuuji. "Concentrate fire on the ones not shooting at us. Start with that one!" he pointed at the Eldars still in combat with the Guardsmen.
Pus-1 aimed their Lasguns and opened fire on the exposed back of the one of the Eldar, killing him. They aimed at the next, and he fell too. The pinned down Guardsmen shot down the remaining three and assaulted the remaining five Eldar, getting into a massive melee.
"Charge!" yelled Lt. Shuuji, while leaping out of cover with Yui and Mio following closely behind.
Pus-1 joined the fray, running through the remaining Eldar with bayonets.
The Guardsmen looked at the rag-tag recruits and one said, "Where'd you kids come from? Forget that, the base has gone to hell. You need to evac with the rest of the recruits ASAP."
Yui told him, "We can't. We need to talk to the commissar. One of our friends has been kidnapped by these guys."
Another guardsman told them, "Peachy. Alright. We'll take you to him. He's at the new LZ not far from here. Stick with us and keep your head down."
The small group of soldiers then ran as fast as they could to the communications tower amidst the firefights breaking out between guardsmen and Ulthwe Eldars. Though Pus-2 and Pus-3 weren't in sight, the garrison troops surely needed them as they quickly dwindled in number.
Dashing past the entrance of the rectangular building with a rising tower, one of the Guardsmen said, "These Xenos are all over the place. We'll be fertilizer at this rate."
"What's going on here?" Yui asked them as they ran up the stairs.
One of the guardsmen replied, "Half an hour after you left, the Eldar, those guys we were fighting, came knocking. They attacked from all sides, so the Commissar and Cpt. Price evacuated all the recruits to the Green Zone. We're all that's left here."
"The Captain and the Commissar…" Lt. Shuuji asked, wondering where they were.
A guardsman replied, "They're here. They waited for you guys."
Soon the guardsmen and Pus-1 reached the top of the tower and entered the Communications Room where waiting by the nearby phone on a desk was a red-headed, bearded man in Guardsman armor, an earpiece with microphone on his left ear.
"You're late." Said the bearded man, the cold gaze of his blue eyes, taking note of their numbers.
"Where's Sgt. Tainaka?" he asked them. (1)
Mio stepped forward and said, "She was kidnapped sir."
Soon they heard a loud explosion. Following the sound, the saw the hangar and warehouse had blown up. The cause—three Eldar War Walkers and two Wraithguards.
Unlike the confused recruits, the Guardsmen paled upon seeing them. Even Cpt. Price could not help but sweat seeing the Eldar War Machine roll in with grace and brutal efficiency.
"We won't stand a chance when they get here." He said as he faced his soldiers. "Troopers, get the emergency Black Hawks up and running. We're leaving now."
As the Guardsmen left the room, Captain Price went to the large radio and turned on its microphone. "This is Captain Jacob Price of the Kaizen 5th Regiment…" He made a slight pause, knowing what a terrible thing he was about to do. "Little Boy… I repeat… Little Boy. All who can fly to the "Nest" in the next 5 minutes, get here as fast as you can… Emperor be with you."
He shut off the radio, knowing fully that he could no longer turn back. (2)
"What kind of order did you give sir? What about those who can't make it?" Mugi asked, worried about the answer.
The Captain faced Mugi, his eyes still sharp with confidence. He was a soldier. And a battle hardened one. But he was also human and felt the burden of sorrow on his shoulders. "Don't worry about the men. They'll dig in, and they'll survive. On the roof of this outpost are the escape choppers."
"But sir—"
"Don't let their lives go to waste, Sergeant." Captain Price cut in. "One of my men has a daughter. He got shot in the head today. The least you could do for him is get on that chopper and live when he couldn't."
Taken aback by his words, Mugi felt very mortified. It was then that she realized how much blood was shed to protect the nine of them.
"Let's go guys." Lt. Shuuji said, opening the door for them.
The recruits walked out of the room and down the stairs, hearts heavy, and mortified. When only Lt. Shuuji and Cpt. Price were in that room, the younger officer asked, "Are the choppers fast enough to escape sir?"
Cpt. Price looked at him and said, "Yes. We'll be flying downwind."
0.000.127.M42
0645 HRS
May 31, Sunday
UH-60 Black Hawk, "Nest" Communication Tower(Rooftop)
Sector 214, LOCATION CLASSIFIED
"Hurry!" yelled one Guardsman as he opened the door to the rooftop.
While the main radar tower is where communications is done, the 1st rooftop of the rectangular part of the building is where the emergency Black Hawks are kept. However it is still within eyeshot from the ground and very vulnerable to attack.
The Eldar were no fools and began to advance on the building as Commissar Amir Stone and his handful of Storm Troopers sniped who they could from their perched positions overlooking the base.
As Pus-1 made it to the rooftop, the Commissar said, "Pus-1, get on the Heavy Bolters and take down the walkers. Don't aim for the obvious, they've shielded it. Cripple the legs then finish them."
Pus-1 ran to the Heavy Bolters emplacements and just in time too. A 3-man squad of Guardsmen were running to the "Nest" for safety but two Wraithguards and three War Walkers were giving chase.
Yui quickly sat on the sandbag made as a seat and cocked the Heavy Bolter as Inuyama managed the magazine belt.
"For RItsu!" she yelled as she aimed at the walkers and fired away. Mugi took a hold of the other Heavy Bolter and concentrated fire on the walkers.
Unfortunately, Ulthwe Black Guardians were closing in from the east with Striking Scorpions and Howling Banshees from the West.
The remaining members of Pus-1 used their Lasguns and grenades to suppress the enemy advance. A few lucky shots killed some Eldar and the grenades broke their ranks but when they got in range and fired back, the rooftop started cracking from the overwhelming volley.
They all ducked behind cover and Mio shouted, "Don't let them get inside the building! We'll be done for up close!"
When the Commissar managed to see the 3 Guardsmen enter the building, he yelled, "How much longer?"
The Black Hawk pilot replied, "20 seconds!"
"Alright. Pus-1 get in first. We'll hold them off. Cpt. Price, go with them." The Commissar yelled in between firing his Laspistol at the Eldar.
"Mugi, let's go" said Lt. Shuuji as he took her hand and ran her to the chopper.
Mio and the other boys of Pus-1 boarded the choppers as a Wraithguard fell to its knees and exploded from Heavy Bolter fire.
"Yui, get on quick!" Mio yelled.
Yui stopped firing the Heavy Bolter and ran to the chopper.
Suddenly, a striking scorpion jumped out of the rooftop entrance and fired a burst of shots from his shuriken pistol at Yui. The monomolecular blades raced towards her, aiming to go through her head. But for some reason, when they got within an inch away from her, they veered around her head and continued flight, leaving everyone unharmed.
A nearby Storm Trooper reflexively aimed his Hot-shot Lasgun at the Aspect Warrior and fired at the neck, making a clean hole through. As the Elder met his silent death, the Commissar ran to the doorway and threw a frag grenade in before shutting the door. When the explosion was heard, he said, "We've done what we can. Let's go."
All of the Guardsmen boarded the Black Hawks, allowing it to lift off as more Eldar poured out of the rooftop entrance. They fired back, but their weapons couldn't reach.
As the Black Hawks soared over the base, Captain Price pulled out a gray remote detonator and extended the antenna.
"Pilot, tell me when we're 500km away." He ordered.
"Yes sir."
"What are going to do?" Asked Mio, the unlucky girl on the chopper he was in.
"Make sure, they receive our regards."
Soon enough, the pilot faced him and said, "500km away sir."
The captain pressed the red button on the detonator and almost simultaneously, the Imperial Eagle exploded from the ground up, sending a shockwave that pushed the helicopters far further away while knocking down a few trees, just a meter from the blast.
When the choppers recovered and stabilized its flight, Mio looked out the window and saw the damage that was done. She watched in awe and horror of the scale of the explosion.
0.000.127.M42
0700 HRS
May 31, Sunday
UH-60 Black Hawk, 1 mile from the Imperial Eagle
Sector 214, LOCATION CLASSIFIED
The explosion dispersed leaving smoke and burning rubble. Everything that the Imperial Eagle stood for, had fallen. Everything within that area had been reduced to dust.
From the Black Hawk she was in, Yui looked out the window, seeing for the first time what war was all about.
She had many questions and fewer answers. 'Who were the Eldar?' … 'Why did they take Ritsu?' … 'Why were they there and Why did they attack?'
There were even more questions but these burned more deeply than the others.
It was a day she will never forget...and hopefully, so too, the Eldar.
(1) Sergeant Ritsu Tainaka – he calls her by last name as any officer would in just about every army. This is for those who don't know her last name or haven't figured out yet that it was Ritsu he was talking about.
(2) Little Boy – this if you remember your history, is the codename given to one of the first nukes that bombed Hiroshima.
I had to do a lot more research for this chapter than any so far in the story. I've never done large scale battles before so I may need to do more research before I begin the next chapter. But as always, thank you for reading my fanfic. Don't forget to drop in a review. It really helps and encourages me.