Chapter 6: Mulberrys and Bridges

Alnus Hill, Temporary HeadQuarters: Task Force Janus

In the trailer that was serving as General Hazama's temporary headquarters, Hazama held an emergency meeting of his senior commanders. On the table before them under a plexiglass overlay was an enlarged overhead photo of the surrounding area as seen from UAV surveillance drones.

Hazama marked their own position with a black grease pen. He then drew a large red circle to their east. "As we know, there is a large army encamped 20 miles east of us. A rough estimate puts it at well over 100,000 men. As we have not been able to conduct a reconnaissance mission since insertion, we don't know whether that army is on the move yet or not."

"While it would be nice if they just sat there and waited for us to blow them off the map, I think we have to predicate our actions on the assumption that they're already on the move." Marine Colonel Emerson concluded.

"Agreed." Hazama nodded. "Recommendations?"

Colonel Lowe, commanding the 1st Brigade Combat Team- 'Bastogne' of the 101st Airborne Division scowled. "My preference would be to hit them head-on. Unfortunately, our logistics are a mess. Air support is zilch, our artillery is towed only and our vehicles will have to rely on the fuel in their tanks for the moment."

"They've got a huge army."Emerson pointed out. "If they split their force…"

"Whatever we do, we have to keep them off 'Gibraltar'" Lowe said, using the code designation of what the locals called Alnus Hill. "The engineers need time to get POLE operational and then we can get our helicopters operational." POLE stood for Pipe Operational Logistic Express and once connected would maintain a stable flow of gasoline, aviation gas, and diesel fuel, the lifeblood of a modern military. There also being a pneumatic tube for the delivery of other cargo. The intent was to reduce demand for vehicles transiting the Gate.

Colonel Kengun grunted in agreement "The sooner my helicopters can fly, the better for all of us."

"Especially since we're effectively blind without them," Lowe added.

"Which again only underscores our problems." Hazama reminded them. "I need solutions!"

"We should use a squad of LAVs to scout whether their army has begun moving. Then we can bring up our artillery." Colonel Kamo advised.

Hazama frowned in thought. "Agreed, but remind them to avoid being drawn into a standing action. Without air support and with most of our troops still required to cover Gibraltar, you cannot afford to attempt to fight 100-1 odds. As primitive as their equipment and doctrine may be, these are still professional soldiers. We will not take them lightly. We want to encourage them to be cautious of attacking us head on while we get ourselves sorted out. We are not seeking a general engagement at this time."

Colonel Kamo frowned unhappily at this. He was confident in his troops' ability to handle an army of primitives. He had been both pleased and frustrated at the Battle in Tokyo. Pleased at how easily his men had routed an army nearly as big as this one but frustrated that while General Hazama had led the main force of the division out of Nerima to great glory, Kamo's role had amounted to little more than clean up after pushing down from Saitama with the 32nd Regiment. With General Hazama's orders, there would be little chance of a decisive glory. Hazama continued, unaware of his subordinate's thoughts.

"In the meantime, we'll start setting up forward observation bases. I don't want to chance another army surprising us. We have no concrete intelligence on how many men the enemy can field. This may be the bulk of their army but if it isn't, I have no intention of being surprised." Hazama indicated a ring of smaller hills around Gibraltar. "Colonel Emerson, I want you to deploy a company each to these three hills." He indicated three hills covering them to the north. "Colonel Lowe, you will place a company on each of these three hills to the south."

The two Americans acknowledged their instructions.

"I will be meeting with Commander Miller for a briefing on our construction teams," Hazama told them. "Dismissed."

Command Tent: Grand Imperial Army, 20 miles east of Alnus Hill

"We have had three more riders come in from Alnus!" General Galba jabbed a finger at the map. "May we now consider it confirmed that Alnus has fallen to the enemy?" He demanded of Senator Godasen. "Or do you still consider it hysteria?" The veteran cavalry commander demanded in disdain. The Senator had made it quite clear the "The Gods" would never allow sacred Alnus to fall into barbarian hands and that they were merely waiting for calmer heads to prevail before they entered the Gate to avenge their brothers and conquer the godless barbarians.

Godasen flushed darkly. He was being openly mocked now. Damn Titian and whatever Fate had allowed this sacrilege to happen! "Yes, reluctantly I must conclude that Legate Titian has failed in his mission and allowed Sacred Alnus Hill to be taken."

"Then we must march in strength NOW!" Galba insisted, to the approval of the other commanders.

Godasen suppressed a grimace. That was not the battle he had wanted to fight. He wanted to fight an open battle where he could surround and annihilate his enemy, not a close assault on Alnus Hill where the enemy might slip back through the Gate and deny his victory. Unfortunately, the longer he waited here, the more disaffection he would engender from his subordinates. There was no choice.

"Very well! The Army will march to Alnus at once!"

"To Alnus!" His generals raised their fists in anticipation.

Camp Augustus

Lady Octavia noted that there was definitely a change in her people this morning. Last night's feast had been a wonderful move! Her people were more at ease around their 'hosts', who; in turn, though still professional, seemed a bit more at ease around them. All but one:

"Lieutenant? There is something troubling you." It was a statement, not a question. "Have out with it!" Although she was smiling, this was not a request but a command to one she considered as part of her family.

"What gave me away?" Taylor asked.

"For starters, last night: When someone presents a story, they usually don't tend to look either bored or perplexed by it. During last night's 'movie', you appeared to be both at times. That tells me you may know tales of this King Arthur, but you did not know that telling at all. That wasn't what you originally planned to present, was it?" She looked at him with her best 'motherly' look.

"I guess if I was going to make an emergency substitution, I should have shown 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'."

"My son, You are babbling."

Taylor sighed. "Alright. I originally planned to show you a movie called 'Gettysburg'. It's about a battle in my country's Civil War. Probably the single most important battle in that war. I wanted to show you a bit about who we Americans are."

"And why didn't you?"

"Because Chief Richardson was right. A movie wasn't the best way to make the points I had in mind."

"Some things are better simply stated rather than talked around by parable," Octavia told him. "Now what is so significant that you let it eat at you rather than discuss it openly?"

"Alright. Slavery. To your people, it's the normal way of things. To mine it is one of the most vile institutions ever created."

"Go on," Octavia commanded. That's why he was so shocked when I worried that my children would be made slaves. Why would I not? We brought slaves with us, The Empire wages war to obtain them. And yet, we have not seen a single slave here.

"It is a horrible thing to us and yet…"

"And yet I have brought such a thing into your sight as if it were no more than our tunics.' She placed a kind hand on his shoulder. "I do wish you had only said this much sooner."

"If you had been a monster, it would have been easy to yell at you and tell you how completely messed up you and your whole civilization were. But you've been a considerate, rational, and compassionate person. And seriously? What would the yelling have accomplished? Aside from making me look like a maniac in your eyes, it wouldn't have actually helped anyone."

"While I do appreciate the not yelling, the not discussing also does no good to anyone either," Octavia replied. "As you have said, in the Empire, it is the natural way of things. But here I have had the horrible privilege of having all the protections and pretenses of my world stripped away." She took a deep breath "At home, I congratulate myself that my house follows the old laws. We do not beat our slaves. They are well fed, well clothed. They are taught reading and writing. A slave may even earn the money to buy his or her freedom. And yet here I feared for my children not because I saw men who would be cruel masters, but that I want more for them than that. My self-congratulation cannot hold up against that. Hypocrisy is not a trait I tolerate from others and I do not like to find it in myself, William." She said, using his given name for the first time.

She stood up and looked out into the courtyard. "I do not know if the Empire is ready to become what your people are. It is still the way things are for my people to hold slaves. It is such an integral part of our society and our economy that many will revulse at the notion of simply dismissing slavery.

"But here, in this place, there is no room, no excuse, and no need for it. All those held as slaves here shall be free under the law of the Empire." She stated with all finality.

Then a thought occurred to her. "Tell me, Lieutenant. What will happen when you find the people taken from your world? When you find the people holding them?"

Taylor considered his answer for a moment."We will demand their immediate release and if the Empire refuses, we will make it increasingly expensive and painful to keep our people from us. Those found who have mistreated our people we will want them for war crimes I expect. Peace Treaty or no, the people of the world will want someone directly punished."

Octavia nodded in understanding. "And on one other matter.' She faced Taylor directly.

"Yes, Lady Octavia?"

"William James Taylor Octavus, as a son of my House, you must never again hold your mind secret to me. You will not allow such matters to fester in silence."

Taylor blinked. "I don't recall becoming…"

She cut him off with a pleased look as the cat that had just swallowed the proverbial canary. "As the Lady of one of the Great Houses of the Empire, as I say, it is done!"

Hill 105: Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines.

Assigned to cover the north side of Hill 105, dubbed 'Alamo East' by the Marines of Charlie Company, 2nd Platoon had set up observation on the surrounding ground, part of a critical advanced warning network for the men back at Gibraltar.

So far everything had been quiet, but somewhere about eight miles away was one massive army. Charlie Company was instructed to observe, report, and to withdraw if confronted in force.

"Movement on the hill, LT." Corporal Ames reported calmly.

2nd Lieutenant Mayer and Platoon Sergeant Killian immediately came over to Ames' vantage point to have a look for themselves. Far from the scouts of a great army, all any of them could see was a weathered-looking peasant poking around with frustration.

"Looks harmless enough but you and I will go see if we can get our visitor to find a safer bunch of rocks to go poking about." The Lieutenant told Killian, who nodded the two men picked their way down the hill to the startled local.

He seemed to flinch at their sudden appearance. "You're not bandits, are you? I don't have anything worth taking right now and I promise I really wouldn't be enough fun to be worth killing!"

Had either of the two Marines considered it for a moment, they might have been impressed at how well this local spoke their language While it was true that the local noble class were known to speak a variant of English, it was reported that the normal common dialect was a mangled form of Latin. As it was, they were merely concerned about calming this poor man down.

"Easy there friend," Mayer told him with open hands. "We're not bandits. What brings you out here by yourself? If there are bandits out here, isn't it a bit dangerous to go poking around?"

"Oh! Well, I'm a shepherd. My sheep were all frightened off by loud thunder coming from Alnus Hill during the night!" He shrugged helplessly. "They're all I have so what else am I to do?"

The two Marines looked at each other On the one hand, having anyone poking about was a potential security risk. On the other hand, the Allies weren't planning on using their might to go killing, locking up, or terrifying the local shepherds. It wasn't as if this character had a hidden radio or anything.

The Lieutenant considered it for a moment. "We have some friends who we'll ask to keep an eye out for your flock. In the meantime, why don't you come up the hill and we'll share some food with you and maybe you can tell us about yourself and folks around here?"

The shepherd nodded in thankful relief "Thank you! You are very generous! Oh! My name is Corus! It is nice to meet you!"

"Well Corus, follow me and we'll go talk to some friends," Mayer told him and started back up the hill with Killian bringing up the rear.

As Corus followed the Lieutenant, he briefly glanced over in the direction of Alnus Hill. Hardy, I wonder if you have any idea what you have done?