Chapter 27:
Discoveries
Two years. The human intervention, "Operation Restoring Freedom", has been going on for two years now. Most soldiers are now battle-hardened warriors, having been through many battles, most have faced the battle at Dawnstar Hill and few fought the Battle of Tokyo.
However on Earth not much is told from the conflict other than the rare occasions of reports on major victories and sadly the casualty reports. The U.N claimed the war to be the deadliest conflict in modern history. In two years, there have been over 20,000 confirmed killed in action, only a half are wounded and a few hundred missing in action. This report has sparked public anger across the globe, blaming the U.N and NATO for sending their troops to their deaths. An unknown whistleblower of the JSDF leaked the information on the military equipment of their troops, commenting that they were "ineffective", "useless" and "ill-equipped" for the dangers of the Digital World. This further increased general public anger. The tension is on the rise as citizens around the world demand the return of their soldiers and the definitive closure of the gate.
July 25th 2019, Hypnos Temporary Headquarters, Ginza District, Tokyo
"For the third time this month, peace protesters have gathered in front of the main fence gate to the Ginza District. Law enforcements and military personnels have been deployed quickly, heavily guarding the area. As we can see, thousands of japanese citizens have marched to the district demanding the closure of the gate and the retrieval of our troops. The riot police have yet to engage the crowd but we can see that the tension is rising when a couple of protesters started to throw rocks and bottles at the officers. The riot police responded by moving forward, creating a impregnable defensive line. But so far there hasn't been any further incident. This is Kuribayashi Nanami, reporting live from NTV-News24!"
With a light cheery 'ding' from the elevator, Yamaki arrived at his office floor. Stepping out, he was immediately assaulted with blinding camera flashes and bombardments of questions asked by a dozen of journalists that now surrounded him.
How the hell did they get here? He didn't know himself as he pushes his way into the wall of camera flashes.
He repeated constantly "No comment" and "No result yet" to the interviews as he makes his way to the safety of his office. Shutting the door forcefully behind him, he sighed happily once their voices were muffled behind him. He took off his black suit and set it behind his swivel chair. He ungracefully sat on the office chair, relieved by its comfort and the fact that he was saved from the chaos that is happening just outside his door. The ongoing protest could be heard just outside his windows.
Hypnos had the unfortunate chance of occupying the only office building in Ginza District, still under construction and JSDF occupation. It is located just behind the northern entrance to the district, which is now surrounded by chain linked fence walls, guard posts, checkpoints and numerous military patrols. Of course they had to be just in the thick of the peace protests. Then, he heard loud popping sounds followed by the screams emanated from the crowd. Tear gas have been deployed and now the riot police are making their charge.
Ignoring the hectic scene that is happening below, he checked his personal smartphone, staring affectionately at the background picture on the screen. It was a picture of his date with Riley Ohtori. It depicts the woman smiling broadly at him. It was the moment when he took the picture by surprise while she was ordering her ice cream. It was his best day: no work issues, no political bullshit, no traffic jams. It was just him and the only woman he truly fell in love with, strolling in Shinjuku Park on a beautiful, clear day. However their intimate moments were cut short after the battle of Tokyo, their work increased and so they had very little time for each other, but somehow they prevail by making their small moments count.
Knocks interrupted his mesmerized trance. He jerked his head up and allowed them to come in. Dread instantly filled him as he witnessed a young man, probably in his early twenties, his white shirt stained by his sweat caused by work stress and the unbearable summer heat. The man was carrying a large stack of paper sheets, all work related. He carefully placed it on a corner of his desk and simply took a single sheet of paper and handed it to him, which Yamaki took it with mild surprise.
"What is this?" He asked professionally.
"A report from the Digital World, sir." Replied the young employee, "Written by the Lieutenant-Colonel Hazama himself, sir." He added dutifully.
"You don't have to act like that. We are just government employees." Yamaki told him bluntly as he reads the report. "Are you new here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Let me guess: Tally told you to act like a soldier." The employee nodded nervously. He simply chuckled in response. "For God's sake, kid, don't listen to that mischevious woman. She always likes to pick on the new guys."
Yamaki looked away from the report to see that the man was still standing motionless, his back as straight as a straw and his face stoic, staring over him.
"Is there anything else?" He asked midly annoyed.
"No, sir."
"Then you are dismissed."
With a polite bow, the employee retrieved his stack of paper work and went out, almost running into another employee by accident.
"Project Purging, huh?"
July 18th 2019, NeoNexus Continent, Digital World
In the Digital World, the IDDF has been praised by many digimon. Throughout the two years, they were victorious through each battle. Troops were called as "The Freedom soldiers" by the local populace. Contrary to the Real World, they were gratefully and warmly welcomed by the digital beings. Village after village, city after city and zone after zone were liberated by the IDDF. The Sovereigners, powerful and divine being of the Digital World, have praised the human coalition for their effort to put a stop to the warmongering Imperium. Other mighty organizations and factions pledged their full support to the coalition.
On July 12th 2019, the 1st Digital Marines Battalion, now at the spearhead of the coalition has crossed the Imperium's homeland: NeoNexus. And so begins the invasion of the IDDF into heavy Imperial territory.
On July 18th 2019, the Marines of Alpha company arrived in Tal der Kaiser, a vast agricultural zone filled with immense green valleys and tall rocky mountains, dotted with large beautiful lakes at the bottom of the rocky formations. It was truly a mesmerizing sight for the Marines as they entered deeper in the zone. Taking the only paved road to cross the rocky formation of the "Kings' Den", the company came across a tunnel, blocked by debris and large boulders. There is only one way to respond to this: lots and lots of explosives.
His hands shook lightly as he carefully places and arms the C4 explosives on a boulder. The EOD specialist then placed a couple of handgrenades as additional firepower and ran back to his M-ATV. Behind the EOD team was the Marine convoy, the men got out and simply idled around, chatting, lying on the ground or took the time to admire the view.
Dukeman was smoking, taking a long drag of his "cancer" stick while Raymond was playing a game on his smartphone.
"How come you don't smoke?" The gunnery-sergeant asked casually, enjoying the nicotine flowing in his system.
"Because I'm smart," Raymond answered playfully, his eyes still glued to the video game, "Or maybe it's because of video games."
Dukeman hummed in agreement before he threw the cigarette on the road. He took a small sip from his hydration pack and casually leans back on the L-ATV. Out of curiosity, he discreetly tilts his head towards Raymond's phone. He was playing a digimon card game, in the Digital World, on the job and right next to Renamon, who was chatting with her teammates.
"Unfucking believable, bro..."
"Shut up."
"Explosives are up!" Shouted one of the EOD specialists, warning the Marines of the upcoming grand fireworks.
The men quickly gather their gear, took cover behind the vehicles and covered their heads and ears. The EOD squad leader checked that the Marines were behind cover and checked their distance from the eventual blast zone. A Private 1st Class awaited his signal, detonator in hand anxiously. The team leader muffled his ears with his fingers and nodded to the soldier.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE! FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He shouted before pressing the detonator.
A loud and earth shaking explosion disturbed the peaceful silence of the mountains. The shockwave vibrated violently as it sends and envelops everyone in a thick dust cloud. After two whole minutes, the EOD team inspected the result with Captain Raymond trailing behind them. They were quite baffled of the result.
"Well, shit..." Commented the squad leader in disbelief.
"Did you add enough frags?" Asked Raymond, perplexed of this particular situation.
Though the explosives did the job at destroying the barricade of debris and boulders, they found out that the entire tunnel was blocked.
"Should we add more or call air support?" Asked the EOD sergeant, half-joking and half-serious.
"Permission to speak, sir?" Said Renamon behind them formally. Raymond looked back and nodded. The kitsune then turns to the convoy, "Lance Corporal Guilmon!"
"What are you doing?"
"Calling someone more capable for this job, Captain," She explained before turning to the EODs, "No offense, guys."
Guilmon ran up to the group, saluted them dutifully and asked why he was called over.
"Think you can drill all the way through?" Asked Renamon with a hint of confidence in her voice.
"Uh yeah, with my "Rock Breaker" attack, I think I can go through but it is going to take some time, and energy." He concluded pensively.
"Try combo it with "Kiai Tame"." The other digimon suggested.
"That could work... Rock Breaker first then Kiai Tame followed directly with another Rock Breaker." He nodded in agreement and stretched his arms. He is now determined to do his job.
"Thanks, sweetie~" Renamon swiftly and stealthly gave a small peck on Guilmon's cheek, making him blush redder than his scales.
With the course of action approved and agreed by the others, the Marines and EOD team all went back to their vehicles, starting up the engines. The machines of war roared loudly to life. Guilmon inspected carefully the barricade, planning his actions, not wanting it to fall on top of his head or causing an avalanche towards the convoy. Taking in a deep breath, Guilmon began his handiwork, his sturdy claws make quick work at destroying the boulders, drilling easily through the barricade. Using more effort, he used his Hazard energy to power up his following attack, drilling in the tunnel faster and effectively. Meanwhile the convoy trailed behind him slowly.
"Jesus Christ, look at him go on those boulders..." Noted in amazement Sergeant Adam "Rookie" Blade, a new member to Renamon's squad.
"All that digging sure paid off. Am I right, Staff Sergeant?" Asked playfully Roach as he drives the M-ATV.
"You have no idea..."
A quarter of an hour later, Guilmon has managed to dig through the blocked tunnel and allowed the convoy to go through. At the end on the tunnel, Guilmon was lying on his back, breathing heavily as the adrenaline rush he had was now gone, leaving a very tired Guilmon.
Raymond's vehicle stopped and the captain got out, a chocolate bar on one hand and a bottle of water on the other. He walked to him with a proud smile and handed to him the chocolate and drink.
"There you go, Marine, you've earned it."
"Sure as hell...I did..." Guilmon replied through heavy breaths. He sat up and greedily drank the bottle in one go, splashing some of the water on his face to cool off the heat.
"Come on, buddy," Raymond offered his hand to pull the saurian digimon up.
Once Guilmon was back in his designated squad vehicle, the whole convoy moved forward on the mountain pass.
The company's mission is a capture and hold objective. The target: a small military fortress located at one of the peaks of the Kings' Den, designated "Peak 549" or, as the locals would have called it, "The Kaiser's Mansion". The fortress is perched on top of a limestone plateau, dominating the towns and villages below at the foot of the mountain. In a strategic location, it is additionally defended by the natural moutaineous environment, the sheer height of the mountain's face was sufficient to discourage any assault from the sides, leaving only one, painful and deadly way to go, up front and through the heavily defended pass. One way up, one way down. It is surrounded by double crenellated walls, double barbican and a dug in moat to further increase the difficulty for any potential invader. The fortress has a large, square-shaped, Romanesque keep with vertical sides, held together with attached watch towers on each corners. To one side were small residence apartments, side-by-side with a courtyard and a square plan staircase serving the apartments. The residence sections were built with a mixture of cobblestone, clay and durable and sturdy woodwork.
As the convoy approaches the venerable fortress, the Marines prepared themselves for a fight. The vehicles' turret gunners scanned their surroundings. They were driving slowly and in the open with no clue where the enemy might be at; a perfect opportunity for a deadly ambush that would surely lead to a massacre. However nothing happens...
"I do not like this shit..." Stated Raymond as he warily scans the area. "2-Actual, this is Alpha-actual, what do you see, over."
"Zero hostiles for now, Alpha-actual. Can't say I like this, Captain." Answered sincerely 2nd Lieutenant Keith of second platoon. "Correction: I see two imps at the first gatehouse..."
"What's their status?" Raymond asked curiously.
"Non-hostile..."
"Can you confirm that report?"
"Aye sir, they're waving white flags, I repeat: they are waving white flags. How should we proceed?"
"Stop the convoy a hundred meters away from the gatehouse, disembark and capture them." He instructed sternly, "To all units, this is Alpha-actual, we're stopping now, disembark and be on your guard, Marines."
The Marines got out of their transports, weapons at the ready as they form a defensive perimeter. A squad of Marines followed Raymond and Dukeman as they joined up with Lieutenant Keith and the two prisonners. Sitting against the tall and strong stone wall was a Flybeemon and a Turuiemon, their hands cuffed behind their backs. Inspecting the two digimon, Raymond exchanged a few words with Keith before he knelt in front of them, looking and observing their faces neutrally.
"Care to explain...this." He demanded.
"We were ordered to surrender by Commander Dominimon." Explained Flybeemon calmly.
Curious at that, Raymond ordered Keith to take them back to the convoy before he addresses to Dukeman.
"Get me Colbert and Sparks," Dukeman nodded and radioed them in. Once Colbert and 2nd Lieutenant Sparks of 1st platoon joined up, Raymond began to explain the situation:
"Colbert, I want your men at the front with the vehicles while First and Second platoon will follow on foot, Third and Fourth platoon will stay behind and secure the first gatehouse. I want them to establish a checkpoint here," Dukeman nodded again and began to transmit the order, "Anvil 3-1 and Anvil 3-2 will push with us up there. Keep on your guard, Marines, this might be a trap. Oorah?"
"Oorah!"
With a solid nod from the company commander, the Marines went to action, half of the company were ready to push up while the other half began to set up the checkpoint. As they prepare themselves to move up, Raymond contacted through his radio Battalion Command.
"Warlord, Warlord, this is Alpha-actual, how copy?"
"Solid copy, what's the sitrep?"
"We've reached at target area. Confirm two hostile POWs, they say that they want to surrender. We're pushing further in shortly. Requesting a Royal Knight, how copy? Over.."
"Solid copy on sitrep and request. Nearest RK is twenty mikes away from your AO. Callsign RK 5, over."
"Roger that, we're pushing now in the meantime, over and out." Ending the connection, he turns and faces the Marines assigned to him. "Are you all ready? Then let's move out!"
As the company is split in two, Guilmon, who was on the turret seat of a M-ATV, heard one of his squadmates cursing loudly. Turning to his right, he saw that the Marine was frantically untying his pants before quickly sitting down on a box, the "shit bucket" as the Marines affetionately called it. The digimon gringed in disgust and looked the opposite way, his nostrils unfortunately assaulted by the smell of human waste.
"I hate my job..." He muttered under his breath.
Crossing through the third gatehouse without a single resistance, the Marines were facing the large solid wood and steel doors of the main entrance. Colbert was about to recommend using C4 explosives to bust the doors open when the latter started to slowly open by itself, or to be more exact, by two Knightmon. The Marines, being on high alert, pointed their weapons at them, anxiously waiting to fire the shot. The digizoid clad digimon stood upright, facing each other and stepped aside, leaving enough space for the human troops to go through. Wary, the Marines got in without any incident. Inside the main courtyard was a small company of imperial troopers. They were doing their daily and miscellaneous tasks prior the Marines' arrival; they then suddenly stopped their tasks and lined up next to each other up to the keep, standing straightly as if greeting the humans like royalty. Still confused, the humans stood there silently, not knowing what the hell is going on now.
The two M1A1 Abrams and the APCs and LAVs rolled in while the Marines, with their weapons up, ordered them to go to the ground before they started to cuff them. Raymond ordered First platoon to hold the courtyard while Dukeman called in additional support.
"Colbert, get your Marines with me, we're moving to the keep." He demanded before leaving the Gunnery-Sergeant in charge of the courtyard.
Raymond then felt something that burned in his throat. It was the same sensation that have been harrassing him for almost an entire year. With a loud snort, he spat out the infamous black glob that have been poisoning his insides. Looking at it with disgust and hatred, he took a sip of water to wash down the back metallic taste in his throat and mouth.
"Breaching!"
With a mighty kick, Renamon's strike pushed the thick wooden doors open, the shockwave it sent broke the chandelier hanging from above and shattered some of the paintings hanging on the wall decorated with gold and crimson tapisseries. The Recon Marines split into groups, each going in different directions, clearing the empty rooms while Raymond reports to command. A dozen imperial staff personnels were taken under Marine custody and were escorted outside by the other regular Marines that were called for the escort. It took the Recon Marines ten whole minutes to clear room after room on each floor before they have reached the last one.
Leading her squad through a dimly lit corridor, Renamon raised her fist to halt their advance before informing them to prepare for a breach-and-clear to the door at the end of the corridor. Once they were in position, she gave a small nod to Sergeant Nigel Miller. The sergeant pulled his Remington 870 breacher shotgun and fired at the door's latch. He then forcefully kicked the door open and stepped backwards, leaving the rest of the squad to breach in. The room seemed to be a large office, the walls decorated with old portraits of the fort's previous owners. At the center of the room is a finely decorated wooden desk, painted with some gold on the sides. Behind the desk is a black leather chair, with its occupant calmly staring at the heavily armed Marines who all pointed their rifles at his head. Commander Dominimon slowly stood up and quietly raised his hands in surrender. Renamon signalled two of her Marines to cuff him while the others surround him.
"State your name, rank and unit." She demanded firmly.
"Commander Dominimon, 23rd Company 45th Infantry Regiment, 12th Legion." He replied truthfully and immediately after the question was asked.
The Marines binded his hands behind his back and slightly pushed him forward, guiding him outside so that he will join the other prisonners in the courtyard.
"Search the room. Take anything that might be important." Renamon instructed before she goes back down to the keep's first floor.
The squad got to work instantly after she left the office, searching every nook and cranny of the place. They've searched into the small bedroom adjacent to the office, looked under and in the sofas, peeked into every drawer, taking out the portraits and inspected the wall in case there is a hidden passage, ripped the prestine, soft floor carpet and searched below it. Little by little, they were destroying the place with no result yet for the search of any vital information.
Gary was searching into the desk. He read the note that Dominimon was writing prior their arrival, it was a letter to his wife, he presumed. He took the pen and kept the letter in his admin pouch, deciding to give it to the commander later. As he opened one of the drawers, he was met with a pile of paper, possibly imperial documents. He took them and read them quickly. They were mostly daily reports of the fort's activity: maintenance tasks, re-supplies, patrols, etc. As he dumped them into his combat rucksack, a particular document caught his eyes. It was a folder with a bold red stamp on it: "PROJECT PURGING". Intrigued he decided to give it a read. What was in the document surely shocked him as his face paled a minute reading through its content.
A solid knock caught everyone's attention. Stopping their search, the Marines turned to the door. It was UlforceVeedramon, leaning against the door frame with a friendly smile. He looked around the place and whistled in amazement.
"Wow, you guys sure did some unique re-decoration. I like it." He said jokingly before he walks in the room. "Pack your things, you're leaving in less than ten minutes, we've got this, guys."
Without any protest the Recon Marines picked up whatever useful item they've gathered and all walked out silently. As for Gary, he was cautious of the Royal Knight, finding it odd he was commanding them casually. Not wanting the digimon to catch him with the document, he hurriedly shoved it in his rucksack and went out quickly. He tried to remain calm and collective, however UlforceVeedramon seemed to eye him suspeciously. Once a step outside, Gary gave a quick glance at the Royal Knight, he was still eyeing him with an almost cold stare. Roach returned the gaze in defiance and continued to join with the others. UlforceVeedramon watched him turned around the corner before he shrugged off. He then looked at the desk, something felt wrong here...
"All right, Marines! Let's move out!" Ordered loudly Dukeman as the Marines went in their vehicles in the courtyard.
Just as he left the keep, Roach walked straight to Dominimon. "Hey , you!" He called him out while searching through his admin pouch, "Here, bet you need this." He said as he hands to the commander the letter and the pen. With a broad and grateful smile, Dominimon bowed down, "Thank you very much, human."
The Royal Knight arrived with a small platoon of the Strike Force to occupy the fort. Roach went in the driver's seat, still visibly nervous, which worried Renamon, who was sitting on the front passenger seat. She lightly nudged his shoulder.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm fine..." He lied, feeling bad for doing so.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." She noted, still staring at him.
"Uh, kinda did actually..." He decided to play along with it, "I guess this place is haunted, gave me the heebie jeebies, ya know."
"I guess it can give you that vibe," She presumed to that theory, "Felt the same when I passed this one room."
Relieved that the conversation shifted, Roach listened intently on Renamon's encounter with the paranormal, which was extremely rare in the Digital World, since everything was strange for the average human being. Unfortunately for him, her tale of the haunted room will give him nightmares for at least two weeks.
Camp Toki, Tal der Kaiser
The military base, named after a fallen British paratrooper, is one of the first bases to have installed a good internet connection and phone booths for the many soldiers to contact their family and loved ones. It is also one of the largest military camp of the IDDF, the other one being back at Dawnstar Hill which now had the size of a full fledged town, surrounded by thick concrete and heavily fortified walls. The camp was almost the twice the size of camp Shorabak (formely Camp Bastion) in Afghanistan, housing over 50,000 troops, human and digimon alike, all from different nations and armies. It was the main operational hub base of the IDDF in the continent.
Renamon was on the phone for the first time in two years with her tamer, Rika Nonaka. However her joyful mood shifted to worry once she learned the news that her tamer has enlisted in the JGSDF. But she remained as calm as possible.
"Are you sure you aren't considering things a bit too quickly?" She asked for the third time, still concerned.
"For the last time, Renamon, I'm a grown adult now! I can make my own decisions."
"You're barely twenty one and you're making a very selfish and immature reason to join the military." Renamon responded sarcastically. "Rika, you need to stop worrying about me-"
"Stop worrying?! Renamon, we haven't spoken to each other in two years! A lot of things can happen in two years! Do you have any idea how much I'm stressed out?" A pang of guilt stabbed Renamon's heart, her voice dead silent as she continues to listen to Rika's rant, "Besides it's not like I have any idea what I wanted to do with my life,"
"You could be a model or an author." Suggested Renamon.
"Har har, that's a big "no no" for modelling and being an author was just a child dream." The red-haired young woman shot back.
"Dreams can come true however. You shouldn't give up on them." Persuaded Renamon, using last minute negociations to stall and hopefully change Rika's mind.
"Oh for God's sake, you sound like mom, heck even SHE was more accepting than you!" Renamon could feel Rika's anger boiling up.
"Please, Rika, calm down. I don't want to fight with you, especially not now." She heard Rika sighed sadly. "You must understand, I'm your partner and it is my duty, and now job, to protect you and your family."
"Our family, Renamon," Her tamer corrected her, "I know, I know... It's just... I miss you so much, I can't help but think for the worst. You're like a big sister to me."
"I know, I feel the same way for you." Renamon then decided to change her mind, "And as a big sister, I will support you from now on." She declared with a small, sad smile.
"Thanks, Renamon, I always knew I can count on you."
"Always. Now finish boot camp and you better be a lieutenant or captain when I come back." She said in a playful manner.
"Oorah, Renamon. And you knock them imps dead."
The two shared a small laugh before they were both silent, none of them didn't know how to finish to call, they didn't want to.
"Stay safe, please." Rika finally said to break the silence.
"You too." Renamon responded sadly.
And with that the line went dead. In a fit of frustation and sadness, she slammed the phone into the phone booth with intense force, breaking the new installation a little bit and scaring the living shit out of the nearby soldiers around her. The line of men behind her immediately 'noped' the hell out, not wanting to get in her way. She stood there silently for awhile, then after wiping a lone tear from her eyes, she walked away and headed for the barracks.
Being a digimon with claws for hands hasn't been quite easy for Guilmon. Sure he was treated fairly, however his claws limited him to do certain tasks in the military like maintaining vehicles, cleaning weapons or even using a rifle. The only weapons he could use were heavy machine guns, grenade machine guns, missile launchers and operating mortars. As such he became a mix of a heavy weapons specialist and of a logistics specialist, being able to carry twice the load of an ordinary soldier and still be faster than them. Carrying supplies and using big weapons was his thing.
However there was one specialty he was good at: making someone smile. It was his forte eversince he met Takato, his creator and tamer, and his family, friends and... Renamon. His natural talent than expanded to the Marines, everyone liked him. Always there to make them laugh or ease the tension after a firefight. But he was more of an expert when it came to his mate: Renamon.
Eversince they were together, he did everything he could to just bring a smile to her face, turning her bad mood upside down, and it worked every single time.
During his career now, Guilmon has shifted quite a lot of squad and platoon. First he was a mortar specialist in the Fourth Squad of First Platoon, later he was assigned to Second Squad of Third Platoon and now he is back in First Platoon, assigned to Third Squad, Flamedramon's squad, as a heavy weapons specialist. This change made him happy since now he can spend more time with one of his friends. And sure enough, he was sharing a room with Flamedramon.
Lying on his bed in a relaxed manner, he was reading one of Flamedramon's mangas, spending the time before his next task begins in thirty minutes. Then a knock interrupted his reading session. Smelling the air, he concluded it was Renamon behind the door, in a bad mood. Hopefully, Flamedramon was out eating at the mess hall with some of the squadmates, which means he could share some time with his mate in peace.
Jumping out of his bed and rushing to the door, he opened it with a friendly smile on his face. This infected Renamon as she smiled back. Leading her to his bed, the two digimon sat down in silence, the vixen was staring at the wooden floorboards sadly. Instinctively, Guilmon grabbed her soft paw and stroked it lovingly. His face leaned closer to hers.
"Is everything alright?" He asked in a whisper.
Her ears twitched in response and she turned to face him a little bit. "Kinda..." She whispered back. "Rika is joining the military." She finally revealed to him.
Quite surprised and immediately understanding her mood, he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. She replied with affectionately nuzzling her head on his neck.
"And you're worried for her." He presumed correctly. Renamon simply hummed. "You don't have to, she's a tough woman now." He chuckled as he remembered the girl he used to fear, but respected so much. He sure did remember those cold gazes she would usually give to Takato and him when they were younger.
"Yeah but what if they deploy her here," Renamon countered, "You and me know how long a human can last in this war," Her tone quickly saddened, "We've lost so many, seen too much deaths... I can't stand to imagine the day I have to live with my family, well alive, while she's gone, probably dead and forgotten like the rest of them." She then started to sob quietly. "I-I don't want to bear that guilt! I have already lost four of my men, b-brave and y-young men, with families waiting for them! A-and I watched them die before my very ey-" She completely broke down, revealing Guilmon one extremely rare side of her, grief.
The two digimon have seen too much of their friends perished easily. The IDDF's death toll was almost higher than their wounded. "Operation Anvil" had been quite the bloodiest battle they have been so far; three months of constant, gruelling close quarters fight in a desert. A lot of men died or have lost their minds after that battle.
"I know it's hard but we need to stay strong," Guilmon rocked her left and right, comforting her, "Stay strong and we will prevail. Stay strong for Rika."
With that said, Renamon stayed in Guilmon's warm embrace not wanting to let go, not that it bothered him anyway. Two minutes in silence passed before she perked her head out of his neck and gave him one long loving kiss.
"Thank you." She said passionately with a smile.
"You're welcome." He replied back with his signature bright smile.
She stayed longer in the room with him, enjoying his presence as long as possible, twenty four minutes to be precise.
Raymond stared at the document on his desk with dread and a bit with fear. Roach has been quite agitated when he briefed him about the contents. In his office, the Recon Marine stood at the desk in front of him, standing straight but his face was nervous. That only made Raymond nervous because he knew the Marine well and he haven't seen him this shaken.
"Are you sure about this? About everything in this folder?" He asked nervously.
"Yes, sir. I suggest we prepare a course of action asap. We can possibly prevent another war or even the destruction of our world." Roach explained to him with a shaky voice.
"Now let's not get too radical with this, maybe it's false or forgotten. We don't know." Raymond reasonned with him, but deep down it kind of scared him.
"Exactly, sir. We do not know if they'll apply this plan or use it now or even soon." The Marine countered.
With a long minute of reasoning, Raymond decided to follow the Marine's instinct. "I'll see what I can do about it."
"Promise you won't show it to any Royal Knight."
"I promise, Gary. You're dismissed."
Gary left the office, leaving Raymond with the document. Opening it, he read it intently, taking in every information and detail of the secretive and disturbing document. He better send it to Yamaki and fast. He hoped that the man will know the ideal course of action to this.
August 10th 2019, Camp Juno, near the Regicide Sea, NeoNexus Continent
Dusk sets upon Camp Juno. Months of planning and preparation has finally led to this. Camp Juno, built right on the coast of the Regicide Sea, is one of the starting points of the largest military assault ever conducted in modern human history and easily for Digimon history: 60,000 men and 200,000 digimon troops will cross the sea by air assaults and amphibious landings; the IDDF is also awaiting 200,000 more men as their reserves. In Camp Juno, there is almost 5,000 men on the dock with hundreds of armoured vehicles. Troops, vehicles and supplies were all embarking in the dozen GigaSeadramon awaiting at the shore, part of the Deep Savers' 34th Logistical Corps. Meanwhile, paratroopers of different nations were boarding in their aircrafts such as the Kawasaki C-1, the Airbus A400M Atlas, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III and the famous Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
Marines and Army soldiers worked dutifully and tiredlessly on the preparation of the beach assault. The paratroopers will go first behind enemy line, capturing key locations to cut off enemy communications and supply lines, supported by the air forces. Then the main assault force will capture the beaches of the Imperial Golden Shore. If the first phase of the assault is successful, then the IDDF will install F. in the area and move on to the second phase of the operation.
In an hour, the air forces will begin their initial strikes and bombardments. At 2230 hours, the paras will begin their mission and at 2400 hours it will be the beach landing assault. The dock was busy and crowded with military personnels, working on last minute preparations before D-Day. Men and women were nervous, anxious and determined, pumped up to finally put an end to this conflict. This will be a long and difficult road, but every sacrifice made will be worth it. They all knew that.
To ease the minds and hearts of his Marines, Raymond decided to give them a motivational speech. Standing on top of an AAVP-7A1 and gazing at his company. Dukeman followed suit, standing next to him and used his bellowing voice.
"MARINES OF ALPHA COMPANY!" The entire company stopped their idle chatter and stared at their C.O with respect and admiration, awaiting for him to speak.
The gunnery-sergeant's holler also caught the attention of some of the nearby soldiers and digimon, notably the Royal Knights.
"Marines, as your Captain for almost two years now, I want to give you all a small speech to put in your mind before we go to combat."
"This battalion, this company has fought in Tokyo... Has crossed the gate to Dawnstar Hill... Defended Iarica against two whole Legions... Defeated the enemy in the fucking Forest Zone... Battled the fucking D-Brigade in the Metal Empire... Brought back a fucking nuke from the Jungle Zone... Took out whole divisions of Imperials in a fucking desert in Operation Anvil... And now, we're going deep in enemy territory where we will destroy and bring them to Hell!"
"OORAH!" The Marines cried proudly and courageously.
"Marines, I have been your Company Commander during these years. It has been the proudest years of my fucking miserable life. And there is no place I'd rather be than being in combat on the frontlines with all of you, leading you into battle. We've trained hard and fought a lot. I've been tough on you and now you're all battle-hardened and tough motherfuckers. Don't forget where we came from and what we fight for. We are about to add another battle in the records of Alpha Company, 1st Digital Marines Battalion, 5th Marines." Raymond took a deep breath, observing his Marines, he could see their confidence and their eagerness to go to battle.
"Before we go, I want to say a quick prayer," He bowed his head and so were the Marines, man and digimon. Eventhough Raymond wasn't a religious man, he knew that a little prayer will reassure the minds of his Marines and Digimon.
"Dear Lord, protect all of these Marines and Sailors as we go forth into battle against the enemy.
Protect each and one of us,
Give us the strenght to push through the most challenging mission we have yet.
To defeat the enemy and free this world from tyranny.
And dear God, bring all of us home alive.
In your name, we pray. Amen."
Raymond gazed back at his Marines, he saw in their eyes the fiery passion and determination that have pushed these men to go above and beyond the call of duty, to go through Hell and back again. They were his Marines, his Devil Dogs. And he was goddamn proud of them.
"Alright gents, that's all I've got. Retreat Hell!"
"RETREAT HELL!" They all shouted unanimously.
As the Marines dispersed to prepare themselves for the invasion, the Royal Knights observed the captain with respect and admiration, his speech certaintly did an effect on them.
"I wish I could've come up with that." Alphamon jokingly said, impressed of Raymond's speech.
"Yeah, that got me pumped now!" Said Dynasmon enthusiastically, slapping his fists together.
"I think I'm in love." RhodoKnightmon stated passionately, earning him deadpan looks from the others.
"Well, I'll be brief then," Began the Aloof Hermit, staring at his knights, "This is one final push for peace and security in our world. With their help we can finally put an end to this conflict. Let that fire in you burn and win this fight. The world is counting on us. Towards danger, we go..."
"With duty and honour!" Came in their reply, the Royal Knights slammed their left fists to their hearts, a sign of dedication of their hearts, minds and souls for the security of the Network and Digital World. They then split up, joining with their assigned task forces.
Dozens of attack jets fly pass the docks, the men and digimon cheering at them by shouting and waving their hands, biding good luck to the pilots and hoping the death of their enemies.
And so, Operation Normandy begins. The clock starts to tick...
Author's Note: SALUUUUT! I'm back! Boy, did I made some changes; first off: how's your holiday? Good? (I've been fine myself). Second: Updates should come at a regular but slower rate, chapters will be longer and I hope they'll be better... Well depends to you of course. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and feel free to review, all criticism is accepted, it could be useful and always appreciated :D. With that said and done; Bonne continuation!
