"Vijay ho ya veergati" - a Hindi military saying which means "Victory or martyrdom"
University of Tokyo
"Shinobis, attention!"
All members of the 80th Auxiliary Regiment put themselves in a proper position.
"BANZAI!"
"BANZAI!" Everyone boomed in response of the call from the regimental commander. "How's the enthusiasm?"
"High, sir!"
The call soon ends, and it's time for business, as the Accord has been on the move and the bad news was the following; their previous attacks had managed to penetrate several Allied objectives including top secret ones.
"The good news is that the Allies has managed to obtain extra firepower from the largest religious group in the world.
Katsuma cannot believe the Major's word, however its not his job to ask, so few minutes later, he had hacked his access point to the command network, looking for any Chinese or Soviet infrastructure to be hit, especially it's nuclear capabilities. A welcome change after the regiment was in the defensive whack-a-mole mode weeks after the Invasion.
Anything to break this World War I-like deadlock is welcome, he told himself.
Hong Kong University
Once a prestigious institution where the founder of modern China was educated, the HKU is the shell of its former self, especially after the 2025 Massacre.
Right now, Senior Lieutenant Albert Chan was laying his sight as he moved on an Indian target he picked up on his system's library. A conscripted member of PLA Strategic Support Force Unit 9980, he and his unit has been responsible of several intelligence hits, mostly by data-mining social media posts from Allied soldier's families as well as government officials.
However, with the Allied's own hit on the Accord, in many times taking Beijing and Moscow by surprise, the up to 350.000 Accord cyberwarriors plus million more civilian participants were under increasing pressure to break through the cyber no man's land.
He harked back on the day his unit managed to insert a virus at the hated "fascist state" Japan's largest railway company, which ensued a delay on train movements used for troop mobilization, sometimes for days as alternate modes were have to be used thanks to several trains broke down.
Right now the overall objective is simple; The Allies, especially America, Japan, South Korea, and India, must be put back in the box with a devastating strike designed to teach its public a lesson once and for all. The target list was displayed in the system library. Chan entered the 3-D representation of the university's library, where the target files were laid out on what appeared to be wooden bookshelves, and he opted for Indian targets, with recent news of the Indian military backed by US long-range strikes had recently managed to cross the disputed Line of Actual Control, while keeping its equally unstable western front in Jammu and Kashmir - the Line of Control - with neutral Pakistan well guarded at the same time.
A power company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, would be his starting point.
To his surprise the company has a defense in depth system that increased time and bandwidth needed before he managed to sneak himself and his compatriots inside.
His aim was to insert a special programming that would use the power companies' own generators as weapons. The malicious software would cause them to rapidly connect and disconnect to the electrical grid, all of them out of phase. This would wreck not just the generators, leading to the collapse of the electric grid, but also the synchronous induction motors, which ran the machinery everywhere from factories to oil-pipeline facilities.
His fingers flicked in tiny motions, the smart-rings on each sending commands to
initiate the attack protocols while also bringing up his personal photo album as well as Chinese propaganda materials. He cued it to scan and add any images geo-tagged in that Indian state, the most developed and industrialised among all. And that's when the photo album turned white.
Just as Chan was starting to flick his fingers to reset the system, the white cover of the album began to shrink, pulling in to show black edges. The fingers on his right hand continued with the attack protocol while his curious eyes watched as an image started to form in the album, slowly turned into an ancient helmet that he recognized in his history lesson as a Medieval Crusader knight's helmet.
Chan's armpits flooded with sweat, and his stomach tightened with the anomaly. He blinked to make sure it was real and not a hallucination. It had to be a prank. He lifted up her visor and cast a glance to the auditorium floor below to see if his commanding officer saw what he was seeing. No; he was engrossed in the slow unwrapping of a stick of gum. The others seated around him were equally oblivious; a symphony of helmets and fingers bobbing up and down and back and forth as they proceeded with the attack-preparation command.
Chan pulled her visor down, projecting himself back into the virtual world. His fingers began to dance again, a force command overriding the album's operating system and terminating the program while simultaneously starting a full-system verification.
He violently punched and pulled the space in front of him as the multiple commands spun out. A wash of euphoria came over him, stronger than he'd ever felt before.
As the album closed at his command, another Crusader avatar appeared, this time hovering over the Mumbai file he had pulled from the target library.
Just as his counterattack made this new mask disappear, the technical specifics of the Mumbai target re-emerged. Then the helmet morphed and divided into two identical helmets. Fingers dancing in midair, he attacked again. As the helmets split into four, Chan felt another pump of drug-induced stim kicking in; such intense happiness.
Each action just created more of these, not only helmet but also face of a Catholic priest spewing Bible verses in Chinese, his mind realized as anger and annoyance began to seep in. Whoever was behind it needed to be taught a lesson, however, his body craved just one more wash of the excitement that came from each command.
Soon there were thousands of Crusader knight faces as well as those in clerical garb washing out the once-beautiful digital landscape. It was as if the entire virtual world had risen up in revolt.
It was the last straw for Chan, as he put off the helmet and in the process, he nearly broke its cablings.
The commanding officer below was just starting to chew his gum when he noticed that the helmets above him in the amphitheater rows were not swaying in their usual patterns. Some were tilted in evident confusion; others rocked back and forth.
Before he could decide what to do, the auditorium's projector lit up the center of the room. A massive white blaze of light crystalized into a holograph, the pinpricks of light forming albums of many people.
The officer went wide-mouthed as many faces shown by the projection were known Christians imprisoned, disappeared or killed by the government he served, as well as victims of Hong Kong Massacre. A digitized voice boomed across the room's speakers and into each of the linked helmets:
"Greetings, In the name of Christ.
We are the Cyber Military Order of Saint Carlo Acutis. (1)
Repent or Perish.
We will never forget.
This is your last chance."
Then the room went dark.
20.00 JST
2nd Lt. Aiza Takeshi
B (Starlight) Company, 3rd Amphibious Regiment, 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (Separate), JGDF
Above Iwakuni
"Even with what Americans are dealing with inside their country, sir, with riots, bombings, and even an attempted Soviet-like uprising, all by the same group of people... they still have capacity to stand with us."
"And that's why we should be grateful by doing our best. This is our soil, Koizumi."
The private besides me, Luke Koizumi, with his radio securely tucked on his back, nodded before unreservedly put on a reply. "Yes, sir."
Upon induction to the Army, both Emi and I were discovered as potential marines, hence us being pipelined straight to Amphibious Ranger training after commissioning.
"SEALs and Tokubetsu (2) had disabled a lot of Commie jammers and communication nodes so we can break down the rest." spoke the platoon sergeant of mine, First Sergeant Ryutaro Nakashima.
"However the Reds are well entrenched, Nakashima, that's why the Ryu (Dragon) Company had called for ours to be inducted."
Unlike most countries, Japanese marine forces are part of the army.
"30 seconds to LZ!"
Outside the symphony of gunfire and explosions below, the only entertainment is the rotor beat of our Mitsubishi-built SH-60J Blackhawks, and we're on it's final leg after many tense hours at sea, where we ran the gauntlet of Chinese and Soviet submarines, airstrikes, and the most deadly at all, their long-range cruise and ballistic missiles like the DF-26, NATO reporting name CSS-7 Scrabble.
"Missile, evade!!" The helo jerked and thuds of what I know are flares being ejected told us all about threats below the occupied city, the pilots' eyes were focusing on the oncoming Chinese FN-8 and Russian Verba man-portable missiles.
One SH-60 was not so lucky, however; one missile detonated right on almost every helicopter's main weak point; the tail rotor. The burning Blackhawk spun downwards with only groans and curses went from our mouths.
Another Blackhawk had its door gunner took action as he saw two Chinese quadcopter drones were coming towards the helo. Too much stories on how unsuspecting crew got their asses handed to them by those thing's machine guns and even short range missiles.
Then the radio went to life by the bubbly and eager voice of our company commander. "Get ready!"
"Aye, ma'am!"
We'll prove that our company callsign "Starlight" will not be in vain, and we'll shine like its namesake.
Sounds like an entertainment related term?
Well it might be coincidence but our company commander is a retired idol named Ichigo Hoshimiya. She's 30 years old and served with a reserve commission.
The helo lurched into a halt with few bullets were hitting its fuselage. Ropes extended and we held on it with our lifes down into a roof of an abandoned store.
The roof were free of its Chinese occupants; one of our drones has cleared it from two RPG crews before we reached the store.
It's all began, as my mouth issued the following command. "Bang and clear."
The squad leader mounted on the same helo as me opened the roof, dropped that flash, then came curses in Chinese.
I let Sergeant Yoshitsugu Hitamura lead the assault, However a Chinese soldier recognized me by rank, his reckless charge managed to draw me out from the rest of my men. His aim was my modernized Type 89 - not all GDF members had the newer Type 20 rifle when the war broke out. But he failed to check my next move as I stepped into his foot inside the bathroom he was in. A headbutt to his chest and I finished it by a knife on the same spot.
"Clear!'
"Starlight 6 here, Proceed to the next objective. The element of Ryu Company is 2 blocks away on your position"
"Get the driller." I pointed at a section of the wall facing north. "Drones and Guards keep telling us that this street has many snipers. And Toyama."
"Yes sir?" replied Corporal Heihachiro Toyama.
"Get your drone jammer ready at all times. And make sure it's charged fully."
"Will comply."
Thanks to the warning from our unmanned friends, it reinforced the motion that moving on large roads and streets without any armor protection means suicide.
Each squad got a specialized pair of tunnelers from the assault engineer platoon whose job is to operate a tracked robot adapted from mining industry. Its portable hence can be dropped from a helicopter. It's drills can create a man sized hole, reducing our reliance with explosives.
Suddenly Toyama extended the jammer on the direction of the main street. Almost undetected, my eyes went on a small helicopter style drone. It quickly succumbed to the zapper machine.
"Cover me"
It's my time to bound towards another cover; on one of the abandoned office building, while my platoon sergeant aimed his Type 89 Kai towards the streets on his right. Sure enough... A crack.
"Sniper!"
Two hours before
2nd Lt. Igawa Emi
A (Ryu) Company, 3rd Amphibious Regiment, 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (Separate), JGDF
Off the coast of Iwakuni
"Check your weapons!"
"Yes ma'am!"
The 3rd Platoon - and in fact the entire company - is to become the first wave to hit the shore. My command interrupted whatever the amphibs under my command were doing; listening to music or podcasts, reading, smoking, everything.
"Iwakuni Airport - codenamed Nakajima must be retaken before we can proceed."
Even with special forces, airstrikes, and drones had wrecked things up beforehand, we were told to expect a whole mechanized battalion of Reds and their drone support.
"Incoming!!"
Great, another cruise missile aimed at us...
"BRRRTTTT!!!"
"BOOM!"
"Mount up!"
As we boarded our assigned tracked Mitsubishi-built Amphibious Assault Vehicles - a platoon is fit inside each tracks - those noisy anti air cannons and screech of missiles are the only things standing between the lumbering flat topped amphibious ship Takeshi and I were tucked in - the JS Ryujou, Prancing Dragon in English, former American USS Wasp - and Chinese and Soviet high speed anti ship missiles and even drones. And that's what not freaked us out the most - their ballistic missile is.
Just as I am done securing myself inside the passenger compartment, a smell of nicotine rushed through my nostrils. I really wished that those who smoke, in particular my radio operator PFC. Kentaro Matsuura, will put theirs down just for a while. At least, they did it near the "out" exhaust.
"Start your engines!"
The command was followed by a siren warning that the well deck - part of an amphibious warfare ship that is floodable - is about to be opened hence taking water.
"Go!"
On that command from the ship, a thud and a splash, we are on our way; On the right flank was a company of US Marines in wheeled IVECO Amphibious Combat Vehicles.
Amphibious vehicles on the first wave, while the second wave will consist of heavy hovercrafts carrying USMC M11 Meade light tanks and heavy Type 10s in case of ours.
Along with the sounds of diesel and bubbling sea water outside, roar of jet engines, the moan of rocket launchers, splash of destroyed drones, and the pounding of artillery shook the heavens.
Convulsion.
Unpredictability.
Everything will never be the same after this.
The driver tuned the radio for the recent news.
"The United States Government, in an unprecedented move that might constitute international law violations, has ordered the United Nations to vacate its headquarters in New York..."
"...The UN, many part of it, I mean - have past its expiration date."
"...And there will many heads rolling, that's what my friend told me before I head for OCS, Asakawa."
"A school friend, ma'am?" my platoon sergeant eyes went wide, while his hands are holding his Type 89 Kai carbine tighter.
"15 minutes!!"
"A fellow member in Tokyo Philharmonic where I worked for... *BOOM* Not yet drafted but being a young male, a year younger than me or Kousei... he might get his turn."
"Ah, interesting. Care to tell me the name, ma'am?"
"The story is too long to condense with what we are facing today... we have a city to take." My eyes went on the whole platoon. "Make peace with yourself, and with your Maker whoever you know and or believe... Amaterasu, Buddha, Jesus, Allah..."
"Five minutes!"
The only comfort was the fact that despite the cost, our drone ships had established a safe lane where our tracks can pass through
Then the thud of tracks hitting the sand and concrete. That's right. Iwakuni Airport's runway.
"Clear the ramp!!"
Hiss of smoke discharged in the name of concealment, thuds of 40mm grenades and American 35mm autocannon from the ACVs opening fire.
Our effort was primarily focused on the military side of the airport, also known as Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, which housed both American naval fighters and Japanese patrol planes.
The airside; apron, taxiway, and the runway, was littered with wrecked American and Japanese planes either from the initial invasion or destroyed to prevent capture, but also ruined Chinese and Russian planes and drones as well as portable jeep-mounted anti tank missile launchers that were suppossed to repel our oncoming amtracks and landing crafts, thanks to the 127s and 155s from our fleet.
Only concealment or cover here are the drainage ditches along the runway.
At the end of wrecked hangars are the base's main building, and right now, despite some losses by enemy drones, the heavy creak of tracks announced the presence of the tanks.
"Find some cover!"
A/N
(1). Carlo Acutis (3 May 1991 – 12 October 2006) was an English-born Italian Catholic youth and amateur computer programmer, who is known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and cataloguing them onto a website that he created before his death from leukemia. His devotion to Catholic faith was such that he was beatified on 10 October 2020 and storywise, in 16 August 2022, he was elevated into a saint.
(2). A reference (storywise) to Special Boarding Unit (real life Special Boarding Group), Japanese naval special forces akin to British Special Boat Service and U.S. Navy SEALs.