Chapter 11: Journey's End, Journeys Begin

Gibraltar

The encounter with the Flame Dragon had been an exercise in frustration for Lieutenant Taylor. The M4 carbine he carried simply did not have the punch to be of use as they attempted to distract the beast from the civilians. Filled with a feeling of powerlessness, all he could do was to watch as Aenaire held her son and voiced a desperate prayer, which perhaps had been answered as in the end, Third Recon had succeeded in driving off the beast. In the aftermath, muttering that he hoped the Marines were having better atmospherics, Taylor radioed in for helicopters to conduct an emergency medical evacuation.

It could well be considered fortunate that those victims burned by the dragon's breathe did not linger before passing into death, but several who sustained injuries from toppling wagons and falls did survive due to the prompt medical care. In the end, some 119 refugees from Coda Village perished. It was all very sobering.

And yet, while the survivors mourned, they also expressed great gratitude, for all of them had truly expected to die, and yet most of them were alive. The majority of them sought shelter with relatives in neighboring towns and villages, and a few, mostly, the elderly or young without surviving kin and a few souls simply deciding that the company of these strangers in green was as much preferred as to any other strangers somewhere else. These refugees would become the first residents of the town of Alnus. But for now, by decree upon high, they were the responsibility of the officers and personnel of Third Recon Squad. On top of that, both Itami and Taylor had reports to file and if Major Hioaki had no desire to make any further inquiries into the antics of the two young officers, they both were called to give a direct report to Colonel Emerson, who made a promise that there would be a thorough review of radio procedures as he stared at them with impenetrable ice blue eyes. After which he congratulated the pair with a "Well done!" and dismissed them from his office.

What would have disturbed them all to know that they were not the only ones making reports and that; in fact, a copy of Itami's initial report had been leaked to members of the Diet and from there to sources in the media within scant hours.

But the repercussions of this were still yet to be felt as the other squads continued surveying the countryside and making contact with other villages and small towns in the area. A patrol of the Australian Special Air Service Regiment having a particularly eventful encounter with a sizeable force of armed Brigands who made the mistake of thinking they were hitting a trade caravan.

And while other units continued to patrol. Third Recon was now responsible for the housing, clothing, and feeding of the refugees from Coda Village and the Kowan settlement.

"Kurokawa and Kuribayashi: Go get some rations from the mess," Itami told them. "Tomita: You and Kurata go over to supply and requisition tents. Taylor, go and talk to the Construction Battalion about arranging more permanent lodgings. I'll get started on the paperwork." Itami said in resignation.

"Right. I'll meet with the engineers after I go down to the hospital and check on the villagers that were medevaced there." Taylor agreed. He wanted not only to check on the villagers but to get a doctor and nurse to give all the refugees full physicals. He also planned to drop by the Marine Mess and get rations there. After all, no need for them to be only exposed to Japanese food and culture.That reminds me, I need to drop by the PX. I need to pick up a portable DVD player.

"Hey. Itami." A very immaculate JSDF 1st Lieutenant addressed Itami.

"Yanagida?" Itami acknowledged the other man.

"Come with me," Yanagida told Itami, casting a wary eye at Taylor for the briefest of moments. Taylor pretended not to notice.

"I'll see you after I've met with the Seabees, Itami." He turned and acknowledged Yanagida. "Lieutenant," Taylor nodded and headed for the base hospital.

It was shortly after nightfall that Taylor caught up with Itami. After briefing the JSDF officer on his discussion with the engineers, Taylor brought him up to speed on the medical cases. "Well, the doctors seem confident that every one of the villagers that we had airlifted in will make full recoveries. So that will bring our refugee population to what? Forty-Seven I think? So…? What did Yanagida want?"

Itami sighed. On the one hand, he had known his fellow JSDF officer considerably longer than he had the American and if Yanagida's pride could be touchy at times, he was unwaveringly loyal to his brother officers and of course to Japan. On the other hand, Taylor had proven himself out in the field. He had earned respect from the men and women of Third Recon Squad. He had earned trust. Well, it wasn't Itami's deal anyway. He just wanted to get his job done and go home someday, hopefully before the next Comiket.

"Yanagida says this world is an opportunity for Japan. The air is clean and resources untapped. He wonders if maybe…"

"If maybe somebody should take advantage of this opportunity? Does he really believe that crap?" Taylor shook his head.

Itami sighed, looking up at the sky as if searching for something. "I wonder if my Great Grandfather ever saw it coming?" He murmured.

"Hmm?" Taylor inquired.

"I'm hardly the first generation of my family to wear the uniform, you know. Just the first since the war. My great-grandfather served, just as did his father and his before him. I think, if they knew how it would all end, they would still have served. I only wonder if they could see where it went wrong? 'Eight corners of the World under one roof'." Itami shook his head.

Taylor paused thoughtfully. "It's an old, tired tale Itami. Japan wasn't the first country to play that game. 'Manifest Destiny' sounded like a pretty good idea to the pioneers. Just like it sounded like a good idea to someone to send an army through that Gate to attack Tokyo because it was there." Taylor said with a sour tone. He then fixed his gaze on a particularly bright star in the sky. It might have been a planet, or maybe it was a star he knew from Earth's sky. It was fascinating to ponder. Maybe someday he would learn what the locals called it.

"But, ask the Cherokee, the Choctaw, the Sioux, the Crow, and the Cheyenne about what 'Manifest Destiny' did for them. Ask Hawaii and if they ever miss the days when they were their own kingdom."

"Okinawa too." Itami agreed. "And the Philippines." He added with shame in his eyes. "Yanagida is wrong. This place isn't important for what it can do for Japan. It's important so we can prove we've learned not to do those things again."

Taylor nodded. "We're deciding the fate of a world that never asked us to." He closed his eyes. "When it's all over, what will we leave behind? Hopefully more than just a McDonald's on the corner and a Toyota dealer on Main street."

The two men looked squarely at each other, a silent agreement confirmed. "Well, the big calls will be made above our pay grades." Taylor said. "Tomorrow, we'll do what we can for forty-seven people who need our help. Good night Itami."

"Good night, Taylor."

In the morning, work started by having each of the refugees (Those that were able, those still recovering in the hospital would be interviewed later.) identify themselves for the record, giving their names and any details like place of origin or trade. Itami making notes for administrative purposes and Taylor making his own notes for the record he was compiling for cultural study and analysis.

Before they began, Itami had a quiet question for Taylor as he noticed The Oracle watching him with an unsettling look in her eyes.

"How did you recognize her back on the road?" Itami asked sotto voce.

Taylor chuckled but kept his own voice equally discreet. "When one of the Great Noble Ladies of the Empire gives you tips and advice on her native land, if you have any sense, you listen. As mother explained it to me, the local pantheon is similar in a behavioral sense to the classic Greco-Roman gods, with the exception being that the gods have been observed, if rarely, to directly intervene in matters in Falmart, The Apostles are ascended mortals who have been granted power by the gods to act on their behalf. Quite literally, Rory Mercury is the personal hatchet woman of the god of Darkness." Taylor smirked. "I was also told that usually, it's best if the gods don't notice you. Good luck with that."

As Itami dared to look back at Rory, he nodded nervously, not noting lesser points that Taylor had just mentioned, but Kuribayashi and Kurokawa had both caught one thing, in particular, they intended to ask their observer about later.

"Right…," Itami muttered then turned to his clipboard to begin registering their little group.

Altestan? Sounds Anglo-Saxon, like a variation on Aethelstan, one of the earliest English Kings. Taylor noted. Rory Mercury... At the least, the identity of the old Roman pantheon made it out here, if not the active worship.

They all noticed the hesitation of the girl Tuka. Aenaire placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. After the list was finished, Kurata held up the phrasebook for Itami as the Lieutenant announced to the refugees that they were going to begin work on permanent lodgings, As Itami worked his way through the translation, Taylor winced, knowing that Lucilla would have hit Itami with a brick at this point to end the suffering of her poor native tongue.

Kurata also seemed unsure as to whether continued language courses were helping Itami in the slightest but somehow the message did seem to get across and soon the Seabees were hard at work on the first homes, storage buildings and even the first businesses as both the Coda Village carpenter and blacksmith had thought that the prospect of reopening at Alnus a more interesting and possibly more profitable venture than relocating to villages that already had such craftsmen in residence. The refugees were also exposed to both Japanese and American cultures through food, stories, and music and conversely were invited to share their own culture with the men and women of Third Recon.

Lieutenant Taylor noted that the young apprentice mage, Lelei Laleena, seemed almost a sponge in her ability to soak up new language and customs, while Tuka Luna Marceau seemed to fixate on Lieutenant Itami and Rory Mercury seemed to have an intense interest in everything around her but with a special interest in Itami.

Soon, the new housing was complete. Included among the amenities provided to the refugees was a Japanese style public bath constructed JSDF engineers. This and the common dining hall became the two major social hubs of the community.

Aenaire found time to relax as her son and some of the other boys learned the basics of baseball from some of the off-duty personnel. With some time to herself, she joined Lelei, Rory and young Tuka in the bath.

Both Rory and Lelei marveled at the accommodations in such a remote place. Aenaire could not help but agree. It was very soothing.

"Itami said there would be a bath every day," Lelei noted.

"Itami? Ah! Of the JSDF." Rory recalled.

"Itami?" Tuka asked with sudden interest. "Is that the man that saved me?" She seemed embarrassed by the intensity of her own inquiry and clarified in a much more subdued voice, "Um, I was wondering if he was the one who saved me when I was lying unconscious in the village well."

"Yes," Lelei answered. "It should have been Itami's squad that saved you."

Aenaire smiled warmly. "They rescued my son and myself also but from what I understand, Itami practically vaulted in after you. I'm almost jealous Tuka!"

"Itami." Tuka blushed a bit as she savored the name.

"And I hear that the other one, what is his name? Taylor has taken rather a bit of interest in you, Aenaire." Rory teased.

"Oh! He has been very kind but it's nothing more than that." Aenaire dismissed. "Besides, my son is the only one I need in my life right now. Being a mother gives one different priorities after all. On the other hand, it would only be natural for Tuka to have an interest in Itami." Aenaire suggested, feeling that anything which would provide an anchor and new focus for the girl would be welcome.

"Ever since that day, I've been unable to repay those who helped me. I wonder if it's okay for me to be here." Tuka replied.

"It's fine," Rory told her. "Most of the people here just lost their families."

Tuka looked uncomfortable at this but it quickly passed.

"Anyway,"Rory observed to Lelei, "You've learned a lot of their language."

"I'm still studying but I'm starting to understand them a little."

"You mean the JSDF?" Tuka asked.

"Yes. They are warriors from a country called Japan. But Taylor is from a country called America, or at least I think or the United States, I'm not sure which. And they and other countries have warriors here and are together called the Pacific Alliance. And there are even more countries than that all beyond the Gate."

"Other countries?" Tuka wondered at the idea of so many different people out there.

"Sounds interesting!" Rory mused.

"There's a whole world we know nothing about beyond the Gate," Lelei noted in fascination.

"May it prove to be a kind and just world," Aenaire noted as she considered her son's future.

Princess Pina Co Lada walked out suppressing her frustration after her interview with King Duran of the Kingdom of the Elbe.

I could have handled that better. Pina thought to herself. In threatening to destroy Duran's Kingdom over her offended sense of pride that Duran would not just suggest, but blatantly accuse her father of deliberately engineering the massacre of Allied troops, she let slip a bit of her father's notorious temper. Of course, Pina did not believe such a thing! But to take out her anger on a man who had clearly already been through an unimaginable ordeal was not the behavior worthy of a princess or a knight. What bothered her even more in the most secret and objective corners of her being was that she knew her father was quite capable of engineering such a thing if it suited his purposes. Deep inside, a small part of her wondered why her father had assigned her Order to scout the enemy. Many of her knights dearly wished to draw blood against the barbarians holding Sacred Alnus. Many of them had kin who had failed to return from the expedition to that other world and the thoughts of what had happened to them burned in the minds of many of her knights. Knights such as her dearest friends Bozes and Panache, whom both exclaimed a desire to prove the true cowardice of their enemies. Was her father truly capable of manipulating her pride and that of her knights into some reckless act?

No. Her father was merely challenging them to assure their mettle was up to the task at hand. That was all.

But she still had a course of action to decide. For weeks, Pina and her two most valuable advisers, Grey and Hamilton, and the stalwart Norma had been traveling the ways, stopping in any small village or hamlet to listen for any rumors or information of their enemy and their plans and movements. Currently, three of the companies of her order were encamped outside this little shire. Bozes commanded the Company of the Yellow Rose. Panache, the Company of the White Rose, and Vifita held command of the Company of the Red Rose in Pina's absence.

In planning the movements of her knights, Pina opted to take a gamble. Though the main column would have to travel west via the Appia way to make the best time and not outrun its supply wagons, Pina's own party would make use of small roads and head Southwest until they reached the Dessria way, where the rest of the order could catch up with them.

With the word from Princess Pina passed on from Sir Grey, the Rose Order got underway. For Panache Fure Kalgi, this mission was a very personal quest indeed. How she had tried to convince her little brother to join the Order, but their father, the current Baron Kalgi wanted his son to be part of a 'real' army and the news of the Grand Expedition had been enough for the Baron to call in old favors to get his 15-year-old son a commission under the command of Legate Germanicus. Unwittingly, their father had sent Panache's beloved brother Tiberius to his death. Panache wondered if she would ever forgive her father for that. She only knew for certain that blood called for blood and she planned to collect.

As Princess Pina's party rode away from the hospice, the old shepherd shook his head fondly and walked into Duran's room. "Her Highness seemed to be perturbed."

Duran sighed at the old shepherd who had smuggled him away from bloody Alnus to this place of sanctuary. "She has her father's pride, I fear."

"Perhaps," the shepherd allowed. "But I believe she has her mother's integrity."

"You would know, wouldn't you?" Duran chuckled.

"I pride myself on being a good judge of character." The shepherd said simply. "Do you think she would carry out her threat to destroy the Kingdom of the Elbe?"

"No," Duran answered. "She has a tender spot and I just hit her in that spot, very hard."

"It was necessary though. She can't be a good leader by ignoring painful truths. But while she may not be truly inclined to do you harm, I think you know there are others who would be most relieved by your death and if Princess Pina could find you…"

"Then so can others. But with Crown Prince Andar ignoring my direct messages, I fear even my own home Kingdom is not currently a healthy place to be. I seriously do not think it would be wise to go to Sadera either."

"Well then! If you cannot go home because of betrayal, and the homes of friends are also denied for that same reason, then there is but one choice!"

Duran's eyes went wide as he followed the shepherd's train of logic.

"Really, your highness, The enemy at Alnus only tried to kill you. At the very least, they have not betrayed you."

"To think we snuck away from that place and you intend we should simply sneak back! You are living proof that the gods are mad when insanity is the best plan!"

The shepherd smiled. "The gods didn't make the world crazy, you humans did that… With help from a few of the gods perhaps," he admitted.

Despite himself, Duran laughed.

To Be Continued...