Chapter 31:
Scorched Earth
The first shot went by in slow-motion before everything went fast suddenly.
The captain was on the ground, presumably unconscious, the others dived on the road while he immediately dropped on his stomach.
"CONTACT!" A Marine shouted before rounds started to fly over his head.
Dukeman lied flat on the road just two meters away from Raymond. Screams from the civilians were mixed with the distinct barks of M240s and heavy 'thumps' of the heavy machine guns, he could see green tracers speeding across the empty fields like shooting stars.
"Man down!" He shouted before crawling closer to Raymond.
The captain was still alive, his lightweight helmet barely saved him from having his brain splattered all over the burning concrete ground.
"Cover fire!" Yelled Second Lieutenant Sparks, running to the Gunnery-Sergeant.
Dukeman stood back up and picked up one shoulder strap of Raymond's plate carrier, "PICK AND RUN!" He warned at the nearby Marines as he and Sparks dragged Raymond towards the closest vehicle.
Another enemy round just zipped pass his right foot. He swallowed air rapidly and heavily, his heart beating at a thousand kilometers per hour.
"Corpsman up!" Sparks demanded at the top of his lungs, loud enough to break through the sound barrier of heavy gunfire.
A Navy Corpsman arrived just on cue and inspected the captain's injury, taking off the now destroyed helmet and wiping the excessive blood away.
Dukeman listened attentively to the firefight. For now, he hasn't heard another enemy fire for the past five minutes. The Marines continued to mercilessly shower the landscape with bullets.
"Order a cease fire," He ordered to the Second Lieutenant before standing back up, "Cease fire! Cease fire!" He yelled sternly.
Little by little, the platoon leaders did the same, issuing a cease fire order. The intense, sporatic gunfire died down eventually. Silence reigned over the men, weapons still up in case of another surprise attack. The refugees had their heads down, grouped up and shaking with fear, the children were sobbing in fright.
Moments later, Dukeman took a step forward, then another, and so forth until reaching the same spot where Raymond had been standing minutes ago. Exposing himself in the open, he took the binoculars on the ground and scanned the surroundings, trying to determine the sniper's location.
Nothing... The enemy must've escaped.
A grunt and a surprised gasp caught his attention. He turned around and was relieved to see his friend and company commander awake and relatively fine. Raymond winced in pain when he placed his left palm on his injury.
"Fuck... what just happened?" He asked tiredly and confusely.
Dukeman chuckled and picked up his destroyed helmet, waving it over Raymond's face. "You took an enemy bullet to the head."
"Ah Christ... I must be one lucky fucker..." He stated with sarcasm. He slowly got back up to his feet with the help of the corpsman. "That's like... the fourth helmet this year, so far."
"Looks like the enemy has pinned your head with a price." Dukeman deduced.
"Greaat, I'm HVT now, I bet one of you sold me out." Raymond said jokingly.
"What are your orders, sir?" Sparks asked, standing beside Dukeman.
"I'm going to need your platoon to scout out the village, see if there are any survivors or enemy presence." Raymond ordered as he inspects his helmet with amazement. "If their sniper is here, there is a possibility that there are more in the village. The rest of us will stay and wait for the helos to come."
Sparks nodded and executed the order, grouping up his platoon to brief them on their next mission. Raymond let out a gasp and called the Lieutenant back.
"Oh actually, I'm coming with you." He added, much to Sparks's and Dukeman's surprise.
"You're going with them?" His friend asked incredously.
"Yeah..." Raymond shrugged nonchalantly, "I'll leave you in charge here. Regroup with us once you're done here. Oorah?"
"Oorah...I guess" His 2IC muttered under his breath.
Most of the fire has burned away, leaving behind ashes and debris. Almost everything in the small village was burned to the ground and with the lack of corpses, it was impossible to get an estimate of civilians killed in the fire.
The small detachment of vehicles stopped at the town centre. The Marines got out of the vehicles cautiously, scanning their surroundings before spreading out into fireteams.
Ash swept up as his combat boots made contact with the lunar grey ground. Raymond looked around him, observing the damage caused by the Imperials' tactic.
Dropping onto the ground next the humans was Junior Sergeant Sorcerimon, a digimon medic. Hanging on his side was a large satchel with a red cross on a white background circle sewed on it. Taking meek steps away from the human vehicle, he gazed upon the destruction caused by the Imperials.
Sadness filled his heart. He wasn't a fighter, despite his abilities. He was more of a pacifist, wanting to aid digimon but alas in wars, civilians were always the victims. War is ugly and bad. There was nothing he could do, he knew the result, any civilian trapped in the fire was dead; very few could survive this.
With a sad sigh, he walked back to the vehicle. He leaned against one of the massive wheels of the MRAP and waited patiently.
The Marines continued their search throughout the destroyed settlement. They broke down doors, calling out for survivors in the building, they announced their presence, a risk to them but a necessary action to find any survivors. Minutes of search later proved this to be fruitless.
"What's the sitrep, Lieutenant?" Sparks turned to face the captain with a stoic face.
"No survivors, sir." He reported neutrally, "By the size of the village, we could wildly guess there were five hundred to seven hundred civilians here, that's including the survivors we just met."
"And any signs of imperials?"
"Negative, Captain. Looks like our sniper ran away as soon as they fired the second shot." Sparks concluded. Raymond nodded and allowed the Lieutenant to regroup his platoon.
"Get back to the vehicles and get ready to move out!" Raymond bellowed the order, the Marines quickening their pace.
"Hurry up! We're behind schedule!" Sparks added.
"Why are they doing this?" Sorcerimon asked out loud, getting Raymond's attention.
"To slow us down, Sergeant." Raymond stoically answered, "They knew we would stop to aid the local population. This will give them additional time to bolster their defenses."
"This is madness." Sorcerimon commented grimly.
"It's war, doc."
The heat was becoming unbearable for the Marines and digimon civilians. First Lieutenant Angewomon, the team leader of the digimon medical team, was beginning to worry. They had limited medical supplies and water ressources. The helicopters were ten minutes late from their supposed arrival. At this rate, children and eldery will begin to get sick due to dihydration and heat stroke.
The human corpsmen did their best to calm the locals while Senior Sergeant Fairimon was entertaining the children, making them laugh despite their dire situation.
"Excuse me, Marine." She called out calmly, "When are the helicopters suppose to arrive?"
"Ten minutes ago, ma'am, "The Marine replied, "They should be here in five minutes" He informed her before resuming his task.
Looking around, she spotted Flawizardmon, the refugees' protecter, discussing with Gunnery-Sergeant Dukeman. She started to walk towards them, hearing the conversation as she closed in on them.
"Temporary homes will be built to allocate your people." Dukeman explained.
"I appreciate the help but aren't there any friendly forces near us?" The digimon wizard asked.
The human Marine shook his head, "The Army is a hundred klicks behind us and the rest of our battalion is about seventy klicks away from us. They can't slow down."
"Gunnery-Sergeant," Angewomon announced her presence, standing beside the wizard with a frown. "What is taking them so long to get here?"
"The Japanese helos were low on fuel, they had to RTB to re-fuel. They should arrive soon, ma'am."
"Can't we contact any nearby digimon units? The heat is going to get the refugees sick." She informed him urgently.
"I understand your concern but we are behind schedule. If we keep slowing down our progress the enemy will have enough time to fully fortify the town and making our invasion much harder. All forces are on the move and cannot stop. We shouldn't even be here right now."
"Oh for the-"
The sound of rotorblades in the air made some of the Marines cheer in hope. Out in the distance, they could see faint silhouettes of half a dozen of Chinooks.
Quickly, the Marines gathered the refugees into groups in an orderly fashion. A green smoke was flung out on the ground a couple of meters away from the convoy. As the Chinooks approached and prepared to make a landing, dry dirt and sand swept over the convoy, the humans and digimon shielding their faces with their hands or cloth.
The first Chinook touched the ground, the rear ramp opened up and two JSDF medics came out. Dukeman and Angewomon joined and reported the situation. Meanwhile the Marines escorted the civilians into the helicopter. The others soon landed near the first, forming a diamond pattern at the LZ.
A few minutes later, the civilians bid farewell to the Marines and the digimon medical team before getting into the helicopters. Once they were all in, the massive transport helicopters took off and flew back to base.
Quickening their pace, the Marines got in their vehicles and waited for Raymond's order.
"Warlord, this is Paladin, civilians had been evacuated. We're moving out for Burgundy. Over."
"Affirmative, Paladin, friendly forces are already near the objective and currently engaging enemy forces. You should be able to flank them and take out their rear guard. Over."
"Roger that, we're Oscar-Mike to Objective Charlie. ETA forty mikes. Over and Out."
September 20th 2019, Burgundy, near the Emerald River, 1940 hours, Operation "Phatom Storm".
The night lit up over the town, bright streaks of light shooting upwards, exploding on the dark clouds.
The echoes of war could be heard throughout Burgundy, raging across the skies and town. From the skies, IDDF air forces launched their combined air strikes, crippling enemy ground and air forces.
Shortly after, Royal Knights and their Strike Forces swooped down into the town, controlling key locations with the aid of IDDF special forces.
In just a few minutes, the main infantry force and armoured support will charge the town from all sides, surrounding the enemy. Paratrooper units had already cut off their supply lines and communications.
The simultaneous attack was a powerful blow to the Imperial defenses, overwhelming them with superior numbers, heavy support and superior firepower.
Sergeant Flamedramon stared at the other side of the river, a thin layer of concrete wall was the only thing acting as the town's limit. Connecting the town to the arid landscape was a single steel and concrete bridge, large enough to accomodate two rows of tanks.
The blue dragon lifted his M16A4 rifle to his shoulder, his right eye peering into the ACOG.
He calmly observed the wall, it could easily be taken over, a simple obstacle for the Marines.
The radio on the back of his plate carrier buzzed to life.
"Four mikes." Lieutenant Sparks's voice came through.
Like him, Marines laid flat on the dry ground, the darkness covering their silhouettes, waiting for the moment to strike. Next to him was Corporal Guilmon, backpack filled with C4 explosives and mortar shells. The lightweight M224 60mm mortar was nestled under his right arm, he cradled it carefully, ready to spring to action if the need arises.
The ground rumbled, the sound of vehicle engines and treads echoed behind the Marines. His radio crackled, Flamedramon listened to the comms.
"Alpha Pack, proceed with phase "Geronimo"."
"Copy that, Warlord, Alpha Pack inbound." Responded Raymond with a hushed voice.
"That's the signal, move out!" Ordered Sparks as soon as he was on his feet.
"Stay behind me, Guilmon!" As ordered, Guilmon followed Flamedramon, hauling over his shoulders the mortar.
In a instant, dozens of Marines sprung out of cover, charging straight for the bridge. They rushed towards the bridge, the enemy still distracted by the other attacks.
"Move! Move!"
"Let's hustle, Marines!"
"Keep moving!"
First platoon crossed the bridge, so far so good. Sparks's Marines hit their backs against the wall, breathing heavily.
"Flamedramon, charges." Sparks ordered.
"On it." He replied, signaling Guilmon to come with him.
The two digimon applied the C4 explosive charges across the wall. Once set, the platoon backed away far enough to be away from the blast zone.
"Fire in the hole!" Flamedramon, half-whispered half-shouted.
The concrete wall blasted in debris and pieces, a large opening cleared the way for the Marines and their vehicle support.
"Move out!" Sparks shouted as Marines started to pour into the town.
Unfortunately, the blast had gathered nearby attention. The defenders struggled to get some order amongst their line as they witness Marines charging through the hole. Machine gun nests started to open fire, taking out some of the humans and pinning them down across the small water channel that separated the apartments and the Marines.
"MG! Get down!"
"Contact front! Other side of the street! Fifty meters!"
Barely avoiding the incoming bullets, Flamedramon took cover behind a tree. He spun around, rifle up and took aim. He returned fire, managing to take out one of the machine gunners. Others responded back, their weapons shooting green tracers, in contrast to the Imperials' red tracers. It ressembled comically to a laser battle, just like in Star Wars.
Instead of 'pew pews' and blast sounds, these guns were incredibly loud, barking and snapping in the air with metallic whistles as they flew over the heads of Marines and legionaires.
Flamedramon took out the spent mag, replacing it with another fresh 30-round magazine into the M16A4. Seeing as the enemy is slowing their progress, the Marines need to act fast and now.
Thankfully tanks were made to give that push. Bursting out of the wall with a crash, the M1A3 Abrams tank known as "Demolisher" turned its main gun turret to the enemy line and let out a high explosive shell soaring across the street, destroying their defenses. For added measures, Demolisher fired simultaneously its two machine guns, spraying 7.62mm and 12.7mm rounds into the enemy, decimating their numbers.
"MGs out! We're in business, Marines!"
With the tanks behind them and soon the rest of the armoured convoy, the infantry pushed further up; their objective: the Imperial Headquarters. Built on top of a small hill, the Imperials took over the town's castle decades ago, turning it into their HQ of the region and a prestigious academy to train imperial officers.
Capturing it will severely break enemy morale and their last stronghold before the invasion of their capital city.
"Set up the mortar, Flamedramon!" Sparks commanded, pointing at the spot for mortar.
With Guilmon, the two digimon set up the lightweight mortar down, deploying its tri-pod and adjusting its aim. Flamedramon's squad formed a defensive line around the digimon with Sparks waiting a few feet ahead.
"Mortar up!" Guilmon shouted after the adjustments were done.
"Fire mission; Two rounds, Shell HE, Fuze Quick, 200 meters, Deflection 0020, Quadrant 120, Fire for Effect!" Sparks commanded, Flamedramon repeated the order to Guilmon.
"On the way!"
A quick 'thump' shot out of the mortar, the high explosive ammunation flew over the Marines and dived down onto enemy forces with a whistle of death. Shortly after the second round was up in the air. The first round blew up just behind enemy cover, destroying it and killing half a dozen legionaires; the second round finishing the survivors.
While First Platoon brought death from above, Second Platoon fought the enemy head-on with the tank and two LAV-25.
At the foot of the hill were enemy soldiers, gunning down incoming Marines. The Imperials had sandbags and barricades along the stairs to the castle, two mortar teams were set at the top of the marches with two Tankdramon providing extra firepower, additional snipers and machine gun teams were positioned on the castle's walls and towers, pinning the Marines down.
The LAVs spat out salvos of 25mm rounds, reducing enemy resistance. Taking cover behind a building, Cyberdramon's squad stacked up behind him. A couple of meters ahead was a footbridge above the street, the enemy's attention was on the armoured column, giving Second squad an opportunity to flank them with their pants down.
"Alpha and Charlie team on me, Bravo team overwatch on the bridge. Go!" Commanded sergeant Rand.
Swiftly the Marines got out of cover and sprinted towards the bridge. Bravo team set up the machine guns and rifles, letting Alpha and Charlie team pass behind them. Corporal Cyberdramon was at the head of the team, setting up his M240B on the bridge's metallic railing.
"Hold your fire, we're waiting for Third squad." He instructed, racking his LMG.
The combined salvos of 25mm rounds and 60mm shells devastated the enemy defenses. Shells screamed out of the M1A3 Abrams tanks, breaking through enemy line with deadly force.
Looking back, Cyberdramon spotted Third Squad making a run across the street.
"Weapons free! Light 'em up!"
Blinding weapon flashes suddenly light up the footbridge, sending out rapid fire of hot lead across the main street, unfortunate Imperials were showered by the new incoming wave of bullets. Blood spewed out and Imperials were being flung away by the combined shellings of tanks and mortars.
His weapon kicked hard but his superior raw strenght enables him managable recoil control. Firing long bursts, he quickly switch one target to another. Empty, warm bullet casings ejected out on the side, hitting the ground with a distinct melodic sound along with the other metallic tunes creating an ironic peaceful melody to the loud and sporatic chaos of the battlefield.
One of the Tankdramon took two tank shells on the chest and head, exploding into scrap metal and fire, obliterating the Imperials near him.
Disoriented and fired upon on all sides, the legionaires were losing the firefight fast, the Marines pushed further up and closing in their perimeter.
"I want sitrep on Third squad!" Cyberdramon demanded while reloading his machine gun.
"Third squad has crossed the bridge, sir!" Informed loudly a Private First Class.
"That's our cue. Move out!" The automatic gunners were the first ones to leave, followed by the riflemen and Cyberdramon just behind.
Incoming enemy fire prompted the Marines to duck their heads. The bullets hit railings, sending off metallic 'pings' and ricochet all over them. A sudden burning pain shot across Cyberdramon's left shoulder, making the digimon cuss in surprise while he kept moving, shrugging it off.
A thunderous 'clap' could be felt at the end of the street. Some of the Marines started to cheer.
"More tanks on the way!"
"Fuck yeah!"
Suppressing the enemy forces with tanks and LAVs, the armoured support did quick work in disposing the resistance. Observing their progress, Raymond stood just beside the LAV-C2, his eyes peering into his tactical binoculars, completely absent of the incoming rounds that barely missed his figure.
"I suggest you duck your head a little, skipper." Dukeman told him with irony in his voice.
"I'm working here, mom." Raymond shot back with a sly grin.
The Gunnery-Sergeant shook his head and forcefully pushed Raymond down to a knee. "There, Captain, you'll be much safer."
Raymond merely chuckled at his friend's constant worried state. "Goddamn it, Dukeman, I told you I was fine."
"Not for long if you keep being a reckless idiot." Dukeman pointed out dryly.
"Are we seriously going to argue like an old married couple?" Raymond joked, getting into Dukeman's nerves. The latter simply sighed in irritation.
"One day you'll be the death of me, Captain." He dryly said.
"I better die before you then." Raymond joked before shifting his focus back on the fort. "Looks like they're retreating back into the fort."
"Should we blow the entrance then?"
"Sadly, Command wants us to do minimal damage on the fort if possible, so no dynamic entries."
He felt a light tap on top of his lightweight helmet. He looked up into the night sky and felt wet droplets hitting his face. Putting his binos back into his assault pack and shouldering his M4A1 carbine; he stood up and walked behind the vehicle, peaking inside the LAV.
In there he spotted his new executive officer, First Lieutenant Edward Sullivan, coordinating with the tank squadrons on the radio.
"First Lieutenant!" Raymond called out, catching the XO's attention, "I'm trusting you with the company HQ, I'm off to the frontline." He explained without letting Sullivan to protest.
The young officer simply sighed in dismay, he knew what he was in for when he read Raymond's files prior to his transfer in the company.
"Why does he do that?" He asked rhetorically at himself.
"No clue, Lieutenant, but skipper does have some balls." Answered the driver of the LAV behind him.
"Fair enough."
First and Second platoon walked cautiously up the stone marches. Smoking craters and burnt sandbags scattered all over the stairs. A couple of wounded Imperials were found along the way, their hands showing up as a sign of surrender. Corpsmen and a few Marines quickly grabbed them and escorted them down the steps.
Once gathered and ready to breach, the Marines busted the door in, rushing in with guns at the ready.
They found themselves in a wide and open area, stone columns supported the arched ceiling built with refined wood work. Velvet drapes were hung from the columns, decorating the hall with its rich red colour. A couple of wooden doors had been spotted along the hall.
The human soldiers spreaded out, squads began to clear each door while Raymond and Dukeman arrived in the main hall. Raymond was impressed with the fort's interior decor. Both Second Lieutenant Sparks and Martinez saluted sharply at Raymond's attention. He and Dukeman saluted back.
"Sitrep, gents."
"The rooms here are cleared, Captain, mostly offices and personal quarters and storage rooms for the main kitchen." Reported Sparks dutifully.
"My platoon is ready to move up on your signal, Captain." Informed Martinez, eager and wanted his platoon to lead the way.
"Sparks, your platoon will hold position until reinforcements can join us. Martinez, get your Marines ready, we're going up."
The platoon commanders saluted and transfer the orders. Striding forward at a casual pace, Raymond examined the decorations around the hall. He just noticed that he was walking on a pristine red carpet that laid throughout the fort, starting from the front entrance.
Ahead of him was a wide stairway, which then branched out on the sides to the first floor. At the top of the first stairway was the portrait of a BanchoLeomon, probably the fort's previous owner before the Imperial occupation.
Raymond gave a nod to Martinez, signaling the whole platoon to move up. The platoon split into two columns. The men warily checked every corner as they mount up the steps, one careful step at a time. Each column then followed one of the branched out stair cases.
More doors welcomed them, squads began to clear them out. Almost in sync with each other, the Marines kicked in the door and were surprised to see unarmed Imperial troops. Marines shouted angrily at them, ordering them to get on the floor with their hands behind their back.
The humans roughly took one Imperial out of the room at a time. Some weren't even soldiers, they were simple maids, cooks and other staff members of the fort.
Dozens of digimon were then escorted outside the fort. Meanwhile it was Third platoon's turn to search and clear the fort's second floor. The same event happened to them; dozens of unarmed Imperials walked out of the room without protest other than a few grunts and growls as they were being pushed around by the Marines.
And so, clearing room after room, the Marines found more and more Imperials or civilian staff members; there wasn't much resistance coming from them.
Capturing this fort was almost too easy.
Flamedramon's squad halted in front of the last door that was unchecked. Stacked up next the door, one Marine behind another.
Flamedramon lifted his right fist above his rifle and tapped his head three times, Guilmon came up the line of Marines and stood in front of the double doors and looked at his squad leader. The blue digimon gave a nod, Guilmon breathed in and kicked the doors open. The two doors slammed inward and against the stone wall with force.
The Marines rushed in, their weapons aimed directly at the digimon who were present in the large area. It was the throne room. At the end of the room, facing the humans, was a Flaremon, sitting on the throne with a white BishopChessmon standing to his right and a Bastemon cowering to his left, holding onto his strong arm.
Lined up on both sides were a single row of Commandramon, their rifles were on the floor. The lion digimon seemed unfaze by the Marines' rough entry. He merely sighed and lifted his arms up.
"Do not open fire, humans, we surrender." He demanded formally.
At first confused, the Marines hesitantly detained the soldiers first while Flamedramon stepped up to the Imperial officer and his second-in-command.
"Colonel Flaremon of the 4th Legion and duke of Burgundy," He formally introduced himself, "This is Major BishopChessmon 555, my loyal second-in-command."
"At your service." The chess piece digimon greeted with a courteous nod.
"And this is my wife, Bastemon," The humanoid feline shyly bowed down, "She has no affliliation with the Imperium, I beg you to spare her."
"Sergeant Flamedramon, and I'm afraid you'll have to speak with my CO, but I'll see what I can do, sir."
"Sergeant!" Called out Corporal Haggins, his 2IC, "All troops are out of the throne room."
"After you Colonel, Major and ma'am."
As promised, the Marines kept their distance from the trio, simply guiding them along the way while others were intimidated by Flaremon's presence.
Once back on the front entrance hall, Raymond greeted the trio of Imperials formally and with respect.
"Captain Raymond, Company Commander of Alpha Company."
"Ah yes, you're the human that's among the Elite's hit list." Flaremon commented with a grin.
"Flattering..." Dukeman whispered humoursly.
"And you must be the one responsible for... this." Raymond mentioned to the Imperial troops that are being escorted outside.
"Affirmative, captain. I have issued a cease fire order but most of my subordinates were stubborn and would rather fight to the bitter end."
"Guess that explains some of their uncoordinations. But why consider surrendering, you could've easily killed us inside the fort, a perfect kill box." Dukeman raised an eyebrow at the statement while Flamedramon gulped nervously, not sure what was going on in Raymond's head.
"It is true but the Imperium isn't its former glorious self. I have seen your tactics and I, among few others, wanted to change our strategies but the Imperial High Command refused to listen to us and decided that by pure numerical superiority we will win this war."
"And burning your own villages, was that part of your plan?" Dukeman asked with a frown.
"No, but the High Command acted quickly before I could respond," Flaremon responded with a growl, "That was the final straw. The safety of my people is the highest priority, sadly my subordinates do not see it that way."
"Well, Colonel, if you would kindly, my men will escort you to the nearest FOB where you and your troops will be transported to camp Sparta." Flaremon hummed in approuval.
"And what about my wife?" He asked.
"Your wife?"
"Bastemon, captain." Flamedramon informed.
"I guess to a refugee camp near our base, I don't manage the civilians, you'll have to speak with the Royal Knights or my commanders." Raymond answered.
"Very well." Flaremon faced Bastemon, his companion and sweetheart, and gently took her hands with his, gazing into her eyes. "Stay safe, my love."
"You too, Flaremon-kun. Come back to me when you can." She declared passionately.
"I will." They shared a small kiss and parted ways, both escorted by Marines. BishopChessmon wordlessly followed his commander with loyalty and dignity, even admist defeat.
As they watch them go out the fort, Raymond coughed dryly, black droplets staining his glove. He quickly wiped the glove against his dirty combat shirt's sleeve and looked at Dukeman.
"I have a feeling we'll be facing insurgents after this war." He stated dreadfully.
"How so?" Asked his friend.
"The Imperium is starting to break apart, later, if we win this fight, they'll have imperial loyalist groups trying to reclaim control. It'll be Irak all over again."
"Can't fucking wait for that..." Dukeman commented with sarcasm.
"Warlord to Alpha Pack, how copy?"
"Alpha Pack to Warlord, solid copy on traffic." Responded Raymond through his headset.
"Alpha Pack, be advised, our drones have spotted two infantry companies egressing to your position three klicks to the East. Over."
"Roger that, Warlord, Alpha will hold position until tangos are eliminated. Out."
"Listen up, Marines!" Bellowed Dukeman, "Imperials are coming this way three klicks East from our position. Get to cover and prepare yourselves for a fight!"
"OORAH!" The Marines quickly regrouped with their platoon commanders, guiding each squad to their defensive position.
"Retreat?" Shouted Raymond with an eager smile.
"HELL!" The grunts shouted back with enthusiasm.
They were Marines and they were ready to fight.
September 25th 2019, Camp Sparta.
The room he was in was quite small and had minimum furnitures, two simple designed chairs and one metal table.
Earlier he has been served a cup of coffee by his request and since then, he waited patiently for his "visit".
Moments later, the door swung open, four human soldiers walked in, their eyes hidden behind their dark shades and their faces emotionless. They all stood rigidly on all four corners of the room, an assault rifle on their hands.
To his mild surprise, the fifth human to come in didn't wear any sort of military uniform. The man had more of a casual or civilian clothing on him. Held in his right hand was a notepad and a file.
The man took his seat in front of him, quietly placed the notepad and file on the table and took out a pen from his shirt's pocket. He opened the notepad, scribbled a few words and then gazed at the Flaremon.
"Leonard Wilkins, USFJ Delta Region Division." He greeted formally, his left hand extended to the digimon.
"Flaremon, former commander of 4th Legion and duke of Burgundy." Flaremon greeted back, gently grasping the man's hand and shook it.
"Now then, sir Flaremon, for today we will only limit ourselves to a couple of questions." The man explained as he reads through the files, "Do not worry, torture won't be involved... for now."
Flaremon let out a hearty laugh which caused some of the military police personels to jump in surprise, "I like your sense of humour, fitting for a cold man like you."
"That comes with the job." Wilkins muttered with his lips curled slightly upwards. "As per agreement, you will answer to our questions truthfully and sincerely." Flaremon nodded. "As a former high ranking officer to the Imperium's armed forces, what can you tell us about the Imperial High Command and the Emperor?"
Flaremon shifted slightly on his seat, his brows furrowed as he spoke up, "The High Command is made up of three Lord Generals each commanding a different branch of the Imperium's military. The Lord Generals are extremely powerful on their own but their confidence and ego have blinded them beyond reason."
"Gone mad with power?" Asked Wilkins as he continues to write down the information.
The digimon hummed, "Yes, something of the sort. The Honour Guard, under Lord General Tyrantkabuterimon's command, had recently gained more power, having more authority in the High Command than the Emperor. He is plunging Tōku Solis in corruption, violence and disorder."
"Then there is Lord General BlackSeraphimon, commanding the entire Imperial Armed forces, he was a brilliant digimon but his eagerness to expand the empire have left him devoid of reason, sticking with our outdated tactics against the human forces."
"Finally there is Lord General Tactimon, leading the Defense Force. They're responsible for the burnings and executions across the region."
"And the emperor has done nothing about these problems?" Wilkins asked with mild curiosity.
"The emperor is too caught up with his power that he doesn't realise the mess he plunged his empire into." Flaremon hissed, his hands curled into fists.
"Oh? And what do you mean by that?"
"The invasion across the digital gate, that was his lust for more ground, more power, more riches. He used to be a respected digimon but now he is hold up in his palaces. Despite numerous colossal mistakes he made, we all followed his orders without a question."
"Can you explain why the Royal Knights are unable to pinpoint his location or the fact there has been zero assassination attempts on him?" Inquired the human, now interested on the matter.
"He doesn't stay in one place. The Honour Guard move the emperor every week in numerous parts of the city. In addition to his private army, the Elite Corps, the secret police monitors the Imperial Senate 24/7. Any protests or disapproval from a member and they suddenly "disappear" " The digimon explained before he took a sip from his coffee cup.
"And how did he come to power?"
"Through brute force and perfect timing, of course. He managed to gather thousands of fanatical soldiers under his banner and pillaged the weakened continent prior his ruling." He let out a snarl, his anger was increasingly boiling.
"So why did you join him?"
"I was blinded by his promise of a prosporous empire and peaceful Digital World. But as time passes by, reality soon hits me like a Spinomon. Eversince you came to our world, more and more officers started to question the emperor, most were persecuted and executed by the Defense Guard."
Wilkins read through his notes after the interrogation. As per agreement, Flaremon had the permission to visit his wife during the day.
He got in the L-ATV, the driver started the engine and drove towards the base's headquarters. The three-story building came shortly into view. He got out of the vehicle and quickly went in the building. He made his way up to the Delta Region Division's office and swung the door open.
In the office were a couple of radio operators, SF personels and federal agents working tiredlessly on their task. The American agent strode at a quick pace towards his CO's office. He lightly knocked on the door. A gruff voice replied.
"Come in."
He got in and walked a few paces before halting in his tracks and gave a crisp salute. "First Lieutenant Leonard Wilkins, reporting from the interrogation!"
Sat behind his desk was Akita Harrison, the creator and head of the Delta Region Division, the IDDF's intelligence agency. The half-American half-Japanese man looked up from his paperwork. He was in his fifties but seemed much older due to his white hair and constant frown.
He saluted the yound man and reached his hand out, demanding for the Wilkins's report.
"Anything interesting?"
"Yes, sir. We've got the identities of the Imperial High Command, key weak spots and locations, supply routes, you name them...however the Emperor's identity remains unknown." He reported bluntly.
"Unknown? Even the VIP doesn't know him?" Harrison asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes, sir. It is said that the emperor doesn't show his face anymore... well that is what the VIP told us."
"That won't cut it, Lieutenant. The Royal Knights are uncapable to find this digimon and we've been in this wild goose chase for two years now. There's got to be something out there that will help locate and identify our target."
The office fell silent for a moment. Harrison had his hand pressed against his forehead, suppressing a light headache before letting out a sigh.
"And Hypnos can't do jack shit about this..." He muttered under his breath. He looked back at the American agent, "Interrogate him later in the afternoon, I want coherent information, concrete intels, anything that can help us defeat the Imperium. Press him." He commanded sternly.
"Will do, sir!" Wilkins replied dutifully with a salute.
The man spun on his heels and got out of the office.
"Two years..." Harrison thought bitterly, "Two years and still fucking nothing..."
"This is going to be a long war..."
October 4th 2019, Classified location, Operation "Phantom Fury".
The night was peaceful.
The moon shone down on the digital plains. The wind breezed softly on the countryside. Laid in ruins in the middle of the vast expanse of the continent's landscape was a keep. Long abandonned, a remnant of a forgotten time. Barely standing, its roof gone and moss growing on its stone walls, the keep was simply a landmark for wanderers, merchants and travellers.
However for the last three days, it had serve another purpose.
At the tallest peak, two shadows slowly crept up to the keep's balcony. The two silhouettes quietly lied on their stomachs, setting up their equipment on the old wooden planks. One of them took out a sniper rifle while the other took out a large rectangular, olive green, object with a tripod.
"Saber 2 up." Whispered the sniper onto his headset.
"Copy. Sending the Eagle, ETA five mikes."
After adjusting the object, the operator pressed a button and peered into it. To the naked eye, the object seemed to be completely useless, doing absolutely nothing, however it is actually projecting an infrared laser beam, making it undetectable. Perfect for a quick aerial drone strike.
A kilometer away from them was a lone Imperial camp, managed by a platoon of reserve troopers. Unaware to the Imperium, dozens of their combat outposts had been targeted by numerous special forces units scattered across their secondary defensive line.
The base was simple by design: a couple of barracks, a mess hall, a storage building, an armoury, a command post and four guard towers. Chain-link fence and sandbags surrounded the small camp. These camps acted as forward combat outposts, able to contact the main combat bases that surrounded the capital city in short notice. However they were poorly managed and maintained, recently due to a cut in fundings and poor management from the Imperial High Command.
Without these, the Imperium will never know when or how the enemy will strike. These were the eyes and ears of the Secondary Defensive Line.
"I have eyes locked on target location." The operator whispered to the sniper.
"Saber 2 to Sorcerer, we have a lock-on target location. Over." The sniper reported to the drone operators.
"Affirmative, laser spotted, Eagle's sending the package."
"Dropping...Now."
As if on command, a bright flash of orange suddenly appeared in the outpost shortly followed by a thick plume of smoke and dust. A powerful shockwave swept across the landscape, shooting out strong winds that could be felt farther away from the epicenter.
Then the sound came, a resounding, earth shattering, 'boom' shook the land. The keep the SFG operators were in trembled lightly, caused by the sound and shockwave.
The camp was annihilated, a "small" mushroom cloud lingered upon the devastated outpost, leaving no survivors.
Across the countryside, every outpost ended with the same result: a pile of debris and destruction, struck by an unseen aggressor. Some villages had been awoken in fright by the powerful explosions.
This was a message, war was now at their doorstep.
"Good kill, Sorcerer. Saber 2, egress back to Echo-Zone Charlie." Command ordered bluntly.
"Copy that, Predator, Saber 2's egressing to Echo-Zone Charlie." Announced the spotter operator while the sniper quickly pack up their gear.
In short notice, the two special forces operators were gone in the shades, silent and swift.
Author's Note: Happy (early) Halloween! Et Joyeuse (also early/aussi tôt) fête de la Toussaint! (Even though I don't celebrate the latter... but hey, free holiday!). That's all I have to say really... Cheers! :)