Chapter 33:
The not-so calm before the storm
October 8th 2019, Fort Mars, Apollomon Valley.
The vehicle lightly stirred as it drove through the rugged roads of the castle. A light bump shook Raymond from his small slumber, his eyes blinked a few times, his mouth let out a long yawn, making the Gunnery-Sergeant sitting next to him glance at him with a grin.
"Rough night, skipper?"
"The worst I've gotten so far," Raymond answered sincerely, rubbing his eyes before gazing at the side window, spotting the large transport helicopter making its descent on their improvised landing zone, "That and also because I had a stomach ache, Doc's pills did the opposite effect on me."
"You think you can survive until the end of the introduction to the Japs?" Dukeman asked teasingly.
"Of course, I'm a captain for a reason." Raymond responded with a smile of his own.
The L-ATV halted abruptly. Raymond readjusted himself on his seat before gazing out through the vehicle's windshield. The JSDF soldiers were in formation, their platoon leader speaking to them.
"Who are we welcoming exactly?" He asked out loud.
Dukeman stared at him dumbfounded, "You mean you didn't read the clipboard I left on your desk?"
Raymond shrugged, "Nope, I think I was too tired to even notice it." He responded truthfully.
The company sergeant groaned and rummaged through his admin pouch on his plate carrier. He took out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to Raymond. The captain unfolded it and read it silently. A small smile graced his face, and if Dukeman wasn't imagining things, a faint blush appeared on his cheeks.
Dukeman bumped the officer's shoulder with a mischievous grin, "Come on, let's go say 'hi' to your girlfriend." He said as he got out of the vehicle, the Marines sitting at the front of the vehicle stiffled their laughter.
"She's not - wait how did you know- Goddamnit, Louis!" Raymond hurried out of the vehicle, his friend already walking ahead of him with a faint smile. "Jackass..." He muttered under his breath and picked up his pace to catch up with Dukeman.
Kuribayashi watched anxiously as Itami and Raymond spoke with each other amicably, relieved and happy to see one another alive and well. Standing next to her was Kurata, whom for the pass two minutes glanced between her and the Marine captain. He lightly bumped her arm.
"Hey," He whispered discreetly, "You alright?" He asked concernly.
She simply nodded in reply. Her eyes were staring at Raymond, unable to shift her focus on anything else. Then Raymond's quickly looked at her, a soft smile appearing on his face before he returned his attention to Itami.
That soft and comforted look made Kuribayashi blush intensely. Meanwhile Kurata put two and two together and mouth gaped in surprise.
"Don't tell me-"
"Shut up, Sergeant." She warned dangerously through her gritted teeth.
He shut his mouth for a moment before he spoke up again, "Is it official?" He asked curiously.
She sighed and answered truthfully, "I don't know, we haven't talked about it yet."
"Oh. I'm sure things will go well between you two." He said optimistically.
Despite the fact that Kurata can be an idiot, in her opinion, she was also glad to have him as a friend, his optimism had a positive effect on her.
"Thanks." She said with a soft smile.
"Don't mention it."
The two officers finished their conversation and the platoon leader faced his soldiers, "Five minute break, then get your packs ready to move out!" He instructed.
The men and women did as ordered. With some sighing in relief, chatter filled the ranks, soldiers spreaded out and gathered into their own groups, smoking and talking to pass the time.
"So, how's with the new platoon?" Raymond asked as he gave Itami a water bottle.
"Different..." He answered before taking a sip of water, "Mostly rookies fresh out of boot camp."
"Jesus Christ, really?" Dukeman asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, and with Kuwahara gone, I had Tomita-san to replace him," He told them casually, "He's been a doing a good job at getting these guys in shape and always ready for combat."
"Had any of them seen combat?"
"We've been into a firefight last week that lasted an hour, don't know if you can consider them battle-hardened yet." The First Lieutenant sighed tiredly before he felt the presence of Sergeant-Major Tomita.
"Captain, Gunnery-Sergeant," He greeted formally with a nod.
"How does it feel to be a senior now, Tomita?" Raymond asked amusingly.
The tall man chuckled and took off his helmet, running a hand through his black hair to maintain it upward, "Not easy, sir, some of them are just too young to be here, they prefer sight-seeing the Digital World than doing their actual job."
"Don't worry, Sergeant-Major, we'll have them shaped up in one time," Dukeman said, a sadistic smile slowly crept on his lips, "We'll make them suffer, alright."
A loud horn caught everyone's attention. They all looked at the direction of the sound to see two military transport trucks approaching the area.
"Get your packs! We're moving out!" Bellowed Tomita.
"I'll see you guys back at HQ." Itami said before he hurried over his packs.
The transport trucks lined up and waited for the Japanese soldiers to hop on board. In an orderly line, the JSDF troopers got in the vehicles, weapon slung on one side and the combat pack held on the other.
Dukeman and Raymond watched them silently as they go by. Raymond gave small nods of acknowledgement to the members of the original Third Recon team, recognizing their faces instantly. Lastly, his eyes met Kuribayashi's. She slowed down her pace and smiled warmly at him, a light blush present on her cheeks. He replied with his own, awkwardly waving 'hello' at her. She did the same before she went on the transport.
Once the vehicles drove to the JSDF's barracks, Dukeman decided to break the small silence that fell between them.
"So is it official or not?"
"What?"
"Your relationship with her." The senior NCO precised. Immediately Raymond looked away nervously, his cheeks heating up.
"Not sure, actually, I haven't told her yet."
"Tch," Dukeman shook his head in disappointment as he makes his way to the L-ATV, "You should tell her before it's too late."
"I'll tell sooner or later," Raymond responded with a shrug.
"This week," Dukeman instructed firmly, though with a faint grin.
"Fine, I'll tell her this week."
October 12th 2019, Fort Mars.
"Target!"
Rifles roared instantly, high-speeding bullets hitting their targets made of a slab of metal. Metallic 'pings' echoed across the hundred meters firing range. The line of Marines and JGSDF soldiers kept firing their weapons almost simultaneously.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Dukeman shouted as he strides behind the line of soldiers, his eyes inspecting each man and woman on the range, "Inspection, ARMS!"
The men and women in uniforms took out their magazine, pointing their rifle's muzzle at the ground, pulled the rifle's bolt and glanced at the chamber to ensure the weapon's safety. Once the safety inspection was done, they stood straightly with their weapon held close to their torso, muzzle pointed at the ground of course.
"Fall in! Third rank up!" Tomita shouted the orders.
Meanwhile Itami and Raymond stared closely at the soldiers, making sure that no mistakes were done. Both officers had clipboards with them, noting down the soldier's performance at the range.
For the new members of the Third Recon team (or "unit" as it recently changed its name), training with the Marines had taken quite a toll on them. Some of the men were sleep deprived, exhausted or extremely hungry, having not enough time to get a proper breakfast or lunch. Most of the time they would empty their meal out while jogging to the range. But they also proved the veterans that they were determined to win and can handle some of the punishment.
"Ready, Target!"
Kuribayashi lifted the Type 89 rifle almost on instinct, the movement and feel of the rifle on her was second nature to her, part of her. Her chest hunched over, hands grasping firmly the rifle, her right cheek resting on the stock and her right eye focused behind the red dot sight.
She held her breath in, slowly squezzing the trigger until she felt the oh so familiar kick against her right shoulder. The rifle recoiled slightly upwards, the sight jerked up as the bullet shot out of the barrel, hitting the black painted slab of steel at the chest. She breathed out, her index letting go of the trigger and refocused the red dot on the target. Shortly after she fired the second and so on, firing in quick successions until she emptied her whole magazine.
She took the empty mag out, racked the bolt open, glanced at the chamber and released the bolt, a sharp 'snap' rang to her ears. She straightened her back and lowered her rifle, waiting for further orders.
"Inspection, ARMS!" She waited as the others applied the order, going through their inspection, "Reload!" She fetched through her plate carrier and pulled out a fresh 30-round magazine. She dumped the empty one on her dump pouch buckled to her side and placed the new mag in the rifle.
"Target!"
She repeated the same automatic actions, like a working machine, a programmed drone, everything felt right at home for her.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!"
"Inspection, ARMS!"
She went through her quick rifle inspection and waited patiently. As Tomita was scolding a FNG for not doing the proper weapon inspection, her gaze shifted off to the side and to Raymond.
The Marine officer had his dark shades on and helmet off, his messy black hair barely short enough for regulations. He ran a hand through his hair, wiping the sweat and grime on his forehead. He then took off his glasses for a moment and peeped at Kuribayashi, who was still staring at him.
He somehow looked concerned for her and grimaced, pointing at her direction, or was it behind her?
"Master Sergeant!" She heard Tomita yelling at her.
She snapped back to reality and jerked her head towards the Sergeant-Major. "Get your head out of the clouds and fall in!" He lightly scolded her, making her flushed in embarrassment in front of the whole platoon.
She hurried back to her rank, taking off her combat helmet and pratically shooting her arm out for her water bottle.
Sitting on a metal table near her, Kurata stared at her with genuine worry. "Are you okay, Shino-sama?" He asked lowly, using her informal name, "You seemed frozen in place out there."
"I'm fine, Takeo, just... thinking about stuffs." She dismissively answered.
Not wanting to press further, Kurata held himself from asking any more questions and pretended to be satisfied with the answer given to him.
Later in the evening, Kuribayashi had been called over to Itami's office/personal quarter. She lightly knocked on the wooden door.
"Enter!" She heard him said across the room.
She opened the door and went in. The platoon leader was behind his desk, his eyes intensely focused on a map before his head perked up, it was evident that he didn't have enough sleep since they've arrive in the fort.
"You wanted to see me, Lieutenant?" She asked curiously. It surprised her the fact that Itami of all people wanted to speak to her in private.
"Yup," He answered as he stood up from his seat and making his way towards her with a plastic bag in hand, "In fact, follow me." He instructed, opening the door for her and lead her out of the room.
The two Japanese soldiers walked down the corridors of the keep. Itami hasn't told her the reason why he called her in the first place.
"Um, Lieutenant, where are we going?" She asked in perplex.
"We're visiting someone," He quickly replied, "Actually, you're visiting someone." That still doesn't make any sense to her at all.
In fact, it's making her boiling with anger that her commander is playing with riddles. Just as she was about to speak out her protest, Itami halted in front of a door. "And we're here. Take this."
He handed to her the plastic bag, it had two fresh cans of ice tea. How he got these, she will never know nor does she currently care; there are other pressing issues to adress first.
"What the-"
"I'm doing you a service here," He cut her off, "Go see him and at least tell him." He told her with a comforting smile, which didn't work on her. It did the opposite effect.
"What?! You can't be serious?" He is serious.
"I am serious." He affirmed.
"B-but why?"
"Because I want to help. That, and I've made a huge bet with the guys," He said while shrugging nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I made sure no one will notice you two. Now go in." He started to walk to the opposite direction, giving her thumbs ups for good luck.
Just when he was out of her sight, she began to panic in place, "Just what the fuck is going now?!" She looked left and right, pacing in place, her mind going a thousand miles per hour, her heartbeat matching the fire rate of a machine gun and an endless amount of butterflies fluttered deep in the pit of her guts.
She sighed in frustration but steeled her resolves, fuck it, she brought herself in this mess might as well make a shot for it. She tightly balled her fists and shakingly raised her right fist. She firmly hit her knuckles against the thick wooden frame of the door.
"Come in." Raymond replied from the other side.
Smooth and easy, she opened the door.
He got in his personal quarters, mentally tired after hours of going through tactics and plans for the upcoming invasion.
Dukemon sighed and slowly took off his armour piece by piece. While doing so, the day's event kept running through his mind.
Tokū Solis is a large city, the largest in the whole continent – about two thirds of Tokyo – whatever that meant from the humans. With a population of three million, excluding the Legions and reserves stationed in there, it will be hard to breach through the city without military and civilian casualties.
The enemy is well fortified and dug in, despite the fact that the Imperials were completely surrounded from all sides by the coalition except from the vast Huanglongmon Ocean. It is so far the largest military operation in Digimon history, far larger than the beach landings in Operation Normandy, with over four hundred thousand digimon on the ground with an additional two hundred thousand from the IDDF, the Imperium was greatly outnumbered and outgunned.
But somehow these statistics did not shake off a strong feeling of dread that was eating his guts and mind. It is a guarantee that men will die shortly after making boots on Imperial soil.
"Probably in the hundreds in a few days." Duftmon's cold statement made him shudder under his skin.
No matter how much he wanted to prove Duftmon wrong, the Royal Knight Tactician was right. Humans aren't digimon, they can't measure their strenghts like they could with other digimon. Each human being has a high probability to get killed no matter how skillful they are in battle.
It just takes one attack to kill one or more humans in seconds. It was a grim thought but this is the reality of this conflict; men will die once the operation starts.
Dukemon sighed and lied on his makeshift bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He slowed his breathing, calming his nerves as he tries to go to sleep.
"Y'know this should be the "calm before the storm" thing, right?" Came UlforceVeedramon's humourous statement when they were in the war room.
"So much for that..." He grimly muttered before finally closing his eyes, catching up on whatever amount of sleep he can get.
The two of them remained silent for three solid minutes, that felt more like three hours straight. Neither of them spoke up.
Kuribayashi walked in his room just when he was about to put his combat shirt on. And now here they are, frozen in place and blushing madly. Fortunately she closed the door the second after she went in.
She gazed at his bare chest before looking back up into his eyes. He just kept his eyes on hers during the whole time.
Slowly, Raymond put his shirt on and cleared his throat to break the awkward silence.
"Need anything?" He asked nervously.
Kuribayashi snapped back from her trance and vigorously nodded, "I want t-to talk with y-you about s-something..." She said through her stutter.
Raymond silently nodded and gestured to sit next to him on the folding cot next to his small desk. They sat down, leaving only a foot of space between them.
"Um, here..." She shyly gave him the plastic bag.
He took it and peered into it. There were two cans of ice tea. "T-thanks..." He grabbed one and gave the other to Kuribayashi.
They opened their beverage can and took a small sip in synch. Silence fell again between the two, neither of them wanted to speak, but deep down, they wanted to express something. That was when Raymond decided to steel his resolve, "I'm a captain for a reason, for fuck's sake!" He thought to himself.
He sighed and-
"I love you." The woman next to him blurted out, cutting him off.
He looked at her, she was avoiding his gaze while her cheeks flared into a darker shade of red. Nervously, she stared back at him, her mouth and eyes quivering with fear. That was new to him. She was always so confident in herself, heck even aggressive, in a very stressful environment, but now there she is, shying away like a small puppy.
"...Cute..." He inwardly commented at the thought.
Sadly sighing she looked away, she knew that she was rushing things, especially at a inappropriate time. She could be punished and, at the very least, be suspended from active duty or worst case scenario, be dishonorably discharged for misconduct.
She felt her hand being clasped with his, squeezing her hand in comfort. She glanced at their intertwined hands before staring back at him, a soft smile curving on his lips.
"I... I know this is not the right time nor the most romantic, but..." He sighed, his thumb gently stroking her hand, "I-I love you too..."
They stared at each other in silence, their hearts beating in synch now that they've confessed their feelings for one another. Slowly, they both leaned forward, their eyes slowly closing before their lips met. It was first a gentle, soft kiss. They pulled back and stared at each other's eyes.
Filled with love and joy, Shino rushed in, clashing her lips with his with more vigour, more passion, letting her heart blossom with this new, foreign and warm feeling in her chest.
He felt his heart rate rising by the seconds. For the first time in years, he felt that strong feeling, love, it is powerful, comforting, warm. Sure he had being in a relationship back in highschool and in his early years as a Marine grunt, but this one felt stronger, better... perfect.
And then the universe decided to toy with him.
Dukeman walked in the room holding two cups of coffee. The Gunnery-Sergeant almost tripped on the floor once he noticed the couple kissing. Raymond was thankful that Louis was mindful enough to immediately close the door.
Another awkward silence fell in the room. Kuribayashi and Raymond stared at Dukeman with wide eyes, like deers staring at an incoming car. She felt her face draining of colours as dread came up her spine. Raymond nervously gulped.
"You forgot that I just moved in this quarter, huh?" Kuribayashi gazed at the other side of the room and sure enough there was a second folding cot.
"Well, is it official now?" Came Dukeman's question.
She looked at Raymond with a confused look. He glanced at her, sheepishly grinned and gave a nod at Dukeman. He sighed in relief with a roll of his eyes.
"Finally! Took you long enough to have some balls!"
She observed the two in bewilderment and perplexion, things are making less and less sense as time goes by.
"You're not angry?" She meekly asked.
Dukeman held his hands up, though carefully to not spill the coffee on himself, "Didn't see anything nor do I know what you did, I have a very short memory span," He replied with a playful wink, "As much as I hate to ruin your little moment, skipper, I suggest that the Master Sergeant should regroup with her unit before someone else finds her here."
"You're right..." She complied and stood up.
She walked towards the door and quietly pulled open. She peeped left and right and glanced behind, waving shyly at her new boyfriend before quickly making her way out.
He stayed silent after she left, suddenly overwhelmed with the emotion. He stared at his can of ice tea before noticing her's on the ground just at the corner of his field of view. He took the second and drank his beverage whole.
He raised the second can in the air before taking a sip from it. "Cheers, love."
October 14th 2019, Fort Mars.
The gust of wind blew around the landing zone. Raymond shielded his eyes from the assaulting wind of dust and small pebbles as the UH-1Y Venom made its slow descent. Coming out of the transport helicopter were two figures.
"Welcome to Fort Mars, Colonel!" Raymond greeted Colonel Eversman loudly with a firm salute, "It's good to see you again!"
"Likewise, Captain!"
Raymond escorted the two individuals away from the dust cyclone and towards the waiting L-ATVs. Once clear from the small tornado, Raymond spotted Lieutenant-Colonel Richards.
"Colonel Richards, it is nice to see you again!" He greeted formally with a salute.
"Likewise, Captain. I see that you're still kicking ass out here." Raymond chuckled and clasped his hand with his, happily shaking it.
"Your ride is waiting for the both of you, they will take you straight to C HQ. I need to wait a few more minutes for the Royal Knights." Raymond explained to the high-ranking officers.
The men nodded and strided to their designated transport. He watched as the vehicle drove off. Dukeman got out of the driver's seat, jumped out of the vehicle and leaned against its large, metallic frame.
"Who are we actually expecting, Captain?"
"Alphamon, Omegamon, Ouryuumon and Duftmon... I think." He answered sincerely.
"Heh, speak of the devil." Dukeman pointed out to the sky, a group of flying digimon coming towards them.
The Royal Knights and the Captain of the Strike Forces touched the fort's stone ground. The Mega-level digimon observed the current state of the fort. They then noticed Raymond approaching, his signature smile greeted them.
"Welcome to Fort Mars, Royal Knights," He said with a friendly tone, "And Captain Ouryuumon," He added teasingly, receiving a scoff from the serpentine dragon.
Alphamon chuckled and gave a pat on Ouryuumon's back, "Light up for once, friend," He suggested with a smile behind his helmet.
"I'll "light up" once I can get a decent break after the war, Alphamon," The dragon shot back bluntly.
"My higher-ups are waiting for you at HQ," Raymond reported dutifully.
"Then lead the way, Captain," Responded Alphamon.
The four digimon flew at low altitude while following the massive L-ATV vehicle. Along the way to HQ, they received surprised looks from passing human soldiers, either in training or on patrol.
Arriving at the keep, the digimon followed on foot the two humans in the fortification. Leading them through the hallways, Raymond chatted with the five digimon to pass the time until they've reached the meeting room.
The room was a large open hall, now filled with numerous military equipment, communication systems, computers and military personels doing their job. In the middle of the room laid a long, rectangular wooden table. On it laid the map of the imperial city and its surroundings, markers and pins displayed on the map.
Around the table of operation were Colonel Eversman, Lieutenant-Colonel Richards, Captain Middendorf, Captain Torres of Charlie Company with their respective company sergeants and XO, First Lieutenant Sullivan and First Lieutenant Itami with Sergeant-Major Tomita.
The group of officers and senior NCOs, perked up at the arrival of the digimon. They formally greeted each other and began to report on the current situation.
"The JGSDF is currently low on manpower to conduct a full frontal attack. That is why Colonel Hazama is spreading 1st and 2nd Combat force to other friendly forces while the 4th Air Combat force will drop on the city with the 1st Airborne Brigade and other airborne units." Eversman told the Royal Knights.
"You plan on sending every men to the front?" Captain Ouryuumon inquired curiously while Duftmon examined the map attentively, taking in account the IDDF's movements and attacks.
"We plan on ending the war as soon as possible; we will be hitting them hard and fast where it truly hurts." The Colonel replied firmly and confidently, "First, at early morning, our air forces will precision strike key enemy locations to cripple their ability to support and supply themselves, disrupting their communications and heavy support assets as well as reducing a great chunk of their defenses. Then, special forces and airborne units will drop in and capture critical locations such as railway stations and airfields for example. Finally, the main ground force will strike the city on all sides with armour at the lead." As he goes on with the plan, he pointed at the map their movements and enemy locations, "Once we push through the city, we will establish FOBs and link with the airborne units until we push back and strike at the city's heart, the Imperial Palace."
The Royal Knights remained silent, Duftmon stroked his chin thoughtfully. The humans' way of warfare was far different than those of the digimon, it was manoeuvre warfare: to defeat the enemy by incapacitating their decision-making through shock and disruption. It was more efficient, cutting off their strongpoints and the rest will collapse. Combined with the controlled chaos and confusion caused by the airborne and special forces units, even a well fortified enemy can fall quickly.
Unlike tactics used by most digimon militaries, which involves masses of armies clashing with each other in a war of attrition, this was not a hammer striking the enemy, this was more of a surgical strike, sliting the enemy's throat with careful precision and let them bleed out.
Duftmon had studied human historical and ancient warfare, finding similarities between theirs and the humans military strategies. However he noted that warfare tend to evolve for the humans, becoming faster paced and closer ranged. Modern soldiers were trained to overwhelm the enemy with volume of fire instead of accurate fire unlike their predecessors of World War II. The use of combined force had shown to be more effective at defeating an enemy.
For once, he liked the humans' military mindset: break the enemy's will to fight instead of their numbers.
Alphamon decided to speak up while giving Duftmon more time to think a suitable strategy, "The Draconic Republic and the UAF had spared some of their units to our Aerial Strike Force, this should increase our capacity to cripple enemy defense at the early hours." The Aloof Hermit looked at Ouryuumon for confirmation.
"Affirmative, Hippogriffomon and I have two hundred troops at our disposal, this should even the playing field against the imperials." Ouryuumon assured them sincerely.
"And what about the emperor?" Omegamon asked inquisitively.
"We can't be a hundred percent sure," Began Richards, "But the reports from the DRD and drone images we have, suggest that he is currently residing at the Imperial Palace. However we also need to take the High Command," He explained with a light frown, "It has been told that they are capable of leading the Imperium even if the big E is captured or dead."
"Captured or dead? You want to assassinate him?" The white knight asked with genuine surprise.
"No, but we can't capture him either, for all we know, he can be a powerful digimon. That is why we're leaving that task to you and your allies." Richards answered as a matter of fact.
"That also goes with the High Command," Added Raymond.
"We will have to split our forces so we can cover more ground through the chaos that will ensue." Proposed Duftmon after some careful planning.
"I agree, we need to split the knights into task forces with the Strike Forces." Alphamon said thoughtfully.
"We can also have the Legendary Warriors and the Greymon Five to aid us with our search." Added Omegamon, "Speed is key in this case if we want the chain of command to collapse on itself."
"However it is best if we go in at the same time as the main ground force." The tactician interjected, "We need to differentiate between friendly and hostile forces so that we won't go on a wild goose chase between crossfires." He pointed out diplomatically.
"We should probably assign two knights per task force, we will have a bigger chance of taking out one HVT." Suggested Ouryuumon, to which Duftmon hummed in approval.
"Then it is settled," Declared Alphamon gazing at the humans, "When will the operation begin?"
"Operation "Dragonslayer" will start in two weeks, if our preparations are ready in due time, of course." Answered Eversman with his hands clasped behind his back.
"Fitting name..." Ouryuumon mumbled sarcastically.
"In that case, we will see each other on the battlefield then," Alphamon saluted the humans with respect. The humans repeated the gesture before the digimon left the room.
And for the next two weeks, the human-digimon coalition and the Imperials prepared themselves intensely for the upcoming battle: the battle of Tokū Solis.
October 27th 2019, Fort Mars, eve of "Operation Dragonslayer".
After much preparation with the mission and equipment, the Force Recon Marines were given the rest of the day to relax at late afternoon. The Marine operators went in the mess hall and quickly took their early dinner.
Once done with eating their meal, they went off on their own way to pass the time, to relax or catch up on some sleep.
The barracks were surprisingly quiet for Renamon as she makes her way through the hallway. She halted her steps when she found her destination. Sighing, she closed her right paw to a fist and knocked on the door. She could hear rustling followed with heavy footsteps. The door opened and a smile graced her features.
"Hey," Guilmon said a hint of confusion, wondering why she was here at this time.
"Can I come in, perhaps?" She asked with a teasing tone.
"Yeah, of course, " He stepped aside and let her in. "But, uh, shouldn't you be with Recon for the preparations?" He asked unsurely as he closed the door behind the vixen.
"We're already set for the op, so we've been given a break time for the rest of the day." She explained with a shrug. She then noticed all the equipment laid on Guilmon's cot and Flamedramon's cot at the other side of the room, "Am I interrupting you?" She asked while pointing at his cot.
Guilmon stood next to her, "Not really, Flamedramon had gone off to a team leaders' meeting and I'm... just checking my stuff." He responded sincerely before staring at her, "Want me to get something for you?"
Renamon waved a paw in denial, "No thanks," She replied kindly.
She walked up to his cot, observing the military equipment he will need to carry during the operation. She noted that his pack was on the heavier side, carrying extra ammunation, MREs, water bottles and medical supplies.
"Soo, are you not too stressed out for the upcoming op?" Guilmon asked curiously to break silence.
"It'll be just like any other op we've been through in the past, just bigger." She answered bluntly, "It's nothing we can't handle."
"Yeah but... this is a big one," Guilmon said, putting more emphasis on "big", "This could end the war and maybe it will get us a ticket home." Renamon noted a tingle of doubt in his voice.
"It will end the war and we will go home, Guilmon," She reassured him with high confidence, "There is nothing you should worry about."
"Except for you," He stated glumly.
Renamon turned around and took his claws into her paws, squeezing them with comfort. She stared deeply into his eyes and smiled softly.
"I'll be fine, you can count on that."
But Guilmon didn't met her eyes, he stared at the ground with growing doubt. "I know but... I have this feeling that things will go wrong... I-I... might lose you..."
Renamon cupped her paws around his face, turning it towards her face so she can look at him face-to-face. She hardened her gaze, "You will never lose me. I will never lose you, even if you want to," She stated firmly, "No matter what, we will always, always be together. Is that clear, Lance Corporal Guilmon?"
The dragon digimon dryly chuckled, feeling a bit reassured by his mate's words, "Yes, Staff Sergeant." He responded with an amused smile.
"Good," She leaned in and kissed him passionately, stroking warmly his smooth scales on his cheeks.
She felt his claws gently holding onto her hips, a moan escaped his mouth, closed shut by her lips. The couple deepened further into the kiss, leaning their head on the side. Guilmon let her eager tongue in his mouth, felling his heart beat with more passion and love.
Acting on instinct and courage, he lifted her onto his abdomen, her legs wrapping around his waist while her lips were still linked with his.
He stumbled his way towards his cot, one claw wiping away some of his equipment to the side to make some space for his lover.
However too entranced in the heated kiss and he slipped forward, he yelped in surprise and they both landed on the cot at a weird angle, with Renamon being crushed by the metal frame of the folding cot and Guilmon's weight. The sudden weight pressure prompted the cot to flip on the side, spilling the couple and the entire equipment on the floor.
A resounding crash echoed loudly in the room. Guilmon quickly got himself off Renamon so that she wouldn't suffocate by his weight. A crimson blush heated his already red scales.
"Ah shit! I'm so sorry!" He pleaded with worry and in panic.
However Renamon simply laughed hysterically. She was howling in laughter, uncontrollably. Guilmon was completely caught off guard by her reaction, despite the fact she got hurt and crushed by him.
But slowly, he felt himself chuckling before he too laughed with her, he didn't know how or why but it felt good to just laugh.
Laughing for two straight minutes, it slowly died down into fits of giggles. Renamon wiped away a tear with her claw before wrapping her arms around Guilmon's neck lovingly, gazing into his warm golden orbs.
"I love you, you know that, right?"
Guilmon nodded in confirmation, "I know, and I love you too."
They both smiled at each other before it was Guilmon's turn to engage a kiss. Their lips locked in warmly, smoothingly. The kiss was slower paced, softer, more gentle. Much to his dismay, Renamon reluctantly retracted her lips away with an amused, sly grin.
"You just swore three minutes ago." She stated playfully, making him tilt his head sideways.
"I did?" He shrugged and pressed his forehead against hers lovingly, making her hum pleasantly in response, "Maybe I did..." He said nonchalantly before giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
October 28th 2019, 0400 hours, three hours in the operation.
Colonel Eversman climbed on top of the Amtrak, a megaphone in one hand. He gazed at the sea of Marines as they were gathered around him.
"Marines!" His amplified voice reached out to them, "Today, we will embark on a difficult mission to end this war. For almost three years, we've been fighting tooth and nails through hell and back again. We've lost many brothers and sisters in arms but their sacrifices were not in vain. Marines, the eyes of the world are upon you, the fate of our future rests in your hands. Today, marks an important event in our History, in Humanity's History and we will be the victors! I am proud of your achivements that go far and beyond the call of duty and that is why I call once again, needing your outmost courage, devotion to duty and skill to battle, to perform your task with determination and unshakeable will to defeat the enemy and win this fight! The hopes and prayers of your families will accompany you in this very difficult time. You will destroy the Imperial war machine and assure the freedom of this world and ours. This will not be easy for the enemy is well-trained and battle-hardened, the will fight savagely. I have full confidence that will overcome the obstacles and crush our foes. We will accept nothing but full victory. They've started this war, we will end it! May the Almighty God bless each and everyone of you and Retreat Hell!"
"RETREAT HELL!" The unified shouts of the Digital Marines roared across the fort.
The Marines ran to their designated ground vehicles. The men, women and digimon in uniform were ready and pumped up to ride to battle. The machines of war roared to life. Columns of armoured vehicles drove out of the fort, flying above the large formation of ground forces were attack helicopters and high speeding jets passing ahead of them with their distinct screechs.
All around the city, the armies of the IDDF were mobilised to battle, the horns of war had been heard.
Thus the First "Digital Marines" Battalion will go once again into hell, known as the battlefield.