Author's Note(s):
Well, here is chapter three. I didn't really like the last one much, so enjoy this chapter that I did enjoy making.
Chapter 3: Green Grass & High Tides CAUTION: CONTAINS BLOOD AND GORE
24/09/1975 21:15 Hours JST (687 Imperial Calendar 15:30 Hours)
G.A.T.E Japan, Special Region
Translated From Japanese (Italics indicate another language)
First Lieutenant Yoji Itami leans against a large boulder and looks out at the open plains and hills of the Special Region. He sighs and pats around for a cigarette. He was not happy with his current situation. He had been promoted, which made his responsibilities even greater, he was the new face of the JSDF, and to top it off, he was part of the company of rangers stationed on the other side of the G.A.T.E until the American forces relieved them of their posts.
"Hey Itami, we just got word, the Americans just sent their last units through their portal, and they said their air assault and airborne units are on their way." Sergeant First Class Akira Tomita says walking up to Itami. He looks at the hills and then at Itami.
"Good, we can finally go back to Japan and relax," Itami says. Tomita looks at him confused.
"Uh, sir. We've only been here for three weeks. Not to mention we are only guarding the structure. We haven't been doing anything." Itami sighs at Tomita's remarks and turns to the G.A.T.E and starts walking. Tomita follows.
"I know that. But I'd rather be back at Camp Narashino in my dorm reading doujinshi and watching whatever is on TV."
"You're different from other officers. You seem to not care about your position," Tomita says.
"Exactly. I only care about my hobbies, nothing else."
They reach a makeshift camp consisting of 3 large tents that served as headquarters, the armory, and the field kitchen. Around the three tents were thirty tents that made up the barracks. A long trench with sandbags encasing it stretched around the camp. Before they reach the outer defenses, the distinctive *whomp* *whomp* *whomp* of UH-1 helicopters could be heard. They turn around and are astonished to see the mass of objects in the sky. If one did not know what a helicopter was, they might have thought it was a large swarm of birds.
"I didn't realize they were sending that many forces. It looks like they're giving us an entire division."
They waited for a few minutes until the noise of the helicopters was deafening. Itami and Tomita retreated to their defensive line as they were standing in an area that the pilots wanted to land. The company of JSDF rangers watches as squad after squad of American troops gathers in platoon-sized groups. It took about ten minutes, but eventually, the last helicopter dropped off the last squad of troops. It took another ten minutes before the troops were all organized enough to move on.
The rangers' commanding officer, Major Wataru Higaki, steps out to greet the Americans.
"Hello, I am Major Higaki. I would like to speak to your commanding officer."
An American nods and shouts for their commanding officer. A few seconds later, a gruff-looking officer in his mid-forties walks up and shakes Higaki's hand.
"I am Colonel Howard Baker of Second Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. We have come to relieve you and your men."
"Thank you, colonel. However, there has been a change of plans," He hands Howard a piece of folded paper. Howard reads it and he furrows his brow.
"I'm sorry, but until I receive orders from my commanding officer, this paper is null and void," He crumples the note and drops it on the ground. "Colonel Barrett!"
Itami watches the specified man break from a group of officers and jogs over to Howard. They talk quietly and Barrett pinches his brow. A minute passes before Barrett goes back to the group of officers.
"Our orders still stand major. We will relieve you of your position. Good day."
Howard turns and joins the group of officers. Higaki walks back to the rangers with an angered look. He pulls out a cigarette and lights it.
"I can't believe it. These Americans come here and start ordering us around like we are just a nuisance to them."
"What was that all about?" Itami asks after puffing out a breath of smoke.
"I had a paper with orders from our government telling them that JSDF squads will be assigned to their platoons for training purposes."
"Well, it looks like that isn't happening." One of the rangers says next to Itami.
"Just give it a few minutes or hours. Once they get their orders, they'll see that we are not messing around."
"Well. While you do that," Itami stretches and lets out a yawn, "I am going to go pack my things. I have a feeling that they are gonna want us out of the way to set up defenses."
Tomita, Higaki, and other rangers look at Itami in disbelief. Some had angered expressions. Others just stood there with dumbfounded looks. All of them seemed to be thinking: 'What is wrong with this guy?'
29/09/1978 11:56 Hours CST (687 Imperial Calendar 19:11 Hours)
G.A.T.E Japan, Special Region
Chris sits on the edge of his foxhole. He was looking down at a small box of cigars his father gave him when he turned 18. He never smoked them, as he was not interested. However, every day since his family passed, he was slowly starting to bend to the idea of lighting one up to see how it tasted. The same thing was true for alcohol. Although he would sip wine and champagne for events and parties, he would never order a drink at a bar. Whenever he was at any bar, he was given the nickname "Designated Miller".
He lets out a sigh and tucks the box back into his rucksack. He stands and walks over to where his platoon's tent was. It was a large tent with all but one side rolled up. Gas lanterns slightly swung in the light breeze which caused the shadows on the one wall to move side to side. Six tables inside had various items scattered all over them, from paperwork and files to communications equipment and radios. One table was dedicated to ammo and weapons and had crates of ammo stacked neatly next to it. Several magazines for M16s and a few for Colt 45 sidearms were stacked on the table.
Inside the tent, Greg Henderson is talking to the platoon's medic, Brittany. Next to them, the platoon's new RTO, Josh Smith was listening to their conversation.
"... and remember, the Lieutenant has a short temper, so try not to do anything to anger him." Brittany looks over Greg's shoulder as he says this and she taps her boot on his shin to indicate Chris's arrival.
"Is my temper that bad that you have to tell every new person that I have one?"
"Of course not sir. I just want to establish boundaries between the troops and you, especially after the whole incident thing. I don't want them saying stuff that will upset you."
"Thanks, Sergeant. Would you care to introduce me to our RTO?"
"This is Private First Class Josh Smith. He just got out of AIT and was transferred to our unit." Josh salutes and Chris returns one.
"Welcome to Blue Platoon of Alpha Company, First Battalion. I see you've met Sergeant First Class Greg Henderson and Specialist Brittany Walkers. I am First Lieutenant Chris Miller," Chris shakes Josh's hand and motions him over to a table with a map on it.
"As you know, we are currently defending the Japanese Gate, here." Chris sticks a pushpin into their location on the map. "The American Gate is over here," Chris sticks another pushpin in the map. "Our mission right now is to defend the Japanese Gate from enemies that were spotted on the main road here. After we destroy the enemy army, our next task is to take this trade city right here. If we take this city, both Japan and the United States will have a solid foothold in the Special Region."
"How large is the enemy army, sir?" Josh asks while looking at the map.
"We are not completely sure. The Air Force recon planes' photographs are estimating a force of 100-500 thousand enemy troops. It is hard for them to tell, as most of their photographs show the enemy army on the main road. Thankfully, rain and storms have slowed their advance enough to allow us to reinforce this location."
Greg lets out a *hmmm* and rubs his chin.
"I am confused, Miller. Why are they coming here? Why not go for our Gate? It is closer and has a better terrain for large armies to march on."
"Most likely, they don't know that our Gate exists. For one, geographical maps show no roads to our Gate's location, unlike Japan's, where the road is right there," Chris points out of the tent at the road with searchlights being panned back and forth from guard towers.
"That makes sense. And thank goodness they don't know about our Gate." Brittany says.
"Yes, it is a mixed blessing. While it gives our Gate the element of surprise, the enemy will throw everything they have at where we are. Not to mention we only have 2nd Brigade and Division Artillery here. If the enemy gets close enough, there won't be enough machine guns in our possession to fend them off."
"Are we getting reinforcements?"
"No. I heard from Captain Good that we are going to have to hold our own. Command says they will send air support, but we can only call it in when it is necessary. Sir!" Chris snaps to attention and throws up a salute as a man approaches. The other three follow suit, as Lieutenant Colonel Alvin Workman salutes everyone back.
"We just got word from command. Their most recent scouting report states that the enemy's military will arrive tomorrow. I wanted to let everyone know personally before we were ready for battle."
"Thank you, sir. We will make sure that we give each one of them a bullet with their name on it."
"I like the enthusiasm. Good luck."
Workman walks off to the next platoon and the four go back to the map. Chris looks at all of them before clearing his throat.
"Well, I guess this introduction/meeting is over. I'll see you all in the foxholes."
20:05 Hours Imperial Saderan Time
5 Leagues from Alnus Hill Translated From Latin
General Tiberius Godasen watches as the Western Horizon starts to change from an orange to a pink to a blue color. After marching for ten leagues, he was ready to enjoy the rest that followed the long journey. Tomorrow, the Imperial Army would arrive at Alnus Hill and would conduct an attack the next morning.
"General, I bring news!"
A messenger on horseback rides up to Tiberius and jumps off. The rider takes off his helmet and sets it on his horse.
"What is it?"
"Sire, the Allied Kingdoms have responded to His Imperial Majesty's request for aid. Their armies will be here the day after we arrive at Alnus."
"Even though we will not need their aid, it is still good news. Their army can attack our enemies from behind and ultimately crush them. At first light, I want you to ride to them and tell them that is our plan of attack. We will retake Alnus Hill and we will invade the lands beyond the Gate."
"As you wish my liege." The soldier bows his head then takes his horse to camp. Tiberius turns to see the sun has completely set. He walks off to his tent and sits down at the table that was set up for him. Before Tiberius does anything, the cloth of the entryway is brushed aside and a man with a missing arm enters.
"Oppious Maximus, you are just the one I wanted to see. Please sit."
The mage walks in without making a noise. He sits at the table and stares off into space.
"I know you were the commander of the Imperial Legion that invaded the lands beyond the Gate. Tell me, what was it like?" Tiberius says while pouring wine into two goblets. A few minutes pass and Oppious finally musters out a few sentences.
"It was like nothing we have ever seen. We were expecting a bunch of peasants, and then the enemy brought forth beasts of iron and magical soldiers who were able to kill our troops from a distance. When I was about to strike, an iron beast used some kind of invisible force that completely severed my arm."
"Well, now that you know what to expect, you should be able to use magic to stop our enemy."
Oppious does not answer. He was in deep thought about the day he lost his arm. He remembered how few the enemy was in numbers, but they were as deadly as an entire group. He also remembers how quickly Colt Formal surrendered to the enemy.
'That coward! He's no doubt being tortured for being a military leader and lord.'
"Oppious! You can stop our enemy, right?"
Oppious looks at Tiberius and a sickening grin appears on his face.
"Without a shadow of a doubt. Two sunrises from now, we will water the soil with their blood."
"Good. Then I say this victory deserves a toast. To the Empire!" Tiberius raises his goblet and Oppious raises his.
"To the death of our enemies!"
30/09/1978 09:10 Hours CST (687 Imperial Calendar 16:25 Hours)
G.A.T.E Japan, Special Region
A single UH-1H helicopter lands on a clearing where two soldiers are waiting at the edge. Inside, Aulus Matho gathers his briefcase and his cane. The two soldiers walk up to the helicopter and open the door of the helicopter.
"Mr. Matho, welcome to the Special Region! I am Colonel Howard Baker of 2nd Brigade. This is Lieutenant Colonel Leon Barrett, my XO!" Howard shouts over the rotors and engine of the Huey. Eventually, the helicopter lifts off and turns West to return to the American Gate.
"So this is the Special Region. It is a lot different from Vietnam, isn't it?"
"Yes sir. For one thing, the weather's nicer and there aren't a million communists trying to kill us."
"But I have heard that half a million enemies are marching to this very location."
Howard looks at Leon with a furrowed brow. He then motions for Aulus to follow them.
"We were confused about your arrival. But since command has instructed us to allow you to roam about the base, we will at least escort you to the headquarters tent."
A minute later, the two colonels shake hands with Aulus before going into the tent. Aulus starts to walk in the direction of the defensive perimeter. He straightens his tie and adjusts his Panama hat to block out the sun better. He finds a sign with the lettering: "ALPHA COMPANY, 1ST BATTALION". He walks around before finding the tent he was looking for. He looks around to see that only a couple of sergeants were in the tent going over their weapons. One of them spots Aulus and walks over to him.
"May I help you, sir?"
"Yes, I am looking for Lieutenant Miller. I have some private things to discuss with him."
"Ah yes, he is in his foxhole currently. I can go get him real quick if you'd like."
"Yes, that would be great. Tell him that his lawyer is here, he will understand."
Both the sergeants look at each other. One shrugs while the other sets down an M16A1 bolt carrier group. A minute passes, when Chris suddenly appears, jogging over toward Aulus. He stops inside the tent and fixes his helmet straight.
"Sorry for the wait Aulus, we were getting our new RTO situated. What do you need?"
"I bring urgent news about your enemy. We need to talk in private concerning what I am about to tell you."
"Alright. Let me let loose the tent walls and we can talk."
Chris goes around and drops all the walls. He encounters a few men from his squad and tells them to give him some privacy. He enters the tent through the canvas door and sits down in a chair.
"Alright Chris, I don't have enough time to be here too long. So I will make this as short as possible. You and you and your men are in terrible danger." Chris scoffs.
"Yeah, I know. 500,000 enemy troops are way too much for just an infantry brigade and an artillery brigade. But hey, at least we can call in air support."
"Chris, you don't understand. You and your fellow men will not be able to put up a decent fight against the enemy. Your M16s will not be effective against the enemy." Chris frowns. He pats his M16 and looks at Aulus.
"I find that hard to believe. The last I checked, guns beat swords in a fight."
"Yes. Even though you have the superior weapon and a sufficient amount of ammunition, you will not be able to stop waves of enemy troops. According to calculations, the troops here will hit at least 56% of their shots throughout the battle." Aulus pulls out his pipe and a match.
"Even when they're in front of us?"
"At 500 yards, your bullets will be the most inaccurate, and will not have sufficient energy to penetrate shields and metal armor. Same thing with 400 yards. 300 yards and closer, you and your men will be able to hit most of your shots. Not to mention that there is most likely the allied Kingdom's armies marching behind you." Aulus puffs a few times on his pipe before blowing out a ring.
"Say what now?"
"About 300,000 troops of the Allied Kingdoms will respond to a call for aid. The Empire has most likely done so. You will be facing a total enemy strength of over 800,000." Chris slumps back in his chair, several expressions changing on his face. His rifle falls to the ground after his grip loosens.
"Aulus, you can't be serious."
"I hate to tell you this, but I am Chris. You and your men will face some of the fiercest combat in your lives. It may even be on par with what you experienced in Vietnam and the ACW." Aulus sits back down and lets out another smoke ring. Chris lets out a sigh and stands up.
"Thanks for the warning Aulus. I'm sure that the colonel will be calling air support sooner than he was expecting. I'll see you around." Chris picks up his M16 and heads for the door of the tent. Before he opens it, he remembers something.
"Hey, Aulus, whatever happened to those changes you said would occur when the American Gate opens? I don't see any of them." Aulus coughs on his smoke and stands up.
"I completely forgot about that. Well, since right now is not a good time, I will talk to you after this battle."
"If I'm still alive."
"I have full faith you will succeed Chris, just don't give up hope."
Chris lets a grin show for a second before looking at Aulus.
"Goodbye Aulus."
Aulus looks at Chris with a regretful face as Chris leaves the tent. Aulus grabs his cane and makes an arc in the air, before completely disappearing into thin air.
13:30 Hours CST (20:45 IST)
Eerie quiet dominates the atmosphere around the Japanese Gate. Every once in a while the crank of an M101 howitzer being loaded would interrupt the silence. Otherwise, it would seem as if there was not a living soul on the hill the Gate sat upon.
Chris watches over the top of his foxhole out into the darkness of the countryside. There was a new moon, and there was no evidence of an enemy military being on the march. An army of 500,000 enemies marching was heard a half-mile away by the American forces.
"Hey, Lieutenant," Greg whispers, "do you want me to send a communication to Company HQ and ask them to get an illumination round going?"
"No," Chris whispers back, "the orders were very strict about maintaining radio silence until the fighting started. I am as anxious as you to know where the enemy is, but I would also like to give the enemy a less chance of hearing us."
"Alright, just saying it would be better to see our enemy."
Chris shakes his head and goes back to looking out at the area where the enemy was. Suddenly, a familiar feeling from a few years ago hits. He couldn't quite remember what feeling it was and had to think back about what it was related to.
'It isn't fear,' he thinks, 'and it isn't hunger. It isn't a hormonal feeling, what is it?'
It then hits him, and his face turns white as a ghost. He fixes his gaze into the darkness and tries to reach back quietly and pat Greg or anyone to get their attention. He finds the familiar feeling of the OG-107 type 3 ripstop uniform and begins tapping the person.
"You know sir if you wanted to get to know me you could have said so," Brittany says jokingly. Chris ignores her and reaches on his other side and finds another uniform.
"Gee Chris, are you in need of attention-" Greg is cut off as Chris snaps his fingers.
"You remember back in '75 when we stopped for our patrol? The one right before everything went down?" Chris whispers.
"Yeah, why?"
"I have that same feeling now."
A long pause of silence fills the air before Josh finally speaks.
"What does that mean exactly? You guys are starting to concern me."
"I sure hope it doesn't mean what I think it means. Smith, be ready on the radio. Greg, get everyone ready for battle now!" Chris whispers.
Greg quickly crawls out of the foxhole and orders everyone to get ready for battle. He returns in a couple of minutes and picks up his M16.
"Alright sir, your call."
"Smith, order up some illumination rounds. We will need to see where our enemy is. And do it quietly."
Josh radios in for the illumination rounds, and after a few seconds he goes quiet.
"They said they will fire them as soon as they change the ammunition from their current rounds."
A minute passes, then the sound of three artillery pieces firing is heard. A few soldiers could be heard mumbling before the light started to cover the land.
"Oh, sweet mercy …"
Five Minutes Earlier
Brigade Headquarters & Headquarters Company Observation Post
Colonel Howard Baker looks out into the darkness of the land with a cup of coffee in his hand. He sips on it while squinting.
"Dang, the heavy cloud coverage is even blocking out the stars. And even worse is that command didn't send us night vision equipment."
"Well sir, to be fair, our enemy just marched in, they are most likely resting after hauling all that armor around." Lt. Colonel Leon Barrett says while looking through a pair of binoculars.
"Well, we shouldn't have much to worry about then."
Howard takes a sip of his coffee. He suddenly hears a radio from the direction of the artillery emplacement, and then the sound of metal clanking. Howard sets the cup down firmly on a table next to him.
"One of those idiotic platoon leaders or company commanders just ordered some kind of strike. Leon, get someone on that radio and stop that strike, now!" Leon nods and rushes inside the tent, before he can reach the radio, three flashes and bangs from the muzzles of the artillery pieces let them know that they were too late.
"I swear, I'm going to bury my boot in someone's rear when I find out who did this. After that, I'm going to court…" Howard stops when the flash of illumination rounds light up everything in front of their camp. His jaw drops when he sees the enemy army in all its strength approaching. Before he can react, several shouts are heard and then the floodgates of war are opened.
Imperial Perspective
Oppious watches as the skies are filled with light. He looks amazed at first but then grins.
'I guess they finally figured out my darkness spell and silence spell were in effect,' He thinks before nodding to Tiberius. Tiberius draws in his breath to shout, but suddenly a flash from Alnus Hill is seen, and the sound of metal crunching is heard. A second later, a pop is heard. A couple of men in the front ranks fall over and a few men mumble in fear.
"All troops, charge!"
The armies of the Saderan Empire let out war cries as they break out as fast as they can. It is deafening but Tiberius and Oppius enjoy the sounds of enthusiasm and hate that we're going to be unleashed on the enemy.
'Time to make the enemy pay for taking my arm,' Oppious thinks. Suddenly, explosions engulf the troops behind them. Both officers look in horror. Suddenly cracking sounds like a million whips striking cattle and the shouts of men dying are heard. Oppious waves his staff and a gold stream of light shoots out.
The light causes a golden wall to form in front of their army and several little spots appear as unknown objects impact it.
"Come on! Keep going! If we overrun them, we will be able to kill them all!"
The ranks rebuild, and the troops start to charge toward the hill. More explosions impact Imperial troops behind the gold shield. A few seconds pass and the shield disappears.
"Maximus, what are you doing? We need that shield to protect our armies!"
"Don't worry, our armies are on top of them. Nothing they do will be able to stop our advances."
"You better be right, because-" Tiberius is cut off with a grunt. He falls off of his horse and lands in a heap.
"Godasen!"
Oppius jumps off his horse and rushes to Tiberius. He rolls the body over and finds a massive bloodstain growing on Tiberius's robes. He brings his wand to the spot and starts to chant a spell. A few seconds later, a jagged metal object is pulled from the body. Oppiuos realizes that the object is deformed, and starts to chant another spell. The object starts to reshape itself into an object, resembling the tip of a spear.
"How is it possible for a tiny piece of metal to kill a person?"
He opens a small pouch and sets the gold-colored object inside. A centurion runs up to him.
"Sir! We are overwhelming them. However, they are causing heavy losses. Many centurions are wanting to retreat."
Oppious looks at the Imperial officer and lifts his staff while chanting a spell. A white beam of light shoots out in all directions. Every soldier around him suddenly jolts and then their eyes start to glow red.
"There will be no surrender. We will fight to the last man if it comes to it."
American Perspective
"They're everywhere!"
"Shoot them! Shoot them! Keep firing!"
Brass cases are sent everywhere as men fire wildly into the horde of enemy soldiers. The enemy had used some sort of glowing shield and it allowed them to get close enough to be a major threat.
"Fix bayonets!" One officer shouts as he uses both his rifle and sidearm to shoot several enemy soldiers.
When they get a chance, the soldiers quickly slide their M-7 bayonets onto the barrels of their guns. Once they finish, they go back to firing at the enemy forces.
Chris uses the butt of his rifle to break the jaw of a man charging him with a dagger. He shoots another man before stabbing his rifle's blade into the man with the broken jaw. Chris twists his rifle before pulling it out of the man's neck.
"Greg! We need to regroup, they broke our lines!"
Greg swings his rifle in an arc in which the bayonet goes through an enemy soldier's trapezius. He yanks down and pulls his rifle free before shooting two other soldiers.
"How?!"
"Order everyone to throw grenades and retreat to cover positions!"
Greg nods and starts to shout at people around him. They comply and start to pull grenades out of pouches or off of their vests. They pull the pins and chuck them into the enemy's ranks. They then turn tail and sprint as fast as they can back to the tents with several crates.
Chris dives over a table before flipping it on its side. He sprays a wave of bullets into the enemy before reloading. Josh slides in next to him, followed by Brittany and Greg. Chris grabs the receiver off of the radiophone.
"Crosstie Six, this is Crosstie Blue Six, over."
#"This is Crosstie Six, go ahead, over."#
"We are getting pummeled out here, we need heavy air support, over!" Chris shouts into the radio as he fires into the enemy.
#"Negative Crosstie Blue Six, Battalion HQ has not authorized a strike, over."# Chris's anger builds up and he faces away from the enemy.
"Listen here you prick! Get air support to rain fire on the enemy now! We are being overrun!" He turns around and looks at the enemy. His arm drops and he lets out a sigh.
#"Crosstie Blue Six, stand by for order request confirmation, over."#
Chris chucks the phone receiver at Josh before shooting more enemies. He looks at his platoon headquarters before going back to shooting.
"Sir, will they call in air support?" Brittany asks.
"They gave me the 'please stand by' bullcrap they always do. Come on, we have injured men out there that need help. Let's go!"
Chris leaps over the table and charges the enemies at full sprint. He buries his bayonet into the face of an enemy soldier and tears it out, sending blood and brain fragments everywhere. Brittany runs past Chris and throws herself on an injured man. She picks him up and carries him back to where they were hiding. Chris stays behind and continues to fight the enemy.
An enemy soldier with a spear charges at Chris and tries to stab him in the side. Chris spots him and pulls out his pistol. He shoots the man before retreating to cover.
After Chris dives back to cover, M60 gunners fire on a group of soldiers chasing after Chris. The group collapses as the bullets tear through their chest plates.
#"All units, fall back to the next position!"# All the radios say in unison.
Everyone rushes back as fast as they can, occasionally turning around to shoot a couple of enemies. Several Americans are killed as they try to run. Some choose to stay and fight instead of running. An M60 crew stays and manages to hold off the enemy until they run out of ammo. Chris watches as a glowing rod of metal seems to bounce in the darkness. The troops that already fell back provide cover fire as the gunners retreat.
#"Crosstie Blue Six, come in, this is Crosstie Six, Over"#
Chris picks up the phone from Josh's radio manpack.
"This is Crosstie Blue Six, go ahead."
#"Broken Arrow has been declared. Hold out until air support arrives, over."#
"Roger, Crosstie Blue Six Out." Chris gives the phone back to Josh and fires a few more times.
"Greg, air support is on its way. We have to hold out until it gets here."
"It better get here on time, or they'll be bombing the second invasion and our corpses."
04:50 Hours
Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
Yoji Itami sits on a concrete barrier that blocks main road traffic from getting close to the security checkpoint in front of the G.A.T.E. After being relieved, his ranger unit was assigned to guard the outer defenses while main JGSDF forces were guarding the actual structure.
Itami lets out a yawn and checks his watch. It was almost 4 A.M. With nothing else to do, he stands up and walks over to Tomita and a few other rangers.
"What's the word on our units joining the American forces?" One of the rangers asks Tomita.
"The United States Government has informed us of a major military force that is nearing the Gate. Until the American troops take care of it, we are stuck here."
Itami gets ready to say something, but a sound from the Gate makes everyone face it. The large metal dome that was under construction did not stop any loud noises that came from the other world. Sometimes the noise would be so frightening that engineers and welders would quit their jobs.
"I don't know what that was, but it was louder than the one we heard yesterday."
They wait for a little bit longer when the same noise erupts from the darkness. The workers on the dome leave their work and run away from the structure. Soldiers around the Gate raise their weapons and slowly move closer. The rangers that were keeping the public out all rush past the checkpoint and take up defensive positions.
"I hope this is a false alarm."
"So do I, cause if the Americans couldn't hold off the enemy, then what chance do we have?"
The soldiers all wait for a little before the noise repeats. Suddenly, a knocking sound comes from the makeshift metal wall keeping enemies out. Itami looks at Tomita and then back at the Gate.
"Hey! Open the door! We have wounded troops that need medical attention!"
The Japanese soldiers look at each other before rushing to the Gate. A JSDF officer knocks on the metal before speaking.
"Who are you? Identify yourself!"
"I am Captain James Birt of the U.S. Army! Open up, we have wounded men!"
"General! It's the Americans! They say they are wounded and need help!" The officer shouts to their commanding officer, General Koichiro Hazama.
"We can't. That wall is bolted shut. It will take a little to get engineers to get it down." The officer tells the same thing to the American troops. The man behind the wall responds.
"Get back, we're going to blow our way through!"
The JSDF officer runs back and tells General Hazama. Before he can respond, several explosions tear through the metal wall and it collapses. JSDF personnel watch as dozens of bleeding soldiers starts to pour through. Itami watches in horror as two men support an injured man with a leg barely attached by a chunk of skin.
"Get medics down here now!"
Several Japanese soldiers rush in to help the wounded while Hazama rushes up to Captain Birt. He immediately takes notice of a broken stick held into his shoulder by bloodied bandaging tape.
"Sir, our situation is bad. We requested reinforcements, but they won't be here for another ten minutes. Your men are our only option." Hazama looks at the last American emerging from the Gate. He was covered head to toe in dirt and had a bandage around his head. Hazama then looks at the JSDF personnel.
"I can't order an attack without permission from the Japanese government. Your men will have to…"
"You don't understand sir! There is an army of 500,000 men marching on this location right now. If you decide to wait it out, then you will be overrun like we are right now! Please, help us."
Hazama looks to see several American soldiers and medics leave their wounded comrades behind and run back through the Gate. Captain Birt turns to leave but pauses for a second.
"Since you won't help us, let this ease your conscience. You will be the one responsible for the blood of thousands of American and Japanese lives. I hope you can live with that." Captain Birt jogs toward the Gate and motions for a few soldiers that were waiting for him to leave. Hazama watches as they disappear into the darkness. He looks at the JSDF personnel who are looking at him. He then looks at a skyscraper and sees a little girl looking through shattered glass.
'Those Americans sure are good at one thing, blowing up and damaging stuff.'
"Sir, are we going to help them?" Hazama looks down at his adjutant and sighs.
"Give out the order to the men. We march through the Gate to help our allies. They are in a time of need, and we are their only option. I want every available man and woman through the Gate right now!"
"Yes sir!"
The adjutant runs off and starts to give orders to the waiting men. Tanks and trucks start up as men start to run towards the Gate. Hazama lets out a sigh and pulls out a cigar.
"For the first time since World War II, we will be at war. Let's hope this war does not end like last time."
He lights the cigar and puffs it a few times. He watches as tanks start to drive into the Gate and soldiers hop into trucks. An artillery piece weaves its way past obstacles and eventually too disappears into the Gate. Hazama turns to see a government vehicle pull up and a man in a suit runs up to him.
"General, what the heck are you doing?! We didn't authorize an attack! You need to call off this attack right now!"
"No." The man looks at him surprised.
"What did you say?" Hazama puffs his cigar then faces the Gate.
"We are helping our allies out. They asked for aid, and now we are going to help them. I don't give a rat's behind if you think I am out of line. I would rather help our allies and have our country be recognized as saviors and trustworthy friends rather than as an ignorant country that would rather throw our allies to the wolves and sit on the sidelines. If you have a problem with that, then you can go back to the Diet and cry to your boss." Hazama walks away and motions for his adjutant to come to him.
"Well, this is it. Let's go see what we are up against."
Hazama starts walking toward the Gate and his adjutant follows.
'I sure hope that was the right move. Cause if not, then it won't just be me who's in trouble."
Author's Note(s):
Well, goodness gracious. This I believe is the fastest chapter I have written. It took me a shorter time on this one as I didn't have as much writer's block as the last one. When it comes to the military and war I can type up a storm when fully motivated. However, when it comes to conversation and dialogue between battles, I get bored and have to force myself to type. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. See you next time for Chapter 4: Steel, Fire, and Blood.