Chapter 2: Contact
The roar made everyone in the market freeze. Only the trained JSDF troopers were able to raise their rifles to their shoulders and orient them to the direction. More roars followed by screams and gunfire could be heard to the North. The 3 Africans looked at each other, before fumbling with their firearms and snatching the RPG tube before taking off northbound.
They didn't get far. Shadows flew overhead, flapping their wings and gnashing their teeth.
{Wait, WINGS...TEETH?!}
Itami's head snapped around for another look at the passing objects.
{WYVERNS!}
The beasts were at least 3 metres in length and 2 metres in height, with a metallic sheen reflecting off its scales. The wyverns were shocking as they were, the last large reptilian animal was thought to be dead for a long, long time, but that didn't paralyze the soldiers. It was the Roman Legionnaire straddling the monster, an honest-to-God bloody Legionnaire, screaming a war cry and waving a pike. All 15 men and women just stared.
Itami broke out of shock after it had turned back and soared North. Grabbing Kurata by the collar and pulling him from his petrified state, he started slamming commands.
" SERGEANT, CONTACT LION 2-1. TELL THEM WE HAVE AN UNKNOWN SUSPECTED HOSTILE FORCE, ASSAULTING THE NORTHSIDE OF RUBKONA! WE NEED BACKUP NOW!"
The Lieutenant then pointed to the Old Man, " SERGEANT MAJOR, LEAD THE WAY. WE ARE FALLING BACK! DITCH THE WATER TANKS!"
The authority in his voice woke everyone in the area to the situation. The water tanks were dropped and boots started moving.
Of course, not just the squad were shaken awake. Shopkeeps started packing everything up and the civilians started panicking and running home. Then the shadows came back around to make a pass.
A squadron of 3 wyverns and riders swooped down into the crowd, slashing claws and thrusting pikes impaling many of the unarmed men and women.
{SHIT}
"OPEN FIRE, DRIVE THE BUGGERS OFF!" This came from the Sergeant Major.
The Japanese all let loose with 5.56, hoping to put a stop to the massacre, in vain. The bullets ricocheted off the scales or just plainly didn't penetrate, only causing minor annoyances to the beasts. The SPLA soldiers open fire as well, spraying their AKs wildly into the air. They also readied their RPG tube and raised it into the air. And didn't perform a backblast check. If he had, he would have seen the two children had been hiding behind the native soldiers, trying to stick to the familiar-looking soldiers in hope of safety.
{DAMMIT} Itami had glanced back to see the RPG raised, but the 10 steps needed to save the boy and girl were too far.
A pair of desert camo fatigues then fluttered in between the tube and children. The massive form of Leading Private Katsumoto Wataru stepped into the backblast area, arms stretched out in a protective stance around the kids. Then the RPG fired.
The rocket flew up into the sky, clearly missing any target, and detonated upon reaching its maximum range. The rocketeer didn't have enough time to reload before a pike impaled him through the chest in a wyvern attack pass, taking the corpse with it. Wataru was slumped over, laying on top of 2 struggling bodies.
" MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN. MEDIC!"
Itami dashed over with Mari Kurokawa running to his side.
"Mari, he took an RPG backblast. Check him over and get him ready to move. I'll check the kids," the man said to the medic, as he pulled the Private off the children.
The medic got to work checking the brave man as Itami inspected the two. The kids looked terrified but didn't have any wounds. Katsumoto was another story. RPG backblast launches 760 Celsius air out the rear of the tube. His slung rifle proves this as the polymer handguard was melted and the metal receiver showed burn marks. Luckily he took most of the blast on his back, only his neck had second-degree burns. However, the man was unconscious and barely breathing. The rapid overpressure of the RPG blast had caused internal trauma to his body.
The combat nurse relayed this information to her superior, " He has internal damage. We need to get him to a hospital quickly." She got her reply immediately.
"Okay, get 2 of the men to carry him and we run back to the compound. Take care of the children."
Nodding, Kurokawa took off as ordered, pulling the 2 kids with her. Itami stood back up and started jogging through the squad, " 3rd Recon Team, on me. We are pulling back now."
With this, the 9 men and women forced a path through the waves of civilians, protecting their wounded comrade and the young with them. Upon exiting the market and reaching the field, gunfire could be heard from the compound.
Their cry for help had been heard. The Rwandan troops had the main gate open and formed 2 ranks on the street, with 2 VBL M11s flanking their lines. The VBLs started firing into the sky, 50 cal. rounds able to penetrate the wyvern's scales, downing all 3 quickly.
The radio squawked to life, " Get over here now, Recce 3-Actual. We will cover you."
" Quickly troopers, GET to the walls," breaking out into a run, Youji commanded.
3rd Recon quickly followed, covering the two men dragging the large injured private. As they reached the road, one of the wyverns climbed back onto its feet. Its rider was dead, crushed as the beast landed on the man. Seeing a man, poking out of the very mechanism that injured it, it rushed forward and slammed into the armoured car. The VBL shook from the impact, shocking the Rwandan lines and the Japanese soldiers. To their horror, the winged serpent reared its head back and then dropped its head, biting down on the gunner's shoulder. The partner VBL instantly rotated his M2 Browning around and fired off a burst at the wyvern's head, putting it down for good.
Mari handed the boy and girl off to Kuribayashi, who brought the two into the compound, before running to the wounded Rwandan. The rest of the Japanese sprinted in after the short Shino, and Rwandan troops followed after, walking backward with rifles raised. The VBLs were last, with the Asian medic clutching onto the vehicle from the outside, while ascertaining the wounded African's situation.
After entering the compound, Lieutenant Youji ran to the radio room. Grasping the radio handset, he frantically called for the POC site, in rather broken English.
" POC Unity, POC Unity. Come in. POC Unity, POC Unity. This is UN Compound Rubkona, Please respond."
An equally distraught voice came through, " This is Unity, what in the bloody hell is going on out there? All we can hear are gunshots and explosions. Are you under attack from the SPLA?"
{FUCK! My English isn't good enough for this.} " Hor-ld on."
Screaming through the door, " KURATA, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE."
Kurata came sprinting.
" Tell them we have 2 men injured and need CAS-EVAC as well as our own extraction from this compound. Tell them we are under attack from an unknown cold weapon army."
Kurata took up the handset and began to speak.
" POC Unity, we have 1 KIA and 1 wounded. We need a CAS-EVAC and an extraction team. The compound needs to be evacuated, we do not have the resources to hold out."
"UN Compound Rubkona, who is attacking you?" The commanding tone in the voice gave away that it was Captain Iris Tahir.
{Fuck it} " Tell her the truth." Itami relented.
Kurata just shook his head and continued, "Ummm, we are under attack from Roman legionnaires with Wyverns from the Northside of Rubkona."
Silence filled the radio waves.
" Are you joking at a time like this? Who's your commanding officer?" sharply cut through the silence like a sword through flesh.
Kurata opened his mouth to reply but was pushed aside by Itami.
" This is Lieutenant Youji Itami, JSGDF, we are serious. We need CAS-EVAC as soon as possible. SPLA is currently fighting the hostiles as we speak."
A silent minute passes.
"I'm sorry Itami. I have no CAS-EVAC available. The crews aren't willing to take off to try to get you and I can't send you a convoy."
" WHAT?! Does she want us to just die?" Kurata whispered furiously.
The Captain's voice continues, " I can't authorize a convoy into the city. However, no restrictions have said anything about leaving the compound. Form a convoy, Itami, and come to us. Out."
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A/N: Don't think I need to explain anything yet. I am trying to keep chapters at around 1500 words, just to not bog down and overburden you guys or myself. Any and all feedback would be greatly appreciated. Pretty sure if you are reading my story you would have read GATE: OPERATION TIGER STRIKE. My favourite Gate fanfic at the moment and It's still going after 52 chapters. Anyway, until next time and don't bet on the chapters coming out every day.
