The Fight we Chose

by DFMRCV

"No one starts a war—or rather, no one in his senses ought to do so—without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war and how he intends to conduct it."- Harold G. Moore

6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Adversity

---

April 14th, 1964

8:00 AM

The smoke would have obstructed her vision if she wasn't on the opposite side of the river.

And even that would not have been enough to silence the terror happening only a stone's throw away. Children, some only brought into the world recently, cried for their mothers for an instant before the cries were snuffed out, surpassed only by the impossibly loud wails of their mothers.

Tyuule's eyes were unblinking as the imperial troops razed the village to the ground. Some parts of it already on fire, lit by the attacking Imperial soldiers; the destroyed bridge blocking her troops from reinforcing the few warriors on the other side, but even then Tyuule saw how pointless it would have been.

The Imperial soldiers were composed of heavy infantry and large monsters like orcs and ogres, making it near impossible for any of her troops to really manage a mortal strike unless they aimed for weaker areas, and even then, the formation of most of the troops not ravaging the village made it clear the soldiers would not give her troops the chance. Standing shoulder to shoulder, powerful shields lifted in front of them, short swords at the ready... anyone that got close would become mincemeat in an instant regardless if they were trying to run or fight.

It was a massacre.

Her mind raced, trying desperately to figure out a strategy, a countermeasure, anything that could be used to help, but not only was the village lost the many trails of smoke on the horizon made it clear the same was happening all over the border towns between her kingdom and the ever-expanding empire.

Off in the distance, she very briefly saw the man in a purple cape as several soldiers dragged a wounded warrior to him.

She saw him bury a blade in the girl's neck and appear to laugh.

The young queen swallowed and opened her mouth to try to say something.

Whether it would have been an order to fight or an order to retreat would never be known.

A guard grabbed her hand, tightly.

"Majesty, this way." came the calm, almost unnatural command.

"B-but-"

"The troops will hold the invaders at the river. There is no reason for you to risk yourself here. Come."

Her guard pulled her away and she was unable to do or say anything.

The screams followed her, creeping softly into her ears as she was led away even a hundred leagues away.

Her crimson eyes snapped open then, and she stared at the empty bed.

Rubbing her eyes, she stood up, her back aching.

She froze, sensing a presence.

The large door opened and in walked the tall figure of Marcus.

"Clothes, madame." the bald man sighed.

He handed her the "uniform" Zorzal would have her wear, clean, and sown after the previous night's "use".

She took it, not saying anything.

Marcus on the other hand said, "So, he's dead..."

Tyuule did not reply, not caring for the man speaking to her in such a tone, getting dressed slowly, wincing as the fabric moved over her new bruises, a particularly noticeable one on her neck.

He's worse when he's in a good mood...

"Hey, tell me something. Why are you loyal to him?"

She didn't reply, tying the vest to try and conceal as much of her chest as she could. It was technically going against its design, but she didn't care. All she wanted now was to regain some semblance of modesty.

Marcus said, "I plan to get off his majesty's hair, but I would rather know-"

Tyuule ignored him and strode out of the room before he finished talking, reveling in the man's admirable attempt at hiding his desperation.

It was almost comical to her.

It was obvious to everyone the crown prince poisoned his father and had successfully usurped the throne. But what could they do?

He wasn't pursuing anyone, and the support of military officers made him effectively untouchable.

And since the Americans were the ones to actually poison him...

She smirked slightly.

One step closer to vengeance.

Her smile faded as grieving cries echoed in the back of her head.

She walked on only to freeze in place as she passed a mirror on an expensive-looking piece of furniture.

She stared at herself.

Her hair was a mess, but given her "outfit" exposed her more than she would like, it was of greater concern. Remembering the promised meeting between her and the American, she wondered if she had a better choice for attire, one that wouldn't reveal so much to a member of the opposite sex.

The answer was an obvious but unfortunate "no".

Zorzal provided the clothes, and Zorzal wanted to make sure anyone looking at her knew who she belonged to.

Still...

"Worrying about your appearance?"

She didn't reply, having already sensed the presence of the shapeshifter.

He was hiding underneath the large furniture... somehow. Tyuule wasn't entirely sure how the creature could appear and disappear at will, let alone show up in places he shouldn't have been able to be in.

"What news do you bring, Bouro?" she asked, noticing that speaking hurt slightly.

He's worse when he's in a good mood...

With a low, gurgling laugh, the spymaster said "Word has reached the senators of the emperor's death and prince... Emperor Zorzal will give a speech to announce his ascension to the throne. Word has also begun to spread amongst the plebians that the emperor is sick, but given the current disorder in the city... well, it won't really spread much until the new emperor brings the news."

"Anything of actual importance?" she spoke quietly, very aware of the pair of guards walking down the hall.

Though they never seemed to notice her conversations with the creature... somehow.

"Perhaps of interest to you, I personally followed the assassins to one of the bases the Americans have set shop in."

"Alright, and?"

"Well, if you're so curious to-"

Tyuule quickly slammed her foot on the disgusting green hand that was reaching for her ankle, growling "Why is that important at all?! Are they not helping us?"

The hand retreated under the furniture, Bouro now speaking in a more cautious tone said "Apologies, majesty... but it is worth mentioning the assassins are still in the capital. Infighting has broken out between the other criminal families in the Red-Light district."

"I don't suppose you can do anything to alleviate such a situation?"

"The Americans are doing a fine job on their own..."

Tyuule didn't reply.

With an internal sigh, Bouro said "If I may be allowed to make a suggestion, majesty?"

She didn't reply.

"I suggest we kill the Americans... at least a few of them... make it look like the Emperor-"

"No."

"But, majesty, would that not bring more destruction much quicker?"

Tyuule quickly considered that proposition and just as quickly dismissed it.

"I don't want pure destruction, Bouro. I want the Empire to be utterly obliterated. Such a feat can best be accomplished with a plan, not without."

"...I see."

"Why are you suddenly as interested in quickly destroying the empire, Bouro?"

"I'm not, I'm just wondering what happened to that spirit of vengeance you seemed to have... It's as if you're interested in other things."

Tyuule allowed a cruel grin to manifest on her face.

"I can say the same about you. Now, how about you scurry along and get me some information on the number of legions readily available to his majesty? If we're going to begin making him feel like a victor, then we need to get started right away."

"Yes, your majesty..." came the clearly reluctant reply.

Alnus Hill

8:34 AM

Pina observed the American president as he smiled like an actor while taking a "photograph" with a feline woman and her family.

She saw the young leader shake the husband's hand, kiss the woman's hand, pat the little boy on the head, and politely continue his tour of the town being constructed near the American's main base of operations.

Like it was nothing.

Her impression of the man was cemented.

A man of the people...

She smiled in admiration, following after the man's security.

For the American President, there were multiple reasons for the photo-op.

The unfortunate necessity was that he needed to humanize the people on the other side of the gate for the American audience watching it all unfold on their television screens back home. Specifically, the now very debated status of "Demi-humans".

He kept smiling, hiding his worry of how ugly the discussion would get once he was back home and the news pieces had been aired.

Above them, a squadron of F-105 Thunderchief bombers roared as they sped past them and towards the mountains.

"Those jets have their targets, right?" he asked one of the officers.

"Yes, sir. The forts in the Dumas mountain range. Princess, over there was very helpful in identifying them after the spy planes took pictures of them earlier in the week."

"Hope they hit their targets..."

"They should, sir."

The president was extremely worried about the potential of an undetonated bomb being left behind.

America was going to win this war one way or the other, and he would prefer not to have to dedicate bomb squads to another world specifically to remove undetonated bombs years later like what was being seen in Europe.

This world was beautiful, and he would like to not destroy it further.

The Empire was, of course, the exception to that appreciation.

"So, princess?" he called.

"Y-yes?" the young girl responded without the need for a translator.

The president turned to his translator and said "Ask her about her other brother. The one with the devil sounding name."

The man nodded and turned to the princess.

"Your brother Diabo. Do you think he will help us?"

Pina said "I sent him a letter today. He will certainly help legitimize whatever rule comes next... maybe even convince Tiberius to cease his operations... assuming he sides with us."

Turn, translate.

The president said, "Then she expects to hear from him soon?"

Turn, translate.

"I... don't know... he had been visiting some relatives a fair way from the capital. The letter could reach him in a week if Norma is fast."

Turn, translate.

The president nodded.

It was unfortunate they couldn't just deliver the letter themselves, but they needed to focus on the enemy living in the nearby mountain range. Medieval weapons or not, they could become a serious problem going forward, so it was more important they handle it immediately.

If "Diabo" wished to cooperate, then he only needed to give them a location and a helicopter would pick him up.

But the man seemed distant, and that alone was concerning for the president.

Probably a schemer or a bum...

Nevertheless, an ally was an ally.

In the ever-immortalized words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: "He may be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch."

Smiling at another family of demi-humans, the president waved and happily said "Salve!"

Pina noticed one of the American reporters snap what they called a "photograph" and pull back into a crowd.

She sighed, happy to have something to distract herself from the grim situation.

She knew her father was dead, that she had betrayed the empire, going against all it stood for, and it bothered her that it wasn't making her more upset, but...

It's done... nothing more can be done about it... I must push on.

Imperial Capital

9:00 AM

Zorzal stepped up to the balcony, the city's legions standing at strict attention just below, the city spreading beyond him.

He briefly passed his hand over his golden hair, very careful not to remove the laurel wreath sitting on his head as he gave a confident smile, one he knew no one could see. He would have to make sure it didn't come off in his voice, either, as he was, technically, a son in mourning.

It's for the best... now, the Empire will truly achieve glory across worlds, if not by territory then by status.

With that same, blind confidence in the future, he began his speech.

"Citizens of the Empire! My heart is with you all!" he shouted as loud as possible.

It wasn't necessary, as this was meant to be addressed to the Imperial Army, and the people's message would be delivered by street announcers.

But for the new emperor, subtlety was for the scholars.

He was all about grandeur and glory, the same as the empire he now ruled.

"My fellow soldiers... the losses we have endured have been some of the greatest in our unrivaled history! The idea that mere men can challenge our rule so is an insult to the very essence of this empire! The Empire!" he emphasized a singular description as if to declare there were no other legitimate empires but that which he now ruled.

"My father's passing shall be the last loss in this great war against the enemy from beyond the gate! This I guarantee!"

A few soldiers seemed to gain a look of hope at the statement.

"We shall crush them! Utterly and decisively! No more cowardice! No more fear!"

And like that, the hope vanished into thin air.

"We are the most powerful force in this world! I intend to rule it with strength and dignity! I promise you all, as I promise my citizens... the enemy shall not reach these gates!"

Miles away, down in the city streets, as several crowds gathered to try to catch a glimpse of the new emperor as he spoke from the balcony, one figure was stoically walking past everyone.

Dennis eyed the streets and had to admire the calmer atmosphere as the locals appeared more somber now that the news had broken for their beloved Emperor.

The guy who wanted to destroy everyone...

Still, he kept his gaze towards the floor, pretending to be submissive or grieving or whatever the soldiers everywhere felt was a show of respect.

A part of him wondered if the Imperial soldiers had more in common with him than he realized but quickly shot that idea down.

As he approached the market place things became livelier, albeit in a negative aspect.

"Please! Just one loaf of bread! My family-"

"Not if you don't have anything of value!"

"I have three silver-"

"You think that's worth anything right now?! One gold or no bread!"

A part of him felt sorry for the men fighting over food. They weren't to blame for the actions of their autocratic government at the end of the day. Molt Sol Augustus had not been elected by anyone other than his own father, and perhaps not even that if what Zorzal did was any indication of the Empire's history.

Another part of him resented them further with growing anger.

Revolt, you idiots!

Instead, the second a pair of soldiers in armor and swords approached the arguing band, the fighting died down.

Quickly.

The hungry remained hungry, the merchant made no sales...

He didn't react, continuing into the marketplace.

Dennis froze as something on the left side of the street caught his eye.

A dead body, very fresh, blood still red on the floor.

It had clearly belonged to a woman, her chestnut-colored hair covering her eyes as blood dripped down from her scalp.

She almost looked like she was sleeping.

Several pedestrians bumped into him, not pausing for a second, guarding the pockets in their tunics, ignoring the corpse in the middle of the street.

Dennis turned his gaze away from the corpse and pushed onwards, both committing the image to memory and pushing it away from his mind.

His eyes stared ahead, the bruise just below his right eye stung slightly as he forced himself to keep on like nothing was happening, trying to appear slightly normal in the crowd, at least for as long as he was in it.

Pretty soon, the pedestrians went their way as he continued down his own path, and the crowd dissipated the closer he got to his objective.

Reaching a nearly empty street, he heard the whistle and recognized the cloaked figure.

"Boy, they messed you up!"

Sean was now carrying an M3 "Grease gun", hidden under his cloak, and he appeared somewhat relaxed in contrast with the tense and bruised Dennis.

"Thanks." came the tired sigh, hiding the internal turmoil the only way soldiers could manage: not thinking about it.

Sean smiled back.

"Welcome! So... how goes it?"

Dennis only shrugged in response.

"Yeah... same here... you'd figure things would die down now but..."

An explosion rang in the distance, shaking the stone structures and garnering the attention of the few shopkeepers still around.

Dennis tried to ignore it, asking "Locals giving you guys trouble?"

"Not exactly, but... yeah."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, the locals are giving us trouble, but not entirely on purpose... least for the time... being... shoot! Get over here!"

Dennis didn't ask questions, moving into the tight alleyway, noticing that several shop owners, the few civilians out, stiffened in fear. Some were quicker than others, quickly running into open homes, or simply ducking under their small stands.

He then saw several armed men, tailed by large monstrous creatures that carried clubs and heavy axes.

One grabbed several pieces of cloth from a shop and the group turned around, not paying anyone any mind.

Dennis turned to Sean.

The Ranger said, "After we killed the heads of the Basara gang, there's been some infighting between the crime lords of the Red-Light District... things escalated last night and now there are armed criminals pretty much running the street, grabbing just about anything."

And anyone...

"Last night? Then... did the Beret's report anything?" Dennis asked.

"The Berets are hiding out with us... least a couple of 'em. Oh, you want to say hi to your bunny friends?"

"No."

"Too bad, cause we gotta move. Now!"

"W-? Don't you have the-?"

"And risk them getting snatched? You're crazy! Now come on!"

Dennis wasn't sure what his friend was nervous about until he saw several other men with knives suddenly charge the small section of the market, stabbing the remaining shop keeps and chasing those that ran, only for several men to hop from the top of buildings, blades in hand, meeting the attackers.

A bloody melee ensued in the street as swords, axes, and knives were swung every which way.

Both Americans turned around and ran deeper into the alley, Dennis gripping his M1911 as a head was thrown down the alleyway, dripping blood as it bounced like a basketball.

"Jesus Christ... they're doing our job for us..." Dennis breathed, trying to hide the impact the violence left on him, suppressing his dizziness by holding on to the alley wall.

"Yeah... come on."

He chased after the Ranger and they exited into an area with several burnt buildings.

Their hideout untouched in the middle.

Outside the entrance was Tom, manning the M60, Hastings pacing from one end to the other, M16 in one hand, a box of 7.62 ammunition in the other.

They saw them and waved.

"Hey, Orville! How goes it?"

Dennis looked around, sucked in a breath, and pretending to be perfectly fine said "Easier than here! What the hell happened?"

"Small skirmishes set this area on fire. Had to put it out the old-fashioned way." he sighed.

Ah... that explains why it looks like it blew up...

He walked ahead, Hastings asking "So what'd you need the books for?"

"The rabbit asked me to teach her English." Dennis sighed, rubbing his temple as the distant shouts continued to ring in the background.

He could appreciate a distraction from the situation.

...until Hasting's lips curled into a smug grin.

"Don't say-" Dennis started, not finishing before Hastings cut in.

"Don't say what? Don't say oh, silent Dan, that's a miscegenation case! Think of your kids! Or something along those lines?"

"I'm not interested in her."

Tom muttered "I'd hope not. She's used, isn't she?"

Sean turned and said, "Man, you know that doesn't matter!"

All eyes turned to Sean.

"Something on your mind, man?" Dennis asked.

Tom added "Yeah, what'd you mean it doesn't matter? You don't know what bugs she might carry and God only knows who might've used her before."

"That's... not what I meant... I just-" Sean muttered back.

"Not what he meant! Not what-? Oh, my God! You growing feelings for that winged lady! You got any ideas what bugs she might be carrying?" Tom said loudly.

"I-"

"Winged lady? What the hell is going on with you guys?! Nothing I read said anything about winged ladies!" Dennis half exclaimed.

"Oh, right... Misery. We mentioned her." Hastings said.

"The Sidewalk Sally? She has wings?"

"Used wings."

"Shut-"

"Can she fly?" he asked with an almost childlike look of wonder and perhaps a bit of genuine curiosity.

"No. And shut up, Tom... Animal people in the capital have it rough. I'm trying to be nice- do the American thing, you know, you Irish Fairy?"

The son of Scottish immigrants didn't look away from the machine gun's sights, expressing his anger through tone alone.

"The hell you callin' me a fairy for?!"

"I haven't seen you even look at any girls, which-"

"Didn't you see him at Itálica? He was drooling over the bunny girls." Dennis said, deadpanned.

"Like you?"

"Hastings, you do not get to-"

Tom interjected. "Look, I got a human girl waiting back home! Plus, the animal folk we're dealing with aren't the same as the ones in Itálica. They're sicker, more perverse. You see how they're fighting amongst each other! Women and children we've got to care for now are because of them!"

"Yeah, but they're human same as you and me!"

"Sean, you know damn well what I meant! I'm not denying they're people, I just don't think it's proper to be with any of the broads we're meeting!"

Dennis only rubbed his eyes, wincing at the pain on his left, before sighing "You fellas should have a debate show about this crap."

"Oh, but Orville's a pure man, not tempted by such vixens! You agree with me, right? It's at least not normal?" Tom called in an obviously mocking tone.

"Look man, I signed up thinking I'd be fighting commies only to wind up in another world shooting Romans and teaching a rabbit girl how to read, I don't think I'm in any position to say what's normal anymore."

"That's not what I meant."

"Well maybe try askin' when the poundin' in my head's gone."

"...probably hurts cause your mind's all conflicted about having a thing for Bugs Bunny. Which reminds me, how natural would it be to marry a demi-human?"

"James Hastings, I swear to-"

"Huius tu neque auctoritatem de murmurationis?!" Delilah yelled, head bursting out of the lower window of the American hideout, startling the Rangers. The girl was still in her "cook" uniform, her hair a mess, her eyes tired, as if she had only just woken up.

"Oh, what'd she say?" Tom groaned.

"Uh... she's asking what we're yelling about." Dennis sighed.

"Responsum!" she said, clearly irritated, glaring at Dennis who felt his eye twitch in irritation as he switched to the local tongue.

"We're talking about the nature of animal people. Your existence fascinates us."

Delilah blinked, now confused.

Hastings said "Hey, uh... if regular humans and demi-humans can have kids... then it's natural, right?"

"They can... why would it make it natural?"

"Come on, man. Horse and donkey can have a mule but a mule can't have baby mules, so it isn't natural. Can the kid of a guy and a bunny girl make more kids?"

"God, Hastings, I don't want to-"

"Why not?"

"Natural isn't the same as proper, you idiot!" Tom called back.

"If it's perfectly natural then there's no problem. End of discussion! If God didn't intend for it, then procreation shouldn't be possible."

Tom said, "Oh, a fine logic on this pervert..."

"Better than a fairy..." Sean muttered.

"You want to call the guy with an M60 a fairy, go ahead. Don't come cryin' to me when the damn Romans chase ya and that grandpa rifle."

"You guys have the books for me or not?"

Sean huffed, "Yeah, come on... used wings... bet his mother sees more use."

"Yeah, go ahead, leave the guy with the M60 alone with the cat man after saying that..."

Dennis heard Hastings go "meow-meow-meow" before what sounded like Tom hitting him with an ammo belt and a yelp that somehow sounded like a cat's cry.

He suppressed his snickers as Sean opened the door to their headquarters.

Both Rangers entered the building, Delilah's gaze following them.

Ammo boxes were on the floor, the place smelled of gunpowder and cleaning supplies, and there was the almost imperceptible sound of someone operating the radio upstairs.

Dennis noticed the place appeared more homely and welcoming.

Mamina placed some tea on the table and said "Glad to see you up and about, soldier Dennis."

Not in the mood to speak with the Warrior Bunnies but knowing basic manners, Dennis paused and muttered a quick "thanks" before continuing after Sean, the Ranger already grabbing the books and checking them to ensure they were in order, placing them on a decrepit table that looked like it may collapse on itself.

"Right, word books here, maps here, codebook here..."

"Hm?"

"Yeah, just in case we need to call in a strike... honestly, consider every map in this booklet the things went to hell folder. The question is getting this inside."

"I have a bag here, and Tyuule has some control over the guards, so even if they see them, they won't say anything."

"Huh, our leporine friend is already paying off then."

"Leporine?"

"That's an adjective for hare."

"But she's a rabbit."

"Difference?"

"One's bigger, one's smaller! Didn't you go to school?"

"What's-? Do these rabbits look small to you?"

"Well, they're a bit shorter than us and the Latin word they use is egestas, which I understood means bunny."

"Huh...well, that's one way to look at it."

"Quid est?" Mamina came into the room.

Sean waved her away, apologizing.

"Anyway, she's got some control over things?"

"Guess so. That chef guy who gave me this black eye? She got two of these guards, biggest guy's I've seen here yet, talked to down to him like nobody's business!"

"Far out..."

"Yeah, so long as she's on our side, I think I'll be okay... so long as I don't act all suspicious, which... not entirely easy, but I didn't sign up for the easy jobs." Dennis sighed, grabbing the books and taking the leather bag out of his pocket, stuffing them inside.

"You plan on heading back now?"

"I'll report to the captain first."

"Maybe you should hang around here a bit."

"You're all wearing pants, I'm wearing a skirt, that there's a power gap I'm not willing to tolerate."

Sean whispered "Come on, man, take a load off. You literally look beat. Not like you're doing anything else today."

The sharpshooter patted the 18-year-old on the back and walked on.

Dennis felt his lip form a fine line but said nothing as he walked back to the entrance and took a seat.

He shut his eyes, knowing full well the rabbits were studying him.

"City chaos is probably gonna be a bit of a problem on your return trip. Better stay here for a bit." Mamina finally said.

"Not complaining..." he said, eyes still closed.

He didn't keep them closed long.

"Hey, soldier Dennis?"

Delilah...

"What?" he groaned.

"Did Tyuule pull some strings to keep you alive?"

Her again?

"No, actually. August just gave me a beating and sent me to my room. Guy's not that tough."

"Do they not suspect you?"

"Yeah, but Tyuule and the Haryo Tribe are keeping an eye out. Since you girls left no evidence, they can't really do anything without causing trouble for themselves and when August tried to implicate me, she got a couple of guards who basically made him leave me alone. Trust me, your queen is proving her worth."

Mamina sighed.

"To think I would ever be working with such a snake." Delilah groaned.

Dennis didn't bother replying.

Sean asked, "What are they saying about snakes?"

"Their queen, man. They hate her with a passion."

"Ah..."

The chestnut-haired girl added, "You don't believe me, do you?"

"Not really."

"She's a snake. I know it. She knows it... don't trust her. Not after everything that's happened."

Dennis didn't reply, something that seemed to frustrate the Bunny girl, but she didn't get the chance to say much more.

"Hey, Den, you got a second?" Hastings asked sheepishly through the open window.

"What is it?"

Hastings glanced at Delilah as if to silently urge the woman.

The chestnut-haired assassin sighed and said "Right... Persia asked us to send him this letter."

Dennis looked at the small scroll and said "Alright. And?"

"Can you... translate it?"

Dennis stared at him with an unreadable expression.

It was somewhere between "annoyed" and "disappointed" while at the same time seemingly "glad".

"Alright, pervert, let's see what your girlfriend sent you..." he sighed, grabbing the parchment and looking it over.

He thought about messing with the guy, telling him the girl had broken up with him in favor of a more capable man, but reading it...

Must be nice having someone waiting back home...

"Says she misses and worries about you. Kinda sweet stuff, actually."

He spoke after reading it over to make sure he hadn't gotten anything wrong.

"Seriously?"

"Man, you can grab one of these books and look it over yourself, I ain't gonna baby you!"

"Den, you gotta help me write her back."

"That I can't do."

"Can't?"

"Okay, won't! I don't want to listen to your romantic musings, pal."

Romantic?

With a sigh, Hastings turned to Delilah and in a very broken Latin awkwardly said "Can you deliver?"

"Huh?"

"He's asking if you can deliver his love letter to Persia."

"Oh... well, I'd rather not- OW-OW-OW!"

Mamina pulled at the girl's ear and said "Tell him we'd gladly deliver it. Persia is a good friend after all."

Dennis turned to Hastings.

"Did you get that?" he asked.

"Uh... yeah." came the uncertain reply.

Such was the strange combination of two worlds.

Dumas Mountain Range

"You see anything?"

"No. Damn these invaders... they can blend in with the forest."

"Then we'll have to match them. Keep moving."

The legions of the empire were not a badly trained or maintained force. They were some of the best trained, best equipped, and well-disciplined forces in the world.

The problem was that they were at a technological disadvantage that they simply couldn't hope to match.

Not without adapting in some ways...

General Tiberius pushed the men ahead in the forests of the mountain.

All of the men carried bows and crossbows.

There was a whistle and the men immediately crouched.

"Down, you fool!" a man behind a bush hissed.

Doing as told, Tiberius crawled forward, asking "What do you see?"

"General! I... the enemy is positioned up ahead." the man nervously replied, his disrespect not being his end simply because he had saved his general's life.

"Where do you see them?"

"You can only see them if they move, sir. They haven't pushed up yet, and we haven't pushed down."

Tiberius contained a sigh.

"Alright... stay here and alert us if they push up."

"Yes, sir."

Tiberius crawled back and met up with his men.

"Come. I've seen what I had to."

…

"It appears they intend to cut off our supply route." Tiberius sighed.

One of his officers said, "A sound decision... not that we have them."

"Yes, this was expected... it's still not ideal."

The general and his men observed the map on the table, lit only by candlelight as the cave was black as night despite it still being early in the morning.

"We'll have to focus on eating off the land. Those metal birds are... a problem. Were we able to get the dragon nests moved to the nearby caves?"

The leader of the Brigands only groaned.

"What is it, Pullo?"

"I sent men, but they haven't returned... I fear they may have deserted."

Another officer chuckled.

Tiberius only said, "They're an acceptable loss as long as they informed the fliers."

"The ones in the eastern edge moved their wyverns into the caves." another officer replied.

A fourth officer said "The ones in the western edges are currently moving theirs. They have more, so it may still be going on."

Above them, several metal birds screeched and roared as they flew by.

Tiberius growled "What are they doing now? Have they ever flown in that direction?"

An officer said, "No, they... that's south, is it not?"

The leader of the Brigands only said "No, that's west... I hope your fliers got underground in time."

The officer sighed, disappointed.

Tiberius quickly said "Alright, we'll cut our losses and assume we only have a dozen riders left... last night's spies were able to get quite close to an enemy encampment and they reported that the men are digging holes and trenches to sleep in them. If men could sneak into their camps, we may be able to slaughter a few at night."

The leader of the Brigands said, "I don't like the way... but if it kills them..."

"Pullo, you have several thieves amongst your ranks. Could they pretend to be civilians to get close and see if they can grab some of their weapons?"

"Possibly. Why?"

"These weapons that spit fire and death... they make the battlefield uneven. If we can get our hands on a few we might just be able to understand how they work. Maybe use them to our advantage... a road to pursue, at least."

It was unlikely, but worth a try given the circumstances.

"What about slowing them down? If they keep pushing like this, they'll reach the capital by tonight."

Tiberius said "We can only hope Emperor Molt was able to carry out his part of the plan. The senate may have tried to slow him down, but I believe he would have acted by now... if not, then the messenger I sent last night should shake things up enough."

Assuming he's alive.

"Speaking of slowing them down... I have several ideas on how we can achieve it should they try to push up the mountain."

"Yes, Pullo?"

"Traps."

"Traps?"

"Holes with sharp sticks covering the floor, cover them with leaves, hunting traps, but bigger... we can't defeat them straight on, which means if we want to fight them, we'll have to do so in a far less conventional sense."

Tiberius smiled.

"I take it your time as a Brigand left a positive impact after all, eh?"

"I intend to win, general. They do not fight in a just matter, why should we?"

The generals nodded.

Despite the groud briefly shaking from the attacking aircraft, their smiles did not fade.

"I see no reason to disagree."

…

Yao Ro Dushi ate her breakfast near a stream in the mountains.

The water in the Dumas Mountain Range was pure, and the land was quite traversable. Unlike the Mountain Range of Ice and Snow or some of the harsher Tuba mountains in the Kingdom of Elbe.

Unfortunately for her, that meant sneaking through was a touch more difficult to do, a side effect of the more unfortunate situation the Allied Kingdoms had found themselves in.

Yao, the situation is desperate. If we don't get help soon...

But how is she to go now? The Allied Armies are mostly fragmented, and many deserters have hidden in the mountains and valleys.

She'll go around! If she travels now, she can reach the Hill of Alnus in two weeks! We can only hope that Monster hasn't healed in that time...

And two weeks it would likely take.

She'd had to cross the Roma River, and she would stick to the edges of the mountains, sneaking on the tall grass and brush.

Of course, something her tribe hadn't planned for was the fact that the Empire's armies were also hiding in the mountains.

This was, of course, a blessing and a curse.

On the one hand, it made her task all the harder as it seemed the Empire was slaughtering all non-citizens as the scorched villages and cadavers of demi-humans demonstrated.

On the other hand, it seemed like the task of locating the men from the other world with wondrous weapons that had wounded the Flame Dragon and crushed the Imperial and Allied armies.

As she drank from the stream, she was startled by the screeching metal birds these strange men used.

Looking up, she just barely caught the glimpse of the aircraft.

She stood and stared.

I must be getting close...

A thousand feet above her, flying well over Mach 2, the F-105 Thunderchief jets were racing over the mountains.

Technology had advanced plenty in the previous decade, and the U2 Spy Plane was one of the many fruits of such a boom in military innovation. It was capable of flying high in the atmosphere and take pictures of the ground.

It was these planes that had found the intermediate-range ballistic missiles in Cuba.

And it had been planned that a bombing of the missile sites would be carried out... something that had been promptly canceled after some fuss about possible Soviet retaliation and the threat of nuclear war.

The U2s had now discovered something not as deadly as nuclear missiles, but still a threat to troops on the ground.

And now, the F-105s were tasked with eliminating that threat.

Yao didn't see the bombs get dropped, but she did hear them and faintly felt the shockwave of the 750-pound demolition bombs all hitting their target at once.

She then shuddered to imagine the exact desires of these men from another world. Were they just magic or were the rumors true that these men from another world brought machines of war so powerful they could route the Imperial Army and the combined Allied Armies in a few hours of combat? Born of war and situations too awful to imagine?

She stood and kept walking, pondering what such a power wanted with a world that could barely bring up a challenge.

What exactly was their aim here? Resources? Slaves?

She shuddered at the possibility that it could be a far more oppressive force than the current Empire but pushed it aside.

She had a mission.

As she pushed onward, she heard the faint sound of the flying machines high above her once more.

More importantly, would they help her clan?

Up in the air, it was a different feeling.

Shaun checked the M16 and shuddered.

Dom loudly talked over the engines of the Huey, saying "Air Recon has discovered remnants of a camp moving along this line, suggesting there could be enemy forces in this area! If they're pushing to flank our main base then we have to stop them here and now. Weapons are free, shoot first, ask second! We're in Indian territory, boys!"

As he said this, the M60s on the helicopter's sides lit up like it was the 4th of July.

Shaun braced himself for the landing.

"Got one on the right side!" a gunner yelled.

"Light 'em up, Jimmy!"

Down in the forest, Yao barely had time to duck out of the way as the thunderous machines began to spit fire into the forest.

She crouched behind a tree, only to drop flat on her chest as one of the projectiles the metal birds tore through the sapling with ease.

The roar of the weapons these men from another world use was certainly frightening, but to her, she was more relieved that she had found them.

Now... all she had to do was survive.

Something exploded nearby and she stammered a prayer of protection.

The squadron of 7th Cavalry Hueys landed right by the trees, in an open patch of grass, where the men promptly hopped out of and pointed their rifles at the forest nearby, M60s still firing at seemingly nothing.

Shaun sighed as nothing was heard once the helicopters went up into the air and began circling.

Huh... consider the LZ prepped.

Their colonel stood up and looked into the thick forest as other officers took positions nearby.

Dom said, "I kinda wish that reaper girl was around... she'd probably clear this place in a second."

"Well, el-tee, looks like our guns may have done our work for us... you see anything?"

As the order was giving to push into the forest, Dom only said "Not really, come on."

Yao risked looking from her hiding spot, noticing the tree had fallen over.

There they were.

"Men in green..."

She quickly stood up and raised her hands.

"Men in green! Over here! Over-"

She sensed it before she heard them.

A pair of ogres, relatively young ones at that, advancing through the forest, large clubs in hand and several men with bows leading them.

A few meters away, the men from another world had reached her small campsite.

"Well, someone was here, lieutenant."

Dominique said "Shaun, see if anyone answers you. Maybe we can get them to surrender and not have to waste the bullets. Johnny, get on the radio, tell the colonel what we have up here."

"Got it."

Shaun took a step forward, looked into the forest, and called "Is anyone there? If you surrender now, we will not harm you!"

Yao took a breath, wondering if the men had seen her or not and if it was worth exposing herself for.

The men were hiding, as were the ogres, implying these men feared the ones further below.

She heard the man below calling, asking if anyone was around, took a deep breath and called back "Yes! Over here!"

She gauged the reaction of the men with bows, who had apparently not seen her.

"Come up with your hands raised, please." the man called.

She nervously stood, trying to ignore the growling of one of the ogres, and walked away from the tree, moving down the incline.

She froze as she saw the man who spoke her language.

Another dark elf?

Shaun frowned.

"El tee, you see her, too?"

Dom froze and with a look of absolute disbelief said "What the hell is she? A black... platinum... blonde?"

She moved quickly, but cautiously.

"Alright, be careful... uh... I don't trust this situation."

"Got it."

Shaun switched to the local tongue and said "Are you alone?"

At this the girl looked behind her, saying "There were some men up there, but they're not with me, I swear!"

He turned to Dom and said "She says there are some guys up there. Not associates of her, though..."

"Alright... call them down."

"You men back there! Surrender and you won't be harmed!"

Yao glanced behind her, wondering if there would be results.

To her surprise, the men lowered their weapons and walked out of the brush, arms raised in surrender.

Dom grinned.

"Alright, Johnny! Tell the coronel we caught ourselves a couple of fish! Thomas! Reilly! Go round 'em up!"

"What about the lady?"

"Uh... ask her what she's doing in this neck of the woods?"

Shaun shrugged, noticing the woman was by no means a civilian.

She had a blade of sorts, and her clothes appeared... vaguely warrior-like.

Huh... kind of like what Wonder Woman would wear if she favored black over blue...

At least, he didn't know any civilians that wore clothes like that, even in this world, but that Reaper girl wore nothing as he had ever seen in his life and she was technically a civilian.

"Ma'am, might I ask what you're doing here?"

So polite!

"Um... I'm actually on my way to talk to your commanders... my name is Yao Ro Dushi, I'm from a dark elf clan in the mountains south of here... they sent me to seek help from the men who wounded the great flame dragon, and... apologies, but I'm curious... what tribe are you from?"

"Tribe?"

"Are you not a dark elf?"

Shaun's mouth fell agape at the question.

He scratched the side of his head and said "Err... I'm not an elf... and I don't know if we can take you to our commanders... my colonel is here, though, and I can ask if you can talk to him."

"I... I see! Thank you! I would appreciate it!" she said nervously.

Dom turned to Shaun and said, "She alright?"

"Said she thought I was some kind of dark elf... guess there are no black folks in these parts either. Anyway, she wants to talk to our commanders... I think her people need help and she was on her way to Alnus."

"So she's some kind of emissary?"

"Seems like it. Says her tribe sent her."

"Right, Johnny, tell the colonel a possible representative wants to talk to him!"

"Got it!"

Imperial Capital

11:01 AM

Zorzal yawned as the senators argued over what to do next.

Truly, chickens without their head...

He glanced towards Tyuule who wasn't bothering with writing down all the ramblings as the senators squabbled over the fate of the empire, what to do now, whether to reconvene after the period of mourning or not, among other useless topics.

His lascivious smile was noted by some but called out by none.

Tyuule's "uniform" was certainly a work of art in his mind. Exposed just enough skin to let everyone know she was his slave but hid just enough to be tempting to any man, himself included. Even now he was having a difficult time keeping his hands off his hard-earned price.

His hand almost unconsciously drifted towards her smooth leg.

Tyuule was considering standing up with some excuse but wasn't sure what to say when Hamilton slammed the door open and Senator Casel quickly entered the room.

It was Senator Dussie who sighed, and loudly said "All accounted for! This meeting will now come to order!"

Zorzal's smile vanished.

Damn it all...

He sighed, his hand moving back towards his side as he stood and said "My senators, I, of course, wish to hold the time of grieving properly, but we must first reverse some of my father's... more unintuitive policies... we are not going to set fire to the capital or the rest of the Empire, nor are we to pursue a cowardly... unconventional war."

A few senators clapped, happy to still have their riches preserved and their lives spared.

Tyuule maintained her focus on writing the new emperor's words.

Zorzal said "I await word on Tiberius. I believe we're all curious of the enemy's position, though I will say that I am certainly confident they haven't moved out of Itálica... at least, to do nothing more than scout ahead if anything."

Casel stood.

"Yes, senator?"

"If I may, I think we have been in the dark long enough... perhaps we should accept or... invite these men from another world to some kind of talks. They sought it out, did they not? Perhaps we could indulge them and find out what they wish to accomplish with this war?"

Zorzal scoffed.

"While I agree in theory, I believe we should wait a time, first. We don't want to come off as desperate now, do we?"

To Casel's disappointment, several senators nodded their heads in agreement.

Think for yourselves, you idiots!

"Then if I may ask, what is his majesty planning on doing next?"

Zorzal scoffed once more.

"Simple! We retake the streets, return law and order to our wonderful capital... in his haste and panic... and illness... father neglected to act! I shall not fall for such trappings! The legions will regain control of the city by tonight! Then, in perhaps... oh, a week, there's no rush unless proven otherwise... we shall send the enemy an offer to parlay." the emperor grinned confidently.

Casel nodded slowly, smiling slightly and saying "Thank you, emperor, that's-"

Zorzal's kind smile made Hamilton cringe.

"Oh, no need to thank me, just... just swear your loyalty to me, and question not my judgment. Despite what... some of you may think, I was my father's pick for a reason. I intend to show you all how great an emperor I can be!"

Tyuule closed her eyes to hide how positively insufferable she found the man's speech.

Hamilton on the other hand observed the fallen queen with some worry.

Yes, she was cooperating.

Yes, she had her reasons to cooperate; perfectly valid ones at that.

Yes, the Americans seemed more than happy to use her.

But the crimson eyes on the girl seemed to hide a madness that worried the young knight.

Her line of thought came to a crashing halt as Tyuule opened her eyes again and continued writing, seemingly pausing for a moment, considering things.

Following Tyuule's line of sight, she saw that the woman was looking at Senator Casel.

It was for a brief instant, but the eyes looked almost predatory.

Hamilton shuddered.

Zorzal on the other hand, blissfully unaware of the larger game around him, continued his rant about how great an emperor he could be.

"...filled with gold and jewels from all corners of this world! And for the few here concerned that negotiating could be seen as a sign of weakness I will tell you right away that I intend to make my position immensely clear to these... Americans! They shall leave our land and admit their defeat or they shall face a war to the death!"

Hamilton felt a shiver go down her spine at the tiny, almost imperceptible grin that manifested on Tyuule's face.

The fury in her red eyes, the calm anger with which she wrote.

The only reason she didn't show anything was pure military discipline.

...I hope princess Pina orders us to evacuate soon...

...

"So, let me get this straight... he gave you this beating because you insulted him to his face?!"

Dennis said, "Easy, doc if I didn't do it those two wouldn't have been able to poison emperor pain in the ass's drink."

The bunny girls sipping some tea only returned a confused look at the finger being pointed at them.

Joey "Doc" Arbury only returned a tired sigh, shutting off the small flashlight and placing it in his pocket. The stethoscope around his neck making his identity obvious even if the combat uniform had the red cross on his patch.

"Well thank your lucky stars you're not concussed. Not that I can tell at least."

"Told you, he mostly got me around the sides here, and none of it hurts too bad." Dennis sighed, pointing towards his torso.

"Well, we don't have an X-ray machine to check for anything broken... just try not to exert yourself and lie low."

"Okay, Doc."

Captain Rhodes had been standing in the corner of the room, observing the check-up.

Next to him was a taller man, older, tired from many experiences throughout more than one war.

He groaned, saying "Kids like that shouldn't be out here."

"He's one of the better speakers. Comes off natural."

"Still... damned politicians throwing our young into the grinder. Should have bombed them and be done with it."

Dennis turned to look at the much older Green Beret, not saying anything.

Delilah noticed the tension in the room and asked "What's the old guy's problem?"

"Hush." Dennis hissed at her.

Doc asked, "What'd she say?"

"Called the legend over there an old man."

"Ah."

"What is it?!" she demanded.

The old man only responded by stepping out of the room, muttering something about "checking on the brats."

Dennis quickly switched to the local tongue and said "That guy fought in the last World War back home! He's a legend!"

"World... War?"

"Yeah!"

Mamina sipped her tea, not revealing that the phrase worried her as well.

Last world war... as in there were multiple ones?

Dennis continued, saying "We don't really know where he served, but since the 10th takes people from all over the world, he may have served in other countries."

"Did he?"

"Don't know. Haven't talked to him."

As if on cue, the man walked back in.

"They're saying they spotted several legions moving out of the palace... something about getting law and order back into the city."

Rhodes sighed, saying "Ah, that's a shame... as long as those gangs were at each other we could have just let them destroy themselves."

Dennis stared at the man.

The man said nothing.

Dennis said nothing.

Delilah said, "Will you just ask him some questions already?"

"Shut up, rabbit."

"Rude American soldier..."

Rhodes couldn't entirely understand what the kid was saying, but he noticed the kid appeared to be enjoying himself.

Must get pretty lonely in that kitchen...

Dennis did turn to the old man and said "Sir?"

The older man didn't acknowledge, only raising an eyebrow as he grabbed something from his pocket.

"You fought in World War Two?"

"Yeah... why?"

Dennis shrugged awkwardly, saying "Curious, I suppose... Dad fought in Korea."

"Don't bother comparing wars, son. Knew a guy who knew a guy... World War One vet, fighting strong in World War Two... Guy asked him how it was... the vet said boy, that was somethin'! I think I'm done with fightin'. Can't attest to the anecdote being true or not."

Dennis nodded his head, frowning.

"Tell your boy to get off his ass and give the Doc some assistance with the injured, Captain. Kid's getting bored." the man sighed, slinging an M2 carbine over his shoulder and heading out.

"Yeah, come on, Den."

"Yes, captain!" Dennis said, quickly doing as told.

Delilah smirked, seeing the seemingly confident American crumble under a superior.

Turning to Mamina, the girl still sipping her seemingly never-ending supply of tea, she asked "When do we get to go back to Itálica?"

"At night. The Americans will pick us up the same way they dropped us off. Do try to pay attention to the briefings."

"I can't concentrate here... even with these men it's like we're a second away from getting our heads lobbed off." Delilah huffed.

"They've proven they don't harbor ill will towards us."

"Yeah, maybe not them, but I don't like how that guy with the black spectacles talked. Looked like a snake."

"Hmm... something to consider is if it would be worse under them or the thumb of the empire."

"That's true... but we've only known them for a little over two weeks."

"Well, Itálica still stands because of them... I feel like a bit of faith is appropriate at the moment."

"Yeah... I still worry about that Trent guy... something about him bothers me."

Alnus Hill

12:00 PM

Pina stared at the president as he rubbed his chin, a look of concern as they observed the girls in what the Americans called a "mess hall". One was blonde, sitting with a golden-haired young man, not looking at anyone. Another was a feathery young woman, drinking something more than likely alcoholic in nature, and the third was a blue-haired girl, quietly reading a book alongside an old man.

All were sitting at different tables.

The president turned to the man with aviators on and politely asked "I know my reputation with the secret service isn't entirely great, Trent, but if you wanted to pick interesting women, I would hope you had actually picked... well... women."

The CIA agent didn't react, saying "I've spoken with them already, sir. That girl with blue hair over there... she's the most promising."

Pina turned to the translator, not entirely understanding the conversation.

The translator only said, "We're looking into what your people call magic."

"Oh... I see."

It only makes sense. We would be looking into their firearms if we weren't losing so badly...

Trent said "However, all these girls have some potential. I think we can start with the oldest one... Miss Marceau?"

The president blinked as the blonde teenaged girl turned to look at them, nervously hiding behind the tall man next to her. The man with her, perhaps an older brother or guardian was all smiles as he waved them over.

The president couldn't help but notice the ears.

"Apologies, agent Colbert, she's still a bit shy, but is willing to demonstrate her skill."

The girl looked every which way except at the men at the table.

Trent slowly spoke.

"Miss Marceau, this is President Kennedy, the ruler of our nation, and-"

"Excuse me, Colbert... how old is this girl?"

"One hundred and sixty-five years, sir!" the girl snapped in decent English.

Pina found the president's ability to conceal his surprise admirable if anything.

It was a well-known fact that elves were for all intents and purposes immortal. The "young man" next to her was likely her father and was just as likely half the age of the empire. There was plenty of reason for the empire to wage war against them, as their knowledge could easily have threatened their holdings.

She frowned at the knowledge and wondered if she would be able to do anything to better the situation.

Trent said "She's still a teenager mentally, mister president. However, she's fairly skilled in regards to what some would call... magic. Marines rescued her and most of her village during the first reconnaissance operations carried out in our first week here. Their people are helping us get proper maps and lay of the land, and she's picked up English well enough. She gets asked the age question a fair bit."

"Well, that's... fascinating." the young president said, unsure of what else to say.

"You haven't seen anything yet, sir."

Switching to the native tongue, he said "Miss Marceau?"

Tuka nodded and lifted her hands, a dim glow emitting in their center.

One of the secret service agents swayed slightly, saying "I, uh... I feel kind of- oh, man-"

The second agent quickly grabbed him before the man fell over.

"You alright, Roy?"

The other agent said, "S-sleepy... yeah..."

"Huh... impressive." the president said.

"We're not entirely sure how she does this... get used to that line."

Switching back to the native tongue, "Thank you, Miss Marceau, Mister Marceau..."

The president was cordial and shook the man's hand, waving a hand in the girl's direction, not wanting to make her less comfortable.

Pina only awkwardly smiled and waved.

As the CIA agent led them to the other table, the president whispered something to the translator.

She gave the man a questioning glance, who quietly said "A word of advice, his words not mine, try to smile more."

She did her best to conceal her embarrassment, settling for staring at the floor.

Her father had died less than twenty-four hours ago and she was only waiting for any updates on her brother's new reign before making any final decisions about her next move.

Particularly, the Rose Knights still in the capital.

"Mister President, this young lady is named Myuute Luna Sires, she is what we would call a siren."

The feathered woman stood and vigorously shook the president's hand, saying "it is an honor to meet you, sir! I'm happy to serve your empire over the other!"

The president smiled awkwardly, not understanding her words, but noting they were (more than likely) well-intentioned.

Trent sighed, saying "She was captured when the Allied Armies tried to retreat. Don't know many details, but she's been extremely cooperative."

"Can I show him what I can do?" She asked quickly, excited.

Trent grabbed his aviators, placed them in their case, snapped it shut, and said "Observe."

He tossed the casing in the air, aiming for her head.

The girl closed her eyes, and a gust of air swirled around her, sending the case flying right back into Trent's hand.

Myuute grinned from ear to ear.

The president was about to ask when Trent said "Allegedly, she can manipulate the wind, sir. We've been testing her ability, and she has been able to stop arrows and even some bullets. The whole reason she survived our artillery was that she was able to repel the debris and flames that would have killed her."

"And... she's alright now?"

"She wasn't injured, and she's been working with our scientists. She's picking up English, albeit not as well as the other two. Still... very good!" he said, giving the girl a thumb's up.

Her smile somehow widened and the president could see some of the more "bird" features that reminded him how different the people of this world could be.

"We're not sure how she does this either. Our best hope at understanding this... magic... is actually our third helper over here."

Lelei La Lalena looked up from her book with indifference.

While she recognized the agent that gathered some of the more talented magic users around Alnus, she didn't recognize the others.

She knew one of them was the American president, as in the leader of one of the more powerful nations in this "other world" and in a way, the man in to thank for getting her so many books and knowledge.

She knew better, though.

"Master, that man still radiates a worrisome aura..." she whispered.

Cato El Altestan only replied by saying "Hush, child!"

"Anyway, she's been reading up English and science books and is as cooperative as can be with what scientists are here."

Lelei stared at Trent without any visible emotion.

The president noticed something in the way she eyed him, though.

"So, she understands English?" he asked.

Trent glanced at the girl.

Lelei replied with an almost silent "Yes, sir. I am Lelei La Lalena, student of Sage Cato El Altestan."

She was clearly the youngest.

No older than 16, maybe even younger than that.

He frowned.

He turned to Trent and asked, "You spooks have an interest in her?"

"We believe this world's... magic... can have very practical applications in the field. I doubt our troops will use it any time soon, but small things like that spell the elf used that can knock people out, that wind magic from the harpy... Miss Lalena is studying how it can be amplified using science, and-"

"Alright, that's enough."

"Huh?"

Everyone else seemed to say that.

"What?" Pina asked once the translator spoke to her.

The president turned to the CIA man and whispered "Not kids. Not on my watch. Alright?"

Trent clenched his jaw, nodding slowly.

The president continued.

"You're already getting away with a lot, alright? I can turn a blind eye to some of it... but there are lines your people cannot cross."

"Of course, Mister President."

The youngest president to be elected in American history glanced briefly at the princess.

He turned to the young girl and said "We appreciate your help, miss Lalena, mister, err... All-test-an?"

The old man turned to the girl in confusion, the girl quietly saying "He is thanking you for your cooperation."

"Ooh... the pleasure is all mine! All mine indeed, sir!" the man said nervously.

Turning to the president, she asked "What did you mean by lines, sir?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. It's more of a... morality thing... if at any point you think they're exploiting you, just speak up, alright."

That surprised the girl.

The ruler of such a powerful nation promising protection, personal protection... to her?

From both the Empire and his own people?

Before she could say anything, the doors opened an American soldier stepped through.

"S-sir! Generals want to see you, sir!" the young man stammered out.

"What's wrong?" the relaxed politician vanished and the wartime leader emerging.

"I... I don't know, sir... a civilian or... or a messenger from the kingdom of Elbe is requesting assistance with something."

The kingdom of Elbe?

He turned to Trent with a dangerous look.

"Stay in line, Mister Colbert..." he warned.

The CIA agent only said "Yes, mister president." and followed the man out of the cafeteria, leaving a tinge of frustration behind as he forced himself to be professional with the American president.

Lelei stared ahead, somewhat confused by the odd sense of tension in the room.

Was there some internal conflict with the American leaders?

Imperial Capital

12: 33 PM

Tyuule was busy reading some of the quickly arriving parchments of merchants and blacksmiths swearing loyalty to a certain pompous emperor.

She sighed, unable to do anything but appreciate how well written some of the documents were.

She looked around the room she was in.

It was a large "office", mostly empty since the staff was busy with other things on this oh so solemn "day of mourning".

Thinking of the dead emperor only brought her anger.

Her mind briefly shooting back to the past.

"Now, Tyuule, when you write, make sure the letters are neat and tidy." her mother spoke softly into her ear, watching as she began to write carefully.

How exactly letters were supposed to be "tidy" was beyond her ten-year-old self, but she would never doubt her mother.

No, little Tyuule was as obedient as any parent could hope.

As she continued writing, she briefly overheard something outside, as did her mother.

The older woman sighed, calmly placed her shoulders on her daughter, lowering her ears by hand, saying "Focus on your writing, alright, dear?"

"Yes, mother." she had said.

Tyuule very much remembered overhearing her mother's conversation with the guards that day.

"More and more of these imperial soldiers have been amassing on the border, queen. It will be difficult to repel them if they attack." the soldier had said.

Her mother only replied "And attacking them now means facing imperial wrath like never before. Instead of repelling them, I suggest we prepare for a potential fighting retreat. That way if they come, we will be able to hit them on our own terms and make them pay dearly for invading our lands..."

"Tyuule!"

Tyuule's eyes popped open, Bouro's figure staring back at her.

"Apologies, majesty, but you were very-"

"I was dozing off, yes. Thank you for waking me. Is there anything important?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not, but I believe you should know."

"Know what?"

The irritating chuckle made her shudder.

"Don't make me convince Zorzal you're replaceable."

"Oh, majesty, you're too cruel..."

"What's the information?"

Bouro sighed, disappointed he was being denied the usually preferred payment.

Still, he said "That assistant to the head chef? August?"

"Yes?"

"I saw him snooping around on orders of the head chef."

"Oh?"

The head chef suspects Dennis as well?

"Indeed, your majesty. What shall we do?"

Tyuule placed a stone on the parchment and stood up.

"Well, we don't want him getting into trouble and risking our entire strategy. Come along, Bouro, I'll need your ability to not be seen."

"But, Majesty, why not-?'

"Question not!"

Alnus Hill

The special office was nothing special. The American flag hung on the wall, the desk was full of documents for the general to read, and aside from the wooden chairs, the room was practically bare-bones.

The American president stared at the ebony-skinned woman with a degree of uncertainty.

She was essentially begging, pleading with him for help.

Problem was, he couldn't understand her, and even the translator appeared to be waiting for her to finish.

It was the black young soldier next to her who patted her back, and said something, calming her down.

He then turned, smiled awkwardly, and said "Sorry, sir, she's desperate. See, her tribe lives near a mountain, and it's become a bit of a hunting ground for the giant dragon the Marines wounded in that first expedition. She says her tribe is willing to do whatever it takes to get support.

Before the president could reply, the princess was already speaking, albeit much more clearly.

The interpreter quickly said, "Princess Pina says that she can talk to King Duran, the ruler of Elbe."

"King Duran... we know him?"

"Not personally. Some of the prisoners we captured in our second major battle said he refused to attack after our troops tried to peacefully communicate with the Allied Armies. It seems he has since retreated home to safeguard it."

The president sighed.

"Sending people to negotiate isn't really a strong suit of the powerful in this world, huh?"

The interpreter turned to Pina and translated.

"No, sir." Pina sighed.

Translate.

The president scratched the back of his head and turned to the generals.

"Well, fellas?"

The older one said "We'd have to talk to king Duran first. Get a better lay of the land, where exactly the beast is-"

"So, it's doable?"

The general stammered, unsure suddenly.

"Oh, come on, general, you guys are so gung-ho about showing off your firepower!"

"But... it would distract from the-"

The president turned to the girl, saying "Tell her the United States Armed Forces are happy to help. And Princess Pina, if you can get King Duran to come to talk to our representatives that would be excellent."

"But mister president-"

"Try Commander in Chief. I've been delayed a fair bit, and we still have a ton of issues to deal with back home..." the man groaned.

Pina stared, finding herself surprised yet again.

"This war is essentially over, general. The only problem we have is dealing with enemy forces. Figure something out about that Dragon and these forces hiding in the mountains."

At hearing the word "mountain" Pina quickly spoke.

The president turned to her, then to his interpreter.

The man said, "She wants to send a letter to get her troops to assist our own in case General Tiberius refuses to surrender."

The president considered it, before finally saying "Alright, green light it. Local support is key here... and if we can get her brother on board then even better. Now... I have to go finish up here. Madame." the president concluded, nodding towards Yao and exiting.

As the group left, Yao stared emptily at the office.

Shaun said "Congratulations. There are some tents you can stay in, or you can get a ride into this small town-"

"It was so easy?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Why was it so easy? I-I didn't even get to offer them gold or, or-"

...or myself...

"Look, we appreciate the offer, but honestly, the most we're probably interested in now is resources. Probably send some of our... um... men of science... to investigate the land and see if there's anything we can use. We're not supposed to be mercenaries."

That final part concerned Yao a touch.

Interested in the land, not the money?

"Um... to clear any confusion, your country isn't planning on enslaving-"

"We don't use slaves!" Shaun said, a bit angry.

The dark elf shrunk.

"Don't bring up slavery, alright? We don't like it, we hate it. Anyone from our side that says otherwise isn't one of us! Understood?"

Yao nodded slowly.

Shaun sighed.

Don't care if it's normal here, it ain't right so why should I pretend it is?

Taking a deep breath, he smiled politely and said "Anyway, I got some time... want me to show you around town?"

Yao nodded slowly.

Internally, she made a note not to suggest slavery in front of these men ever again, confusing as it may have been to her.

Imperial Capital

August stared at the closed door with purpose but didn't open it.

Tyuule felt some degree of satisfaction that the chef hadn't noticed her despite her being only a few feet away. Either the man was so affected by seeing the previous emperor die his senses were all scrambled or she was just that hard to miss, which in her case might be more beneficial than not.

She kept her arms crossed, waiting for the man to make a move.

The move came quickly.

August put his hand on the door and began pushing it open.

Tyuule grinned and quickly said, "My, oh my, what are you doing here, Chef August?"

August appeared to freeze in place at the threatening tone in her voice.

The chef slowly turned to her and said "You again..."

"Indeed. Might I ask what you're doing in this part of the palace?"

August huffed, saying "Just came to check on my underling. Nothing you'd understand."

"Oh, how interesting, I'm here for the same thing."

"What are you here to do?" he asked her.

"Why, ensure he's not dead, of course!"

"He was fine last night. He's still a kid despite his age, and it's not like I hit to kill."

"You know as well as I do how some wounds kill long after the fact. Regardless, why are you here?"

August didn't reply, pushing the door open.

The room was empty.

"Oh, it seems he's not here..." Tyuule said, her smile never fading.

August said, "Guess he went for a walk..."

He entered the room.

"Chef August, what are you doing?"

"I lost a knife recently. It's of sentimental value... I just want to make sure he didn't steal it." he said, lifting the few sheets on the slab of wood the American used as a bed.

Tyuule's smile vanished.

I can't let him mess with this room.

"Chef August, I must admit, I'm growing concerned with your strange interest in the young man."

"I didn't ask."

"But his majesty will."

At those words, August only turned to angrily jab a finger in her face.

"Listen here... I don't know what ploy you have going on, but I don't care. I don't even care if the kid is actually responsible for getting the emperor poisoned or not. But there is an ongoing threat to the Empire within these walls, and ever since that child was hired everything has felt off! If the Emperor knows then that's even worse and he must be deposed!"

Tyuule said nothing, her expression not betraying any reaction the monologue might have brought forth in her.

"You plan on getting rid of me next?" he asked.

"I plan on suggesting you see the royal healer."

Tyuule wasn't surprised when the man grabbed her face and pulled her up close.

"Don't get funny with me, alright?" August said in a calm voice.

Tyuule didn't reply nor did she react, knowing well enough that the most the man could do didn't compare to what she could bring about now.

Frustrated at the lack of fear, August released her and went back to rummaging through the empty bedsheets.

Tyuule then said "Whatever you're searching for is likely long gone. Assuming the boy left for the market today, he could've sold whatever you're looking for if it was expensive, or at the very least stashed it."

August growled "I know that... I'm looking for evidence he could have taken it, now leave! He's clearly alive so you have no reason to stay here!"

Silence.

August turned and quietly said "Leave. Now."

"I'm afraid that I cannot."

"Don't you talk to me that-"

August fell silent as Tyuule went and grabbed him and shoved him against the wall with all her strength, which to his surprise, was just enough to push him into the nearby wall. Normally, Warrior Bunnies were as physically strong as any other soldier, sometimes more so. Trained warriors were said to be able to lob a man's head clean off with a mere kick, and even if that was an exaggeration, the numbers lost in Battle against them spoke for themselves that Warrior Bunnies were a strong race.

However, Tyuule had two obstacles going against her. For starters, she had never been trained as a soldier, certainly no more than the very basic training a young princess would receive. But worse than that, years of malnourishment and abuse had weakened the fallen queen. Had she trained to be a warrior and not been constantly abused, the story might have been different, but Zorzal would rather his slaves not be able to bring a risk to his illusion of dominance, it had cost Tyuule dearly.

But not to the point that she wasn't a threat.

It wasn't entirely enough to knock him into the floor, but it did cause him to trip and fall over by the bed, which was what Tyuule wanted as she loomed over him.

"I have grown tired of your insolence, August." she sighed.

The chef began to get back up, ready to beat the rebellious bunny to a pulp. If the emperor was so upset, then he could just get a more loyal slave. And hey, why not blame Den? Clearly, she had some interest in the young cook, maybe even to the point of a potential affair. So why not get them both out in one move? He made up his mind, but she clicked her tongue and spoke in a threatening tone.

"I wouldn't do that, sir. But then again, I wouldn't lay a hand on his majesty's personal advisor and you went and did exactly that..." she muttered the last part.

August didn't know what she meant, but the crimson eyes did not suggest she was toying with him. Suddenly realizing his mistake, he nervously remained sitting on the floor, silent, a touch afraid.

The invisible hands around his throat were more than enough incentive to keep him there.

Tyuule lifted her index finger to her chin and began to pace around the room, musing aloud as she considered the options as to how to deal with a potential subversive to her plans.

"What to do, what to do... normally I would let something like this go on as it's usually harmless, but it's growing rather irritating. We cannot be dealing with drama in the kitchen while we are at war, you know."

"Then you should focus on Den!"

"Oh, I'll focus on Den soon enough, but as far as I know, he's not the one actively pursuing trouble."

"He provoked me and defended the likely killers of Emperor-"

"The emperor died of an illness. I doubt you believe that, but it's what we, Emperor Zorzal included, understand happen. If you wish to investigate, perhaps you should do it in a way that doesn't cause trouble."

"I was doing just that!"

"Ah, so you lied about your missing knife?"

"N-no! I'm missing a knife, and I think that runt took it! He's a trouble-child! He refuses to take his job seriously!"

"How so?"

"He just... does what he's told... he's not interested, he doesn't talk to anyone... he's an insubordinate brat!"

"Is he now? Tell me what trouble has he caused aside from that one time he seemingly disrespected you?"

August's jaw clenched as he knew there wasn't much in regards to concrete reasons for his personal dislike of the young man. The kid was quiet but never disobedient, clearly didn't enjoy the work in the kitchen but he never heard him complain, and while his missing knife had made him suspicious, he had no evidence it was Den who took it.

The white-haired girl grinned as she said "Ah, perhaps young August is jealous that he got the work so easily where he had to waste his life learning culinary arts?"

"Don't waste my time." the man growled.

"Don't give me a reason to. We're all on the same team now, are we not?"

"I highly doubt that."

"Ah, dangerous words, young August. Bold, but dangerous."

"You don't know how many people are against you. Emperor Molt may have alienated many with his plan, but most of us know it was a necessary evil."

"Really, now?"

August loudly said "Yes! Stop pretending you have any control! You're a plaything for the emperor! Once he gets bored, you'll be kicked out! Stop pretending to be loyal when you're biding your time for the enemy to appear!"

Tyuule's smile never faded, if anything she began to giggle.

After a moment, she sighed, as if satisfied.

"Ah, the loyalty of the palace staff is admirable, no? Alright, August. Get comfortable. We're going to be here a while."

"Huh?"

"I wonder what young Den will say once he gets here and sees you."

August grit his teeth, helpless to do anything.

Tyuule glanced at Bouro, ignoring the concerned look.

Why not just kill him now?

Tyuule simply shook her head and closed her eyes.

Her mind traveling to the past...

"Tyuule, always remember that how you hold the blade matters."

"Yes, father." her younger self had said, staring at the wooden dummy with rusty equipment on it.

A bad attempt at simulating an Imperial Soldier, but her young imagination could fill in the gaps. It applied similarly to other warrior tribes but most kinds of armor were lackluster over the great northern plains.

Still, it didn't hurt to train.

"Imperial Armies are well armored. Our blades are mostly designed for slashing, slitting throats... you can even decapitate one with ease if you aim at the neck... right here." her father said, pointing at where the neck would ideally be.

She glanced at her mother, the young woman stroking her older brother's hair as the teenager rested on her lap.

Tyuule turned to her father and asked "How bad was the attack, father?"

The older man shook his head, saying "It was a head hunter tribe's hunting party. It seemed like they attacked impulsively with no real plan... still. The savagery needed to kill your own people affects the mind."

She looked at her brother again.

"Do you get night terrors, too, father?"

The older man chuckled slightly, saying "Your old man isn't so insecure to deny it, daughter. Ah, it's a matter of getting accustomed to it..."

Tyuule looked at the knife and imagined how it could feel stabbing someone with it.

What effect would it have on her? Killing another person?

She couldn't imagine...

"How long did it take you to get accustomed to it, father?"

The older man looked at the horizon, his eyes seemingly looking past it and into the past.

"About a year, I suppose... your mother helped a lot, but... it's necessary to get accustomed to the savagery of this world so that it doesn't affect us as we expand. We want to eventually bring peace, do we not?"

"Yes, father."

"Then we have to endure such horrors. For a better world, so that our children don't have to suffer the same fate."

Tyuule eyed her father with a degree of admiration.

"Rabbit!"

Her eyes shot open.

"I'm dying of thirst here!"

"Too bad!" she spoke angrily, seeing that Bouro was still in the same spot, holding the man's neck.

"I have to use the-"

"Soil your own pants then. You entered a room without permission, I will treat you as a thief until told otherwise, now sit and be silent!"

August didn't reply.

Tyuule had to hand it to Bouro, the shapeshifter was able to fool people, and while it was possible the chef hadn't complained, even if he had, odds were, his cries would not be heard.

She wondered how exactly he was able to accomplish such tasks.

But more importantly... where are you, Orville?

3:00 PM

"Streets are clear enough now... looks like the legions did their job well enough..." Drew said, placing the M3 on the table.

"If we're going to take you back, now's the time." the beret finished, glancing towards the warrior bunnies.

The girls only nodded.

Rhodes turned to Dennis, asking "What'd he say?"

"Streets are finally clear, captain. I should head back, too."

"Right. I'll get Alex to radio for extraction for them. You got the books?"

"Yes, captain."

"Great. Watch your back in the palace. Sean, think you can escort him back?"

"Yeah, captain." Sean hopped down from his position near a stairway and headed over.

Delilah, understanding that it was time to return to Itálica, tugged on Dennis's sleeve.

The American turned, giving her a questioning glance.

She said "Don't trust her. If you get the chance to kill her once she's no use, do it."

"You're really bent on killing her, huh? Too cowardly to do it yourself?" he groaned, clearly angry at the request.

The girl audibly ground her teeth, saying "I'd do it myself, but your leaders won't let me!"

"You'd do it even if it turned out you're wrong about her?"

"Am I wrong about her?"

Dennis fell silent.

The white-haired girl certainly gave off a malicious personality, but then again, how much goodwill could a person seeking to destroy an entire nation have left? The occasional laughter that came from her was of nothing else than pleasure at seeing her enemies fail, pure Schadenfreude. How much of it could be chalked up to abuse and the horror of being a slave he just didn't know, but he did know one thing.

She had surrendered seeking to save her people.

What evil ruler would do that?

Turning to Delilah, he said "I don't know. But killing her isn't on my list, so don't get your hopes up."

Never one to give up, Delilah quickly said "Then test her! If the stories are true, and I believe they are... then... then it should be obvious..."

"I told you, don't-"

"My family, my friends... they suffered- died... because of her. If your country believes in fairness, then why does she get to live when-"

"Delilah, that's enough!" Mamina said, trailed by another Beret.

The girl continued anyway.

"Parna... I had a comrade who gave up and came here to be a slave after being on the run with me... I never heard from her again. I looked, I tried... it's not fair... it's not fair that she died- that her family died... but that the snake responsible gets to live!" she cried out, tears streaming down her reddening face.

The 18-year-old swallowed, never having experienced anyone, let alone a woman, emotionally break down like that.

Quite frankly, neither had most of the soldiers there.

The idea of breaking down and crying in public was... rare, embarrassing even, for women as well. Perhaps it was acceptable if she was decrying out an abuser or an adulterer, but... to show such weakness...

To the surprise of the Americans, it was the older Beret, the one in charge who simply patted the bunny girl's back, shaking his head.

The girl shook her head and stormed off.

Mamina followed her, not saying anything.

The older Beret sighed, saying "War does that to people... can't blame her for demanding justice."

"Y-you can understand her, sir?"

"Not entirely, but... I've seen boys- men... same thing. Don't let it get to you, but don't bottle it all down, either. War is already enough of a hazard, don't need your mind turning on you, too."

Dennis swallowed at the advice.

He continued thinking on it as Sean led him away from the street they controlled and out into the main city streets, which were almost bereft of life, save for the small unit of soldiers patrolling and the few people guarding dead bodies as others tried putting them on carts, some soldiers helping the civilians in the later afternoon sunlight.

Law and Order had been regained in the capital indeed.

Dennis glanced at the corpses on the streets and tried to ignore the viscera.

It wasn't possible.

There weren't as many as he had seen at Alnus or Itálica, but it was still an awful sight.

"Reminds me of Itálica... what was the body count then?" Sean sighed, clearly trying to distract from the death and destruction around them.

Around them were a few soldiers, technically enemy combatants, clearing out the bodies one at a time and placing them on large carts.

Dennis sighed, saying "Don't remember... something like two thousand dead."

I Gotta keep my mind busy...

He gripped the leather bag he was carrying the books and maps in, feeling its softer texture in a sad attempt at distracting from everything.

It was all he or anyone could do.

Once in a warzone, one cannot afford to think of the awfulness of the constant death and suffering around them. Soldiers need their minds operating as efficiently as possible as hesitation, even for an instant, could easily mean death, and failure to be aware of one's surroundings could just as easily mean death... or worse. But as Dennis was discovering, paradoxically, if one didn't distract themselves in some way, or forced themselves to ignore the death and destruction, their mind simply wouldn't function properly either.

As the two Americans pushed on, Sean said "The Red-Light District's population... I think we should get them out of there."

"Huh?" Dennis asked, his mind busy on keeping him sane.

"Look around, man. This isn't like the historical Rome, this is... this is medieval. There's business, commerce, but people are born into their profession. From what I've seen, most of the people back there were born slaves, born poor, born... born in a bad situation without a chance at climbing their way up."

Dennis coldly replied "So are some people back home. Just because you give someone a chance doesn't mean they'll take it."

"Still, they should get the chance, shouldn't they?"

"Ideally, I suppose. Personally, I think they should've revolted long ago. Just because you don't have an opportunity doesn't mean you can't make your own."

"With what? Sticks and stones?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, college boy, but most of the weapons we're facing are made of sticks and stones."

"Yeah, and look at how effective that crap is against basic armor, let alone tanks and guns."

Dennis glanced at a nearby pile of bodies; a pair of legionnaires grabbing the broken clubs and daggers with little care as they tossed the weapons into a different cart.

Dennis said, "Well, those guys were like the Mafia, right?"

"Organized crime, yeah, but still. They had more weapons than the civilian population we're dealing with. Numbers and will to fight meant very little if you've got better trained and better-equipped troops. Why do you think all the slave uprisings before the Civil War failed?"

"I don't know, man. I'm just here following orders, not to get into philosophical discussions."

"Do you even have any aspirations?" he asked.

"I'd like to rise in the ranks... Colonel Orville doesn't sound right, but... hmm, maybe lieutenant or captain."

"So, you're serious about staying in the Army?"

"Oh, yes, sir."

Sean was silent.

"What about you?"

At that, Sean said "I want to teach Philosophy, maybe History. I originally signed up to pay for it but turns out I'm a pretty good shot, then I passed the Ranger Course, and... well, that Gate opened up, I figured I'd do a tour and see how this panned out. After this, I do want to try and teach history somewhere. Maybe settle down somewhere nice and quiet, you know?"

Dennis fell silent then.

Somewhere "nice and quiet" sounded nice, actually.

Except...

His mind drifted back to the previous night, how he had been entirely unable to sleep due to the silence making it impossible for his mind to drown out the unwanted memories and thoughts they brought with them.

At least with his fellow Rangers, he could talk and distract himself.

He grimaced.

Both men stopped when they heard someone sobbing.

Dennis didn't want to look.

He really didn't.

But he forced himself to.

The body of the woman he had seen earlier in the day was being pulled away by two legionnaires, a little girl wailing as they pulled her away.

"Damn..." Sean sighed.

Dennis eyed the almost screaming wails of the child.

She couldn't be more than four years old.

His hands balled into fists.

"Hey... Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"That grease gun loaded?"

"Yeah, but..."

"It's just in case... give me a second."

Dennis stomped over to the soldiers and switched to the local tongue.

"What happened here?" he said trying not to come off as hostile.

"We're cleaning up the dead bodies. What's it look like we're doing?" the soldier replied.

Dennis pointed at the girl.

"Her? What happened to her?"

"She was probably killed in the earlier battle today. Maybe not. Are you interested in demi-humans?"

"Huh?"

Glancing at the little girl again he saw the almost imperceptible droopy brown dog ears camouflaged almost perfectly into her chestnut brown hair.

"Oh... yes, I am. I'll take her."

"You have any money?"

"I... Sean?"

Sean's lips formed a fine line as he quickly closed the distance and reached into his pocket.

"One gold coin, sir... for you and your men... slaves are in short supply, are they not?" Sean said slowly, pretending to smile.

The legionnaire took the coin and shouted to the man picking the crying child.

"She belongs to them."

The soldier didn't ask questions, walking over and handing the girl to the Americans, Sean picking her up with a sad expression as the child continued crying.

Dennis only nodded, saying "Thank you."

He was ignored.

Walking on, Sean now behind him, the little girl now screaming as the sharpshooter tried to comfort her.

The second they were out of earshot, though, Sean asked "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Your ancestors own slaves?"

Dennis groaned, saying "No, as far as I can tell they moved to the south after the Civil War. And hey, just because I'm from Georgia doesn't mean I look down on everyone, you know?"

"Eh... my own experiences beg to differ. You did seem kind of natural when you negotiated for her."

Dennis only returned a dark glare at his fellow Ranger.

"Just speakin' my mind. Not sure we can improve her conditions much more, though. Can give her food and water, at least... Maybe Misery can figure something out for her."

Dennis only silently nodded at that.

After not getting a verbal response, and after noticing the doglike features, Sean asked "You think we can give her some Hershey bars?"

Yeah... gotta distract from all this somehow...

The little girl continued wailing.

Switching to the local tongue, Sean asked "Do you have a name?"

The girl continued her cries.

Sean sighed, disappointed at his helplessness.

Dennis didn't comment.

…

Once at the Palace, Dennis walked up the hill and Sean went on his way, still carrying the small girl.

He didn't bother checking on the kitchen, more than happy to try to get some sleep before his little "date" with the white-haired girl was due.

He walked down the polished floors, past the patrolling guards, down the stairs to the rooms for the help, got to his door...

And promptly froze as he saw Tyuule sitting on his chair, looking bored as Chef August was sitting on the ground, Boro's hands on the man's shoulders.

Dennis opened his mouth, but Tyuule spoke first.

"Took your time, huh?"

"I-"

"This man, your boss, so he claims... he was sneaking around your room, claiming to be searching for a missing knife."

Dennis immediately felt a chill go down his spine.

"I... did he find anything here?"

"No, but I believe his trouble stems from far more sinister suspicions."

"Don't talk as if I'm not here!"

Tyuule continued.

"You see, son of Tobias, this man believes you to be a traitor. That much is obvious. Are you a traitor?"

Dennis appreciated the way the woman worded the question, saying "Of course I'm not a traitor!"

August loudly said "Not a traitor? Who are you not a traitor for, Den?"

Tyuule ignored him, quickly saying "Chef, this little feud has gone on long enough. Clearly, there is no evidence either of you is working against the best interests of-"

"Will you let me talk?!"

Bouro moved his hands to the man's neck.

Tyuule slowly said, "I believe you have talked quite enough... in fact, I think you've broken quite a few laws by entering without authorization into this room."

"He broke in?" Dennis asked.

August opened his mouth to counter but went pale at Tyuule's dangerous smile.

A predator's smile...

"Son of Tobias... what shall we do with this man?"

Dennis didn't reply, turning to stare at August.

He could oh so easily get rid of him right there and then. Maybe this Haryo Tribe could make the man disappear. Removing a source of irritation.

"I... have no intention of reporting this. He is one of the people I answer to, after all... he can enter my quarters, as well. I believe he and Chef Clef pay for them, so... I don't want any trouble."

He noticed Tyuule's eyes get a curious glimmer as he said that.

"Alright then..." she said, snapping her fingers, Bouro releasing him immediately.

August stood.

He stared at the floor in silence.

Glared at Dennis, at Tyuule, back at Dennis... sighed, but didn't leave the room.

Tyuule smirked.

Finally, August said, "Tell me the truth, Son of Tobias..."

Dennis said nothing, clearly exhausted.

"Are you working for the enemy?"

"No." came the tired reply.

August said, "Why are you lying?"

Dennis said, "Why do you think I'm lying?"

August frowned, turned to glare at Tyuule once more before turning back to Dennis.

"Don't see her again."

"I don't think I can make that decision, sir."

August got uncomfortable close to him, saying "The warrior bunnies escaped when you distracted me. If you weren't in on it, then you surely helped them indirectly. I'm going to make you pay for it somehow and-"

"August, it appears you're forgetting your place. Need I remind you of it?" Tyuule asked.

August said in a cold, threatening voice "My place is being a chef in the royal kitchen. I cook for the emperor and his life is entrusted to me as much as to his bodyguards! Do not speak to me of where my place is!"

Tyuule replied with "Then I recommend you stop giving me a reason to remind you of it. There will be no punishment or paying for misdeeds. You've clearly proven yourself the aggressor in this situation. Should something happen to him, be assured you will be held accountable."

August's eyes didn't leave Dennis, noting the young man hadn't reacted.

He frowned, saying "Understood." and then left.

Tyuule was silent.

Dennis didn't speak.

After a moment, she said "He's out of earshot, but I'll be brief, the emperor is interested in hearing your nation's peace offering, of course, without the intention of accepting it. No real surprise there."

Dennis nodded.

She continued, saying "The subject of Tiberius and his guerilla campaign has not come up, unfortunately, but I'll see if I can find anything before tonight. The emperor may allow it to continue."

Dennis nodded.

"Finally..." she took a step forward, a look of extreme seriousness in her eyes, hoping to get a reaction from the American, "I'll be here at the decided hour to begin... learning... do you have what you need?"

Dennis nodded, showing her the leather bag.

"In there?"

"In here." he sighed.

Tyuule cleared her throat, saying "Good... that's good. I certainly hope your teaching ability is better than your ability to blend in. August and Clef are overly paranoid by design, but you can't just stay quiet like that."

"I can't exactly hope to convince them, ma'am. It's too suspicious."

"We could get rid of them."

"I'd rather not."

"Any reason?"

"Yeah. If August and Clef die while suspecting foul play on the highest level, Zorzal is going to have a lot of doubters at a time he needs people to have faith in him. It's more practical to leave them alive and just prevent them from finding out. Can you imagine how many people will be suspicious of you and him? I've seen the kitchen staff, they love August and Clef. I'm the outsider, it's only natural that they dislike me. As long as we keep it at that level, we should be fine."

"...he still gave you quite a beating."

"I don't exactly plan on that happening again."

"Still..."

Now Dennis smiled impishly, playfully asking "Why, Miss Tyuule, are you suddenly concerned for my wellbeing?"

Tyuule was taken aback by the tone in his voice and the strange smile he gave her.

I-Is he trying to flirt?!

Treating her like a person was one thing, worrying about her well-being was a different matter, but to so openly flirt with her?

She felt her face grow warm as she quickly sputtered out a response.

"O-of course I am! You're a vital part of the plan!"

Once again, he was entertained by her reddening cheeks but didn't comment on them.

Dennis only waved her away, saying "Well, thanks for looking out for me. I appreciate it. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get some rest before tonight."

She nodded slowly, turning and exiting the room, not saying anything else, which left the American somewhat disappointed, but he didn't say anything, so much on his mind already as he closed the door.

Dennis stood alone in the empty room then.

Not moving.

After a moment, he asked, "Anyone there?"

Silence.

"...hello?"

Nothing.

Deciding that he was alone enough, he shakily took a breath and reached under his tunic, removing the belt with the M1911 on it and placing it on the table along with the bag carrying the books and maps he would need.

The second he placed it on the table he collapsed onto the chair, his breaths shaky.

His mind strenuously replayed the images of the dead bodies from Alnus to Itálica to the capital, the smell, the pools of blood, the feeling of the death being on him any second, the dead civilians, the child screaming for her mother... his own late family... some of the last things he had said to his mother...

You don't have to-

I want to, ma!

"God..." he began, unable to say anything else as his eyes stared ahead unblinking.

He had managed to conceal his inner turmoil when people he knew, but now, on his own, it was damn near impossible.

Dennis shut his eyes tight.

Get up... mission's not over yet.

Tyuule's words briefly echoed in his mind.

You're a vital part of the plan!

He opened his eyes again, more than happy to think about the much more pleasant image of the girl's reddening cheeks.

Not entirely human or not, she was far more pleasant to be around than any of the "people" he had met so far in the "grand" capital of "The" Empire.

He forced himself to breathe slowly and calm down, shuddering as he began to slowly relax.

One could only "refuse to think about" a problem for so long, but so far, he was still in control of his emotions, which was more than he could say for some of the people that lived in this so-called "capital" city.

He ground his teeth together before standing up again and placing his hands on the wooden table.

I hate this God-forsaken place...

Alnus Hill

7:00 PM

"Alright, mister president, your ride will be here shortly."

The president nodded, turning to the Princess, who appeared infinitely smaller now.

To put it bluntly, everything was set.

US forces would effectively encircle the enemy forces based in the Dumas Mountain Range and neutralize them either through force or diplomacy. Messages had been sent to potential allies, something Pina would be helping set up, and once the threat of the guerillas in the mountains was done with, Zorzal would either be peacefully arrested and stripped of the rank of Emperor or be neutralized.

The plan was flexible enough, but it was the route they were going for at the moment.

Yes, the dark-skinned elf woman had given them an interesting opportunity in ending the war sooner, presumably by dragging the "Elbe Kingdom" into the conflict or at least getting them to assist them in a small way.

Scientists were of course, already beginning to flock to the main American base, among other things.

As the president stood near the entrance to the Gate, he saw several trucks exit it, one carrying troops, and several others carrying munitions that had a warning that reads "Flammable" on the outside of the crates.

A part of him was happy to have set some limitations on the Army brass, knowing some of them were likely seeing this scenario as little more than a training exercise and forgetting people's lives were on the line.

However, he was also glad to let the officers and soldiers just finish their job, and leave him to handle the politics.

It was so much easier to focus on one thing at a time.

"Have a safe trip back, sir." the red-headed princess said, clearly forcing a smile.

He wasn't entirely sure what else to say to her.

With a sigh, he simply said "Keep your chin up, alright? Remember the people we saw today?"

Translate.

She nodded.

"You have to care for them now. People don't always know what's best, but it's worth considering that they do want what's best..."

Translate.

"Yes, I... I hope I can lead them properly..." she said.

The President said "Hey, it's one thing to say it, it's another thing to live by it. But those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly... does uh... does that translate well?"

The translator sighed, nodded, and translated.

The girl nodded slowly, reminding herself of the responsibility she had just undertaken.

The military transport arrived, and she knew this was, as the Americans said "so long".

"Well, princess... it was a pleasure meeting you, but if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. Believe me, we'll be in touch."

The secret service agents shuddered at the last line but dutifully followed the president into his vehicle.

Pina waved as the vehicle entered the Gate.

...I have a lot of work to do...

Inside the military transport, the president let out a tired sigh as an aide gave him a bottle of pills.

"Sir?" the aide asked as the president gulped down several without water.

The man shook his head, sighed, and said "Headaches came back the second I started thinking of Washington... how are things back home, John?"

The aide only said "Messy. The South Vietnamese government is demanding a larger commitment from us in case they lose the upcoming election, and while you were out there were several attacks by unknown third parties on American bases."

"What?!"

"We know it wasn't the Soviets or the North, but the image it's presenting-"

"God! I leave the office for one day!"

"The... the Australians and Koreans are being very supportive of us."

"Yeah? Well, that's good to know. What does Rob think about the situation?"

The work of a leader was never done, it seemed...

10:00 PM

Dennis only raised an eyebrow at Tyuule's getup.

The girl was now wearing a cloak around her "uniform" to cover herself up more. Her smooth legs were still fairly exposed, though, and the way the cloak contorted to her body didn't exactly scream "modesty".

"W-what?" she asked, clearly uncomfortable.

Dennis didn't respond, uncertain of what to say, only staring.

He found himself entertained by her reddening cheeks but didn't smile.

Tyuule clearly didn't like wearing the skimpy outfit, and while she could pretend to be a confident, cold-hearted advisor to Zorzal when other Imperial citizens were around, now that she was alone with someone she could genuinely call an ally there was very little reason to keep up appearances.

Of course, she still couldn't let him think that. And the way he was looking at her...

"It's not like-" she began, but he cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. Come in." the American sighed, moving out of the way.

She didn't reply, entering the room, happy that she wasn't being asked the obvious "why are you wearing that cloak" question.

"Alright, here... got you a seat."

He moved the wooden chair over to the table.

It was more of a stool, but options weren't exactly plentiful for the American, and she knew that.

The girl sat down, adjusted her skirt so it didn't ride up in as dignified a manner as she could, and stared at the books.

Not wanting to draw further attention to herself, she quickly decided to comment on something else before the American sat down.

"Oh, these are... I recognize the letters, but..."

"Yeah, language evolves quite a bit in two thousand years..."

Dennis stared at the books as well, sitting down.

He turned to look at the girl.

Then back at the books.

My family, my friends... they suffered- died... because of her!

He frowned.

He glanced at the white-haired girl, her features not being those of a selfish monster, and yet...

He shook his head, saying "I can't do this..."

"Pardon?"

I need to know...

"What do we really know about you?"

"We?"

"I'm including myself in this question because while the Army may not worry about this all that much, I sure do... so... what do I really know about you?"

Tyuule eyed him, her crimson eyes meeting his own, an unreadable look on them.

She only said, "I could say the same about you."

"Exactly. Apart of me thinks you're not too trusting of me, either."

He spoke matter-of-factly, as if emotionally detached, which somewhat disappointed her, but no matter.

Tyuule rolled the thoughts over in her head.

Certainly, a part of her thought the help she was receiving was too good to be true, but she didn't care if it meant the Empire would be destroyed. What more could they do to her that the beast in charge of the Empire hadn't already done? Yet this American, and his strange concern for her wellbeing as well as his own conscious objections to pushing things too far intrigued him.

Perhaps not as naïve as I thought...

She said "Perhaps. What do you suggest we do to remedy this little wedge in our little alliance?"

The possibility that the American was interested in her body crossed her mind and she braced herself for whatever he would say next. She was aware of the occasional looks he gave her, how his eyes seemed to sometimes wander, and she knew he was conscious of it as well, as he was quick to correct himself whenever they drifted.

Perhaps he wants payment in some form?

She braced herself as the American spoke.

"I think... we should... how do you say... break the ice."

Huh?

"Excuse me?" she said instead.

"Well... not exactly breaking the ice, that's a saying back home. What I think we should do is ask each other questions and answer them truthfully... figures that if we both know each other's weaknesses we won't betray one another."

"I... huh?" no less confused.

The American pointed to himself with a look of discomfort.

"People back home call it mutually assured destruction. I can destroy you but you can destroy me, too, so we won't destroy each other as we both want to live."

She blinked.

"You... want me to answer your questions about myself honestly... and I can ask you questions about yourself and you will answer honestly? Have you been dishonest with me?" she asked, a dark smile on her face.

"I answer honestly, I'm sure you do, too... we've just been limited to talking about the mission."

Except when you show concern for my wellbeing...

She sat straight and said "Interesting proposition, but I already know your weakness. You're a spy."

"Not really a spy, just an..." he seemed unsure of the word, but eventually said "I'm more of an in-between for the actual spies... still, I have an easy out if you happen to reveal the truth. So do you, given your hold on the emperor."

"Boro's people have a far reach. If I wasn't on your side, I could have you killed with great ease... no, I already know your weakness... you can ask me for mine if you so wish. I promise to answer truthfully if it means anything."

Dennis noticed the girl's reddening cheeks in the candlelight and considered lightening the mood, knowing he was in full control now, which made him uncomfortable as he was talking to a girl who was currently enslaved by a man who abused her daily. Noticing the slightly discolored spot on her neck, he decided not to do anything other than skip to the point.

There was no point in "lightening" the mood other than to prolong the time without knowing the truth.

This is just for my own peace of mind, nothing more.

He spoke slowly and cautiously, making sure he didn't misuse the words.

"Alright... why did you surrender to Zorzal?"

She winced at the question, staring at him in shock.

"W-why are you asking that?!"

"That's not an answer." came the cold reply.

"I..."

The girl slumped in her seat, looking far smaller than he had ever expected, her ears lowering less in submission and more in shame.

Dennis huffed, finding himself unable to deny those sad, red eyes evoked pity in his mind. But a part of him worried the girl was as dangerous as the maids had suggested.

Still...

"Look... I've been in this world a little over a month... everyone I meet makes it clear: surrender is a fool's game." He sighed, as if reluctant to admit any form of emotional investment in the girl.

"That's an apt description of myself back then..." came the tired, seemingly broken, reply.

"Yet Zorzal makes it clear that you begged him to spare your people in exchange for your surrender, which suggests something else. Why did you-?"

"Because I'm weak!" she blurted out, not looking at him.

Her hair fell over her eyes as she slumped forward, looking at the ground.

Dennis didn't move, unsure of whether he should comfort her or not. If she was the snake Delilah and Mamina described then surely, she deserved this, right?

That's not fair...

Tyuule sucked in a breath, slowly composing herself.

Finally turning to face him, she said "You probably spoke to some of my people... they're right. I did it for myself. I fooled myself into believing I was doing the noble thing, but the truth is... I was afraid."

Dennis said nothing, not yet believing her.

"Are there plains in your world?"

Dennis nodded.

"My people thrived in the great northern plains... tall grass, few hills, fertile land as far as the eye could see..." she spoke in a tired voice, the bittersweet memories clearly affecting her.

Dennis noted the look in her eyes as if some life had returned to her as she remembered.

"We weren't united, of course, or entirely peaceful. The Empire's claims of our savagery are not exaggerated. Tribes would hunt each other at times, more often than not for sport. They knew us as head hunters for a reason... even if many of us weren't."

Dennis didn't speak as she looked past him, staring at the small window.

"Mother certainly wasn't. As queen, she spent most of her time managing the areas where we could maintain some form of law and order, while father trained our soldiers. Brother and I were kept in mother's sight for the most part..." she sighed.

Turning to him again, she said "Brother died while traveling to the border and my parents both failed to wake up one day... seemingly passing away in their sleep."

Despite the painful memory, she stared at him, studying his reaction.

Despite the cold, seemingly uncaring look, his unblinking eyes told her he was listening intently, and the information of her parents had clearly brought the smallest hint of a reaction from him.

Concern?

Surprise?

Empathy?

She didn't dwell on it.

Tyuule continued, saying "I never proved it was Molt ordering the Haryo tribe. Bouro certainly failed to confirm anything, but... I always figured it was convenient the Empire invaded just as my parents died and I took the throne."

Dennis rubbed his jaw, considering the possibility of her theory as the girl faced away, doing everything to hide how much the memory affected her even then.

"I was... foolish... weak... I said we would fight to the end- swore it... but... but then... then I saw combat."

Screams and roaring flames filled her mind and she shook her head, shutting her eyes tight as she forced the memory away.

"They ripped them apart... children I mean... they spared no one... our numbers were too small, and we couldn't win against them in any foreseeable way. At least... that's how I came to see it." she breathed.

God...

"I was whisked away by my personal guard before I could see too much... I think they knew I was shaken by the experience... I was too young, too inexperienced... to me, seeing such carnage was... wrong. I was taken to the palace and kept with guards every hour, all while my people died trying to stop an enemy that couldn't be stopped."

She finally said "So, yes... I betrayed my people. I'm a coward, a fool, and a naïve idiot who trusted the enemy who slaughtered everything in sight. It's ultimately my fault my people were nearly wiped out."

Dennis didn't say anything, knowing she wasn't done.

"I ran away, snuck out at night, ran through the areas where the grass was tallest and I reached Zorzal's camp by dawn. I begged him to spare them... that much is true. I suppose... I suppose deep down I thought I knew what was best, but... I was a fool... I wanted for the carnage to end... I couldn't even achieve that."

Turning back to him with a dead look in her eyes, she said "It's why my own people want to kill me."

Dennis stared at her, silent.

She asked, "They ask you to kill me, didn't they?"

The American wasn't sure what to say.

She didn't speak, awaiting a response.

Finally, he settled on the truth and said "Yeah... said if possible that I shouldn't trust you or let you live."

Tyuule sank back in her seat with a sigh. The idea of the American putting her out of her misery felt appropriate somehow.

"Well, it's only fitting my people's vengeance comes to me as well as the Empire."

She spoke with a despairing smile forming on her face as she looked away, staring at the candlelight.

Dennis shook his head, something she seemed to ignore.

"But regardless of whether you trust me or not, I will destroy this empire if it's the last thing I do, no matter what it costs me."

"That's not fair."

"What?"

"...it's not fair..."

"It wasn't fair back then, Orville."

"Not what I mean..." he said cryptically.

"What did you mean then?"

"You shouldn't... you shouldn't take the blame for this, it-"

"It's the truth. I was the queen; therefore I need to take responsibility."

She'd spoken with a finality that silenced him.

Neither spoke for a moment.

Tyuule noted the frustrated look on the American. As if what she told him was somehow in conflict with something else within him.

The American took a deep breath, never looking at her.

Dennis finally said "Alright. I left my mom for dead."

"You... what?"

Why is he changing the subject to himself?

"Didn't mean to, either, but I should've known better."

Now Tyuule wasn't sure what to reply.

Dennis said, "I'd been signed up for the army since I was finishing my... um... education... she didn't want me to go but she didn't say it, exactly, just... just gave me clues, you know?"

Tyuule said nothing.

"In the end, I went to train and left her all alone. Turns out she was sick. Didn't get home in time to say goodbye, either. So, the last she saw of me was when I left to train. I could have waited a year before going, but I wanted to be a soldier, even before the gate opened up. I was selfish." he spoke in a detached, almost exhausted voice.

"W-why are you telling me this?"

"No one knows about how I felt about it except me, and now you. Doubt you've told anyone how you felt about what you did either, so it's only fair I put it all out there if we're supposed to trust each other."

No response.

Dennis finally said, "I guess that's another weakness to know about me..."

Tyuule sighed.

"I suppose we're both just a pair of fools then..."

"Yeah, I guess..."

Neither spoke for a moment.

Pursing her lips, Tyuule braved the next question.

"What's your world like?" she asked, hoping to move on to a less painful subject.

Dennis rubbed his eyes, happy to change the subject.

"Uh... big. Complicated. We've explored most of it and are trying to send people out of it... there's no magic or monsters, just... people and animals. Actual livestock, not... different humans with animal features."

"I see..." she sighed, not so much interested in the other world as she was just trying to get her mind off things.

Silence.

"What about your home? What was it like before?" Dennis asked.

Tyuule paused, considering it.

"I suppose it was quaint. Living as an important family meant my brother and I didn't have to worry about many things. Mother was always involved with us even if she had to work, and father would train our soldiers every day, though he sometimes trained us as well, just in case... we still ate together and... it was peaceful."

Her mother's often tired smile, her father's usually stoic demeanor always changed when the family was together, her brother's tired but always bright smile... idealistic memories riddled with nostalgia, she knew as much, but what more did she have?

She let out a melancholy sigh.

Dennis pursed his lips, finding his distrust in the girl disappearing by the second.

"Do you have kings and queens in your world?"

"A few... we have the queen of... England... uh... I think there's a king in Arabia... I know those names mean nothing to you at the moment, but... here."

He opened one of the books on a page with an odd picture that it took Tyuule a few seconds to recognize for what it was.

"A map?"

"Yup. This is a map of my world."

"The whole world?" she asked, impress.

"Far as anyone can tell. Probably some islands here or there we haven't added, but... pretty much."

She looked it over.

"Where is your country?"

"This blue mass right here. That's my country. The gate opened in the southern region... here..." he said, pointing to the tip anyone from earth would recognize as Texas, "And my home would be... around here... uh, this island here, that's England, they're an ally of ours, and they have a queen." he concluded, moving his fingers eastward slightly before crossing the blue ocean.

Tyuule's eyes drifted to the colorful splotches of greens and blues, settling on a red mass that seemed to envelop a large portion of the world.

"What country is this?" she asked, pointing to it.

"Our enemy. You don't have a word for them." the American said without much care.

"Well, what do you call them?" she asked, happy to move away from the painful subject of the past.

"The Union of So-bee-it So-shall-easts Republics..." he spoke in his language.

"A Republic?"

"In name only. My country is a democratic republic, so are most of our allies. They're... they're more of a... um... a single group has control over everything."

She only looked more confused.

"Uh... like, they don't think people should be individuals. They're practically subhuman."

"But they're human."

"...Yeah."

"And their nation is... clearly larger than yours."

"Err..."

"Are they more powerful?"

His mind briefly shot back to several news articles warning that a nuclear war would destroy the planet as the US and the USSR had an arsenal large enough to do just that.

The impish grin that manifested on his face as he began what appeared to be a long-winded brag about how powerful his nation disappointed the girl. It was bad enough Zorzal often went and did just that, but she shuddered at how someone from another world would carry it out.

"Nah, we could beat them any day we're the most powerful nation in the world and... well... Alright, in truth, it's complicated." he sighed and shook his head as his smile vanished, a long-winded diatribe against the enemy nation seemingly averted.

Huh?

For Dennis, he knew jingoism could only get him so far. In an honest conversation, especially one meant to garner trust, he had to speak the truth, and the fact was he didn't know how a war between the United States and the Soviet Union would end.

"To be honest, I don't know the exact numbers. We're rivals, that's for sure. They want us gone; we want them gone... but doing so would not be worth the effort. I know we're not that far ahead or behind the other, though."

"Not worth the effort?"

"We don't want to destroy the world. Wars back home are far more destructive than what you can do here with swords and dragons. Even if we won, the destruction caused would just not be worth it."

Mutually Assured Destruction...

"...How so?" she asked anyway.

"Sixty million people died in a war twenty years ago, and that's when we created bombs that could obliterate entire cities in an instant."

"...oh..." she breathed, her eyes wide, amazed at the amount of death. A part of her was surprised powerful men would let high mortality stop their ambitions, but the unimaginable numbers listed by the American meant that even the most ambitious men would pause at continuing a war if it meant losing so many.

"Things have relaxed, though. There's trouble here and there, but... we're managing an uneasy peace."

She nodded, staring at the map.

"Must be nice..."

Dennis knew better than to say anything.

The poor girl had suffered through God only knew how much torture and was only now being given a way out, one she didn't seem as interested in taking without first destroying the people that caused her so much suffering, but...

At least she seems to be interested in getting outta here...

Dennis grabbed the first book and opened it.

"Any more questions?"

"...what was your mother's name?"

"Agatha."

"And your father?"

"Stephen."

"You have no brothers or sisters?"

He only shook his head.

"No family left at all?" she asked, suddenly surprised.

Dennis sighed.

"I got a few relatives further up north, though I don't know them all that well. I know dad had some cousins away up west, but I never met them. Mom had a sister in New York who used to visit, but I haven't seen her since dad's funeral..."

He huffed, a dark smile on his face.

"Yeah... I guess I don't really have close family left."

"...I see..."

Neither spoke, and time carried on.

Finally, she asked, "Was that enough?"

"...if you think it isn't I'll answer any question you have as best I can."

Tyuule was silent, unsure of how to feel that someone was genuinely trying to befriend her outside of personal gain. She could believe his superiors ordered him to be polite, or that perhaps his line of questions and answers were more to ease his own unease and mistrust, but...

Even if this is all a lie... it's nice to at least imagine he wants to help me.

She looked to the book, noticing the familiar letters.

"So... can you teach me the words for greeting and bidding farewell?"

"Yeah..."

As he began to explain, she winced, internally shocked.

"You alright?" he asked her.

"Y-yes! Please continue!"

"...alright..." he said, turning to the book, flipping through its pages of strange parchments, but even that didn't interest her.

No, what shocked her to her core was the fact that it had been the first time in a long time she had been able to focus on anything other than working to destroy the empire.

April 15th, 1964

11:00 AM

"Well, you look out of it."

Tyuule turned to Zorzal and immediately said "Apologies, Majesty, there are some minor troubles in the palace I'm trying to solve."

"Ah, yes... that chef August certainly gave our little helper quite the beating, did he not?"

"He appeared alright when I checked on him. I trust things will go smoothly now; I was just considering a plan if it does not."

"Good, good... you're so diligent it makes these idiots look bad."

The generals and their legionnaires in the room blinked, confused.

"Well, how's the process going?" Zorzal called, seemingly disappointed despite not knowing the exact information on how the legions had so far regained control of the chaotic streets in the capital.

Though Tyuule had to admit if the man was anything it was confident. He was seemingly so sure in victory he did not seem at all concerned for the result, as if he believed it was already a foregone conclusion.

The oldest man said "Most of the capital is already in order, Emperor. The slaves still in the capital have either been killed or recaptured, the fires have been put out and we have regained control of the main streets. Most of the work left is the cleanup."

"Most, yes, but the biggest sore is still a problem, is it not?"

"Actually, the Red-Light District has been far more relaxed in recent days. Ever since the enemy did us the favor of killing the Basara crime family, the criminal elements have been busy killing each other instead of causing us trouble."

Zorzal smirked slightly, saying "Excellent news! I suppose you're not as useless as I thought."

"Thank you, emperor!"

"Though you arrived a touch late... nevertheless, I'm curious about how soon we can send a message to the enemy. I want to humor their request for... negotiations."

"An excellent idea, your majesty. You'll appease the senate and finally get a glimpse into the mind of the enemy by speaking to them directly!" Tyuule spoke in a soft voice as she praised the new emperor.

Zorzal's response was to allow for a low chuckle to escape his lips before clearing his throat and saying "Yes, yes... so! General Rufus, I want a messenger to be sent to the enemy holdings with word that we specifically agree to listen to their demands... we don't want to come off as weak, now do we?"

General Rufus nodded slowly, his eyes darting to the white-haired girl with a look of uncertainty.

Her confident smile betrayed no emotion and he was left wondering how real it was.

"Finally, a counter-attack. Regardless of what the enemy says, we're pushing forward. I can assume Tiberius will do some damage, but I want a strategy that will involve us retaking the land my father and the idiots in the Allied Kingdoms lost."

Rufus said "Redistributing the legions may take some time. We already had hundreds of thousands of men at Alnus when they first arrived, and that army was mostly routed. Tiberius has elements of the northern legions which we could link up with... we would need some time to gather up the men."

"How long?" Zorzal eagerly asked; something that made Tyuule smile with glee.

Oh, you are so arrogant you'll run into the maws of death, won't you, you sniveling little fool?

"Perhaps a few months. Recruitment, training-"

"Have we not the legions in place up north and to the east?"

"Well, emperor, to move them here would leave our borders dangerously unoccupied. It can be done, but it will likely affect-"

"A necessary sacrifice! I want... I want to move across the taken lands like a lightning bolt! Swift, quick, decisive!"

Random, unplanned, and without aim...

"What I want is for the enemy to be overwhelmed and beaten."

"There is the possibility they'll want peace, emperor." an older general suggested.

Zorzal huffed, saying "They will only have peace if they return the land to us... am I understood?"

"Yes, emperor!"

Tyuule lowered her gaze to hide her vicious grin.

Oh, this is perfect! He wants war even more than his father! Unlike his father, he thinks he can win with what he has! Ah, this is just perfect!

As she considered this, her mind briefly shot back to the American teaching her English, and her smile softened ever so slightly.

I wonder if he would understand...

"Did my sister's order send a message?" Zorzal asked suddenly.

Tyuule quickly snapped back to reality, answering "Not to my knowledge."

Zorzal frowned.

"I don't know what to do with the Rose Knights. Their equipment is quite expensive, but they have little to no combat experience. They've been the one thing I'm not sure what to do with..."

Ah, of course, they are, you mindless animal...

"Ah, of course, loyal members of the Empire with good weapons... but they could still stir trouble if they disagree with your decisions."

"Exactly... I wonder if there is anything that can be done to ease such troublesome... patriots."

Oh, I'm sure you do...

"Well, your majesty, I promise to look into it. You have so many other important things to worry about, no?" she cooed, knowing full well it drove Zorzal wild.

The officers frowned in disapproval, not that Zorzal noticed.

Zorzal chuckled lightly, his reddening cheeks betraying his attempts at remaining stoic, saying "Well, indeed I do; indeed, I do... preparing the legions, planning my brilliant negotiations... of course, I could always leave such small tasks to-"

The door opened and in marched chef August with the Emperor's lunch.

"Ah, my good chef, August! How are you this fine morning?"

"Excellent, emperor." the man said, bowing as he placed the cart near Zorzal.

"Ah, it smells delicious, August. All of it!"

Tyuule eyed the chef.

The chef only glared at her before politely bowing and stepping back, letting the emperor dig in.

Zorzal said, "By the way, I hope your little feud with the new hand isn't causing any troubles."

August glanced at Tyuule, the girl returning an impish smile.

"There is no feud, majesty. Only a misunderstanding. I apologize."

Zorzal's smile widened.

"Great! What we need now is unity! Unity and peace! A concept I'm certain this enemy beyond the gate has no grasp of!"

As the emperor began his long-winded rant about his inevitable victory, Bouro spoke to her from behind a curtain.

"A messenger with information from Tiberius has entered the palace..."

Tyuule's eyes narrowed as she began to calculate a way to handle the situation.

Job's never done, is it?

…

He was not a man chosen for bravery, but for the ability to achieve his duty.

To run through swamps, fields, and bloody battlegrounds to deliver messages, to run, walk, and crawl if needed to get to his destination.

So imagine his surprise when instead of meeting the Emperor's advisors, he met the fallen Warrior Bunny Queen.

"Hello, messenger. Do you bring news to the Emperor?"

The young man only replied "For Emperor Molt's eyes, wench! Why are you-?"

Tyuule took a confident step forward, saying "Then you have a problem, soldier. The emperor died two nights ago. Emperor Zorzal will gladly listen to the message Tiberius wishes to convey."

The legionnaire winced.

"The... the emperor-"

"Dead. Cremated as per tradition."

Far be it his body be allowed to go back into the dirt to give back after all the bastard stole...

The messenger only slumped.

Tyuule, smiling politely said, "I will ensure the message reaches the Emperor."

"I would never trust a savage like you with such important documents. I will deliver this to none other than the emperor."

Tyuule's smile faded ever so slightly.

"I'm his advisor, you know."

"A savage is a savage. I don't care what spell you may have put the emperor on, but your kind is never one to have loyalties. We should have slaughtered you all and purged your cursed race from the land!" the man said in the exact tone...

...every...

...damned...

...conetemptible...

...undesirable...

...citizen...

...of the DAMNED Empire she had been subjugated by had used when speaking to her with little exception!

Zorzal had relaxed his verbal abuse, but it was still there, and while few dared speak to her, the contempt was always there, but...

Speaking to someone like the American, someone who spoke to her like a person...

Her jaw clenched, and she didn't hesitate.

The bunny girl swiftly snapped her fingers together, giving the man a cruel grin.

The soldier was no recruit, however.

He took a step back and opened his mouth to scream for reinforcements when the blade stabbed into his neck and his mouth was covered by the invisible hand of one of Boro's assassins.

She shuddered, staring as the assassin was careful not to allow the lifeblood to spill to the floor, manually breaking the man's neck with the blade.

Tyuule slowly picked up the parchment and walked away from the hallway, the assassins dragging the body away.

It wasn't lost on her that she was using the same tactics that destroyed her kingdom. Deep down, she didn't care. It was only appropriate after all. The Empire destroyed her through these means, why shouldn't she employ them as well?

As she opened the parchment, she briefly wondered if the young American would approve.

Why should I care if he would or not?

She did her best to push her feelings back down.

8:00 PM

Dennis flipped the radio on, saying "Stalker 1, how copy?"

"Read you loud and clear, Trojan. What's the word?"

"New emperor plans on sending a message to our side with intent to listen to possible peace talks... of course, he does not intend to commit."

"Good, we didn't plan on him agreeing to an unconditional surrender."

"Well, he still wants to pretend, and he's going to send the messenger out tonight. Also, Tiberius sent a message our resident bunny intercepted. They intend to booby trap the mountains to try and stop troops from advancing."

"Copy, Trojan. Will pass the information along."

"Copy."

"Hey, how's the tutoring going with the bunny girl?"

"She knows how to say a couple of words."

"Not enough to be an in-between?"

"Of course not, I gave her one class. She can't pronounce 'goodbye' properly yet!"

"Understood."

"What does 'under-stood' mean?" Tyuule asked in the local tongue.

Dennis didn't react, saying "Stalker 1, do we have any information for the Rose Order?"

Tyuule frowned at being ignored but didn't complain.

After a second, Dennis hung up, and said "Sorry about that... you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be? The emperor is in a wonderful mood and I've been able to keep him distracted with official works. He's like a lost child in some ways, eager to feel like he's in charge. I have no doubts he is only accepting this offer to parlay because he perceives it as the right thing to do."

Dennis almost asked if the man had hurt her, but he noticed there weren't any bruises on her neck or legs... fresh ones, at least.

The girl then gave him an impish smile and asked "Why, Orville, are you concerned for my well-being?"

"Yeah, you're vital to the mission."

He repeated her words, though she relished the fact that his heartbeat had accelerated.

She sighed, her smile softening somewhat.

She knew his stares weren't the lascivious looks most of the men she interacted with gave her.

It was nice to have someone to just be with.

She didn't have to worry about Zorzal.

She didn't have to worry about doing as perfect a job.

She didn't even have to worry about her vengeance.

No, here there was some respite from all of that.

As she began to sit down, she could still hear the screams in the back of her head.

Her smile faded.

Respite... not salvation... that isn't an option for me.

But as the young man sat down next to her and opened the book, she couldn't help but wish it was.

April 18th, 1964

En Route to the Imperial Capital

10:00 AM

"Alright now, Bobby, you don't let him gain anything. You're supposed to play it like we're desperate for peace here."

"Understood."

"We want him to think he has control of the situation. The last thing we need is him getting smart and going along with his old man's plan."

"I know we're not out to bomb them all, but it is an option, Jack."

"An option that's the last resort. Look around you, these people don't even know what a steam engine is!"

"Still..."

"Look, we already won here, we just need time to actually finish things up."

"Right, right..."

"Sir, we're descending now."

Great...

Down below, Zorzal was grinning from ear to ear.

Senator Casel looked worried.

Tyuule had a look of indifference that hid her mind wondering about the American soldier helping her learn the strange new language "English".

I wonder what he thinks of his leaders?

The nearby senators observed the strange flying machine with awe.

The crowd in the city below stopped and observed with no less amazement.

As the machine Dennis had made her understand was a "helicopter" got closer, Tyuule found herself covering her ears, as the sound bothered her. Her kind was particularly sensitive to sound, something that made her wonder if Zorzal was so loud to irritate her further.

Even now she could hear Zorzal loudly proclaim "See? Do you see?! These men are nothing but shameful tinkerers! Look at that flimsy machine! Any one of our dragon riders could knock it out of the sky with ease!"

Oh, good luck with that...

The American representative hopped out of the machine alongside several American soldiers. Their green uniform and helmets were contrasted with their weapons which were clearly wooden and metallic.

Hmm... so that's what Orville would look like in uniform?

It was an odd choice.

As they got closer, she noticed that the helmets looked almost like a cap despite its obvious metal workings, and it was obvious the men had no body armor to prevent arrows or sword thrusts, no metal plates, no bronze shields, no magically enhanced chainmail. All they wore appeared to be for carrying equipment, not so much protection.

Fragile...

Zorzal loudly said, "Welcome to the capital, emissary!"

The man nervously glanced at the interpreter who spoke in English, Tyuule understanding a single word.

"Hello".

She couldn't help but smile slightly.

…

The senate was eerily quiet despite almost all senators being accounted for, and several guards also standing inside.

Zorzal sipped some wine and politely said "So, mister... Steven-son is it?"

"You can call me Robert." the man said with an uneasy smile.

The interpreter dutifully translated.

Zorzal laughed.

"Robert! Interesting name... are you a descendant of barbarians?"

Tyuule held in the urge to sigh as she knew the name was indeed that of what the Empire considered "barbarian" tribes. Old legends, but legends nonetheless, were still told in the empire of an ancient war that decimated their legions, and an even older foe that had bested them through treachery. Where or when this had happened nobody knew, but names spread around even two thousand years prior persisted to this day.

The American only said, "Perhaps long ago."

The Interpreter translated without looking at the representative, focusing solely on the Emperor.

Zorzal said "I see... well, let's get to the point, shall we? What do you want, exactly?"

Translate.

The American said, "Well, we understand your father... permitted the attack on our nation to go ahead, encouraged more by eager generals-"

"Good men, ambitious... perhaps to a fault." Zorzal interrupted as the translator hadn't been able to finish translating everything.

Tyuule did her best not to cringe, having somewhat understood the American representative.

The man continued.

"Yes. Now, we know he's dead, as are most if not all the generals who pushed this invasion plan forward... Is that assumption accurate?"

Translate.

Zorzal only nodded, still smiling.

"So... in the interest of saving lives, the United States is offering you, emperor Zorzal el Caesar, the offer to surrender and end this war. Over a hundred thousand dead should be enough, no?"

Zorzal laughed loudly and obnoxiously the second the interpreter finished translating.

Tyuule closed her eyes, tightly.

"Surrender? Surrender? Who do you think you're speaking with?"

The American blinked, perplexed even before the interpreter finished.

Zorzal shook his head.

"Honestly, if they're not even willing to admit defeat, then why send you in the first place? Are your leaders desperate to save face? Is that it?" he asked as if the idea of the Empire losing was as insane as a man walking on the moon.

Translate.

The American only said, "I... don't understand."

Translate.

"Of course, you don't. See here, Robert... the Empire is fully aware of how difficult this campaign has been for your tiny, squabbling, weak kingdom. How many of those hundred thousand dead are yours? How much have you lost in this conflict?"

Before either American could say anything, Zorzal turned to the senate.

"I don't need your answer because I can simply tell you! A week after your men supposedly defeated the undermanned army at Alnus, and the weak and ill-lead armies of the Allied Kingdoms, you were halted at the already undermanned city of Itálica by mere brigands!"

Several senators nodded nervously, some muttering an agreement.

Zorzal turned and said, "I do not believe for a second that you are in any position to request the Empire surrender, let alone make any demands."

The American nodded slowly as the translator finished.

Finally, he asked, "Then, if I may, your majesty... what do you propose we do to end this war?"

"Oh, respectful, eh? I like that. I like that a lot!"

Tyuule did her best not to scowl in frustration.

Zorzal sat down again, rubbing his chin.

Then, grinning, he said "Take your forces home. We can negotiate a better treaty in... oh... two months. Perhaps you can gain an outpost in Alnus and all those deaths wouldn't be in vain, yes?"

The American nodded slowly.

"Is... is that the message you wish to send my commander in chief?"

Zorzal laughed at the translation.

"Commander in chief! What a name! Ha! But no, to him... to him I suggest you tell him the following... word for word, interpreter."

The interpreter nodded.

"Tell your leader that should his cowardly little soldiers ever attempt to face the empire, they shall find no mercy. We are the most powerful force in this world, and any attempt to even insult that status shall be met with swift and definitive destruction and all of that shall fall on his head!"

Tyuule covered her mouth, hiding her grin as she continued transcribing the emperor's boast.

"Is... that all?"

Oh, don't get him started!

"Furthermore!"

Tyuule couldn't help but pity the American representative. The young man was clearly patient and was kindly waiting for the pompous emperor to finish his rant and threats about how great the Empire was.

But it did make her job of transcribing all the more troublesome.

No matter, he was almost done.

"And they shall accommodate the damages through either gold or slaves! Understood?"

The American nodded slowly as the interpreter took a breath and finished translating.

"Emperor... if I may?" the American said after a moment.

Translate.

Zorzal nodded.

The man looked around, calmly saying "What exactly would it take for you to surrender?"

Translate.

Zorzal said, "Nothing can be done to make the Empire surrender or negotiate."

Translate.

"I see... is... is there anything else to discuss?"

Translate.

Zorzal grinned, saying "I think not! Any questions?"

Translate.

The American smiled politely and said "I think that would be all, sir. May I shake your hand?"

Translate.

Zorzal asked, "Are you of royal blood?"

Translate.

The American shook his head.

Zorzal laughed, quickly taking the man's hand, saying "No matter! A nation that allows peasants to do such important tasks is no insult to me! Just look at my advisor!"

The American looked at the bunny girl.

Zorzal pulled him in closer for a bear hug that the older American felt could break his back. The emperor was almost unhuman in his physical strength.

He then said "I suggest you hurry back. Many here have a profound dislike of your people, and I cannot guarantee your safety in the city."

Thinly veiled threat... moron.

Tyuule did her best not to shake her head in disappointment.

Despite his bravado, Zorzal was making his destruction almost too easy.

She smiled at the thought.

Washington D.C

"That's it, then?" the president asked.

"It seems so, sir." Stephenson's reply over the phone sounded tired, exhausted even.

"Well, that's what we expected. I suppose we'll continue with the main plan."

"Indeed."

"Well, take care of yourself, Robert."

"Take care, Mister President."

The man hung up.

Then he turned to his cabinet and said "Well, the war is still on, unfortunately."

A heavy silence fell over the Oval Office.

The secretary of defense quickly said "The men are preparing for an incursion into the mountains now that we mostly have it surrounded. The king of Elbe, Duran... he's agreed to talks... he is as concerned about the flame dragon as us... although I will mention that this dragon threat isn't something our officers are entirely certain of how to handle."

Everyone turned to the secretary, seemingly confused.

"Care to elaborate, Dick?"

The man sighed, saying "Well, it was able to survive hits from an anti-aircraft gun as well as a pair of tanks. Yes, it was severely wounded, but it still managed to fly off after burning down an entire forest. We're not certain if they have the firepower needed to-"

"It's a flying lizard! What do you mean they're uncertain of the firepower?!" the Vice President demanded.

"Well, sir... our air power is still severely limited in the region. Aside from a few squadrons of F-105s and Phantoms, many of our heavier aerial assets are still here."

"We have tanks, artillery, and bombs!"

"With all due respect, Mister Vice President, this... dragon is unlike anything we've seen before. The descriptions our boys and the survivors give... well, make it out to be some kind of flying warship. If we're going to kill it, we'll have to divert an extreme amount of firepower."

It was the president who said, "Would a B-52 cover it?"

A pause.

"I... perhaps, sir. We'll have to look at where the lair is, calculate the distance-"

"Get it done and send them what they need. It's not like those will be missed in Nam..."

He glanced at the paper on the desk.

Photographs of several Vietnamese protestors demanding American troops leave their country immediately.

The president sighed, but then asked "What about the princess's brother? The other one, I mean."

Imperial City of Proctor

The carriage swayed from one side to the next as it exited the large city.

The girl with tangerine hair only groaned at the mild discomfort it caused.

Honestly, nobility like her?

Getting dragged into such a situation?

Unforgivable.

"Dear cousin, why is it that we must move so quickly?" she groaned, passing her hand through her hair.

Diabo el Caesar only said, "We have to get to Alnus before my dear brother decides to make a move and sends troops out of the capital."

"You don't think he'll seriously try to imprison us, do you?"

Diabo only sighed, staring at the young woman.

"Lady, dearest cousin... I've told you if Father is dead, and Zorzal killed him as Pina suggests-"

"I don't trust Pina either."

"You think I do? Learn to think ahead, please! This is a unique opportunity."

Lady only huffed.

Diabo said "Think about it. I left a copy of the letter with Pina's seal in my room with explicit instructions for my servants to get it to Zorzal should they not hear from me within the week. If Pina tries anything with these... soldiers... then even if they destroy the empire, it will cause some damage."

"But why do I have to go?!"

Human shield...

"Because of your assertive nature, dear cousin! And think about it... if Pina is correct, then you helping her would pay major dividends in the future!"

Again, the girl only huffed, now saying "I don't like that she works with that harlot Bozes... but if it's such a necessity, then it's better than staying on the sidelines, is it not?"

"Exactly, dear cousin..." he replied smiling as genuinely as he could.

Truth was, he cared very little for the young woman he was just barely related to. But if these "Americans" turned out to be hostile, then having an extra hand in any sense would work. Despite her seemingly pompous attitude, Lady was, at the end of the day, a skillful enough individual to be considered fairly valued in the royal family.

And if it was Lady who decided to cause trouble... well, any Army could use a hostage for negotiations.

Assuming the Americans take hostages or that Zorzal would negotiate for her...

Diabo looked at the rolling green hills outside with worry.

He had been assigned to deliver some small documents for the city to potentially begin preparing for an evacuation when the capital was bombed, and his father murdered, and Pina, seemingly turned traitor.

Except, in this case, betraying the new emperor may be the best hope at surviving he had.

Assuming he and his cousin made it to Alnus.

---

A/N: Okay, time for the Tyuule rant!

You knew it was coming, I knew it was coming, let's rip that band-aid off real quick, okay?

Yes, I know, Gate has a LOT of characters that are underused and underrated, but there's only so many of them that actively do things that directly affect the plot, and she's probably the most important and the most ignored if you asked me.

No, it doesn't make sense that the JSDF did nothing with her. They knew about her, they had a guy on the inside, and they knew she was pushing Zorzal to be more destructive, and yet... neither Itami nor the JSDF takes her away from Zorzal with Noriko (or any of the other slaves Zorzal dragged in for that matter), Furuta did nothing other than occasionally listen to her after she actively pursued him and told him everything (which didn't even matter because he did nothing with what she told him), and the JSDF did nothing once they found out how she was vital to Zorzal's plans, and that's just incompetent.

I get that part of the reason the JSDF is limited in what it can do is simple politics (as well as the caricature of an international theater the author creates), but it seems like they could have done a lot to remedy that or even work within those parameters.

That aside, Tyuule feels like she should've been more than just a tragedy. Hey, say what you will about them, at least Itami's group got its development, closure, and a happy ending, most Tyuule got in canon was a broken neck despite everything she did and could have done. She even managed to (SPOILERS) kill Zorzal, something the JSDF failed to do on multiple occasions, which is just... astonishing. One lonely girl did what one of the best-funded military forces on the planet couldn't (or wouldn't). I know her image got redeemed after she died killing Zorzal, so that's something, but the fact her death could've easily been avoided really sours whatever positives came from it if you asked me. Yeah, she chose that ending given how consumed by destruction her heart was (according to her), but it seems Furuta (and the JSDF) did little to give her another option until the very end. I mean, how sad is that? Suffer for years, hated by the very people you tried to save, ignored by the people who are supposedly helping you, betrayed by your closest allies, and ultimately dying in the bloody arms of your abuser? Add to it the fact that her cries for help are (seemingly) ignored by even Furuta (seriously, where the manga is right now, neither he nor the JSDF have done much more than ignore her) the guy who's supposed to be her love interest, though I never saw any "romance" develop between them. Seriously, to my knowledge, the guy did very little for her until their last moments together in canon, and even that wasn't a lot ("Hey, get in this helicopter with people that want to kill you, trust me, you can help me in that restaurant I like to daydream about!"). Maybe there's something I missed, but from what I've read he doesn't even say "I'm interested in you" until their final interaction, and aside from "listening" to her, he never seemed to do much to help her.

Could be just missing some scenes, of course.

Still, the JSDF could have gained a lot from the former queen, but didn't... It's why a part of this fic is emphasizing how useful she would be to any genuine war effort.

I know some readers don't really like her, and that's fine. Trust me, I get how frustrating it is to have an enemy target be ignored in any form "because of politics". Hopefully, I can avert such a situation in this little "what if".

(Also, her light novel design is better than whatever they did in the anime, fight me)

...Rant over...

Not much more to say on this chapter, though. Bit of Air Cav tactics, a bit of CIA shenanigans, a bit of politicking, bit of relationship building, a touch of melodrama (hope that doesn't become a staple for this fic), and, oh yeah... backstory!

I didn't so much change Tyuule's backstory as I built a bit on what was established while staying within what's known from the main canon, such as the fact that her parents and brother died more or less around the time Zorzal invaded, which... well, implies several things, one of them being that she might have been quite young and inexperienced when she took the throne, which certainly makes sense given her actions, though the series never went into much detail about her exact age to my knowledge.

Still, given that she "acts like a schoolgirl" around Furuta in canon... well, more on that as the story progresses.

Thank you all so much for reading and keeping up with this fic! If there's anything you think could use some work (especially in the character department) do let me know, I really appreciate suggestions and criticism.

I hope to have the next chapter out soon!

See you!