Williamsburg, Virginia
September 24, UC 0079
0852 Hours, EST

"You've got quite the affinity for medieval America."

Garma wasn't going to doubt his Char's comment, he just smiled. "After father granted me the position of regional commissar," he said, "I quickly grew to appreciate the sights and history of my charge. Besides, he always said he saw me as more of a teacher than a soldier." He and a small coterie of officers were in Williamsburg, just a short drive from Norfolk. Even though some morning fog lingered, the group was out and about, walking down Duke of Gloucester Street.

"Well, if they can replicate the Old West on a colony," said Char, looking at the walled Magazine on his right, "I don't see how they can't restore one town to the way it looked during the American Revolution."

"The thirteen colonies weren't too different from us," said Garma. "I only hope we're as successful against the Feddies as they were against Imperial Britain."

Char frowned. Seems somebody puts stock in Marshal Gihren's rhetoric. Not totally surprised.

A chirpy ring sounded from Garma's pocket. His compact smartphone had gone off: he'd received a video message. "Schultz," he remarked. "Probably that update I'd requested earlier."

With one press of a button, the clip played: "Captain Gleb Schultz, Shenandoah Investigation, reporting from Luray. Artillery bombardment of the Anomaly began at 0700 Eastern. It is currently 0850. The aliens have replied with lethal force, but do not seem to be aiming directly for the batteries. Twenty-nine friendlies have been wounded in the exchanges, with ten KIA. Ulmer reports that some sort of barrier is shielding to alien structure, no damage has been inflicted. Approximately ten minutes ago, the aliens sent a request for a ceasefire. As we speak aerial reinforcements are inbound for our location. We await further orders. Schultz out!"

"Are they serious?" Garma said, indignantly. "After handling that 'Death Egg' of Eggman's and crushing two alien colonies out West, the division's having problems with this one?"

"You never really told me about these aliens, Garma," said Char.

"We really don't know what they are," the commissar explained. "We call them aliens for the same purposes we christened our new pest the 'Trojan Horse'. They seem to have the traits of both humans and animals. We captured a few the other day, claiming to be part of a military organization called the Dark Egg Legion."

"Sounds like the villains of some kids' show from the early space age," Char remarked.

"We've been monitoring the Anomaly for a good week," said Garma. "A group from a nearby garrison fell afoul of the aliens. We never heard from them again."

"And I assume we're going over to Luray later today?"

"Bingo," Garma confirmed.

Fraw Bow held a zipped-up freezer bag with something pink, white, and bulky inside at a distance; a pair of wadded-up objects, tissues of some sort. At a brisk pace, she headed toward the waste chute across the hall, about ten yards away from the cabin she shared with the kids. For the most part, they tended to recycle items onboard the ship; here, though, was something that couldn't and she was ready to get rid of it.

The bag was pitched, but not quickly enough as to go unnoticed. Kai was right there, with a cocky grin on his face. "Was that a diaper?" he asked, chuckling. "You actually into that sorta thing or are those special panties for 'that time of the month'?"

She rolled her eyes. First thing in the morning and he was already in full smartmouth mode. "Kai, that was Kikka's," she said, really not wanting him to start with her, especially not so early in the day. "She… had an accident in the bed." The little girl in question tended to behave like a typical four or five-year-old, but ironically still had some lingering issues in regard to toileting. In this case, waking up to use the bathroom was a skill that was taking time to materialize.

"Ah, you got no sense of humor," Kai remarked.

"Acting like an assface from the word 'go'?"

Kai and Fraw's attention was turned to the blue Hedgehog and Chipmunk walking toward them.

"Mr. Needlemouse and Princess Furry! How're you kids doing?"

Sally heaved a sigh of annoyance. "Again, my name is Sally and his name is Sonic."

"You got nothing on the menu today and just wanna douche it up?" Sonic asked.

"I was just on my way down below," Kai said, with a smarmy tone. "I just happened to be in the neighborhood."

Sonic squinted at the violet-haired boy as he walked away, hands in his pockets.

"What's going on out—?" As Katz opened the cracked door to Fraw's cabin wider, the sight of the two hairy visitors interrupted his question. "You guys gotta see this!"

The accident was what woke the four occupants up. Katz and Letz were already dressed, but Kikka still lacked her boots and Daisy Dukes, running out to see the Mobians in her diaper. Sally was of equal height to the little human girl, but Letz was still slightly taller than Sonic. All three couldn't make heads or tails of what they were. They were in awe of the strange visitors.

"How do ya like this, Sal?" said Sonic. "Only been here a few hours and we've gotten some fans already!"

"Are you a deer or something?" asked Katz.

"Chipmunk," Sally responded.

"You look like you're from a cartoon or something," said Letz.

"Y-Yeah, we get that a lot," Sonic replied. "OW!" Kikka was pulling on one of his quills, to see if they were real. "Hands off the merchandise, kid!"

"Kikka, let go," said Fraw Bow.

"Forgive us," said Sally, "we didn't mean to cause a scene. We're trying to find a place we can eat, if you have one."

"You mean the mess?" said Fraw. "Let me get Kikka's pants on and we'll all go together… I take it you came with those other two… animal girls?"

"We're called Mobians," Sally explained, "and yes, they're with us."

The two human girls entered the cabin to finish the younger's dressing, leaving Sonic and Sally out with the two boys.

"Are you two aliens or something?" asked Katz.

"Actually, the truth is going to be more cranial that just that," Sonic replied.

Meanwhile, still trapped in his cell below New Mobotropolis, the captured Zeon private Grant hears the rumble of battle start again. The alien fools think I'm defeated, he thought. But not yet! Even in a cell, Grant can be dangerous.

One thing Who and his team had failed to find on the man was a subminiature short-wave radio set. Of comparable size and thickness to a poker chip, he had hidden it in his boot. It would be used to send a secret message directly to the base in Christiansburg.

"Christiansburg, this Grant," he said. "I'm still alive, but in enemy custody. The Anomaly is protected by a shield, resistant to heavy bombardment. A direct attack wastes—!"

"But the city is under attack!"

Grant had to hide his radio quickly. He recognized the voice of Elias, his captor, and couldn't risk getting caught with it.

"I know that," said Who. "But to send you all out to fight the enemy is suicidal."

"We've captured and rewired those (what did he call them?) Wappas," Elias argued. "We can probably strafe them!"

"Still, no," said Who, sternly. "Listen, I understand that you're concerned about your people's safety, but I don't want to compromise your push to reclaim the throne because of your impulses."

Grant raised an eyebrow. Reclaim the throne? He's the king?

"I just… feel so useless here," he admitted, with a painful inflection.

Who's voice became less forceful. "They have the army and Team Freedom, plus NICOLE is doing a fine job disrupting the—!" He was interrupted by a beep. "Who, here. Yes? I see."

Grant was standing right up to the bars, hoping for good news and anticipating the bad.

"That was Operative Betty," said Who. "Reports tanks approaching from the southeast."

Grant smiled. A tank assault? The artillery can't crack this shield, but will our panzers do better?

The fight at the Grand Canyon didn't put the White Base out of commission, but it did one of her engines. So deep in enemy territory, there was nobody to go to for replacement parts. Every screw, every nut, every bolt had to be used with tender love and care. The engine in question couldn't be salvaged the way things were now: too many busted valves. A bypass wouldn't work either.

The crack of dawn and Ryu was already on his last nerve. All the fighting had taken a toll on the weapons system on the Guntank he and Hayato were in. "A shit ton of them are busted! Where are you checking!?"

"These are all the gun parts we've got," one of the numerous grease-monkeys in the repair dock reported from the unit's left shoulder, "so please use them sparingly!"

"What's that, you asshole?! You think I'd just waste them?!"

Hayato was nearby, decked out in his normal suit, diligently doing repairs to the suit's tracks.

"Yo, Hayato! Working hard?"

Kai's voice made Hayato look up from his station. The taller boy was in uniform, hands folded behind his back, looking particularly not busy. "Are you all done, Kai?"

"All set," he told him "I barely took any damage last time. Bye!"

Wherever Kai had planned to run off to goof off at was soon a hundred miles away, figuratively as an irate voice echoed over the intercom: "Kai! Don't loiter in there! Stand by at your battle station!"

"Tilly, y'all okay?"

The little Mercian Armadillo was watching the landscape below go by when Bunnie grabbed her attention. The girls joined one another at the viewport and looked out into the morning. "I'm just… thinking about Acorn," the former Legionnaire told her. "I don't think my brother's going to be there, or his friends, the Chaotix."

"Whatcha mean?" she asked, all ears.

"You all were fighting the Eggman Empire," she told her, "and I was part of it." She indicated the insignia on her cybernetics. "They don't want me."

"Tilly," Bunnie assured her, "y'ain't gonna get kicked out on yer behind like Jack Rabbit did ya."

"I just wish… that the Baron were here."

"Morning, girls!" Sonic and Sally were approaching them from the right. Three children and an older girl were with them. "Fraw Bow, kids, this is Matilda the Armadillo and our old friend Bunnie D'Coolette."

"Um, howdy!"

Tilly nodded.

"Fraw Bow here was just showing us to the galley," Sally explained. "We wanted to grab some breakfast. You want to come?"

Six became eight as they all headed to the mess. Humans everywhere, uniformed and no. One, however, stuck out.

"Hey, it's old sleepy head!" said Sonic.

Fraw noticed. "Y-You mean Amuro?"

"Bumped into him on my way out of the shower," he told them. "You all go ahead and get what you want, I'll save you a spot." Sonic zipped over to the boy.

"How's it hangin', Amuro?"

Shocked, Amuro coughed up a little bit of orange juice. Some went into his nostrils, making them sting a bit. "It's… you! You're real!?"

"Flesh and bone," the Hedgehog responded. "Came this way to get a bite to eat. The girl over there with those kids showed us where to go." He indicated to the breakfast line, where Fraw Bow, the kids, and three more of those animal things were.

"There's more of you!?" Poor Amuro. He was only halfway-prepared to fly the Gundam, but never expected to lay eyes on these creatures allegedly from the future.

"If you think we're a lot," said Sonic, "wait till we get to New Mobe."

"New Mobe?"

"It's my hometown," said Sonic. "We'll be there in a little while. Since you've woken up a bit, I can give you more detail on where we come from."

Fraw Bow, the kids, and the other Mobians gathered at the table. Sally told him about the Great War and the old Kingdom of Acorn, how it was overthrown by Julian Kintobor, the late infamous Dr. Robotnik. She went on about the ex-Warlord's abuse of roboticization and the ten-year-guerilla war to restore the old order, resulting in his death. Attempts to revive the Kingdom were hampered by an extra-dimensional version of Robotnik called Eggman, who brought another war. She brought up the destruction of Knothole Village, the evolution from Absolutism to Republican government, and the short-lived victory that culminated into another war.

"And I thought we had it bad," said Amuro.

"Oh, it gets better," Sonic remarked. "After Elias resigned, Eggman tried to kill him and Antoine almost died trying to save him. Bunnie ran off to get robot limbs from her uncle out in the desert because she blamed herself for the incident. We eventually caught up with Sally, to deroboticize her, but Eggman, the sore loser that he is, used a Genesis Wave in an attempt to overwrite everything. It merged our time with yours."

The voice of Marker blared over the PA system: "Would Princess Sally please report to the bridge? You are needed immediately."

"Sounds like we're as good as home, Sal," said Sonic. "Want me to come with, or—?"

"I can go from here," Sally assured him. Down to seven now.

"Anyway," Sonic continued, "after we got Sally back, we had to find Bunnie…"

The elevator doors whooshed open and Sally took a few steps into the bridge. The point of interest seemed to be out in the mountains ahead. Distant, intense flashes of light. Bright and Mirai were present, but Reed was too. "Are we at New Mobotropolis, Lieutenant Bright?" she asked.

"Your position is dead ahead," he told her. He turned to the two operators above them. "Give us a report."

"Yes, sir," said Oscar. "Object detected at twelve o'clock. Circular, with a radius of one kilometer."

"It's the city!" said Sally.

"There's more," said the operator. "There's a concentration of vehicles on the parkway, to the south and east of the position. Another swarm of bogies are advancing toward it from the southwest. They appear to be tanks. I count a dozen… and there's a small swarm coming from the southeast, they're gunships!"

"Another cloud of blips, this one coming from the east," said Marker.

"More aircraft?" asked Bright.

"Affirmative," he said, "they seem to be Dopps and at least one Gaw."

"Everything but the kitchen sink," Mirai commented, eyeing the distant flashes.

"I knew it," said Reed, in a tone of grim vindication, "these animals did lead us this way to kill us!"

"Lieutenant Reed, I will not tolerate your complaining another day," said Bright.

"Do you want a tribunal, Bright?" Reed snarled.

"Lieutenant Reed, just listen to me," said Sally, already feeling Bright's annoyance. "The city is administered by NICOLE, our AI. She can manipulate the nanites that make the city for its defense."

"Nanites?" asked Bright.

"The city was originally created by one of Eggman's creations, ADAM," she explained. "After he was destroyed, NICOLE took command of the city. We know Zeon means business, but the city is shielded. No bombs can break through it and we have friends who can hold their own." She faced Reed, with a cold squint. "So, no. We didn't 'lead you this way to kill you'!"

Reed shut up right there.

"O brave new world with such people in it!" ran through Bright's mind. What Sally was saying sounded like something out of a medieval pulp science-fiction anthology book, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She was, after all, an animal person from 12,000 years after his time. He gave the order: "All hands! We are approaching the Shenandoah area. The enemy has concentrated in the area. Man your battle stations!"

Thanks to SonicEvan and HyperionGM for support!