Until the End
Chapter 7
Commitment
The three weeks that Ranma spent in Okinawa passed quite quickly. He had had the responsibilities of a lieutenant explained to him so many times that he was quite sure that he was ready to have the responsibilities of a general explained to him.
Lieutenant Kono had been a great help, giving him advice on some of the unwritten responsibilities that he would be responsible for in leading the platoon. Stuff like, listening to your NCO (non-commissioned officer), keeping your cool when facing your troops for the first time, and not letting your pride keep you from doing what's expected of you.
Ranma had half expected that General Ryutaro would inform the government about what he had done during the Pacific War and that he would either be arrested or kicked out of the army. Ranma admitted to himself that he had been secretly hoping that the general would pass the information on. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to have happened.
He had been called into General Ryutaro's office one last time before basic training ended.
"Lieutenant Saotome Ranma reporting as ordered sir."
"Stand at ease," the general replied.
Ryutaro got out from behind his desk and came over to where Ranma was standing at parade ground rest.
"The order to start moving troops into China came down yesterday, and your division on the top of the list."
As his hopes plummeted, Ranma managed to maintain an impassive face.
General Ryutaro's hand came down to rest on Ranma's shoulders.
"Listen, I know the thought of going off to war sounds pretty horrible, but from what I've seen, you're going to do your job splendidly."
Ranma managed a weak, 'yes sir'.
As Ryutaro looked at Ranma's face, his heart went out to the young man. A part of him wanted nothing more than to rip the lieutenant's bars of his uniform and to send him back to Japan where his wife and daughter were obviously waiting. But he admitted to himself that he was also jealous of Second Lieutenant Ranma Saotome, in that he was going off to war, and he was going to be waging war behind a desk.
Smiling somewhat artificially, General Ryutaro walked back behind his desk and pulled open a drawer, extracting a bottle of sake and two glasses. He handed one to Ranma and filled the glass.
"For the glory of Japan," General Ryutaro said and drank the glass in one pull.
"The glory of Japan," Ranma mimicked and drank down his glass, his eyes stinging slightly from the drink.
That had been two days ago, Ranma thought.
He cast his gaze down towards the ground crews that were putting the finishing touches on the transport plane that would carry Ranma and the other men from his division into China.
As the planes engines started, Ranma let his mind carry over the events that led him to this day.
A gasp escaped his throat when his mind came to rest on Ryoga.
===============
"Today, American President Winnfield commented about the growing concerns he has with the economical problems in Asia. Recent reports have stated that over half the countries in Asia are now in international debt exceeding several billions of dollars. All of this and more coming up on the top of the hour."
President George Winnfield shut the television off and tossed the remote on the table, crossing his arms across his chest and sighing audibly.
Surprising himself, the President of the United States began to cry. He buried his head in his hands as his entire body shook with sobs. Slowly sliding off the couch, the President caught a glimpse of the last photo of his wife. He grasped the photo and looked into his dead wife's eyes, the tears beginning anew.
"Oh Jenn," Winnfield moaned and sobbed again.
After a few minutes, he collected himself and slowly sat back down onto the couch, thankful that he had dismissed the Secret Service agents. It had been almost a year since he had last cried like that, the last time being when he was alone in his wife's room in the hospital, a few minutes after the doctor's had failed to revive her.
Wiping the tears from his eyes, the President took one final look at the picture of his wife and set it down on the table.
Jennifer Winnfield had not been the typical First Lady of the United States, as she had actually had a job. Jennifer Winnfield had been a psychologist working with hospitals and law firms. This had posed a problem for the Secret Service detail assigned to guarding her, for the First Lady was around murderers and potentially deranged people. What made it even worse was the fact that Jennifer would not allow anyone to sit in on any of her sessions with patients. This evoked admiration from her husband, despite how worried he was of her all the time.
President Winnfield had been unable to produce offspring, due to fertility problems that originated from his youth. Despite the shame that Winnfield had felt because of this, his wife had always replied in the same manner.
"Don't worry yourself about it, all it means is I get to focus all my love on you instead."
Feeling that his breathing had returned to normal, the President got up from the couch and walked across the room over to window that allowed him to look out on the busy downtown traffic.
Jenn would not have wanted this to be the way the world was shaping up to be. War, terrorism, all these things were not new, but they were new to this generation. The men and women that participated in the Gulf War were able to experience a war against an inferior enemy. If China and Japan were to go to war, than America would be facing a far greater threat than they were now facing in the Middle East. Petty little terrorists would eventually be stomped out by American troops, but two countries holding nuclear arms and with little regard over the repercussions of using them was as close to doomsday as the world could get.
"Alright," the President of the United States said aloud. "American soldiers will be pulled from Japan, and we will allow that smug bastard to think that he has won. But once we get assembled, were going to bring it all crashing down on their heads like a vengeful god."
===============
Prime Minister Shizuko sneezed after he was finished receiving the news about how the Japanese forces were assembling.
"Someone must be thinking bad thoughts about me," the Prime Minister said to himself. He waved his secretary out of the room and picked up a pen and began writing. Once finished, he picked the paper up and read it aloud.
"To all soldiers that have the honor of serving their country. In less than a week, you all will be in China, our great ally and friend, and will begin your final journey to the north, where you will liberate the land of Siberia from its Russian oppressors. I, the Prime Minister, have all the faith in the world that you will accomplish this task, regardless of what forces you meet. We, the people of Japan, make up the greatest nation in the world, and we will become even greater once you accomplish this task I have set before you. For the glory of Japan, you will become heroes."
Setting the paper back onto his desk, the Prime Minister leaned back in his chair and smiled contently.
"Perfect."
===============
General Phillip Parker IV was very tired. To prove to the new trainees that were just about to go through the training to become a Green Beret, Parker had made the decree that he would go through the course once again, just to prove that he was still man enough.
This had seemed a good idea at the time, even though his wife had pointed out that he had actually not run the course before, and Parker stuck to his words. After the first day, Parker had come to the conclusion that he had more than one reason to thank General Hanrahan (recently retired). He had also reached the conclusion, after secretly skipping out of the morning five mile run, that he would be dead in less than two days if he was going to continue going through with his promise.
Thus, with much pride-swallowing, Parker announced that he would be forced to stop his continuing of the training, because there was just too much paperwork that he needed to do.
That last part was not a lie; he hadn't even been the commander of the base for more than a month, and he still needed to become accustomed to the way the place worked.
The Special Warfare School had a very storybook beginning.
The first usage of Special Forces had been during World War II, when paratroopers, usually a group numbering less than ten, would parachute behind enemy lines and work hard to disrupt weapons supply lines. This proved to be a very effective method of warfare, and the United States began spending money on developing soldiers trained in the way of Special Forces.
Military politics soon disrupted the continued development of the Special Warfare School. With the commander of the Special Warfare School believing that the Green Beret program was under his control, but in all actuality the Green Beret's were only under direct jurisdiction from the Secretary of the Army. After numerous complaints filed by the commander of the Special Warfare School, the Green Berets were dropped, and the wearing of any foreign head device was forbidden. That ruling continued until President Kennedy took a particular interest in Special Forces.
President Kennedy decreed that the Green Berets were to be separated from the other soldiers training to become paratroopers. The Green Berets were reinstated. The center was renamed the Kennedy Warfare Center, in honor of the man that saved the Green Berets from becoming just another paratrooper group.
Green Berets were to carry President John Fitzgerald Kennedy to his grave after he was assassinated.
Parker realized he had just inherited a very big responsibility, even bigger than the Task Force he was given command of during the Pacific War. If he screwed this job up, he would be forced to resign from the army, and he would be forced to spend his days sitting at home or playing golf while Toni went to work in the hospital.
Toni had listened to his thoughts, and simply replied that he would do fine. This, surprisingly, had calmed Parker down incredibly. But the problem was still nagging him in the back of his mind, and it continued to bother him when he went into the office that morning.
Upon entering his office, Sergeant Major Taylor was waiting for him, envelope in hand.
"What's this?" Parker asked when he took the envelope from him.
Taylor shrugged. "It was delivered by a courier. He said it was not to be opened by anyone but General Parker, which I assumed was you."
Parker laughed and walked into his office, closing the door behind him. Setting the envelope down, he removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He returned to the desk and, using a letter opener, removed the paper inside.
To: The Special Warfare School (Green Beret Commander)
It has been decided by the President of the United States that all Special Forces teams that are presently serving in the United States will be deployed to Russia, in order to countermand any attempt from nearby countries in an invasion. More as it develops.
===============
Author's Notes: Hello, I realize this is a short chapter, but I couldn't really extend it anymore without making it at least ten times longer, which would be just too much for me to handle right now.
Thanks to everyone that has been writing reviews. Sorry to everyone that has been requesting to be pre-readers; I just don't write that seriously to actually consider using other people to help. But thanks for caring so much to ask.
The three weeks that Ranma spent in Okinawa passed quite quickly. He had had the responsibilities of a lieutenant explained to him so many times that he was quite sure that he was ready to have the responsibilities of a general explained to him.
Lieutenant Kono had been a great help, giving him advice on some of the unwritten responsibilities that he would be responsible for in leading the platoon. Stuff like, listening to your NCO (non-commissioned officer), keeping your cool when facing your troops for the first time, and not letting your pride keep you from doing what's expected of you.
Ranma had half expected that General Ryutaro would inform the government about what he had done during the Pacific War and that he would either be arrested or kicked out of the army. Ranma admitted to himself that he had been secretly hoping that the general would pass the information on. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to have happened.
He had been called into General Ryutaro's office one last time before basic training ended.
"Lieutenant Saotome Ranma reporting as ordered sir."
"Stand at ease," the general replied.
Ryutaro got out from behind his desk and came over to where Ranma was standing at parade ground rest.
"The order to start moving troops into China came down yesterday, and your division on the top of the list."
As his hopes plummeted, Ranma managed to maintain an impassive face.
General Ryutaro's hand came down to rest on Ranma's shoulders.
"Listen, I know the thought of going off to war sounds pretty horrible, but from what I've seen, you're going to do your job splendidly."
Ranma managed a weak, 'yes sir'.
As Ryutaro looked at Ranma's face, his heart went out to the young man. A part of him wanted nothing more than to rip the lieutenant's bars of his uniform and to send him back to Japan where his wife and daughter were obviously waiting. But he admitted to himself that he was also jealous of Second Lieutenant Ranma Saotome, in that he was going off to war, and he was going to be waging war behind a desk.
Smiling somewhat artificially, General Ryutaro walked back behind his desk and pulled open a drawer, extracting a bottle of sake and two glasses. He handed one to Ranma and filled the glass.
"For the glory of Japan," General Ryutaro said and drank the glass in one pull.
"The glory of Japan," Ranma mimicked and drank down his glass, his eyes stinging slightly from the drink.
That had been two days ago, Ranma thought.
He cast his gaze down towards the ground crews that were putting the finishing touches on the transport plane that would carry Ranma and the other men from his division into China.
As the planes engines started, Ranma let his mind carry over the events that led him to this day.
A gasp escaped his throat when his mind came to rest on Ryoga.
===============
"Today, American President Winnfield commented about the growing concerns he has with the economical problems in Asia. Recent reports have stated that over half the countries in Asia are now in international debt exceeding several billions of dollars. All of this and more coming up on the top of the hour."
President George Winnfield shut the television off and tossed the remote on the table, crossing his arms across his chest and sighing audibly.
Surprising himself, the President of the United States began to cry. He buried his head in his hands as his entire body shook with sobs. Slowly sliding off the couch, the President caught a glimpse of the last photo of his wife. He grasped the photo and looked into his dead wife's eyes, the tears beginning anew.
"Oh Jenn," Winnfield moaned and sobbed again.
After a few minutes, he collected himself and slowly sat back down onto the couch, thankful that he had dismissed the Secret Service agents. It had been almost a year since he had last cried like that, the last time being when he was alone in his wife's room in the hospital, a few minutes after the doctor's had failed to revive her.
Wiping the tears from his eyes, the President took one final look at the picture of his wife and set it down on the table.
Jennifer Winnfield had not been the typical First Lady of the United States, as she had actually had a job. Jennifer Winnfield had been a psychologist working with hospitals and law firms. This had posed a problem for the Secret Service detail assigned to guarding her, for the First Lady was around murderers and potentially deranged people. What made it even worse was the fact that Jennifer would not allow anyone to sit in on any of her sessions with patients. This evoked admiration from her husband, despite how worried he was of her all the time.
President Winnfield had been unable to produce offspring, due to fertility problems that originated from his youth. Despite the shame that Winnfield had felt because of this, his wife had always replied in the same manner.
"Don't worry yourself about it, all it means is I get to focus all my love on you instead."
Feeling that his breathing had returned to normal, the President got up from the couch and walked across the room over to window that allowed him to look out on the busy downtown traffic.
Jenn would not have wanted this to be the way the world was shaping up to be. War, terrorism, all these things were not new, but they were new to this generation. The men and women that participated in the Gulf War were able to experience a war against an inferior enemy. If China and Japan were to go to war, than America would be facing a far greater threat than they were now facing in the Middle East. Petty little terrorists would eventually be stomped out by American troops, but two countries holding nuclear arms and with little regard over the repercussions of using them was as close to doomsday as the world could get.
"Alright," the President of the United States said aloud. "American soldiers will be pulled from Japan, and we will allow that smug bastard to think that he has won. But once we get assembled, were going to bring it all crashing down on their heads like a vengeful god."
===============
Prime Minister Shizuko sneezed after he was finished receiving the news about how the Japanese forces were assembling.
"Someone must be thinking bad thoughts about me," the Prime Minister said to himself. He waved his secretary out of the room and picked up a pen and began writing. Once finished, he picked the paper up and read it aloud.
"To all soldiers that have the honor of serving their country. In less than a week, you all will be in China, our great ally and friend, and will begin your final journey to the north, where you will liberate the land of Siberia from its Russian oppressors. I, the Prime Minister, have all the faith in the world that you will accomplish this task, regardless of what forces you meet. We, the people of Japan, make up the greatest nation in the world, and we will become even greater once you accomplish this task I have set before you. For the glory of Japan, you will become heroes."
Setting the paper back onto his desk, the Prime Minister leaned back in his chair and smiled contently.
"Perfect."
===============
General Phillip Parker IV was very tired. To prove to the new trainees that were just about to go through the training to become a Green Beret, Parker had made the decree that he would go through the course once again, just to prove that he was still man enough.
This had seemed a good idea at the time, even though his wife had pointed out that he had actually not run the course before, and Parker stuck to his words. After the first day, Parker had come to the conclusion that he had more than one reason to thank General Hanrahan (recently retired). He had also reached the conclusion, after secretly skipping out of the morning five mile run, that he would be dead in less than two days if he was going to continue going through with his promise.
Thus, with much pride-swallowing, Parker announced that he would be forced to stop his continuing of the training, because there was just too much paperwork that he needed to do.
That last part was not a lie; he hadn't even been the commander of the base for more than a month, and he still needed to become accustomed to the way the place worked.
The Special Warfare School had a very storybook beginning.
The first usage of Special Forces had been during World War II, when paratroopers, usually a group numbering less than ten, would parachute behind enemy lines and work hard to disrupt weapons supply lines. This proved to be a very effective method of warfare, and the United States began spending money on developing soldiers trained in the way of Special Forces.
Military politics soon disrupted the continued development of the Special Warfare School. With the commander of the Special Warfare School believing that the Green Beret program was under his control, but in all actuality the Green Beret's were only under direct jurisdiction from the Secretary of the Army. After numerous complaints filed by the commander of the Special Warfare School, the Green Berets were dropped, and the wearing of any foreign head device was forbidden. That ruling continued until President Kennedy took a particular interest in Special Forces.
President Kennedy decreed that the Green Berets were to be separated from the other soldiers training to become paratroopers. The Green Berets were reinstated. The center was renamed the Kennedy Warfare Center, in honor of the man that saved the Green Berets from becoming just another paratrooper group.
Green Berets were to carry President John Fitzgerald Kennedy to his grave after he was assassinated.
Parker realized he had just inherited a very big responsibility, even bigger than the Task Force he was given command of during the Pacific War. If he screwed this job up, he would be forced to resign from the army, and he would be forced to spend his days sitting at home or playing golf while Toni went to work in the hospital.
Toni had listened to his thoughts, and simply replied that he would do fine. This, surprisingly, had calmed Parker down incredibly. But the problem was still nagging him in the back of his mind, and it continued to bother him when he went into the office that morning.
Upon entering his office, Sergeant Major Taylor was waiting for him, envelope in hand.
"What's this?" Parker asked when he took the envelope from him.
Taylor shrugged. "It was delivered by a courier. He said it was not to be opened by anyone but General Parker, which I assumed was you."
Parker laughed and walked into his office, closing the door behind him. Setting the envelope down, he removed his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He returned to the desk and, using a letter opener, removed the paper inside.
To: The Special Warfare School (Green Beret Commander)
It has been decided by the President of the United States that all Special Forces teams that are presently serving in the United States will be deployed to Russia, in order to countermand any attempt from nearby countries in an invasion. More as it develops.
===============
Author's Notes: Hello, I realize this is a short chapter, but I couldn't really extend it anymore without making it at least ten times longer, which would be just too much for me to handle right now.
Thanks to everyone that has been writing reviews. Sorry to everyone that has been requesting to be pre-readers; I just don't write that seriously to actually consider using other people to help. But thanks for caring so much to ask.