A/N: Back with another installment in the "Downfall" arc of the story and I really don't have anything else to say beyond that. But... I have something to say.
I have been doing some thinking and I believe it would be for the best that after this fic is completed , I will be stepping away from writing for a few weeks before I start any new projects. This fix has been one of the more challenging stories I have done in a really long time and quite honestly, it has been draining at times.
What will be my next story when I come back? I really can't say. I know I teased another Gate Fic a while ago, but I font know if I should start a new one right away Gor just give myself a break from the story thread and focus on other story ideas I have. But nothing is set in stone, but lets see.
Also... Last Week Tuesday marked 10 years since I joined thus site, so that has to count for something right? But enough of that, on to the story!
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{ Chapter 58: Downfall PT. II }
Taskforce Metal
04:47 hrs...
The sun had yet still to make its appearance from the west, as eight "Little Bird" helicopters approached the Upper Tier of the Imperial Capitol and in particular, the Imperial Palace itself. On board each aircraft, were members of the elite 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta (You and I know them as Delta Force), who were now tasked with conducting one of the more crucial operations of Downfall.
Despite Tiger Strike being "Japanese Lead" operation the Japanese Government agreed to the American government's suggestion that it be one of their Special Forces teams to ultimately capture Crown Prince Zorzal. This decision was made due to the fact that although the Japanese leadership had full confidence in their soldiers, Delta Force had something the JGSDF special forces teams didn't...
Delta Force had Experience, S.O.G. did not.
When it came down to it, Delta Force had more experience in this sort of mission. As they had conducted similar "extractions" over the years in the Middle East, Africa and even South East Asia. This decision may not have sat well with some within the Self-Defense Forces, but at the end of the day the leadership had to admit that Delta Force was the best suited for this mission. Now they were in the Capitol of the Saderan Empire with orders to not only Capture the self proclaimed Emperor, but rescue Crown Princess Pina Co Lada as well.
But the Special Forces team would not assault the palace directly, as Tyuule had suggested an alternate plan of attack. Assaulting the Palace directly would not only alert the former Crown Prince if the attack, but he would have more than likely fled the moment he saw the Helicopters approach the Palace. Instead, Delta would infiltrate the Imperial palace via one of the many "Escape Tunnels" that had been carved through the hillside. Not only would Sadera Hill (Where the Imperial Palace was situated) hide the approach of the assault force, but the tunnels would make it easier for Tyuule and the Delta Operatives to infiltrate the palace without being detected. Plus it had the added bonus of denying the royal his only means of escape.
Tyuule could remember all the times Zorzal took her down to these tunnels to have his way with her, how ironic that how his sexual escapades would lead to his own down fall. Tyuule was going to use what she knew against him.
Within minutes, the Little Birds had touched down and deployed their compliment of troops. Before taking off and flying into the city itself. The small helicopters would, for now at least, provide support to the ground units already in Sanders. They would return once Delta Force requested them to.
Tyuule's ears twitched a bit, as she lead the Americans towards what initially looked like a rock face on the side of the hill. But upon closer inspection, it was clear to see that there was in fact a massive door that had been designed to blend into the surroundings.
"It can only open from the inside." the former queen explained, as she inspected the potential entrance. "If we can get through, the tunnel would lead us all the way into the Palace itself."
"Truck, do your thing.", Sandman ordered, as the team's resident demolition expert ran up and with the assistance of Tyuule, placed a pound worth of C4 on certain sections of the hidden exit. Working his magic, " Truck" had finished placing the charges and with the press of a button, a series of small explosions were set off. Destroying the fake rock face and exposing the tunnel that was hidden behind it.
"Good job, Truck. Zack, Robot, take point. We're moving it." The force commander replied, before he and his unit move in to begin their assault on the Imperial Palace...
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Cantala District, Sandera
04:55 hrs...
With the beach heads fully secured and with more men and equipment now flowing into the city, both the Marines and JSDF began their push into the city and towards the Second Tier. Resistance had been light, as few Imperial soldiers attempted to fight off the invasion force. But their efforts were futile at best, as many of them were cut down by coalition assault rifles and heavy machine gun fire.
Leading the push into the City, were the Amphibious Assault Vehicles of the United States Marine Corps. Specifically those that were armed with the 30mm auto cannon as their primary weapon. Behind them would a combination of MaxxPros , JLTVs and/or Komatsu LAVs carrying either American or Japanese troops.
Tanker 6 was apart of one of these advancing columns, whose objective was to link up with elements of 82nd Airborne who had just recently captured one of the entry points leading into the Second Tier. Inside the ACV, Williams and his team sat silently as the amphibious vehicle slowly rumbled through the deserted city streets. So far, their column had not encountered any of Sadera's civilian population. More than likely they were all held up inside homes, too afraid to come face to face with the "Barbarians" from another world. For so long they had believed that Sadera was a fortress that would protect them from the other worlders. Now they were hiding in fear in their own in a city they once thought was safe.
Even the presence of Rory Mercury herself, who rode on top of Tanker 6 with her axe at her side, did little to reassure the populace. Then again, how you would feel if you saw the infamous Rory the Reaper riding on top an Other Worlder war wagon? It also did not help that Rory looked as if she enjoyed being on top of the ACV a little too much.
Behind the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Itami and the rest of Third Recon rode quietly within their Humvees and LAV. Within Itami's Humvee, both Tuka and Leilei looked on at the Imperial City as they drove by. Never once could they have imagined visiting the Imperial Capitol in such a manner, let alone as part of an invasion. Both women looked on in wonder as a pair of Golden Eagle combat jets screamed low over head and vanished as quickly as they appeared. As coalition helicopters buzzed low over head in support of the advancing ground forces.
Every so often, the girls would catch sight of the numerous plumes of smoke rising over the Saderan skyline. A result of the air strikes that had taken place earlier that morning. Despite being well aware of just what the Coalition was capable of, both the mage and the forest elf were still quite taken aback by what they were seeing.
Eventually, the joint American-Japanese force arrived at gates leading into the Second Tier of Sadera and were greeted by the soldiers that now guarded the newly established check point. Rory skillfully leapt off the ACV and landed in front of unit's commander, who was rather bewildered by the sight of a oddly dressed "Young Child" with a large Axe standing before him. Fortunately for the American Paratrooper, Itami had exited his Humvee and walked up to the pair.
"I am Lieutenant Itami, of the JGSDF, who is in command here?" he asked in English.
"Ah, yes. That would be me." the paratrooper replied "Captain James Morrow, U.S. Army 82nd Air Borne division."
"What is your current status?"
"So far, we have had zero contact with the enemy since we took this position." Morrow explained, as the last MaxxPro passed through the gateway. "We did encounter some resistance when we made our assault, but it did not last long. We were able to secure the gateway and have established a perimeter around our location.
"Did you take any prisoners?"
Morrow shook his head before he replied, "I'm afraid not. they all charged my men and we were forced to defend ourselves. The bastards never knew what hit them."
"Understood." Itami said grimly, as he knew the paratroopers did what they had to prevent casualties within their own ranks. The lieutenant was about ask the Americans more questions when another paratrooper ran up to the two men with his radio in hand.
"Sir, we've received a message from a Delta unit operation near the Prison." the the young man said. "They've reported that an large enemy force is advancing their location and are requesting reinforcements to help with their extraction."
"Del...Tah...?" Rory said to herself, as she had never heard of any such unit among the Coalition ranks.
"Lieutenant, we are the closest armored unit to their location." Corporal Williams told his commander/friend, as the Marine had stuck his head out of the top hatch of the ACV upon hearing the Paratroopers statement. "If we leave right now, we should be there in five minutes."
"Captain, contact the team and inform them.that help is on the way. Let's roll out!" Itami told the Army Captain, before running back to his Humvee. Anticipating the battle to come, Rory gleefully leaped back on top of Tanker 6 just as the 8x8 rumbled forward towards the Imperial Prison.
Two of the four MaxxPros that were initially apart of their column, remained behind to reinforce the Paratroopers guarding the gate, along with a contingent of Marines as well. Tanker 6 once again leading the charge into the mostly residential/commercial sector of city, as the joint task force made their way towards their next objective.
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"The Citadel"
05:05 hrs...
"No good plan ever survives first contact with the enemy."
This was a phrase that was well known even after a century it was first uttered by Prussian General Helmuth Molkte. No matter how well or how much time is spent in planing an operation, there would always be that X Factor that would totally unravel what ever plan was created. Thus was the situation Taskforce "Ghost" found themselves in, as the Delta Force operatives found themselves now encircled by a rather sizable Imperial Force.
Just as planned, the 18 man team were inserted into the Imperial Prison via Blackhawk helicopter and despite not being familiar with the layout, Ghost was able to sweep the massive stone building in an hour and neutralize any resistance. A task made easier due to the fact that many of the would be defenders had fled when they saw the American helicopters approach as the Air strikes were taking place. In Reality, their were not as many guards present as once previously thought and those who remained were either killed, or surrendered as soon as they saw the much feared other worlders.
Once the Citadel was secured, the V.I.P.s that were being held were released and assembled for immediate extraction. But that was when the first issue arose, as Ghost soon realized there were much more persons being held than originally thought. A fact that was complicated more seeing that many of the prisoners were women and children as well. Apparently, Zorzal was not just content with arresting the senators alone.
This meant that evacuating the V.I.P.s from the Prison would take more time and would require more helicopters to do so. To add on to this unwanted complication, was the fact that no sooner had Ghost radioed they had taken the Citadel, a large number of Imperial Soldiers suddenly appeared in the large Square that was just outside the Prison entrance. An area that was supposed to be the LZ point for the evac Helicopters. The layout of the Imperial Prison made it impossible for any rotary wing aircraft to land within the compound itself and there was no way to safely evacuate the V.I.P.s and their families safely from the roof top.
In short, Ghost was trapped and although well armed, were not exactly equipped for an prolonged fight. Their must have been at least two thousand imperial soldiers out there, many of whom wore Wolf Hide armor with purple robes. Obviously, these men were the "Elites" and unlike their fellow soldiers, were way more motivated.
Meanwhile outside of the prison, elements of the 1st Saderan Wolfhound Battalion stood in formation with their weapons drawn. Unlike the standard legionnaires had abandoned the prison, Wolfhound were cut from the same cloth as the Oprichnina. They were by far some of the more fanatical followers of Zorzal and would willingly follow his orders without a second thought. Which was really saying something when one considered just how fanatical the Oprichnina already were.
Their orders now were to take the Citadel and kill all the prisoners that were bring held within its walls. Zorzal was not about to all these... Traitors to be rescued by their new masters, they all deserved to die and the Wolfhound were more than happy to carryout the Emperor's orders. Yet as they waited outside the Prison walls, they were completely unaware that the massive stone building was now under the control of the Coalition. As far as they knew, the Prison Guards had gone rouge and taken the building for themselves. Why else would they have not open the gates for the Emperor's elite unit? No matter, they will die too like the traitors they were.
Wolfhound waited for long minutes as their commander pondered his next course of action. Obviously they needed to retake the Citadel from the traitors within, but just how to do it? The Citadel was basically a small fortress that had been converted into a prison, meaning it was designed to withstand a prolonged siege. It would take time for them to bring in the weapons needed to retake the Citadel, time they did not have. Each minute they stood idle, the barbarians were inching closer and closer to their location. But the Wolfhound could have never known just how close the Coalition and their allies actually were. For suddenly, a black blur shot out from the darkness and soared over their heads. A child like, almost sadistic laughter filled the cold morning air and sent unwanted shivers up the spines of all those who heard it, as a lone figure landed on top of the wall and twirled her axe above her head before placing it at her side.
"It's... Rory Mercury..."
"Rory the Reaper...? Here?"
"Emroy's girl..."
"Lord Flare help us all..."
Hushed voices could be heard coming from the now stunned Imperial Unit, a fact that was not lost on the raven haired Apostle, as she looked on at the soldiers standing before her. No... not soldiers... boys who acted like men with no honor. Rory knew just why these men were here and could sense that they were more than willing to carry out their orders. There was no place for individuals like themselves at Emroy's side in the after life. There was no place for anyone who would willingly slaughter innocent men, women and children all in the name of a mad man who was far too arrogant and monstrous for his own good. Rory almost felt pitty for these men, as the demi-goddess knew just what awaited them once they died, but that feeling was short lived.
Even so, the much feared Apostle still felt as if Wolfhound deserved a chance at redemption for their intended actions. Maybe she was feeling generous? Maybe she just did not feel like killing hundreds of men today? Maybe she just wanted to try something different? Who knew... but Rory at least wanted to give these men a chance to walk away before she went into a frenzy.
"If you value your lives... you shall leave this place now and never return..."
The Apostle of Emroy said in a low, almost threatening voice, as she pointed her axe at the now frightened men below. Elite soldiers or not, the men of Wolfhound knew better than to challenge the infamous Rory Mercury. Almost immediately the men of Wolfhound dropped their weapons on mass, just as Tanker 6 and the rest of its taskforce rolled into the square and surrounded the the now disarmed soldiers.
Rory for her part, just huffed in disappointment as she saw Wolfhound surrender so easily to the other worder soldiers and Marines. Even if she had given them a chance to surrender, the Demi-Goddess did hope that at least a few of them would have been stupid enough to challenge her. By Emroy, this... "invasion" was not the epic battle she had hoped it would be! But Rory had to admit that Itami and his people were far more cunning and innovative than any army she had encountered in the past.
Eventually, Ghost emerged from the enemy Prison with the recently liberated Nobles and their Families in tow. Many of whom were both shocked and surprised just how fast these Other Worlders were able to launch an assault on the Imperial Capitol after Zorzal took control. But were also thankful that the nightmare scenarios that had kept them awake many a night had not come to pass. Sadera had not been utterly destroyed by the might of the Other Worlder weapons. But they were also taken aback when they saw Rory Mercury herself interacting with the Coalition Soldiers afterwards. If these people had the Apostle of Emroy on their side, then they most certainly had the blessings of the Gods themselves. If that were the case, then Zorzal most certainly didn't not stand a chance.
By now, the second wave of the invasion was underway. As Coalition Transport Helicopters flew into the Capitol carrying fresh troops within them. With the Square now clear, Chinook and King Stallion helicopters touched down to deliver their compliments of Indonesian Marines who would now occupy the Citadel and use it to hold captured Imperial personnel. They also had the extra duty of evacuating the liberated V I.P.s out of Sadera and transporting them to Italica where they would remain for the time being.
As this was going on, Coalition Forces had pushed further and further into the city. Capturing key points and occupying entire districts with little resistance, as the Saderan Garrisons had either been eliminated by the early morning Air strikes or had basically deserted their post. At one point, 1000 Imperial Soldiers attached to the Gyjest District garrison surrendered to just 50 Indian Paratroopers after they had approached their barracks. The looks on their faces as they were rounded up by the Indian unit said it all.
These men were broken, they had no will to fight.
The Coalition Air Strikes and done their job brilliantly, as hundreds of Imperial soldiers and their commanders surrendered on mass all over the city. This had unintentionally caused a problem of securing so many prisoners on such a short notice. Many were marched back to the canals where they would be held until they could be transported out of the city. Others would be held in the warehouses that had been captured earlier in that day, while many more sat in the open under heavy guard. Still, this minor issue was not enough to slow the coalition advance as more and more districts fell into Coalition hands. But while the Imperial Army surrendered on mass, there was one unit who was not only still active, but had willingly allied themselves with the Other Worlders to fight against Zorzal's madness...
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The Imperial Palace
O6:45 hrs.
Despite the surprisingly quick advance of the Coalition Forces and the utter collapse of the Saderan Garrisons, Zorzal was still unwilling(If not unable), to admit that the war was truly over for the Empire. He had not heard anything from his commanders in the city, as none of the messengers the monarch had sent out, had returned to the Palace. Save for the small garrison of Oprichnina that now acted as his personal bodyguards, the self-proclaimed Emperor had no control over the Imperial Military at that point and as far as he knew, they were all that was left. Even the Palace work staff had seemingly abandoned him as well, fleeing sometime during the night to avoid sharing the same fate as their would be Emperor.
Many of the Nobles and Imperial Officers that once sang his praises, were now nowhere to be seen. Flare knows where those bastards disappeared to once the Coalition began their assault. The Throne Room, once filled with his most loyal of supporters and advisers, was now only occupied by himself and his impromptu bodyguards. He was the Emperor, Damn it! This was not how it was supposed to go. It were to be the Other Worlder cities that should have been burning before him, not his own! It were their armies that were supposed to break, not the Empire's! Blind to his own arrogance, Zorzal silently cursed the gods and asked just what dis he do to deserve such a cruel turn of events. Why was this happening to him now?
But as much as he did not want to accept it, Zorzal had no choice but to admit to himself that at least for now, Sadera had lost. The Other Worlders were cutting deep into the old capitol and it was no doubt in his mind that they were heading towards the Palace itself. As arrogant as he was, Zorzal had enough sense in him to realize the hopelessness in his current situation. But while he knew Sadera was lost, his war against the Other Worlders wasn't.
Yes Zorzal would be forced to flee, but only to rebuild his forces so he could retake what was rightfully his. The monarch knew for a fact that there were several great noble houses in the east that would not hesitate to loan their armies to him. Particularly the House of Harkonan, the House of Shaddam and the House of Corrino. All of whom were historically devout subjects of the Sadrean Imperial Family and were usually the first Houses to Rally their troops when ever the Empire called upon them.
It would not to difficult to rally the great houses of the Eastern Provinces to his cause. Especially house Harkonan, if the stories about them.were true. From them, he would grow a new Army of the Empire and retake the continent from those Barbarians. It would take time, but Zorzal was determined to make the Other Worlders pay for their aggression. But first things first, he had to get out of Sadera and fast.
But as the royal prepared to leave his capitol and flee to the east, he was completely unaware that two of his palace guards were investigating a hidden door that had suddenly opened in the dining hall. A quick burst of suppressed gun fire quickly eliminated the two men, as their bodies were quickly pulled into the tunnel that had been revealed to them. No sooner had this been done, two dozen figures suddenly poured out with their assault rifles in hand and quickly secured the room. Before heading into the hallway and towards the one place someone like Zorzal would be.
The one place Tyuule expected him to be...
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A/N: Do I really need say anything right now? You know the drill, Please leave a review and tell me what you think.
Until next time, Nightstalker out!
