03:27 Hours, April 5th, 2018 (UNSC – 2536)
Peron, Fantasia
For the first time in its long history as a key location of the slave trade within the Empire. Peron was now occupied by a foreign force, an unthinkable news that would've bordered on treason for many in Sadera.
Task Force Rei fully cleared the town of all hostile forces and secured strategic positions within the settlement. Most of the inhabitants were hiding in their homes out of fear of what the invaders might do to them. So far to their confusion, the invaders haven't made any moves to pillage or enslave the town. All they did so far were freeing the slaves and bringing them to somewhere, and stationing soldiers at the main courtyard, the gates, and other key locations.
UNSC and Japanese soldiers were escorting freed slaves to temporary medical tents to examine the freed slaves for any diseases or injuries before being relocated to more permanent facilities at Alnus or Firebase Alpha. Current priority was given to kidnapped citizens of the other Earth, provided if they find them, which they have found few so far in varying conditions.
Slavers, nobles, and warriors who surrendered or captured were rounded up at a makeshift holding area. Guarded by UNSC marines and JSDF troops patrolling the perimeter, eyeing the prisoners who were showing resentment at their humiliating situation yet fear at their powerful guards. The few who tried to escape were non-lethally taken down by stun rounds or non-lethal shock devices. After that no one bothered to make any further attempts.
Meanwhile, at TF-Rei's makeshift command post inside an Albatross transport, Captain Aruji and Major Araki were currently going through the aftermath of today's mission. The Japanese officer was impressed by the sheer sophistication of the UNSC's C&C ability: highly automated and with little overhead bureaucracy that senior enlisted and junior officers had more command authority than their 21st century counterparts, giving them great flexibility and efficiency in chaotic battlefield conditions. The Battlenet communication support was amazing, particularly how information gathered by a drone or a squad could be quickly distributed between the commanding officers and other units, giving any forces a pinpoint accurate picture of the battlefield; and what made him more intrigued was how individuals marines could be linked to such system and the ability for them to call upon orbital bombardment missions on high-value targets.
"We have full control of the town, though there are some areas we haven't secured yet. All hostile forces have been captured or neutralised, and all slave captives freed and attended to." Captain Aruji reported to the JSDF major, who was observing the portable holo-display showing the display of the town and IFF tags of both friendlies and hostiles.
"Any words of captives from Earth?" Araki asked.
"We have a few so far, two Japanese men and an American woman. We were a little late with the others, some were dead and others sold off by the time we arrived." The UNSC officer answered.
Araki cursed in his native language with a frown before continuing. "Any words on where the captives were sold off to?"
"From the intel we squeezed out from the slavers and ledgers, they were sold off to some wealthy nobles or salt mines needing some expendable labour force." Aruji frowned.
The Japanese major didn't like the image of some nobles using his countrymen or someone from Earth either as a field slave toiling under the sun or a sex slave for some bloated noblemen to screw around with. Or thrown inside to work in the salt mines, where he heard from briefings on the Special Region where life expectancy was low like their earth counterparts during ancient Rome.
"Have the intelligence find out the locations they were sent to, ASAP." Araki ordered. "We'll getting these people out of the hellhole they're in."
There was lot of public pressure dropped on the JSDF to work with the UNSC to find and bring the captured citizens from Earth back to home safety, along with getting justice for their horrid treatment. In fact, a UN task force was being organised made from personnel from different organisations and militaries to supplement the Special Task Force, but to largely cooperate with the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire.
"What about the slavers? The guards had to stop some of the ex-slaves from trying to get revenge on the prisoners."
Major Araki looked at the marine officer and asked. "We'll continue holding them until proper confinement could be set up or found. But that's our procedures, what's the UNSC standard procedures regarding slavers?"
Captain Aruji's demeanour changed to that of a cold, harden one. "Well there are noticeable differences regarding treatment of slavers and slavery between now and 26th century in our dimension." He paused before continuing. "UNSC protocols regarding slavers dictate that all slavers are to be executed immediately, as authorised by the UN Colonial Human Libertas act of 2148 declaring slavers as part of Hostis humani generis category alongside pirates."
"So if they were caught enslaving UEG citizens, they would be quickly executed on sight without trial." Aruji finished as Major Araki contemplated the thought.
From what he knew so far regarding the treatment of human traffickers or pirates were simply life-long imprisonment for most countries. While others simply give them death sentences like with pirates. He wasn't exactly sure on the case for actual slavery as nobody practiced such things - until recently that is with the fantasy world here - but he likely knew that it would be getting trialled and imprisonment as with current laws. The UNSC appears to have taken somewhat of an extreme approach in regards to slavers. A sentiment no doubt a number of people would support, especially some considerable portion of his forces. The news of Japanese citizens taken and forced into slavery drew outrage from his troops, so even with their training and discipline in sticking to protocols, some might want to enact justice upon the slavers. Not that he would fully blame them for it.
Now the only problem is who would have jurisdiction over the imprisoned slavers and delivering justice upon them? Japan or the UNSC?
Captain Cutter was reading through the reports send by Captain Aruji regarding today's operation conducted by Task Force Rei, a joint-force between the UNSC and the JSDF - soon to include other national militaries - tasked with recovering enslaved Earth citizen captured from the invasion force sent through the gate months ago. He provided the joint task force with heavy airlift support along with several marine and army units. The Pelicans and others dropships were a godsend to the JSDF, who lacked any heavy-lift capability comparable to what the UNSC has and facing logistical difficulties in their operations, since the special task force has no experience in expeditionary warfare. Especially on a land they have no knowledge of or available infrastructure.
Though this wasn't his primary focus as he focused on the report sent to him in regards to who has jurisdiction over the captured slavers. He knew that standard UEG/UNSC protocols was executing slavers if caught. Cutter knew that as the only highest ranking UNSC officer in the area – he had more freedom and the final say on certain matters. But as the representative of the UNSC to the other Earth, he had to act appropriate of his current status. Along with the fact the UNSC doesn't have an extradition treaty signed with this Earth and vice versa; so the responsibility of handling the slavers would be a toss-up.
Furthermore, the more Cutter thought of the situation and the reasons of undertaking this operation, the more he realised that this conflict was only between Japan and the hostile primitive empire with the UNSC as a technical neutral party. With only the Spirit of Fire and around few thousand UNSC personnel stranded on a weird, fantasy world. They had to play their games carefully to have little interference with their own operations planetside, possible assistance with the local powers, and a permanent settlement if it came to the worst-case scenario.
So for now they have to play nice and neutral with the natives. They would still help the JSDF and other countries in recovering their captured citizens from slavery. But they would have to avoid any open confrontation with the local empire. It was the last thing his crew needed, getting into war with some primitive army when they needed the resources and time they had in getting back home. Along with the fact it would give them a bad impression of the UNSC.
For the captured slavers, either he would hand them over for the Earth countries to deal with. Or receiving some creative punishment that didn't involve death but just as karmic as Cutter's mind went to work.
