Until the End
Chapter 13
Massacre
Ranma glanced down at his watch for perhaps the hundredth time in the past ten minutes. He spared a glance behind him and saw that his team was ready and still sitting around, waiting for the linkup team to come in.
Sergeant Kenji Yoshida came up and tapped Ranma on the shoulder.
"Have you heard anything yet?" Sergeant Yoshida asked.
"No," Ranma replied. "But if they're not here in about five more minutes were going to have to do a sweep of that village by ourselves."
"Are you sure that's wise, I mean, there has got to be about three hundred people in there," Sergeant Yoshida said. "I seriously can't recommend that we go gung-ho into that town without any kind of backup."
Ranma turned and regarded his sergeant. "I know this isn't much consolation at this point sergeant, but I agree with you too. But we both know that it's taken too much work to get the new commander to agree that we should start up the siege again, and if we rule out this mission as too dangerous, than we may put the fear right back into him."
"Would that be such a bad thing?" the sergeant asked.
Ranma chose not to answer and returned his attention back to the long path. He shuffled his feet to try and stave the cold off. Ranma's senses were at their peak, and he was going to go insane if he couldn't start moving again. He took a deep breath and checked his watch again. Five thirty in the morning. The sun had risen an hour ago, and it was quite obvious that the town up ahead was wide awake by now.
This is so stupid, Ranma thought.
Early the previous evening, Ranma and his platoon had been called into the CO's tent and given the news that the invasion force would indeed be moving out again. But the goal this time would be to send separate scout squads every ten miles to check for any kind of Russian defense perimeters or for towns and villages.
The tiny villages and towns out in Siberia had been all but forgotten by the Russian government, and it was almost like they were part of a different country, a different culture. Ever since democracy had been introduced to the Russian people, they had been hard hit. Over forty million Russian citizens dwindle below the poverty line, and it is almost impossible to get ahead in your job. The corruptness and under the table dealings were as popular today as they were during the reign of the Soviet Union, maybe even more so today. The Mafia and black market groups controlled much of urban Russia, and the rural centers, like the towns and villages in Siberia, were left alone, with no contribution from the government. Harsh winters and other climate related instances made the struggle one of life or death for these people, and that was what the Chinese and Japanese were hoping to play on when they entered the areas.
Offering the people food and clothing would put faith into their cause, and maybe give them that helpful push to admit if they knew anything about the Russian defenses in the area.
This kind of thinking troubled Ranma, but there wasn't exactly anything he could do about it. Phil's words rang through his head once again.
Disobeying and creating trouble will not only endanger your life, but for you family back in Tokyo it will be worse. Just go along with what your superiors expect from you, and you should be able to get out of this alive.
Ranma tried to push the thought of Phil from his mind. While it hadn't been confirmed yet, recent intelligence documents stated that American troops were en route to Russia, and they were none other than the elite Green Berets, one of America's top Special Forces units.
A rustle in the tree's ahead brought Ranma's attention around. He quickly grabbed his rifle and trained it on the trees while motioning to his men to get into position in case it happened to be a Russian patrol.
"Who goes there!?" Ranma's voice bellowed. He tried to keep his grip on his gun tight though he was afraid that he might crack the casing.
The rustle in the trees stopped and a new voice rang out.
"Your momma!" the voice called back, much to the surprise of Ranma and his troops.
Captain Ninomiya stepped out from the trees and flashed a smile at Ranma and his troops as he playfully stuck his arms above his head.
"Don't shoot," he said in credible Russian-accented Japanese. "I bring women and vodka. Let us drink my comrade."
Ranma lowered his gun and sighed. He had been dreading this moment. When he had been informed that he would be linking up with Captain Ninomiya and his men Ranma had found little problem with it, but it wasn't until a soldier informed him that Captain Ninomiya was regarded as the 7th Platoons wise ass that Ranma realized what an arduous mission it would be.
"Captain," Ranma said formally be way of greeting.
"And a good morning to you to Saotome," Captain Ninomiya said. "Let's hope that this morning will find us well."
"Of course sir," Ranma said tiredly. He tried stretching but was immediately pulled down by the captain. His expression was now one of absolute seriousness.
"Careful, we had the impression that we were being followed. It started just two miles ago but I thought we had lost them. That's why we were a bit late."
Ranma nodded his head and looked back to make sure his men had gotten the word. From the stone-face expressions on their faces he guessed that they had heard correctly. He turned back to the captain.
"So where is this village located?" Ranma asked as the captain removed a map from his pack.
Spreading the map against a tree, the captain pointed.
"About five miles ahead of us," Captain Ninomiya said. "We are to infiltrate the village and round up all civilians, after which we will interrogate them and attempt to gather information on where the Russians have placed their next defensive outpost."
Ranma nodded but said nothing.
"It's just a small agriculture village. Mostly Mongols that are leftovers from the Soviet Union, they should have no trouble understanding what we want."
"And if they do?" Ranma asked.
The captain said nothing and folded the map back up.
"Let's go," Captain Ninomiya said simply and stalked off down the path, making a wind-up signal with his hand.
===============
The village was in fact, not an agriculture site like the Japanese and Chinese intelligence services had reported. The village was actually a relocation site for Russians that had been sent to Siberia by the KGB and other private Russian organizations that worked for the government and dealt with citizens and others that were believed to be carrying out anti- Soviet activities. While their crimes had been excused, and an official apology sent out by the Russian president, some of the more serious offenders were not allowed to return to the Russian society. That was not to mean that they could never return. Despite the fact that the Russian government did not generally care for the people in Siberia, they still sent officials and other people to try and evaluate each person's state of mind and attempt to see if they could be trusted to return to the urban centers of Russia.
The village was, in a sense, a prison, and one where escape was not an option. Though not officially given a name, the prisoners had dubbed the town to be Moscow D.C., a play on the American capital. Each year they were issued new items and tools that would ensure their survival for another year. Even with the things Moscow sent them, Moscow D.C. was not in good condition. The winter this season was the coldest it had been in over three decades, with temperatures falling to the -50 degrees Celsius point. Two townsfolk, a man sent their on charges of sending his child on a boat to an American safe house in 1988, and a woman that had been charged with having sexual relations with a married Politburo member during the final days of the Soviet Union.
Those deaths brought the total number of deaths in the village to twenty seven. A remarkably low number considering the conditions that they lived in. There was deep resentment towards the Russian government, both for their harshness towards them, and for the fact that despite a plea for mercy and movement to more livable conditions, the government continued to ignore.
The village was exactly in this mind set when the Asian soldiers emerged from the distant forest and began to make their way over to the village.
Kovel Maccek, a Slovak that was accused of anti-Soviet activities, was standing near the front of the village, smoking a cigarette and attempting to stave of his hunger. He was the first to spot the soldiers, and was the first to be greeted by them.
"Hello comrade," an older looking captain called out once he was within earshot.
Kovel looked at the man suspiciously, especially concerning the fact that he had just spoken Russian even though he clearly appeared to be of Asian descent.
The Japanese soldier approached and tossed his weapon to his back, though the soldiers behind didn't lower their weapons.
"What do you want?" Kovel asked calmly, though he was beginning to suspect that there was something desperately wrong. He looked behind him and saw that a few of the other villagers were emerging from their homes to get a look at what was happening.
"I am merely here because of orders from my country," the soldier replied. "Are you the leader of this village?"
Kovel immediately began to step back, though he kept his voice clear.
"I am not the leader of this town and I there is no one that can claim that title."
"I see," the Japanese soldier replied, his voice grave. "Well, maybe you can do me a favor then. Could you please round up all the people and have them come out and meet us, there is something that I need to ask them."
Kovel fought the urge to take another step back. When he did not reply right away the Japanese soldier let his hand fall to his gun and an intimidating look came into his eyes.
Turning quickly, Kovel barked out orders to the other village folk. He asked them to come outside and bring everyone in their homes.
It took no more than a few minutes and the whole population of the secluded village was outside by the front of the village. The Japanese soldier did not lose his look of intimidation even as the number of civilians grew to over one hundred, clearly outnumbering him and the other soldiers.
"I will speak bluntly," the soldier shouted to be heard by all the people. "I am a member of the Japanese army. We have been sent here on a mission of liberation with the country of China. We have come to liberate you from the oppressive Russian government. Even as we speak our forces are advancing to take over this land and reclaim it for the glory of our Asian nations. We must ask you if you will accept our movement to remove the iron fist that the Russian government has held over you!"
If the Japanese soldier had actually realized the true effect his words were having on the people of the village he would have kept speaking. But once he stopped he allowed each individual villager to think about his or her condition.
Let it not be said that the citizens of Russia are truly nationalistic, for that would be an untruth. It is true that Russia had more than its fare share of defectors during the Cold War, and had the Soviet Union not collapsed on its own, the Russian people would have probably kept the communist system in place. For a person to make the statement that the Russian people have had a hard life would be a great understatement. There are very few nations that can actually claim an existence that is as bleak and depressing as Russia's. While this has generally created a feeling of depression towards the future that Russia can look forward to, it should be known that the Russian people are an odd people.
For example, if you have ever actually visited Russia, you will no doubt take into account the deep sense of history that the country seems to radiate. Pain and bleakness are reflected when you think of the past that Russia has endured, but the Russian people take a sense of pride when reflecting on the past. Whether it be when the Russian people stopped the German army just outside the gates of the Kremlin even though they were facing an army that was ten times their superior during WWII, or when the country took the incredible transition from the communist regime to democracy, the Russian people will speak of such events with pride.
So, given such facts, it would make sense when each individual in the small prison camp buried deep within Siberia would come to the conclusion that allowing a group of ignorant Asians to take what is rightfully the land of Russia and its people would be a sacrifice that not even the greatest traitors could allow.
"Piss off," Kovel said simply, putting the entire village's thoughts into words.
"Excuse me?" the Japanese soldier said, taken aback.
"You heard me, get the fuck out of this village and go back to your home; you are not welcome in this land. Now remove yourselves from our doorsteps."
A look of rage flashed on the soldier's face and he turned to his troops and shouted something in Japanese. Shock registered on a few of the soldier's faces, and one of them spoke up. It was a young man with his hair tied back in a pigtail. He seemed to seriously object to whatever the soldier said, which in turn made the soldier speak even sharper and point off to the side of the village. The pigtailed soldier looked like he was still uncertain but trudged off with a few soldiers anyway.
The Japanese soldier turned back to the crowd and grabbed his gun. The remaining soldiers behind him did the same.
"I am sorry to hear of your decision," the soldier said.
===============
Lieutenant Saotome didn't need to understand Russian to know just what the man's reply had been to whatever Captain Ninomiya's message was. Despite the captain's orders that Ranma and his platoon do a sweep of the village, Ranma was sure that the captain was just trying to get him to go away.
Unsure of what he should do, Ranma fell back on Phil's words. Do not question what your superiors tell you. Those words helped him make the decision to leave the villagers.
"Are you sure we should leave the captain alone lieutenant?" Sergeant Yoshida asked as he fell into step beside Ranma.
"I am sure that Captain Ninomiya is capable of interrogating the villagers on his own sergeant," Ranma replied smoothly.
"I meant, do you think it is wise to leave the captain alone with the villagers," Yoshida said.
Ranma didn't reply. He moved to one of the many huts that filled the village and opened the door and stepped inside. Ranma quickly moved into the hut and kicked open a far door. He heard a noise and swung his rifle around and pointed it at the person huddling in the corner, his finger about to depress the trigger.
The small child huddling in the corner cried out and flung herself at the ground, whimpering.
Ranma's eyes widened and he quickly removed his finger from the trigger and stared in horror at the small child on the floor.
Sergeant Yoshida came into the room with his rifle ready and saw the child. He lowered his gun and approached the child.
"She's alright, just a little scared," Sergeant Yoshida said to Ranma as he got to his feet. He turned and saw that Ranma hadn't moved from his position. "You alright lieutenant?"
Ranma stared down at his hand as if it were a foreign part of his body. "I-I almost pulled the trigger."
Yoshida was taken aback by the horror that his lieutenant was displaying.
"It's alright sir," Yoshida said. "The child's okay so let's finish clearing the village." Yoshida looked at Ranma one more time before exiting the hut.
Ranma lowered his hand and looked at the small girl that was now huddling in the corner. Another revelation struck him that brought him to his knees.
"S-she looks like Kagome," Ranma said to himself in horror as a soft cry escaped his lips.
The Russian child, seeing that the man that had just scared her seemed to be harmless, got to her feet and walked over to the man and grabbed onto his sleeve with one hand and shook it earnestly.
"(Please, I want to see my mom)," she said in Russian.
The child's voice brought Ranma out of his stupor and he looked at her. The fear that was once plastered across her young face was replaced with childlike innocence.
Ranma was about to say something to the girl when a gunshot rippled through the area. It was quickly followed by a lot more shots. Jumping to his feet, Ranma raced out of the hut, forgetting about the girl. His platoon was standing around and looking in horror to the front of the village, where the shots originated from.
"No!" Ranma shouted and raced towards the front of the village, his men following suit though none were able to match Ranma's speed.
As Ranma rounded the corner he heard the screams from the civilians and the now thunderous roars from the guns of the other soldiers. The sight stopped him in his tracks.
Captain Ninomiya was firing at the villagers with his pistol and the other soldiers were firing full-auto with their rifles as the villagers fled in fright. The crumpled body of the Russian that Ninomiya had initially talked to lay by the captain's feet.
Without stopping, Ranma charged at Ninomiya, letting loose his fury onto the officer's body. He hit the captain repeatedly in the chest, feeling the man's bones split and crack underneath his relentless attack.
"Why?!" Ranma shouted as he grabbed the captain's tunic, holding his face to Ranma's. "Why did you shoot?!"
The captain sputtered and blood erupted from his mouth, along with the pink frothy liquid which was the muscle tissue that had been ripped underneath Ranma's assault.
Ranma tossed the captain's body to the ground and turned to the soldier's from Ninomiya's platoon.
"Why did you shoot?!" Ranma shouted again, his aura raging.
The soldier's backed up, fear running through them as they faced the enraged Ranma.
Just as he was about to charge at them, the sound of gunfire erupted again, but when Ranma looked to see where it came from, three of Ninomiya's soldiers fell down as they were hit from behind.
Shocked silence filled the area as everyone searched for the source of the shots. Just as they were about to relax, the distant tree line exploded with gunfire. Bullets ripped through the soldiers and Ranma was forced to dive to the side, seeking cover behind one of the huts. Ninomiya's body was hit three times, all along his back, which ended the whimpering that had been coming from him.
Ranma was seething in fury before he remembered Ninomiya's words before they had entered the village. A Russian unit had been shadowing them earlier, and he wasn't sure if they had lost them or not.
Cursing the man's stupidity, Ranma brought his gun to his side and began firing short bursts at the trees. He didn't expect to hit anyone, just give them pause. Hearing shouts behind him, Ranma quickly turned to see his platoon running up to the front of the village with their weapons ready.
"The Russians!" Ranma shouted. "The tree line over there, put down some suppression fire!" he ordered.
His platoon quickly assembled and began to lay down fire on the distant trees. Ranma used the momentary distraction to move across open trail to where he saw Sergeant Yoshida crouch down.
"I'm going to need your help with this sergeant," Ranma said. "I need you to grab three soldiers and move about thirty meters down the front path where you'll first hit the front of the village, then your going to move close enough where you think one of our troops will be able to hit them with a Javelin (a kind of rocket-propelled grenade, an advancement over the traditional RPG)."
"Right sir," Yoshida said and called out for the troops to assemble.
Ranma didn't bother sticking around. Taking a deep breath, he sprinted out into the open again, rushing towards the large pile of Japanese soldiers, from Ninomiya's squad. He spotted the soldier that had been carrying a radio and quickly removed it from his corpse. Just as he was about to get back to his feet, Ranma felt the pressure of something slamming into his back. Thinking that he was shot, Ranma fell to the ground.
He immediately noticed that he had not been hit, but the pack he had on his back had. Just as he was about to laugh, he heard the hissing of a phosphorous grenade. Stripping of his pack, Ranma saw that the bullet had ripped through his pack and had hit a phosphorous grenade inside. It was about to blow up.
"Shit!" Ranma shouted as he tossed his pack out into the distant field, a few seconds before it detonated in a shower of flames. Breathing deeply, Ranma looked at the radio in his hand. He had been intending to use it to call for backup, but he had accidentally crushed it in his hand when he thought he had been shot.
As bullets began to impact the ground near him, Ranma realized that he wasn't safe out in the open. He ducked behind another hut and looked out.
Sergeant Yoshida and three other soldiers were running down along the path, two soldiers behind totting the large Javelin. They reached the first stop point and Ranma realized that Yoshida and the others would be cut down if the Russians kept their fire centered on them.
He reached for the fragmentation grenade on his flak jacket and pulled it off. He pulled the pin and let the safety clip fly off. Winding his arm back, Ranma hurled the grenade with as much strength as he could muster, and watched as the grenade traveled to within seven feet of the trees and detonated.
The explosion must have shook the Russians, but they only directed half of their fire on Ranma, and kept the rest on Yoshida and the others.
"This'll get their attention," Ranma said to himself as he leapt once again out from under cover and faced the trees. Gathering his concentration, Ranma sent a ki blast hurtling across the open field to the trees. Several trees were ripped from the ground and sent tumbling through the air.
The Russians must have been stupefied, for all the firing from the trees stopped. Luckily for Ranma and the others, Yoshida and the three soldiers had come to expect the unnatural when it came to their leader, for they were only momentarily stopped with awe.
"Do it!" Ranma shouted as Yoshida and his men got within the Javelin's range. As Ranma had guessed, Yoshida was the soldier that fired the Javelin, and as he had guessed, the rocket propelled grenade traveled through the field and impacted the trees dead center. Shrapnel and fire killed the Russian soldiers, and sent them agonizing deaths as the fire that resulted from the explosion as it continued to spread over the area.
===============
The troops slowly came to stand in the front of the village, surveying the carnage that had resulted from the firefight, and the massacre that had occurred before. Ninomiya's platoon had been completely wiped out by the Russians, and Ninomiya was himself dead. Ranma was thankful that none of his troops had seen him beat Ninomiya to the point where he would have died even without the help of the Russian soldiers.
The villagers were strewn about the area, most hit in the back as they ran from Ninomiya. Ranma bent down over an older woman. She appeared to be in her late thirties. The shocked expression that was on her face had not disappeared even with death. Her eyes were open and they displayed a look of sadness and fear.
"This is my fault," Ranma said suddenly, surprising his troops. "If I hadn't allowed Ninomiya to order me off, we could have protected these people. They didn't have to die."
Most of the troops shifted uncomfortably, not used to seeing the emotion displayed from their lieutenant. Sergeant Yoshida spoke up after a long silence.
"I believe that we should contact the reaction force," he said quietly. "We will need to make a report about what happened here and the engagement with the Russian forces."
"No," Ranma said. "Not yet, first we will give these people proper burials. It is the least we can do for them."
He reached down and placed his hand over the woman's eyes, closing them for the last time. Ranma sighed and was about to get up when he spotted someone standing behind one of the huts. It was the small child that he had left in the hut.
The girl had hidden in the hut during the firefight, but had emerged when she noticed that the shooting had stopped. Fear was running through her as she saw the soldiers and the village people lying dead in the road. Her eyes centered on Ranma, and then shifted down to the woman that was lying limply in his lap.
"Momma!" she cried and started to run. She reached Ranma and threw herself beside the woman, desperately pulling on the sleeve of her shirt. "Please, wake up."
Ranma did not understand Russian, but he could easily guess what the child was whimpering. He reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
The child immediately pulled away, and turned to Ranma, tears and fear on her face. "Please wake up my momma!" the child cried and buried her head in Ranma's shoulder. She began crying into his shoulder and mumbling incoherently.
Ranma's hand slowly came down to rest on the child's head. He very tenderly rubbed the child's head as his own tears collected in his eyes.
Goddamn this war, he said to himself as he felt the girl's hot tears through his thick tunic.
===============
Author's Notes: I wrote this chapter in one sitting, and I hope that explains just why it seems to be so powerful. Ranma is slowly becoming unglued. The constant exposures to the horrors of war are slowly taking their toll on him, and because of his past mental problems, they may begin to manifest themselves in what he is doing. Look for Phil to make his appearance in Siberia next chapter.
I want to thank everyone for reviewing and e-mailing me about their opinions, and I must say you all have a lot of them, each a little different than the next. I'm not going to make any kind of political talk this time around, as I think it would be nice to hear about your opinions on this chapter.
For those wondering about the line that the small Russian child looked like Ranma, well, if you have ever gotten a good look at someone from Siberia, you will notice several clear distinctions that make them look Asian.
Ranma glanced down at his watch for perhaps the hundredth time in the past ten minutes. He spared a glance behind him and saw that his team was ready and still sitting around, waiting for the linkup team to come in.
Sergeant Kenji Yoshida came up and tapped Ranma on the shoulder.
"Have you heard anything yet?" Sergeant Yoshida asked.
"No," Ranma replied. "But if they're not here in about five more minutes were going to have to do a sweep of that village by ourselves."
"Are you sure that's wise, I mean, there has got to be about three hundred people in there," Sergeant Yoshida said. "I seriously can't recommend that we go gung-ho into that town without any kind of backup."
Ranma turned and regarded his sergeant. "I know this isn't much consolation at this point sergeant, but I agree with you too. But we both know that it's taken too much work to get the new commander to agree that we should start up the siege again, and if we rule out this mission as too dangerous, than we may put the fear right back into him."
"Would that be such a bad thing?" the sergeant asked.
Ranma chose not to answer and returned his attention back to the long path. He shuffled his feet to try and stave the cold off. Ranma's senses were at their peak, and he was going to go insane if he couldn't start moving again. He took a deep breath and checked his watch again. Five thirty in the morning. The sun had risen an hour ago, and it was quite obvious that the town up ahead was wide awake by now.
This is so stupid, Ranma thought.
Early the previous evening, Ranma and his platoon had been called into the CO's tent and given the news that the invasion force would indeed be moving out again. But the goal this time would be to send separate scout squads every ten miles to check for any kind of Russian defense perimeters or for towns and villages.
The tiny villages and towns out in Siberia had been all but forgotten by the Russian government, and it was almost like they were part of a different country, a different culture. Ever since democracy had been introduced to the Russian people, they had been hard hit. Over forty million Russian citizens dwindle below the poverty line, and it is almost impossible to get ahead in your job. The corruptness and under the table dealings were as popular today as they were during the reign of the Soviet Union, maybe even more so today. The Mafia and black market groups controlled much of urban Russia, and the rural centers, like the towns and villages in Siberia, were left alone, with no contribution from the government. Harsh winters and other climate related instances made the struggle one of life or death for these people, and that was what the Chinese and Japanese were hoping to play on when they entered the areas.
Offering the people food and clothing would put faith into their cause, and maybe give them that helpful push to admit if they knew anything about the Russian defenses in the area.
This kind of thinking troubled Ranma, but there wasn't exactly anything he could do about it. Phil's words rang through his head once again.
Disobeying and creating trouble will not only endanger your life, but for you family back in Tokyo it will be worse. Just go along with what your superiors expect from you, and you should be able to get out of this alive.
Ranma tried to push the thought of Phil from his mind. While it hadn't been confirmed yet, recent intelligence documents stated that American troops were en route to Russia, and they were none other than the elite Green Berets, one of America's top Special Forces units.
A rustle in the tree's ahead brought Ranma's attention around. He quickly grabbed his rifle and trained it on the trees while motioning to his men to get into position in case it happened to be a Russian patrol.
"Who goes there!?" Ranma's voice bellowed. He tried to keep his grip on his gun tight though he was afraid that he might crack the casing.
The rustle in the trees stopped and a new voice rang out.
"Your momma!" the voice called back, much to the surprise of Ranma and his troops.
Captain Ninomiya stepped out from the trees and flashed a smile at Ranma and his troops as he playfully stuck his arms above his head.
"Don't shoot," he said in credible Russian-accented Japanese. "I bring women and vodka. Let us drink my comrade."
Ranma lowered his gun and sighed. He had been dreading this moment. When he had been informed that he would be linking up with Captain Ninomiya and his men Ranma had found little problem with it, but it wasn't until a soldier informed him that Captain Ninomiya was regarded as the 7th Platoons wise ass that Ranma realized what an arduous mission it would be.
"Captain," Ranma said formally be way of greeting.
"And a good morning to you to Saotome," Captain Ninomiya said. "Let's hope that this morning will find us well."
"Of course sir," Ranma said tiredly. He tried stretching but was immediately pulled down by the captain. His expression was now one of absolute seriousness.
"Careful, we had the impression that we were being followed. It started just two miles ago but I thought we had lost them. That's why we were a bit late."
Ranma nodded his head and looked back to make sure his men had gotten the word. From the stone-face expressions on their faces he guessed that they had heard correctly. He turned back to the captain.
"So where is this village located?" Ranma asked as the captain removed a map from his pack.
Spreading the map against a tree, the captain pointed.
"About five miles ahead of us," Captain Ninomiya said. "We are to infiltrate the village and round up all civilians, after which we will interrogate them and attempt to gather information on where the Russians have placed their next defensive outpost."
Ranma nodded but said nothing.
"It's just a small agriculture village. Mostly Mongols that are leftovers from the Soviet Union, they should have no trouble understanding what we want."
"And if they do?" Ranma asked.
The captain said nothing and folded the map back up.
"Let's go," Captain Ninomiya said simply and stalked off down the path, making a wind-up signal with his hand.
===============
The village was in fact, not an agriculture site like the Japanese and Chinese intelligence services had reported. The village was actually a relocation site for Russians that had been sent to Siberia by the KGB and other private Russian organizations that worked for the government and dealt with citizens and others that were believed to be carrying out anti- Soviet activities. While their crimes had been excused, and an official apology sent out by the Russian president, some of the more serious offenders were not allowed to return to the Russian society. That was not to mean that they could never return. Despite the fact that the Russian government did not generally care for the people in Siberia, they still sent officials and other people to try and evaluate each person's state of mind and attempt to see if they could be trusted to return to the urban centers of Russia.
The village was, in a sense, a prison, and one where escape was not an option. Though not officially given a name, the prisoners had dubbed the town to be Moscow D.C., a play on the American capital. Each year they were issued new items and tools that would ensure their survival for another year. Even with the things Moscow sent them, Moscow D.C. was not in good condition. The winter this season was the coldest it had been in over three decades, with temperatures falling to the -50 degrees Celsius point. Two townsfolk, a man sent their on charges of sending his child on a boat to an American safe house in 1988, and a woman that had been charged with having sexual relations with a married Politburo member during the final days of the Soviet Union.
Those deaths brought the total number of deaths in the village to twenty seven. A remarkably low number considering the conditions that they lived in. There was deep resentment towards the Russian government, both for their harshness towards them, and for the fact that despite a plea for mercy and movement to more livable conditions, the government continued to ignore.
The village was exactly in this mind set when the Asian soldiers emerged from the distant forest and began to make their way over to the village.
Kovel Maccek, a Slovak that was accused of anti-Soviet activities, was standing near the front of the village, smoking a cigarette and attempting to stave of his hunger. He was the first to spot the soldiers, and was the first to be greeted by them.
"Hello comrade," an older looking captain called out once he was within earshot.
Kovel looked at the man suspiciously, especially concerning the fact that he had just spoken Russian even though he clearly appeared to be of Asian descent.
The Japanese soldier approached and tossed his weapon to his back, though the soldiers behind didn't lower their weapons.
"What do you want?" Kovel asked calmly, though he was beginning to suspect that there was something desperately wrong. He looked behind him and saw that a few of the other villagers were emerging from their homes to get a look at what was happening.
"I am merely here because of orders from my country," the soldier replied. "Are you the leader of this village?"
Kovel immediately began to step back, though he kept his voice clear.
"I am not the leader of this town and I there is no one that can claim that title."
"I see," the Japanese soldier replied, his voice grave. "Well, maybe you can do me a favor then. Could you please round up all the people and have them come out and meet us, there is something that I need to ask them."
Kovel fought the urge to take another step back. When he did not reply right away the Japanese soldier let his hand fall to his gun and an intimidating look came into his eyes.
Turning quickly, Kovel barked out orders to the other village folk. He asked them to come outside and bring everyone in their homes.
It took no more than a few minutes and the whole population of the secluded village was outside by the front of the village. The Japanese soldier did not lose his look of intimidation even as the number of civilians grew to over one hundred, clearly outnumbering him and the other soldiers.
"I will speak bluntly," the soldier shouted to be heard by all the people. "I am a member of the Japanese army. We have been sent here on a mission of liberation with the country of China. We have come to liberate you from the oppressive Russian government. Even as we speak our forces are advancing to take over this land and reclaim it for the glory of our Asian nations. We must ask you if you will accept our movement to remove the iron fist that the Russian government has held over you!"
If the Japanese soldier had actually realized the true effect his words were having on the people of the village he would have kept speaking. But once he stopped he allowed each individual villager to think about his or her condition.
Let it not be said that the citizens of Russia are truly nationalistic, for that would be an untruth. It is true that Russia had more than its fare share of defectors during the Cold War, and had the Soviet Union not collapsed on its own, the Russian people would have probably kept the communist system in place. For a person to make the statement that the Russian people have had a hard life would be a great understatement. There are very few nations that can actually claim an existence that is as bleak and depressing as Russia's. While this has generally created a feeling of depression towards the future that Russia can look forward to, it should be known that the Russian people are an odd people.
For example, if you have ever actually visited Russia, you will no doubt take into account the deep sense of history that the country seems to radiate. Pain and bleakness are reflected when you think of the past that Russia has endured, but the Russian people take a sense of pride when reflecting on the past. Whether it be when the Russian people stopped the German army just outside the gates of the Kremlin even though they were facing an army that was ten times their superior during WWII, or when the country took the incredible transition from the communist regime to democracy, the Russian people will speak of such events with pride.
So, given such facts, it would make sense when each individual in the small prison camp buried deep within Siberia would come to the conclusion that allowing a group of ignorant Asians to take what is rightfully the land of Russia and its people would be a sacrifice that not even the greatest traitors could allow.
"Piss off," Kovel said simply, putting the entire village's thoughts into words.
"Excuse me?" the Japanese soldier said, taken aback.
"You heard me, get the fuck out of this village and go back to your home; you are not welcome in this land. Now remove yourselves from our doorsteps."
A look of rage flashed on the soldier's face and he turned to his troops and shouted something in Japanese. Shock registered on a few of the soldier's faces, and one of them spoke up. It was a young man with his hair tied back in a pigtail. He seemed to seriously object to whatever the soldier said, which in turn made the soldier speak even sharper and point off to the side of the village. The pigtailed soldier looked like he was still uncertain but trudged off with a few soldiers anyway.
The Japanese soldier turned back to the crowd and grabbed his gun. The remaining soldiers behind him did the same.
"I am sorry to hear of your decision," the soldier said.
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Lieutenant Saotome didn't need to understand Russian to know just what the man's reply had been to whatever Captain Ninomiya's message was. Despite the captain's orders that Ranma and his platoon do a sweep of the village, Ranma was sure that the captain was just trying to get him to go away.
Unsure of what he should do, Ranma fell back on Phil's words. Do not question what your superiors tell you. Those words helped him make the decision to leave the villagers.
"Are you sure we should leave the captain alone lieutenant?" Sergeant Yoshida asked as he fell into step beside Ranma.
"I am sure that Captain Ninomiya is capable of interrogating the villagers on his own sergeant," Ranma replied smoothly.
"I meant, do you think it is wise to leave the captain alone with the villagers," Yoshida said.
Ranma didn't reply. He moved to one of the many huts that filled the village and opened the door and stepped inside. Ranma quickly moved into the hut and kicked open a far door. He heard a noise and swung his rifle around and pointed it at the person huddling in the corner, his finger about to depress the trigger.
The small child huddling in the corner cried out and flung herself at the ground, whimpering.
Ranma's eyes widened and he quickly removed his finger from the trigger and stared in horror at the small child on the floor.
Sergeant Yoshida came into the room with his rifle ready and saw the child. He lowered his gun and approached the child.
"She's alright, just a little scared," Sergeant Yoshida said to Ranma as he got to his feet. He turned and saw that Ranma hadn't moved from his position. "You alright lieutenant?"
Ranma stared down at his hand as if it were a foreign part of his body. "I-I almost pulled the trigger."
Yoshida was taken aback by the horror that his lieutenant was displaying.
"It's alright sir," Yoshida said. "The child's okay so let's finish clearing the village." Yoshida looked at Ranma one more time before exiting the hut.
Ranma lowered his hand and looked at the small girl that was now huddling in the corner. Another revelation struck him that brought him to his knees.
"S-she looks like Kagome," Ranma said to himself in horror as a soft cry escaped his lips.
The Russian child, seeing that the man that had just scared her seemed to be harmless, got to her feet and walked over to the man and grabbed onto his sleeve with one hand and shook it earnestly.
"(Please, I want to see my mom)," she said in Russian.
The child's voice brought Ranma out of his stupor and he looked at her. The fear that was once plastered across her young face was replaced with childlike innocence.
Ranma was about to say something to the girl when a gunshot rippled through the area. It was quickly followed by a lot more shots. Jumping to his feet, Ranma raced out of the hut, forgetting about the girl. His platoon was standing around and looking in horror to the front of the village, where the shots originated from.
"No!" Ranma shouted and raced towards the front of the village, his men following suit though none were able to match Ranma's speed.
As Ranma rounded the corner he heard the screams from the civilians and the now thunderous roars from the guns of the other soldiers. The sight stopped him in his tracks.
Captain Ninomiya was firing at the villagers with his pistol and the other soldiers were firing full-auto with their rifles as the villagers fled in fright. The crumpled body of the Russian that Ninomiya had initially talked to lay by the captain's feet.
Without stopping, Ranma charged at Ninomiya, letting loose his fury onto the officer's body. He hit the captain repeatedly in the chest, feeling the man's bones split and crack underneath his relentless attack.
"Why?!" Ranma shouted as he grabbed the captain's tunic, holding his face to Ranma's. "Why did you shoot?!"
The captain sputtered and blood erupted from his mouth, along with the pink frothy liquid which was the muscle tissue that had been ripped underneath Ranma's assault.
Ranma tossed the captain's body to the ground and turned to the soldier's from Ninomiya's platoon.
"Why did you shoot?!" Ranma shouted again, his aura raging.
The soldier's backed up, fear running through them as they faced the enraged Ranma.
Just as he was about to charge at them, the sound of gunfire erupted again, but when Ranma looked to see where it came from, three of Ninomiya's soldiers fell down as they were hit from behind.
Shocked silence filled the area as everyone searched for the source of the shots. Just as they were about to relax, the distant tree line exploded with gunfire. Bullets ripped through the soldiers and Ranma was forced to dive to the side, seeking cover behind one of the huts. Ninomiya's body was hit three times, all along his back, which ended the whimpering that had been coming from him.
Ranma was seething in fury before he remembered Ninomiya's words before they had entered the village. A Russian unit had been shadowing them earlier, and he wasn't sure if they had lost them or not.
Cursing the man's stupidity, Ranma brought his gun to his side and began firing short bursts at the trees. He didn't expect to hit anyone, just give them pause. Hearing shouts behind him, Ranma quickly turned to see his platoon running up to the front of the village with their weapons ready.
"The Russians!" Ranma shouted. "The tree line over there, put down some suppression fire!" he ordered.
His platoon quickly assembled and began to lay down fire on the distant trees. Ranma used the momentary distraction to move across open trail to where he saw Sergeant Yoshida crouch down.
"I'm going to need your help with this sergeant," Ranma said. "I need you to grab three soldiers and move about thirty meters down the front path where you'll first hit the front of the village, then your going to move close enough where you think one of our troops will be able to hit them with a Javelin (a kind of rocket-propelled grenade, an advancement over the traditional RPG)."
"Right sir," Yoshida said and called out for the troops to assemble.
Ranma didn't bother sticking around. Taking a deep breath, he sprinted out into the open again, rushing towards the large pile of Japanese soldiers, from Ninomiya's squad. He spotted the soldier that had been carrying a radio and quickly removed it from his corpse. Just as he was about to get back to his feet, Ranma felt the pressure of something slamming into his back. Thinking that he was shot, Ranma fell to the ground.
He immediately noticed that he had not been hit, but the pack he had on his back had. Just as he was about to laugh, he heard the hissing of a phosphorous grenade. Stripping of his pack, Ranma saw that the bullet had ripped through his pack and had hit a phosphorous grenade inside. It was about to blow up.
"Shit!" Ranma shouted as he tossed his pack out into the distant field, a few seconds before it detonated in a shower of flames. Breathing deeply, Ranma looked at the radio in his hand. He had been intending to use it to call for backup, but he had accidentally crushed it in his hand when he thought he had been shot.
As bullets began to impact the ground near him, Ranma realized that he wasn't safe out in the open. He ducked behind another hut and looked out.
Sergeant Yoshida and three other soldiers were running down along the path, two soldiers behind totting the large Javelin. They reached the first stop point and Ranma realized that Yoshida and the others would be cut down if the Russians kept their fire centered on them.
He reached for the fragmentation grenade on his flak jacket and pulled it off. He pulled the pin and let the safety clip fly off. Winding his arm back, Ranma hurled the grenade with as much strength as he could muster, and watched as the grenade traveled to within seven feet of the trees and detonated.
The explosion must have shook the Russians, but they only directed half of their fire on Ranma, and kept the rest on Yoshida and the others.
"This'll get their attention," Ranma said to himself as he leapt once again out from under cover and faced the trees. Gathering his concentration, Ranma sent a ki blast hurtling across the open field to the trees. Several trees were ripped from the ground and sent tumbling through the air.
The Russians must have been stupefied, for all the firing from the trees stopped. Luckily for Ranma and the others, Yoshida and the three soldiers had come to expect the unnatural when it came to their leader, for they were only momentarily stopped with awe.
"Do it!" Ranma shouted as Yoshida and his men got within the Javelin's range. As Ranma had guessed, Yoshida was the soldier that fired the Javelin, and as he had guessed, the rocket propelled grenade traveled through the field and impacted the trees dead center. Shrapnel and fire killed the Russian soldiers, and sent them agonizing deaths as the fire that resulted from the explosion as it continued to spread over the area.
===============
The troops slowly came to stand in the front of the village, surveying the carnage that had resulted from the firefight, and the massacre that had occurred before. Ninomiya's platoon had been completely wiped out by the Russians, and Ninomiya was himself dead. Ranma was thankful that none of his troops had seen him beat Ninomiya to the point where he would have died even without the help of the Russian soldiers.
The villagers were strewn about the area, most hit in the back as they ran from Ninomiya. Ranma bent down over an older woman. She appeared to be in her late thirties. The shocked expression that was on her face had not disappeared even with death. Her eyes were open and they displayed a look of sadness and fear.
"This is my fault," Ranma said suddenly, surprising his troops. "If I hadn't allowed Ninomiya to order me off, we could have protected these people. They didn't have to die."
Most of the troops shifted uncomfortably, not used to seeing the emotion displayed from their lieutenant. Sergeant Yoshida spoke up after a long silence.
"I believe that we should contact the reaction force," he said quietly. "We will need to make a report about what happened here and the engagement with the Russian forces."
"No," Ranma said. "Not yet, first we will give these people proper burials. It is the least we can do for them."
He reached down and placed his hand over the woman's eyes, closing them for the last time. Ranma sighed and was about to get up when he spotted someone standing behind one of the huts. It was the small child that he had left in the hut.
The girl had hidden in the hut during the firefight, but had emerged when she noticed that the shooting had stopped. Fear was running through her as she saw the soldiers and the village people lying dead in the road. Her eyes centered on Ranma, and then shifted down to the woman that was lying limply in his lap.
"Momma!" she cried and started to run. She reached Ranma and threw herself beside the woman, desperately pulling on the sleeve of her shirt. "Please, wake up."
Ranma did not understand Russian, but he could easily guess what the child was whimpering. He reached forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
The child immediately pulled away, and turned to Ranma, tears and fear on her face. "Please wake up my momma!" the child cried and buried her head in Ranma's shoulder. She began crying into his shoulder and mumbling incoherently.
Ranma's hand slowly came down to rest on the child's head. He very tenderly rubbed the child's head as his own tears collected in his eyes.
Goddamn this war, he said to himself as he felt the girl's hot tears through his thick tunic.
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Author's Notes: I wrote this chapter in one sitting, and I hope that explains just why it seems to be so powerful. Ranma is slowly becoming unglued. The constant exposures to the horrors of war are slowly taking their toll on him, and because of his past mental problems, they may begin to manifest themselves in what he is doing. Look for Phil to make his appearance in Siberia next chapter.
I want to thank everyone for reviewing and e-mailing me about their opinions, and I must say you all have a lot of them, each a little different than the next. I'm not going to make any kind of political talk this time around, as I think it would be nice to hear about your opinions on this chapter.
For those wondering about the line that the small Russian child looked like Ranma, well, if you have ever gotten a good look at someone from Siberia, you will notice several clear distinctions that make them look Asian.