The Third Side

While the majority of the deserters of the Imperial and Vassal Armies banded together to attack the City of Italica, as the statement suggested, not all of them decided to join the siege. For some, continuing their raiding of the countryside was both easier and more profitable. Even the best militia of the villages was nothing compared to the might of those who used to serve under the standard.

That was how a small detachment of cavalry-turned-bandit found themselves following a large group of refugees heading towards the city. Just as one expected from refugees, most of them were merely civilians, carrying only belongings that their bodies could carry, though one or two carriages were traveling alongside them.

Normally, they would simply charge at the group and scattered the people before galloping away with their valuables. However, these refugees were accompanied by someone that they could only describe as a giant clad in blue armor. The figure appeared to be armed with only a staff, yet his size meant that even a punch from him would be quite deadly to the receiver.

"What do we do now, sir?" One of the horsemen asked his superior.

"Hmm," The commanding officer observed their target. "The refugees are quite spread out and there's only one of the…giant. Nevertheless, we should test the water first: attack the ones furthest from that man."

"Yes, sir!"

The cavalry moved to the position so that they could approach the group without being seen until they were close enough. With their swords in hand, the riders began to trot towards their targets. When they were still a bit far though, one of the refugees just so happened to turn his head and noticed them coming; this forced the horsemen to increase their speed despite the distance.

As panic spread among the group, the giant in blue armor ran with a speed that was not expected from someone as big as him. He raised his hand…

The last thing that the former soldiers of the vassal kingdoms witnessed was the lightning that turned them into ashes.

According to the Codex Astartes, a Chapter of Space Marine was to be split into ten companies. Among them, the 10th Company was also known as the Scout Company. As the name suggested, the Scout Company was responsible for stealth, reconnaissance, sabotage, and any other activities one would give to scouts. Being a scout was also a phase every Astartes experienced before becoming a full-fledged battle-brother and receiving their Black Carapace, the final implant of a Space Marine.

In the middle of their penitent crusade, the Lamenters realized something; with more of their scouts graduating – or dying trying - into battle-brothers and not being allowed to recruit until their crusade was completed, who would be responsible for the duty of the 10th Company?

At first, the answer was easy: The Vanguard Space Marines who were the standing and permanent force within the Company. But as their rank took casualties, it was clear that another solution must be discovered. In the end, some of the battle-brothers decided to once more wear their Scout Armor and took up the positions that were meant for the Neophytes.

It was also a good thing that many of those battle-brothers used to be Scout Sergeants.

Currently, a squad of Scouts was tasked to provide escort for a group of refugees. It was a task usually given to the likes of Tactical Marines, but when the mission was given, only the Scouts were available to be sent immediately. And time was of the essence.

Scout Sergeant Israel observed his surroundings before looking at the group of humans and abhumans that his squad was tasked to protect. Currently, they were resting near a water source from which the refugees could refill their supply of the precious liquid. He noticed how some of them looked back at him before turning their gazes away, their faces filled with…not fear, but something that could be considered as one.

It made sense, the Astartes thought. Even among the people who looked at them with reverence and awe, the sight of a Space Marine was one that would usually fill people full of emotion. These people had never heard of anything regarding the Imperium, especially the Adeptus Astartes. It was quite a miracle – he had to admit – that they didn't become panicked during the first contact between them.

BANG

In less than a heartbeat, the rest of the Scouts went to alert. Without wasting any time, Israel ran towards the source of the gunshot, revealing the culprit to be a Scout armed with a sniper rifle.

"Report!" He gave the order.

"Several bandits approaching our position." The man replied. "I managed to hit the leader and send them away, but likely not for long."

The Scout Sergeant nodded in agreement. For some reason, many of the soldiers-turned-bandits exhibited quite a worryingly lack of care for one's life. You could still break their morale, but don't expect such a solution to be a permanent one. It was as if these people were on their way to becoming Khornate cultists.

He really hoped that this was not the case.

The Astartes returned to where the refugees were. Unsurprisingly, their faces showed variations of shock at the sound of the weapon. He looked around for a bit before finding the person he was looking for.

"Village Chief," Israel spoke as he moved towards him. "Tell your villagers to get ready. We're leaving this place."

"Y-Y-Yes, Lord!" The old man stuttered for a bit before telling his people to be ready for their journey.

As they left their resting site, the Scout Sergeant used his own sniper rifle to observe the spot where one of his men had detected the bandits. As expected, whatever shock the death of their commander had caused them, was now gone and they were now attempting another approach.

With a pull of the trigger, the bandits were once more forced to retreat.

They were moving too fast, that was something that Bozes actually agreed with Hamilton.

While a horse could run faster than a human, especially when galloping, it was not something that the animal could have done in a long time. There was a reason why – during a cavalry charge – the running was only done during the last hundreds of meters. Plus, the speed that the relief force was currently in could mean that they would be too tired to offer any meaningful help to the defenders of Italica when they arrived.

However, the blonde knight also knew that time was of the essence for the city. It was still unknown who exactly attacked Italica; while the Men in Green from the other side of the Gate were the prime suspect, it was also possible that a vassal state was responsible for the action. With their army beaten at the Alnus Hill and the scorched earth policy enacted by the emperor, they had more than enough reason to attack not only an important agricultural area but also a major trade route.

"Bozes!" Hamilton suddenly shouted to her. "I see something in the distance."

"Any clue on what it might be?" She asked her.

"Not…really." The brown-haired woman said, squinting her eyes. "It's something…box, that's all I could say."

"I see." The blonde noblewoman nodded. "Tell the rest of the force to get ready. For all we know, it might be hostile."

"Of course."

As they slowly approached the mysterious thing, it was soon revealed that there were people around the boxy-thing; said thing appeared to be made from metal. When they were only a hundred meters or two, one of the people around the metal box – a woman with brown hair of exotic features – noticed their arrival and spoke to others, causing them to move to take a position. The box also moved, pointing its long tube towards them.

The brunette raised her hand, indicating that she wanted them to stop. As much as Bozes wanted to simply continued the journey towards Italica, she noticed that there was more than one metal box and all of them were blocking the way. It appeared that the choice was already made for them; while they could move on the grasses, it would also considerably slow down their advance.

Speaking of which, she noticed that the woman was wearing a dark blue uniform. In other words, she was likely not part of the Men in Green. Whether she was hostile or not was still not confirmed.

"Halt!" The brunette spoke in a quite strange accent. "Please identify yourself!"

"Bozes Co Palesti of the Rose Order." The knight immediately answered. "To whom am I speaking?"

"Major Miho Nishi of Senshadou 32nd Armored Regiment." She introduced herself. "You are…local military of this region, yes?"

"That is indeed correct." The blonde wondered how the woman didn't know it. While female warrior was a rare sight, their armor should be enough to indicate their allegiance. "What is going on over here?"

"One of our vehicles broke down and the cogboys took their time in repairing it." The Major clicked her tongue. "It would be quite a while until we could move."

"Damn it!" Hamilton – who had been listening – cursed. "I know I might sound like a hypocrite saying this, but we don't have time to wait. We need to get to Italica as soon as…"

"Wait," Miho Nishi interrupted her. "You said 'Italica?'"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Italica…Italica…" The brunette muttered the name for a while before her eyes widened. "Oh, don't worry then. Out forces had repelled the bandits who attacked the city. Currently, they're in negotiation with…Countess Formal and Princess Pina Co Lada."

"R-Really?" It sounded hard to believe, but Bozes also knew that the woman had no reason to lie to her; there was no sense of even restrained hostility in her tone. "T-That's good to…"

"Major, we just receive a message from the Lamenters!" From the metal box, a woman with lighter brown hair emerged. "There's now a truce between the Rose Order and the Japanese. We can safely say that the soldiers in green uniform are not hostile."

"Soldiers in green uniform…" It didn't take a genius to figure out who that woman was referring to. Unsurprisingly, it caused the leader of the relief force to be shocked. "Wait, what?!"

When the Valkyrie landed near the city, Captain Gavriel hoped that this meant that the negotiation could finally continue. Once the rear ramp was opened, the man that they had been waiting for emerged from the aircraft with the company of a squad of Kasrkin bodyguards.

"Lord Astartes." The man smiled before giving him a small bow.

"Lord General Castor." The Space Marine gave a nod in response. "You have been debriefed of the situation, I take it?

"Indeed." The General of the Imperial Guard looked at the data-slate that he held in his hand. "It is a shame that the ruler of this city is unable to look at Space Marines without trembling, but I suppose it is to be expected considering how young she is."

"You have our thanks for willingly taking upon this task." The Captain replied.

"Please, Lord, this is nothing compared to when your Chapter rescued my men and I from that Pleasure World," Castor said as he walked towards the city. "I swear to the Emperor, if I don't know better, those Tyranids were there to avenge their kin that I hunted…"

While he muttered that sentence under his breath, Gavriel could still listen to it due to his enhanced hearing. Personally, the Lamenter thought that such a theory might not be too out there, considering how Tyranids possessed a Hive Mind. However, in the end, was it matter whether the space locusts wanted to eat you to avenge their kin or simply because you are the nearest source of food?

Inside the hall that was designated to be the meeting place, the atmosphere was that of awkwardness. The meeting that took place was between two conflicting factions who joined hands due to unexpected circumstances which were then joined by the third faction that decided to deal with the circumstances in question.

On one side was the Saderan Empire, defenders of the City of Italica, represented by Countess Myui Formal and Princess Pina Co Lada, though due to the youth and inexperience of the former, it was the latter who held most of the authority.

On another side was Japan, a nation that was invaded by Sadera not that long ago, represented by the Japan Self-Defense Force which sent a small team to trade wyvern's scales for local currency but instead got involved in the defense of Italica.

Then there was the third side, the Imperium of Man, represented by the Lamenter Space Marine Chapter and the attached Imperial Guard forces. It was this third side that was actually responsible for repelling the bandits and saving Italica.

With the agreement between the Empire and Japan had been reached, it was now the turn for one between Sadera and the Imperium to be made. From her throne, Pina had to admit that – despite having done nothing but help them with the bandit issue – she was much more intimidated by the saviors of Italica. For one, it was due to the presence of the two giants – Space Marines, if she remembered the name correctly – who observed the room in their full armor with their weapons remaining in their hands.

And it wasn't just them, the normal human bodyguards also retained their weapons when protocols dictated that weapons were to be stored away during a negotiation between two or more parties. It was only because they possessed no power to demand it that the Saderan side allowed such a breach to happen.

Speaking of which, the princess noticed that the JSDF was quite worried at the presence of the armed men as well.

"Lord General Ricardo Castor, that is who I am." The uniformed man with a moustache introduced himself. "I am here to act as the representative between the Lamenter Space Marine Chapter along with the attached forces and the City of Italica."

"Princess Pina Co Lada, legal guardian of Countess Myui Formal." She introduced herself in return. "You have our thanks for rescuing our city from those loathsome bandits."

"The gesture is appreciated, Your Highness." He replied. "However, by no means of insulting it, I believe that there is a way for you to pay it back."

"Do you have any demand then?" Pina became more serious upon hearing it.

"You see, Your Highness, it is not exactly our intention to arrive at your world. Before we arrived here, we were being chased by a swarm of…terrible monsters. Our ships had to perform some risky maneuvers which caused us to end up here.

"We do not intend on asking much, Your Highness; we simply ask for your kindness in providing hospitality."

It didn't take long for the princess to interpret the meaning behind the statement. To put it in the most direct way possible, Castor was asking for Italica – which also meant the Empire – to allow them to build a base on their land along with providing them with provisions. The idea was not unheard of; offering land to be settled had been a tactic used by the Saderan Empire for centuries to assimilate various nomadic tribes.

However, it was clear that the Space Marine Chapter and forces allied to it had no intention of settling permanently. Plus, such an offer usually needed approval from the emperor, so…

"Of course, we're not demanding it for free." The Lord General suddenly spoke. "If you're willing to fulfill our request, then the Imperium is more than willing to help Italica deal with its current problems in exchange."

"Helping us?" Countess Formal finally spoke up.

"According to the information that we have gathered, the bandits that tried to attack Italica were simply the biggest group; there are still many of them scattered around the region. And even if you're able to eradicate them, there's still the issue of public safety." He explained. "All of these problems, you can't solve them because you lack the necessary manpower."

And the Imperium was more than willing to provide it.

Pina didn't know if it was intentional, but Castor had just put her between Scylla and Charybdis. Italica was important to the Empire for both agricultural and trade reasons. If the matter of bandits was not dealt with and nothing was done to prevent it from reoccurring, then the farmers wouldn't be able to tend the fields and the merchants wouldn't dare to use the roads, putting the Empire in a rather bad situation.

Sure, some of the knights of her Order were currently leading a relief force heading towards the city (which was no longer needed), but no matter how well-trained they were, they simply didn't have the number to guard not just Italica, but also the countryside and highways.

This…would be a long negotiation.

"I believe we could come to an agreement." She decided to say only that.

Nevertheless, it was enough to bring a smile to the Lord General's face.

Once they were done with the negotiation, the trio of mage, elf, and Apostle headed back towards their room. However, the blue-haired girl suddenly stopped as she turned her head elsewhere.

"Is there something wrong, Lelei?" The blonde elf asked, noticing the change in her behavior.

"Nothing." The mage immediately replied. "Excuse me, but I remember that I have some business that I want to do."

"If you say so," Rory stated. "Come on, Tuka. Let's not keep the green men waiting."

After the separation, Lelei wasted no time heading towards the source of magic power that she detected. It was quite a subtle one, to the point that only she – the one who dwelled in arcane knowledge – was able to sense it.

A part of her admitted that what she was doing was quite reckless. As far as she could tell, she was the only mage in this city, and yet here she was, detecting another source of magic. Her curiosity, however, prevailed over her cautiousness. Besides, considering the presence of the JSDF and the other military, there should be nothing in the mansion that could possess any danger.

When she arrived at the garden section of the residence, the mage girl noticed that a Space Marine was standing near a fountain. Unlike others that she saw, this one was wearing blue armor and in his right hand was a staff with a decoration in the shape of an open book attached to it.

"As I have expected." The man suddenly spoke as he turned his attention toward her. "Forgive my impertinence, but are you capable of manipulating psychic power?"

"Psychic power?" Lelei said in a confused tone. "Do you mean magic?"

"Hmm, magic…yes, I suppose that's how it would be viewed in this Feudal World." The Marine muttered for a while. "Where are my manners? I am Epistolary Proculus, a Librarian of the Lamenters."

"Lelei La Lalena." She gave her name. "Librarian? As in the one who takes care of the library?"

"Not exactly incorrect. From your perspective, you can say that the mages are responsible for taking care of the…library of the Chapter." Proculus stated. "How much have you learned of the local magic system?"

"I have studied at Rondel. It is where mages from all over the continent gathered to study arcane arts and perform their research."

"I see." The Librarian nodded. "Miss Lalena, I have a proposition for you; one that I believe would be beneficial for both of us."

"Hmm?"

"In exchange for your knowledge, what do you think of learning magic from those who sailed through the stars?"

"So, for the record, how big a fiasco this event would result?"

"I am not sure an appropriate word for it exists in the dictionary, Itami."

Inside the room provided for the members of the JSDF, the otaku soldier couldn't help but let out a long sigh. As if dealing with a foreign invasion that threatened the very capital city of Japan itself was not bad enough.

The knowledge regarding the "Lamenter Space Marine Chapter" and the "Imperial Guard" was quite lacking due to how recent their appearance was in this conflict, but it was clear to anyone with half a brain that they were much more militarized compared to the JSDF. None of them had witnessed the Space Marines in action, but considering their armors and weapons, it was clear that any fight between the JSDF and the Lamenters would be…a difficult one.

Heck, just the Marines walking around was enough to put a feeling of dread in the hearts of professional soldiers. Fighting them would likely result in a worse feeling.

The Imperial Guards – likely the normal human supporters of the Lamenters – were no slouch either. While their gears appeared quite battered for a space-faring civilization, Itami had looked at them in the eyes and immediately knew that the men and women responsible for the safety of Lord General Castor possessed more experience than any member of the JSDF, regardless of how old the latter was.

So, not only did they have to stop the Saderan Empire from attacking Japan in such a way that they wouldn't create their own Iraq and Afghanistan, but they also had to deal with the military of a space-faring civilization that for some reason decided to get involved with the conflict and then stayed for a while.

No pressure.

"I do, however, could think of one possibility." Colonel Kengun, the leader of the JSDF relief force, stated.

"Oh?" Itami blinked at the statement.

"I am sure you have heard how there's going to be a press conference by the Diet and some of the soldiers are going to get invited to act as witnesses." The older man explained. "I believe that when the news reached the brass, the ones invited wouldn't just be from the JSDF."

"I suppose that would be…" He then realized something. "But wait, how is that going to work? You've seen how big those Space Marines are; any accommodation that we could provide would be too small for them."

"Maybe the ones invited would be from the Guard. Of course, there's the issue that despite the one with a general, the Guard seems to defer to the Marines when it comes to the highest authority." The colonel shrugged. "I don't know, I am not the one who would be responsible for the conference."

"Fair point," Itami admitted before changing the subject. "So, I take it there's going to be a change of plan regarding Italica?"

"Not really. We simply postponed our departure to observe the deal between Clan Formal and the Lamenters." Kengun replied. "If the latter does become the city's protectors, then we're going to have to discard our current plan."

Unsurprisingly, all the plans created to deal with the threats in the Special Region didn't involve the arrival of the sci-fi army in the slightest. He could just imagine the despair that the general staff would suffer.

"Ma'am, I still suggest that you remain in your…"

"Spare me your concern, Lord Apothecary. This world is one that has only now received the touch of the God-Emperor. Who knows what kind of danger could be hidden underneath its surface?"

"True or not, it doesn't erase the fact that you are currently unable to move without support. Until you have fully recovered, you will be a dead weight to the group that you accompanied. No offense."

"Ugh, I suppose you do have a point. Fine, but make sure to keep me updated regarding the situation on the world below, especially if it appears to be related to the Archenemy."

"Of course, Lady Inquisitor."

Well, I suppose you guys could say that you got lucky.

Not that long ago, there was a huge discount for Warhammer games on Steam. I decided that it was finally the time for me to get my hands on Dawn of War II, Chaos Rising, and Retribution. Suffice to say, thanks to playing the games, I become inspired to write some stories about Space Marines. And I just so happened to already have one ready.

As some of you might notice, the Imperial Guard made their first appearance in the form of two regiments: one is basically OC and the other canon. For the explanation about the composition of the Imperial Guard accompanying the Lamenters and the reason for it, well, you guys just have to wait for the next chapters

If you have a question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.

Review, please!