Sorry for the wait. This chapter was a bit harder to work out of my rusty old brain than I had hoped. But here it is for better or worse! Read, Review, and Hopefully, Enjoy!

And Stir…

"407th Combat Support Hospital, Corporal O'Reilly speaking. Yes, sir! One moment sir." Radar punched a button. "Colonel Potter? Call on line one sir. General Hazama."

"Thank you, Radar," the colonel acknowledged and picked up the phone. After a couple of minutes, Potter called out to his company clerk."Radar!"

The corporal stuck his head in the Colonel's office. "Yes, sir?"

"I want the senior staff to meet me in the mess tent in ten minutes. Get Klinger over here to man the phone cause I want you, Parna, and Koire there too."

"Yes, sir. Is something wrong sir?" Radar worried.

"No, son. For once, things just might be going right for a change."

Ten minutes later, the senior staff was assembled and waiting.

"Well boys and girls, less than fifteen minutes ago, I got a call from General Hazama."

"Don't tell me," Hawkeye cut in. "We're surrendering."

"How dare you suggest such a thing!" Major Houlihan protested.

"She's right Hawk. They may have us in the Javelin and the steeplechase but we'll catch up in the pole vault and high hurdles." Trapper put in.

"Let's can the shenanigans folks." Potter mildly admonished. He looked down the table, making sure everyone was paying attention. "If all goes well, we may be one step closer to ending this little fracas."

"We're finally going on the offensive?" Major Burns asked with apparent relish. "Of course what we really should do is some round the clock bombing! That'll teach these savages!"

"Frank!" Pierce pointed angrily. "Shut up or I'll suture your mouth shut! Rolling over their armies with tanks and artillery isn't enough for you? Your kind won't even be satisfied blasting them back to the Stone Age! Just how much is enough for you?"

"Pierce!" Henry Blake cut in. "As much as I'd like to watch you surgically remove Frank's foot out of his mouth, I'd even more rather find out about any chance I might see my wife and kids any time this century."

"Thank you, Henry," Colonel Potter nodded and then stared sternly at Pierce and Burns. "Now if I may be allowed to continue. I've been informed that in connection with the other day's casualties we got in from the city of Italica, our people made contact with a high ranking member of the Saderan Imperial family and she has announced her intention to go to Tokyo and try to lay the groundwork for talking peace." He gave them all a moment to consider this and then continued: "Naturally, she and her party will need to undergo full medical examinations before they go through the Gate. We don't want to accidentally let in some unknown disease or take unnecessary risks with their health either. This means that for the next few hours, they'll be our guests. Keep this in mind that you people will be the last people they see before heading to our world. The manner in which you comport yourselves will affect how they view us and may well affect whether this initial dialogue gets off on the right foot."

"So how many VIPs are we talking about, sir?" Blake asked.

"Aside from Her Imperial Highness, Princess Pina Co Lada…"

"Pina Co Lada?" Trapper asked incredulously.

"I'll drink to that!" Hawkeye smirked.

"Get it out of your system boys," Potter told them.

The two surgeons, along with BJ Hunnicutt, let out just a little more laughter, then forced themselves to stop although huge smirks remained on their faces.

"As I was saying, she'll be accompanied by seven of her people. Also, the Japanese Diet has requested that some of the locals testify in regards to our presence here. It looks like we're getting three of the locals, plus three JSDF folks and one of our officers. So that's fifteen guests. General Hazama wants us to get them processed as fast as we can. In the meantime, you will be on your best behavior. Do you read me, Burns? I'm not going to have an incident because you can't keep that big yap shut."

Major Burns seemed to shrink back in his seat.

Parna raised a hand timidly. "Colonel Potter, sir?"

"What is it Parna?" He asked mildly.

"Shall I report to my quarters until after Her Imperial Highness has left? My presence might offend her." She nervously touched what remained of her left ear.

A quick glance over at Koire told Potter that the Siren was thinking along the same lines. "Negative," he declared firmly and regarded them both levelly. "I know your hearts are in the right place ladies but that's not how we do things. I want you to take a look at those uniforms you are wearing. You two wear the same uniforms as the rest of us. If there is going to be any real peace here, those uniforms have to command respect. And how can the uniform command respect if we don't insist that the person wearing it be respected? If Her Highness or any of her people have a problem with that, then they will just have to get over it. In fact, I want you two front and center today. Koire, you will be on duty in the Post-op ward. Parna, you and Radar will assist with the exams. And I am making this a direct order, ladies: You are not to take any crap from anyone. Understood?"

"Yes, Colonel," Koire answered.

"Yes, Colonel Potter." Parna acknowledged.

"Good. Henry, you'll oversee the welcome wagon."

"Where will you be sir?"

"Well, seeing as we invited an actual group of knights here and told them to leave their horses at home, someone remembered we still have a few horses left over from the start of this mess corralled to keep them outta harms way and suggested that somebody with a little horse sense help pick out a few sturdy mounts for them to take back when they leave. Might be a little more dignified of a return for them."

"Ah! A little horsing around, I see." Hawkeye grinned.

"What I wouldn't give to be one of those horses," BJ admitted. "Parole, go home and see the wife and colts…"

"Yeah, with you there Beej" Trapper agreed.

"Well boys, all I can say is that if we do our jobs right, we may be closer to the day we all go home.

Although beset with a mix of anxiousness and trepidation to cross the gate, it was urgent for Princess Pina to learn as much as possible about the Pacific Allies. That they had the power to dominate the Empire on the battlefield had been demonstrated to her in overwhelming and exquisitely, terrifyingly choreographed detail. But Pina needed to know more if she was going to have a chance at salvaging this situation. A small portion of her mind holding out a hope that if she survived this, she might learn what they could do for the Empire. If they were so inclined, Pina reminded herself. The Empire hasn't exactly been making a good impression, not that the Empire ever cared about what other nations thought before. But we have to now. No, not we... I must succeed. Whatever it takes to stay their hand.

Pina had considered sending one of her knights immediately back to Italica with a brief report on what she had learned so far but rejected that plan since Pina could picture the Senate losing their collective minds in panic and demanding 'One final overwhelming attack on the barbarians!' Such a move would not only result in the destruction of everything that remained of the Empire's Army but destroy a generation of the Empire's sons and then, thoroughly convinced the Empire could never be trusted to seek peace, the Pacific Allies would sweep over the Empire and destroy them, Pina was quite certain. Or perhaps her Father and the Senate would regard her report as the panicked delusions of a little girl playing at war and she would be told to 'let those who truly understood these things do their jobs'.

No. She needed to learn as much as she could first and then she had to figure out how to make the Senate and her father understand a truth even the more peacefully inclined members of the Senate would not wish to hear.

At Pina's side, Hamilton, Bozes, and Panache stood, with the other four knights in rank behind them. Panache resisted the temptation to fidget in her dress attire. If the train had reached Italica before all this, she could at least have argued for the unit's ceremonial armor rather than this ungainly thing she now wore but that was not to be and she would have to make the most of it, She did note with a mix of amusement and sympathy that Taylor looked equally uncomfortable in his uniform, which he called 'Dress Blues' At least the garb Panache now wore was not as uncomfortably hot as Taylor's uniform appeared to be.

What she did not know was that Taylor was thanking his status as a junior officer and thus would not be required to carry the Navy sword in case he had to don full dress. In truth, he did not wish to be embarrassed by carrying a pretty little sword with no edge… especially not in front of Panache.

Presently, they were introduced to Colonel Potter, Here was a man who exuded calm and command presence despite his short size and grandfatherly face.

"Welcome to the 407th, your Highness. I know you must be anxious to get this done with and we'll try to expedite things as best we can. In the meantime, my second in command," Potter nodded to the tall, affable-looking man next to him. "Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake will be happy to show you around our little outfit and I understand there's a need for good horses heading back home. That's more my expertise than any of these younger folks around here so I'll personally be overseeing that."

Princess Pina nodded. "Thank you, Colonel. Panache is our best rider so as soon as she is free to do so, she will see to selecting appropriate mounts for our return home."

"Perhaps Lieutenant Taylor could be of assistance," Shino suggested with just a touch of a smirk.

Taylor noted with tightly controlled irritation that Itami was practically grinning at this. "I'm afraid that's outside my skill set Sergeant," Taylor said carefully. "Of course I'll be happy to help in any way I can," he added quickly, not wishing to sound as if he was trying to avoid being in Panache's company. Well, this suddenly got awkward.

"Of course, Lieutenant," Panache replied attempting not to offend. "We would welcome your accompaniment."

Shino nodded in self-confirmation, while Colonel Potter shrugged aware that there were undertones that he was not privy to. It wasn't his concern.

"Well, then we'll get you two on the top of the queue." Potter agreed. "Well, let's get moving, shall we your Highness?"

"By all means, Colonel." Pina agreed, eyeing Panache curiously. There was a certain touch of redness in her cheeks and in Taylor's as well. Did something happen? Did part of my other plan actually work? I will need to discreetly inquire with Panache later. But that was for another time.

They followed Colonel Potter into the hospital and soon the examinations were ready to start. Colonel Potter introduced them to Captain Pierce in his capacity as Chief Surgeon and Major Houlihan as head nurse.

"And assisting them will be Corporal O'Reilly and Specialist 4, Parna." Potter waited for any sign of reaction to Parna's presence.

Princess Pina took careful note of Parna, including the fact that she wore the same uniform as many of the people she had seen here. The message was quite clear: Parna was to be considered and treated as one of them.

"Corporal O'Reilly," Pina bowed her head in acknowledgment. "Specialist Parna." We appreciate your efforts here today." Pina made it clear to her own people how she expected them to behave. Though the idea of allowing a non-human to wear the same uniform, thus implying that she had the same privileges, was something that could never happen in the Imperial Army. Pina reminded herself again that these people were different and they also were too dangerous to risk insulting. She and her people needed to learn about these people, not foolishly antagonize them.

At this point, Colonel Potter seemed satisfied to step back and allow his people to handle matters.

As promised, Taylor and Panache were processed first. As he had in Yokosuka, Taylor volunteered to allow their visitors to watch just exactly what was involved in this kind of examination and pointing out that their exams would have a good deal more privacy. Once completed, Taylor stood aside and waited as Panache stepped forward and her exam was carried out with the proper degree of privacy and without incident.

Ignoring the eyes following them, the two followed Colonel Potter out to where the surviving Saderan horses were being kept.

"This way folks. I've already got men waiting for us," Potter told them.

With Captain Hunnicutt and Nurse Kellye and Captain McIntyre and Nurse Ginger Bayliss also joining in, the remaining exams were completed in short order. All that remained was for blood and culture samples to be processed. Corporal O'Reilly taking custody of the samples.

"I'll get these to the lab right away." Radar then looked to Lt. Colonel Blake. "Will there be anything else sir?"

"No Radar, I think that will be all for now. You and Parna can go."

"Thank you, sir, I should go relieve Klinger."

"You go ahead then," Blake told Radar and then added an afterthought. "By the way Radar. How are the language lessons going?"

"Oh! Good sir! Parna is even already teaching me some of her language." O'Reilly considered. "It's tricky though. You gotta follow some really soft tones and I'm not used to how to form the words off my tongue. I can't shape the sounds right yet."

"We will practice with tongue today," Parna stated, her focus on Radar blocking out everything else.

Trapper John McIntyre grinned. "Be gentle with him, okay?"

"Have fun kids!" Hawkeye chimed in as they left.

Henry Blake shook his head and suppressed the desire to roll his eyes at Pierce and McIntyre but then returned his attention to Princess Pina. "Now if you'll follow me?" He invited. "Your Highness." He addressed her.. "We would like to give you a brief tour of our little outfit."

"Thank you, Colonel Blake." Pina agreed.

"This way then," Blake invited.

"Just one moment Henry, if you wouldn't mind?" Trapper interrupted. "I need just a moment to consult with my colleague?" He said pointing to Hawkeye. "Promise Henry, It will only take a minute."

"Well make it snappy McIntyre!"

"We promise," Trapper repeated. He then whispered to Hawkeye and pointed to one of Pina's knights.

"No kidding?" Hawkeye asked.

"I'm serious," Trapper repeated.

"Well then. We'll just see, won't we." Hawkeye told him, both men smiling in shared amusement as Pierce walked over to a glass sitting on the counter.

"That better not be what I think it is, Pierce," Henry warned.

"Relax Henry, I was just finishing breakfast when Potter called us all in. And I promise I only ate the olive." Hawkeye replied, swirling the contents of the glass as he walked over to one of Pina's knights.

"My! You're a very lovely young lady. Would you tell us your name?"

"Vermouth, daughter of Count Idryis." The tall, blonde knight replied.

"Well, then Vermouth, daughter of Count Idryis, I must say that's quite a mouthful. You really need a business card for that" He told the perplexed knight. "Hold this please." He handed her the glass and grinned.

"You're right Trap! Vermouth holding a glass of gin! And the perfect martini is born!"

"Oh, very cute you two, Can we hold off on the comedy hour?" Blake sighed.

"Who's laughing? Mankind has been searching for the ultimate martini for ages. And now the search is over. Because this is something I'd like to drink-in every day." Pierce turned to the confused knight and gently took the glass from her hand and passed it to Trapper. Then Pierce bowed with just a little flourish of the arm and wrist.

"Thank you, my lady. Your grace in all of this is a delight to behold. You've got some real social class."

He turned from the still puzzled but now blushing knight to the perpetually puzzled if kind-hearted Henry Blake. "All done Henry. I think we can move along now."

"Gee, thanks, Hawkeye. You know I could have sworn I outrank you."

"You do Henry." Trapper replied. "But you're too good an egg to hold that over us."

"Like I said: Thanks," Henry said with resignation and then turned to a perplexed Princess Pina. "As I was saying if you'll follow me?"

"Of course." Pina agreed' She looked over at Itami, Tomita, and Kuribayashi but saw that the JSDF people were seemingly as puzzled as she was over this behavior. These Americans were Taylor's people. Perhaps he might have been able to make some sense of this but he was off with Panache. Well, nothing to be done for it. At least no one seemed hostile.

"Not to brag, well maybe just a little," Henry told them, "but we have a ninety-eight percent survival rate once a patient reaches our door."

"And Imperial soldiers?" Hamilton asked.

"Once they get here," Pierce answered directly, "they're patients same as ours. And we do our best to keep them alive no matter what uniform they had on. Your people, our people, that's not important here. What's important is doing everything we can to keep these kids alive."

"Your people follow Hippocrates' oath to an enviable degree." Hamilton acknowledged.

"We're doctors. Either you believe in the value of a life or you don't. It's not a concept that allows for exceptions." BJ Hunnicutt replied.

Hamilton nodded in consideration.

"May we see our soldiers?" Pina asked Blake directly.

"I don't see why not." Henry agreed.

"Maybe if you could get them to calm down a bit?" Hawkeye suggested. "It's really not a great thing to have to have armed guards stationed in our post-op to make sure these kids don't keep trying to hurt themselves, the doctors, or our other patients."

"Of course, Captain," Pina agreed.

The group proceeded to the Post-Op Ward where Koire was using very strong language indeed to a scowling Saderan who reluctantly stopped pulling at his IV. Pina suppressed a blush at the words used and Father Mulcahy, who had been conversing with another patient, was wide-eyed in surprise.

"She sure told him!" BJ remarked.

"Yeah but what?" Blake wondered.

Father Mulcahy removed his glasses and wiped the lenses. Setting them back in place he sighed. "Well… It's been a few years since the seminary, so even if the local Latin hadn't drifted a bit, I'm just a little rusty but I think she was saying something about being stubborn and also casting aspersions on his father's mating habits."

Pina nodded. "More or less. The exact phrasing was a little more… descriptive." She then switched to Populari and addressed the annoyed young Saderan soldier. "What is your name, soldier?"

The soldier's intended next scornful reply stuck in his throat as he recognized the armor of Imperial Knights and realized who was addressing him. As he reflexively swallowed, he recognized now also the garments of the Priestess of Emroy. "Your Highness! Your Eminence! I…" He stammered. "I am Decanus Decius El Valorus."

"And have you been mistreated?"

He wanted to rail at the indignity of being poked and prodded by these savages and being made to share space with lesser beings as well as being addressed by that Siren, daring to speak down to him simply because her new masters considered her equal to them. A degenerate race to be sure. "I… They… " He hesitated. The stern look in Her Imperial Highness' eyes told him that this would not be an acceptable answer. "No your Highness."

Pina nodded. "Very Good. Maintain your discipline but remember that the Empire needs live soldiers, not dead heroes. Any man who puts personal glory above the needs of the Empire is a traitor." She told him coolly, not shouting but in a voice meant for every Saderan in the room.

"Yes, your highness!"

"Good. All of you will conduct yourself properly. You will behave honorably. You are to observe and learn everything you can about your hosts and will inform other soldiers you may encounter to do the same."

"Of course…"

Rory Mercury smirked. "If you wish to pass on to Emroy's embrace, I will oblige." She said, shifting her grip on her halberd slightly.

"Koire?" Henry Blake asked. "What are they saying?"

"Respectfully, sir, I don't think you want to know."

"Good enough for me," Blake agreed.

While the blood of most Saderans chilled at the Apostle's pronouncement, the particular Saderan officer whom Father Mulcahy had just been conversing with let the tiniest smile slip. He addressed Mulcahy in Saderan English, a touch of triumph.

"Father, I have enjoyed our little chats but today I'm afraid I must declare the victory. You have yet to prove your god but the Apostle of Emroy is here. The divine agent of the God of Darkness."

Mulcahy smiled. "And there you see my God."

"I'm afraid I don't understand?"

"Caim," Mulcahy addressed the Centurion by his first name. "That young man over there has managed to injure himself several times, attacked doctors and nurses and he is not alone in either deed and certainly not thought. And yet, with the choice of death offered, we can see he wants to live. Think about that. You all have been face to face with death and yet here you are. Here all of you are, in spite of the sheer odds against surviving the battles, you are here. Despite your wounds, because of the skill of these surgeons, you survived. And because of the grace of God, your Imperial Highness and the Apostle of Emroy are here. And confronted by your own Apostle of Death… I see men who want life! That is the glory of my God."

"Perhaps Father." The Centurion replied. "Perhaps."

"I can ask no more than an open mind my son."

In the meantime, with Colonel Potter's assistance, Panache had finished selecting ten quality mounts which would be waiting for Pina and her knights when they were ready to return to Italica.

"You have a splendid eye for horses, Colonel Potter." Panache complimented. "Perhaps sometime I will have the chance to show you Imperator. You will never find a better steed!" She boasted.

"I'll look forward to it," Potter promised as they headed back to the hospital. The Colonel cast an appraising eye at Lt. Taylor. "You really don't know much about horses do you son?"

"As I told Sergeant Kuribayashi, it's not exactly my skill set, sir."

"So why did you volunteer to come out here lieutenant?"

"Sir, there are times when lacking the ability to help does not excuse one from offering to try."

Potter looked between Taylor and Panache for just a moment and nodded. "I think I can see that. Just make sure that never gets you in a spot you can't get out of son."

"Noted sir."

Potter chuckled to himself. Soon they caught up with the rest of the group waiting in the mess. Parna and Radar were also there and as they had told everyone, Parna was teaching Radar bits of her own language.

"Not too loud." Parna reminded him. "Ours is a delicate language. It would be like shouting 'hello'."

Radar nodded and carefully and repeated the phrase Parna had given him, letting it flow delicately. Parna beamed happily.

"Yes! That was very good!"

"What is it I'm saying?"

"Don't worry about that, Radar!" Parna told him with a smile. "For now we are just working on the shape of the sounds and tone control."

"Oh! Okay."

As Colonel Potter poured himself a cup of coffee, Corporal Klinger rushed in with a stack of files. "Colonel! Nurse Able said you wanted these lab results right away!"

"Thank you, Klinger." As he took the proffered papers, Potter introduced Klinger to Princess Pina. "Your Highness, this is Corporal Klinger. Klinger, this is Her Imperial Highness: Princess Pina Co Lada. She intends to go start talking about getting this little mess over."

"And then we can all go home?"

"That's right."

Klinger fell to his knees with clasped hands. "Bless you, your Highness! Bless you! May your stars shine bright in the heavens! May the desert winds always blow in your favor! And may all of your children be born with small noses! Bless you!"

"Don't mind him," Hawkeye told her Highness. "He's only saying in his very distinctive manner what we all feel inside."

Potter meanwhile checked over the lab results. "Well, the good news is that the lab work all came back clean. You are officially all cleared to pass through to Tokyo."

"Thank you, Colonel," Pina replied with feigned calm and confidence.

"If you can find a way to make peace," Pierce told her. "I realize we are technically still the enemy and not your main concern in all this but you do this, we'll all be eternally grateful… Because, while the air here maybe just a little cleaner and the sky a little brighter, it's not a place most of us want to be. No place is ever as wonderful as home. And if you can do this, we all get to go home and I'll be eternally grateful." Pierce smiled with deep sincerity. Then the smile widened as he looked at her and all her knights. His voice louder as he continued: "And I promise you if you do this, when I get home, the first thing I do after sleeping for a week will be to go to a bar and drink in all your honors until I can't sit up anymore!" Pierce stepped back as Colonel Potter nodded.

"Good luck your highness. The horses will be waiting when you get back and if there's anything else we can do for you, ask."

"Again, thank you, Colonel Potter. Thank you all. If the Gods will it." She looked to Father Mulcahy. "Or God as the case may be, then there will be peace." Before stepping into the waiting van, she turned to address Vermouth.

"Remember your instructions. Return to Italica and discuss this with Grey and Vifita only. I want the Order to remain at Italica at least until my return."

"Yes, your highness."

"Then it is time." Pina entered the van and Sergeant Tomita helped her with her seatbelt and closed the door. As Tomita got in the driver's seat, Pina prayed a silent prayer to all the gods: The Gods of Falmart, whose motives she didn't quite trust, the God of Father Mulcahy, whom Pina didn't really understand yet, and any other gods that might be listening that she might succeed in her task.

And now the Gate awaited.