Warrior Class
By Ozzallos
V.
It was a roadway of devastation and ruin, both literally and figuratively. Whatever had happened had happened big, and there was little left of the main artery into and out of the village that wasn't scorched earth and tinder. Ranma's eyes traced the horizon as her company marched on regardless, noting the burnt kindling of what had once been a treeline leading all the way up to the village of the Joketsuzoku itself. The burnt out husk of a tank- a human tank -sat along the side of the road with several large holes punched through it. It was also not the first they had passed, though this one formed the center of a sandbagged machine gun nest manned by a mixed force of ragged looking PLA soldiers, Amazon women and Imperial Musk.
That , as was the fact that there was still a village to actually come back to was heartening in and of itself, as opposed to the alternative. The landscape still bore the obvious scars of just how close this particular battle had come to the Amazon home and hearth. Ranma tore her gaze away from one of the many spiral scarred craters she had passed to address the squad coming to attention around the stricken tank. A machine gun angled up to point in their direction but stopped short of bearing directly down upon Ranma and her diminished company, while one of the Amazon women stepped out from behind the barricade to address her directly.
The steady stream of mandarin was lost on the Saotome save a word here and there so she nodded for a black haired girl to step forward beside her. "What'd she say, Yun-yun?"
The challenging blue haired Amazon looked at Ranma strangely as the thirteen year old girl who looked every bit as ragged as the redhead translated for her. "She ask for name and division."
"Tell her." Ranma shrugged wearily and the mandarin began flowing once more. At some point halfway through the conversation the woman's eyes widened and she snapped an order to another black haired Amazon in combat fatigues perched atop the tank. This one had a sword on her back and a rugged looking assault rifle in hand. She hopped down to join her comrade. She sized up the redhead with a deferential look.
'This one is Qui'tip. Escort to command, honored warrior," The rifle bearing warrior began, motioning further down the path. "Little one here show battle sister second in command. Will coordinate with to relieve warriors while debrief."
"Yun-Yun is my second in command." Ranma's expression deadened and she motioned to the young bun-haired girl at her side. The amazon guard stared at the little girl, then turned back to Ranma with solemn realization as to just what it took for a thirteen year old girl to be promoted to the redhead's second while Ranma returned her attention turned back to Yun-Yun, gesturing to a number of caged animals. "Wounded first. Don't let the guards eat our catch."
"Yes, Battle Mistress!" Yun-Yun snapped to attention with a terse bow and began to pass orders to the rest of the company while Ranma in turn gestured for her guide to lead the way. The scene looked no less bleak the closer the martial artist drew to village itself, with the main gate drawing the majority of her attention as Qui'Tip led onward.
Specifically, the gate wasn't there.
Judging by the blackened cinders of the bamboo fortified wall, whatever had gone down in the rain forest behind her had made its way up here as well, and little of the Joketsuzoku's defensive wall remained untouched along this side of the village. Entire holes had been blown into it, leaving little more than splinters and match sticks where it had been breached in over a dozen places. Workers had erected scaffolding around the skeletal remains of the wall to effect hasty repairs, but some sections were complete and total write offs. The pair passed along more burnt out armored husks and while it was heartening to see a lopsided greenskin tank here and there, the majority of the torched shells they passed were definitely human in origin.
On any other day Ranma might have whistled appreciatively and made some smart-assed comment about who kicked the shit out of who, but that day wasn't today; nor would it likely be seen in the foreseeable future. Today she knew exactly who had kicked the shit out of the Amazons because it had been the same people who had kicked the shit out of her people as well.
'My people,' the redhead scoffed bitterly even as a more detached portion of her brain marveled at the destruction she and her guide were now passing through. They weren't her people. They were Tei'Shu's people. 'I'm just some stand-in gettin 'em killed,' Ranma groused morbidly as they continued through to the village interior. It didn't look any better than the exterior. Entire blocks were razed, burned to the very earth for nearly three hundred meters in every direction as the breach widened. Tents had sprung between the craters, tending to clusters of what appeared to be refugees...
'...Ain't Amazons,' Ranma decided while wondering what had transpired to have a refugee camp set up within the heart of the Joketsuzoku.
'Nuthin' good,' She reasoned as the pair wound their way through the lines of displaced refugees and deeper into the village where the battle hadn't reached. There was still damage, but buildings stood and Qui'tip picked a path along familiar cobblestone streets until coming to an unfamiliar building whose entrance was flanked by two more heavily armed Amazons. Their chatter abruptly ceased with the Qui'tips approach, stepping aside upon recognition of their sister in arms. Ranma noted how their wondering gazes lingered over her person but was far too exhausted to care as the door opened to admit them. Qui'Tip and Ranma rounded a corner, climbed a flight of stairs and encountered a sparse waiting room manned by another Amazon guard. This one didn't automatically open the door as she spied the arriving women.
The sentry mentioned something in Chinese and Qui'tip glanced back to her redheaded companion. "Matriarch in negotiations with PLA commander. Must wait."
Ranma merely arched an eyebrow and listened to the muffled conversation issuing through the door. Cologne's measured, cool tone was easily recognizable to her ear. It was a stark contrast to the gruff male voice arguing over the old woman; a stupid move in the redhead's opinion which in turn forced the pair to wait outside the door. After a full five minutes of back and forth arguing, the battle weary girl tired of the bickering and stepped past the guard, surprising her as she reached for the door. The Amazon's initial move to restrain the Saotome was halted by a subtle shake of her partner's head.
"...And as the senior People's Army commander in this village, I demand you turn your forces over to my authority so that-"
"Your forces, General, limped into the Joketsuzoku and led the green host to our very doorstep," The click of the door caused Cologne pause and her eyes widened as a battered redhead trode into the room, leaving her at a loss of words even as the general turned around with an irritated look for their new arrival. After a quick study of the ragged looking girl, he turned back to the elder.
"What is a Japanese waif doing-"
"A pleasant surprise, Son in law... Ranma," Cologne ignored the general, looking past the man in wonder. Ranma simply nodded, having missed the emphasis on her name while the Elder gathered her wits through the mental reset. "The rumors of your demise appear to be greatly exaggerated. We were under the impression that Tei'shu's element had been overrun."
Ranma simply acknowledged the fact with a terse nod while the general bristled at being ignored.
"If you have forgotten, I am a general in the People's Liberation Army!" The uniformed man continued taking Cologne to task. The pale officer thumped his fist on her desk, prompting her to send a subtle nod to Qui'tip as he continued ranting. "I will not be insulted as such and you will remand-OH!"
The braided, black haired Amazon stepped behind the belligerent man and jabbed him squarely between the shoulder blades, causing his eyes to widen and effectively bringing a halt to his speech as she dropped him like a sack of rice to the floor.
Ranma considered the unconscious officer with little sympathy as the village elder gave further instructions. The old woman studied the inert man as if he were a bug to be squashed, then turned her attention back to Qui'tip. "Ensure that he has a change of heart concerning his position within our command structure."
"It will be done," The Amazon inclined her head respectfully and grabbed the man by his arms, carelessly dragging his body from the office to leave Ranma and Cologne alone. The door clicked closed and Cologne returned to the redhead.
"I expect the news to be fairly dire as per most of our encounters with the green skins to date," She acknowledged from behind her desk, fingering the length of her kiseru as it smoldered on its rest. "The last scout report we received had Tei'shu's command traveling south of Hoh Sai Hu in full retreat before the damnable Communist lead the beasts right to our doorstep here. Not to be indelicate, but what is left of her command?"
"Tei'shu's dead." Ranma recounted the battle as the faces of those slain around her flashed through her mind's eye. Cologne acknowledged the fact with a silent nod as the redhead continued. "They were kickin' our ass so we got the hell out."
"Then somebody besides the late Tei'Shu ordered the retreat?" Cologne pressed in an effort to obtain a better picture of just how bad things had gotten... and how bad they may yet become.
"Wasn't anybody else but me," Ranma shook her head tiredly with the explanation. "They were on the verge of rolling us, Ol' Ghoul. I took what was left and did the a Anything Goes final technique."
'Not good,' The Elder's heart sank at the news. A combined force of over two thousand Amazon, Musk and Phoenix shattered on the field of battle... So devastated that the child before her had been forced to act as its commander. 'Not good at all,' she decided and pulled the pipe up, taking a long drag from it before asking the question she really didn't want to ask. "Casualties?"
She watched as a distant look settled into the martial artist eyes and it told her everything she needed to know. It took several seconds for the girl's attention to return to the here and now. "Damn near everybody. We got about a hundred and fifty left and a few dozen of them are wounded."
'Two thousand!' Cologne's intellect screamed at the injustice of it all. Tei'Shu was a competent Battle Mistress. Her warriors were skilled in their own right. And only one hundred and fifty had come through it alive. The fact also made Cologne's next question all the more dire in her eyes. "Then what of the status of your opposition? What of their ranks and position?"
Cologne was reaching for the old rotary phone at the edge of her desk to assemble the war council anew in order to repel the force that had undoubtedly chased Tei-shu's command- Ranma's command -all the way back to the village when she noticed the glacial edge in the girl's eyes. A thin, grim smile accompanied it as she watched.
"Son in law?"
"Their status is dead." Ranma replied coolly.
Cologne was left blinking in the moment, unable to reconcile the concepts of the mass casualties they had taken with the complete defeat of the enemy force arrayed against them. "Dead?"
"There ain't much left of us, but there's nothin' left of them," Ranma advised direly. "Led the assholes by the nose through Jusenkyo."
"I... I see," The Elder merely stared at the ragged girl. Her worn, dirty exterior reminded Cologne of another girl she had once known a lifetime ago. The older woman pulled herself away from the reminiscence of wars past and focused on the here and now. "Then some rest for you and yours. Once you have sufficiently recuperate, I will need-"
"That's gonna wait," The martial artist shook her head and turned for the door. "Gotta check on Akane first, then-"
"The Tendo girl has, how shall I put this...? She has left the village."
Cologne's advisement stopped Ranma as she reached for the door. The redhead turned back, blinking confusion at the woman. "Left?"
"Your father's doing, do doubt," The gray haired woman sighed. "Spirited away under the cover of darkness just before the arrival of the Greenskins, near as we can determine."
"I... That sounds just like him," Ranma shook her head, her emotions straddling the line between relief and disgust. "He'll keep Akane out of the line of fire, I guess."
"A self serving, but calculated maneuver on your father's part," Cologne nodded, mirroring Ranma's own feelings on the matter. "Still, I cannot help but to think it is for the best."
The girl before her produced a silent nod, though the Amazonian elder could see the turmoil created behind the scenes and decided to return to business before Ranma overthought the development. "Once you have rested, I will need details from you and whatever is left of Tei'shu's command. Right now we know precious little of our adversary and the debt of blood runs high."
"I'll try and round it up for ya," Ranma nodded, her focus once more returning to business as intended. Even so, a harder edge found its way into her gaze. "I'm sure you'll want a crack at the prisoners too."
"Prisoners?" The word all but fell out of Cologne's mouth in disbelief.
"Cursed tryin' to cross Jusenkyo. Got Yun-Yun lookin' after em." Ranma merely nodded as the elder continued to stare, reflecting upon her her village's own trial by fire. Yes, they had beaten back the green horde at their doorstep and yes the Joketsuzoku still stood, but prisoners? The battle for hearth and home had been too fierce. Too intense. No quarter was given or offered against the nearly ten thousand that had chased the Peoples Liberation Army through the Qinghai province. That, and the things just didn't die; at least not easily. Their sheer numbers and the ability to survive even the most grievous wounds made eradication the only option.
Cologne continued to stare, trying to process the improbable statement the redhead had delivered.
"I believe you are quite correct, Son-in-law," Cologne nodded carefully as the anticipation built up slowly. "We will indeed want a 'crack' at them, as you put it."
"Thought ya might," The girl replied with little emotion, then turned for the door. "Think I'll take you up on that offer ta rest. We could all use some."
"Indeed," The gray haired Amazon elder murmured her agreement even as her trained eye witnessed the fatigue the martial artist was suppressing. There would be time for questions later... Hopefully. Ranma stepped away and Cologne cleared her throat to gain the Saotome's attention one last time. "If I may ask a favor, Son-in-law?"
Ranma paused at the tepid tone Cologne had assumed and she turned back expecting to see the old crone's business demeanor. Instead, it flickered with emotion. Concern. 'Worry?' Ranma guessed haphazardly. It wasn't something she had witnessed ever and she watched, waiting for the elder to continue. The woman's eyes diverted themselves to the smoldering pipe sitting upon its rest as she chose her words carefully.
"If you could visit my great grand daughter before retiring," Cologne broached the topic carefully, returning her gaze to the martial artist. "Battle has called me from her side and I believe knowing you have returned would do her good."
"Ah, alright," Ranma agreed tepidly, unsure of where their conversation was going. The thought that it was another set up by the old ghoul crossed her mind, but the old woman's behavior was well off for that. Ranma cocked her head in curiosity. "I mean sure, why not? Where is she?"
"The field hospital."
Ranma's eyes widened. A compliant nod was the only response she could give.
Author's notes: More inbound.
Minimally edited by me, so if it's rougher than usual, that's why.
Input from Materia Blade, DCG and a few others, who are always awesomesauce.