Chapter 5
Hoffman's call to the UIR commander was made in the early hours of the morning. To refer to it as a call may be inaccurate; the lieutenant just repeated the same message out over the open channel until they picked up.
"This is Lt. Hoffman to the commander of the UIR forces. I want to negotiate the surrender of Anvegad. Repeat, this is Lt. Hoffman..." Eventually, someone picked up.
"UIR Control Vasgar to Anvil Gate, this is Major Toly. Go ahead."
Hoffman wasn't alone in his office. Byrne, Pad, Naruto and Bai Tak were standing across from him. Every one of them saw the self-loathing in his face as he spoke.
"I need to get these people out of here, Major. After that last attack, I'm convinced the civilians won't survive unless they leave." The radio popped and spoke static for a few seconds, in which Naruto caught Hoffman's eye with a steely glare. What they were about to do was a dirty trick, but they were robbing thieves at this point, so to speak.
"What happened to the UIR commando squad that was last seen near the fort?" Toly was no fool; he knew what had happened to them. At this point, he was trying to take control of the negotiations. Hoffman's face scrunched up into a deep scowl, though the Indie major couldn't see it.
"They're in one piece down in our morgue, which is something I can't say for the forty fragmented civilians they slaughtered." His snarl was perfectly justified, though the major wouldn't be moved.
"They were not there under my orders, so all I can do is offer condolences." Toly paused. "Our offer of safe passage for the civilians still stands, but it still requires the surrender of Anvil Gate."
The demand was expected, but as Hoffman sat with the receiver to his ear, the faces of all the men who had died prior to that very second flashed behind his eyes. Surrender meant pissing on the graves of everyone who had died defending Anvegad. Even though it was a ploy, the words still tasted like ash as they left Hoffman's mouth.
"I'm out of options, major. We're standing down. I'll have the civilians leave before you get here. But if I hear one sneeze, one cough, or even one fart that sounds like gunfire, then the deal's off. Understand?" It hurt his pride badly enough that he had just mock surrendered the fort, and even double for the fact it was a lie. Still, Toly seemed to buy it.
"We'll keep a small detachment watching them just in case you decide to try anything... unethical. Other than that, we accept. Our forces will arrive in three hours. You have until then to evacuate civilians." Without waiting for a reply, the Indie major disconnected.
"Charming guy." Naruto commented mirthlessly. Hoffman nodded in agreement and set down the radio. Three hours would normally be a harsh deadline: moving any group of people out of a besieged and entrenched area like Anvegad would take at least six hours. However, Hoffman's support team had packed up the remaining food and what water water could be transported and lashed the supplies onto the few trucks within the fort. With all the necessities packed into the vehicles, only those too ill or injured to walk would be exempt from the long march to the blocked pass. It was roughly five kilometers from Anvegad, though the trip would be slowed by the narrow path that lead to the pass.
"Sam," Hoffman said as he faced the Gears. "I can't keep you here. I'm putting you on one of those trucks. You have to get out of here." Sheraya would've slapped him had she been present, but Byrne's bristle of anger did just as well.
"We can go into some fifteen minute argument about threats and court martial and following orders, or we can skip that and you send Blondie with them." He nodded toward Naruto, who grinned for a second before replacing it with his indifferent visage. Hoffman looked back at Naruto, but returned his gaze to Sam as he spoke.
"You've got a family now, Sam. I can't ask you to leave them to the mercy of the Indies." Sam was a great Gear, but the thought of Sheraya and their baby – a girl, according to Warrant Officer Rosa – going on without him was a little too much. Something good had to come from this great big fuck up.
"I can't leave my men behind. You know how important sergeants are." Sam replied, rolling his shoulders as if he were talking about thrashball. "Besides, my family will be in safe hands."
The way he trusted Naruto wasn't exactly unseen or unwarranted; most of the civilians and a good portion of the Gears had nothing but good things to say about the guy. His only doubters were the select few he disliked, people that were generally distasteful anyway. But there was a difference between trusting a guy's cooking and trusting him with your family. Naruto had proven himself to be a great friend of the Byrnes, but Hoffman still frowned.
"Sam, just because he's here, doesn't mean you can't go too." Victor licked his lips; he had to put this in the right way, or they'd all look at him differently. "There are enough broken families leaving here." Pad took that as his cue to leave; the talk was no longer between a lieutenant and his men. It was between two friends.
"I appreciate the sentiment, sir. I really do." A hard look crossed Sam's face. "But if I go with them, there will be more broken families. You need me here, sir, whether you want me here or not."
Naruto clapped Byrne on the shoulder, a beaming grin crossing his face.
"Now that's the spirit! Stick to your guns, and you'll never regret a thing in your life." He turned and looked at Hoffman. "They said there would be a 'small detachment' watching the civilians." He held up finger quotes, and his grin turned predatory.
"They'll need a whole damn army to reach those people." It was a bold statement, but Sam took to it. Hoffman saw it as bravado, but he was curious about Naruto's potential.
"Can't let you take all of them. We've got to earn all that money the army's been paying us." Byrne smirked. To Hoffman, they were two friends, two men who knew very well that there was chance one of them wouldn't be breathing in the next few hours. Yet here they were, bantering about as if it were a game. Hoffman didn't know whether to consider it a sign of hope, or some resigned goodbye without all the drama and silent looks.
"Well if you are staying, get out there and do your damn job then. We've got to fortify the main road." Hoffman growled. Sam stiffened into attention and saluted instantly, before turning on his heel and setting to work. He walked out the door and turned right, toward the store room where they kept the grenade turrets, or Stompers.
With him gone, it was just Naruto and Hoffman in the office. It was then that Hoffman revisited his request from the previous day. Here was a man he had no history on, no motive and no idea of his capabilities. And yet, it was easy for him to believe that Naruto could take on the entire UIR.
"I can't order you to your station because you're not under my command." He said to the blonde man with a growl. "But when that first truck leaves, I want you with it. They won't stand a chance if you stay here." Naruto looked at him with something akin to confusion, not quite understanding Victor's point.
"I know what I have to do, Vic. It's not like I'll just up and leave them. I'm more worried about what'll happen when we hit the pass." He knew what would happen; he'd blow through it as if it was never there, clearing the path to the rest of Kashkur. But what would await them? Would they find victorious Gears on the road from Shavad? Or would there be a force of conquering Indies ready to avenge the comrades that would inevitably be lost in Hoffman's trap?
"Pad told me about what you can do. He and Sam both told me how you can move place to place, and do all kinds of magic tricks. I get that. But if Sheraya asks you to come back here, will you be able to refuse?" The question shocked Hoffman as much as it did Naruto. The blonde stepped back, as if re-examining Hoffman.
"What are you saying? That we abandon you completely?" He shook his head. "No, I won't do that. Not to Sheraya, Sam, or you." Hoffman winced, but he knew it had to be said. It just hurt his regimental and personal pride as he did.
"There's a very good chance that we won't walk out of this alive. Me, Sam, Pad; this could be our last stand. And if you leave Sheraya, there's a good chance you'll return with some tags and a body, if you get back at all. And she'll never forgive you." He didn't give Naruto a chance to respond; the bald lieutenant just strode purposefully over to the doorway and looked at Naruto expectantly. The blonde hesitated, but slowly walked out into the hallway, holding a steady gaze on Hoffman the whole time.
"These people look up to you, Hoffman. You are a leader to them. Right now, dying on them is the worst thing you can do." He clapped Hoffman on the shoulder. "If you are in trouble, they'll step up for you. Don't squander that."
The blonde man walked out, leaving Hoffman a little pensive. The moment passed as they do, but it held his attention long enough for the odd mark on his shirt, just underneath his lieutenant bar, to disappear unnoticed.
The column of trucks was only ten vehicles long, which meant the civilians were carrying their belongings on their backs in knapsacks and backpacks borrowed from the Gears. The months of food and water rationing hadn't exactly left the citizens of Anvegad in good shape, but the hardiest among them bore what extra weight they could. No one walking was unburdened, but it wasn't uncommon to see men bearing three packs while their family members rode in the trucks. Only the most essential equipment was taken, though a few still felt pictures and family documents were worth carrying.
In the lead truck, a very pregnant Sheraya shifted into another gear, her frown exposing just how upset she was that Sam had decided to stay. The fight they would have afterward would likely be legendary. But that she had decided to lead the refugees from Anvegad bespoke of steel in her. Sam Byrne had proven to be a lucky man as far as women went; it would take more than a late pregnancy and approaching enemy soldiers to make Sheraya abandon her husband.
As he sat on top of her truck, Naruto realized that this devotion was most likely a double-edged sword. Should Sam perish in the battle, it would be unlikely that she could survive him. Those kinds of bonds were too strong to be severed by death.
Geez, talk about morbid. As long as the plan goes off without a hitch, neither of them will need to worry. He thought, trying to fight off the situation at hand. He too had a backpack strapped to himself, covering his battle coat and making him seem somewhat less conspicuous. He had also placed several seals on the vehicles, allowing him to travel all over the convoy in a near instant. As they approached the now cleared valley leading away from Anvegad and toward the still battle torn border near Shavad. There, they would make a break for COG lines, waving a white flag for what good it was worth. With so many cloak and dagger strategies at this time of the war, white flags were better off wrapping wounds than flapping in the wind.
In the distance, Naruto could faintly see UIR forces stacking up on the front gate of Anvegad. The defensive guns had been removed in a gesture of good will, though were they to be used it would likely be suicidal. If Hoffman's faux ceasefire was to be believed, they would have to act the part of a surrendering army. The large cannons had been emptied, their ammunition stores broken down in favor of more volatile defenses. The amount of powder within each shell was staggering.
"Hey, Naruto!" The call came from below him, a Kashkuri native that had owned the bakery before the siege. "My wife just dropped her things! Do you think you could help?" Not one to deny assistance, the blonde man dropped down off the truck to help. The man had guided his wife to the side of the narrow road to allow everyone else buy. Since she had been behind the last truck, the only ones passing her by were her fellow pedestrians. When the man finally led Naruto back to his wife, the blonde found a middle-aged woman with black hair streaked with gray, and a few wrinkles on her brow. The woman had one hand on her knapsack, the other on a bulging belly. Despite the girth of her apparent pregnancy, her limbs were unnaturally thin and bony, a testament to how little food the civilians had received.
When Naruto and her husband arrived, the woman looked up and smiled despite herself.
"I am terribly sorry about this," she said with a strained grin. "But I just don't have the energy I used to." Naruto knelt and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then knelt and picked up the pack. It weighed roughly fifty kilos, easy for him but an impressive weight for an underfed pregnant woman.
"No worries, kaa-chan." He said. "You take a load off." He adjusted the straps to better fit his shoulders, then lent her a hand to help her up. She hesitated at first, though whether it was from the long journey or her nervousness at his uncommon strength, he did not care. He pulled her to her feet with little difficulty.
Her husband grasped her arm firmly when she stood, then looked to Naruto. "I can't thank you enough. With the rationing, and the baby... well," he clutched her to his chest. "I am only glad that my family still lives."
Naruto smiled at the two, or technically three, but it didn't reach his eyes. He had been forsaken a family, both parents and children. But it was not a burden he would share with those who were already going through so much. And besides, he thought grimly, there is still a ways to go.
Even as he thought that, a great explosion could be heard from the fort. The column of refugees stopped and turned to look at their former home, even as smoke began to rise from within its stone walls. Naruto's grin faded.
"So, it has begun."
Hoffman ejected the magazine of his Lancer with some regret. Not for the conservation of ammunition, though. He had run out of that long ago. He opened the breech and kept it locked open, in preparation for what he was about to do. He had spoken at length with Bai Tak, Pad Salton, and Samuel Byrne. The traps had been placed in the old quarter, where the marketplace was built. It was 99% stone, and thus would suit their purposes. But even with his plan, the thought of surrendering the fort so many had died defending made his stomach lurch.
The captain. My men. Hell, even the civilians. So many dead. And so many more will die. He removed his cap, the wound he received when Captain Sanders died still wrapped in a light bandage that scraped the fabric of his hat. I'll make damned sure it wasn't all in vain.
The UIR forces had allowed Naruto and the rest of the refugees some breathing room, but the contingent that would watch over the fleeing Kashkuri in case of betrayal was nowhere to be seen. Whether they were farther out or were waiting somewhere along the pass, there was no way Hoffman could know. All remaining communications equipment had been scattered all over Anvil Gate, to prevent the loss of a central command once the trap was sprung. Hoffman would coordinate where he could, but the true defense would be led by Byrne and Salton, along with local chains of command.
Victor hated subterfuge. It was a sore subject even in the academy, lying for the sake of winning. It would make surrender in the future for COG forces harder to accept. His decisions now wouldn't just cost lives today; he was condemning Gears further on in this seemingly endless war. But right now, he had orders. Hold the fort. No matter the costs.
The gates to Anvegad creaked open slowly, the structure itself protesting the surrender. For the first time in its history, a conquering army set foot inside of Anvil Gate. A young man in a soft cap very similar to Hoffman's stepped through first, flanked on either side by a squad of soldiers. Their weapons were kept pointed down, but they could be brought up to fire at a moment's notice. With his face being the only one not covered by a full helmet, the UIR officer's expression was the only readable one. It turned immediately to a pained grimace as he took in the besieged town. Whether it was the smell of sewage and corpses, the sight of starved men and women still clinging to empty weapons, or a mixture of both, Hoffman doubted he would find out. The man controlled his visage with some effort, then stepped forward and offered a hand.
"I am Captain Rooks, of the 22nd Gorasnayan Armored Division. I assumed you are Lieutenant Hoffman." The man was young, maybe mid to late twenties. He spoke flawless Tyran with very little accent. It was expected; always send a diplomat to accept a surrender. Hoffman dropped a hand from his rifle and grasped the captain's.
"That's correct. I hereby place the fort under your command Captain. We are standing down." With that, he offered his rifle once more. This time, Rook caught on and grasped the rifle firmly, in a manner that bespoke both steel and respect for a battered enemy. He then slung the rifle over his right shoulder and beckoned for his entourage to enter.
"Thank you for ending this violence, Lt. Hoffman. I know we both have had our orders, but it is regrettable that this lasted as long as it did. Please," he motioned toward the fort's lowest barracks entrance, "lead the way." And Hoffman did just that. Behind them, the UIR forces entered Anvil Gate in earnest, not fully aware of the eyes upon them from every direction. They marched in a hundred strong and began relieving Gears of empty rifles and pistols. They never paid much mind to the gates closing behind them.
Hoffman led Captain Rooks to the front meeting room, where months earlier his Gears had been chatting away, eating breakfast and discussing far away battles like games of thrashball. Now, it was full of nothing but dust motes and ghosts. The wooden table was bare, and thus perfect for Rooks the place a manila folder onto.
"I had assumed there was some kind of document." Hoffman said tiredly. He leaned against the wall near the window for both effect, and to shield the com traffic passing through his ear piece. Rooks bought it better than he'd ever hoped.
"Yes, there is the small matter of paperwork. But first, here," the young captain passed Hoffman a clear bottle of water, "I had forgotten what you have suffered through." Hoffman took the precious water with as much grace as he could muster, but deep inside that simple act of human kindness nearly made him call off the whole thing. Why cause more needless death? Who cared if the regiment lost its sterling reputation?
"There is one other thing." Rooks did his best to look sheepish. "I have been ordered to take into custody a war criminal you are harboring. The blonde man so adept at slaughtering our men."
Hoffman raised an eyebrow at that. He figured with Naruto's 100% mortality rate when it came to Indie forces, they wouldn't have much intel on the strange man. But it appeared that UIR command had pieced together more about him than Hoffman had assumed. But they had apparently gathered enough information for basic appearance and the fact that he was responsible for the losses. That was troubling. Instead of answering Rooks, however, Hoffman turned and looked outside.
From the window, the afternoon sun held high in the sky, granting Hoffman a brilliant view that everyone wrote home to their families about. It was quite a vista, even with soldiers marching into his keep, his territory. And it was the kind of thing Captain Sanders would have painted. That thought, more than anything, steeled Hoffman's resolve for what needed to be done. And at that moment, Byrne's voice came over the radio.
"All Indie forces in position. Ready to start." Hoffman wondered if, looking back on this moment, he'd remember how easy the decision had been. Not for all the deliberation, but just the smooth execution. One order given. One order followed.
"Do it." He said over the comm. Rooks turned more fully in his direction with a polite tilt of the head.
"I'm sorry, I didn't -" And suddenly, the Old Quarter exploded, a shock wave sending dirt everywhere and Rooks to the ground. Even though he was expecting it, Hoffman still stumbled. But his pistol was drawn before the captain came to. The young man was prone on the ground, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead. He looked up as Hoffman approached, and their eyes met.
"But we were talking -" The man gasped out, as if that was the greatest treachery of the day. Hoffman didn't let him finish. Two rounds in the torso and one in the head, and Captain Rooks died. Three rounds that Hoffman regretted having to pull, but they were extremely necessary. He stomped out of the barracks, pistol in hand, and started moving towards the closest hard point. Rifle fire and explosions filled the air as Anvil Gate repelled its invaders.
The convoy stopped just short of the pass that led to the rest of Kashkur when the explosions echoed from Anvegad. A low murmur ran along the crowd of refugees as they stared at their burning home. Naruto's eyes were not on Anvil Gate however, but the surrounding area. Two steep canyon walls flanked the path on either side. The walls were too high for anything but explosives to be of use. Yet the UIR had promised a detachment of soldiers to watch them as collateral. With Hoffman and the rest of the Gears fighting back, it was time to see whether or not Major Toly had been bluffing. Given how ruthlessly the Indies had targeted the civilians in the previous months, the shinobi knew the attack was coming. He just couldn't tell from where.
He had not been complacent in his promise to protect the Kashkuri people. To any observer, the steady stream of refugees was undefended, without a single Gear among them. To anyone who did not know the villagers personally, it was a shambling column of targets. No one suspected why two or three of them looked alike. Or why there just as many strong backed, able bodied townspeople as there were stooped and struggling. It was an advantage that he had used on escort missions many times in the elemental nations.
Even as he appraised the rock walls, Sheraya's truck began entering the pass. The engines on the trucks – or lorries, as he had heard a few Kashkuri call them – coughed and sputtered as they rumbled along. Behind them, the weary citizens of Anvegad marched steadily on, as best as they could. Naruto's disguised clones helped along those who seemed to be lagging behind, the injured and sick. The original Naruto stood by as the trucks and people moved past. He had already caught the scent on the wind.
Rocks shifted above and on the sides of the pass. With all the Gears occupied in Anvil Gate's final stand, who would defend the civilians? Already, a few memories passed to Naruto as the convoy moved further into pass. Three of his disguised clones had been dragged out of sight and 'killed', though the killers did not notice the bodies disappearing. He did, however, see the UIR issue rifles and knives before his clones' throats were slashed. He knew exactly what was happening. And then he began to move.
In the front truck, Sheraya slowly moved through the pass as the others followed her behind. Her thoughts were on her husband as he defended the fort, and worry nearly blinded her to the armed men that appeared at the other end of the pass. She gasped in surprise as the first man pointed his rifle at her truck, and she slammed on the brakes. Two other armed men wearing masks and flak jackets followed the first, and they were all pointing their rifles at her. She stiffened in her seat, the sudden motion aggravating her already stressed belly.
"Naruto..." She said worriedly, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear. The three men finally crossed the pass and came within reach of her truck when she felt the cab shift ever so slightly, as if someone was on top of it. And that feeling brought her the calm she needed for the next few moments.
"Hands where I can see them." The first man demanded. He had a heavy Gorasnayan accent. Sheraya complied, though her hands only came as high as her head. One of the other two men stepped forward to open the door. His hand was inches away from the handle before a razor sharp blade sliced off his fingers. Before the man could even scream, Naruto appeared from the top of the truck wielding a tanto, a short sword favored by the ANBU Black Ops, and drove his foot into the man's face. The force of the blow and the angle from Naruto's attack broke the guy's neck instantly. The others barely got their rifles up before they were sliced and bled.
Sheraya gasped at the sudden sight of gore. It wasn't an entirely novel experience, the sight of blood and bone, but her advanced condition and the months of hardship had weathered away some of Sheraya's mettle. She ducked onto the seat as gunfire erupted on either side of the truck. Naruto looked into the cab with a soft gaze and held a finger to his lips, but gunfire and screams from further back in the caravan drew his attention. As more Indie forces converged on the convoy, the Kashkuri took cover near the trucks as best they could. The first few UIR soldiers approached to column of refugees openly, only to to cut down in surprised and pained cries as Naruto's clones, disguised as Kashkuri villagers, began firing back. Men and women that had seemed so normal suddenly showed inhuman strength as they forced refugees out of fire three or four at a time. The disguised clones gave cover fire as needed, firing rifles here and there to stem the flow of bullets into the vulnerable refugees. A few took rounds meant for the villagers in an attempt to keep the casualties low.
Naruto scooped up an assault rifle of his own. Firearms weren't really his forte; shinobi in general despised the loud, cumbersome weapons. But if he was going to stay under the radar, his kills would have to be done by bullet, not blade. That being said, there was no reason he couldn't use shadow clones or the Hirashin. He just had to make it look like the Kashkuri had defended themselves. As more fighting could be heard from the rear of the convoy, Naruto disappeared in a flash of yellow. Sheraya sat there in the truck, as low as her swollen belly would allow her to be. She could hear gunfire and screams coming from the rear, and it frightened her. Her fellows were being cut down, even with Naruto's help. But with her pregnancy, there was nothing she could do. It was all up to Naruto. Please stay safe, Naruto. She thought silently, praying for his safety.
That being said, the blonde wasn't exactly chopped liver. The first UIR soldiers he encountered were attempting to fire from atop the steep cliffs, though the steep angle made compensating for the recoil of their weapons difficult. Naruto suffered no such handicap, and eliminated all soldiers that passed in front of his rifle before running further to the rear of the line of trucks and people. Some others had roped down into the center of the column, dragging refugees from trucks in an effort to kill as many civilians as possible.
One such man had his back turned to Naruto when the blonde came upon him, struggling to remove a screaming little girl from the back of the middle lorry. Unable to fire for fear of hitting the child, Naruto ran up behind the man and delivered a palm strike to his elbow, pushing the girl back into the canvas-covered bed of the truck and spinning the surprised soldier around with a grunt of bewilderment. Naruto grasped the man by the side of his neck with his left hand and threw him down into the dirt, placing three shots close together into the man's sternum. The UIR soldier took one shuddering gasp and then moved no more, allowing Naruto to purvey his load bearing harness for a new magazine. The girl in the back of the truck looked at Naruto, tears of fear and astonishment in her eyes as he stood back up from the corpse. Naruto placed a finger to his lips and motioned downward with his palm, telling her to stay down. The girl nodded fearfully and ducked back into the truck without any more prompting, and Naruto continued on.
Whether the attacks came from the cliff side above the convoy or the entrance to the pass, his lightning fast reflexes and coordination carried him through as the UIR dropped left and right. His disguised clones, another effort to keep casualties to a minimum, began scooping up dropped weapons and firing as well, adding more accurate fire against the enemy. That being said, his unfamiliarity with the weapon and the Indie numbers made things a bit more difficult to get everyone out alive. Even as he neared the rear of the convoy, where it was mostly people on foot, the citizens of Anvegad began to paint the dry, cracked ground with their blood. But blood was not all they were spilling.
As he approached the rear, where the UIR soldiers were pressing the hardest, his clones were not the only ones picking up rifles. Men and women alike collected the weapons from Naruto's fallen targets and began returning fire, with carrying levels of success. He watched three civilians spray the UIR position heading back toward Anvegad with metallic fury, though few rounds found their marks. This forced the Indie soldiers' heads down, allowing Naruto and his clones to drop them with more accurate fire. The massacre the UIR forces were expecting slowly turned into a routing as they starting catching rounds instead of firing them.
The final three UIR soldiers decided to cut their losses and make a run for it, dashing down the slope back towards Anvegad. Three shots cut through the air, and all three hit the ground. The first two were killed instantly, the bullets entering their heads. The final soldier was forced to crawl, as the round had neatly severed his spine at the small of his back. No merciful killing shot followed, condemning the last Indie soldier that participated in an ambush on seemingly unarmed targets to a slow death.
Naruto looked around at the jagged pass with a heavy heart. Despite his and his clones' efforts to defend the convoy, too many innocents had been at the rear when the UIR attacked. Nearly a dozen of the few remaining townspeople were lying dead on the ground, their blood caking the dirt as the ground greedily soaked up the precious fluid. With a sigh that truly belied his age, Naruto turned back to the front of the convoy, discarding the empty rifle he had used with barely contained disgust.
When he reached the front truck, he tapped lightly on the driver's side door before opening it. Inside, he found Sheraya staring meekly at him, her advanced pregnancy forcing her into an awkward slouch.
"Hey there." He said lamely. It seemed like such a mundane thing to say in the wake of so much death. But it garnered a strained grin from the newlywed woman even so.
"Hi." She said, though her voice began to break even as the single word left her lips. Naruto stepped forward and opened his arms as the floodgates broke, and the relative calm that Sheraya had held during the attack shattered as she clutched at him, sobs escaping the confines of his battle coat as she wept for her people, as well as the ordeal she had just encountered.
"There there, it's alright. It'll be okay." Naruto whispered into her hair as her sobs began to slack off, though she still trembled in his arms. Reluctantly, the young woman looked up into Naruto's blue eyes, her own brown ones red and tear streaked.
"Naruto, you have to go back for him." She choked out, her voice still cracked as she struggled with restrained emotion. The blonde shinobi frowned at this, but her conviction rallied at the sight of what she perceived as denial.
"You have to! I know how much you hate all the killing and the death, but you have to bring Sam back to me!" She pleaded, her hands grasping the collar of his coat. "Please, bring him back... please..." Her heartfelt demands slowly sank back into incoherent sobs as she continued to repeat the fervent request like a mantra, as if the steady demand would make it so.
"Sheraya, I can't guarantee he's alive," Naruto chose his words with care; she was still needed if he was going back to the war zone that was Anvegad. "I need you to be strong for me, and for your people." He patted her on the back, hoping she'd break from her hysterics. Sure enough, Sheraya's sobs dwindled off to the occasional hiccup, and between her dark strands of hair her eyes were red. She slowly straightened back up, one hand subconsciously grasping the wheel.
"You're right. They're half the reason Sam and his men are fighting, and all I can think about is Sam. How could I be so selfish?" Sheraya straightened fully, leveling a red-eyed stare that met Naruto's own blue gaze.
"You're not being selfish. If you weren't worried about your husband, he would be better off without you." Naruto said truthfully. "Get them out of here; I'm going to do what I can for Victor and Sam." She nodded again, just as the faint thrum of helicopter blades reaches Naruto's sensitive ears. It seemed the COG were finally done waiting to assist.
In a part of his mind that was disconnected from the gravity of the situation, he had to commend Sam on his choice of women. Sheraya Byrne was a strong woman indeed. He backed off and closed the door just as Sheraya started the lorry's engine. As Naruto turned to direct the rest of the refugees to follow her truck, more soldiers appeared at the Shavad side of the pass behind him. However, these troops bore the rotating gear symbol of the COG. Roughly twenty of them filed past him, their helmeted gazes washing over Naruto's unique wardrobe before continuing on, their primary objective being to assist the survivors. A man in lighter gear stepped up to Naruto with no helmet on, rather a blue beret with a black band and a captain's insignia pinned the front. His brown hair was close cropped, and his nose sloped forward sharply like the beak of some bird of prey. Underneath it was a small but thick tuft of hair that served as a mustache, and his chin was covered in three days' worth of stubble. Ironically enough, his name tag read 'Hawke'.
"I'm assuming we have you to thank for the safety of our citizens." His accent and tone spoke of the upper echelons of society. A nobleman, or as close to one as possible in times such as these. Naruto shook his head.
"They defended themselves; I only gave them the courage." Naruto motioned toward Sheraya's still idling truck. "And they even had that in spades." Cpt. Hawke looked impressed, but also skeptical. He looked at the corpses of the UIR soldiers, and noticed the conspicuous lack of refugee bodies. Sure, there were a few that had died in the attack, here and there. But the kind of losses inflicted upon seasoned UIR troops would have cost ten fold what lay before him.
"Somehow, I do not think that is the whole truth, sir. You had to have played some part in their defense." Naruto grimaced, but nodded. The man was smart and had a keen eye, but Naruto was losing time. He turned slightly, blading his body toward the captain. It was a slightly defensive movement, but the captain's gaze remained passive.
"I did participate in their defense, but I assure you their survival is entirely possible for their own character. I can't give them the drive they needed. They already had it." The captain watched as the convoy began moving again, the relief on many of the Kashkuris' faces brightening even more as they entered friendly territory. When the captain turned back to speak more, Naruto had simply vanished. Captain Hawke glanced around, but there were no hiding places, no refuges that could have hidden the blonde man in the time Hawke had taken his eyes off of him.
And yet, he was gone.
Sam's breathing came in ragged gasps as he struggled to load the belt of grenades into the Stomper. The pain in his side was starting to ebb, though whether it was blood loss or adrenaline numbing him wasn't clear. Powalski was slumped over the sandbags, lost in a hail of bullets that had assailed their position. With the main streets still ablaze, the tight side streets and alleys were the only was to navigate Anvegad. Six feet of space granted access between buildings, and it ran up a long corridor. Add in the Stomper and you had a beautiful bottleneck.
Until you had to reload.
Sam's squad had defended the choke point valiantly, keeping the UIR from escaping the inferno Hoffman had sentenced them to. However, some of the rounds fired back had found their marks. Sam's vision swam a little, but he had the Stomper loaded and charged before any more Indie forces decided to try his brand of death. All around Anvegad, similar stand offs were had as the defenders whittled down the UIR in droves, though the COG were also taking losses.
The Pesangas had chased two squads of Indies into a burning warehouse near the edge of the quarter. They had come back out with bloodied machetes. Hoffman himself had taken up a position near Sam's, but closer to the main road. The Lieutenant was still coordinating his forces, trying to keep them alive and effective. And slowly, the bullets stopped coming.
But it's not over yet. Sam thought through gritted teeth. As if to confirm his thoughts, another stream of fire ripped into the sandbags in front of him. Sam sent three rapid fire grenades back, and was rewarded with screams and silence. Pulling the trigger was starting to get a little harder. Sam blinked rapidly as a wave of exhaustion crept up on him, like a warm blanket draped over his shoulders. When had he last slept? Surely the fight was almost over?
"Maybe, I just need to catch some rest." Sam gritted out tiredly. He rested his arm on the Stomper in front of him, then placed his forehead on his arm. It was a rigid posture, but Sam already felt his eyes droop. I'll need my strength for when I see Sheraya tomorrow. Sam thought to himself as the numbness filled him. And then, the darkness he had fought off for so long consumed him, welcoming Samuel Byrne into the sweet realm of oblivion.
Hoffman ducked just as another round sought to perforate his brain cavity and failed. He rose above the sandbags immediately after and fired a few rounds of his own displeasure. To his credit, his shots were a little more accurate than his enemy's, announced by a spray of blood and one more silent rifle. Two other Gears, Alonzo and Grant, fired down the street to give Hoffman some breathing room.
"Direct your fire toward the bottom of the hill!" Hoffman barked into the comm system. "Walk your fire upward, don't let them know they're outgunned!" Immediately, the other Gears shifted their fire, picking off the Indies furthest away while the ones closer to them continued to advance. Few of the UIR looked back to check if their pals were alright, more focused on trying not to stop a bullet or four.
The Indies landed a few more hits, Alonzo taking two rounds in his right arm and falling back. But as the last of them fell to bullets and a well thrown grenade, a low vibration in the air reached Hoffman's ears, a sound he never thought he would hear again. The low thrum of dual bladed helicopters, the new King Ravens, echoed across the entire pass. COG and UIR alike looked up as several Ravens crossed over the sky. Two more began circling the top of the town, looking for a place to set down. As the closer Raven set down on a flattened roof, Hoffman's radio chattered.
"Lieutenant Hoffman, this is Captain Stern. We're dropping reinforcements in on the rooftops. Any area in particular you need broken?"
Hoffman barely registered his finger touching his ear, numbed by the loss of his men and weakened by the rationing of food. It was almost over.
"Hoffman to Stern, where the hell have you been?!" His bark was still as fearsome as ever, but Hoffman's Lancer sat to his side, unnecessary now that the Indies were taken care of. As he watched, Coalition Armadillos, or 'Dills for short, ran along the hills, and a Centaur tank here and there fired on the UIR forces that were still outside of the fort. Front line soldiers pushed in from the pass, the direction that the convoy of civilians had come from. He knew that they were safe.
"Well, we had a bit of a fight going on in Shavad. Once that was taken care of, we figured you were a little tired of starving and all that other unpleasantness." Hoffman couldn't begrudge the senior officer's glib tongue. He was outranked, and he was tired. As he sat back, he heard Pad organizing the attack on the remaining Indies. Curiously enough, he noticed a lack of Sgt. Byrne's input.
No, don't take that from me. Not after we managed to win. Hoffman felt the air warm to his left for a second, and suddenly a fluttering cloak caught his eye. Hoffman turned to see Naruto standing beside him, a concerned look on his face. Hoffman's exhaustion was overcome by his incredulity.
"How in the blood-soaked Hell did you get here? Where is Sheraya? Is she alright?" Naruto held up a hand to stave off Hoffman's questions.
"Now is not the time. I came to you because my seal on Sam wasn't working." Naruto looked around at the rubble and corpses. "Sheraya is fine, but I fear we'll be bringing bad news back to her."
Hoffman nodded sadly. Sam's Stomper had gone silent only a few minutes ago, near the end of the fight. There was a chance that he had simply run out of targets.
No. I know what kind of false hope that is. I know what we'll find. Still, Hoffman and Naruto moved on. They owed it to Sam and Sheraya to be sure. Together, the two picked their way through the destroyed mountain fort, checking on Gears that had been wounded or killed along the way. After roughly twenty minutes, the two found themselves at the top of a winding alleyway, just above where Sam's Stomper position had been established. A faint cloud of dust hung in the air, but the alley was deserted. Naruto took the lead, trotting at a stout pace that Hoffman's armor and undernourishment prevented him from matching.
As such, Hoffman came upon the emplacement second, only to see Naruto standing feet away from two armored Gears. One of them was from Byrne's squad, though Hoffman couldn't recall his name at the moment. The other, however, was definitely Sam. And from the way Naruto was just standing there, Hoffman knew the worst had come about. Sam sat, slumped against the gun turret like he'd just had a really long day, his head braced against his forearm as if he were resting. And that would have likely been the case, if not for the deep cascade of crimson that sheeted down his left side. He had taken an abdominal wound, low and to the left. It had likely taken a kidney, a slow death that a man like Sam did not deserve. Hoffman walked up to his sergeant slowly, regret filling every step as he approached. He reached into the hollow between Sam's shirt and his armor and pulled the tags from his neck, as had been done all across Anvegad. Naruto watched on as Hoffman did the same to the other Gear that had died defending the alleyway, Powalski, Nicholas J. He and Hoffman shared a silent stare as the bodies of two good men cooled despite their victory. They stood there for some time, listening to the helicopters and the receding fire as the last of the UIR forces were routed. It seemed like ages before Hoffman finally spoke.
"I told you this could happen." Naruto flinched at the words, but did not break eye contact with the lieutenant. It bespoke of steel Hoffman never doubted the man to have.
"And yet, you're just as hurt as I am. Despite all you prepared, all your planning, you still lost the men you loved and respected." Naruto looked up into the burning sky, his own loss burning within. Sam had been a good friend, one that had accepted Naruto without suspicion or mistrust. He had offered his friendship and that of his family, and had trusted Naruto with the defense of that family. And yet here he lay, dead as so many Naruto had let down before. It was the never ending cycle of war.
"They knew what they were signing up for. It was my orders, and the orders of my superiors that killed them." Hoffman closed his eyes to stem the grief that threatened to overcome him. "I failed them."
A strong hand clasped his shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see Naruto standing there with a small, solemn smile. He blinked in confusion, but Naruto only shook his head.
"And that is why they followed you. Not because you gave them orders, or you had rank. They followed because you care. You take responsibility for the outcome of your actions, and you accept the burden of command, rather than wield it as power." Naruto let his hand drop. "I hope you go far, Victor. These soldiers deserve no less than you."
That was high praise, from a man that defied reason and logic with his very movement. But it was bittersweet, an uplifting statement among dead friends. Hoffman grimaced, but nodded in acceptance.
"I never wanted to be an officer. I just took this commission because I felt I could do more for my men." Hoffman glanced at Sam and Powalski. "I guess I was right. Just not in the respect I wanted it to be."
Naruto nodded, sharing Hoffman's pained grimace. Many good men had died that day. But after months of wondering whether or not the COG were truly the 'good guys', he had given up on such simple notions. What he would do was protect his dear friends, like Hoffman, Pad, and Sheraya. The rest of the world could go to Hell.
Together, the two men collected the bodies of Samuel Byrne and Nick Powalski, and began walking back to the destroyed command center. One of them would be receiving news of victory. The other would be passing on news of failure.
3 weeks later
Naruto sat in the maternity ward of Kashkur's only non-combatant hospital, thirty miles from Anvegad. His eyes, normal vibrant with mirth or mischief, were hollow and dead as he stared at the small body wrapped in cloth that he held in his hands. Samantha Byrne had been brought into the world screaming and healthy. She had tan skin even as a newborn, though she was considerably lighter than her mother. But her entrance into the world had come with a cost. Weakened by rationing and the loss of her husband, Sheraya Olencu Byrne had not survived the birth of her daughter. She had passed away two hours after Samantha was born. Her haggard features would haunt Naruto for the rest of his seemingly eternal life. And here he sat, the only confirmed connection to the deceased Byrnes, and the legal guardian of their child. He had received through the death of his friends something he and Hinata had never enjoyed. And yet, all he felt was sorrow. He felt sorrow for the fact that Samantha (he was adamant not to call her Sam – it hurt too much) would never know her parents. He hurt for the loss of Sheraya, his first real friend in this strange world. And he wept for the child's future, in the care of a man surrounded by death.
And the baby slept on.