Hey guys. Here's our next chapter. The first bit takes let's you know what's been happening in a journal Zak's keeping of his days as leader of the Novus Ordo, then continues in regular time. Now, on with the chapter.

"Text"-talking

"Text"-cryptid talk

Text-thoughts

/text\- journal/reading

Frontlines

/It's been 3 months now since the attack on Africa and my rise to leadership of all Novus Ordo knights. I've had to research strategies and the capabilities of the Novus Ordo. I dispatched some of my elite knights, the Dragons of Kur, to the continental headquarters of each branch so that I can have someone at the ready to relay my commands. Most of them are still on Altus. Argost has been pushing his troops further, using Africa as his base of operations, and started attacking the European and Asian bases. Reports are being sent to news channels all over the world. Sightings of large troop movements that no country claims as their own, strange ships flying in the sky, and unusual beasts found appearing all over the world. Argost and his forces are making this hard to keep a secret. The world leaders already knew of the war and have kept their forces out of it. They try to subdue the news media, but everyday gets harder.

Just about a month ago, Argost sent troops to South America and Australia simultaneously. We were caught off guard. Before I could rally troops to come to the defense of these areas, Grand Captain Marco contacted me, saying that South America was lost and that I should divert troops to Australia. I sent the majority of available forces to defend Australia while I took 2 divisions of the Dragons of Kur to South America. By the time we got there, only a few knights survived to be rescued. One general, tired and wounded from cuts all over his body, told me of Marco's fall. Australia was saved, but now South America had been lost to Argost even worse than Africa had been. With parts of Europe and western Asia under siege, he has turned his attention not to Australia, but North America. I have dispatched a full division of my elite under my command to hold the frontline. With me are Daisuke, Sayre, Wadi, Doyle and Ren. Ren is the only one not on the ground since she has become the main pilot for the Crimson Hope.\

Zak paused here and put the journal back in his ruck sack. They were in the Rocky Mountains and a temporary cease fire had been called so that each side could collect their wounded. Sayre and Wadi had gone to help out in the medical center of the base they were defending in this area. It was well fortified and wouldn't get hit from artillery rounds so the Ordo Ferrum general was attempting to take it by force of infantry. Daisuke stood nearby with 5 other knights, one of them a Dragon of Kur like himself.

"Hey Zak, can I ask you a question?" Daisuke inquired, noticing he was done writing and walked over to him.

"Sure, what's up?" Zak answered.

"Well, you see…." he half said/half stuttered. "Wadi and I have been hanging out for awhile now and I was wondering if you knew whether or not she liked me?"

The other knights nearby started snickering. Daisuke turned to get them to be quiet, but it didn't work seeing how his face was so red.

"Why don't you just ask her?" Zak interrogated.

"Because, she's older than me and might not think of me like that." Daisuke replied.

"Dude, she's only a year older than you! That's not that bad." Zak stated, giving Daisuke a small punch on the arm.

"I guess you're right. I'll ask her later." Daisuke said, smiling with newfound courage.

"Ask who what now?" a voice from above asked. They looked up to see Doyle drop in with 2 commandos flanking him, shutting down their jetpacks as they did so.

"Nothing. Daisuke just has a crush on Wadi." Zak answered, watching as Doyle grabbed Daisuke around the neck and rubbing his fist into his hair.

"Nice man. Gonna ask her out anytime soon?" Doyle inquired, laughing as Daisuke pulled out of his grip with his face bright red.

"I don't know alright!" Daisuke said.

"OK, enough. What are they up to Doyle?" Zak asked as he turned back into the command tent. On the table inside was a holo map of the terrain they were in.

"They finished pulling back their wounded just a few minutes ago. I saw the 35th Brigade moving along the path here." Doyle reported, pointing to a section of the map. "They were being reinforced by their 58th and 103rd Brigades as well, but I couldn't locate the 37th Brigade. They moved out an hour ago, but I haven't been able to spot them."

"Ok, take a few more of your men and check the area below us. They might be trying to sneak past us the hard way and head straight for the base." Zak instructed. As Doyle flew off with his commandos, Zak turned to Daisuke. "Can you go to the base and get Sayre, Wadi, and the rest of the Dragons ready for combat. We may need them up here soon."

Before he had finished, Daisuke had grabbed his gear and started to run for the base. Apparently the idea of seeing Wadi excited him. Zak turned back to look at the sky. There were some storm clouds off to the east and approaching fast. Guess it's going to rain, Zak thought before returning to the map.

Back at Theta Base

Sayre was helping a doctor wrap a bandage onto an injured knight's leg. It had been torn up when a grenade went off near her. Shrapnel had cut it to pieces. They had just finished bandaging it when the ground started to shake.

"Sounds like the artillery has started up again." Wadi commented, bringing the doctor and Sayre some water.

"Don't they realize they can't hit us? We're too dug in over here." Sayre replied, taking a small sip before handing it to the knight on the table. "What they should be doing is getting ready to pull back. They don't have reinforcements and can't keep this up."

They looked outside to the sky as it began to get dark and cloudy. Rain fell down amongst the rocky terrain, turning everything slick and muddy. Knights were getting some essentials out of the rain as a figure cam running towards them. Even though the sun was hidden, there was no mistaking the silver haired youth.

"Here comes your little love sick puppy." Sayre said in a childish voice.

"He's just nice. He doesn't like me that way." Wadi responded, giving Sayre a small push. She had already admitted she liked Daisuke, but she thought he wasn't really into her. Ever since the rest of Zak's core group of friends got promoted to commanders, he'd been hanging out with her anytime they got a break. She pushed her hair out of her face as Daisuke got to the medical building.

"Hey speedy, what's up?" Wadi greeted, using the nickname she had given him ever since he beat her in a race they had.

"Zak just wanted me to come and let you guys know he wants the Dragons ready for combat. Looks like the enemy is on the move again." Daisuke reported, avoiding looking Wadi straight in the eye.

"Is it just us or do we get reinforced from the American guys as well?" Sayre inquired, seeing what Daisuke was doing.

"We've got a full division from the 93rd army in today, but most will be moving down to either side of our flanks. Hey Wadi, could I ask you something?" Daisuke requested, his voice getting a little shaky.

"Well if I'm not needed, I'll just be going to get the other Dragons ready." Sayre said before she disappeared.

"Sure." Wadi answered.

"Well…um…you s-s-see… I… never mind!" Daisuke stammered, turning to leave. Wadi grabbed his arm before he could and yanked him back to face her. He was blushing deeply and refused to look at her face.

"You had something to ask me right? Well, come on then." Wadi said.

"Well…" Daisuke began. He brought his face up to meet her, a strange look on his face. Then it changed. His eyes became focused and he grabbed her and pulled her to the side. "Missile!"

The missile went past them and slammed into an empty truck. Then all #*$ broke loose. Troopers were charging at them from below at the point where the mountains base went into a small riverbed running through the mountains. Knights started to get ready fast, but many were caught off guard and gunned down. Daisuke unslung his rifle and shot four troopers making a run for the medical center. Three of them collapsed and the other ran smack into another knight who was waiting for him.

"Where the heck did they come from?!?!?!" Wadi screamed, as she drew her katana and faced two troopers. They had drawn their swords and brought them down on hers. She blocked them and knocked them aside. She stabbed one through the chest and withdrew the blade to catch another trooper coming up behind her. She twirled around him and brought her sword down across his back. He collapsed in a heap as she turned to face the first trooper she confronted. As he thrust his blade forward, she flipped up and over him and stabbed backwards. She felt it connect and heard him gasp for air. She brought the katana back up and ran over to Daisuke. Sayre had just arrived with the other Dragons and knights from the 93rd. More troopers were still coming. This was going to get messy.

At the frontline, Zak's command tent

"Something's not right. Daisuke should've reported in by now, even if he was flirting with Wadi." a Dragon of Kur knight commented as the rain began pouring.

"You're right. Contact him and see what's up." Zak ordered. As the knight turned to make the call, Doyle came back.

"Nothing. That brigade has to be here somewhere around here, but my guys can't find them." he reported. A communication knight came running up to them. She looked like she was in a panic.

"Sirs, I couldn't get a hold of Daisuke, but I got a call from the medical center. The base is under attack! Several Ordo Ferrum battalions have broken through and are marching on to the medical center. A few more are attacking the weapons depot." she reported, breathing heavily as she did.

Just as she did, a loud horn sounded. They turned to look on the other side of the valley between the mountains. The Ordo Ferrum brigades were charging their lines again, moving up and through the trenches. Knights who had been stationed at the front of the Novus Ordo trenches were falling back because they were overwhelmed.

"Looks like we've got trouble of our own. Tell the 47th Dragons of Kur brigade to go and assist the defense of the medical center. Then have the other units move up to defend the second area of trenches." Zak commanded, drawing his katana and pistol and moving up with the others. "Doyle, get your men and divide them to cover both areas. And tell the Amarok Battalion to get ready for the ambush."

The medical center

The knights were barely holding their ground. Daisuke was in the middle of the 3rd wave of troopers with 5 other knights trying to defend a doctor while retreating back to the center. He flipped backwards to avoid a bayonet from one trooper and came crashing down on another. He stabbed down on the trooper and brought his katana up to knock aside the rifle of the one charging him. He punched the guy in the head and brought his katana up into the man's chest. When he fell the knights were able to get the doctor back to their lines.

Sayre and Wadi were rallying the knights together in front of the center they were aiming their rifles at the ranks of troopers moving at them. Unfortunately, there were still several knights mixed in with the troopers. They waited until they were sure that all knights were behind them before letting loose.

Daisuke and his men were almost back to the lines when they got surrounded once more. Before they could begin fighting, gunfire went off all around them. Troopers fell down wounded or dead. Daisuke was about to order his men back to the lines when he felt something hit him in his side. He looked down to see a hole in his uniform and blood seeping out. He sank to his knees and fell forward. He saw his men falling as well. Then he heard someone screaming right as he blacked out.

Wadi fired at the troopers and was still firing as they fell. Then before she could stop, she saw a silver patch in the sea of helmets. She watched as Daisuke was hit and fell down. His men and the doctor fell as well. The troopers were falling back and dragging their wounded behind them.

"Cease fire! Daisuke! DAAISUKKE!" Wadi screamed, running towards his body lying on the ground. Sayre and a platoon of knights moved up with her, a few doctors running after them. She reached him and turned him over. His wound was deep. She felt his neck for a pulse. There was one, but it was faint and beating fast. A doctor knelt down next to him and began patching up his wound. He removed the bullet and got the blood to stop flowing.

"Is he okay?" Wadi asked nervously.

"He's out cold and he's lost quite a bit of blood, but he'll live." was her answer.

She breathed out a sigh of relief. Then she heard a big noise. It sounded like the troopers were charging again. But thankfully, it was just reinforcements from the front. The 47th brigade of the Dragon's of Kur. They were escorting the troopers that had retreated earlier with their hands behind their head. She saw Noriko, Daisuke's older sister, leading them. When she saw them, she ran ahead of her brigade and dropped to her knees beside them.

"What happened?" she cried, grabbing his hand as she looked at his face. His eyes were closed and there was a cold sweat on him.

"Friendly fire. He and his men here were behind the enemy when we returned fire. No one saw them there and they got caught in the barrage." the doctor answered. Wadi took this time to look at the others who got caught in the barrage. Besides Daisuke and his team, she saw a dozen more knights collapsed on the ground. Adding them together, she saw at least 7 of them were dead, 3 had minor injuries, and the last 8 had medics around them. Noriko was helping the doctor hoist Daisuke up onto a stretcher so that he could get taken to the center. Noriko turned to face Wadi as she got up and retrieved Daisuke's katana. She swiped the katana from Wadi's hands.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Noriko asked.

"I was going to take Daisuke his gear. What're you doing?" Wadi inquired, curious on why she was acting like that.

"For all I know, you shot him!" she screamed in her face.

"How could you say that? Even if I did accidentally shoot him, it was just that! An accident! Look around you! Others got caught in it as well! Why aren't you freaking about who shot them?!" Wadi shot back, getting mad.

"Their not my little brother!" Noriko yelled, pushing Wadi back. "And if it was you, I don't want you anywhere near him! He's got enough problems around you as it is!"

"Enough! Both of you need to cool down, especially you Noriko!" Sayre said, stepping between the two of them. "Daisuke is going to be fine and if he hears you're telling one of his best friends to stay away from him he'll get mad at you."

Noriko gave Wadi one last glare before she turned to follow the medics taking Daisuke and the rest of the wounded inside. I wonder what she meant about him having problems around me, Wadi thought. She looked at Sayre, feeling ashamed for loosing her temper like that. "Sorry I lost it like that."

"Don't worry. She's just focusing her anger on you for two reasons. One, she knows that Daisuke likes you. Two, you were the first person she saw and naturally she latches her anger onto you."

"How'd you know that?"

"I can read people's minds remember? As long as I know their full name."

"Oh yeah."

"Mam, we're getting a report from the front. It's Zak." a corporal nearby said, bringing the comm pad over to them.

The frontline

"I'm ordering an evac! The Ordo Ferrum broke through our right flank. The Dragons are covering the retreat and the 93rd will pull back to the center. Ren is ordering the dropships to come down and start withdrawing the knights. Priority to the injured and medics, then the regular knights and the Dragons. Do you copy?" Zak relayed through the comm pad in his hand.

He was hunkered down in the last trench with the Dragons spread out returning fire at the approaching enemy forces. The left and right flanks had already retreated back down the path between the mountains. Zak peered over the top of the trench to see some troopers bring up a bazooka.

"Bazooka!" he screamed. The knights took cover in the trench as the rocket slammed into the ground in front of the trench. 5 knights got thrown back at the blast. Doyle and one of his commandos shot out of the trench to take a shot at the trooper with the bazooka. They fired and managed to bring him down. As they came back down 4 more commandos were rocketing back to their line. 2 of them were shot down as they came down into the trench.

"Sir, they're moving up their tanks. I'd say we've got 3 minutes before they get within range to bombard us." they reported.

"Have our remaining tanks fall back then. We won't be able hold back their tanks with only 4 of our own." Zak commanded. As they left to make sure the tanks pulled out, Zak aimed his rifle at a group of troopers who got brave enough to charge out of their trench and rush theirs. He took down 5 of them before they were upon the trench. He jumped back to avoid being bayoneted. Unfortunately the knight who had been next to him didn't move fast enough. Zak threw his rifle across his back and morphed into the ancient cryptid. The trooper facing him froze as he saw a large white wolf with black stripes appear in front of him. Zak jumped at him, slashing his claws across the man's chest. Zak turned to jump on 2 more troopers and clawed them across the face.

"Get the Dragons and commandos out of here!" Zak yelled at Doyle. He nodded and gave the order to retreat. The knights began retreating and making the run for the medical center. Zak and his personal guard were the last ones running. They were Zintari Abeos just like Asagi. They had the ability to turn into a wolf and could keep up with Kur's ancient cryptid form. For that reason the Abeos of the Zintari have always acted as the personal guard of Kur. The Abeo to Zak's right was drawing up to speak with him.

"Sir, the dropships are pulling out quickly. We have to hurry and get to the center or we'll be left behind."

"Then let's get moving!"

The medical center

The knights were almost done loading up. The last of the ones from the trenches were loading up. Sayre was standing just outside of the landing zone. With her were Wadi, Yoshiro, and 4 other knights. They were still waiting on Zak and his group.

"Where is he?" Sayre said out loud.

"Don't worry he'll be around soon, just you watch." Yoshiro commented. Wadi said nothing. She was still thinking about Daisuke. Noriko had let her see him before they loaded him on one of the first dropships to lift off. Then she heard barking. The group turned to see Zak and his personal guard of 6 Abeos running as troopers on horseback were chasing them. One of them shot a round off at the group. A tan Abeo went down rolling a few feet before coming to a stop.

"Cover them!" Sayre yelled. The knights brought their rifles up and opened up on the troopers on horseback. All of them fell off their horses and collapsed on the ground. Zak and the Abeos ran aboard the dropship waiting for them. Sayre and the others started to board when all of a sudden an explosion went off near the dropship. They turned to see 2 tanks coming out of the pass with troopers pouring out as well. Yoshiro and the two knights from his battalion ran back down the ramp.

"What're you doing?" Sayre inquired while trying to follow them, but Yoshiro hit the ramp close button.

"We'll make sure they don't shoot the dropship down." he answered as he hefted a bazooka off the ground and onto his shoulder. "Get to the ship. And tell Noriko I'll be waiting for her on the other side and that I'm sorry I couldn't stick around."

With that, the ramp closed. Zak and the Abeos had returned to their human form and we're looking out their view ports to see what was happening. Yoshiro and one of his guys manned the bazooka while the other protected them from enemy fire. The tank that was angling its canon at the dropship was hit first. It exploded taking a dozen troopers out with it. The knight helping Yoshiro with the bazooka was hit and went down. Yoshiro had to stand up to shoulder the bazooka in a better position. He aimed at the other tank and squeezed the trigger. The rocket went and collided with it, blowing it to pieces. He dropped the bazooka and ran over to the last knight standing. They were about to run for it when a third tank showed up, aimed at them, and fired. Their was a large explosion where they were standing and when it settled they were collapsed on the ground.

"No! No one should risk their lives like that!" Zak yelled. Sayre pulled him over to her and had to hold him there. He was growing angry.

"Zak, many knights will risk their lives for you. You're the leader of all of us. You have to understand that we need to protect you and what you stand for." she said, trying to soothe him. The dropship pulled into the hangar on the Crimson Hope. When they docked, Zak gave the order to go back to the Altus. He relayed orders for the 24th and 69th armies to get ready to defend their bases before he went to his quarters to rest.

Back on the ground

The agent watched as the super carrier fled the battlefield with its 2 frigate escorts. He turned to approach General Ivan and Lord Argost. General Ivan was the general in charge of destroying the Novus Ordo North American branch.

"Lord Argost and General Ivan, I'm here as you requested. I hope you understand what this means, pulling me out of the Novus Ordo. I was within reach of my original goal and swayed many knights to join me."

"Yes, of course Agent 17. But you needn't worry. We'll need you for a new task. First we'll need for you to learn your place." General Ivan said. Before he could blink, Yoshiro had crossed the distance between them and lifted the general off the ground by his throat.

"Don't forget, I'm a half breed. My kind let our people for many centuries before the Xylorians came and even then we would not be subdued. So I think you need to learn your place." the man said, his voice letting out a low growl.

"Now let's be civil about this. We know the half breeds of Solaria are basically Lamians with Solarian powers. This makes your kind very formidable indeed." Argost said. The agent smiled at this and let the general down. "Now for your assignment. You'll still be needed for the operation on Altus when it begins, but there are rumors of ancient cryptids that are still alive to this day. There are texts on this in an ancient Sumerian temple in China. Go and discover what you can."

"Yes, Lord Argost." the agent said. With that, he turned and left the tent. He put on his old uniform and met with his elites he had left behind when he went undercover. The time had come for him to do his true work. Even if it was from the shadows.

Who is this agent? Will he succeed in his mission? Let us know what you thought. Oh, before we forget. Kitten96 you left us some questions on your last review. Here are the answers. 1. Why me? You gave us some great ideas for characters we were originally going to leave out. 2. What do I have to do to join?3. What do I do if I do join? You just leave us a reply if you'd like to or not and you don't have to do anything. If you think of something that we could probably do or use, you'd just leave a reply for us since you don't have an account yet saying what it is. Since you'd be an honorary knight, we'd take your contributions more likely than others.