Lunar Capital, Dark Side of the Moon
A loud alarm began to blare, making Reisen jump. Toyohime pulled out the communicator and listened for a second. Then she drew her fan and created a large portal.
"The time has come. 4th Regiment of Royal Foot, you are now clear to land in Gensokyo. Good luck."
Reisen nodded at the standard bearer and started to march forward. Slowly, the entire regiment followed her into the portal. For the first time, she was heading into actual combat on the frontline. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the portal. She kept her eyes closed, expecting a bullet to hit her as soon as she was out. Concentrating on the cadence that the drummers kept up, she kept putting one foot in front of the other.
It felt like she had been marching for the longest time. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in the middle of the forest. Then the sounds of the battle hit her. A SU-47 flew low over the forest, forcing her to crouch a little. Her general staff stayed in formation around her and kept their weapons at the ready.
The headquarters company was the next to emerge from the portal. They all kept moving, making room for the rest of the regiment. Then it was the first full strength company. Reisen looked at the communications specialist in her staff.
"Have you made contact with the GDF?"
"We're in contact. They say that NATO forces saw us arrive and want to meet us. There's a green flare above the Bamboo Forest."
"We'll have to hold them off until we're all here. Get the battalion commanders ready. And send half the regiment to investigate that flare after we get accountability. Get our riot shields up."
A few minutes later, the battalion commanders had their commands arranged in a perimeter around the staging area. Their lead rows had brought out riot shields that were reported to block NATO rounds. The second row held their rifles over the shields, ready to fire. Reisen kept scanning the woods, waiting for first contact. The more time that it took for the enemy troops to attack them, the more companies the regiment could get on the field.
A large explosion hit near the lead company, knocking down some of Reisen's soldiers. Then gunfire rang out, hitting the formation through the hole in their front. The moon rabbit's mind began to race. She noticed that their opponents were taking advantage of cover and concealment and were using weapons with wide impact areas and explosive force. The number of Lunarian soldiers that were being wounded kept rising, and the concentration of fire was having little effect.
Then light vehicles began to arrive, spraying machine gun fire at the formation. The Lunarian armor and shields managed to protect a good number of the soldiers but the amount of wounded began to increase faster. More explosions began to hit the regiment as mortar teams had finished setting up and zeroing in. With more of the shied bearers being knocked down, the rest of the regiment was getting downed.
"ALL BATTALION COMMANDERS, SWITCH TO LIGHT INFANTRY TACTICS!" Reisen yelled out, surprising her staff. Immediately passing down her orders, the battalion commanders rush forward into the forest. Raising her saber, she follows them. She had been counting on their line infantry doctrine to counter the humans, but it looks like they had underestimated them.
The first line of LDC troops had closed with the NATO troops and were mowing them down. Running behind the rapidly advancing line, Reisen was proud of how well her troops were fighting. The NATO soldiers weren't ready for such ferocity, most enemy kills were from rapid hand to hand combat than from bullets. Lunarian troops were taking no steps back, and they had stopped taking casualties. Back at the staging area, the rest of the battalions and companies were moving to the Bamboo Forest. Their medics were running from casualty to casualty, administering medicine. Eirin's advances in medicine were able to bring troops that were near death to perfect health with just one pill.
The first line of light vehicles were quickly overrun by small squads. They climbed on the roofs and were beating in the hatches. When the cannons began to move to track them, the Lunarians would bend the barrels to disable them. One squad was had finally gotten the hatch open and were pouring gunfire into the crew while another were grabbing the crew and throwing them off the vehicle so their comrades could shoot them in midair. One fire team had cleared a vehicle and were running over enemy troops with it.
The ground began to shake, making Reisen stumble a little bit. An American Sergeant First Class had got in close to her and was bringing his M4 up to fire. The moon rabbit closed the distance and knocked his weapon away with her saber. He draws his head back and head butts her, helmet and all. Reisen's vision goes blurry but she still keeps slashing at him with her saber. One hit cuts through his body armor, causing a large chunk to fall on his feet and unbalance him. This gives the moon rabbit the chance to run him through with her saber, all the way to the hilt. She kicks the body off the blade and charges at another sergeant.
A corporal was behind her and was reloading his magazine. Reisen grabs the sergeant and uses him as a human shield when the junior NCO fires. Throwing his body to the side, she blocks a strike from behind without even turning. Grabbing the arm, she breaks it and stabs backwards. A grenade goes hits the ground a few dozen feet from her, alerting her to the presence of a M203 grenade launcher. Shrapnel hits the corporal, letting Reisen look for the attacker.
Standing fully up, she calmly drew her side arm and fired two shots at the shooter. Off to the side, she could see a squad setting up a firing line. Rushing forward, she stomps on the first line that had taken a knee and jumped into the air. Swinging her saber in a wide arc, she cuts at least four necks. Pulling out a knife, she throws it and takes down a Second Lieutenant.
With a bayonet attached to his M16, a Private First Class had wanted to backstab her. The moon rabbit grabs the rifle by the handle guard and slams the butt into his jaw. The weapon goes off and hits another private coming at Reisen. Seeing more wanting to stab her, she swings the rifle one handed and hits three of them in the face. Using her momentum, she finishes by smashing in a Captain's skull and throws the rifle to the side.
A machine gunner fires at her, forcing her to jump into a ditch. Grabbing a grenade from a dead soldier, she sneaks a peek over a fallen log. About 200 meters from her, a M240B had been set up behind another fallen log and was pinning down her and some of her general staff. Seconds later, a second machine gun team set up next to the first. The amount of fire that they were putting down was sending splinters everywhere.
She doubts that she can get the grenade to that distance with just her arm, even with her background at pounding mochi with a giant mallet. Then she looks down and spots the regimental rope hanging from her shoulder board. Quickly taking it off, she ties the end into a net. Putting the grenade in it, she gives it a test swing. The sling holds good and she sees how to make it release. Remembering the briefing that she had received from the intelligence liaison before they had stepped off, she knows that she only has five to seven seconds. Reisen quickly thumbs the clip and pulls the pin. Standing up, she swings the sling in two powerful rotations and sends the explosive on its way.
Dropping down, a hail of gunfire flies through the spot that she had just vacated. The moon rabbit waits until she hears the explosion and then jumps out of the ditch. She covers the 200 meters quickly and stabs the two crews just to make sure that they are down. Then she cuts both M240Bs in half and moves to her next target.
Above the forest, Reisen sees the various types of aircraft that NATO and the Russians had sent in. An A-10 Thunderbolt II was sent crashing by a GDF SU-47 that then destroyed a trio of Sukhoi PAK FA fighters in one pass. She was impressed by the skill that the tengus had in air to air combat and turned her attention back to the ground. The rest of her soldiers had almost made it to the end of the forest and had captured an enormous amount of weapons and other sensitive equipment.
Then she heard a hail of gunfire from her side. The standard bearer was pinned down by a platoon that had been cut off from the rest of the NATO forces. From what Reisen could tell, the humans thought that capturing the standard would make the Lunarians fall back or surrender. But they didn't know that Reisen had no intention of being the first commander of a Royal Foot regiment to lose a standard.
Grabbing a fallen M16, Reisen takes a knee. She squeezes off a set of rounds that takes down half a squad and runs toward a rock. She slides behind it just as bullets fly towards her. Rolling on her side, she manages to squeeze off a few more with her sidearm before she has to take cover again. She tries to figure out another approach when she hears a light vehicle approach.
It was the one that her soldiers had captured. The NATO troops were stunned when it began to run them over. Reisen takes the opening and runs forward. She cuts one sergeant's legs from behind and stabs him in the back when he falls on his knees. Then she moves forward and kicks another one behind the knees. As this one falls back, she grabs his head in a lock and falls backward. She hears a crack from the impact and rolls to the side, pulling her sidearm out.
She sees one last soldier trying to make it to cover and shoots him. Looking around, she sees that the LDC has cleared the surrounding area. Running towards her communications officer, she reloads quickly.
"Anything new?"
"The Celestials have launched three volleys of artillery that have knocked out 95 percent of NATO's artillery. NATO infantry units are being sent towards us, they're trying to keep us from joining up with the GDF. Armor units are being held off by helicopters and the occasional fighter. The air is too thick with dogfights for us to fly. Master Yagokoro has sent an entire division, the American 4th Infantry Division, back to their rally point and has almost decimated an entire Spetsnaz battalion. She's not taking any prisoners or giving any of the traditional customs of war. She's also ordered our troops to head to the Human Village and hold the line there until we can rejoin them."
"Well, Master Yagokoro knows best. Get me accountability and get us a good map of the area."
Looking up, she can see the moon floating in the daytime sky. Her nervousness was gone, replaced by a determination to make her masters proud.
Parts Unknown, Time Unknown
She was still confused about the recent turn of events. Just the other day, she and Renko were almost done with their senior classes and getting their degrees. The last thing she remembered was the sensation of falling during the firefight at the Hakueri Shrine.
The scene in front of her was nothing like she had seen before. It was morning and somewhat hot. She was walking on a small path that went by a large white mansion. Maribel remembered seeing a house like that in one of her history textbooks.
Then she remembered: the American Old South. Off in the distance, she saw a pair walking on the path in her direction. Not wanting to be found until she figured out what all of this was about, she moves to hide behind a nearby tree. She puts her hand on it to steady herself but almost falls when it goes straight though. Her eyes widen at this and she looks around. Seeing a white tailed deer nearby, Maribel walks towards it. The deer doesn't notice her at all and keeps grazing.
Her mind races until she finds a plausible explanation. She settles for it being a dream and calms down. The pair is closer and Maribel is shocked once more. One of them is an older, distinguished looking man with a Southern Eastern American accent. The other is a young, blonde women in a dress that looked remarkably like hers and was holding a white parasol. She even looked like her, except that her hair was longer.
"Why, General Lee, I must say that I have enjoyed my time here. And I do want to apologize again for taking up your time."
"It was nothing at all. My wife and I have had a wonderful time during your visit and we would be happy to host you again any time."
The pair reaches a small patio and General Lee takes out a chair for the woman. He sit down and a junior enlisted Confederate soldier brings out a tray with two glasses and a pitcher of sweet tea. He pours each of them a glass and then moves back to a nearby tree and faces away from them.
"Forgive me, but you never did tell me the purpose of your visit."
The woman took a sip from the glass and pulled an envelope out. "President Davis has written a letter of introduction for me. I happen to have some information that would be helpful for the Confederacy."
"May I ask where you got this information?"
"I have my sources."
"You must understand that I am a little hesitant to trust you, even with this letter from President Davis."
"My information has always been proven to be correct. I did advise President Davis about the battles of Mile Hill, Harpers Ferry, and South Mountain."
"So you're the one that warned us about those disasters."
"Yes, I was the one. The information that I have may turn the tide of the war and grant the CSA the chance to become fully independent."
"You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."
She pulls out another envelope and puts it on the table.
"This contains the perfect strategy for an attack at an area near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek. Federal troops will be under General McClellan in the open. A decisive strike there will break the Union's will to fight. President Davis would like a copy to be signed by your adjutant general so that he knows that the strategy is in place."
"I'll have General Chilton sign it and deliver it to you right now."
General Lee motions to the soldier, who jogs forward and receives the paper from his hand. He runs towards another mansion and returns a few minutes later. He hands it back to the General, who gives it to the woman.
"President Davis should be happy. Is there anything else?"
"That was the only thing. I hope it wasn't too much of a burden."
"Not at all, Lady Yukari. You have provided an invaluable service to the Confederacy, and my home state of Virginia."
Before Yukari could reply, a courier arrives on horseback.
"General Lee, General Jackson has sent a report that you should see."
"Very well, could you get Traveller for me?"
"Yes, sir."
Turning to Yukari, he took her hand in his and kissed it. "It has been a pleasure, Lady Yukari. But the war calls."
"Yes, I understand."
He mounts his horse and follows the courier away from the mansion. The junior soldier comes forward to pour more sweet tea but Yukari raise a hand.
"No, I should be on my way. Thank you."
He takes both glasses and the pitcher and returns to the mansion. Once he was out of sight, Yukari pulls out the envelope. Putting it on the table, she pulls out three cigars and wraps a piece of paper around them. Then she puts them on the envelope and pulls out a book. She reads it and nods her head.
"To Frederick County, Maryland then."
She opens up a gap and steps through it, leaving Maribel standing there in amazement. She sits down, going through all the conversations that she had with Renko when she was taking her Military History class. Then she freezes in the midst of a realization.
Renko had talked about a battle in the American Civil War that was lost because a set of orders had fallen into enemy hands. Maribel could only remember parts of the conversation but was sure that the parts that she recalled matched up with what just happened.
But then another realization happened. The American Civil War had been fought in the 1860s, more than a hundred and thirty years before Maribel was even born. And she was sure that it wasn't re-enactors that she had been watching. And she was still bothered by how closely that woman resembled her.
Something else about that woman didn't sit well with Maribel. It almost seemed like she knew what was going to happen with certainly. And she was playing this situation for her own benefit. The idea of time travel popped into her mind, but she rejected it immediately.
Right now, she was more worried about getting back to Renko.
(A/N: Every named non-Touhou character was a real person during the American Civil War. Or at least that's what Wikipedia told me.)