Chapter 22:
Breaking Point
Metal Empire airspace, November 12th 2022.
Orbiting at 12 000 metres about ground, the US Air Force's RQ-4 Global Hawk, callsign "Hedwig", observed the massive, sprawling city of Fracture. Despite flying in enemy territory, the unmanned surveillance drone have managed to slip past the empire's radar and even to the trained eye, it wasn't even visible in the cloudless sky, not even a dot in the wide and enormous blue canvas.
"Hedwig, this is Condor 6. We've crossed phase line Heineken and egressing fast to Corona. ETA: five mikes. Over."
"Copy that, Condor 6. The runway's clear and open. Lead the dance, Condor 6. Over."
"Wilco, Hedwig. Packages are hot and priming. Don't forget to leave a five-star rating! Over and Out."
The drone's camera shifted and trained its "eyes" on the formation of four F15EX Eagle 2. The multi-role fighters were in a "finger four" formation and were closing in on Fracture rapidly. Their mission was to send a message to the empire, specifically to Chaosdramon. Their targets were the Imperial Officer Academy and the Imperial Senate House, intent on crippling their governmental and military command structure. It was also meant to show to Chaosdramon that he wasn't untouchable and that the IDDF had eyes everywhere. Prior to the mission, the pilots were briefed that civilian casualties would be minimal... but not zero. The pilots for this mission were volunteers, willing to cross enemy territory and accept the fact that innocents may die during the mission. They've also accepted the fact that if they were to be shot down and captured, their rescue will be undetermined.
With the risks in their minds, the pilots continued with the mission with cold determination and professionalism.
"This is Condor 6. Approaching targets. Laser Acquired and locked. Sending first packages."
"Hedwig" focused its view on the academy, observing as four distinct explosions erupted across the large institution, demolishing an entire wing of the academy and causing untold hundreds of deaths.
"We picked up enemy chatter. You've stirred up the hornet's nest. Condor 6, you have about seven mikes until they get their bogeys up in the air. How copy? Over."
"Solid copy, Hedwig. We'll wrap it up with objective Budweiser and RTB. Over."
The fighters launched their next salvos of laser guided bombs on the Imperial Senate House, annihilating the building's iconic marble rotunda and its curtain concrete wall.
"Hedwig, Condor 6. Objective Budweiser is destroyed. We're RTBing to the nest. ETA: thirty mikes. Over."
"Copy that, Condor 6. RTB for rearming and retasking. You'll be briefed once you've touchdown. Over."
"Wilco. Condor 6 out."
The pilot of Condor 6, Captain James "Donut" Curtis, switched the radio's channel to a private one, enabling him and his men to talk openly through comms without getting an ass-chewing from their superiors.
"6-Leader, this is 6-2. Permission to speak freely. Over."
"Granted, 6-2," He accepted casually.
"Any idea why we're retasking?"
"Probably to help our ground boys at the Green Zone. They're still defending the city," He answered frankly, "Last report I've read says that they're been hit pretty hard down there,"
"Jesus... I've thought we've gave them enough breathing room for a counter-offensive,"
"It did, but not enough apparently. Command's planning to evacuate everyone."
"Shit, things must be really dire down there..."
"Yeah... I hope they'll make it out of there. They're just fighting for survival now..."
Kingsbridge, Green Zone.
Three armour-piercing shells ripped through the M2A3 Bradley, detonating its engine and ammunition storage. The chain reaction launched the turret straight into the air before it crashed near its burning carcass.
"Lieutenant! Bradley's out, we're on our own!" CPL. Howell reported urgently from his firing position.
"Hold the bridge! Airstrike's inbound in five minutes! Five minutes!" SSGT. Beckers shouted, "Kudo! Get that Javelin up and smoke that son-bitch!"
Mikey picked up the FGM-148C Javelin from a fallen Marine, sat down with his knees raised up to about chest level to use as a support and peered into the weapon's CLU (Command Launch Unit). The weapon's advanced sight locked on the Ancient Troiamon, one of D-Brigade's heavy tanks. The wooden and mechanised digimon measured at ten metres tall and was armed to the teeth, with over a dozen of 75mm cannons on its flanks and front armour, four 105mm cannons on its top turrets and two 155mm howitzer on its front and mouth as well. Despite three-quarter of its body made of wood, it was surprisingly resilient to most firearms, rifle rounds and autocannon shells did little damage while tank shells and anti-tank missiles seemed to deal some damage... some, but not enough. It was covered with multiple dents, burn marks and holes yet it was still kicking and moving.
"Backblast!" Mikey shouted.
"Clear!" Beckers replied loudly.
The missile jumped out of the launcher with a small "thump" before propelling upwards into the air and striking down its target. The mechanical horse buckled by the sudden force that punched through its top turrets, igniting the ammunitions storage compartment and exploding from within. Ancient Troiamon was ripped to chunks in a spectacular firework.
"Fuck yeah!" A Marine shouted with glee.
The men cheered with renewed energy and vigour, their fighting spirit uplifted when a squadron of Apache attack helicopters swooped in to decimate the remaining enemy infantry force. They were going to hold this bridge and made sure that the enemy paid dearly for it.
Despite a successful counter-attack, their victory was short-lived. The enemy was simply too overwhelming for the defenders. In the span of 24 hours, the combined might of the Metal Empire Army, Navy and the D-Brigade pushed them back and forced them to blow up all remaining bridges, effectively cutting the enemy off from the last district of the city.
The IDDF's evacuation had to be sped up, forcing their digimon allies to hold the line in a rear guard action. Despite all efforts to cut off the Metal Empire's supply lines, there were too numerous for the IDDF air force to turn the tide, they could only delay the inevitable. Countless air and artillery strikes were launched to destroy key railroad tracks, bridges and highways but in the end, the Metal Empire Navy was finally confident enough to supply the Army through the many rivers and channels that slithered in mainland and through the city.
The men and women of the IDDF weren't so lucky with their logistics. They chewed through more ammunition and medical supplies than they could receive. That night, all human forces retreated to the airport and anxiously waited for their extraction. It was up to the DSF and the Royal Knights to hold the line long enough for the total evacuation of all Allied forces.
Shoutmon pensively analysed the map of the region displayed on the table of the command headquarters tent. He had gathered some of his generals and those representing the DSF and the Royal Knights. Those present were Colonel Black Wargreymon, replacing Brigadier-General Slayerdramon when he was urgently summoned by the CNS a couple of days ago, Alphamon and Duftmon. They occupied a square that was turned into a FOB, located five kilometres away from the airport.
Shoutmon thought about their next course of action. Duftmon suggested that the Royal Knights should conduct raids and find a path to cut the Metal Empire Navy from ever supplying the ground force. Meanwhile, BlackWargreymon proposed that they focused their attention on retaking the island since D-Brigade engineers did replaced the destroyed bridges on short notice. Although he preferred Duftmon's plan, he needed to put into account their fighting force. All twelve Royal Knights were present with their Strike Force, initially with a strength of five hundred soldiers, but due to heavy fighting, they're down to three hundred. Although the Strike Force soldiers were some of the best and more battle-hardened, they weren't enough to turn the tide.
Next was the DSF brigade, or rather, what was left from it. Experienced, well trained and well equipped, they were visibly battle fatigued from the previous conflict and the long march they had to endure from Sword Zone to Green Zone. They've already lost half of their strength, totalling at two thousand soldiers. They took the brunt of the attack but still fought valiantly.
Finally was his army, amassing to less than a seven hundred troops, they have suffered the most. All of their forces were concentrated into a small pocket and in a very dense area, they were easy pickings for enemy artillery barrages. And the only reason they didn't need to worry about air strikes was thanks to the Royal Knights and the IDDF.
Shoutmon didn't like their odds, they were outnumbered, outgunned, outpaced and outmanoeuvred. Unless launching a massive and suicidal counter charge, he didn't see any alternate options. He figured that the enemy would just bypass the city since they've lost so much and encircle them and wait until they starve out. But instead they continued to fight in the streets, destroying almost everything in sight. So what was their objective, he pondered, or rather, who was their objective. From a tactical viewpoint, the Metal Empire has already won the battle, they could've left a brigade to hold the siege while the rest of the invasion force continued to the Forest Zone.
Maybe they were here for him. It would be logical if Chaosdramon was the one to call out every shot in their campaign. In that case, he needed to stall them for as long as possible until his main army and his allies could regroup and put up a formidable defence.
"Your Majesty," Shoutmon blinked and raised his head to BlackWargreymon, "What are your orders?"
"We will hold our ground," He replied firmly.
Duftmon's eyes grew with surprise, "Are you sure that is wise, your Majesty?" He asked with slight worry, a first from the talented tactician, "If we continue this grind fest, we will surely bleed out or die from starvation,"
"It should've been if they were properly laying a siege," Shoutmon stated as a matter-of-fact, "But instead, they send their soldiers to the slaughter despite having won this battle,"
"I don't follow you, Sire," Dorulumon said frankly, "So what if their objective isn't the city but you, we should find an exit route then."
"They'll only chase us and cut all of you down," Shoutmon replied, "They want me alive... Chaosdramon wants me alive. And we have most of their forces exactly where we want them,"
"I see..." Alphamon spoke up with clarity, "You're forcing them to act rashly in order to capture you,"
"Exactly, sire Alphamon! We'll just need to tire them out,"
"That may sound plausible, but our soldiers are also battle fatigued, it is only a matter of time before one of us breaks," Duftmon informed grimly, "How are we going to break the enemy before us?"
"As long as the humans are here, we can take advantage of their air force but once they're gone, we'll lack the firepower to maintain the enemy to a halt," BlackWargreymon added.
"We won't need excessive firepower, we'll just attack when most of their soldiers are exhausted," Duftmon suggested, "We'll randomly raid their beachhead at night, forcing them to maintain awareness but tiring them as well. If they choose to be bold and advance, we'll set demolition charges to cut out entire streets and force them into designated kill zones,"
"Their superior numbers won't matter in confined and tight spaces," Shoutmon concluded.
"It is going to be a meat grinder... for the both of us," Dorulumon commented with grim realization.
"True, but we don't have much options. We just got to hope that their resolve is weaker than ours."
November 14th 2022.
"Resistance was stiff, but my battalion has managed to punch through their left flank and secured a foothold right there," Raijinmon reported to DarkKnightmon while pointing at the map displayed under their eyes, "My scouts have reported that human presences have diminished quite significantly,"
"Which means that they are in the process of falling back. We should strike them hard and fast while they are routing." Suijinmon suggested confidently, earning a few nods of approval from the other high-ranking officers.
"Though I agree that we must press our offensive," Fujinmon interrupted diplomatically, "We have a vast territory to cover before we could even launch a successful assault on the airport. And with the enemy creating effective kill boxes, it'll do us more harm than good,"
"Then what do you suggest, Storm Commander?" A captain asked curiously.
"That we should harass them with air raids and artillery strikes. That should break their fighting spirit and take out much of their logistics." The former Wind Guardians commander replied coldly.
"Unfortunately, there won't be any breakthrough," DarkKnightmon finally announced, surprising everyone in the Headquarters tent.
"Care to elaborate, General?" Raijimon asked carefully.
"I've received an urgent report from Fracture this morning. Our beloved capital city was bombed twice, two days ago, by the humans. They've breached our air defences and struck multiple strategic locations. Estimates of the dead, so far, are from four hundred to seven hundred, both military and civilian,"
"Cowards!" Suijinmon exclaimed with barely contained rage, "They dare target our citizens?!"
"Not quite," DarkKnightmon answered calmly, "Their targets suggest that the civilian population wasn't their main targets, but unfortunate collateral damage. That being said, it shows us how far our enemy is willing go to achieve victory. That is something that we have, regretfully, underestimated."
"Then what should be our response?" A MetalEtemon commander asked.
"We will hold our advance to consolidate our resources and regroup. We'll continue with artillery bombardments but all ground operations must halt." The general instructed much to the reluctance and dismay of some officers. "We have greatly miscalculated the opposition's quick-reaction and we've exhausted our troops long enough, they are barely thinking straight as we speak,"
"How long should we postpone our advance?" Raijinmon inquired, crossing his arms over his chest while listening attentively his superior officer.
"Three days." DarkKnightmon answered straightforwardly, "Enough to receive supplies and reinforcements,"
"But enough for them to escape as well, sir" Fujinmon added disdainfully.
"Our primary objective is to capture and hold Green Zone. I don't really care that they retreat to the Forest Zone, it would actually do us more good than harm," The dark knight retorted.
"I think it is a wise course of action, sir," Raijinmon stated calmly in an attempt to recover for his comrade's misdemeanour, "Continuing the assault would only bleed us dry and could potentially encourage the enemy to launch a counter-attack, even without the IDDF."
"I'm glad we're all in the same page. Relay your orders and dig in. The enemy will attempt to raid our lines to find a weak link. Do not let them. Dismissed."
Kingsbridge Intercontinental Airport.
The last C-130 ascended into the cold night sky, the last extraction flight for today, leaving behind a mere skeleton force of about five hundred soldiers to defend the airport. Equipment, vehicles and artillery pieces were still stored in the hangars, to be picked by the extraction operation in the early hours of the morning.
Most armoured vehicles have begun their long trek back to the Southern Region, a squadron of IFVs stayed to provide the infantry some fire support. The defence of the city now depended on their digimon allies with a moderate support from their air force.
Perched in one of the many watchtowers of the airport, Kudo and his team were on overwatch duty, surveying their sector of fire with thermal binoculars and two M240B machine guns. The air was chilly, winter came suddenly and without warning, temperatures dropped in the span of a day. It was amplified when they suffered a downpour yesterday night. Kudo hated winter and it showed on his sleep deprived face. Waking up this morning was a struggle for the young Marine, he was perfectly fine in his sleeping bag until he got out, immediately washed over by cold air.
He was sitting on a stack of ammo boxes, fondly holding his steel cup of warm coffee, taking small sips to heat up his body. He wrapped around his neck and draped loosely over his shoulders his shemagh scarf.
He stared into the city, enveloped in darkness since the electricity was cut off. The only lights he could observe were from the enemy line and burning buildings. He threw a glance at PFC. Ryan, manning one of the machine guns, also suffering from the cold. To combat this, the Marine wrapped his entire woobie poncho liner around himself, keeping him snug and warm while looking like a distant cousin of the Inuits.
He would've loved to have his poncho liner with him but it got shredded to pieces by an enemy grenade a couple of days ago. To say that he was distraught was an understatement, that poncho liner was his best friend, probably the best innovation in the military.
"Hey, Mikey," PFC. Hamada, taking the second the machine gun, spoke up, "What the fuck are we doing here?" He asked half sarcastically.
"To get free college?" He replied with a wry smile.
"All this for free college? Fuck, man," Ryan chuckled and elbowed Hamada, "What about you?"
"For the Camaro,"
"Dude, that's in the Army, not the Marines," Mikey told him with a deadpan stare.
"Ah, that does explain my sudden drop in IQ. I should get my brain back after the military,"
The trio laughed in unison, finding comfort in their self derisive banters. They were used to it, ridiculing or complaining about their life's choices in the military but they didn't regret it, instead they loved it and wouldn't have it in any other way.
"Damn, we're not paid well but fuck do we have fun here..." Ryan said with a blissful grin.
"Best job in the world, dawg," Hamada replied.
"Best job in the world..." Mikey repeated with a low voice, taking his last sip of coffee.
Their chatter slowly died down, silence reigning in the watchtower once again. Muffled gunshots echoed in the distance, their digimon allies raiding enemy positions along the frontline. They could spot the Royal Knights and their soldiers flying through the night sky, diving to meet the enemy in melee. Explosions would erupt in the streets, followed by plumes of smoke and more gunshots.
"Hey," Mikey broke the silence, his brain started to replay some of the more traumatic events of the battle when he did nothing. He could tell from the eyes of his fellow Marines that they were experiencing the same thing and welcomed his distraction. "When we get back home... what are you guys going to eat? Like the first thing that comes to mind,"
"A double bacon cheeseburger and a vanilla milkshake," Ryan replied almost too quickly, as if rehearsed.
"I would kill for some barbecue ribs right now," Hamada answered, licking his lips just imagining the drizzled pork ribs.
"Yeah, I hear you, brother. Ribs would be nice... or perhaps just a bucket of fried chicken," Mikey's stomach growled loudly in agreement, "Shit, should've seen that one coming,"
The two others laughed jovially, tearing up as they tried to suppress their laughter. Mikey laid his head back against the wall, smiling with nostalgia at the sound of laughter. It surely has been a long time since he could enjoy some peace time with friends. He'd lost too many already, he's determined to keep his last few remaining friends alive, he wished to see through the end with them.
Their moment of fun was abruptly cut short when an artillery shell smashed into a restaurant just a kilometre away from them, blowing half of the building in an instant.
They all instinctively ducked behind cover and cautiously peeked over the sandbags. "Shit! Was that a lost round or was that meant for us?" Ryan asked, concerned.
"I don't-" Hamada began but ducked immediately down when another shell landed in the street, eight hundred meters from them. The shell detonated in a powerful and violent explosion, ripping through houses and apartments.
"Fuck! They're trying to zero in our position! Keep an eye out for any stormtroopers! I'll contact the LT!" Kudo instructed urgently.
The other watchtowers were on high alert, alarmed by enemy shells randomly dropping around them. On the ground IFVs roared to life and awaited further instructions, dozens of soldiers donned their equipment with urgency while others ran for the nearest bomb shelter.
As the flow of information ran up the chains of command, the forward observers were trying to assess the situation and to pinpoint the location of the enemy artillery guns in order to launch air strikes in retaliation.
The shelling intensified in numbers and got dangerously closer. Kudo and his fireteam got to the lower levels of the tower, hoping that it would be sturdy enough to withstand a direct artillery hit. They crouched down and braced themselves. Dust fell on top of them on each impact. The whole structure shook violently as they felt, and heard, a shell hit inside the airport. They waited a couple of seconds before a barrage pummelled the airstrip.
During the bombardment, half a dozen armoured trucks and APCs were destroyed, an IFV took a direct hit, erupting with its crew inside. It continued throughout the night, resulting with the airstrips badly damaged, twelve soldiers killed and another forty two wounded. It fortunately ended by two in the morning when the Royal Knights launched their counter battery, the IDDF air support couldn't be provided much to their dismay.
The extraction sorties resumed at exactly 0600 hours, the first four C-130 landed in the shelled riddled airstrips, prompting the pilots to evade some of the shell holes. Raymond silently watched the twelve olive drab bodybags laid out before him. Three of the deceased were his Marines, all three were on their first deployment. The others were Army soldiers, British paratroopers and Japanese soldiers. He was grateful that the bombardment only lasted two hours.
He turned around and stared at his company of Marines, they patiently lounged around in the hangar, their heavy backpacks neatly lined up and sorted by platoons. They did everything they could to kill some time and distract themselves: playing cards, chatting, listening to music, reading or taking a power nap.
He also needed a distraction from all of this, he could feel his mind slowly draining into insanity. It also didn't help that he was already sleep deprived, haunted by his nightmares each time he went into a deep slumber. He unclasped his helmet and turned it over, staring into a photograph that he taped at the bottom. It was a picture of Shino during their date at the cherry blossom festival. She was dressed casually but to him she was simply stunning; she wore a tan leather jacket over her red v-neck t-shirt and light blue denim shorts. Nothing too fancy for their date but what made the picture special was the cherry blossom that she wore timidly on her left ear. She also decided to let her hair down, accentuating her natural beauty and cuteness.
He chuckled, jaded that he found himself a whole world apart and now realizing just how much he missed being with her, having her in his arms, having her perfume around him, hearing her cute laugh or witnessing her being flustered and bashful. It may sound corny but he was a hopeless romantic and he was heads-over-heels for her.
"Raymond!" He turned to face LTCOL Richards as he made his way towards him, "Mind if we have a private chat?" He nodded and followed him to the side of the hangar, "So, how are you holding up?" Richards' tone was sincere and frank, talking to his friend and not a subordinate.
"Pretty fine, I suppose," Raymond replied nonchalantly.
"Are you certain?" He simply nodded, "You know you can tell me everything. I'm aware of your... condition relapsing,"
"This is nothing, Will. I'm not vomiting black goo or being eaten from the inside out," He responded off-handedly.
"But the nightmares haven't stopped. I'm right, aren't I?" Stephen didn't meet his gaze and remained silent, frowning, "You're not sleeping correctly and you're getting sloppy. And one of these days you're going to get yourself killed,"
"Am I being chewed out by a superior officer or a lecture from a friend?" Stephen asked sarcastically.
"The latter," William replied straightforwardly, "Listen, I know you're supposed to retire next year, but the situation has changed. This was supposed to be your last, peaceful, deployment yet here we are in another warzone."
"So you want me to retire earlier?"
"Yes, let Sullivan take command. He has a strong head, persistent and charismatic. Theses Marines would follow him to Hell and back. Just like they would for you,"
"I appreciate your concern, Will, I really do. You're a good friend but I do mean it when I said that I was fine. I can handle this," Raymond reassured him with a confident grin, "Let's see the end of this deployment and I promise you that I'll retire, I might even take you up on that desk job,"
"The one at the US Embassy?"
"Yeah, I know it's going to suck but I really do want to retire, but on my terms. Once I accomplish the mission,"
Richards chuckled and shook his head in disbelief, "Still as stubborn as I remember. All right, prep your men for boarding, you're getting a first ticket out of here,"
"Yes sir!" Raymond mocked a salute and swivelled on his heels, making his way in the hangar to deliver the good news.
Rhodoknightmon watched as one of the human aircraft flew out of the airport. Their extraction was running smoothly, given the circumstances. He turned back to his soldiers, patiently awaiting for his order. Before him were three lines of heavily armoured digimon from the Order's Vanguard Battalion, hidden behind a trenchline. Sturdy, versatile and extremely resilient, these soldiers were trained to withstand the brunt of any enemy attack. Formed in tight phalanx-like ranks, they would lead a charge and punch through the enemy line, making a opening for the Strike Force.
The soldiers waited for the enemy to come at them, coerced by the Strike Force's skirmish minutes ago. The Strike Force platoon, led by Magnamon, has engaged the D-Brigade and made a tactical retreat with the enemy hot on their heels. It was the desired effect, leading them straight to the Vanguards and into the kill zone.
Magnamon spun around to launch a barrage of anti-personnel rockets. His platoon dispersed into the buildings on the sides, harassing the enemy force with ranged attacks. Magnamon flew over Rhodoknightmon's forces, firing another barrage of rockets in a overreaching arc, tricking his pursuers that a mortar unit was nearby, an enticing target to eliminate. The opposition force finally showed up, led by a Blitzmon officer.
"First and Second platoon, up front! Third platoon, set up the machine guns and anti-tank guns!" Blitzmon shouted sternly.
The platoons of infantrymen and cavalry units charged forward while the third platoon set up their specialized weapons behind rubble.
"Vanguards! Now!" Rhodoknightmon ordered as soon as the cavalry units were in their range.
On command, the Vanguards climbed over the trenchline, lined up their shields and spears and charged forward, catching the enemy soldiers by surprise and abruptly halting their advance. Simultaneously, anti-personnel mines erupted behind them, cutting through their ranks and throwing their command structure in disarray.
"Ambush!" One of their squad leader shouted urgently.
Magnamon's platoon showed up and engaged their rear guard, taking out two special weapons teams in their first salvo. Boxed in and outgunned, the Imperial soldiers regrouped in the middle of the devastated street, pushed in from all sides.
"For the Emperor! Kill them all!" Blitzmon commanded with fanatical fervor.
His soldiers hesitated for a split second, disorganized by the ambush, before they sprinted to meet their enemy head on. The Vanguards stopped their advance and braced for impact. Both forces clashed violently, Imperial infantrymen and cavalry were cut down to pieces by the Vanguards. Rhodoknightmon gracefully vaulted over the line of armoured soldiers and slashed his way into the lines of enemy soldiers, carving a bloody path for his Vanguards to punch through.
In half an hour, the enemy company was slaughtered to the last, Blitzmon being the only survivor and captured by the two Royal Knights. The pink paladin wiped the blood off his slash blade, his once pristine pink armour was covered in burn marks and fresh blood stains but he seemed completely unfazed by the grime.
At his feet was the bound and beaten Blitzmon. The beetle cyborg was wheezing and coughing dryly, his wounds were hastily bandaged, much to Rhodoknightmon's reluctance. He lifted his throbbing head and glared at the paladin.
"Y-you will... fucking pay for this!" He threatened through gritted teeth.
Rhodoknightmon stopped his cleaning and quietly stared down at his prisoner. Then without a warning, delivered a powerful kick to his broken stomach. Blitzmon doubled over and coughed uncontrollably, a wound on his abdomen reopened.
"Rhodo!" Magnamon called him angrily, "What the hell was that for?!" The knight of Miracles asked while landing beside his fellow Royal Knight.
"For his insolence and wasting precious oxygen," Rhodoknightmon replied nonchalantly, "We should've executed him on the spot, it would be less of a hassle," He then rolled the D-Brigade officer on his back and planted his armoured foot on his chest, applying pressure to crush his lungs.
Magnamon grabbed his arm and yanked him off the wounded Blitzmon. He tightened his grip around his arm, months of bottled up anger and frustration started to show its ugly face, "What the fuck is wrong with you? You're going to get us in big trouble here!" He chastised him, "This is against the Geneva Convention. You're a Royal Knight for Yggdrasil's sake, act like one!"
Rhodoknightmon retracted Magnamon's grip on his arm and lightly shoved him, "Don't you DARE take that tone with me!" He warned him, infuriated, "Why in the Seven Hells should we care about the Geneva Convention?! Why should I care how the humans want us to fight our own wars?"
"What... what are you talking about?" Magnamon was shocked by Rhodoknightmon's animosity towards the humans, his sudden shift in behaviour was completely out-of-character from the usually flamboyant and easygoing knight.
"Don't be blind, Magnamon. Ever since they set foot on our world, there has been more deaths and destruction for their selfish interests!"
"Knock it off, you two." An authoritative voice boomed behind them. They turned around and found Omegamon hovering a few feet above them with an icy cold glare, "Don't express your personal opinions in front of the troops, keep it to yourselves. Rhodoknightmon, we will talk about this incident later in the day."
"Very well, Omegamon," Rhodoknightmon nodded obediently.
"Bring the prisoner to a proper physician and resume your combat operations. We need to hold out long enough for the extraction of the humans and king Shoutmon. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Omegamon," They both replied simultaneously.
All three Royal Knights dispersed to different directions, Magnamon's platoon picked up Blitzmon and they followed him back to the nearest FOB to resupply and redeploy to another combat zone. Magnamon glanced back at Rhodoknightmon, leading the Vanguards to pursue an enemy unit. He was still shaken by his sudden and uncharacteristic outburst. He knew that Rhodoknightmon's sense of justice was on the extreme side but he did comprised in order to follow the Royal Knight's Code of Conduct and Code of Honour. Magnamon figured that it must've been to culmination of stress from two conflicts in a short span of time. He hoped that his comrade will calm down and regain his senses.
He felt that everyone was on edge since the beginning of this invasion. He witnessed on various occasions his fellow knights acting completely different from usual, for some they've become more violent, vicious and cynical while others remained faithful to themselves. He shook his head, he cannot dwell on these doubts, he must trust them, they were his friends after all, he knew them quite well after years, even decades, of fighting side-by-side... at least that what he hoped for.
Camp Dawnstar, Southern Region, 2226 hours.
Marcus watched as another C-130 Hercules landed in the camp's airstrip, one of the last aircraft to extract their remaining force in Kingsbridge. The higher-ups seemed satisfied with the evacuation operation, this was the last sortie and it went smoothly; the remaining armoured vehicles left six hours ago and are on their way back to friendly lines.
He shifted his gaze to one of the hangars that was converted to a makeshift aid station. From afar, he could still hear the pained screams and agonized moans of the wounded while bodybags were lined up in rows just outside, another one added to the long ranks of deceased soldiers.
"These poor bastards..." He hissed, inhaling the last strip from his cigarette before throwing it at a nearby bin.
"Yeah, it was ugly back there," 'Doc' Park leaned on the wooden railing, a can of soda in one hand, "That's another point for the Metal Empire," He said sarcastically, though with a hint of frustration.
"It wasn't our fault, Doc," Marcus reassured him, "We couldn't be there for them,"
"Guys, meeting's about to start," Nakagawa called them from the building's main entrance.
The operators of Data Squad, or what was left of it, gathered around Captain Yuuki, listening attentively to their senior commanding officer. Yuuki wore a stern frown, years of combat and experience have finally caught up to him physically, his slick black hair was greying while wrinkles on his face made an appearance, giving the look of a grizzled and grumpy old veteran... which wasn't too far fetched.
"I've received news that Sergeant Chiba and Lieutenant Yoji will both make a speedy recovery and will be back among our ranks in forty-eight hours," The news seemed to elevate some morale from his men, "In the mean time, we're on standby for further orders but I think you can all figure out that we won't partake into further active, combat operations. We've lost too many in such short amount of time. We will prepare a proper send off for them as well as to our brothers that are discharged from this expedition."
The mood soured for the operators. They were best of the best that the IDDF could offer yet they were decimated swiftly in just one engagement. A disastrous mission that left many frustrated and scarred.
"Are we going to expect any replacements?" Second Lieutenant Horiuchi asked curiously.
"Yes. The general has requested for an expansion of our strength and it was appealed just yesterday. We should expect about sixty men, dispatched to us from Special Forces Group, the 1st Airborne Brigade and the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Force," He turned his gaze to Marcus, "Still no foreigners for now but we've received candidates from the US, the UK, France, Canada, Poland, Australia, South Korea and Norway," He informed them as a matter-of-fact, which piqued their interest.
"So we're finally growing to a company's strength?" Master Sergeant Park asked.
"That will be the intended result. And if we're optimistic, we might get several companies up and running to form a whole battalion. But for now, we must focus on the present and near future. The general wants us to switch back to counter-insurgency operations. As you may know, the terrorist cell in the Sword Zone has now relocated to here, our home base and primary intel suggests that the Gate will be their target."
"They're trying to cut us off or intimidate us to abandon this world," Sergeant Major Hikagi speculated.
"Exactly. And we can't have them roaming around the region or in our neighbours, so must sniff them out and strike them down hard and fast. You will all get further details in the coming days. For now, rest up and prepare for the send off. Dismissed."
Rika took the last sip of her pint. The amber alcohol ran down her throat, already feeling light headed after finishing her third pint. She was with Ryo, Hamano and Akesaka at a local tavern outside of the camp. They were granted a one-week leave since this morning, after going through the rigorous procedure of reassessing their numbers, write down the numerous combat reports et cleaning their equipment. All four of them were in the tavern for about three hours, drinking and chatting only among themselves, not once minding the locals.
It was a rare sight for the digimon townspeople to see humans enter their establishments but the patrons didn't mind as long as they paid for their drinks. Even so, some digimon still regarded the human soldiers with apprehension or mistrust. A Ranamon server walked up to their table, settling down a wooden platter of assorted cheese, cold cuts meat, chips and bread, much to their surprise.
"Here you go, enjoy yourselves!" She said in a cheery tone.
"W-wait, we didn't order any of this," Rika pointed at the assortment of food. Her face was flushed red with the alcohol she drank and feeling embarrassed to be served something when neither of them ordered anything.
"Don't worry, it's on the house!" Ranamon replied with a placid wave of her hand, "You guys looked like you needed some food and a morale boost," She flashed them a friendly smile and went back to work. The four of them stared at each other dumbfounded before they meekly served themselves.
"Does anyone want another round?" Ryo asked as he stood up, picking a piece of white ham from the platter. Everyone but Rika declined.
"I'm going for a smoke," Akesaka announced as she stood up as well, "You coming?" She asked Hamano.
"Yup. We'll be back in five, sergeant," The sharpshooter informed while grabbing his pack of cigarettes.
"You're all grown-ups, just don't leave me behind," She replied half-jokingly.
She sighed heavily once they were all gone. She leaned into the table, rubbing her heavy eyes and glanced at her watch. It was a quarter past midnight, she would've gotten an earful from he company commander but he announced that he would be more easy going with the rules and only demands that they show up to work at seven in the morning.
Moments later, Ryo came back with their drinks. He set down and took back his seat in front of Rika. The red-haired woman arched a curious brow at the thinner glass of beer.
"Is this a different beer?"
"No, the same. But I ordered half pints, you seemed to have drunk enough for the night," Ryo replied after taking a large gulp of beer.
"I don't need you to watch over my health," Rika grumbled, drinking greedily.
"As a friend, I actually do. You rarely drink, Rika and now you're downing pint after pint like a sailor," She glared at him and gave him the bird. Despite that, she knew that Ryo was right. She only drank lightly or on occasions, this was a first for her and it might get worst if she continued.
"Fine, it'll be my last," She conceded reluctantly.
"Our last," He raised his half pint of beer, to which she gladly clinked with her own.
They chugged down their drinks and loudly set down their glasses. Ryo covered his mouth with a fist as he felt the gasses coming up his throat. Despite his efforts, he let out a roar of a burp. Rika giggled, drunk, while Ryo's face flushed red with embarrassment. They laughed it off for a short while before an awkward silence fell between them.
"You know," Ryo finally spoke up, "I'm glad that I'm with you, through hell and back,"
"Wow, that was smooth, dude," Rika chuckled, "I'm glad we're together through multiple war zones," She said jokingly.
"You know what I meant," Ryo rolled his eyes, "I don't know if I could survive this long in the military, let alone this deployment. You've kept me grounded and focused when I was down. For that I'm grateful, I'm alive thanks to you..."
He turned and saw that she fell silent, blushing profusely while staring at him wide eyed and a side grin. He immediately registered what he just blurted out and face palmed. "Fuuuck... that just sounds so corny, I'm sorry-"
"Hey, hey! I get what you mean," Rika reassured her friend with a smile, "It is corny, like on a cringe level, but I'm also grateful that you're here, even when you can be a pain in the ass... sometimes,"
"I'll take that as a compliment,"
"Anyway... I admit that it is nice to a familiar face around... even at our worst,"
"Amen to that," They both lifted their drinks and with a resounding toast they finished their glass in one go.
"You guys ready to go?" Akesaka asked when she returned with Hamano, "The tavern's about to close,"
The group walked their back to camp, occasionally they would stop and have a quick chat with other groups of soldiers who were on leave as well. They've reached their section of the camp, Akesaka parted ways as she lived in another building. Hamano stood outside for one last smoke before hitting his rack while Ryo and Rika entered their prefab.
The hallway was deathly silent, except for the echoes of their combat boots. The white fluorescent ceiling lights were beginning to cause a headache to Rika, feeling the hangover reaching her brain.
"Welp, there's your room, sergeant Nonaka," Ryo winked at her with a humorous grin.
"Kami, you're making this weird again," Rika rolled her eyes while fumbling with her keys. She accidentally dropped them and hit her head against the wall out of embarrassment, "Fuck, I'm soo drunk right now,"
"Let me get it for you..." Ryo bent down and picked up her set of keys. Also feeling light headed, he leaned against the wall, intimately close to her and handed out her keys. She quietly took it from his hand and leaned an inch closer to unlock her door.
Rika swung the door open and stood in the doorframe, maintaining eye contact for what seemed like forever with her childhood friend... no, one of her best friends. She didn't know when, how or why (though she figured it might be due to the alcohol in her blood), but she was suddenly attracted to him. Was he that handsome? Actually he always has been but she just noticed how gentle and charming he can be. It reminded her of someone else... someone dear to her.
Without thinking, she leaned her face closer to his, which he reciprocated unconsciously and they both shared a deep but gentle kiss. Rika moaned into their locked lips, feeling desire and pleasure coursing through her body. Her hands snaked up his well built arms, slowly moving up his broad shoulders and resting pleasantly behind his neck, gently pushing his head deeper into her lips.
Ryo responded kindly and held her by her waist. With a hand, he cupped her cheek and lovingly caressed her beautiful face. He felt like he was in Heaven, his mind fogged up by an instinctive lust and pleasure. He initiated the first move, opening his mouth and inviting his tongue into her. She whimpered suddenly, grabbing tightly onto his shoulder, as if demanding more.
Caught in their passionate and heated kiss, Rika pulled him into her room and he closed the door behind them.
Kingsbridge, Green Zone, November 16th 2022.
"Sir Dorulumon! We've got an enemy soldier inbound on the bridge!" Reported an ExVeemon.
"How many? Are they armed?" Dorulumon asked as he made his way through the trenchline and marched up a stack of crates to observe the no man's land.
"Uuh... I see just one, sir. And they seem to carry a white flag," The winged dragon man replied, slightly confused, "Do you think they want to surrender?"
"That'll be too easy, sergeant. Especially coming from the mighty Metal Empire," Dorulumon joked with a side grin, "Keep your eyes for anything suspicious. This could be a trap."
"Sir!" The sergeant nodded and relayed his orders to his subordinates.
The wolf-like beast digimon waited until the enemy soldier, identified to be a Sealsdramon, was within range of their projectile based weapons. "That's awfully close enough, trooper!" He warned loudly while his soldiers trained their weapons on the lone commando. "State your name and business here!"
"I'm Sealsdramon 555, but you can call me "Fives". I've come here on the behalf of the D-Brigade and the Metal Empire Army, we want a cease fire and wish to negotiate with your superiors," The armoured commando stated diplomatically.
"Tell him to piss off," Shoutmon said nonchalantly, appearing out of nowhere and startling everyone in the trench.
"C-crap! Since when do you do that?!" Dorulumon hissed in a whisper, not wanting his soldiers to hear them talking so casually.
"Well, I'm quite small, so I do tend to sneak up on people easily, whether I want it or not," Shoutmon then climbed a wooden ladder and over the sandbags, much to his friend's warnings, "Alright, Fives! I accept your commanders' surrender!"
"What in Yggdrasil's name are you doing?"
"Having some fun," Shoutmon whispered with a playful wink.
"Err..." Came the Sealsdramon's smart reply, "I'm... I'm confident that my commanders don't want to surrender-"
"Then we have nothing to discuss, Fives," Shoutmon turned around and climbed down the ladder, "Tell them that I'll be interested once they've surrendered to me, show themselves instead of using their men or that all of you piss off back to your homeland!"
Fives stood dumbfounded, still holding the white flag, which was his tattered blanket, and stared at the trench with confusion. He hesitantly turned around and walked back to his line, reporting back to his commanders. Minutes later, another digimon showed up on no man's land. Once again, Shoutmon's troops rallied up and trained their weapons on the new digimon.
"Sire Shoutmon!" The digimon shouted with a hint of annoyance and frustration, "I'm Storm Commander Raijinmon! I'm representing the D-Brigade and the Metal Empire Army. I've come here to negotiate an offer with you, the Royal Knights and the DSF. If you do not respond kindly in five minutes, I'll have this entire city flattened to the ground!"
"What the fuck are you doing?! They could hear another voice yell angrily behind Raijinmon.
Raijinmon spun around swiftly, "I have up to here with the level of ridiculous crap we've found ourselves in! He better show up or so help me God, I'll-"
"I'm here!" Shoutmon replied loudly with a playful grin, now in the presence of Alphamon, Dukemon, Duftmon and Blackwargreymon, "What are you about to say?" He asked with a childish humour.
"Ah..." Raijinmon straightened his back and cleared his throat, "Your Majesty, it would be in your great interest that you accept our request for a temporary cease fire so that we may discuss in greater detail on the offer that we, the Storm Commanders, and General Darkknightmon are willing to make," He announced professionally.
"Can we discuss it here, on no man's land?"
"Um... that won't be a problem, your Majesty! We will bring the necessary furnitures and beverages and we may begin. Please allow us five minutes to prepare,"
"Fine, we'll see you in five minutes!"
Field tables and chairs were set for the meeting in the middle of the half destroyed street. Drinks were served to the representatives of each faction, Alphamon for the Royal Knights, Wargreymon for the DSF and CNS, and Shoutmon for his kingdom. Darkknightmon and Raijinmon both represented the Metal Empire and Chaosdramon's will.
"Your Majesty, Sires, I firstly want to express my gratitude that you've accepted to the temporary cease fire," DarkKnightmon stated respectfully, "My generals and I wanted to propose a quick and bloodless end to this battle. It is quite simple: leave this city, leave Green Zone with your armies, your honour intact and with your heads held high. I can promise you that my troops will not inflict further harm and if they do disobey my order, I'll personally execute them on the spot."
Everyone seemed to be shocked by the proposition, especially coming from a legendary warrior like DarkKnightmon. Despite being enemies on the battlefield, Alphamon regarded the general with respect and a nostalgic smile behind his helmet. He had fought on many occasions with the DarkKnightmon, back when the Royal Knights Order has just been founded by him, Imperialdramon: Paladin Mode and Omegamon. The skull-themed knight was ruthless to his enemies but merciless when they were defeated. It seemed to him that DarkKnightmon hasn't changed a bit.
"If I may add, my lords," Raijinmon spoke up, "I'll personally request that you'll let me escort you and your armies to the border of the Forest Zone, so that I may supervise and keep an eye on my own forces, in case they do disobey me or the general's order,"
"That does sound a wonderful for us, but what do you gain from this?" Wargreymon asked curiously, "If I stand corrected, you may get reprimanded by emperor Chaosdramon for letting us alive,"
"I am aware of the risks but I'm confident in my abilities and my reasoning that the emperor will not imprison me nor will I get executed for this. The worst that could happen to me is that I'll upset him and I'll lose my job in the military," DarkKnightmon explained confidently.
"If that is the case, why not come with us? I can guarantee you asylum in the Order," Alphamon suggested.
The fused knight turned to Alphamon and bowed his head appreciatively, "I'm glad that I can still count on an old battle-brother like yourself, Sire Alphamon, but I must respectfully decline your offer. I'm offering you a safe passage out of this battle, not my allegiance nor my resignation. I hope I haven't offended you... old friend,"
The Aloof Hermit shook his head with a dry chuckle, "You haven't... but it'll be a shame to face each other in another battlefield as enemies rather as friends,"
"Alas, this is the nature of our jobs, Alphamon. You've got your orders, I've got mine. Maybe in another life, we would be fighting side-by-side once again, but not in this one... regretfully,"
Shoutmon took a swig of his cup of green tea and looked at his two allies, "Although a part of me would refuse this offer, I think that our men have fought long enough to accomplish our primary objective. I think it is time that we all go home while we still can. What say you?"
"Continuing this battle is pointless and we'll only bleed ourselves dry for ruins... I'm favourable to the offer," Wargreymon concurred reluctantly. Shoutmon then shifted his eyes to Alphamon, expecting an answer.
"I accept the offer," He replied simply.
"I accept your offer, general DarkKnightmon," Shoutmon answered and held his right hand out, "How long do you expect us to leave?"
"We will give you forty-eight hours to leave the city, that should stall the emperor long enough before he becomes suspicious to the lack of combat reports," DarkKnightmon shook his hand firmly, "I will make sure that none of my soldiers dare to engage you or your armies,"
"I'm grateful, general," Shoutmon replied with an appreciated nod, "Raijinmon, we shall meet again in forty-eight hours. We will probably leave in the early hours for we have a long journey ahead of us,"
"Of course, your Majesty," Raijinmon nodded obediently.
"You are worthy opponents, all of you," DarkKnightmon said with genuine respect for his enemies, "That is why I plead that you should reconsider your alliance with the humans... or at least keep a cautious eye on them,"
"How so?" Alphamon inquired curiously.
"They're willing to sacrifice their men for us... but they are also willing to act without our acknowledgement or permission," DarkKnightmon retorted venomously, "They may be our creators but they are not our gods. They bleed and die as easily as all of us. I'm warning you all, especially you, sire Alphamon," The black paladin rose an intrigued brow, "They speak about peace yet their actions only show the contrary,"
DarkKnightmon threw a folder of documents and photographs at the table, "Help yourselves with these. They should paint a wider and clearer image of the humans, whom they truly are: parasites."
With his final words spoken, he and Raijinmon turned around and rejoined their line, their aides followed behind with rigid discipline. Wargreymon, Shoutmon and Alphamon all stared at the folder, dreadful and dumbfounded by its mere presence. The contents of the folder could change the very future of human-digimon relations.