Gate: And So The United Republic Fought
The URGF was deployed to the Special Region and ended up taking in some refugees they found there. To make money they need to survive the refugees gather up the scales from dragons killed in the Battle of Arnus Hill to sell. Itami's recon group sets out to the city of Italica to sell the scales.
The team drove down the highway at a pleasant speed. Pops was in the back showing Lelei how a compass worked. Itami admired the lush green hills and grasslands. Both the Republic and Hanoi had long since stopped looking like this. All available land around the cities was either farmland, lumber mills, towns, or mines. There was still wilderness but it was far off the beaten path. It was nice to be without the hustle and bustle of cities for a change.
"Sir, I think you should see this." Said Kevin
Itami looked in the direction Kevin was pointing and saw a huge plume of black smoke. Taking out his binoculars Itami saw the smoke was coming from a walled city, most likely Italica.
"What do you see, Sir?" asked Pops.
"Italica. It's burning. Could be the fire dragon."
"If it is we'll need back up. We barely put a dent into the thing last time" said Kevin
"We definitely will but for all we know it could just be a simple house fire. Radio back to base. Tell them Italica possibly under attack and that we will investigate."
"Yes Sir."
General Harris himself gave Itami authorization to investigate Italica and that reinforcements will be mobilized. "Remember" he said "They might not have much love for the Empire but this is still one of their cities. If they are hostile then head back here immediately."
"Yes General." Said Itami. He sincerely hoped it was just a house fire.
They approached cautiously. Their suspicions that Italica was under attack were proven correct but it wasn't by the fire dragon. No. The city was under siege by, judging from the uniforms, the survivors from the Arnus attack. They must have turned to banditry due to the death of their leaders. The vehicles stopped directly outside the main gate. Lelei, Rory, and Tuka were sent out since they were least likely to be fired upon by Italica's defenders due to them being familiar and in Rory's case very influential. Itami followed closely behind. When they reached the Gate Itami moved to knock but didn't get the chance to. The door suddenly swung open hitting him in the face knocking him out.
Itami woke up with a splitting headache. He could feel water being poured on his face and could hear Tuka scolding someone.
"What were you thinking?! You didn't realize someone might be in front of the gate?! Even a dwarf or a commoner would be more careful!" she shouted
Wow. Whoever it was Tuka was really laying into them. Wait a moment. He could understand her! Itami only had a basic grasp of the special region language. He was unable to grasp the subtleties of the elven dialect with his basic knowledge so could only guess what she was saying most of the time. A part of him wondered if the blow to the head let him understand the language. The rational side of him didn't want to accept it but a few months ago it didn't even believe elves existed.
Itami opened his eyes and saw Rory with her face inches from his. "Oh you're awake" she said
Itami shot up and got a look at his surroundings. All around him were people. Most were armed but didn't carry themselves like experienced soldiers. They looked to be just armed citizenry. There were some that looked to be professional soldiers but they were few.
"Sir?" buzzed Itami's radio "Are there? Itami?!"
"This is Itami" he said picking it up recognizing the voice as Akira's
"Oh thank god. We were just about to charge in there."
"Stay on standby. I still need to see where we stand."
"Roger."
Itami then yelled out loud. "Can anybody explain to me what's is going on."
Almost comically everyone at the exact same moment turned their heads towards one person. A young woman in armor and a cape. Itami was a bit surprised to see her. From what they've seen so far and from the reactions some of the villagers had to Shino and Natasha he thought it was generally accepted in this world for women to be soldiers. Another female soldier rushed to her side and said "Impudent fools! This is an affront to the Third Imperial Princess, Pina Co Lada!"
'Princess?' Itami thought. If she is a princess then what's she doing out here. Also why does her name sound like a drink?
Princess Pina took Itami and the girls into Italica's keep. There she explained the dire situation the city found itself in. Italica was already having a leadership crisis when the bandits showed up. The city was under the rule of Clan Formal whose current head was a 16 year old girl named Countess Myui. Her elder sisters had already married into other families leaving her the only heir to the late Count. Italica was also told to lend troops both for the Imperial Expedition through the Gate and the Attack of Arnus. None returned.
Italica was in a terrible situation and it was partly the Republic's fault. After getting the go ahead from the General he agreed to help defend the city. The General wanted the attack to be two-fold. To let the Princess and Empire know who they were dealing with and to show the people the Republic's ability to protect them. The Princess had to excuse herself for an hour or so to go oversee the defenses leaving Itami and the girls alone with Myui and a few very young guards. Silence was prevalent until it was broken by the young Countess.
"Where are you from?" she asked
"I'm…uhh. I was born in the Republic of Hanoi but I live in the United Republic." He said awkwardly
"I've never heard of countries like those."
"They're through the Gate." Itami admitted.
"Oh…" was all she said. Myui no doubt knew what befell her father through the Gate. She was a silent for a few minutes until she said "Tell me of you country."
Itami was taken aback. "What is it that you want to know?"
"Tell me whatever you can." She smiled.
"My knowledge on my nation is a bit basic. I don't exactly know everything. Besides the history of our nation is bit long."
"Nevertheless I'm interested." She said.
Itami looked around and saw everyone was also interested in hearing about the Republic. Even the guards even though they were pretending not to.
"Ok… The Republic was founded over 6000 years ago by The Wanderer…"
Itami went on for the next 2 hours about the history of the Republic and its society though he left out certain things like nuclear weapons. They had been joined early on by the Head of Clan Formal's maid and Myui's unofficial guardian Kaine. Occasionally someone would ask a question or ask him to further elaborate like Myui and Kaine did when he went over the Republic Government. Everyone was seated around him listening in rap silence as he told them of the Republican City of Los Santos.
"I've only been there once. I never understood why someone would build a city in a desert or the appeal of living there. The many theaters and museums did make the stay pleasant." He said.
"You said your cities have millions of people living in them. How can you find that much water in a desert?" asked Lelei who had asked the most questions so far.
"When the city was founded all the water came from local oases or underground aquifers. These days though most of the city's water comes from Desalination Plants." The blank expressions he was getting meant that it required further explanation. "Desalination Plants are buildings where we turn seawater into safe drinking water by removing the salt."
"Itami I have a question." Said Rory. It was the first one she asked throughout the entire lecture.
"Yes Rory. What is it?"
"Both your founder and current leader share the same name along with all in between. Is the Republic's founder his ancestor? Or is Wanderer a title for your leader? " she asked
Itami realized he never explained the Wanderer's or any of the other World Leaders immortality. "No. Not really. He's uh. Well the Wanderer leading the nation is the very same one who founded it. He and the leaders of the great nations are all immortal."
Looks of surprise and shock adorned the faces of all those listening. On Rory's face was an amused expression and he could barely make out her mumbling "Older than me." That made Itami ask himself just how old was Rory? From what he seen she was no ordinary human. He made a note to ask her when they got back to base.
When the sun was beginning to set Pina finally returned. She had finished preparing the defenses. The northern part of the city was protected by a cliff. That only left the eastern, western, and southern gates. Pina wanted to post them on the eastern gate to make it look undefended but Itami pointed out that after the crushing defeat they experienced at Alnus the attackers would most likely want to avoid fighting them if possible.
Pina and Itami agreed to spread the squad around. Pops and Roberts would take the Stryker and defend the East Gate. Kevin, Natasha, Lelei and Tuka would be at the West Gate mounting the Humvee's .50 cal on the wall. Itami, Shino, Akira, and Rory would be providing support for the citizen defenders at the South Gate. Itami radioed back to base to request reinforcements. They told him the 4th Aviation Regiment would be there by sunrise tomorrow. When asked about the long wait time he was told a lot of the helicopters just arrived through the Gate and that it would take time to get them prepped.
The Battle of Italica started around 0311 hours. It was the standard siege warfare kind of stuff like you'd see in a fantasy movie or historical documentary. The enemy fired arrows over the wall. Several struck some of the armed civilians behind the barricade who fell down with blood gushing from the wound. The civilians who weren't used to the sight of blood puked. 'These weren't soldiers.' Thought Itami 'They barely even classified as a militia.'
The defenders on the wall tried to return fire but a gust of wind would blow their arrows away. He could hear those on the wall shout 'Spirit Wielder!' Was that like a mage? The URGF had been fortunate to have not been on the receiving end of magic yet but that might change tonight. The civilians and few soldiers on the wall could not defend against the attackers who were trained professionals. They struck down everyone within reach without any mercy. Not too far away Itami could see Pina. She was frozen in shock at the sight before her. From the way she carried herself Itami assumed she was the veteran of many battles but the look on her face said it all. This was her first. Itami hadn't been in a full scale war but he was in a couple of barbarian cleanups. Fighting sword-wielding enemies with guns and fighter jets wasn't exactly new for the Republic.
"Reinforcements are still awhile away." Itami told the squad through radio. "We might need to get in there."
'Come on guys. Where are you?' he thought.
Fort Arnus Military Complex
Arnus Airforce Base
0530 Hours
At the airbase which was recently finished by the engineers over 30 helicopters of various types were assembled.
"Recon Group 3 under the command of 1st Lieutenant Itami Youji has received a request from Italica's leader Countess Myui and Imperial Princess Pina Co Lada to defend the city." Said Colonel West who waited for the chuckles at the princess' name to die down. "They have now requested reinforcements."
"Sir the 1st Armored is ready to roll in at any time!" said one man.
"The 10th Infantry will do the job better!" said another.
"When you want the job done right you send in Rangers! The 3rd Rangers are ready to go!"
"You are all very capable of doing the job but speed is key!" said Colonel West "That is why we've selected the 1st Calvary Division under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Duvall. Colonel I trust your men are ready?"
"Yes Sir! Got the speakers and Wagner CD Ready!"
"Then board your choppers and move out! Operation Valkyrie is a go!"
As the troops board the helicopters and made sure the speakers were secured a thought entered Colonel West's head. 'Are these men possessed by the ghost of Colonel Kilgore?' he thought as the helicopters set off for Italica.
Back in Italica the situation seemed hopeless. One of Pina's knights was slain. The enemy poured through the gate unhindered. The bandit leader tossed the knight's body from the walls and stood there proclaiming "This is a war! The murder and death we sought at Arnus our fallen comrades never saw!"
For some reason this statement infuriated Itami and his squad. This was the reason they attacked Italica? So they could have a damn war?! They were willing to slaughter these civilians and ruin their lives for this! Itami knew things in this world were different than his. The people her considered war to be a glorious affair than the miserable thing it really was. A part of him knew nations on his world were like that at one point in time but soon learned war is hell. The people here had yet to learn it. Well they would tonight.
"Kevin are you in position?" asked Itami.
"Yes Sir. Locked and Loaded!"
"Open fire!"
A deep booming sound filled Italica as the Browning M2 opened fire on the bandits. Many fell as large holes were punched right through their armor. The bandits recognizing the sound and sight of machine gun fire were either frozen in shock or in the process of running away.
"It's the Demons of Arnus!" some shouted "They are here to finish the job!"
"Keep calm" yelled their leader. "There are only a handful of them!"
As the bandits fell Rory was fidgeting around and moaning. Itami asked Lelei what was happening as she said the souls of the bandits being killed were being sent to the God Emloy through her body. The process was like an aphrodisiac encouraging her to fight. Suddenly the sound of the Browning firing stopped.
"Kevin what's going on!?" Itami asked
"The gun! It jammed. I'm going to try to fix it but I don't think it'll be anytime soon!"
"Get on that. It's still quite a while until dawn."
"Roger."
The Bandit leader seeing their machine gun stop firing and Kevin trying to unjam it shouted "Their weapon is broken! Attack now!" The bandits yelled with glee and surged forward.
"Everyone fix bayonets!" yelled Itami "Try to stay out of range and you single shots only! We don't want to…"
Itami stopped as he saw both Rory and Shino rush past him. With a mighty swing of her halberd Rory cut down an entire line of bandits laughing the whole time. Shino weaved through the enemy soldiers stabbing them with her bayonet and firing her gun. While impressive the action was fairly foolish. Itami knew that despite being made of modern steel a simple bayonet wasn't nowhere near sturdy enough to survive being rammed through plate armor multiple times. True to his prediction Shino's knife snapped in two from the pressure. Shino didn't miss a beat however and took out her pistol. She fired upon any that got close and threw grenades into any large groups. It was then the squad knew Shino's reputation as the best close quarters combat specialist in the URGF was well deserved. Itami and Akira provided support keeping the bandits from surrounding Rory and Shino. As they fired Itami heard static coming from his radio.
"This is Itami" he said picking it up.
"Lieutenant Youji. This Colonel Duvall. We are a few minutes out from you position. What is your status?"
"Enemy combatants have breached Italica's Southern Gate. Enemy outside and along walls and in courtyard."
"Roger. Remove any and all civilians and friendly personnel from the area. We are coming in hot."
"Yes Sir." Said Itami. Itami and Akira then headed down to the barricade and told the citizens to get back because 'fire was about to rain from the sky'. From what they saw of their weapons the people of Italica didn't doubt them.
The helicopters of the 1st Cavalry approached Italica in formation. Apaches up front and Blackhawks in the rear with the new Vertibirds on the flanks.
Colonel Duvall shut of his radio and turned to the soldier next to him. "We're almost to the city. Turn on the music!"
"Yes Sir" the soldier said with a smile. Pressing a button the sound of German Expatriate Richard Wagner's opera Die Walküre poured through the speakers. Specifically the section known as the Ride of the Valkyries.
The troops of the 1st Cavalry Division watched as the smoke of Italica got closer. The Apache's got into attack position and fired in unison when the song reached its peak. Helicopter circled around Italica firing on the bandits with extreme prejudice. Some of the bandits dropped their weapons and cowered on the ground at the Republic's tremendous show of force.
"Be advised some enemy combatants have dropped weapons and surrendered. Check fire."
The helicopters made a point not to fire in the direction of those that dropped their weapons encouraging others to surrender. There were those that still tried to fight. A few bandits rushed towards a ballista on the wall. Before they could fire it an Apache blew it to smithereens.
"Nice shot, Valkyrie 4." Said Colonel Duvall taking a sip of his coffee. "I'll get you a case of beer for that one."
The force of the explosions caused the Bandit Leader to fly off the wall and (somehow) getting impaled on Rory's halberd. With his final breaths he asked Rory how this slaughter could be considered a war. Rory just stared at him blankly.
Itami picked his radio "Thanks for the support Colonel!"
"We heard Italica was nice this time of year and decided to stop by! Make sure everyone is out of the courtyard we are spraying the place in 30 seconds!" said the Colonel
"Akira follow me. Rory and Shino are still down there!"
After grabbing the girls and carrying them out of the courtyard a Vertibird flew in and sprayed the courtyard. The bandits were cut apart not only by bullets but by lasers. Bright red beams came from one of the Vertibirds guns slicing off limbs with precision not possible by anything else. To the bandits and watching civilians it was as if the gods themselves had come to fight.
Pina and her remaining Knights stood on the keep's walls. They stared up and the helicopters in fear and wonder.
"An iron Pegasus?" she said. "What is this? Absolute violence no human can understand. The power to crush everything. A power that denies pride, honor, and everything else."
She stared up at the beast hovering over the city. "Is this goddess mocking us? How frail, worthless, and insignificant we humans are."
Ropes suddenly dropped from the iron Pegasus and from inside soldiers dressed similarly to this 'Itami' and his soldiers. They slid down and into the city. From her vantage point she could see them disarm any survivors and care for the wounded both Italica's and much to her surprise the bandits.
"Just who is this Youargeeef?" she said
Down in the courtyard URGF Soldiers tended to the wounded. Their advanced medicine able to save those who would have died otherwise. A man who was stabbed by a sword and who might have been done for walked up to Akira and said "You people saved my life. Please who are you?"
"We are the URGF" Akira replied simply.
As the 1st Calvary rounded up the prisoners Colonel Duvall and Itami were in Formal Keep negotiating with Pina and Myui. They were both surprised that the URGF was demanding complete control of Italica even though they demonstrated they could easily take it. All they asked for was half the prisoners, protection of any delegates, and release from trade taxes in Italica. There was one thing they protested to. The URGF told them to treat the prisoners 'humanely'. In short it was to treat the prisoners with respect. In long it went against things like torture, hard labor, rape, executions without fair trial, and beatings among other things. Another thing that nearly soured negotiations was when Countess Myui and Kaine gave the Colonel a letter that was to be given to their leader 'The Wanderer' and she refused to let Pina know what it said.
Itami and Colonel Duvall walked out of the keep together. "I wonder why she wanted us to give this to the Wanderer" mused the Colonel
"It might have to do with the history lesson I gave her. She wanted to know more of the Republic so I told her our history and culture, Sir." Said Itami
"That along with the demonstration we gave all of Italica and our helping of her people must have prompted her to seek an alliance with us." He said looking at the sealed letter. "What is Italica's relationship with the Empire?"
"It was conquered by Imperial troops decades ago due to its strategic importance. It isn't officially an Imperial City but a vassal state having to pay annual tribute of gold, food, and military recruits though the Empire can demand them ahead of time in the event of a national emergency like war, or disaster, Sir."
"So it is a fairly brutal city-state relationship?" he asked
"Yes Sir. It seems like it." Said Itami
"Well as we both know a city-state's allegiance can change if it finds a more welcoming nation."
"I wouldn't know that sir. Ours didn't." Itami joked.
"Well that's because the Republic, Mogadishu, and Hanoi are in it for the long run." He chuckled.
Itami and the Colonel approached a Vertibird waiting in the courtyard. "Itami you have been summoned to Republic City."
"What?!"
"The Republia Party is demanding to know how those civilians died and want to question the officer in charge of the evacuation. Which is you Lieutenant. You are to report through the Gate tomorrow. How soon can you be back at base?"
"The girls are selling the scales as we speak, sir."
"Good. I'll see you back at base Lieutenant."
Colonel Duvall climbed aboard the Vertibird and the VTOL craft took off. When it got high enough in the air the engines rotated causing it to fly off at high speed. The soldiers in the other helicopters waved goodbye to the citizens of Italica who heartily returned the gesture. The girls soon returned with bags of silver coins and information on the Imperial markets.
The 3rd Recon Team drove out of Italica on the road back to Arnus. On the way they saw a large cloud of dust. Closer inspection revealed the cloud was caused a dozen armored females riding their horses at full gallop. The insignia on their flag was that of a rose. Itami remembered the Princess had a similar insignia on. These must be her knights.
"Everyone show no hostility. We mustn't break the treaty." Ordered Itami
One of the knights rode up to the forward car which contained Pops and Akira. The knight said something to Akira and after a moment she pulled her sword out and pointed it at him. Behind him he could hear Shino cock the .50 cal.
"No! Do not fire!" he yelled. Itami climbed out of the car and approached the knight. Too diffuse the situation. "Um, excuse me. Has my man done something to offend you?"
The answer he got was a sword pointed at his chest. The knights demanded him and his troops surrender. He attempted to explain the situation but he was slapped and told to be quiet. He could hear guns being cocked behind him so Itami did the only thing he could.
"Run! Everyone get out of here! We mustn't break the treaty! Run!" he yelled.
The sound of screeching tires filled the air as the vehicles drove off. As Itami watched them go he felt a blow to the back of his head. As he hit the ground he could barely the stomps to his back. If he had to take a beating to keep the peace then bring it on.
Fun Fact: The film Apocalypse Now in the United Republic's world is based on a true story. A Ranger 'goes native' takes command of a barbarian tribe on this jungle island. He teaches them to make gunpowder and uses their caravels to make raids on Republic Shipping. The URGF gets sent in to clear them out with most of the characters of the film being actual people in the war. It was a fairly popular film that did fairly well at the box office.
AN: I had to merge what would be episodes 5 and 6 in the anime into one chapter. Not enough happened in 5 to justify giving it its own chapter. I upped Countess Myui's age up a bit. Only by 5 years though. She's still young but old enough to perform what I have planned for her. The Italica Arc is done. Now to do the Republic Arc as I call it and also start on the surprise I'm planning.