Gate: In the Company of Shadows
Chapter 7
Power Projection
[REDACTED] VALE [REDACTED]
ROAD TO ALNUS HILL, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 08:30:00
"So that's the fabled Alnus Hill?"
Vale looked up from his lap, squinting from the sunlight as he looked outside the windshield.
From what he saw, the base was defended by large concrete walls with guard towers, turrets, and anti-air gun emplacements, in a star fort shaped pattern similar to that of an 18th century bastion fort. The outer perimeter of the fort was filled with their own soil and a high chain link fence complete with barbed wire surrounded the concrete walls.
High above, a JSDF Cobra could be seen flying overhead. He could already tell that Angel was probably glaring at it from the backseat without even having to look. The sound of gunfire caught his attention, and he found himself turning to find JSDF soldiers, all lined up and firing at still targets down a makeshift range. Near the range was a hastily constructed shoot house, the walls being safely bulletproofed and modular, allowing for changing scenarios. A higher ranking officer stood on the catwalks above, watching as the soldiers conducted their CQB live fire exercises.
The sound of heavy engines revving were heard nearby. Moments later, Type 74 battle tanks emerged over the hill and the Cobra that flew overhead returned in formation with several others. Both vehicles began firing at distant targets, laying down tons of damage to nearly wrecked vehicles.
"Bloody hell…" Bristol muttered. "What's the point of all this now?"
"It's a power projection Bristol, a show of force." Vale was no stranger to such sights, having seen and been involved in countless displays like the one in front of him. It was either a conveniently timed coincidence that they were conducting such drills just as they were about to arrive or it was a deliberate act. He was guessing that it was the former, but he knew better than to believe in coincidences…
Bristol rolled his eyes at the display. "More like a waste of munitions… they do realize that this is overkill, right?"
"I wouldn't say that. we called in three Apaches to deal with an army of bandits." Vale reminded. "It saved our bacon from a bunch of idiots with swords and shields. Though, I'm betting they'll start sending in heavier armor once they realize that we're here…"
The operators ignored the sound of gunfire and explosions, the noise quickly becoming part of the ambience of Alnus Hill, droning on like any normal base would.
"I wonder what the princess is thinking about all this…"
"I doubt she even knows what half this stuff is, it's all alien to her." He pointed out. "She's probably clueless and scared shitless."
Commander Graves' voice came through their headsets. "All shadows, we're approaching the main gate now. I expect nothing but strict professionalism from all of you. We need to keep a tight lid on things here."
As the convoy began approaching the checkpoint, two guards saw the approaching vehicles and stopped them. They looked bored as the JSDF stopped, but as soon as they saw the Shadow Company Humvees, their expressions changed to a mix of interest and unease.
One of the soldiers walked up to green HMV, knocking his knuckle against the window while his partner walked by, inspecting the rest of the convoy. Moments later, the window slid down, allowing the soldier to get a look inside and identify the driver as Yoji Itami.
"Control, this is main gate. Third Recon Team has returned from Italica…" His attention then turned back to the convoy, nervously eying the Shadow Company operators that manned the heavy machine guns. "Plus three Humvees not on our list with an indeterminate amount of unknowns in tow, requesting permission to enter Alnus Hill, over."
"They're not on our list either, but they're expected, let 'em in."
The soldier looked surprised for a moment, eyes focused on the Shadow Company Humvees. "No searches?"
"No searches." The reply back was swift. Clearly, whoever it was wanted them in the FOB as soon as possible.
The soldier still looked unsure about the new visitors, while his partner held a clear look of disdain on his face, very obviously glaring at them through their windshields as he walked past.
"Copy that Control. Main gate, out…"
The soldiers stepped aside, waving them in as they were cleared to enter. As the convoy entered FOB Alnus, many of the Japanese soldiers who were going about their daily routines paused for a moment. Off duty and on duty alike, all stopped to stare at the vehicle lineup, along with their new guests. Some of the soldiers were surprised, while others looked a little disgruntled at their presence.
"Very warm and friendly this lot is, you think they'll even brew us some tea?"
"Bastards have some nerve lookin' at us like that…" Angel scoffed.
"Heh, That's nothing, you should have seen the looks I got when rolling into Yemen." Viper chuckled. "I swear, everyone looked just about ready to pick up an AK."
"Yeah well, this isn't Yemen. Just be glad they gave us the go ahead, because as of right now, we're surrounded by Japanese military from all sides in neutral territory. Don't start shit, cause we can't fight the whole base."
"Well when you put it like that, I'm starting to doubt the commander's choice to attend this thing…" Angel muttered.
"You're not paid to doubt Angel, you're paid to shoot." Vale said, brushing off Angel's concerns. "Alright cut the chatter, we're coming to our stop now."
Just like he said, the convoy came slowing to a halt moments later. He looked out the window, getting a feel for the base. There were the standard lined rows of green tents but his attention was squarely focused on the rather uniform building to his left. Though bland, it seemed well constructed for a hastily built and temporary structure. Given enough time, Japan may very well start building massive cities with Tokyo level skylines in the region.
"Carnival and Sentinel elements, I want your teams to hold positions here and provide security." Graves commanded.
"Carnival copies."
"Rog, Sentinel on security."
"Bishop, you're with me and the princess."
Vale and his team stepped out of their Humvee along with all the other operators before making their way to Graves, who was currently catching up to Princess Pina as she spoke to Itami.
"Um… unfortunately I can't. You see, I've got to attend some briefings about this government meeting so…" Itami drawled nervously, rubbing the back of his head before turning and taking off into a dead sprint in the opposite direction. "Sergeant Kuribayashi should be able to help you out, I'm sure!"
As Itami's voice faded in the distance, Vale turned to find Princess Pina and Sergeant Kuribayashi both looking aghast. The former lowered her hand in disappointment while the latter looked… ticked off, to say the least.
"What an eccentric fella." The rest of Bishop found themselves voicing their agreements with their resident Brit.
"He's an asshole is what he is!" Kuribayashi hissed before groaning in annoyance. "Ugh, whatever… Just follow me. I'll lead you all to the meeting room."
The JSDF sergeant began making her way towards the glass doors, pushing them open and leading the team inside. Very quickly, Vale noticed the temperature around them changed. Gone was the heat of the scorching sun and in came the cool breeze supplied by the buildings air conditioning units as they hummed. It took a second for him to adjust, since it had been a while since he walked through some sort of official structure that wasn't a tent or a stone building.
Vale found himself inspecting the pristine white walls, newly installed ceiling panels, and the bright light fixtures. It was certainly a far cry from the decrepit and poverty stricken warzones that he was used to operating in, but then again, he always felt that way walking through the company's main facility in Maryland…
"It's cooler here than it is outside, just like in the carriages… why is that?" Bozes asked as she admired the building's simplistic interior.
"It's the HVAC. They suck in cold air and push out the warm air through a series of vents." Graves answered. "Though I'm not quite sure how to explain the intricacies of their internals to you in a way that'd make sense."
"I'm assuming that it's not powered by magic?"
"Nope, just good old fashioned technology…" Graves said proudly. "You should see how often the big suits fight over things like that back in our world. Energy hedge funds and their private investors have been ramping up operations in the Middle East against ISIS and Al-Qaeda for oil, and Wagner Group is allegedly gassing terrorists in Urzikstan… At least that's what they're claiming. The place is a war zone right now."
"Your people still have wars for resources?" Princess Pina looked perplexed at the name drops, but ignored them in favor of her other questions. "Why? What more could you possibly need?"
Graves looked a little surprised, before elaborating once he realized how inexperienced the princess really was. "There'll always be people that want something, whether it be wealth or power. They hire people like us to hand it over to them on a silver platter… for the right price of course."
Graves couldn't have been any more right when he made that statement. Power vacuums, religious extremists, or plain human greed seemed to be an unchanging and universal concept that often led to spilt blood. Vale truly did see the worst that humanity had to offer in his world.
No courtesy for civility…
He was glad that he hadn't have to encounter any coup d'états, Jihadist insurgents strapped with suicide vests, or civil wars being funded by blood diamonds on this side of the gate.
While those types of situations did indeed sound very straightforward, in reality, they were pretty complicated matters. Kind of like how walking in the middle of a Japanese base as a mercenary in another world was considered kind of complicated.
The latter was definitely a slight bit more nuanced than the former…
"Is war really that commonplace in your world?" The princess found herself asking.
Graves shrugged in response. "Princess, our world has gone through three wars on a global scale. Humanity has basically mastered the art of modern warfare."
She gave him a look. "So where does Shadow Company come into play then? The return of the Count, aiding in Italica's defense, what does your group stand to gain from such acts?"
"Simple… We're a superpower for hire, and if you're good at something, never do it for free."
Princess Pina looked a little put off by his advice. "I'm fairly certain I heard those exact same words uttered from a creepy jester I met at a birthday gathering once…"
"Well I don't look like a creepy jester now, do I?"
The princess seemed like she had now idea how to respond to that. In all fairness, Graves looked like a pretty normal guy. A very unassuming aura surrounded him, and it wasn't until one dug deeper that they found out just how different the man really was, especially with his background and stature. Before the princess could respond, Kuribayashi interrupted their conversation.
"Okay people, we're coming up to the reception and screening area now."
True to her word, near the end of the hall was a metal detector along with a conveyor belt aligned against an L shaped desk. Two soldiers stood by the metal detector with black military police armbands, while behind the desk was a short haired Japanese woman with half rimmed glasses, dressed in the same JSDF uniform. She typed away furiously, the keys of her keyboard clicking rapidly as she was hyper focused on whatever reports needed to be filed.
Kuribayashi cleared her throat in an attempt to get her attention, which apparently didn't work, as she was still focused on the monitor in front of her. The sergeant cleared her throat again, coughed, and even began snapping her fingers. Unfortunately for her, it appeared that her more obvious attempts were in vain, as the receptionist either didn't hear her or deliberately chose to ignore her.
Kuribayashi huffed in annoyance. "Honami!"
The desk girl yelped, nearly jumping out of her seat as her name was called.
"AHHH, S-sergeant Kuribayashi?!" She swiveled her seat to face her, clearing her throat to hopefully rid herself of the embarrassing stutter and put on a professional mask. "I-I mean… how can I help you, sergeant?"
Kuribayashi eyed the plastic cup next to her, seeing steam rising from the tiny hole in the lid. Her eyes then trailed down to the trash can next to the desk, which was filled to the brim with several more plastic cups. "Have you been drinking that vending machine coffee again?"
"Maybe… so what if I have?" She asked in a defensive tone. "What's it to you?"
"You see what it does to you, Honami." Kuribayashi pointed toward the cup. "That stuff ain't healthy at all."
"It's not like I'm making you drink the stuff." Honami replied, taking a sip.
Kuribayashi found herself rolling her eyes at her colleagues' deflection. "Whatever... is the general in?"
"No, he's currently with First Lieutenant Yanagida, getting Itami's written report on the events at Italica and briefing him on his planned Diet meeting. Why?"
"Well I'm not sure if you've noticed, but he's got a very peculiar crowd of people here waiting to meet with him." Kuribayashi gestured behind her.
The desk girl found herself leaning back in her seat to get a better look over the sergeant's shoulder, before her eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets.
It wasn't hard to see why. Six men in black combat uniforms, armed to the nines with three inhabitants of the region stood before her. The sight was definitely enough to make one pause. Vale deduced that she was likely wondering whether or not she would get demoted, fired, or imprisoned for sending these people into a private meeting with the general of Japan's military.
Honami gave her fellow soldier a look that practically screamed, 'are you serious right now?' before picking up her plastic coffee cup and carelessly tossing it into the filled trash can nearby. It barely stayed in as she returned her attention to the monitor and pulled up a schedule, her eyes scanning the document from top to bottom before settling on Kuribayashi once more.
"He's got some free time after this, but I wasn't made aware of any of it. I'll have to phone him."
"Go ahead." Kuribayashi sighed as she leaned against the desk. "Not like the fate of the Special Region is at stake here…"
"Hmph, I'm just a glorified receptionist in uniform, Kuribayashi. I could care less about what land Japan has control over."
"Spoken like a true patriot…" Kuribayashi said sarcastically.
She reached for the black phone nearby, putting it to her ear as she clicked one of the speed dial buttons. She waited for a few moments before straightening her posture and returning to a more business like tone.
"Sir, you've got some visitors here waiting to enter your meeting room." She paused as a gruff voice spoke back, words unintelligible from where they stood. "Yes, Sir… they are. Understood Sir, I'll get them screened and send them in right away."
The phone clicked back into place immediately after.
"You've got the go ahead, sergeant. Whoever's attending the meeting will have to go through the standard screening and then make their way down the hall. The general will be here shortly." She gestured to the metal detectors and JSDF MPs.
Vale found himself narrowing his eyes. "We need to go through a screening? Why?"
"Safety precautions obviously… You're going to be meeting the general in charge of an entire nation's military force inside of a private meeting room." Kuribayashi reminded him. "I'm not so sure that shaking the hands of such a high profile person with a loaded gun hanging by your side will leave a good impression."
"Just do as she says, Vale." Graves said, already putting his P90 in the conveyor belt bin. "This meeting kinda' has to happen."
He turned to look at his squad. "What about the rest of Bishop, Sir?"
"Your boys can just kick back for the time being. This meeting shouldn't take long."
"You go on ahead mate." Bristol said, shooing him forward. "Our boss basically just ordered us to take a load off."
Vale rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like you'd refuse that order."
Vale stepped up to the conveyor belt, reluctantly taking off his equipment. Grenade pouches, guns, his concealed karambit, really anything that carried some sort of dangerous or expensive military grade tech was removed from his persons. He even had to empty out all the pockets of his combat pants.
"I just did maintenance on this thing…" Vale remarked to the JSDF MP in blue latex gloves, putting his Glock into the conveyor belt bin. "I better not see a scratch on it when I get back, you hear? This stuff is expensive."
The soldier looked uninterested in what he had to say, going about his job with a simple, "Of course, Sir" in response.
He stepped through the body scanner and held still, watching as the lasers scanned him up and down from all sides. It felt like he was walking through TSA, except everyone in the airport was armed except him. Call him paranoid, but these precautions honestly annoyed him, as he felt extremely naked without plates surrounding his torso or a helmet wrapped around his noggin. Unlike his boss on the other hand, who looked right at home in this environment.
As the light panel on the body scanner beeped green, Vale was able to cross to the other side. He watched as his plate carrier and helmet came to a stop, resting in the bins on the conveyor belt rollers. When he went to heft them up, he noticed that they were considerably lighter. Removed from the vest were the magazines, trauma shears, and even the pen he kept in his ID panel, all of which were stored in a separate bin to be collected later.
"And here I thought I was the paranoid one…"
"They're just following protocol, Vale. You go through the same thing walking through the Pentagon, or meeting other foreign leaders."
"Fair enough…"
The two contractors stood by, watching as the female knights confusedly went through the scanner. He heard Graves chuckle as Bozes flinched at the lights, clueless as to how they worked or what they did.
"Come on people, the general ain't gonna talk to himself." Graves said, following Kuribayashi as she began leading the way down the hall. "At least, I hope he isn't. Those types are usually the hardest to work with…"
As they made to catch up with her, Vale found his eyes landing on a blue head of hair. Lelei, if he recalled correctly, was one of the refugees that Count Formal mentioned seeing back in the throne room. An archmage sorceress wielding a very peculiar staff in her hand, and for some reason she was tagging along with them.
Wait a second, how come she can bring along a magic staff into this meeting but I can't bring a simple pen?!
"Hey, why are you coming along?"
Without turning, she answered. "Along with speaking the region's tongue, I've also picked up on the Japanese language. This allows me to communicate and bridge the gap between the language barriers, often making me somewhat of an intermediary by association."
Vale was impressed. This inhabitant of the region learned how to speak Japanese in what was essentially a few months without any formal practice beforehand. Either she had a really good teacher, or she picked up fast.
"That's pretty big responsibility to saddle one such as yourself with." Vale noted, "How old are you anyways?"
"I'm fifteen."
"Jesus Christ… and you're working for their military? Sooner or later, they're gonna have you firing a rifle and standing in formation."
"Child soldiers, brainwash them at a young age." Graves remarked. "... But they just keep getting younger and younger don't they?"
Lelei tilted her head in confusion, but chose not to ask for any elaboration.
Another JSDF MP stood guard outside the door, and at the sight of the group, opened it for them.
"The general will be with you all soon." Kuribayashi said before briskly speed walking away, not even giving them a chance to reply.
Eager to leave, are we? She must not like us very much…
When he stepped in, he noted that the room was by all accounts, very barren. Two windows covered by shutters along with a map covered the walls, while in the middle of the room were two gray sofas and chairs, surrounding a simple wooden coffee table.
"It's very plain for a meeting room." Bozes said, glancing at the map on the wall. "The furniture looks fluffy though."
"Function over form. It's more practical than a giant round table or a large and echoey throne room." Graves replied, choosing to lean back in one of the chairs.
Princess Pina and Bozes didn't respond, simply choosing to sit on one of the sofas. Vale opted to sit on the same sofa as the two, not wanting to leave his back exposed to the door in case anything happened, a concern which Graves didn't seem to share judging by his lax posture. The results ended up with Vale sinking into the cushions between the women, causing them both to awkwardly scooch closer to the armrests. The last person to sit was Lelei, who sat across from Graves with the most plain expression Vale had ever seen on anyone's face. The room sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being that of the birds and vehicles outside, before the princess decided to break it.
"So… Commander Graves?"
"Yes Princess?"
"Me and Bozes have been brought here to apologize for breaking the treaty… but is that really what we're here for?"
Graves glanced at the blue haired teen sitting across from him.
"You're here for that and more." He said, leaning closer against the armrest of his chair. "You're a useful asset to the company, and a useful asset is also an informed one. I want you and your subordinate to come with us when we cross the gate into their world."
"C-Cross the gate?!" Pina asked in shock. "Even ignoring how absurd the request is, how can you be certain that they'll even allow you access?"
"I know how to negotiate, princess. Besides, it's not the first time we've crossed a gate. Just play your part and I'll play mine."
At Graves' reassurance, the princess tried her best to sit still but found herself fidgeting with her hands in her lap anyway. Vale understood that she was definitely out of her element here. Being coerced into another world by a foreign commander under the guise of apologizing for accidentally breaking an already agreed upon treaty? Any one would be as nervous, if not worse. All things considered, she appeared to be handling it semi-decently.
Moments later, the door to the meeting room opened, and in stepped a middle aged gentleman with brown hair, eyes, and a finely combed mustache. Vale assumed this to be the JSDF general, as evidenced by the simple dark green service coat, complete with three gold stars on each shoulder, and a myriad of service ribbons over his left breast pocket. A second man with an easygoing smile closed the door behind him and then it was clear to Vale that the general was experienced in his position, being both highly decorated and well respected amongst his troops.
Harder to dismantle a military from the inside with good leadership…
The three females stood up from their seats, causing Graves to look to Vale and tilt his head in the direction of the general behind him. Understanding his message, the two operators also did the same.
"This is General Hazama and First Lieutenant Yanagida of the Japanese Self Defense Force."
The general gave a disarming smile at the sight, clasping his hands formally behind his back as he overlooked the room.
"Greetings, I apologize for the wait." He said, making his way to the opposite sofa with the First Lieutenant. "I hope you weren't too bored in my absence."
"Nonsense, Sir." Graves responded in clear Japanese.
The general gave him a quick noncommittal hum in acknowledgement. "Hmmm, please, everyone go ahead and take a seat."
As everyone sat back down, the general focused his attention on the nervous redhead in front of him.
"Well then, let's start with you, Princess Pina." He began, with said princess nodding in response. "Having you here in Alnus Hill is certainly… unusual. I'm under the assumption that you're here to discuss something rather important?"
"You have something important you wish to discuss?" Lelei interpreted his words.
"Yes, It is in regards to the treaty that Italica, and by extension, the Saderan Empire has signed with your people…" Pina sighed, doing her best to look the general in the eye. "To put it simply, things didn't go as planned… and I apologize for that."
Lelei turned to face the general, "Pina apologizes for the mishap that occurred between her knight order and your soldiers."
"Yes, I've read Lieutenant Itami's report. He made it explicitly clear that your inferiors weren't notified of the treaty."
Pina's face scrunched up like she had bitten into a lemon, the lemon here being a broken treaty... "T-That's true… but we've resolved that issue now."
As Lelei finished translating, the general continued on. "Princess, you're currently acting as a stand-in intermediary to help conversate between our government and those running your Empire. I can see that this has caused some problems for you and may lead to more in the future. If you want, we'll be more than happy to reconsider the terms of the treaty."
Vale had a bad feeling about his response. At the moment, the general was coming off as the nice guy, only wanting what was best for people and not in the business of causing any more trouble or distress to the princess. The last time he trusted a general, the man pulled the wool over the entire world's eyes. He wouldn't be making the same mistake twice…
"No, the treaty is fine as is!" Pina shouted as she shot up from the sofa, before realizing all eyes were on her and meekly reeling herself back from the little outburst. "No changes will be necessary on that front…"
"That's all well and good, but some more clarification would certainly help to put my mind at ease. Especially if it's coming straight from the source." Yanagida spoke up
Judging from his near haughty tone, Vale could already tell that he wasn't going to like him. The neatly done hair and smug smile, combined with the mischievous glint in his eyes behind the well polished glasses made for a combination that screamed he was the calm and analytical type. Add the fact that his position and rank placed him as a decent adjutant for the general, and one could see that he was obviously up to no good.
"Yanagida…" The general warned.
Despite his superior's warning tone, Yanagida continued on regardless. "Just like the general, I've also read Itami's report. I couldn't help but notice it briefly mentioning that he was beaten like a training dummy by Ms. Palesti over here."
The two knights grimaced at his words.
"Though I did indeed find it hilarious, that's neither here nor there. He was extremely embarrassed from the whole ordeal, naturally, and did his absolute best to deny any such thing happening. That does lead me to wonder, what exactly did he say or do that was so out of line? Did he break a social norm, insult one of you, draw a weapon?"
"Did Lieutenant Itami do anything rude that would cause you to punish him so harshly?" Lelei simplified.
Bozes turned away, unable to meet his eyes. "N-No… I simply mistook him for the enemy, and acted with incomplete information…"
"Yanagida, that'll be more than enough." The general said, shutting down any further probing questions that could be directed towards the girls. "Be civil here, don't you see how uncomfortable you're making them?"
"Sorry, Sir."
Vale gave him a weary eye. This wasn't a simple case of him forgetting his place. Yanagida had an ego, and it was evidenced by how proud he was of himself. He was proud of his looks, his demeanor, his ability to read others. As far as Vale was concerned, anyone that spoke over their superior as if they were more important definitely needed to have tabs kept on them...
"Now, I believe we should move on to other equally important matters." The general said, turning to face Graves and eyeing his combat uniform. "And you are…?"
"General Hazama, my name is Phillip Graves. I'm the commander and CEO of Shadow Company."
The general's expression shifted slightly at the mention of CEO. "Yes, I've heard of you in more recent passing rumors… Would you care to elaborate on what exactly Shadow Company is and what it stands for?"
"Gladly, Shadow Company is a business continuity firm. We help insert meaningful governments into failed states by providing environment security, asset recovery, client protection, and rapid interdiction services."
"So the rumors are true then… you're really a private military?"
Graves shrugged in response. "Call us what you want, but Shadow Company is a globally recognized leader in the international military services marketplace."
"Interesting… and how effective is your pool of contractors really?" Yanagida asked.
"We employ a variety of highly trained professionals, seeking only top performers with long histories and notable actions in their respective fields. This solution allows our clients to focus on growth and profitability rather than existing and emergent threats." Graves memorized the words exactly as if he was reading off of a business pamphlet to a client. "We've got veterans hardened from Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, even Washington and New York more recently."
The general nearly doubled over in his seat from Graves' comment.
"Wait, hold on a minute… just to clarify and make sure that I'm not mishearing things, you said Washington and New York?" Graves nodded in response. "As in, Washington DC and New York City, both located in the United States of America?"
"Yeah, the Russkies thought it would be a good idea to attack the United States on her home turf. When that didn't work out, they instead went on to invade Berlin and Paris, and that's when all hell broke loose."
Vale pressed his lips into a thin line as he recalled the invasions. It was nearly impossible to forget the footage he saw online of the first chemical gas attacks…
The general's personal adjutant was now sporting a frown, all traces of smugness wiped by the reveal. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying that Russia invaded other countries and caused World War Three on your side of the gate?"
"Is it so hard to believe? There was no build up of troops or any sudden training drills, no concerning ballistic missile tests, and no increases into their military spending. Why? Has Russia made any moves on your side?"
Vale noted that Graves didn't bother correcting Yanagida on the fact that it was Makarov's Inner Circle of Russian Ultranationalists that waged the war.
An omission of truth then…
He hoped Graves knew what he was doing, because this decision could either yield very good results or the complete opposite.
"Nothing major, no..." The general looked extremely concerned, glancing at his subordinate nearby. "But you did successfully repel them, didn't you?"
"Oh of course, you should see how wildly unprepared Russia's military really is. If they weren't already at a disadvantage attacking the United States and her allies, they were from their logistics, morale, and global support."
"It can't possibly be the same though, our Russia has modernized its military pretty well." Yanagida countered.
"Don't believe everything you see online, because let me be the first to tell you, it's very hard to rally allies when you start gassing women and children with biochemical weapons inside shopping malls."
Graves was certainly laying it on thick with the big bad Russia narrative. It was almost biased propaganda at this point… actually, it was entirely biased propaganda, which Vale found himself agreeing with wholeheartedly…
Am I a bad person for thinking like this…? He asked himself. Oh who am I kidding, I've done much worse…
The general looked slightly disturbed and uncomfortable. "Graves, while this new influx of information has certainly been… enlightening. We still don't know what exactly it is you're here for, both in the region and sitting here with us."
"That's where matters get complicated." Graves sighed. "General, let me ask you, where did the gate appear in your world?"
"The Ginza district of Tokyo."
There it was... No wonder Japan was taking as much advantage of the region as possible. Ginza was Tokyo's most famous upmarket shopping, dining and entertainment center, featuring high end department stores, boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, night clubs, cafes, and much more. Vale remembered visiting once on vacation and seeing just how absolutely packed it was. Tourists and residents alike filled the district with activity during all times of day. If a fighting force of medieval soldiers, demi-human creatures, and dragons showed up unannounced to slaughter, then Japan was going to hit back in the name of justice for all the lives lost.
"General, the gate appeared in our Maryland facility, in the backyard of the company's main base of operations in the US."
"Ah…" The general nodded dumbly. "That does indeed complicate matters…"
"Rather than risk letting this problem fester any longer than it has to, I request that me, an entourage of my men, and Princess Pina as well as her knight, are allowed through your side of the gate, so that we may discuss this further with your official lawmakers."
Vale could have sworn he saw a few more wrinkles appear on the general's face as he leaned back into the sofa. "Yanagida?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"This meeting might take a while… why don't you go and brew us all some coffee."
Yanagida simply blinked in response, before standing up and making his way to the door. "Right away, Sir"
Vale silently chuckled to himself as Yanagida busied himself with menial tasks.
Heh, nothing more than a glorified assistant.
SHINO KURIBAYASHI
ALNUS HILL, FALMART
IMPERIAL CALENDAR 687 - 19:37:00
Sergeant Kuribayashi unfortunately found herself making her way to the general's office once more. Usually when she was in that office, it was to give a progress report, attend a small briefing, or get handed a punishment. With what has been happening on the base lately, it may as well have been a punishment. She wasn't being ordered to go there, not at all. In fact, she was walking to the general's office on her own volition.
After a few minutes through countless white halls, she finally came upon a simple wooden door. A shiny golden plaque labeled 'General Hazama' was plastered against it, the gold contrasting against the dark brown oak. It was such a simple thing, but it spoke volumes, especially since it was such an official sign of authority over everyone else. The general got his own office, of course, and why wouldn't he? He was the leader in charge of the JSDF on this side of the gate. It was with this information that made Kuribayashi anxious of her next move. This man could humiliate her and ruin her career if he so chose…
She gave a few light knocks against the door, hearing a muffled 'come in!' from the other side.
Her hand twisted the knob, allowing her access into the room and its lone occupant. General Hazama had his head held in his hands as he stared at the computer screen in front of him. Manilla folders, loose papers, and pens lay scattered on his desk. Coffee stain rings from his mug also dotted his desk, though miraculously, none of them were on any of the files he had on hand. Only someone experienced with constantly being overworked and swamped with papers could accomplish such a feat.
"Sir!" Kuribayashi announced, standing at attention.
General Hazama looked up, and at the sight of her, leaned back in his office chair, likely thankful for the momentary distraction.
"Ah, Sergeant Kuribayashi, at ease." He looked through the blinds of his window, seeing the sky turn orange as the sun set. "It's a rather odd time to be seeing me right now. How can I help you?"
"Sir, I wanted to speak to you about our new guests…" She cringed, feeling bad about adding on to his stress. "About the Shadow Company..."
"Oh…" General Hazama clasped his hands in front of him, holding his chin up. "I see…"
"Yeah… if you don't mind me asking Sir, what exactly is it that they want?"
He spread his arms out, gesturing to the messy desk in front of him. "Well, I have several written reports here if you'd like to skim through them really quickly."
He picked up a lengthy looking sheet, handing it to her before she quickly snatched it up. Slowly inspecting every word, she found her eyes widening as she got further and further in, before rereading it again to make sure she didn't miss any details.
Once done, she looked back up at him with an expression of shock. "You've got to be kidding me…"
"I wish I was, sergeant…"
"You can't honestly be considering this, right?! It's a PMC! they're mercenaries, soldiers of fortune, guns for hire, contract killers, button men, sicarios, fixers, seriously the list goes on and on. They'll happily rim the fat cats who've got money spewing out of their asses and will have no qualms in engaging in illegal activities to achieve results!"
The general opened his mouth to counter her, but she kept going.
"For God's sake, the name of the company they're employed under is Shadow Company! Isn't that just the least bit suspicious?"
"Ok!" The general yelled back, finally conceding. "Ok... I see your point. But what exactly can we do? They've apparently come from another separate gate from an entirely different world as well, Which I'll remind you, had just recently survived World War Three. We can't just tell them to up and leave."
"Well why the hell not? We're a real military from a real nation! We can take them on without even having to fire a single round. Just subtle threats about politics here and there and some intimidation tactics will surely get them to back off."
The general stared at her incredulously, "A real military? you mean a self-defense force? When was the last time a weapons manufacturing company signed a contract to supply the JSDF with high-end weapon attachments? This group is so much more better equipped than us, each of their guys can afford to deck out their sidearms with their own stippled grips, custom slides, and expensive red dot sights like they were taken from the set of a John Wick movie!"
To further emphasize his point, the general threw down another manilla folder in front of her. In it, was a report from the metal detector systems, the same one that Kuribayashi led the contractors through to meet with him. Attached to the report by a paperclip was a photo of one of their heavily kitted out handguns, as well as an identified parts list from what their armorers and analysts could make out. Her jaw nearly dropped at the sight. The list was extensive, and she had never even heard of half of these manufacturing companies. The ones she did know of though, were very expensive brands that the civilian market had to pay a small fortune for to use in the states, if they were even permitted to buy them in the first place. Though she would never admit it, she was very envious of the types of tools these contractors got to use.
"Meanwhile our government has been giving us Type 64s, a weapon designed in the 60s without even a modular rail system to mount flashlights!"
He's over exaggerating, we're not completely behind...
"General, Japan has Type 89s as well, and we've even recently begun rolling out the Type 20s."
"Yes, both of which we don't have access to in the region. We've been given Vietnam era flak vests rather than plate carriers and we don't even have headsets for comms and hearing protection because, let's face it sergeant, Japan doesn't want to lose vital equipment to expendable soldiers. These guys on the other hand, are contractually obligated to use and field test next-generation equipment, not given to actual militaries because they can afford to personally procure it themselves. Come talk to me when the JSDF has a similar budget."
She crossed her arms in defiance. "Equipment isn't everything to win a war!"
"Now we're talking about war?" He asked in disbelief. "Sergeant, these guys also have the experience to back up any claims they may make, or did you forget me mentioning that they went through World War Three and won!"
"Oh come on! If they lose one of those guys, the company probably crosses their name off on a profit and loss statement sheet. They're expendable assets, no different from Blackwater or Wagner contractors!"
"Precisely why! They're expendable assets which the company can afford to replace with someone just as capable! Do you know how many eligible ex-SOF guys they have in their world that would jump at the chance to sign one of their contracts?"
"Then let's get the US to help us! They're our allies right? They're kind of obligated to."
"Sergeant, as I'm sure you've already noticed… the Japanese government has done everything in its power to keep the Special Region to ourselves, including the denial of assistance from the United States. We've already given our star spangled friends a tiny taste of it by handing over some of the creatures from the Ginza incident for science. It's no secret that they're hungering for a bigger slice of the pie, especially with how hard they've been pushing joint operations requests."
"Dammit…" He raised a good point, any request for help will have Americans flooding in, especially once they started sending intel back of the vast and endless resources. "You give an inch and they'll take a mile…"
"Glad to see you're finally understanding."
"Oh I understand alright… I understand that you're afraid!"
The general looked just about ready to face plant into his desk right about now. "Look, it pains me just as much to be here with them, just as much as it does you… but I'm thinking about this in the long term. We're in no position to be pushing our weight around and if we start hammering more of our forces into the region, the inhabitants are going to see it as an all out invasion rather than peace attempts. It'll be a PR disaster for everyone back home, one which would include our lawmakers and the Prime Minister-"
"We could provoke them."
The interruption was enough to make him pause mid-rant. "I'm sorry?"
"We could create a situation where they're provoked and have an altercation occur. Egg them on until one of their cowboys gets fed up and starts trying to intimidate us. If they start pointing weapons at our people, then that means we could-"
"Get out." He said, cutting her off immediately.
…
She blinked in confusion. "Sir?"
"I've read your file Kuribayashi. I know how hot headed, short tempered, and reckless you are, which is why I'm both surprised and unsurprised that you'd even go that far. For your sake, I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you suggest putting the lives of our people at risk to provoke an all out war with a private military, which is probably contracted by the US to be in the region. I should have you demoted and scrubbing latrines for even thinking such a thing. Now I'm giving you a chance to clear your head and think things through soundly, and I'm only going to tell you one more time. Get out…"
The shut down was… abrupt, to say the least. Kuribayashi had never seen the general get so serious in her life, and the fact that he said her name without her rank? She definitely crossed a line with her suggestion.
After a stern stare down followed by a few tense moments of silence, she eventually complied. "Yes, Sir."
She turned to leave, not exactly slamming the door but not exactly closing it gently either. As she left the room, she felt herself shivering. She had no idea if it was from the building's HVAC units or from her barely restrained anger, but it was probably a combination of both. Just to be sure though, she rolled her sleeves down, cuffing them around her wrists.
"Stupid region climate…" She muttered, rubbing her now wrapped arms.
As she angrily stomped away from the general's office, the sudden sound of laughter caused her to pause. She looked around in confusion, trying to figure out where it came from before her eyes stopped on a nearby window. As she walked up to it, the laughter increased in volume and she got a better look at the source of the noise down below.
The Shadow Company contractors were posted outside, some sitting in the open trunks of the Humvees or on various military grade cases while others were standing nearby. They laughed as they told stories, smoking and joking without a care in the world. These were the same idiots that nearly got her in trouble, and they were just enjoying life like they weren't about to ruin hers? She wanted to go out there and vent her frustrations to them, but she had a feeling that her recent heated dispute with the general put her on some very thin ice.
"You're not thinking of joining them are you?"
She whipped around almost instantly, her boots loudly squeaking against the newly wet and polished floors as she almost slipped. As she got her bearings, she came face to face with First Lieutenant Yanagida, who was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and an amused expression at her near accident. She hated that look, something was always up with him…
She huffed, glancing back at the contractors down below. "As if… those idiots fight for money, nothing else."
"Yep, money that can buy them much better equipment than what our government hands us, right?"
How did he…?
"Were you eavesdropping on my conversation with the general, Lieutenant?"
"Kind of hard not to." He pushed himself off the wall, making his way beside her. "You made quite the ruckus back there, and to General Hazama himself? That takes guts... I don't envy you."
"Can you blame me? The Special Region was supposed to belong to Japan and Japan only. We'd have full control over everything that comes in and out of the gate, putting Japan high above other countries… only for these clowns to show up and walk all over the general."
"I'd be careful about your blatant nationalism… could send the wrong message to the wrong people." He commented, peering down at the contractors they stood above.
"What, you think they're gonna silence me?" She would have laughed at the idea, had it not held some possible merit.
"I'm just saying, who knows what our friends in black get up to?"
"They're not our friends…"
"Oh I have no doubts about that. They'll want you out of the picture if you become too much of a problem for them." He said in agreement. "But while they may not be our friends, they might also not be our enemies. Rather, a useful asset to us."
"Useful asset…?" She asked before shaking her head. "Lieutenant, Where are you going with this? The general said that we're not to do anything to them."
"I haven't done anything and you're already suspicious of me, how cute..." She grit her teeth at him, so desperately wanting to tell him off. "I know I might be asking too much of you, but I'd start playing a little nicer. Nothing personal obviously, just enough to get in their good graces."
He reached for his breast pocket and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. "I'm not gonna force you to do anything, but maybe my words really do mean something. Think on them, will ya? In the meantime, I'm going to be showing our new guests to their sleeping quarters. Have a good night, sergeant."
She felt the mischievous man pat her on the shoulder before she watched him make his way down the stairs, walking out of the front door to speak with the contractors. He gestured towards the unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth, before one of the men pulled out a lighter and helped light it. He took a drag of it, before blowing a decently sized puff of smoke and then pointed towards the living quarters nearby. Unintelligible words were exchanged before they nodded in thanks. Moments later, the contractors packed everything up into their vehicles and began driving away.
While they may not be our friends, they might also not be our enemies. Rather, a useful asset for us...
"What exactly are you planning, Yanagida?" She asked as she looked up at the sunset. "You better not be damning us all..."
Author's Notes
Another update!
Shadow Company has arrived at Alnus Hill and have begun talks with Lieutenant General Hazama about the presence of their operators. Graves works some of his business magic and manages to tip the scales in the company's favor, Kuribayashi gets into a verbal dispute with General Hazama, and Yanagida is planning something…
I thought this would take much longer to post to be honest. I just got all 4 wisdom teeth removed recently and I felt sluggish. Not completely in pain or anything, just unused to barely moving my mouth. I've had a diet of rice porridge, puddings, and ice cream these past few days, not too bad all things considered...
MW2 (2022) HYPE
At the time of posting this chapter, we've got 9 more days until digital pre-orders get access to the MW2 campaign.
I'm gonna be honest, as much as I love the Sicario movies, I'm not so sure about COD taking the story to the cartel side of things. I always saw it as military operators fighting terrorists and enemy soldiers, but I guess that would get stale after so many games.
Did y'all see the new General Shepherd, by the way? I'm gonna miss the beret and mustache, but an upside is that they have Glenn Morshower playing him. Glenn Morshower's most notable role has been as a military higher up bald man, which is what he plays almost anytime he's on screen… how diverse. But with Shepherd returning in this next installment, that begs the question… is Task Force 141 getting betrayed again? Will it be from General Shepherd, Alejandro Vargas, or Phillip Graves and Shadow Company? Or are we just overthinking things, and there's not gonna be a betrayal at all?
Personally, I think it'll be a case of mistaken identity with someone getting framed, and Shadow Company will get into combat with Task Force 141 by mistake.
Or if that's not true, Shadow Company is secretly fueling the war on drugs, so that the war on terror can continue, keeping a stable business for them. Alejandro, while leading Los Vaqueros, could discover this and warn Task Force 141.
I'm hoping that Shadow Company isn't completely evil in this next game, but they are private contractors. Even if they do turn out to be bad, they'll still be a pretty cool modern enemy faction. Regardless, I'm going to replay that campaign to death when it comes out.