Debt of Honor
Chapter 10
China
"And just where is Mr. Saotome and Mr. Hibiki?" Ms. Hinako asked Akane and Akari as class began.
Akane silently cursed Ranma for making her make up excuses for him. She had expected Ms. Hinako to get angry over Ranma and Ryoga's absences, but she had not expected the anger to be directed at her and Akari.
"They went on a trip to Nagasaki," Akane answered. "They have set up a temporary care center for Americans that are injured there and the both of them wanted to help out."
Ms. Hinako seemed to seriously consider the truth in Akane's statement before replying.
"Okay, but you make sure to tell him that he's going to have a lot of homework when he comes back," Ms. Hinako said.
"Okay," Akane replied, releasing the breath that she had been holding. She stole a glance at Akari, who was seated beside her, and saw the relief on her face as well.
Akari had only been at the school for about a week, but she had seen enough students subjected to Ms. Hinako's chi-draining technique to become wary of the diminutive teacher.
The class turned to the day's lesson. Akane made a conscious effort to keep her mind from wandering but it was to no avail. She was now thinking about Ranma.
Akane had been around Ranma enough to know that he was not in Nagasaki anymore. Once news of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion's departure from Nagasaki had hit the newswires, Akane knew that Ranma, Ryoga, and Ishii would be heading off to China with them.
Akari was no different from Akane. There were no doubts in her own mind about what Ranma and Ryoga had actually done when they reached Nagasaki.
The same thought struck them both at the same time.
There was a war going on no more than a thousand miles away, and here they were inside a classroom listening to a teacher describe some arithmetic.
===============
The President of Taiwan placed a telephone call to the President of the United States.
The White House switchboard immediately put President Lee's call through.
"Hello?" the President of the United States said into the telephone.
*Hello Mr. President.*
"Oh, hello Lee," the President replied. "How may I help you?"
*Actually, I was wondering if you happened to have received word on the Chinese diplomatic talks the other day.*
"As a matter of fact," the President said, twisting in his chair to reach the document that was sitting on his desk. "I happen to have a document right here."
*Good, I just wanted to make sure you had the news.* the President of Taiwan said.
"It is very grave news," the President said.
*Yes.*
"I was actually thinking of calling you about this report and seeing if you had any ideas," he said. "Because around here I'm getting no help."
*I have been speaking to my SECARMY, and he has proposed the idea that we take out the People's Republic of China's nuclear weapons.*
"That would be quite a task," the President said.
*I know, that is why I was hoping you would have some other ideas.*
"Well, now that you mention it, I had an idea put before me awhile ago," the President said. "It was put together by some senior member of the CIA, and it proposed the idea of going after the leaders of China."
*As in assassinate them?*
"I would use the word eliminate but yes, that's about right."
*That would almost be as risky as taking out their nuclear weapons.*
"I would think that my National Security Advisor said it the best. He said, 'Mr. President, this war was started by old men that are very insecure, and now that they are being pushed back, they are very frightened. If using their nuclear weapons will help them win this war, then they will offer no hesitation in using them.' I agree one hundred percent with that thought."
*I would agree myself. But where does that leave us? We can either go after these men, or eliminate their greatest asset.*
The President of the United States thought before he responded.
"We could do both," he said simply.
*Kill the Politburo and destroy their nuclear arms? That is a proposition that I like.*
"We would need a large force to accomplish such a feat," the President said, mainly to himself. "Probably around two hundred men to do it. Then I would need to use the Air Force."
*How may men sit on the Politburo?*
"I think there is at least ten, but I'll have to ask the DCI. What in the way of assets do you think you could supply?"
*I regret to say that nearly all of my country's forces have been committed to expelling the Chinese,* the President of Taiwan said, embarrassed.
"That is alright my friend; I understand that it is never easy to fight an army so large on land so small. I experienced the same sort of feeling during the Vietnam War."
*What about the British? Could they lend assistance?*
"Yes, I could speak with the Prime Minister and convince him to lend us the use of some SAS (Special Air Service; Britain's Special Forces) divisions. I was also thinking that the Canadians could help us out as well."
*Yes, they have already proved willing to help, unlike most of the other countries,* he added bitterly.
"You must understand that most countries are very uneasy about joining a war that probably should have stayed a civil war, even though they did attack us first. I was just thinking that the Canadians are the only country to have sent us assistance so far."
President Lee did not reply.
"If we were to conduct such an operation, what kind of troops would we need?"
*I believe that you should use some of your Green Beret's for such a mission.*
"Why would you think that?" the President of the United States asked.
*I have first-hand involvement with them.*
The President chuckled.
"Well, it is a shame that the certain Green Beret officer that saved you is now on route to China."
*Parker has been sent to China?*
"Yes, he is the commanding officer of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion. His father tells me that young Phillip said that he had never commanded such troops before."
*Well, let us hope that they will have greater success than the other divisions that have attempted to invade the PRC.*
"Yes," the President said solemnly, then, after a moment, "We seem to have gotten off topic."
*Right. I believe that if we are to send troops over to hit the Chinese nuclear weapons depots, then we should use Special Forces teams from all the Allied nations.*
"I would think that that would be for the best. I'll start my Secretary of State on that right now. Was there anything else Lee?"
*No, thank you for your time my friend.*
"Anytime Lee," the President said and hung up.
===============
November 30 would be a day that would hold many odd occurrences.
Canada, a nation most withheld for its position as a peacekeeper, immediately agreed to send the STRIKE Special Forces team to join in the joint U.S.-Taiwan mission.
In an attempt to gain support, China sent diplomats to Moscow. Once the plane that had been carrying the diplomats reached Russian airspace, three Russian fighters ordered the plane to return to China. The President of Russia had stated their support for the American effort to stop the Chinese. They had even agreed to send a Spetznaz (Russian Special Forces team) team to help eliminate the Chinese nuclear capabilities.
China, deciding that they would not be able to get any support from the rest of Asia or Europe, sent diplomats to the Middle East. In a freak accident, Iraqi fighters shot at the diplomat's plane. Earlier that day, the CIA had forged a document that stated the purpose of a Boeing 747 that would enter Iraqi was to bring in some Kurd traitors to gain support in the southern part of Iraqi. The Chinese diplomat's plane left Iraqi unharmed.
On the war-front, there were many odd happenings.
Upon landing at Shanghai, the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion was met with absolutely no oppressive fire. The news of what the 82nd had done in Taiwan had reached even China. The Chinese troops had abandoned their posts once word of the 82nd's approach reached their stations.
===============
Misfortune struck the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion on its second day in China.
While on patrol, four American soldiers were killed when the steep cliff face they were climbing gave way. They plummeted over one hundred feet to their deaths.
They were buried twenty miles outside of Shanghai.
===============
Colonel Parker swore furiously and kicked his M1 Abrams tank.
He had just received a radio intercept from the command station they had set up in Shanghai.
Until proper replacements could be sent in for the men killed in the landslide, the 82nd were to cease all movements. They would have to set up a temporary camp in the Chinese wilderness, during December.
Parker had tried to get permission to at least move half of the battalion, including Ranma, Ryoga, and Ishii, back to the command station. His request had been denied.
"What does this mean Colonel?" the sergeant operating the radios asked.
"It means you better start warming up your hands sergeant," Parker said and stormed back to the camp.
"Well, well," Ranma said in way of greeting, "Don't we look to be in a good mood."
"Shut up!" Parker snapped. He saw the surprised expression on the soldier's faces and Ranma's. "I've just received orders to hold our positions until we can get proper replacements for the men lost yesterday."
"Shit!" one of the soldiers said angrily. "We only lost four guys Colonel, why can't we just go on?"
"We can't keep going because there is absolutely no way the brass back in Taiwan think that we could finish ripping the Chinese new assholes with only three hundred men," Parker responded.
"Well, why don't you just use those three?" a captain asked, indicating the three Japanese.
The men of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion had not raised any questions to the presence of Ranma, Ryoga, and Ishii. Phillip had explained to the troops that they were from the CIA and that they could not answer any of their questions.
For their part, the three Japanese stowaways had made themselves as inconspicuous as possible. That had proved incapable of happening due to the natural curiosity of the soldiers. Ranma and Ryoga weren't fluent in English so Ishii and Phillip acted as interpreters whenever a question was directed at the two of them.
It had been decided that Ryoga, Ranma, and Ishii would depart from the 82nd when they were within five hundred miles of Beijing. Ishii had said that he had been receiving reports in Japan about any information on a Japanese body, and the last report he had received had said that the body was being held in a hospital inside Beijing.
"Out of the damn question!" Parker said.
"Why?" another soldier asked.
"These men are not enlisted in the army and they are not American citizens."
"Who's going to say anything?" the same captain asked. "All we can do is put them in a uniform and give them a quick lesson on how to load the guns and run the M1's."
Phillip looked at the troops in front of him and glanced over at the three Japanese.
"There is no way I'm letting them into the damn tanks."
===============
"Captain Ranma Saotome, reporting for duty," Ranma said mockingly to the mirror in front of him.
Ranma had been given the uniform of a captain. The patch that had the name inscribed was removed. The patch that displayed the insignia of a member of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion was displayed on his chest.
Ryoga had the uniform of a Warrant Officer, First Class. The patch that gave the name had also been removed.
If the name insignia had not been removed, the two Japanese teenagers could have been mistaken for American Armor officers.
Both of them were muscular and tall for their age, which made them fill out the uniform flatteringly.
Ryoga glanced over at Ranma, his face was grim.
"This isn't a goddamned jock Ranma."
Ranma turned around and smiled. "You will address me as captain, or sir, Mr. Hibiki."
Ryoga shook his head and stepped outside the tent. The cold air nipped at his chest and he crossed his arms over the not-so-adequate material of the uniform. Ranma followed him out and patted Ryoga on the shoulder as he passed.
"Come on; let's go see how Ishii looks."
They walked towards a nearby tent and pushed past the flap.
"Whoa, looking good Ishii," Ranma said.
Ishii had received the uniform of a Sergeant, Second Class. The particular uniform he was wearing had belonged to one of the American officers killed in the accident the previous day. The tiny ribbons that had been used as the representative for the medals the soldier won in battle had not been removed.
Sergeant Forrestor had been a member of the 101st Airborne, as well as being an Armor grade officer.
He had won the Distinguished Flying Cross, a medal given to army aviators that had performed admirably at the controls of an army aircraft. Sergeant Forrestor had been an honorary member of the Foreign Legion; in the grade of Chevalier. He had French Parachutists wings, as well as two American parachutists' wings. Two small stars adorned the bottom of the American parachutist's ribbon, signifying two jumps into combat.
Sergeant Forrestor had obviously been a very admirable soldier.
"I feel a little uncomfortable wearing the uniform of a soldier that has passed," Ishii said.
"It was the only other spare threads, and we need to look like American soldiers," Ranma said reasonably.
"And doesn't that bother you?" Ryoga asked sharply. "Were going to be out there fighting people with weapons that won't just injure them, were going to be killing people."
"Oh calm down," Ranma said. "All were going to be doing is riding with Phil, he won't let us go out on our own."
That seemed to reassure the others so Ranma let it drop. They left the tent and went to track down Phil.
They found him adjusting the tracks on his M1 Abrams tank.
"Well, don't you all look splendid," he said sarcastically.
"What's with the tone?" Ranma asked.
Phillip stared at them for a moment before replying.
"If you're going to be acting like American officers, I want you to act like one. You will finish each sentence with either my rank or 'sir'."
Ranma and the others saw that he was dead serious.
"Yes sir, no excuse sir," Ranma said and popped off a quick salute.
"Good, now, I've got some bad news," Phillip said. "It appears that you guys will not be able to ride with me. There's no room for people that don't now what's going on. I can fit Ishii in, but that's only because he knows how to work the radios. You two," he said, pointing at Ranma and Ryoga, "will have to ride along in the other half tracks. I've explained to the other troops that you don't have any experience and that you're not to be given any job other than to get out of the soldiers way."
Ranma and Ryoga nodded.
===============
Captain Ranma Saotome quickly grabbed onto the support bar inside the M1 Abrams tank as they came barreling through the thick, frost infested foliage. He glanced at the other men and saw that they were bouncing around as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Ranma couldn't see three feet through the thick dense jungle, but he knew that there was at least fifty other American halftracks out there, and most likely some Chinese.
Before Ranma knew what had happened, the scene suddenly changed and they were now moving across a very large field, covered in snow. Explosions began rocking the earth.
"Shit!" the lieutenant driving cursed. "Looks like there's some infantry further up."
Ranma looked closely and spotted a bunch of soldiers lying on their stomachs firing at them.
"We got any Canister rounds back there?" the lieutenant asked. (A canister round is a large round fired from tanks that is used against troops on the ground due to the massive amount of little ball bearings inside that, when fired, can rip apart over twenty soldiers from one hundred yards away).
"No, all's we got is the HEAT's," the loader responded.
"Shit," the lieutenant cursed again. "Well, load it anyways."
(Firing a HEAT round at ground troops is equivalent to firing a .45 at a fly.)
The loader quickly popped one of the HEAT rounds into the gun and yelled the okay to the gunner.
"Fire!"
The Tank shuddered as the HEAT round was expelled.
Ranma watched, fascinated as two of the Chinese infantrymen disappeared in the large explosion of snow and fire.
"Hold on tight!" the lieutenant called back. "Looks like we attracted some attention."
Just as the lieutenant finished saying that, an explosion nearly tipped the M1 Abrams onto its side. Fire erupted through the outer shield and the man standing in the hatch was killed as the explosion ripped pieces of shrapnel through his chest. His body was thrown from the hatch and into the snow.
Ranma, the first to recover, quickly jumped to his feet and climbed out of the hatch. Remembering what Phillip had said to his troops about bringing back the bodies of the dead, Ranma jumped from the top of the M1 and sprinted to the gunner's body.
As he reached the body he noticed the wounds and felt bile rise in his throat. Steeling himself, he bent down and picked up the body and ran back to the tank. He dumped the body inside and called in.
"Let's get the fuck out of here!"
The lieutenant, who had just regained his composure, didn't understand what Ranma had said, but he didn't need to. He put the M1 in reverse and spun it to the right and took off. The M1 Abram had a .60 mounted to the top of the tank where someone could man it while standing in the hatch. Ranma spun the .60 around and began firing at the Chinese infantrymen as they strafed by.
Ranma, while firing, craned his neck and saw the other American halftracks following the lieutenant's movements. Ranma saw the Piranha III that Ryoga had been placed in. Ryoga himself had taken a position inside the halftrack and was now acting as the loader for the large turret.
The M1 shook as another HEAT round was fired at the Chinese infantrymen. The Chinese tanks and halftracks were hidden in the dense foliage.
Ranma felt something slam into his head and he was driven back into the M1. His eyes blacked out and he immediately brought his hands to his face. He didn't feel any blood and when his breathing returned to normal he opened his eyes and saw that he had caught a round from one of the Chinese infantrymen. Luckily, Ranma's helmet had been suitable in keeping the bullet from reaching the flesh that was underneath it.
"Christ!" the lieutenant said as he suddenly slammed the M1 into reverse.
Ranma got to his feet and looked out and saw that seven Chinese tanks had burst through the foliage and were charging straight at the 82nd. Ranma climbed back up into the turret and looked at the other American halftracks. Ryoga's Piranha III was quickly spinning around and about to go off in the other direction. Ranma was about to go back to the .60 when he heard Phillip's voice come through the radio in his helmet.
"Get your fucking ass back inside that M1 Saotome!"
"The other guy's dead!" Ranma shouted into the microphone before he remembered that he had to hit the switch. "The other gunner got killed Phillip."
"I don't care!" Phillip's angry reply came. "You are a goddamned civilian and I am not going to let you get blown away!"
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to allow us to go on this fucking trip!" Ranma shouted angrily.
Any further conversation was stopped when the Chinese tanks suddenly began firing. Explosions began erupting around the American halftracks as the Americans continued their retreat.
"Let's pull back and set up a perimeter before we let these sonsofbitches have it!" Parker's voice came over the intercom.
As if to respond to Parker's words, two of the American M1 Abrams fired a counter barrage at the advancing Chinese tanks. The HEAT rounds hit the ground in front of the tanks. The Chinese tanks were not in very good condition and one of the tanks got stuck in the ditch that was created by the American rounds.
Ryoga's Piranha III, seeing the Chinese tank get stuck, stopped and turned it's turret to face the Chinese.
"Start your fucking engines Thomas!" Parker shouted into the radios, meaning the Piranha III.
"I've got a good shot!" A voice came over the intercom.
Ranma twisted in the turret as they passed the Piranha III and watched as Ryoga slammed a round into the gun and the tank shuddered as a round was fired. The other American tanks slowed to watch as the round fired from the Piranha III impacted the Chinese tank stuck in the ditch. The tank was destroyed in an impressive shower of sparks.
Ranma heard a resounding cheer over the radios from the Americans.
"Did you see that Ranma!?" Ryoga's exited voice came over the radio.
Ranma didn't get a chance to respond as the Piranha III that Ryoga was in suddenly erupted into flames.
===============
Author's Notes: The chapter before this one, I received the review telling me that I could not wrap up things between China and America in only one chapter, as both country's are obvious superpowers, and only a couple thousands words could not convey the brutality of war that would be the end result should both countries ever go to war. I agree with the person's statement, and I want to thank him for his opinion. Of course, this is not the last chapter of the story, it is the last chapter of the third volume though.
Thanks to everyone that has written a review.
"And just where is Mr. Saotome and Mr. Hibiki?" Ms. Hinako asked Akane and Akari as class began.
Akane silently cursed Ranma for making her make up excuses for him. She had expected Ms. Hinako to get angry over Ranma and Ryoga's absences, but she had not expected the anger to be directed at her and Akari.
"They went on a trip to Nagasaki," Akane answered. "They have set up a temporary care center for Americans that are injured there and the both of them wanted to help out."
Ms. Hinako seemed to seriously consider the truth in Akane's statement before replying.
"Okay, but you make sure to tell him that he's going to have a lot of homework when he comes back," Ms. Hinako said.
"Okay," Akane replied, releasing the breath that she had been holding. She stole a glance at Akari, who was seated beside her, and saw the relief on her face as well.
Akari had only been at the school for about a week, but she had seen enough students subjected to Ms. Hinako's chi-draining technique to become wary of the diminutive teacher.
The class turned to the day's lesson. Akane made a conscious effort to keep her mind from wandering but it was to no avail. She was now thinking about Ranma.
Akane had been around Ranma enough to know that he was not in Nagasaki anymore. Once news of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion's departure from Nagasaki had hit the newswires, Akane knew that Ranma, Ryoga, and Ishii would be heading off to China with them.
Akari was no different from Akane. There were no doubts in her own mind about what Ranma and Ryoga had actually done when they reached Nagasaki.
The same thought struck them both at the same time.
There was a war going on no more than a thousand miles away, and here they were inside a classroom listening to a teacher describe some arithmetic.
===============
The President of Taiwan placed a telephone call to the President of the United States.
The White House switchboard immediately put President Lee's call through.
"Hello?" the President of the United States said into the telephone.
*Hello Mr. President.*
"Oh, hello Lee," the President replied. "How may I help you?"
*Actually, I was wondering if you happened to have received word on the Chinese diplomatic talks the other day.*
"As a matter of fact," the President said, twisting in his chair to reach the document that was sitting on his desk. "I happen to have a document right here."
*Good, I just wanted to make sure you had the news.* the President of Taiwan said.
"It is very grave news," the President said.
*Yes.*
"I was actually thinking of calling you about this report and seeing if you had any ideas," he said. "Because around here I'm getting no help."
*I have been speaking to my SECARMY, and he has proposed the idea that we take out the People's Republic of China's nuclear weapons.*
"That would be quite a task," the President said.
*I know, that is why I was hoping you would have some other ideas.*
"Well, now that you mention it, I had an idea put before me awhile ago," the President said. "It was put together by some senior member of the CIA, and it proposed the idea of going after the leaders of China."
*As in assassinate them?*
"I would use the word eliminate but yes, that's about right."
*That would almost be as risky as taking out their nuclear weapons.*
"I would think that my National Security Advisor said it the best. He said, 'Mr. President, this war was started by old men that are very insecure, and now that they are being pushed back, they are very frightened. If using their nuclear weapons will help them win this war, then they will offer no hesitation in using them.' I agree one hundred percent with that thought."
*I would agree myself. But where does that leave us? We can either go after these men, or eliminate their greatest asset.*
The President of the United States thought before he responded.
"We could do both," he said simply.
*Kill the Politburo and destroy their nuclear arms? That is a proposition that I like.*
"We would need a large force to accomplish such a feat," the President said, mainly to himself. "Probably around two hundred men to do it. Then I would need to use the Air Force."
*How may men sit on the Politburo?*
"I think there is at least ten, but I'll have to ask the DCI. What in the way of assets do you think you could supply?"
*I regret to say that nearly all of my country's forces have been committed to expelling the Chinese,* the President of Taiwan said, embarrassed.
"That is alright my friend; I understand that it is never easy to fight an army so large on land so small. I experienced the same sort of feeling during the Vietnam War."
*What about the British? Could they lend assistance?*
"Yes, I could speak with the Prime Minister and convince him to lend us the use of some SAS (Special Air Service; Britain's Special Forces) divisions. I was also thinking that the Canadians could help us out as well."
*Yes, they have already proved willing to help, unlike most of the other countries,* he added bitterly.
"You must understand that most countries are very uneasy about joining a war that probably should have stayed a civil war, even though they did attack us first. I was just thinking that the Canadians are the only country to have sent us assistance so far."
President Lee did not reply.
"If we were to conduct such an operation, what kind of troops would we need?"
*I believe that you should use some of your Green Beret's for such a mission.*
"Why would you think that?" the President of the United States asked.
*I have first-hand involvement with them.*
The President chuckled.
"Well, it is a shame that the certain Green Beret officer that saved you is now on route to China."
*Parker has been sent to China?*
"Yes, he is the commanding officer of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion. His father tells me that young Phillip said that he had never commanded such troops before."
*Well, let us hope that they will have greater success than the other divisions that have attempted to invade the PRC.*
"Yes," the President said solemnly, then, after a moment, "We seem to have gotten off topic."
*Right. I believe that if we are to send troops over to hit the Chinese nuclear weapons depots, then we should use Special Forces teams from all the Allied nations.*
"I would think that that would be for the best. I'll start my Secretary of State on that right now. Was there anything else Lee?"
*No, thank you for your time my friend.*
"Anytime Lee," the President said and hung up.
===============
November 30 would be a day that would hold many odd occurrences.
Canada, a nation most withheld for its position as a peacekeeper, immediately agreed to send the STRIKE Special Forces team to join in the joint U.S.-Taiwan mission.
In an attempt to gain support, China sent diplomats to Moscow. Once the plane that had been carrying the diplomats reached Russian airspace, three Russian fighters ordered the plane to return to China. The President of Russia had stated their support for the American effort to stop the Chinese. They had even agreed to send a Spetznaz (Russian Special Forces team) team to help eliminate the Chinese nuclear capabilities.
China, deciding that they would not be able to get any support from the rest of Asia or Europe, sent diplomats to the Middle East. In a freak accident, Iraqi fighters shot at the diplomat's plane. Earlier that day, the CIA had forged a document that stated the purpose of a Boeing 747 that would enter Iraqi was to bring in some Kurd traitors to gain support in the southern part of Iraqi. The Chinese diplomat's plane left Iraqi unharmed.
On the war-front, there were many odd happenings.
Upon landing at Shanghai, the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion was met with absolutely no oppressive fire. The news of what the 82nd had done in Taiwan had reached even China. The Chinese troops had abandoned their posts once word of the 82nd's approach reached their stations.
===============
Misfortune struck the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion on its second day in China.
While on patrol, four American soldiers were killed when the steep cliff face they were climbing gave way. They plummeted over one hundred feet to their deaths.
They were buried twenty miles outside of Shanghai.
===============
Colonel Parker swore furiously and kicked his M1 Abrams tank.
He had just received a radio intercept from the command station they had set up in Shanghai.
Until proper replacements could be sent in for the men killed in the landslide, the 82nd were to cease all movements. They would have to set up a temporary camp in the Chinese wilderness, during December.
Parker had tried to get permission to at least move half of the battalion, including Ranma, Ryoga, and Ishii, back to the command station. His request had been denied.
"What does this mean Colonel?" the sergeant operating the radios asked.
"It means you better start warming up your hands sergeant," Parker said and stormed back to the camp.
"Well, well," Ranma said in way of greeting, "Don't we look to be in a good mood."
"Shut up!" Parker snapped. He saw the surprised expression on the soldier's faces and Ranma's. "I've just received orders to hold our positions until we can get proper replacements for the men lost yesterday."
"Shit!" one of the soldiers said angrily. "We only lost four guys Colonel, why can't we just go on?"
"We can't keep going because there is absolutely no way the brass back in Taiwan think that we could finish ripping the Chinese new assholes with only three hundred men," Parker responded.
"Well, why don't you just use those three?" a captain asked, indicating the three Japanese.
The men of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion had not raised any questions to the presence of Ranma, Ryoga, and Ishii. Phillip had explained to the troops that they were from the CIA and that they could not answer any of their questions.
For their part, the three Japanese stowaways had made themselves as inconspicuous as possible. That had proved incapable of happening due to the natural curiosity of the soldiers. Ranma and Ryoga weren't fluent in English so Ishii and Phillip acted as interpreters whenever a question was directed at the two of them.
It had been decided that Ryoga, Ranma, and Ishii would depart from the 82nd when they were within five hundred miles of Beijing. Ishii had said that he had been receiving reports in Japan about any information on a Japanese body, and the last report he had received had said that the body was being held in a hospital inside Beijing.
"Out of the damn question!" Parker said.
"Why?" another soldier asked.
"These men are not enlisted in the army and they are not American citizens."
"Who's going to say anything?" the same captain asked. "All we can do is put them in a uniform and give them a quick lesson on how to load the guns and run the M1's."
Phillip looked at the troops in front of him and glanced over at the three Japanese.
"There is no way I'm letting them into the damn tanks."
===============
"Captain Ranma Saotome, reporting for duty," Ranma said mockingly to the mirror in front of him.
Ranma had been given the uniform of a captain. The patch that had the name inscribed was removed. The patch that displayed the insignia of a member of the 82nd Heavy Tank Battalion was displayed on his chest.
Ryoga had the uniform of a Warrant Officer, First Class. The patch that gave the name had also been removed.
If the name insignia had not been removed, the two Japanese teenagers could have been mistaken for American Armor officers.
Both of them were muscular and tall for their age, which made them fill out the uniform flatteringly.
Ryoga glanced over at Ranma, his face was grim.
"This isn't a goddamned jock Ranma."
Ranma turned around and smiled. "You will address me as captain, or sir, Mr. Hibiki."
Ryoga shook his head and stepped outside the tent. The cold air nipped at his chest and he crossed his arms over the not-so-adequate material of the uniform. Ranma followed him out and patted Ryoga on the shoulder as he passed.
"Come on; let's go see how Ishii looks."
They walked towards a nearby tent and pushed past the flap.
"Whoa, looking good Ishii," Ranma said.
Ishii had received the uniform of a Sergeant, Second Class. The particular uniform he was wearing had belonged to one of the American officers killed in the accident the previous day. The tiny ribbons that had been used as the representative for the medals the soldier won in battle had not been removed.
Sergeant Forrestor had been a member of the 101st Airborne, as well as being an Armor grade officer.
He had won the Distinguished Flying Cross, a medal given to army aviators that had performed admirably at the controls of an army aircraft. Sergeant Forrestor had been an honorary member of the Foreign Legion; in the grade of Chevalier. He had French Parachutists wings, as well as two American parachutists' wings. Two small stars adorned the bottom of the American parachutist's ribbon, signifying two jumps into combat.
Sergeant Forrestor had obviously been a very admirable soldier.
"I feel a little uncomfortable wearing the uniform of a soldier that has passed," Ishii said.
"It was the only other spare threads, and we need to look like American soldiers," Ranma said reasonably.
"And doesn't that bother you?" Ryoga asked sharply. "Were going to be out there fighting people with weapons that won't just injure them, were going to be killing people."
"Oh calm down," Ranma said. "All were going to be doing is riding with Phil, he won't let us go out on our own."
That seemed to reassure the others so Ranma let it drop. They left the tent and went to track down Phil.
They found him adjusting the tracks on his M1 Abrams tank.
"Well, don't you all look splendid," he said sarcastically.
"What's with the tone?" Ranma asked.
Phillip stared at them for a moment before replying.
"If you're going to be acting like American officers, I want you to act like one. You will finish each sentence with either my rank or 'sir'."
Ranma and the others saw that he was dead serious.
"Yes sir, no excuse sir," Ranma said and popped off a quick salute.
"Good, now, I've got some bad news," Phillip said. "It appears that you guys will not be able to ride with me. There's no room for people that don't now what's going on. I can fit Ishii in, but that's only because he knows how to work the radios. You two," he said, pointing at Ranma and Ryoga, "will have to ride along in the other half tracks. I've explained to the other troops that you don't have any experience and that you're not to be given any job other than to get out of the soldiers way."
Ranma and Ryoga nodded.
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Captain Ranma Saotome quickly grabbed onto the support bar inside the M1 Abrams tank as they came barreling through the thick, frost infested foliage. He glanced at the other men and saw that they were bouncing around as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Ranma couldn't see three feet through the thick dense jungle, but he knew that there was at least fifty other American halftracks out there, and most likely some Chinese.
Before Ranma knew what had happened, the scene suddenly changed and they were now moving across a very large field, covered in snow. Explosions began rocking the earth.
"Shit!" the lieutenant driving cursed. "Looks like there's some infantry further up."
Ranma looked closely and spotted a bunch of soldiers lying on their stomachs firing at them.
"We got any Canister rounds back there?" the lieutenant asked. (A canister round is a large round fired from tanks that is used against troops on the ground due to the massive amount of little ball bearings inside that, when fired, can rip apart over twenty soldiers from one hundred yards away).
"No, all's we got is the HEAT's," the loader responded.
"Shit," the lieutenant cursed again. "Well, load it anyways."
(Firing a HEAT round at ground troops is equivalent to firing a .45 at a fly.)
The loader quickly popped one of the HEAT rounds into the gun and yelled the okay to the gunner.
"Fire!"
The Tank shuddered as the HEAT round was expelled.
Ranma watched, fascinated as two of the Chinese infantrymen disappeared in the large explosion of snow and fire.
"Hold on tight!" the lieutenant called back. "Looks like we attracted some attention."
Just as the lieutenant finished saying that, an explosion nearly tipped the M1 Abrams onto its side. Fire erupted through the outer shield and the man standing in the hatch was killed as the explosion ripped pieces of shrapnel through his chest. His body was thrown from the hatch and into the snow.
Ranma, the first to recover, quickly jumped to his feet and climbed out of the hatch. Remembering what Phillip had said to his troops about bringing back the bodies of the dead, Ranma jumped from the top of the M1 and sprinted to the gunner's body.
As he reached the body he noticed the wounds and felt bile rise in his throat. Steeling himself, he bent down and picked up the body and ran back to the tank. He dumped the body inside and called in.
"Let's get the fuck out of here!"
The lieutenant, who had just regained his composure, didn't understand what Ranma had said, but he didn't need to. He put the M1 in reverse and spun it to the right and took off. The M1 Abram had a .60 mounted to the top of the tank where someone could man it while standing in the hatch. Ranma spun the .60 around and began firing at the Chinese infantrymen as they strafed by.
Ranma, while firing, craned his neck and saw the other American halftracks following the lieutenant's movements. Ranma saw the Piranha III that Ryoga had been placed in. Ryoga himself had taken a position inside the halftrack and was now acting as the loader for the large turret.
The M1 shook as another HEAT round was fired at the Chinese infantrymen. The Chinese tanks and halftracks were hidden in the dense foliage.
Ranma felt something slam into his head and he was driven back into the M1. His eyes blacked out and he immediately brought his hands to his face. He didn't feel any blood and when his breathing returned to normal he opened his eyes and saw that he had caught a round from one of the Chinese infantrymen. Luckily, Ranma's helmet had been suitable in keeping the bullet from reaching the flesh that was underneath it.
"Christ!" the lieutenant said as he suddenly slammed the M1 into reverse.
Ranma got to his feet and looked out and saw that seven Chinese tanks had burst through the foliage and were charging straight at the 82nd. Ranma climbed back up into the turret and looked at the other American halftracks. Ryoga's Piranha III was quickly spinning around and about to go off in the other direction. Ranma was about to go back to the .60 when he heard Phillip's voice come through the radio in his helmet.
"Get your fucking ass back inside that M1 Saotome!"
"The other guy's dead!" Ranma shouted into the microphone before he remembered that he had to hit the switch. "The other gunner got killed Phillip."
"I don't care!" Phillip's angry reply came. "You are a goddamned civilian and I am not going to let you get blown away!"
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to allow us to go on this fucking trip!" Ranma shouted angrily.
Any further conversation was stopped when the Chinese tanks suddenly began firing. Explosions began erupting around the American halftracks as the Americans continued their retreat.
"Let's pull back and set up a perimeter before we let these sonsofbitches have it!" Parker's voice came over the intercom.
As if to respond to Parker's words, two of the American M1 Abrams fired a counter barrage at the advancing Chinese tanks. The HEAT rounds hit the ground in front of the tanks. The Chinese tanks were not in very good condition and one of the tanks got stuck in the ditch that was created by the American rounds.
Ryoga's Piranha III, seeing the Chinese tank get stuck, stopped and turned it's turret to face the Chinese.
"Start your fucking engines Thomas!" Parker shouted into the radios, meaning the Piranha III.
"I've got a good shot!" A voice came over the intercom.
Ranma twisted in the turret as they passed the Piranha III and watched as Ryoga slammed a round into the gun and the tank shuddered as a round was fired. The other American tanks slowed to watch as the round fired from the Piranha III impacted the Chinese tank stuck in the ditch. The tank was destroyed in an impressive shower of sparks.
Ranma heard a resounding cheer over the radios from the Americans.
"Did you see that Ranma!?" Ryoga's exited voice came over the radio.
Ranma didn't get a chance to respond as the Piranha III that Ryoga was in suddenly erupted into flames.
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Author's Notes: The chapter before this one, I received the review telling me that I could not wrap up things between China and America in only one chapter, as both country's are obvious superpowers, and only a couple thousands words could not convey the brutality of war that would be the end result should both countries ever go to war. I agree with the person's statement, and I want to thank him for his opinion. Of course, this is not the last chapter of the story, it is the last chapter of the third volume though.
Thanks to everyone that has written a review.