bs: Sorry, but I don't do requests. Sorry my friend.
Mojo Jojo: Cool story, bro. But shouldn't you be trying to take over Townsville right now? Or are you just venting after being beaten by the PowerPuff Girls again?
AN: Hello my peeps. After some work n shit, again, I'm back to updating dis shit. One reason it took so long is I managed to get both Total War's up and running. It's been good. I have to undergo trial and error and bite my tongue whenever those damn Chaos Warriors show up before I'm ready, but's it's been GREAT. Gives me a lot of inspiration. *Empire artillery images come to mind* …NO NO NONONONONO NOT THAT. NO nono stop that! NONO! I know that's what ur assuming!
But… I don't think it's really something I'll be praising with no worries. The game is GREAT, but I can't help but feel… rushed. In other Total War games, I had the luxury of time on my side, even if other factions gobble up territory, I would be able to still act with a strong economy and army, but this is because I feel I can pick and choose my battles. In Warhammer it's, 'You must be ready for Chaos' or 'You must complete your rituals before everyone else.' It just doesn't appeal to me. I like being able to take my time. You can do that in Rome and Shogun 2.
(And don't start telling me about how great the source material is. It may be an inspiration, but I don't like grim dark stuff, especially 40K. "HURR DURR HERESY!" Yeah, no thanks. :P)
Regardless, it's a unique spin on the Total War series, and not because it's Warhammer, but that it leans towards the fantasy in general.
In less joyful news, some of you asked me about the whole 'Outbreak' business of Rainbow 6. For those I did not speak with, forget about it. It never happens. Outbreak is not canon in this story
I learned the mode only lasts until April 3rd, and I have to say I am so relieved. If you haven't guessed, I am opposed to this game mode. Why? Because it goes against one of the core elements of Tom Clancy. 'Realistic events.' You could argue that I'm breaking those exact rules, but this is a fanfic, so the argument immediately falls apart. I'm seriously nitpicking I know, but it's a BIG deal to old-school fans like me. I know I was beyond harsh to Siege before, but THIS is a whole new level. This is just a lame, pathetic excuse to cash in on the beyond old craze of zombies that should've stayed a CoD thing. I'm a traditionalist in this regard. It's the same anger from the constant futuristic CoD games. It's one thing to make the game an MMO without a story, (no campaign) but THIS is NOT ok to do. WHY would you take a game whose reputation is built upon realistic events in the modern world, one that has shared this idea with other games from the same creator for years, and make a mode about fucking, virus, ZOMBIES!?
AT LEAST… at least, it didn't go like Metal Gear. You know, Survive? It's also pretty similar to Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts. (By the way, they made a PACHINKO Metal Gear game… yeah. Take that in for a minute. A pachinko game. This is why Splinter Cell is better. Come at me bro. :D) It just doesn't work.
IN FACT. There's even one in Gate itself in the manga, some Crety epidemic. Female members being susceptible to the worst symptoms and- you know it doesn't matter because I got something far worse than a 'zombie virus' in mind… something FAR more sinister…
"The hardest thing of all for a soldier is to retreat" – Arthur Wellesley
Ginza.
Itami was watching as the Gate was opening, the security personnel running the last of the procedures.
Though he was a bit tense, Kuribayashi was next to him. The two hadn't said a single word to each other since the 'incident' at the inn. No, not the one when terrorists burst through the walls, the… lewd one. It made Itami's heart beat and his stomach lurch out of fear. Particularly seeing how drunk Shino can get so unpredictable. She hates him. Plain and simple, but give her something to drink, he all of a sudden becomes her dream guy.
Now she was sober, and he was paranoid that she would at some point try to kill him for it. Or something. He was expecting it to happen, it was only a matter of time. She always acted rather than think things through. He would glance at her every couple of seconds out of fear that she would do something, even though they were in the middle of a crowd. He wouldn't put it past her, she didn't care who was around. She'd pummel you into a pulp if you pissed her off.
He looked back, and found she was looking at him. He instinctively looked away and even turned his back to her, praying she'd understand the gesture. He felt a tug at his sleeve, and looked back slowly in uneasiness. Still the same neutral look on her face. "Lieutenant." She began.
He gulped quietly. "Yeah?"
"What happened back at the inn…" Here it comes. "That never happened, right?" Itami could suddenly feel relief flow into him.
"I have NO idea what you're talking about. I was asleep." Kuribayashi seemed to smile in relief about it.
"Good. If you tell anybody-"
"I WAS ASLEEP!" Itami repeated, he didn't wanna hear it. Shino was taken aback, but recomposed herself after.
"Shino-san!" The sudden voice surprised both of them, causing Itami to mildly freak and Shino to make an exaggerated defensive pose and yell out. "EEEEEEH! Don't hurt me, it's me!" The person in question was a woman with long brunette hair. She was wearing a purple-ish pink coat with a long skirt and white shirt holding a news mic. Though to be honest, the thing that really stood out about her was her… assets.
"Nanami-san? What are you doing here?" So Shino knew her. Itami stood to the side, letting the two speak, take a moment to see what this was about.
"I'm here to try and get a quick word from the princess, we haven't been able to see anyone since the incident at the inn."
"Oh, well uh… they just crossed over."
"WHAAAAAAT?! Ohhhhhhhhhh! Darn it!" That was when her attention was drawn to Itami. "Oh! Itami-san. Hello there… you're a lot taller than Shino-san said you were… lot better looking too."
"Oh, uhh… thanks. Uh, Kuribayashi-chan, do you know this person?" He asked as Nanami seemed to give an impromptu hair fix.
"Yeah… this is my little sister." Itami's jaw dropped as he took it in. He looked to the news reporter, then to Shino. And back and forth as he processed the information. Similar faces, matching hair color and eyes, and height. And… well you know.
"I uh… I see the resemblance."
"Oh do you know?" Shino said with a growl.
"Heyheyhey! I didn't specify!" Itami said with hands raised.
"Shino-san said you were a butt-ugly guy… she does tend to lie a lot." Nanami said.
"Nanami-san, stop it!" Shino demanded.
"Oh really? What DOES she say about me?" Itami said crossing his arms in a mock angry matter.
"Oh, hold on." Nanami said pulling out her phone and going through texts, much to Shino's dismay. Not that she was afraid of the consequences, Itami wouldn't do anything. But more so because Nanami would tell him each and every little damn detail.
"She describes you as 'Stupid, lazy, manga-obsessed, cowardly, boring-"
"Nanami-san, stop it!"
"Impassionate, uninformed, untrained, small-brained, not to mention perverted-"
"Nanami-san!"
"This is from a little after when you crossed over, then shortly before you came across, she added. 'He's a big dumbass, but he promised he'd get me into this 'disciplinary' detail with my idol. You know who I'm talking about, I guess he has SOME redeemable-"
"NANAMI-SAN!" Shino then grabbed the phone and a tug-of-war began with it, and Itami couldn't help but look in amusement at this supreme example of sibling-rivalry as they seemed to become more cartoonish, chibi forms fighting over the cell phone.
"Well, I better go, I don't wanna get caught in this, Kuribayashi-chan may hit me again!" Itami ran off immediately, not taking even a slight second to look back. It wasn't until about 1 whole minute after that the two girls noticed and saw Itami running to the Gate. The fight stopped there and then and things just went on as if nothing ever happened.
A few pats on the clothing here, some sorry's there, and all was forgiven… mostly. Shino was still pissed about the reading of her texts out loud.
"He's cute." Nanami said.
"Pffft, you think all guys are cute nowadays." Shino spat.
"He's different… I don't know why but I think he's different."
"You also think that about every guy you meet."
"Father would approve." Shino's face went pale and her breathing stopped, she looked to her sister with a face of fear and desperation as she grabbed Nanami's coat and pulled her close.
"NO! NONONO! PLEASE don't tell Papa! He'll try to get me and that idiot together like so many others before me! PLEASE!" Shino begged, genuinely. Nanami just calmly put her hands on Shino's wrists and pushed away.
"Relax, if I do that, then he'll focus on me until you chase the suitor away, and I can't afford that again. That said, I'm pretty sure you'd be safe after a few days, seeing how your past… dates have gone." Nanami's answer calmed the hand to hand expert, but not by much.
"I swear, if Dad tries to get me to go out with Itami-baka, I'll use every fiber of my being to bring him to the ground in the dojo!"
"That's what you said last time, Papa is just trying to look out for you. You're too demanding of your suitors." Nanami said.
"What, I expect the man I wanna be with to be able to at least match me! Is that too much to ask?!" Was Shino's response. "HE clearly can't do it!"
"And you never get to see if others can because they know who you are and run before it can happen. You need to rethink your priorities. No one's ever gonna best you the way you fight. It's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend, no man wants to date a girl with a temper and skills like yours. There's a reason they call you the Oni Girl!"
Shino's face changed. She looked down and her demeanor changed to that of someone who came home with a terrible report card. "How else am I supposed to become a Ranger?"
"There's another issue. You put too much hope in that dream. You need to be more realistic. I mean your greatest assets are your greatest handicap there. Do yourself a favor and jump at this chance. You may never ever get another chance like this again! And from what I see, he's your last chance. Give him a chance."
There's those words Risa said. 'Give him a chance.' How's she supposed to give a chance to a guy who doesn't care about his job? If anything, Nanami is a bit of a person reader… at least she says so. She claims to know people after a first glance, whatever. But, seeing as she was now pressed for time, Shino would play along. "So, what? You think HE'S the one?"
"Not yet, but I know this. I meet him for a few minutes, and can tell he's a ton of fun, I grow up with you for 20 years, and know you're no fun at all." Shino looked back to Nanami with a comical look of shock. "HE, will complete you!" She adds with her fingers interlacing together. Shino scoffed at this, and with time up, ran to the Gate. But not before giving Nanami a hug.
"Stay out of trouble, got it little sis?" She stated.
"I think I should be telling YOU that." Shino scoffed again and ran to the Gate, watching as the her cameraman had finally caught up with her and dragged her to wherever she was supposed to go. Shino herself had caught up with Kurokawa, ready to cross over.
"So, what did you talk to your sister about?" The medic asked.
"Eh, just catching up on things."
"Oh? You're a terrible liar, Kuribayashi-chan. I know you were talking about something."
"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Shino nearly screeched, only resulting in a humored Mari.
"You have two sisters, Kuribayashi-chan. Me, and another whose name I have forgotten." Kurokawa's joke on their childhood friendship was quite the rage stopper.
Everyone was together now, the Gate was now open for them to cross back through. The vacation was now over and it was time to go back to war. Mitchell planned to put Itami back on the grinder the moment they crossed, and to bring Kuribayashi with him at that. Now she wouldn't be subject to the same intensity and harshness as Itami. She was a standard soldier, Itami had higher expectations to meet. And he wanted to put these two on the works ASAP. From what Keating told him, it would only be a couple of days that the fort the Saderans were leaving was going to be under their control, and they left to a large town. There was a chance they'd regroup and try to hit back. If they succeeded wasn't the issue, the problem is where they'd start. This wasn't another fortress, this was a city, full of civilians. Either some special forces would be sent in or the enemy would be undisturbed. He just hoped some idiots back in his world didn't start preaching about how it would be easier to just kill them all. That would just give them more reason to fight back, militaristic society or not. I mean look at the United States' mentality.
But he wasn't dwelling on that, rather his future op as told by Keating. After he was done putting Shino and Itami on some training, he was going to be deployed far to the South-West. His task would reconnaissance of a new location that came to recent attention. Saderan forces had attacked a large city on an island off the coast of the peninsula designated as the Ictun Peninsula, home to these Greek-like people. He would be sent in with a team to do force evaluation. No targets unless he designated any worth it. After that, he would be relocated to the North in the woods where the Orcs were presumed to reside, there was another Saderan army there and the objectives were the same. Recon. Even with the Blackbirds and whatever UAVs don't get eaten, nothing beats eyes on the ground.
They emerged on the other side, the outlines of everyone replaced with their original appearances as the other side shone brighter from the sun. The sound of someone smelling deeply hit everyone's ears.
Pina was taking in the air of Falmart. Then letting a smile form. "I'm home." She said. "Feels like ages."
"Time gets funny when you're in an alternate world, I guess." Itami said.
"So. Barring the attempt on your lives, what did you think about our world?" Scott asked.
"… can we even put it into words?" Bozes asked Pina, who replied with an 'uuuhhhhhhhh.'
Leilei, holding a few bags, said, "I want more books." She says that as her bags already held hundreds. Tuka had more bags, and a case with 2 bows in it. They managed to procure a beautifully made longbow in England. The kind that rained terror upon the French. And a feudal-Japan styled bow. (Just look at Shogun Total War.)
"These bows were worth more than everything else I have…" She said, seemingly mesmerized as the thought of bows entered her mind. Rory held a deep thinking look.
"I have seen and heard so much… I will never forget what I've seen." She said calmly. "I must return to the capital."
"I want kittens and bunnies." Myui said, still thinking of that video.
Pina held a look of determined urgency in her eyes. "I must take time knowing I am the highest reigning Saderan official with knowledge of your home… I need to let it sink in." She said.
"How about we go see if that B Dubs is done yet? I'm starving. Hadn't eatin nothing since we got to that air base." Suggested Marcus.
"B Dubs?" Rory asked as if hearing a crazy person.
"Wait, when were they gonna put a fricking restaurant here?!" Itami asked.
"You didn't know? Sometime before we left, the Coalition decided it would be a benefit for the soldiers to have some comforts of home here in the fort. We certainly have the space. This place is how big?" Marcus began.
"Last I checked it was easily a small city's size. Makes sense considering this operation's location. So brining those comforts is a good move."
"Huh. I never noticed." Itami said.
"Coming from you, that's no surprise." Said Shino. Earning a deadpan look from Itami.
"So, a town for the refugees, comforts from home, is there anything else about this fort that we're missing?" Asked Kurata. He was given shrugs.
"Well, I have a B Dubs with my name all over it." Marcus said, earning, 'I'm with you's' from the other Ghosts. Save for Scott.
"What does B Dubs mean?!" Rory cried, following them. With no real plans for now, the other Falmarts joined her.
So Scott was left with the others, but Tuka and Leilei already left the group. Tuka was heading back to see her father as she told them, and Leilei wanted to go over what they had learned from the other world with Kato.
The other SDF soldiers went their separate ways. Leaving Scott with Itami and Shino. "We should've just agreed to split up." Itami said. The trio began to head back to the residential section of the base. Scott wanted to get them prepped for their next training session. But with everyone scattered, he'd just talk with Itami to go over a few things. The base was still a bustle. Various choppers and transports going here and there with soldiers, both casual and geared up roaming the area.
"We'll let the others rest up or do what they want to do. But after that, we're gonna head out to train. The same drill as usual, plus a run in the woods. Got it?" Asked Scott.
"Yes sir." Said a dreading Itami.
"Hai, Mitchell-dono!" Shino gleefully said.
"… okayyy, you can just call me Captain or sir, I have no idea what dono means."
"Would you prefer 'sensei?'" Shino asked.
"Ahhhh, that sounds like a bit much." Scott replied.
"Well it is respectful back home. And you essentially ARE teaching us."
"Why not call him Scott-senpai?" Itami asked, stifling laughs seeing the blush creeping into Shino's now angry face.
"I-I-I don't like him THAT much, BAKA!" She barked.
"Sure you do, you follow him with those big puppy dog eyes most of the time. I could practically hear you saying 'Notice me, senpai.'" Itami teased
"S-shut up, you fucking moron!"
"Next thing you know, you'll be calling him Scott-kun." Itami said in Japanese, before kneeling and grabbing Shino's hand with mock tears. "And after that beautiful moment we shared in Italica, and how close we were at the Inn. I thought what we had was SPECIAAAAAAL!"
"Anata wa baka!" She cried punching him in the face, sending him onto the ground
"Uh, what are you two saying?" Mitchell asked.
"NOTHING! NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING!" Shino cried.
"Uhhhhh… o-kayyyyy." Micthell said unsure whether to continue. "What does 'senpai' mean?"
"Well it depends on what definition you want. Senpai refers to higher experience, hierarchy, age, etcetera offering help or friendship. Though in modern times, senpai is often used in the sense of someone for the same reasons, but you hold romantic feelings for them too." Itami explained, still on the ground rubbing his sore cheek.
Mitchell was dumbfounded and slightly creeped out. "Oh… uh…. Well then. That's sweet… though if I had to say so, I'd imagine YOU'D like to be the one called 'senpai,' Itami." He said, changing the focus.
Itami just groaned as he tried to get up. "Hehhhhhhhhhhh heh heh… well…" he began putting his index fingers together, receiving a glare from Shino. "So what? Just about every other guy in this base does, and it's not hard to see why." Itami defended, failing to see the veins popping on Shino's forehead. "I mean look at her! It's not every day you meet a woman like that! She's got this! And this! And this! She's essentially the perfect model for a manga!" He said exaggerating his movements towards particular body areas.
"I think she's not too happy with your implied description." Mitchell said pointing at an angrier Shino.
"… I won't apologize for speaking the truth." Itami said with a monotone.
"THAT'S IT!" The fiery brunette roared, causing Itami to freak and run away. Mitchell watched as the two ran off in the chase. He began to have second thoughts about this whole tutoring mission he imposed on himself, and thought of the few foreign specialists he worked. Like the deceased Koslov from his Kazakh campaign when Asad Rahil came in after he assassinated the president. Or perhaps Stevens from the Third Korean War. Guy was outgoing and friendly. He'd probably even have a few ideas for Itami to learn in this educational experience.
"Hey! Captain Mitchell! Is that you?!" The voice of a British man caught the captain's attention, and it was familiar. He turned to find three national soldiers approaching. A Brit, a Frenchman, and a German. He immediately recognized them.
"Stevens? Dubois? Farber?"
"Bonjour Capitan! It has been years since ze TKW!" The Frenchie said. A clearly happy Mitchell made way over to the three and engaged in the custom of a handshake.
"Jesus, it's been so long. You guys look no worse for wear." Scott said.
"Nein danke to you, Mitchell. After ze var, ve vere all promoted, and eventually became captains ourselves. And not because ve toiled under your command." Farber said with a hint of friendly sarcasm.
"Still being a cocky kraut, eh Farber?" Mitchell asked, the German just shrugged.
"I heard you escorted that princess and her entourage when they went to the real world. Did you stop by England?" Stevens asked.
"Yep. And no you two, we couldn't go to Germany or France, sorry."
"Aw. Zey're missing out." Said Dubois.
"Ja, zey're missing out on all ze croissants and baguettes." Farber said.
"Oh ha ha, laugh it up." Dubois said, playing along.
"Already did. Hon hon hon."
"I'm going to kill you, you know zat?"
"Ok ok, calm down you two. The end of the war was declared in 1945." Stevens said. "We've been more or less a bit of a trio that stuck together when not out in the field. So. Since we're all here after so many years, how about we go someplace and talk?"
"Good idea. Zey finished that Buffalo place over zere, clean and shiny, it is. Let's go." Dubois said, to which Scott gave a friendly shrug and said 'lead the way.'
10:45 PM
The restaurant was indeed finished. At a large party booth, Ghosts chatted, but Rory seemed entranced with the menu she had, looking at all the choices. The order of seating was Rory, Nolan, Diaz, Marcus, and Hume. Rory commented on how it seemed more lively and social than a typical restaurant, like McDonalds. It was true, B Dubs is more of a sports bar than a restaurant, but a really cool one.
TVs had sports going on. Soldiers cheering on their favorite teams.
"So it works like an inn? I just say what I want?" Rory asked.
"Yeah. And this right here?" Diaz said, pointing to the picture of a sauce bottle and a seasoning shaker with green going down to red through names. "This is the list of the sauces and seasoning you can choose. You can get one, either, both. BUT! Choose wisely. The lower on the list, the hotter it is. Spicy, that is. You ever had spicy food, Rory?"
"Hmm. Yes. Once. I had a nice spiced fish when I visited the northern territories. The people know how to fix a fish… mmmmm…" She began drooling at the thought. And warranted on the others distancing from her. "Sorry. Sorry…"
"I'll try this small basket of boneless wings… and I think I'll get… ooh, this blazin sauce." Pina said. Everyone stopped and stared at her. "What?" She asked.
"Do you even know what you just said? You want the blazin sauce?" Marcus asked.
"I've had very spicy food before. There was another time I visited Denzalcia, in peace times of course, and had their signature daring meal, the 'Saaz's Blood.' It was so hot, the desert seemed like winter." Pina retorted.
Nolan laughed. "I'm sure it's nothing compared to this. Regardless, it's HOT. Ok? The definition of hot. We have something called the Scoville Scale, developed by the American pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. It measure the spiciness of food. Notably peppers. You have peppers here, right?"
"Yes. Bell. Habanero. Jalapeño." Rory named.
"Huh. Just like us. Bells rank zero units. Jalapenos are much higher at 2,500 to 8,000. This sauce? 200,000 to 350,000. It says that it's made with the heat of the Ghost Pepper, it was the hottest pepper on earth until 2011. It had about 1,000,000 units. You take a bite, I guarantee you will scream, rip your clothes off, drink gallons of water, run to the ocean, swim to the ice caps, and start an ice age."
Pina smirked. "Is that a challenge?"
Nolan smirked back. "I dunno. Is it?"
"Ok, then smart guy. We shall see. If you are right, I shall declare you as the man who proved Princess Pina Co Lada wrong. If I win, then you shall be my personal manservant for a week." She said with a major smirk.
Nolan seemed to grimace, before shaking himself and saying. "Deal." They shook on it. "I want the small boneless basket smothered in BBQ."
Scott was watching the events from a next-door booth. Probably for the best to go with the fellow captains anyway, considering this may be a chance Mitchell may not get again.
"We tried finding you at the get-together, but we couldn't." Said Stevens, referring to the get-together at Fort Bragg that the special forces of the world attended.
"I wondered what was happening. I figured you'd be there for sure." Said Scott.
"Ja. It is a shame."
"Anyway, what have you been up to?"
"After the war ended, we went back home, and life went on. We still can't believe what happened after that. Your capital gets EMP'd and Artemis invades and you're put on the defensive." Stevens said.
"It was a dark hour. New York. Miami. San Francisco, all the major cities near the coast were hit. Including D.C. A lot of people woke up and saw just how vulnerable they can be." Mitchell lamented. "Funny how it takes a goddamned war to get social justice warriors and the like to shut up."
"To zink, a PMC could get zat powerful." Said Dubois.
"Money talks." Scott simply replied.
"Still. Gets you thinking." Steven said.
"Anyway," Scott said changing the subject, "what else was happening with you guys?"
"I participated in various activities against terror groups, same goes for these blokes. Up until the Blacklist ended. Then it was activities against either the MJB or in rarer times, the Masks. As for my social life. Well… that's pretty much it."
"Ja. Same for me.
"How about you, Dubois?"
"Well after I got home, I mostly served as an instructor until called. How about you, Mitchell? Get wiz ze mrs?" Dubois asked.
"I have my brothers and sisters. We get together every once in a while, including while I was back home. I don't have a wife."
"WHAT?! Oh you are kidding me! Look at you, a big veteran soldier! What kind of woman wouldn't want that?!" Steven said.
"I could say the same about you three." He said, making the men just look around after a moment of processing. "I mean people more or less know I'm a Ghost after that Modern Heroes documentary. But that's not the point. My ops are all very hush-hush. I'm away a lot. I can't talk about my successes and if I make a story up, who's to say it won't bite me in the ass?" Scott said. Making a very good point.
"Well, you got me there. But isn't there at least someone you like? You know, just because?" The Brit asked.
Scott hesitated at first, but figured answering would be the best idea considering they'd hound him until he was called away. "Well… there is someone. Her name is Kristen Fitzgerald. She's an accountant."
"Ack. No vonder you don't pursue a relationship, she'd be able to see vezer or not you're going to ze store or ze strip club." The German said, resulting in chuckles. Scott grinned a little.
"At first, our relationship was strained given my drive for the army. She thought of me as selfish, that I loved the army more than her. But recently that's been changing. I was able to face her again after my brother Tommy got married. She changed, realized that my dedication to the army wasn't a selfish pursuit. It's been a steadily healing relationship since then. Now? It seems possible. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to take the plunge."
After hearing Mitchell's story, Dubois simply said, "Sounds like ze perfect time to me. I have yet to find someone."
Scott just scoffed, noticing the princess's tray coming.The moment of truth had arrived.
Pina held the chicken she had dipped in the sauce in front of her, sensing the others watching her. She gave it a slight sniff, and was surprised at how strong it was. But, with confidence befitting that of her stature, she went forward. She then took the bite. Chewed. Swallowed. Nothing. "Hmm… very good." She said, smiling.
"God preserve her." Said Diaz.
"How long can she stay like that?" Asked Nolan.
"I don't know." Replied Marcus.
"Pina's a… oh I got nothing." Hume said.
"Wow… you proved me wrong… I guess I'm your manservant then." Nolan said defeated, until he noticed Pina's face going red. "Unless, of course you need a drink." Followed by some chuckles. "Yep. Won't be long now." He said as Pina lifted an eyebrow as she smirked.
Then, her face changed, her lower lids rose as her uppers went back up, her mouth formed a small frown. She made an audible, high-pitched 'mmm?' as her expression changed. "Feeling in over your head yet?" Asked Nolan.
"Mmm-mm" She said shaking her head, the same pitch in her voice.
"That reminds me. I believe ranch dressing is a suitable combo to hot sauce like this. It helps balance the spiciness to bearable levels and make sure the subject is enjoying it rather than having fire in their belly, literally. Especially when-" As Nolan continued his clearly response-seeking dialogue, Pina began to slightly sweat. Her face getting redder. Her mouth felt like it was really on fire! But she couldn't lose! She was so close to making Nolan her manservant for a week! The perfect way to get back at him for making a joke about her name and its meaning in his world!
"Hey. Look at her face, it matches her hair!" Diaz said, with the others stifling their laughs.
"She looks like a freaking red plastic army man, like that one time Itami was hugged by Shino at Italica." Nolan said between stifles.
But this heat. Nothing she ate was like it. It was like the Flame Dragon breathed fire directly into her mouth and left her upon an erupting volcano. She reached for her water, but restrained herself upon fear of being seen as a loser. The heat was burning her tongue. Not literally, but you get the idea. She began trembling, her eyes tightening, lips clenching inward to contain herself, and her sweating increasing.
AN: For the next scene, imagine, or play, a very familiar Mexican tune from the song Jarabe Tapatio, otherwise known as the Hat Dance, for maximum laughs.
Pina screamed comically, and after that, grabbed her water and gulped it down. Nearly the entire group was laughing now. Rory however was laughing so hard, it made sense that her demigoddess status would keep her from laughing to death as she fell to the floor clutching her sides.
"AH HAHAHAHA! How- how did- how could I NOT see that coming?! AH HAHAHAHA! OH EMROY HAVE MERCY ON HER! HAHAHAHAHA!" She began to bang a fist upon the floor as joyful tears began to fall.
But Nolan was simply smirking.
It was all gone, but the heat remained. She looked left and right, and grabbed a pitcher off of a waiter's tray and poured it upon herself. No effect. Next thing everyone knew, Pina ran off to the bathroom. "I'll make sure she doesn't drink out of the toilets." Diaz said in between uncontrolled laughs.
"I warned her." Nolan said, eating his own chicken.
"You recorded that, didn't you, Nolan?" Scott called
"You know it sir." Said Nolan. "Well, she is indeed a fiery individual. Now she's the most smoking temptress in all Sadera." He added in a mock English noble voice. Causing more laughter to erupt.
Needless to say, the next hour consisted of Pina nearly drinking out of a toilet, and repeatedly using that toilet after all the water she drank. She recovered, and was in no hurry to go anywhere. Fine by her, she wanted one more day to investigate what else the fortress had.
In fact, there was one VERY important thing she wanted to do. Her mind was taken off of it after the air raid, and she did not think about it until now. Her concern was of prisoners. She knew of some soldiers in the veteran expedition and the attack on the hill that didn't come back. Friends.
In a chance, she went straight to the German general, Berathraben. She was told he was in charge of most of the security here. She asked 'Do you have… prisoners here?'
Her answer. 'Yes. We do. Why?' Her explanation covered the need to know if any friends resided in their 'prison facility' as they called it. She was given her request, but it was a strict one. She couldn't go with any weapons or company, save for Bozes. Anyone else was barred. Once in, she was to comply with any rules that were to be followed.
She agreed, she had to if she wanted to get an answer. Upon arrival, she was greeted by varying individual soldiers without the usual vests or rifles, but armed with 'batons' and 'tazers,' non-lethal weapons that were used at close range, firing two rods into a target's skin, sending a shock to incapacitate said target. She didn't want any of that. This facility was no different from other buildings, matching the same shades of gray and utilitarian style. But setting it aside from others were the towers with armed guards, currently off spotlights, tall walls enclosing a yard, and 'barbed wire' at the top of said walls, preventing both entry and escape.
The inside of this facility was far in contrast to the prisons she's visited in her land. It had white floors, walls, and ceilings, with lights everywhere. Her own prisons were dark, cramped, and lit only by wall-mounted torches. "State your business here." A guard said, voice clearly saying one thing, 'don't try shit.'
"I'm here to see the prisoners… I want to know if any are of important birth, noble or royal." She answered, keeping her own voice in check. Rather well I might add.
After a brief stare, seemingly to validate via her own response, the guard motioned for her to follow, taking her through a skyway bridge in between two different areas. Below through the reinforced, steel barred windows she could see dozens of men. All dressed in orange suits. A rather strange choice of attire for prisoners to wear. Orange screams for attention, aren't prisoners supposed to wear rags, to signify their 'worthless' status?
The next building, saw a change in scenery. The white coverings turned to gray, with surfaces reflecting some of the lights, and more guards, some walking prisoners through. Said prisoners would stop for a moment to stare, recognizing their princess, only to be reminded to keep moving.
'I can already recognize them.' She thought with a shudder. Some recruits who had the pleasure of meeting her. Some veterans who have served her. Nobles, and other entitled individuals. All were here. "Are… are the ones from the-" She struggled with the word. "Ginza Incident here?"
"Yes. They're all here."
"Can you bring me the highest ranking one?"
"That I cannot do." She sighed in defeat. "I CAN however, arrange a meeting between you two. But it has to be supervised."
Her spirits rose. "Yes, yes of course. Anything."
She was taken to a room. Small, not for living or even staying in. It had to be an interrogation room. A single window was there to her right, but she couldn't see through it. It gave her a sense of uneasiness. For some reason, it reminded her of the spell mages would cast when an interrogation was being set. Let them look inside without anyone's knowledge. The wait was agonizing. Every minute felt like an hour. Bozes at her side twiddling her thumbs, the sounds of anyone outside muffled by the closed door. A dog's bark followed by a man's frightened groan followed.
"Do… you really think we'll find what we're looking for by asking this individual?" Bozes asked.
Pina let out a sigh. "I honestly don't know. I want to learn how this happened, but I'm scared that it might make things worse for me. For Sadera. I mean, what if the answer ends up shaking our society to its very core? What if we are forced to make a rash decision to ensure peace? I was hoping to at least get some way for father to at least agree to a ceasefire to get things straightened out. All these different outcomes have now just come into my head. I mean the more I think about it, the more it seems unlikely this war was unavoidable. What if the thing we must do just makes things worse for-"
Her sentence was unfinished as the door opened, and in came a man in the orange clothes. Brunette hair and an aged complexion. His face, upon seeing Pina, went agape as his eyes widened.
"Your highness?"
"Titas?"
As soon as he moved to her, the guard with him forcefully pulled him back. "NO! He's ok! He's an old friend." The guard seemed to listen, and let him go, but kept a baton ready. Titas was unable to do anything as his hands were tied up. Pina however, took him in a great hug. "Legate, you were at the Gate?"
"I was, I was there when we marched through."
"We'll be ok guard, you can go." The guard left, but undoubtedly kept an eye on Titas through the window. He took a seat opposite of the two women and placed his bound hands on the table.
"Never thought I'd see you or Lady Bozes here of all places… quite a place is it not?" He asked.
"Indeed… why you're here. It's what I must talk about… you're the only remaining ranking officer?"
"The rest are either dead or back home. The enemy weapons were bearable at first. Our gear and its enchantments saved us. But when the reinforcements came in…" He didn't continue. His face said it all.
"Titas… what happened? How did this all happen? I was in the north when all this happened." The Legate took a breath.
Command Structure, private room.
The Generals had waited until now to meet up in the room where they spoke with Pina to ensure secrecy.
The issue at hand was of the attack done by Saderan forces. Particularly how they knew where to go for their weapons to steal and take off so quickly. They investigated during the time that Pina was back on Earth, and were sure there wasn't an insider. No inside job. No, something else was going on.
"Gentlemen. We have a serious problem here. That attack was TOO precise for our liking." Keating stated.
"You're telling me. How the hell did they know where to look? That was a snatch and grab if I ever saw it, and I should know, I was part of them!" Valentine shouted.
"Quiet!" The Russian said.
"We've ruled out spies, we've ruled out reconnaissance. There's only one other possibility as to what this could've been, despite the lack of evidence and likelihood. We have infiltrators in this base."
"That is preposterous!" Hazama cried. "The fortress is on a constant state of alert with cameras, guards, spotlights, the whole nine yards! There's no way some damn hood wearing sneak can get in, and even IF they could, where could they go?! This place is the opposite of safe!"
"You put too much faith in our modern capabilities. You don't need fancy tech or tactics to find the corners and shadows. How do you think the Ghosts operated until they got that fancy invisibility stuff?" Keating said.
"Ok, then how do they stay concealed and hidden, let alone WHAT to look for and HOW to get there?"
"That is a good point. I mean forget if they could get in, how would they know where to look without getting caught? Even at night the fortress is abuzz with activity. We send our sorties, we launch recon teams, etc etc. And we have men out in the grass keeping an eye on things, not to mention the few predators and UAVs that don't get eaten by dragons." Shin commented.
"Unless anyone else has a better suggestion as to what this is." Zhao began, waiting for anyone to try and speak over him. "I think we're dealing with magic. They're using magic to get in and out. Invisibility perhaps."
"Do they even have that?" Jimenez piped.
"I don't see why not. Come to think of it, we don't know that much about magic save for basics. We only know the schools and some capabilities, but we don't know in depth knowledge. We weren't able to really learn with Lelei and Cato off in our world." Borislav comments.
"Vell zey're here now." Berathraben said.
"Yeah… well I vote we grab them. They're the best lead we have on this. And even if it ends up having nothing to do with the situation, we do need to learn more about magic." Keating adds. He sent one of the guards outside to get them, and went back to discussing the matter of the war. "In the meantime, we're basically being given a blank check on carrying on this conflict. We grab fortresses so our numbers can grow, but we still need to stick to our plan of a 3-front war. But that can't be done without contacting the nations Sadera is currently at war with."
"And we can't guarantee that contact will be cordial. I mean let's face it. For all we know, they see us as monsters like Sadera does, and who wants to ally with a monster? And even if, even if they don't, why would they come to us? We're still a mysterious force and we're in Saderan territory. They'd have to go through tooth and nail to get to us. It would be easier to get to them… assuming we don't get ambushed."
Valentine's statement went without saying, in the time that Itami and co went and returned from home, 3 reconnaissance teams were successfully ambushed by Saderan forces. Clearly they knew a thing or two about ambushes, probably from BEING ambushed. And 2 recon sorties were attacked by dragons. 2 jets lost. It wasn't anything decisive. The recon teams had minor injuries and the pilots were recovered, but they knew this was just a taste of what would come.
"Yeah. Best we can think of is travelling at night." Arnaud commented. "Ze dragons tend to not fly at zose times."
"Hopefully we can resolve this shortly. China is looking to have a potential role in this Coalition, but we need assurances it will go well." Zhao responded
"What do you even hope to gain anyway? Why would you join us when it's mostly a Japanese matter? The only reason I can think of you barging in is for resources and whathaveyou!"
"Hazama, enough!" Shin said.
"We don't NEED resources. You already know the trade deals we have with nations in Africa, and after Solano's apprehension in Venezuela, we made a deal with the Allies in terms of oil and support for the government. 65% of Venezuela's oil. Oil WE PAY for unlike Universal Petroleum. We make out like a damned bandit! We're getting involved in this matter because we're scared, just like every other nation contributing something to this war. And need I remind you a condition to this deal we made involved leaving YOU alone?"
Hazama said nothing to Zhao, but didn't take his gaze off of the Chinese man. "Enough! Vhat else can ve speak of vhile ve vait for the wizards?" Berathraben asked.
"The doctors at the field hospital completed their collective autopsies of the bodies that went unclaimed after the battle." Another important point to focus on. Enemy fitness. "I have ze reports right here. Zeir standard soldiers. Legionaries." Keating took the mentioned one. And began reading the conclusions out loud.
"'The standard soldier of Sadera is in many ways, our exact expectation of a Roman soldier. Fit, strong, and able. Muscle density is consistent with peak conditions expected of the ancient times, brought by constant and rigorous training. Lungs are in perfect shape. Bodies are durable, skin tough. The body is a hard one formed by years of labor. These are formidable men who are more than capable of overpowering our own soldiers if hand to hand comes to play. The disadvantage of Roman shortness in comparison to our modern day men is non-existent. Word to the wise, keep your gun loaded and stay out of arm's reach.' Sounds about right."
Valentine began reading the report on the Dwarves. "'Don't let the height fool you, these are TOUGH little men. We broke 8 scalpels trying to open the bodies. Dwarfs are much like fantasy descriptions. They have thick arms, long broad muscles, and despite being short, their legs are very powerful. If our hypothesis is correct, this is due to living underground as depicted in many fantasy media. We've found bullet wounds that would've proven fatal to a normal human being. Analysis, aim for the head.' Bloody hell, ain't that something?"
"Listen to this. We got some of those rabbit people in the mix too." Jimenez began. "'The Warrior Bunnies as they are called, are fit and developed. However, in terms of physical strength, they are very weak. Their legs and lungs however are developed perfectly for running like their namesake animal. Their ears are not just for show too. They are exact matches to real rabbits in shape AND function. It is no surprise that they are utilized as scouts as theories would say. Therefore, be careful if in environments that do not offer good fields of view. One may be nearby.' Here's hoping there isn't many out there."
Berathraben began reading a new one. "Goblins. Zis should be good. 'For once, ve have a different version of a fantasy expectation. Goblins in zis world are tall and muscular humanoids. Zey are vell developed and possess superior regeneration abilities. Vhile not immune to our weapons, it vill take more zan a single bullet or two to down one. Preferably a headshot. Speaking of ze head, goblins have very tiny brains, suggesting zey are useful for only ze most menial tasks.' Basically brainless potential meat shields."
"Got one on the elves." Chimed Shin. "'Tall, slender, fair-skinned. Variations in eyes, faces and pupils. The elves are matches to the fantasy descriptions like other species. They possess strong immune systems. As per fantasy descriptions, we have taken the liberty to label the elves we have encountered as High Elves, given their blonde hair and light skin as is common. Other elves we theorize exist are dark elves and wood elves, but more proof is needed. The Highs are strong, but not as robust as other species. Though they possess the required physiology to be dexterous and agile. Their skeletons have overdeveloped arms and shoulders. As per our belief, not evidence, which explains why they all have bows and arrows. It is likely they are trained at a young age by lifting rocks as kids like the English and Welsh. They serve as archers. Listen for the sounds of arrows whizzing.' Yeah, bit late to tell us."
Keating began reading another one. "Dragons. This ought to be interesting. 'We've had only 3 kinds of dragons to dissect, the additional bodies of the larger specimens from the previous attack are still underway, but here is what we know. The creatures are cold-blooded, as is expected with reptiles. Their wings are strong and sturdy, providing their ability to fly. Essentially this is no different than a bird. The differences between the breeds is evident upon closer examination. The fire breathing specimens have a higher temperature, even post death. The ice dragons have thicker skin, likely to survive in colder environments, and the wind ones possess stronger lungs. However, this alone does not explain their abilities of breathing. In fact, we have found nothing relating to this. No special organs, no differences in respiratory systems, no chemicals, fluids, nothing. It is likely that with everything we have seen, that magic extends to more than just sentient species. Further research is needed to confirm this theory however. In other words, dragon scales are indeed hard as tungsten, and their build suggest speed and maneuverability. They are essentially jets and helicopters in one. AA fire is efficient in taking them down.' Magic being part of their abilities? THAT… makes sense actually."
"Anything on the ogres?" Valentine asked.
"I think that goes without saying." Said Borislav. "Big bullet sponges. Use tanks and AT weaponry, and hope the first shot takes em down."
The door opened, a guard letting Lelei and Kato in. "You wished to speak with us?" Lelei asked as they sat.
"Yeah… we have other questions that we probably should've asked you before. They didn't come up until now." Keating answered. "It's about magic. Who exactly can use it? Is there anyone here who can't use it? And is it possible that animals can use it? Our autopsies on dragons report no organs or partsthat have anything to do with their relative breath abilities."
"To an extent, yes some animals can use magic. Dragons being the most notable. No more than that, but they don't need other attributes. For the first two questions, there is at least one race incapable of magic use: Dwarves. They have a natural resistance to magic but cannot use spells. They CAN however uses runes. It's how we enchant objects and weapons. But it's not exactly a fast process, it requires a lot of patience and practice. However, Dwarves are the only ones capable of using them, they keep the secrets of these runes to themselves. We use enchantments." Lelei explained.
"What kind of enchantments?"
"Just about any kind. Weapons, armor, banners even simple infrastructure and entertainment. A great example is the fountains in Sadera, most notably the great fountain in the center of the forum of the 12 temples, 4 stories tall with water constantly flowing from it, even in droughts, and at night, it is a sight to see, emanating all known colors." Lelei said, though without the dreamy voice and eyes.
"Well that gives us an idea of the Excelsiors… what other kinds of magic are there? I mean we know the schools, but what can they use besides what we already know." Kato answered Hazama by getting up, motioning for them to wait a minute. He gave his staff a wave, and in a small flash of light, disappeared. "WHAT, what the- Where'd he go!?"
"Just a moment." Lelei said. Another flash, and there was Kato with a large book in his hands. Entire pages in a textbook size. When the light ceased, Kato fell over, panting as if he just ran a marathon. Lelei immediately got up and helped him to the couch.
"Is he ok?"
"He's fine. He just used a teleportation spell. It's useful, but puts a great strain on both the magicka and stamina levels of an individual. He will need to rest for an entire day from this." As she put Kato down on the couch, she took the book and handed it to Keating. It was old, worn pages with a few peeled parts of the cover and binding here and there. It had a musty smell, and he didn't even open it. There was a big circular icon in the middle, kind of looking like a mandala of a more Roman design rather than Indian. The title read 'A inceptor est scriptor Rector ut inserviebant et auguriis.' "I'll translate for you. It says 'A Beginner's Guide to Magic and Sorcery.' It's a book all mages and wizards use when they study."
"Well I guess we better start learning."
12:30 PM
After Pina's mouth became an inferno. Everyone was sent back to their usual procedures.
Including Itami, as he was now running around the fortress again. He wasn't alone. No, it wasn't the other new Ghosts. Kuribayashi was running behind him. They had already run 2 laps around the fortress so far. At first, Kuribayashi was a head of Itami, her lighter frame and nimbler form able to carry the day, which. However, by the middle of lap 2, she was falling behind.
Unlike Itami, who had some experience with such intensive training, Shino was a pure common soldier. By now, she was growing exhausted, but the fear of shaming her idol kept her running until she was finished with her session. Being a standard soldier, Mitchell opted to give her a slightly easier time… key word being slightly. "NOT-GONNA-LET-YOU-BEAT ME YOU DORK!" She roared between breaths, albeit in a slightly raspy tone. She had to keep a brave face on.
"It's not- a- race." He breathed out.
"IT IS- TO ME!" She cried back. Dropping the moment the crossed the markers set by Burk and David, she began to gasp for air while Itami continued on to his last lap. Kuribayashi made efforts to stand so she could sit somewhere out of the way, but fell after merely getting 2 inches off the ground. She resorted to crawling. This was nothing like what she thought it would be. She thought she would be getting an easier ride given her lesser rank and status in the army, she was a standard soldier while Itami was, somehow, a Ranger, AND an S! Despite the fatigue she felt, she felt like she needed to hit something whenever she thought about it. It pissed her off. She wasn't born an expert fighter, she had to bust her ass to get to where she was. She had to prove herself in basic, like any other woman that joins the army. On that subject she still can't believe that Kurokawa was in the military. But back to herself. And that slacker. Oh how she hated him. Up against a wall she went, panting and sweating without relent. She would often blame this kind of stuff on her breasts, the damn things were so big. She knew this was only the beginning of the pain though. They'd go through push-ups and the like. She HATED push-ups. Her breasts always hit the ground
After what felt like an hour, Itami returned, and slumped on the wall as exhausted and sweaty as she was. "Back off, you slacker." She growled, but weakly.
"Excuse ME." He said with an equally tired snark. "So, how you holding up? Mitchell-dono's disciplinary actions the dream you thought it'd be?"
Shino got more agitated at this question. "At least I put up with it. You can barely do everything you go through."
"You get less to do because you're a normal soldier. I'm an S."
"I still call bullshit on that. The way you are, you should be no more than a damn grease-monkey." Shino spat.
"Yeah, hard to believe. Sometimes I have to tell myself once or twice this is real." Kuribayashi had no response to this, so she just stayed silent. About 10 minutes of silence passed and it was already an uncomfortable silence between the two. Itami took the absence of hostiles as a chance to break it. "So… uh… why did you sign up?" He asked, catching her attention. "You know, into the SDF? You're cut for it obviously, I mean you can take on a guy bigger than you."
"You mean why did I become a proper soldier instead of you?"
"Uhhhhhhhh…"
An annoyed sigh escaped her lips. "Fuck, I may as well tell you so you shut up. I joined because it seemed like the best thing to do. I was getting too tough for Tokyo life. Hardest days of my life. Unlike you, I had to bust my ass and more! You think it's EASY tossing guys around like that? It isn't. It's really really hard!"
"Well yeah, I'm sure but… heheh."
"Until then, I worked at a small café down by the beach. The kind where you serve people with roller skates. It wasn't until a few years later that I joined after getting so damn tough thanks to dad. I'm serving my time until I can join the Rangers."
"You mentioned him back at the inn."
"Yeah, he runs a dojo. That alone should tell you what you need to know. Helped me out in basic. And I guess it helped in Italica. Until the crossbow hit me. They were stupid bandits. Perhaps I should be glad it wasn't a group of legionaries."
"If it was, then you wouldn't have joined Rory-san because she wouldn't have taken action."
"Yeah, well... so what?"
"So you would've likely ended up dead."
"Like you could've done better?"
"Of course I couldn't. I'd be far from them behind a railing or something, and shooting them like a PROPER soldier." He teased, earning more irritation.
"How the fuck did you even become a soldier let alone a lieutenant? I mean why the hell did you even join in the first place? Isn't joining the military kinda the OPPOSITE of what a lazy-ass like you would do?" She asked in a near yell, causing her to start coughing.
"Heh, the question of a career hit me after college, and I said to myself that I wouldn't be joining the rest of the raijuu *Opposite of otaku, or simply 'everyone else'* Then came the whole ordeal of Ranger training and Special Forces Group torment. Now here I am, undergoing the ultimate hell of Ghost Recon mentoring. I'm surprised that I lasted this long."
Shino's face just seemed to grow as her eyes widened with furrowed brows. A big frown accompanying them. "That's it? THAT'S your reason?! Jeez you're hopeless! I'm surprised you aren't a bloody pulp. You should be dead by all means." She said.
"Heh. I agree, yet here I am. It's usually we idiots that end up being unkillable." He grinned.
"Shut up." Itami gave a smirk before looking away. Itami decided he had spoken long enough, he didn't wanna potentially anger Kuribayashi more. So he reached into his back pocket and grabbed his issue of Mei-Com. Shino saw the manga and scoffed at her commander's behavior. Basically turning around and crossing her arms and ignore him. Only a few minutes after, two water bottles had landed by them, and both scrambled for their own.
"Drink up you two. You're gonna get some rest, then get back to it." Both soldiers only drank their water, otherwise remaining immobile. "So, Kuribayashi, how do you like it? Being schooled by me?" The woman held up a shaky arm with a thumbs up.
"Never, b-better, sir!" She said. Mitchell nearly grinned. He could see through that fake smile. Happens to everyone he rides on.
"10 more minutes and it's push-ups, then sit-ups and pull-ups. You'll be done after that. You should be done by… 6. Give you plenty of time to rest for tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?" Asked the otaku.
"You're gonna go on a recon exercise. With Kuribayashi. Just you two. The exercise has 2 purposes. Testing your stealth skills and to get you two to work better together. You'll be put in the field and have to scout out designated locations on a map I will provide you."
Itami spat out his water. Going out on this with Kuribayashi? ALONE? To be honest, Itami was terrified. What was Mitchell thinking? Sure the two weren't exactly close and more cooperation was needed, but THIS? This was essentially a dangerous idea considering how she practically hated him, and not only that. She was able to keep calm about that… incident so far. But they were gonna be on their own when they got out there, no one around. It was like putting a chicken in a pen with a hungry bear. It made him shudder to think about, and he knew the moment they were alone, something would happen.
"You're making me work with him. ALONE?! You can't get the rest of the team to join? I mean what about Tozu-san and Sasagawa-san? They're having issues with the Lieutenant too!"
"They are, but they're more mellow about. YOU on the other hand take action on your prejudices and actively seek to assault him. How your anger hasn't landed you a demotion is beyond me. Itami may be an idiot, but he's still your commanding officer, and you need to respect him."
"How can you say that?! LOOK AT HIM!" She cries, pointing to Itami going back to reading his manga.
"… yeah?"
"What about him makes him respectable?! Look at him, he's reading a manga in the middle of a disciplinary exercise!"
"We all need a hobby. I assume yours is beating a punching bag?"
"That's part of what I do." She answers.
"Didn't you say you had a hobby too, Mitchell-dono?" Itami asks, lowering his manga. Kuribayashi suddenly smacked the back of his head and causing him to yelp.
"KONO BAKA! You don't just ask the commander what he does in his spare time!"
"But he knows what we do!" Itami retorted
"He's a Ghost. He probably goes on some high-end, complex, impossible training to keep his skills sharp!" Kuribayashi cried.
"Actually, I-"
"Or he spends hours in the gym! It's much more likely!"
"Well I-"
"Oh! NONONONO! He practices by going on missions! He's so intense that his training is not enough! The best way he keeps his skills sharp is being on a mission! It's the only way." Kuribayashi's fascination was getting the best of her again.
"Uhhhhhhhh…"
"How about YOU ask him? Seeing as you say I shouldn't ask, yet you seem ok with assuming." Itami said.
"Oh yeah I… oh… heheheh. Ahhhhhhhhh..." She said with a nervous tone.
"Get yourselves rested, you'll be going out before you know it." Mitchell turned around, then made way to leave. He suddenly stopped and turned around. "Carpentry. It's carpentry."
And he left behind a smirking Itami looking at a flabbergasted Kuribayashi.
…
Burke and David would keep an eye on them. Ramirez too. Mitchell himself had other things to take care of.
Now that he was back in Tamriel or Middle Earth or whatever term you throw in jokingly, Mitchell began focusing on the war. A new op came up for him to take. He would be part of a large-scale long distance recon op to take Special Forces across the continent. The purpose was to get intelligence on the forces that were marching out of Saderan boundaries or supposed boundaries and if necessary, harass them as well as the nations and peoples in the areas. The main goal was reconnaissance though, the main attack forces to take more fortresses were being organized, and the recon teams of the SDF were handling those tasks. This was the high risk variety they were taking. It wasn't going to be helicopter landings. This time of the day was when dragons tended to be out and about. They tended not to go past the death zone, even with the masks their mounts wore.
A little preparation here, a little organization there, taking up about 10 minutes till they got to the air. A Kawasaki C-2, the only one on this side of the Gate, would be the delivery method, given it's superior range and the fact it was easier to disassemble and reassemble given it was Japanese hardware. I mean it WAS Japan that is directly on the other side. He'd be on the first flight out. Keating had given him the run down while Itami was on his laps.
He was to be deployed on an island off the Ictun Peninsula to investigate a city, apparently known as Dohers. It's an Ictun naval power… well was. Recent Blackbird footage showed the Saderans pushed in on the city and assumed control. Further north of there, another army took a city as well, only without a problem or even so much as a battle. And further east, an Orc town was taken by Sadera. It was a three way expansion no doubt, just like the princess proclaimed. And from what was known, Sadera had the money, manpower, and resources to take care of everything. At the very least, get some information and maybe blow some shit up. It may be the best way to get some kind of appreciation from the locals fighting Sadera. Surely they'd know it was them the moment it happens.
So now it was 1:50PM, Cedric was coming along and would be taking his own team elsewhere. Along with various other teams, and his drop point was coming up. HALO would be the method of insertion. In fact, to say an HAHO would be used in a world with dragons and other manner of flying creatures would be madness.
The light turned red, that was their que. Himself, Diaz, Parker, Brown, and Beasley.
"Well, back in this world and here we are back in unfamiliar lands with no chance of backup!" Diaz called.
"It was easier back home, the enemy didn't have dragons." Parker joked.
"Hey, don't be trying to take Nolan's job, he'll really let you have it." Beasley warned. "You do NOT want that, old man."
"But seriously." He continued. "Our op won't have a lot of support like usual. No satellites, the Blackbirds being called back every once in a while, air support up against some unpredictable circumstances, at least from what I've heard. And dragons. If it wasn't for the dragons, I'd be ok with this."
"Come on, we're Ghosts. This'll be easier than the time we were sent into Juarez in the Rebellion." Said Brown.
"Or the time we nearly lost some fellows in Afghanistan." Said Diaz.
"Don't jinx us. There's still somethings about the Saderans we don't know. That's why we're out here. So, business as usual. Don't get seen. We land, move in and proceed as directed." The light turned green right after that. "No time to disagree, let's go!" He took the lead and jumped out the hold, followed by the other 5 Ghosts.
"Good to see you're on your way Mitchell." Keating's voice came over the mic. "Remember, if you see a good opportunity to give the enemy a hard time, take it. Other than that, avoid detection. Air support is a bit shaky right now, and our choppers won't be able to reach you in time if things go south."
"I know, general."
"In addition, the locals that the Saderans are fighting are just as likely to perceive you as a threat. As far as we know, they think we're monsters. So avoid them, avoid the enemy. You are on your own. This isn't easy, son."
"When is it ever, sir?"
"Never! That's why you're here! Heheheh!"
The com went silent from there, the parachutes flying open. Boots hit the ground, chutes came off, and 5 soldiers took off into the forest.
Meanwhile.
It was easy enough to find a cargo ship that would be making its way from Yokohama to Kota Kinabalu.
The hard part was embarking on it in this shameful manner. They had gone to remove an offense to the faith, well HE did. Only to have everything they knew and understood be laughed at as the one known as Rory Mercury defied the laws of life and remained alive, even after having her head cut clean off like those before her. And she continued to taunt them.
Now the infidels had destroyed their chances. And they were in retreat. Akmal slammed a fist against the bulkhead from his position in one of the cargo compartments with the rest of the White Masks who made it. The plan was ruined. Sure Akmal was in it to kill the infidel, but the Masks had a grander plan. In keeping foreign envoys hostage, one of them a princess, it would've caused immediate panic among the nations, perhaps even escalated the war on the other side and opened several windows for them to exploit.
But they made a misstep. Rainbow had reacted far faster than they expected. It all fell apart from there. It wasn't the first time this happened, time and again a plot or plan was put out of action because of Rainbow's intervention. But this was indeed the worst of all. "Tak guna!" Akmal swore slamming a fist on the bulkhead. "I don't know what to do!"
"What we do is regroup and refocus. I just got off of the horn with Node. Our strike was a half success. The media is voicing the concerns of people around the world that we were able to get into Japan, let alone take them hostage." A Mask said.
"NOT THAT! This little girl who survived my sword. How…? This makes no sense to me at all!"
"Maybe you should start thinking with your brain instead of a book." Akmal however, ignored him He was busy trying to reconnect the pieces and logic within his mind on the events that have transpired. And that was more important to him than what Syukri may rant about when he got back to the HQ in Malaysia. For once in his life, Akmal had to think outside of his usual religious ideals, and he didn't know what was the graver sin.
Akmal was indeed a religious man, but religious doesn't mean incompetent. He was an intelligent person, he was second in command of the second most dangerous terrorist organization in the world after all. So say what you will, but he didn't always go to the Quran like it was Google to figure out how something needed to be fixed. The biggest issue here was how that girl, Rory, managed to survive being beheaded. It went against everything he knew. He was well aware of the Gate. The whole damn world was. And everyone was aware of the fact that magic existed there, but this? This was a debatable subject among the people. A demigoddess. Akmal wasn't the only one to scoff at this statement she made, for social media is a battlefield of its own kind after all. But now he has seen the reality, and it made him question everything he knew. As many discern, it is the will of Allah for the one true faith to flourish across the world, and any who praised false gods to be put to death. That was the reason that they took an interest in Rory herself while the Masks were more interested in the others. And like others, was beheaded.
But she survived. She FUCKING survived. And Akmal was in a quasi-crisis. He was close to questioning his own beliefs. How the hell is he supposed to go on if what he know is a lie? Nonono. He's thinking too much. But how is he supposed to go on if this girl from another world- wait… that's it.
No wonder. This girl isn't from his world. The fact that there was magic, and apparently some kind of evidence of gods there made sense upon thought. He's read the Quran several times, and he's seen nothing relating to OTHER worlds, and if that's the case… well who was he to argue? Right? That's the best explanation of what's happened. But… how to carry on after this… wait… the world on the other side of the Gate.
No no… no. That's too risky. Akmal put the thought outside of his mind and was simply happy that he had an answer to the event he put up with.
AN: And I'm ending it there! This'll be a 2-part chap. THIS TOOK TOO LONG! I'll be looking over it as time passes, making changes and stuff. Also, next part will follow the Ghost's efforts and Itami's exercise with Little Miss Dragon. We know the Ghosts will be ok, but will Itami be ok? Who knows? Find out next time. And I hope you had a great Easter and didn't get pranked on April Fool's! :D