Chapter 6 - The first scouting mission (part 1)

Hello again everyone!

Thanks to all of you who have shown your support by following or favoriting the story! I appreciate it all!

I'd like to remind everyone that I've published this story with an "M-rating" because it will involve some things which might be disturbing to read about. Just a small warning to take with you.

As always, I do not own the Gate universe, it's characters or any of the intellectual property tied to it. I'm merely borrowing it for this story.

Enjoy the chapter!

Empire of Ordney, county capital Drytol

IC 687, 10th day of Month of Earth - 14th september 2022

4.20 pm

"I'm standing here in Drytol, on this previously busy street that is now cleared of all but military traffic. In the background you can see the containment unit built around the "Gate" to the other world which about four months ago brought death and destruction to this city and its citizens."

A female reporter was standing along with a few other people and a cameraman just outside one of the barriers which the military has set up. At the checkpoint nearby personnel from the military police were stationed.

"While much information surrounding the attack on Drytol has been released to the public, any request for updates regarding current progress on "Operation Overlord" in the new world has been met with silence. The only answer we get from the imperial military is that matters regarding ongoing operations are classified. Some citizens question what efforts are done to find their missing loved ones and one in particular is very vocal about this."

The reporter turned along with the camera to a man with brown hair, dressed in an expensive suit. He had a dark, well trimmed beard.

"Richard Callerd, you are the group leader for "The Liberal Democrats" in parliament and also sit as head of the financial committee. You have recently started to question the information the imperial military is giving us regarding this operation. Can you tell us more about this?"

"Certainly, I've just filed a motion to request that Empress Victoria come to parliament and explain what the military is doing to bring back our loved ones from beyond the gate. It is important that we all know what is going on given the amount of resources and personnel we have sent through the gate. What little we've been given so far is not enough."

"Your sister went missing in the attack on the city, is that why you are filing this motion?"

"My pain and worry is only a small part of this since we are thousands of people, probably more, that know someone that went missing in the attack. We are still waiting and hoping for our loved ones' safe return but the constant silence is not helping the situation."

"When we have requested status updates from the military before they have always come back with "Information on ongoing operations are classified to safeguard operational efficiency." Isn't it a bit dangerous to have that kind of information released in the middle of, as they say, an ongoing operation?"

"Under normal circumstances I would agree but there is one major difference this time. Our enemy is for all we know an "Empire" stuck in the dark or middle ages. Last I checked we didn't have either radios, satellites, or any kind of wireless communication from which we could easily communicate long range. The only way to tell anyone on the other side about what the military is planning is to go through… " Richard pointed towards the containment unit down the road.

"... that Gate. And that gate is controlled by the military so I doubt anyone is going to waltz over there and spill our secrets."

"Did you have the backing of the rest of the party when you filed this motion?"

"I'm not alone in wanting answers for what happened to our loved ones."

"You didn't answer the question, I have sources telling me that you and the Lord Chancellor have been in dispute regarding the necessity of this motion and that he hasn't backed it. Is that true?" One could clearly see sweat on Richard's face as he heard this piece of news.

"Nonsense, the Lord Chancellor has agreed that we need answers from the military, this is not something that only involves The Liberal Democrats, it involves everyone in parliament. As the people's representative we want, no.. we need to know what goes on beyond the gate."

With this it was confirmed that the Lord Chancellor supported this motion and another crack in the relationship between the government and the military became apparent. The reporter immediately of course started asking for details on this matter since this story was now not just important news, it was both big and important news.

Unbeknownst to the reporter and the cameraman one of the aides of Richard couldn't help but give off a slight smile as Richard mentioned the Lord Chancellor.

"One small step" He muttered to himself before wiping the smile quickly from his face again.

Special Region, Gathering site, Alnus base

IC 687, 11th day of Month of Earth - 15th september 2022

05.58 am

The sun had started to rise in the horizon, there were few clouds in the sky so they hoped for good weather to start off Ordney's first scouting mission of the Special Region. There was a bustle of activity at the large gathering point in the middle of the base, five rows of vehicles were currently parked. All consisting of three Ranger32-S units and a Xylok-S4 respectively.

Each unit's personnel were gathered around their respective row of vehicles, squad Cilo-7 included. They were currently gathered in small groups, talking with each other as they waited for their commanding officer (CO) to arrive. The captain had been called away to meet the other unit's CO's before departure.

The squad had both double and tripled checked their equipment before Roland (second lieutenant Vilnos) had cleared it, so now they were waiting.

Oliver (sergeant Lund) was currently talking with Kristofor (PFC Stankić), Cyrilla (sergeant Bolvaire) and Martin (corporal Franzese).

"Wasn't there only supposed to be four scouting groups sent out today?" Oliver asked and cast a glance at the fifth row of vehicles that were currently being filled with boxes and other gear that he didn't recognize.

"Maybe they added a fifth group at the last second? Might explain why they called away the captain and the other CO's." Kristofor joined Oliver in casting a glance that way.

Martin looked around before leaning forward and signalling for the others to do as well, then he started saying in a quiet voice:

"I heard from a friend who works at HQ that a group of civilians from the homeland arrived in the middle of the night. According to this person the civilians are here to prospect the land for resources."

The other's eyes widened as they heard this and Cyrilla was quick to ask:

"That's weird, we are just starting to explore and they are already sending over civilians this way? That's not how it's supposed to go, right?"

No one had any answer to that, they knew that by law prospecting for resources wasn't supposed to be done until the new land had been declared "stable" by the military. This process usually took some time since there were a lot of factors that determined how successful Ordney was in integrating the new land to the Empire. It was an extensive process and immediately starting large scale operations to prospect and extract natural resources from the new land wasn't the best choice to win the "hearts and minds" of the new "citizens". Which is why this law had been passed ages ago to ensure a smoother process after claiming new land.

While they were thinking about this Roland was talking to the four temporary members that would be handling the Xylok-S4 in their unit. As with most tanks in Ordney's army the crew consisted of an operator (previously called "commander" until that became an actual rank in the army), a gunner, a reloader/mechanic and of course the driver. The operator for the tank who had joined them was sergeant Edward Calvous, a 28 year old floor layer who had previous experience of operating tanks. He had been recalled to active service due to the war with the FNA but instead of being sent to that front he had gone through the gate to another world.

"I'm not entirely sure whether to feel lucky or worried about the fact that I was sent to an entirely new world you know? I mean, being on the frontlines against the FNA would be dangerous as hell but at the same time it feels more "manageable" due to being in our world, you know? Because here I don't know what the hell to expect. I mean, we are actually in ANOTHER world. If someone had said that to me a year ago I would have told them they were crazy!" Edward was an energetic person, waving his arms around and pointing at the gate as well as gesturing to himself as he was talking to Roland.

Roland could definitely relate to some of the things Edward was talking about, sometimes he still had trouble processing the fact that they were in an entirely different world. Before the gate there had been some small-scale exploration of space by the Empire but they had never sent a person to another planet. One could say the Empire was more focused on what was on this planet rather than those out in space. So the thought of finding life out there was mostly a theoretical question and one most people hadn't expected to get an answer on.

And then this gate just showed up out of nowhere and suddenly all theories about life in space and different dimensions had become a very real topic. It was all way over his head but he knew there were many people who still had difficulty processing this news back home. For a few it led to outright denial that anything out of the ordinary had ever happened, and others saw it as the end of the world. The event had led to many strange things in their society and some people had, to put it simply, become crazy by the fact.

"Yeah I understand what you mean, you don't know whether to count your lucky stars for being sent here or not. I guess this will be our first chance to find out what kind of place this really is." Roland answered and cast a glance towards the main building off to the side where Jacob and the rest of the CO's had gone when they were called away.

"Got family back home?" Roland continued and looked back at Edward.

"Fiancé, I proposed just a week before I was recalled to active duty." Edward had a small smile on his face as he told Roland about his fiancé.

"Congratulations! Did you guys get to set a date for the wedding?" He shook Edward's hand as he congratulated him, Roland had always been a natural in connecting with people and making small talk, or so Jacob had told him on a few occasions. Roland had never reflected on this until Jacob had mentioned it but he supposed it was true.

"Not yet, we decided we would wait until I get back, we don't know how long we will be here after all." Edward shrugged before continuing by asking if Roland had anyone back home.

"Not at the moment but I have one brother and one sister along with my parents." Roland explained and thought back on his conversation with his family the day before. It had been good to talk to his parents, his brother couldn't make it because he had been called in to active duty and was currently away on the front against the FNA. And his younger sister had unfortunately been busy with work so she hadn't been able to come.

"That's nice, I mean about having your family. I'm sure you'll meet someone sooner or later." Edward quickly corrected himself as he realized how the first thing he said could be interpreted wrong. Roland understood him and appreciated the thought nonetheless.

"Absolutely, in the meantime I've got good friends to rely on so I'll be fine." As if on queue the CO's with Jacob among them could be seen exiting the main building, heading for them.

Roland nodded to Edward and quickly changed back to "work mode" as he ordered the squad to stand at attention.

Once Jacob returned Roland quickly reported that squad Cilo-7 was ready to deploy. Jacob thanked him and then turned to the squad as he addressed them.

"You all know our mission for the coming days, we are to leave the base on a scouting mission. I don't want anyone to think that this will be a walk in the park just because the enemy has supposedly inferior technology. We are not only in a foreign land but also a completely new world. We don't know what we will meet out there, and as we will be one of the first groups that will explore we are going to be put in tough situations."

Jacob stood at the front of his squad as he spoke to them, his eyes wandered between the different members as he did.

"We will meet new people, people who may or may not have any opinion of us at all. They could be friendly, neutral or hostile. Regardless we are expected to follow our ROE (rules of engagement) so I hope you have them memorized. The Empire's future relationship with the people out there will be shaped by our actions in the coming days. Take that burden with you and wear it well. Watch each other's backs out there."

As he finished Jacob ordered the squad to take up their positions in the vehicles.

Before Edward went back to the tank, Roland could see that he approached Jacob, who looked at Edward before asking if something was unclear.

"No sir, just wanted to tell you that it is an honor to be under your command. I've both read and heard much about your time in the military. If you don't mind me saying so, I'm excited to see you in action." Another fan it seems, Roland thought to himself.

"I appreciate the thought sergeant but I'd recommend not believing all that you read or hear. Stories tend to get exaggerated to the point where no one can live up to them. I'm just a soldier." Jacob had his reasons for not wanting to be a "hero", and as Roland had said yesterday; nothing good comes out of being one.

Edward looked like he wanted to say something in return but Jacob quickly continued:

"I gave you an order sergeant, we are late already."

He nodded and replied "Yes sir". As Edward turned and jogged back to the tank in the back of the row of vehicles, Jacob sighed. He and Jacob were left and almost on cue they looked at each other before turning to look towards the main building. There they could see a familiar man standing by the main building, watching them. It was major David Osberg from military intelligence. He didn't say or do anything, merely watched them from afar. Roland didn't know much about the major, so why he was so interested in Jacob was strange. Unless it had something to do with Jacob's background of course.

Military intelligence (shortened M.I.) is an integral part of Ordney's military. They aren't merely a supporting part of the imperial army, they also conduct their own operations, both domestic and foreign. While the Empire is famous for overwhelming their enemy with military strength that doesn't mean they won't soften up the enemy first. That is where M.I. comes in, by conducting covert operations they can through sabotage and espionage lower the defensive capabilities of the target before the Empire strikes.

Much of what the M.I. do is highly classified and rumors have it that they have "sources" in all branches of the military, high and low, gathering information for them and finding persons who in any way pose a threat. Roland had once heard a high ranking officer claim that there are two parts that keep order in the large organization that is the imperial military; the military police (MP) and military intelligence. While the MP's work publicly, M.I. operates in the shadows, dealing with threats before anyone finds out about them. They are a major power within the military.

"Who watches over the watchers?" Roland thought to himself as he took his eyes away from the major and turned back to look at Jacob before nodding and then heading back towards his vehicle. He would be riding at the back of the small convoy. Shortly after he had started to walk towards his vehicle he heard another set of boots starting to walk and assumed it was Jacob heading towards the front vehicle. Right now Roland needed to focus on what was before him; their first scouting mission in this new world. He hoped it would go well.

Special Region, east of Alnus base

Same day, 07.15 am

Travelling on a dirt road they had found on their way as they went east from Alnus, the members of squad Cilo-7 were currently feeling a range of different emotions; some were excited to be out and about on a mission exploring a new world, some were just happy to leave the base, others were worried about what they would meet out here. At the same time they were trying to do what they were out here to do; find any possible threats along with locations of interest.

They hadn't yet seen any traces of people. But it was only a matter of time before something would show up. In the first car leading the convoy were four people: The driver, corporal Martin Franzese, Jacob himself as the front side passenger, private first class (PFC) Danny Nelson in the back and private Jesper Karlsen on the mounted gun.

When Jacob asked for a volunteer to be in charge of documenting and sketching out details on any point of interests Danny had quickly volunteered. The quiet man now sat in tha back of the vehicle, watching the fields pass by as they drove forward along the small road.

Jesper on the other hand was enjoying the wind blowing in his face. Despite everything that had happened yesterday he was quite enjoying the freedom of leaving the base and seeing what's out here in this new world. Or so he seemed to Jacob anyway.

Martin was currently humming something under his breath, Jacob was barely able to hear what it was over the sound of the engine and the wheels. The notion to tell Martin to stop had gone through his mind one time but since he was barely able to hear it it would seem petty to stop him.

Jacob could imagine that the people in the third vehicle, with Roland on it, were in a more talkative mood. Or at least he knew Roland would try at the very least. He did enjoy talking to people after all.

A large bump in the road caused his mind to snap back towards where they were and he told himself to focus. He radioed the others and asked for an update.

"Nothing to report captain." Master sergeant Cyrilla Bolvaire reported from the second vehicle in her usual direct manner.

"Nothing so far captain" Roland radioed back.

"Nothing to report captain." David reported from furthest back in the convoy.

"Not surprising", Jacob thought to himself. The open fields were still visible as far as the eye could see. All around them were fields where some kind of crop grew, it wasn't any that Jacob recognized but he wasn't entirely knowledgeable about crops anyway. They hadn't seen anything of note so far but that would change about a minute later when Jesper shouted over the sound of the vehicle; "Captain, buildings sighted at 2 o'clock!"

Off in the distance he could indeed see buildings, it looked like a small group of them, maybe three or four buildings in total. He took out his binoculars and looked towards them. He could see three buildings that looked like houses you live in and another building that looked like a barn.

Jacob ordered the convoy to drive up to the entrance of the farm and stop there. As they got closer to the farm something seemed off to Jacob. There was no one around, none in the field, no persons working around the farm or house. He couldn't see anyone and no one reported seeing any persons around. His mind came up with many different explanations for why this was and he brushed them all away and tried to regain his focus again. It didn't do any good to speculate on this, work with the given conditions and leave the speculation for another time.

As the convoy stopped and he stepped out of the vehicle, he cast a glance towards the buildings again and now he saw something on the ground, next to one of the houses. He grabbed his binoculars again and looked as the rest of the squad gathered around him.

What he saw was several birds, they looked almost like vultures back home, who all sat around what definitely was the remains of a human body, and tore pieces from it. They were clearly eating.

He tore his eyes away from what he had seen and immediately changed the focus on this part of the mission.

Jacob told the other in the squad about what he had seen and that they would now need to investigate the farm for any survivors.

"Be mindful of our ROE as you search the area. We will split into three teams, I will go in through the front and take the central building and the small shed next to it, lieutenant Vilnos will circle around and enter from the right and take the building there. Master sergeant Bolvaire will take the house to the left of the central building and the barn."

Jacob turned towards David and continued "Sergeant Calvous, I want to know if anyone or anything comes near this position. Keep me updated."

David acknowledged the order and went back to his tank at the back of the convoy to inform the rest of the crew as Jacob ordered the rest of the squad to take up positions.

As Roland's and Cyrilla's teams took up their positions Jacob checked his weapon and equipment as he crouched down next to a low stone wall along the road. The other members joined him as they waited.

That no one from the farm had come out to investigate the strange things on the road was not a good sign.

As the team's reported reaching their respective positions, he ordered them to advance towards the farm. He led his own group as they started their advance.

Coming closer to the farm he was hit by the unmistakable smell of a decomposing body, confirming what he previously had seen. It was a strong and foul smell but he had to ignore it to continue on. The vultures screamed at them as they flew away and started to circle around the farm instead.

As Jacob set himself up by the front door, he saw Jesper, Danny and Martin joining him, waiting for further instructions. He could see on their faces that they were also affected by the smell, Jesper the most. He looked like he was about to puke. Jacob guessed he had never seen (or rather smelled) a decomposing body before.

The front door was half open and Jacob signaled the others to enter the room on the count of three. After counting down to three Jacob opened the door and they went inside. What they were met by was not a pretty sight.

As they scanned the room for threats Jacob saw that it was chaos there, there were things thrown all over the floor, furniture had been turned to the side, chairs and tables were off to the side of the wall, many of them turned upside down.

If the smell had been bad outside it was even worse in here, as they checked the house they quickly determined that there were no enemies in the building, in fact there were nothing alive there at all. All they found were another body, it seemed a bit smaller than the one outside but it was hard to say.

"Clear" Jacob called out as he finished his search. The other's joined in and called out as they were done in the building. He then ordered Jesper and Danny to check the shed next to this building so they made sure no one was hiding there. And he wanted to send Jesper away from this, he seemed to be holding in his puke.

As Jesper and Danny left he and Martin tried to make sense of what had happened in here. The body was clearly in active decay and full of larva and flies. The body had clearly been eaten by various animals and insects, the marks and holes on it clearly told them that. But he couldn't see what had killed the person, if it was any kind of stab wound it might have been on one of the places that were now a hole. He took a step back to get away from the flies that were around the body as he was contacted over the radio.

"Captain, we have checked the house to the right and found two dead bodies, one adult and an... infant." Roland reported over the radio what they had found and there was a short pause as he reported the last part.

"Understood, do a search of the area outside and then return back here." Jacob said over the radio before he started to look around the house again. There was something he had to check in the houses.

Shortly after Cyrilla reported another adult body in the barn and Jacob gave her the same order as he had given Roland.

Leaving the house they had searched Jacob found Jesper outside, clearly having just puked out parts of his breakfast. He patted Jesper's back before he started to walk towards the house Roland had searched. He couldn't blame Jesper for puking, while Jacob didn't feel like he would puke he knew these images were going to burn themselves into his mind.

"Guess I'll add them to the existing pile." He muttered to himself as he walked toward the building that Roland had searched.

Once he arrived he found Danny, kneeling by the two bodies. The same smell was here as well. Though this time he couldn't help but clench his fists as he observed the situation in the house. From the position the bodies were in it seemed as if the adult had been trying to protect the infant and had died holding it in their arms. Both bodies were in active decay, so they most likely died at the same time.

Just seeing them there on the floor, Jacob's mind automatically showed how it could have looked like when it happened. How the person tried to get away from an attacker and at the same time protect the child but despite it all they were killed. The person who did this was a real piece of work and Jacob couldn't help but wish that he had that person in front of him. He would gladly end his life, preferably painfully. He would gladly punish any person for killing a helpless infant.

Killing unarmed civilians was bad enough but there was a special place in hell for those that killed children.

Flashes of scenes from his earlier life played before him, dead bodies where he could see the eyes of the victim's look at him accusingly. Civilians and soldiers alike. Some had indeed been killed by him, others had been killed by other people. Regardless of who had done it the images were stuck with him. While there were no eyes on these bodies, he was sure these would join the others in his head regardless.

"Sorry captain, as I heard the news over the radio I had to go over and say a prayer. This wasn't a battlefield, these people didn't deserve to die. Especially not someone who had barely come to the world." As Danny started to talk to him, Jacob was brought back from his mind. Danny was now standing close by and observing the bodies on the floor.

"It's fine Nelson, this one hits harder than the others. There is no point in denying that. When you are done, return to the central building."

"Yes sir." Jacob turned to leave and go over to the barn as he heard Danny call out to him again. He turned back and Danny was looking at him with gratitude on his face as he said: "Thank you, captain."

Jacob understood what he thanked him for and nodded in response. He then left him alone as he continued towards the barn.

Special Region, north east of Alnus base

Same day, 11.49 am

Running through the woods, she avoided the low branches of the bushes as she zigzagged between them.

She had heard rumors from the townsfolk of a "giant dragon", flying in the sky. Last seen in the general direction of Alnus. It had been a while since last time an "ancient dragon" had awoken. Or at least that is what Rory presumed it to be.

If one had awoken it would need to start feeding. If it was an ancient dragon, was there a reason it went towards Alnus? The area is sacred land for the Saderan's but no one lives in that immediate area. There are villages nearby but in which direction did it go? She needed more information.

When she heard the rumours she got curious. If it really was an ancient dragon she had to go there and find it. They are very dangerous beasts that should never be underestimated, since they were trouble even for her. Despite that she couldn't help but grin at the thought of fighting it.

"This could get exciting."

Special Region, Alnus base, tank pound

Same day, 1.21 pm

"Commander Rutger, do you have a minute?" Albert Rutger was currently overseeing the maintenance of his personal tank, "Hellfire". It is a modified version of the standard issue tank used by the Empire named "Rhino-S3". The 125 mm main gun has been extended for increased effectiveness against armored targets and the standard secondary machine guns have been replaced with a flamethrower.

In modern times neither the FNA nor the Empire use flamethrowers regularly in battle. In fact intelligence from within the FNA says that they discontinued their use of flamethrowers over thirty years ago. Instead they rely on their artillery and air force if there is a need to deploy any kind of napalm or other similar anti-infantry measure.

The Empire have previously had a version of their battle tank that was equipped by standard with a flamethrower but the doctrine in the last fifteen years have changed and nowadays the Empire have taken a similar attitude as the FNA. With a few exceptions of course, commander Rutger being one of them.

The commander turned towards the voice that had spoken to him and saw that it was major Osberg.

David saluted the commander who returned it with his own. "Certainly major, let's step away for a bit". They left the pound to find a nearby break room where a handful of soldiers were taking a break, playing cards. The commander ordered the soldiers to clear the room.

They did so reluctantly and more than one looked a bit angry as they walked past the commander and left the room.

David had met the commander on several occasions before and just like now he still had his own way of treating those around him. "Guess that hasn't changed." He thought to himself.

"So what can I do for you major?" Albert leaned against one of the tables and took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He didn't offer one to the major.

"First of all the general has called for a meeting at 1.45 pm in the war room, you are expected to show up."

David could see that this caught the commander's attention. He stopped smoking and looked at David for a few seconds before he continued as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, has something happened?" Albert asked as he blew out another cloud of smoke from his mouth.

"That information is on a need-to-know basis commander. You will hear about it at the meeting, not before." David knew what the information was already and saw how the commander gave him a look of annoyance when he heard that.

"Very well, message received. Anything else?"

"Well there is one thing, if I might ask something?" David asked and when Albert shrugged his shoulders he took it as a "yes" so he continued.

"I've noticed how you avoid and ignore captain Rolvelt, is there any particular reason for this?"

As David spoke that name he could see the commander's body immediately tense up. His eyes found David's and as Albert disposed of his cigarette he stood up and answered:

"Why would you even care about that?" Albert's voice signalled danger, it seemed as if he had become quite angry.

This time it was David's time to shrug as he explained that for all he knew they had never met before and yet Albert intentionally ignores and possibly even despises the man who saved their Empress' life. It is a strange reaction to meeting the hero of the Empire.

David saw the commander's eyes narrow and his fist clench. Albert then took a few steps forward, stood in front of David who was just barely taller, and said in a low voice:

"Don't you dare tell me how I should feel about anything. That man is not a hero, you of all people should know about that." Albert then added in a slightly higher and threatening voice: "You would do well to never talk to me about that man again, understood?"

There was no doubt that Albert was very angry at the moment. David could see and hear it clearly. His questions had obviously hit its mark. There was no need to poke the bear any more. He relented and answered that he understood him perfectly.

Albert then quickly left the room, leaving David behind, rhetorically asking out loud to the empty room:

"Well now, how would you know about that commander?"

Special Region, east of Alnus base

Same day, 2.56 pm

Their findings at the first farm had been an unfortunate start to their mission, in total they had found five bodies. Most likely they had all been killed at roughly the same time but to determine when exactly this occurred a more thorough investigation would have to be done. They hadn't been able to determine how any of the five persons had been killed due to the states the bodies were in. Judging from the state the interiors had been and that all horses were gone from the farm bandits was high on Jacob's suspect list. Grab what they can and find useful. Either to use it themselves or sell it. Basic rules of banditry/thievery weren't probably that much different despite them being in a new world.

While the dead bodies were something that bothered him, another thing that he noticed was that while there were a total of nine beds in the three houses, they only found five bodies. The question was what had happened to the other four? Had they made it out alive? Had they been taken away? Jacob feared the latter since they more then likely would have come back and taken care of the bodies if they were family.

He had reported their findings to HQ before they left. On the matter of what to do with the bodies his mind said leave them and his heart said bury them. In the end Jacob decided to leave the bodies as they were, there was not much they could do and their mission couldn't be delayed by taking care of dead bodies. He didn't like the decision and especially not leaving the dead and decaying infant. After what they had found on this farm he was worried about what they would find on the next one. They couldn't waste time burying dead people, as cold as that sounded.

He could see that several members of the squad didn't agree with his decision and Emelie did go further by questioning it. While he understood her feelings on the matter he didn't change his mind and in the end ordered her to leave them. She reluctantly complied with the order and after that he felt that she treated him differently then before.

After the first farm they found two other farms where they were also met by dead and decaying bodies. In total they found 11 dead bodies and presumably there were 6 people missing from these farms, if they went by the number of beds.

Once they found the fourth farm the mood in the squad had become much more somber in comparison to how it had been at the start of the mission. Jacob mentally prepared himself to find more dead bodies. But this time they actually found someone alive. It was a man and his young daughter.

For the first time Jacob had to try and communicate in this new language and it quickly became apparent that while he on a basic level could talk to them it was rough. It would take training to talk more fluently. Roland and Emelie were better at it and could talk to the farmer and his daughter more fluently. Jacob noted to himself that he needed to train with Roland next time an opportunity came.

The farmer was suspicious of them and kept both himself and his daughter at a good distance from them but decided to answer some questions they had. He started by telling them the land around Alnus was a holy ground for the Empire. The land that the farmer lived on was ruled by a noble called count Heveskes, who controls the area from a small city that lies close to the mountain range further down the road.

When they told the farmer about what they had found at the previous farms he looked away and started crying. It took a while but after he stopped crying he told them that a little over two weeks ago bandits had attacked them. He had managed to grab his daughter and run away when the bandits started to fight amongst themselves but his wife, grandmother and son weren't as lucky. He found his grandmother dead but his wife and son were missing when he came back several hours later. He guessed the neighboring farms had been attacked as well but he hadn't dared to go and look.

"Aren't there any police or soldiers who keep the area safe?" Emelie had asked the farmer who scoffed at the idea.

"I haven't seen a soldier on the road for over two months, and even before that they didn't patrol that often. Usually they only showed up to demand more grain or tax from us."

This piece of information was interesting and worrying at the same time. Where had all the soldiers gone? Jacob filed away the information to tell HQ once they were done talking to the farmer.

When they asked if there were other places of note around the area the farmer told them of the nearby river called "Roma", there was also a nearby village of about twenty or so houses further down the road. Close by to the city where the count lived there was also a mine, though he had never seen it, merely heard of it. Rumours had it that prisoners and slaves worked there.

"Slaves…" Jacob muttered to himself as his mind flashed back to a dark room where the silhouette of a man offered him a contract. "A way back to her."

He was thrown back to the present again when the farmer wanted to know more about them and why they were here. Jacob told him what they could, that the gate had opened and they had been attacked by an imperial army from this side of the gate. A lot of people had been killed and some had been taken here. They had come to bring them home.

The man nodded and looked at them, it seemed he understood. The man asked them if they could help find his wife and child.

"We can't make any promises, if we find them or any information we will do what we can." That is what Jacob could offer up as an answer to the farmer. While they had been ordered to help the citizens of this new world to help establish good relations, he also didn't want to give the man too much hope. They didn't know who these bandits were or why they had taken people but judging by what the farmer had told them, there may be some kind of slave trade in this Empire. That meant they could be anywhere, if they were still alive.

Before they left Emelie was able to convince the man to allow her to examine them both. She gave the child a bar of chocolate after she was done. As they left Jacob told the man that if he needed help, he could go to Alnus hill and find them there. The man thanked them and hoped they would find their missing people.

After this they entered their vehicles and started down the road once again, Jacob reporting to HQ what they had found out. Their new goal was to reach whatever small village the man had spoken about. While Jacob's heart hoped that nothing bad had happened, his mind wasn't as optimistic.

When they arrived, he would once again realize that his mind had been right.