I would like to thank everyone for the generally positive response to the first chapter of this story.

As always, constructive comments are welcome. Thank you.

Chapter 2: Ask For Directions

Gone were the rings under his eyes, the outward signs of worry and stress covered by the veteran army of makeup and wardrobe people. Political leadership was part substance and part appearance and heaven help you if you forgot that. In a time of crisis, the people needed The President, a wise and confident fountain of strength and will, not the mere mortal man who had doubts and worries. In politics, empathy was laudable. Fear and worry were unacceptable.

Displaying a face of firm confidence and determination, President Merwin looked directly ahead and addressed a nation, and a world waiting to see what kind of man America's President was.

"Good afternoon. By now most of us have heard the reports of the sudden, unprovoked attack in Tokyo. We know nothing as to who is responsible or what motives they may have, but we know that such aggression must not be left unanswered. In the face of such bald aggression, we cannot think of this as a Japanese problem. It is nothing less than a challenge to all of us who live on this good Earth. Japanese, Americans, Russians, Chinese, French, German, Korean… Whatever our creed, we are all neighbors in a shared community of nations.

Make no mistake. Today's unfolding tragedy in Tokyo could just as easily have been in Washington or New York, or Moscow, or London, or Paris, or Beijing. Or perhaps in Singapore, or Nairobi. Some nation where the sheer force of numbers we are witnessing might prove irresistible. Until we know more about this enemy, we must prepare. For both war and peace. Destruction as well as reconciliation.

The first step must be to secure the safety of populations now under threat. To that end, and after discussion with the Prime Minister of Japan and in consultation with our allies, I am invoking the Mutual Defense Treaty between ourselves and Japan. It will not be the policy of this government to stand idly by while the citizens of one of our closest allies are under attack. I direct that our armed forces in Japan will coordinate with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces and act promptly and judiciously in securing the safety of lives and the integrity of sovereign soil.

But this can only be a first step. It shall be our policy to seek out those who have orchestrated this assault, that they may answer for it. And to take whatever steps are necessary and possible to attain peace and security.

But beyond that, I ask all of you who are watching or listening to me now to look beyond the tragedy and terror of this day I want you all to consider for a moment that those who have attacked Japan on this day are of no nation known on Earth. Wherever they come from and however they arrived here, they represent peoples formerly unknown to us.

Consider that for a moment: Whatever system of beliefs we may hold, we can no longer hold ourselves as the lump sum of creation. What we choose to do with that knowledge is up to each of us:

We can react either with fear or with hope. It would be natural to be afraid. There are unknown minds and voices outside our cozy little world. It unsettles us. This is perfectly natural.

But I implore my fellow citizens of this world to move beyond fear. We no longer sit alone in an empty universe. We must hope. To reach out to those other voices in the cosmos. To teach if we are called upon, to learn if we are fortunate.

Let us go forward in dedication and firm conviction. Under the grace of Almighty God, we will secure our righteous victory and then guided by his wisdom we can secure a just and lasting peace.

God bless us all.

Amen."

The official authorization aside, the available US forces were already in motion insofar as there was much that they could do. While Marines assigned to USS Ronald Reagan had been ferried to reinforce the US Embassy, the bulk of American infantry power stationed in Japan; the Marines of 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, were either in Okinawa or aboard the Assault Ship Bonhomme Richard, now conducting maneuvers off Australia.

But wars are fought with what is available and not with what one would wish to have on hand. To that end, the Captains of the ships based at Yokosuka, many of whom had experience patrolling the coast of East Africa where Somali pirates still raided unwary shipping, deployed ship's cutters with detachments of men equipped with M14 battle rifles to proceed up the Sumida river and engage hostiles situated on the west bank of the river.

To the west, lead elements of the Japanese 1st Regiment first made contact with the 7th Legion. General Hazama ordered his lead companies to drive through the enemy without stopping until they reached the Imperial Palace. As much as the imbalance in technology, it was this aggressive charge which caught the 7th Legion off guard, expecting to be the ones attacking, they anticipated swarming and overwhelming a static defense. Hazama's companies cut through the enemy like a chainsaw in a daisy patch, with the general only authorizing his trailing company to break from his column and directly engage the enemy.

The Commander of the 7th Legion died unable to comprehend what was happening as he attempted to lead a charge against the Type 87 armored scout vehicles of Hazama's Reconnaissance Company. Bereft of its commander, 7th Legion disintegrated in chaos and confusion, the individual cohorts acting with neither understanding or cohesion. Some tried to attack. Most froze in place, unable to understand what was happening. At least one Centurion had enough presence of mind to send out messengers to try and alert the rest of the army to this inexplicable new threat. In the end, most of the 7th Legion died at this point, although some survivors tried to escape and remained at large for days in a pattern that would be repeated by other forward legions in the western edge of the combat zone.

Very few soldiers would survive from these units. Especially those legions unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of the 34th Regiment and the 1st Tank Battalion as they charged up from Gotenba.

1st and 3rd Legions, besieging the Imperial Palace, died virtually to a man as the 1st Regiment's main body engaged them outside the Palace walls. The few survivors running back toward the Gate arrived nearly simultaneously with dispatch messengers from the 7th Legion as the five legions Germanicus had released from his eastern reaches came up in support of their brethren. This led to a cascade of chaos and confusion as entire legions now sought to withdraw to the Gate. This included the 5th Legion, still on its self-assigned mission of delivering slaves and other looted materials to the Gate, even in the absence of its commander, who had been summoned by Germanicus.

Only in the Southeastern section of the front were matters not already descending into a total disaster. Future historians would credit Octavia, wife of Germanicus, and several students from St. Luke's University, who managed to respond calmly and who, when presented with the chance for dialogue, kept their wits enough to communicate effectively to Octavia. By informing her of the identity of St. Luke's hospital, they undoubtedly averted a massacre as the 4th Cohort of the 6th Legion was preparing to storm the building. Using the students as intermediaries, Octavia established the hospital as neutral, protected ground, provided that the staff of the hospital agree to tend imperial wounded as well.

This foresight and acts of goodwill worked in the favor of Octavia and the soldiers of 6th Legion as panicked riders began arriving with word of the utter annihilation of three entire legions. In the absence of Germanicus, 6th Legion's commander ordered his troops to dig in. This veteran commander not wishing that his command become part of the general hysteria which seemed to be taking hold. Having lost men to the waterborne attacks along the river, The 6th attempted to engage the attacking boats with ballista but were unable to inflict damage on the rapidly maneuvering small craft. In any case, the ballista crews were also in the effective range of the sailors' M14s.

As another messenger reported in, Octavia urgently sought some word of her husband's whereabouts.

"The Legate was still in command when I left." The messenger answered. "The enemy attack at range. We can't get close enough to kill the wizards with our cold steel! They won't fight us in the open!"

Octavia shook her head. "I think we have very much underestimated those who we would make our enemies, Decurion Tiercellus." She pointed to the hospital. "That place is a healer's guild. I want all our wounded directed there. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!" The young officer turned his mount about and rode back toward where he had just come.

Octavia turned to the students who had been helping her talk to those in charge of the hospital. "I would ask one of you to go and tell the healers we will have desperate need of them shortly I think. The rest of you stay with my children. My house guards will keep you as safe as anyone here. Forgive me but I must do what I can to save what I can of a hundred thousand sons."

In the end, many who might have survived died on the streets of Tokyo. Their avenues of either escape or seeking aid barred by the chaos caused by the panic of relatively hale and whole troops from six legions which comprised the bulk of the estimated 35,000 men that would manage to escape Ginza before General Hazama was able to throw the full power of his three regiments and his tanks into the battle and cut off the retreat of several thousand more. The JSDF would capture some 6,000 Imperial troops, mostly in small bands, not including severely wounded prisoners.

But the largest single surrender occurred the evening of August 13th. With communications between St. Luke's Hospital and the outside world still open, Octavia and the commander of 6th Legion were able to parlay the surrender of some 4,800 men of the 6th Legion, some 2,000 from other units, and several hundred casualties, as well as some 4,000 noncombatants. The actual surrender, generated some controversy when the officer designated to receive the surrender, Rear Admiral Gunichi Toyoda, was delayed in arrival. The commander of the 6th Legion thus presented his sword and unit standard to the commander of USS Shiloh's boat detachment as he landed to help oversee security arrangements. Admiral Toyoda arriving in his best dress white uniform only to find nearly 12,000 non-indigenous detainees already having offered and been granted surrender by a US Navy Senior Lieutenant. The Japanese government soon responded to the awkward turn of events by acknowledging both Lieutenant Bowen's fait accompli, and the complete responsibility of the United States government for the holding, care, and treatment of said detainees.

With the first battle won and lost, all that remained of the Empire's Expeditionary Army rested under watchful eyes and under the stars of a heaven unknown.