Malikov took a deep breath before walking up to his podium. Hundreds of reporters and journalists sat gathered for his announcement. The flash of cameras greeted him as he reached his spot. This was probably going to be the defining moment in Malikov's presidency. He waited for a moment while everyone took their seats before speaking.
"Citizens of the Russian Federation and representatives from nations around the world, I bring unfortunate news. Several weeks ago, without any demands being brought forward and without any formal declaration of war, our nation was attacked by soldiers from another world."
Malikov could feel the tension in the room.
"These men arrived and attacked in a fashion nearly identical to what happened at Ginza. They attacked without having ever met with our government and without any signs of aggression from our nation. The responsibility for this predatory attack upon the Russian Federation falls fully and completely upon the Saderan Empire and their rulers."
Several more flashes came from cameras in the audience.
"Attacking the town of Novinka, Imperial invaders slaughtered tens of men, women and children, and enslaved hundreds. It is for this reason that the 16th Motor Rifle Brigade was deployed into what we know as the Special Region to rescue our citizens and bring justice to the maniacs who orchestrated an attack on Russian soil."
He cleared his throat and continued on.
"Secrecy was of the utmost importance for our brave soldiers who entered the Special Region, and because of this the presence of the gate was kept a secret. But now that, our troops have managed to properly secure themselves on both sides of the gate, this terrible tragedy can no longer remain hidden. We hope that we can achieve cooperation with the Japanese government in order to defeat our common enemy."
Malikov could see several reporters furiously scribbling things down.
"In the weeks since this expedition was deployed, our troops have liberated many places from the oppressive Saderan government. These liberated areas have banded under one government, and in the days that followed their liberation, petitioned to join the Russian Federation."
He took a deep breath.
"A referendum was held publicly and fairly in accordance with all United Nations regulations. The people expressed their will clearly and earnestly. An overwhelming majority of 96% has voted to form the Republic of Bellnahgo as a federal subject of the Russian Federation."
It was Crimea all over again.
"Today, based on the results of the referendum, I submit to the Federal Council and request them to consider a constitutional law on the acceptance of a new federal subject to Russia. I also ask they ratify the agreement that is ready to be signed for the annexation the Republic of Bellnahgo into the Russian Federation."
Malikov smiled.
"I have no doubt in their support for this motion."
"Everyone easy now…" Viktor kept his squad from opening fire. "Lower your rifles, they're not our enemies."
The Russians followed their squad leader's orders and gradually lowered their aim from the JSDF soldiers. Russian and Japanese soldiers hadn't met in combat since the Great Patriotic War, Viktor didn't plan to ruin that streak. Tensions were high and one bad move could end in a blood bath for everyone involved. "Demian, ask these kind fellows to respectfully lower their rifles."
Demian slowly translated the message into Japanese. Viktor would have been lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Any small problem could spark a firefight at this point and he really didn't want to be held responsible for that. He was going to be meeting the president after all.
An older man who seemed to be in command said something Viktor didn't understand. It seemed to be a similar order to Viktor's as the Japanese promptly lowered their own rifles. One of their soldiers, a short brown haired woman, was reluctant to follow suit, but she eventually did so when the older man reprimanded her.
Itami remained silent through the entire process, much to Viktor's frustration. All of this tension would disappear if the man would just explain the situation. Viktor grew impatient decided to take the lead here. He stepped forward with his hand extended, looking at the old man.
"My name Senior Sergeant Viktor Statnik, this my squad," Viktor spoke in Saderan, hoping they'd understand him like their lieutenant had. "We save Itami from Imperials then bring Itami here, waited for you."
The short woman opened her mouth. Viktor knew the question before she'd spoken. "Yes, we Russian."
Her jaw practically unhinged.
It was at this time that Itami finally said something. He spoke with the old man in Japanese for a moment. Viktor assumed he was finally doing his job and was explaining everything. Shortly after, the JSDF soldiers relaxed and began to disperse in the room. Viktor allowed himself to finally ease up, the standoff was over.
One of their soldiers, a skinny man with black hair, saw the cat girl Demian had been talking to and promptly ran forward. He stepped up clearly nervous and saluted. "I-I am Sergeant Kurata Takeo! 21 years old! Single! My hobbies are anime and watching doujinshi. Nice to meet you!"
The maid giggled at his introduction causing the man to turn a bright red.
Demian stood up in anger. He walked up to Kurata with his chest puffed out and his fists at his side. It was strange to see him behave like that. "Back up! Persia mine!"
Kurata faced him. "What?! She's not yours!"
Demian's face went red. In an unexpected move, he shoved the Japanese man backwards, causing him to stumble. "I'll kill you!"
Kurata looked between Demian and Persia before making his decision and charging the Russian. The two immediately began grappling with each other.
Russian recruits were trained in limited hand to hand combat in the rare case they'd ever need to engage in it. While not as extensive as Spetsnaz training, regular soldiers were familiar enough with it to stand their ground long enough for one of their squad mates to shoot whoever they were fighting. Kurata was clearly not as familiar.
Demian forced Kurata onto his back using his rage and superior training. Viktor had never seen Demian so pissed off before. The Japanese man promptly yelled at him while fending off Demian's fists. "You're weaker than Emyu!"
That seemed to resonate within Demian. "You watch Mei-Com?" He stopped trying to kill Kurata.
Kurata looked surprised for a moment before snapping out of it. "Yeah, I can sing the Mei-Com opening!"
"What? Seriously?!"
As quickly as they began fighting, the two got off each other and devolved into a discussion on anime. Viktor shook his head in disappointment. Fucking otakus…
Just as one dispute started, another one began. What looked to be a thirteen year old child walked into the room, carrying a massive halberd. Viktor only knew of one person who could hold something like that. An apostle…
Instantly Giselle stood with her scythe in hand. "Rory Mercury." She apparently knew the girl.
Rory's eyes narrowed. "Giselle… Come to bring me to Hardy, have you?" She readied her halberd.
"Her Highness demands you as her wife," Giselle said while preparing her scythe.
"Tell Hardy I'm never going to marry her!" The two apostles looked ready to kill each other.
Fuck, fuck, fuck. If they decided to fight in such close quarters, Viktor doubted anyone would come out alive. It also wouldn't help Japanese-Russian relations if they had their auxiliary forces fighting each other.
Viktor ran up to Giselle before either of them could make a move. "Don't fight, that is order," he told her sternly. Itami apparently had the same thought process and did the same with Rory.
Giselle looked at Viktor with rage on her face. It dissipated as soon as she met Viktor's eyes. "Fine, but only because it's for you," she let out with a huff.
The two apostles backed away from each other. They sat down in couches on opposite ends of the room. Giselle and Rory then proceeded to have a staring contest with each other. Neither one backed down. Viktor just knew this issue wouldn't be going away for a long while. At least they're not killing everyone…
"Lelei?!" Viktor sighed and looked at the next incident he had to deal with. Arpeggio was standing over a girl with teal hair, her face contorted with anger. "Trying to surpass me by palling around with other worlders?! Too bad, I joined up with them too!"
"Arpeggio," Lelei greeted her in an emotionless voice.
"The Russian hired me for my exceptional knowledge of minerals, what'd you get hired for hmm?!" Viktor tried to remind himself why he hired the explosive woman. So far they hadn't done anything mineral related, all she was doing was eating food and taking up space. She did fix the radio though… For that he had to be grateful.
"I wasn't hired." The girl's lack of emotion unnerved Viktor.
"Hah! So I've beaten you then! I'm sought after, while you have to trail behind like a beggar!" Arpeggio's explosive emotions were getting the best of her.
"That's not necessarily true."
Lelei seemed to be handling the matter calmly so Viktor didn't see a need to intervene. He left the two to their one sided argument. Viktor sighed, it was like herding children, no one could just sit still and relax without starting an argument.. Why the fuck does everyone know each other here…?
Viktor got the feeling someone was watching him. Turning around, he saw the short JSDF woman right behind him. He noticed she was looking intently at his gear. "Hello?" he greeted.
She immediately snapped a salute. "Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi!" she yelled.
Viktor was slightly taken aback by her aggressiveness. Shino observed him like a wolf hunting for any sign of weakness in Viktor. He returned her salute firmly, not willing to show any.
Her expression lost its aggressive look when he did that. "What kind of equipment is that? It looks so much better than our gear," she said with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"It is Strelets system, newest in Russian infantry combat gear. Part of Ratnik program. We have got more gear, but it does not work with no satellite, so we not carry it around." Viktor didn't know how much he was allowed to reveal, but he figured most of this information was public anyways.
Shino looked in awe of the Ratnik equipment. She hefted her rifle up, an old Cold War era gun. "Our gear's all old shitty stuff. They didn't even give us the modern equipment."
Viktor laughed. "We get best, because we are best."
"Oh yeah? Have you ever seen combat?"
"Several skirmishes, two big battles. You?" he challenged.
"Two big battles and we fought a fire dragon." Shino had a smug look as she spoke. Viktor looked forward to wiping it off her face.
"We defeated apostle and kill giant." Viktor pointed at Giselle, who was still engaged in a staring contest with Rory.
"I-uhh…" She huffed. "Fine, you've seen more action." He might have imagined it, but Viktor thought he saw a bit of admiration in her.
Viktor yawned and noted that several people had decided to head back to their rooms for some sleep. It sounded like a good idea to Viktor. He looked back to Shino. "I love to talk, but I go sleep now."
"Huh? Wait!" Shino's voice stopped him. "What's your name again?"
"Viktor." With that he left her and headed to his own room.
Princess Pina sat facing two of her knights. She had a plan to make the JSDF and Masked Men forget about what happened, but it wouldn't be easy. Sacrifices had to be made for the Empire's survival.
"Bozes, Panache, you attacked the SDF after had guaranteed their safety, and came into conflict with the Masked Men that could end up sparking war. Both nations have power far beyond we do and are capable of untold levels of destruction. If either of them use this incident as an excuse to start a war, you don't need me to tell you what will happen to the Empire," she finished her lecture with a sigh.
Bozes and Panache both looked down in shame. "Yes…" they acknowledged.
Pina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "We need to make everyone pretend this never happened." It wouldn't be easy, Pina knew they'd have to resort to extreme methods. "And both of you need to use your bodies to do it."
The two knights had similarly shocked expressions. Pina knew it was a lot to ask from them, but they were both loyal. They'd do what was necessary for the Empire.
"Bozes, you will attend to Itami." She turned her head to the white haired knight. "Panache, you'll do the same with Viktor."
Bozes' expression hardened. "I've been trained in these matters and I swear to you I shall do what is needed for the sake of you and the Empire."
Panache only nodded dumbly in agreement.
It had been a long time since Viktor had his own room to sleep in. The Russian Military didn't provide separate housing for their enlisted ranks, as such Viktor's four years in the army had been spent sleeping in barracks. In the field, sleeping arrangements were essentially non-existent. Soldiers slept wherever they could, with Viktor mostly choosing to sleep in the BTR, and no one had any privacy.
Looking around his dark room, Viktor was truly alone for once. It was a strange feeling for him. The room was undoubtedly both luxurious and comfortable, however it was completely foreign to Viktor. Saderan architecture was nothing like the Volgograd apartment blocks he grew up in.
Viktor's family had never been rich. His father had been a contract soldier until he lost his arm in the Second Chechen War. After that, his mother had to provide for the family. While Viktor and his sister never went hungry, his mother's inconsistent pay meant they always had to be careful with what was spent. Part of the reason Viktor became a contract soldier was because of the stable income it provided.
He didn't know what his sister was doing now, he hadn't seen her in a couple years. That was another thing he had to do when he got home. Rekindling the relationship with his sister was something to look forward to. Viktor wondered how long it would be until they got some leave time. The fact that the Novinka gate had probably been announced was a good sign.
This place might be nice, but it sure isn't home.
The Special Region certainly wasn't what he'd expected when he joined the army. His father told him stories from his own experience in combat, this was nothing like that. Instead of facing insurgents, he was up against Roman soldiers. The first battle wasn't even really a battle, it was more of a massacre. Bellnahgo was probably the closest to his father's stories that Viktor had experienced, but even that was done with no Russian casualties.
Viktor secretly had a craving for some real combat experience. He knew his squad also had a similar craving, but it seemed unlikely they'd get any. The only other real military here was the JSDF and with how things were going, Viktor doubted they'd end up fighting each other openly.
I guess killing fantasy monsters isn't all that bad.
The Saderan Empire wouldn't last long if things went at this pace. Princess Pina was desperate, Viktor had seen it in her when she spoke, she'd do anything to prevent her Empire's destruction. Whatever she tried might work with the JSDF, but the Russian Military wasn't here to negotiate. It was only a matter of time before Russian tank crashed through Sadera's front gate.
Viktor sighed and began to take off his body armor. Sleeping in combat gear wasn't fun and it had been a long time since he got to sleep in his own bed. He made sure to keep his pistol in its holster on his belt. You couldn't be sure what would happen.
Panache shuffled her way in front of Viktor's room. The light was out, but she knew he was in there. She'd heard him moving a few moments ago.
The knight took a few deep breaths. She had been prepared for this, it was a part of being the daughter of a noble house, Panache just never expected she'd actually have to do it. Wiping a small tear from her face, she stepped forward.
The door creaked as it opened into the dark room. Panache heard panicked movement from the inside. With another deep breath, she stepped into the room.
"Kto tam?!" the man spoke in his strange language. "Otvet'te mne!"
Panache didn't understand one bit of what he'd said, but it sounded angry. She didn't know what to do and decided to shuffle forward.
"Ukhodi otsyuda!" He finally decided to say something Panache could understand, "Get out!"
He wants me to leave? She couldn't let that happen, the Empire couldn't afford a war. This had to work, otherwise Panache would be responsible for the Empire's destruction. Walking forward, she tried to remember the lessons she'd been taught.
Her advance was immediately halted by a flash of light and a deafening noise. The roof above her her splintered as something smashed through it. The flash had come to from a piece of metal in the man's hands. Their magic...
"Blyat… ya durak…." he muttered out something in his language.
Panache could only hear in one ear, the other one was ringing from the bang that his magic had caused. She stumbled out of the room and onto the ground disorientated.
Maids rushed to her aid as she lay there in shock. I failed….
I've had a lot of spare time so here's another chapter.
Nicolas: Writing's fun so I do it whenever I've got free time. I'm really enjoying writing this story.
hellisonfire345: Thanks! We'll see about Japanese-Russian relations, but the VDV is definitely coming.
anaspautina: Thank you! And yes, the Russians are much more aggressive and will certainly be exploiting the new world.
Feerzo 14: I appreciate the review.
rdawamindra: I'll probably do this later on. The thing that's holding me back right now is that I couldn't fit it into the story previously and now I'm not confident in my ability to portray the original cast's personalities correctly. I'll figure it out eventually. As for your second comment, I appreciate the suggestions and I'll take that into account when I write. I've gone back and fixed a few major things in previous chapters with errors that some how got through both me and my friend's editing, but if I change anything relevant to the story I'll do it in one big group so that it doesn't mess up any continuity.
Dandaman5: Interaction was limited in this chapter, there'll be more later.
GhostScorch: It's based off of the canon, but it definitely deviates in some areas.
