!WARNING!
This story contains content not suited for younger readers, such as Violence, Blood and Gore, Language, and Explicit Sexual Content. This Chapter's Rating will be placed at M-Rated. Future Chapters may, and most likely, will switch back and forth between the T and M ratings.
Regardless, Reader Discretion for this Chapter is advised.
I don't own Halo or Naruto.
Bold-My Own Words
Bold & Italic-Locations, Time & Calendar
Normal-Narrative
"Normal"-Person Speaking
'Normal'-Thoughts
"Italic"-Foreign Language
'Italic'-Radio Chatter
/Italic\-AI/Computer typing
-Every time I think of Qushan, Sea Island, and everything that transpired afterwards in the following months, my stomach turns violently. It was never fully revealed just how close we came to a complete disaster on Shensei in '43 and early '44. It was only through the sacrifices and herculean efforts of our servicemen and women that it didn't do so.
General Nicolas Toussaint, Yosai System CENTCOM commander 2543-2553, during an interview remarking on 'The Shensei Troubles' in 2555 on Mbalenhle Cove, Ezulwini System
-I'm not a religious man, but who's divine celestial dick did those assholes suck off to get those insane powers?! 90% of the crap these 'ninjas' can pull off defies the fucking laws of physics! They shouldn't even be able to do half that crap without tearing their bodies apart at the molecular level! Like Qushan in '43! The 419th, an elite, veteran battalion, went into that goddamn city with 908 guys in the Battalion*. 908 battle-hardened veterans, all of whom had many years and several campaigns ribbons against the Covies under their belts. Christ, we even made it through the 5 years of hell that was Harvest mostly intact. But Qushan? 3 days in that shithole, 3 FUCKING DAYS, and by the time the battle's over, there's less than 200 of us left, and that's including our HQ Company, which never even set foot in the city*. Oh, and what happened to the 7-800 other guys, you ask? The vets that had years and years of combat experience? Those fucking ninjas wiped them out! 4 entire elite companies reduced to a few dozen battered survivors! Oh sure, we took a bunch of the bastards with us. I couldn't even tell you how many Shinks* I killed myself. But do you know how goddamn disheartening and mind-boggling it is seeing some 15-16 year old spandex wearing brat wiping out an entire infantry company, 164 guys, by himself? With just a wave of his fucking hands?! Yeah, didn't think so. So when I say fuck them, fuck everything, and fuck everyone from Shensei, I mean ever goddamn word of it. We should of nuked that freak of a planet to hell the moment we found it and saved ourselves a lot of trouble!
Corporal Aiden Pierce (Ret.; Hon/Med-Dis. 2544), Bravo Company, 419th Infantry Battalion, remarking on the Battle of Qushan and his views on the Shinobi in 2549 at his residence on Stecaz, Krásno System (*Official UNSC Records state that approximately 291 soldiers of the 419th Battalion survived the battle.)
-The Sea Island Campaign should be a reminder to all of our men and women in the armed forces of what happens when one doesn't acquire proper intelligence on an enemy's strengths and dispositions, and what happens when you underestimate your foe. I underestimated my foe, and that's a failure and a disgrace that I will have to live with for the rest of my life, but my soldiers are the ones who paid for my arrogance. And by god, did those shinobi play us for fools.
Colonel Gale Conway, 33rd Mechanized Regiment CO, 2544, New Tripoli, Shensei
-History has shown that there are no invincible armies and that there have never been.
Joseph Stalin
Prologue Arc-Episode 9
-The Confederacy Campaign Pt.2-
(Part 9)
1140 AM
October 14, 2543
Sea Island
119 miles from Capital, Asanobe
Port Jinhar
UNSC Camp Hammond
Fox Company, UNSC 121st Ranger Regiment
Sergeant Damian Cooper
"At ease!" A soldier shouted in the briefing room. The Rangers of Fox Company immediately rose from their seats as their Company Commander, Captain Lubach, walked in the room, flanked by several Lieutenants from her staff. Sergeant Damian Cooper and the rest of the unit stood rigid before the Captain finally answered, "As you were, Rangers."
As the soldiers began retaking their seats, the Captain called out, "Everyone, take your seats, shut up, and listen up. I don't want to spend 5 hours going through this."
The holotable in front of them whirred to life, displaying a region of Sea Island just north of the island's central mountain range. A large river jutted out of the north and south sides of the mountain, cutting through underneath the mountains as it flowed north. A large city was shown on the northern side of the mountains, maybe 10 miles away, and extended to both sides of the river with four bridges, placed in pairs, connecting the two halves. A name was highlighted over the settlement.
"Everyone, this is the city of Qushan." Captain Lubach explained, "The fourth-largest settlement on the island, with maybe 200,000 or so people living in it. It's also the main trade route throughout the interior of the island, with at least five different roads that lead into it. As of right now, it's the only major obstacle left in the east standing between our strike force and Asanobe. We seize this city; we'll be less than 40 miles from the capital and Shao Peng. And he won't have anywhere to run, thanks to the entire East Coast of the island being nothing but cliff edges averaging a couple of hundred feet in height. The problem is, the fat fucker knows this,"
The holotable zoomed in on the city and its surrounding area, showing a densely populated city, albeit rundown in some areas. A river snaked its way through the city, appearing to be on average 35-45 meters in width. A significant number of shantytowns seemed to 'branch out' from the central city in several areas. There were three notable locations in Qushan that Cooper could only describe as castles or large compounds, each having several decorated towers with extensive gardens surrounding the buildings and at least three levels of courtyards that seem to rise above the previous one with a set of stone walls. They were all surrounded by a moat, each having a small trench that snaked towards the river, feeding water into the moats. That must be where the rulers or nobility of the city probably lived. One of the castles was on the western side of the river while the other two were on the eastern side. Along the entire perimeter of the western side of the city, there seemed to be dozens of fortifications made out of earth and wood, with some notable construction being done on the eastern perimeter of the town as well. Probably meant to serve as a makeshift wall for the defenders to fight the UNSC and keep them out of Qushan.
Not that it would do much good against Artillery, Attack Craft, and Naval Vessels.
"Intelligence and recon have reported that the pirate lords have fortified the town with what we estimate is anywhere from 6 to 8,000 troops. Intelligence and Recon have confirmed that the enemy has dug in several embankments and fortifications around the entire west half of the city and is equipped with small arms, ranging from submachine guns to civilian rifles. We don't know if they have anything heavier, such as MGs or AT and AA, but HIGHCOM believes that they do not have these available. Task Force Conway, the assault force that'll be attacking the city and that we're apart of, will be comprised of about 9,244 ground personnel that will assault the city and annihilate the enemy force inside. The main infantry element of the assault will be 3 Companies from our Regiment, ourselves, Echo, and Delta, the 419th Army Independent Infantry Battalion, and the 3rd Hellas Guards Infantry Brigade. We'll be supported by Golf and Havoc Company from the 414th Artillery Battalion, 33rd Mechanized Brigade's 2nd and 3rd Battalions, and the 33rd Mech's Support Companies Alpha and Bravo. Air assets are on station to provide fire support if needed, as well as ship support in the form of two heavy corvettes, the UNSC Stirling and UNSC Kashmir. Weather reports cloudy skies for most of the next couple days and the morning of the attack, with sporadic showers, but meteorologists are predicting that the tropical storm southeast of us is going to make landfall at around 1300 on the 17th and will remain overhead for the next week. This will limit our artillery and air support capabilities. The attack is scheduled for 0200 hours on the 17th. Questions so far?"
A Staff Sergeant rose up, going to attention before asking, "Ma'am, we aren't bypassing and encircling the city as in previous Ops?"
"Negative," The Captain shook her head, "Ariel Recon has been... difficult, due the number of storm passing through lately, but the city's garrison has been deemed too large and dangerous to our objective just to encircle. Not to mention that the city is in the direct path of our avenue of assault towards Asanobe. HIGHCOM has decided that to ensure our flanks are protected, this enemy force needs to be eliminated. Intel also suspects that this force comprises a good portion, at least 50%, of what remaining troops the Pirate Lords can muster that isn't already cut off or wiped out. If we eliminate it, it'll make taking the capital all the easier if they're prevented from falling back. Any more questions?"
Cooper decided to stand up and ask his own, "Do we know if any enemy ninjas are there, ma'am? As far as I know, we haven't had any encounters yet from them. Also, will we be receiving support from Moon Country?"
"Intel hasn't come up with anything concrete regarding enemy shinobi, but we will be receiving support from Moon in the form of 30 shinobi they sent with us at around 1400 to help in securing the city," Lubach answered, "However, Military Intelligence believes that the enemy shinobi, or at least the majority of them, are being held in reserve by Shao Peng to defend his capital. They believe that if any hostile shinobi are encountered, it will likely be a fireteam or squad-sized element at most."
'In other words, the geniuses in Military Intelligence don't fucking know. Wonderful.' Cooper grimaced as he sat back down.
The Colonel waited for more questions before resuming, "Our plan of attack is as follows. The Hellas Guards, 419th Battalion, and the Mechanized Battalions are going to assault the town from the Southwest and Northwest at 0200 hours, using both artillery and air support to assist in eliminating pirate strongpoints and formations while they push towards the bridges. While both sides are to push heavily against whatever defenses are established, the Southwestern attack force will only be a feint meant to divert their attention, while the Northwestern attack force will blitz towards the northern bridges, designated Delta-1 and 2, on the three main roads leading to them, designated Highways 1 and 2 respectively," The holotable displayed the hologram images of the UNSC forces, primarily the 419th and Mech Battalions, attacking West Qushan and slowly pushing into the town before the northern task force was shown blitzing down the two main roads in the northern part of the city and securing the bridges. Looking at the map, Cooper could see that two roads that seem to traverse through the entirety of the city, passing by the three castles as they did. Upon closer examination, he also quickly realized that the only reason for either of their significance was because these were the only two roads inside Qushan that were wide enough to allow the UNSC's vehicles, especially the Oryx and the Mastodons, to travel through without knocking down every house along the road. "Once Delta-1 and 2 are secured, Logi will come in to do a resupply for our forces, and the Combat Engineers will deploy a couple of deployable bridges to allow our heavier vehicles to cross at that location, while the rest of our vehicles force a crossing over the river. The two southernmost bridges, Delta-3 and Delta-4, will be destroyed by air and artillery strikes simultaneously when our forces reach Delta-1 and 2. This will cut off whatever troops are on the west side of the river and allowing us to eliminate them at our leisure while we push on into East Qushan."
The holograms shifted again, showing another bridge being deployed next to the northern bridges, while the southern bridges were destroyed as the southern task force pushed into the city, while the northern task force began crossing the bridge and pushing into East Qushan. One thing was irking Cooper, however. So far, nothing had been shown of what the Rangers would be doing during this whole ordeal. And usually, that meant that someone had gotten a 'clever' idea and decided to use it.
Apparently, someone else was irked by this, too, as a Lieutenant stood up and asked, "Ma'am, what exactly are the Rangers doing during this op?"
The Captain paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts before she spoke up, "Delta, Echo, and Fox Company have been given a different task in this mission," Two hologram representations of the three Ranger Companies appeared on the holotable, showing them being flown in via several squads of EV-44 Nighthawks and two Albatrosses in each flight. "Our three companies are going to be inserted into these three compounds, designated Alpha-1, Alpha-2, and Alpha-3, 5 minutes after the opening artillery barrage at 0205. Alpha-3 will be Fox's target for this Op. Intel suspects that this is where several prominent members of the Pirate Lords, or nobility, or whatever the fuck you wanna call them, reside at and rule the city from. Intel suggests that enemy security in these compounds is of approximately company-strength or slightly higher at all times. HIGHCOM has instructed us to 1) airdrop into the compounds; 2) secure the courtyards, then surround and storm the castles; 3) capture the leaders and extract them, then 4) hold the compounds until Task Force Conway reaches our positions and relieves us. Until they do so, HIGHCOM has given all three Ranger Companies priority calling of Artillery and Air Support assets in the vicinity. Mortars, expect to have a lot of fire missions."
The holotable showed the three Ranger Companies being inserted into the compounds, then holding position as Task Force Conway fought its way towards them and helped secure the area. The two castles on the east side of the river were situated at least half a klick from one another, with Alpha-2, the closer of the two to the river, almost a full kilometer from the northern bridges but along the route of Highway 2, and securing them. Alpha-1, by comparison, was less than a hundred meters from the river's edge.
"No sleeping for you, Mortards*." Someone called out, causing the group to laugh out.
The Mortar Platoon's NCO, SFC Pinkowsky, was quick to retort, "What's that, Special K? It sounds like you said you wanted to have your sleeping tent right put next to our tubes."
"Well, I mean, I guess somebody's gotta stroke your tubes to keep you Tube Jockeys happy, Sarge." Earning a laugh from the company as 'Special K,' Corporal Kochersberger, made a kissy face at the SFC, who flipped him off in response.
"Alright, morons! Lock it up." The Captain called out. Once everyone settled down, she continued, "Once Task Force Conway reaches each of the three compounds, the enemy should be devastated and split up in multiple small pockets which we will eliminate with meticulous care. The total completion time of the assault and pacification of the city should take approximately 24 to 36 hours total. After that," Captain Lubach said with a smirk, "we can then get back to taking the capital, which will now be pretty much encircled due to the entire Eastern Coast being nothing but jagged cliff edges. Then we can end this damn campaign, and go back home."
This plan immediately raised several red flags in Cooper's mind, and from the looks of those around him, everyone else. Even if they were given priority in Air and Artillery Support, this was a dangerous move to try and pull. They would have to hold out and wait for Task Force Conway to fight their way to the bridges, capture and then cross them, then fight their way through half a mile of urban jungle to reach their location. All the while, the Rangers would likely be under constant attack from whatever forces were on that side of the river. Even with all the strengths they had going for them, this was dangerous, and their survival would depend on how many SNAFUs along the way Task Force Conway would face that will slow them down.
And they still knew next to nothing regarding the fucking ninjas.
Later that day
Sunset
Barracks
"Yo, Sarge." He heard PFC Bellino call out next to him. Cooper lowered the book he was reading and rolled over in his cot to face him, "Whatchu' want, fool?"
Bellino was playing a game of poker with Corporal Gaines, Specialist Torrens, Private Holmes, 2nd Squad Leader's Sergeant Spoler, and 2nd Squad's Private Richards, with a few more standing by and watching them play. Several soldiers in the barracks were enjoying some R&R since they were called back from the frontline four days ago. Most, however, were doing their best to get some sleep, knowing that they were going to be sent into another hot zone with little chance for rest. In the distance, even through the thick barrack walls, the faint sound of thunder in the distance could be heard.
"What's your thoughts on leadership's battleplan?"
"Why do you wanna know?" Cooper asked, "Ain't like we have any say-so."
"I dunno. Me and some of the guys, we just are getting some bad vibes about this op. Like that one on Mamore back in '37. You know which Op I'm talking about."
"Goddammit, why'd you have to remind me of São Jonop? Fucking smoke-bumming, childish-ass "Cooper groaned, rolling over on his cot as he did.
A massive Insurrectionist uprising occurred on the colony of Mamore in January of 2537, with the colony of maybe 45 million being overtaken by tens of thousands of insurgents. The 121st Ranger Regiment, along with its parent unit, the 4th Ranger Division, was deployed along with three entire Army Corps and a Marine Expeditionary Force to the planet to retake the world. That was the first time he'd seen a Spartan, too (And damn were they amazing.), but even with their help, it took three months of bitter fighting before the colony was retaken by the UNSC. And the worst battle of the whole campaign was the Battle of São Jonop.
The UNSC had been determined to break the back of the Insurgency's strength and morale by seizing what was considered their fortress amongst the cities they held. With a population of 1 million, it was a massive industrial city that the Innies had been using to manufacture small arms for their personnel, as well as serving as their command center since most of the population supported the Innies. 40,000 UNSC ground troops were sent in to take the city, expecting an enemy force numbering about 10,000. Instead, they found a large amount of the city's populace had organized into a militia that bolstered the defenders' numbers to over 100,000. Three weeks of hellish fighting and tens of thousands dead ultimately ended with the Innies detonating a nuke in the heart of the city, killing much of the population and roughly three-quarters of the now 60,000-strong UNSC task force sent to capture the city. The 4th Rangers were the only division that managed to be evacuated mostly intact, and even then, they had lost almost half their unit in that battle, but after that, they got a bad rep in follow up campaigns and battles. They were considered a bad luck unit as they would continuously suffer significant casualties in a campaign.
And then there was Alluvion...
Shit. No need to be thinking about that. He didn't even want to think about what went down on Alluvion, again. At least he wouldn't have to deal with a certain little snot-nosed ninja from now on. Momoi Shinobu, who wasn't too happy after he woke up, and his small squad had been 'reassigned' to another unit on Sea Island by UNSC HIGHCOM after their little 'incident.' Needless to say, Command had made it explicitly clear that this wasn't to happen again, or there'd be consequences.
"Oh, come on, Sargeant," Torrens chimed in, "We're all thinking the same thing, here."
"Really? And what's that?"
"That this Op's got a bunch of red flags around it. I mean, yeah, it's a bunch of raggedy-ass pirates armed with nothing but small caliber SMGs, but that's not all they got. We still haven't seen any of these shinobis or ninjas, whatever the fuck you wanna call them." Torrens answered.
"Maybe they bailed," Holmes suggested, earning a few exasperated looks from his colleagues. Looking around, he quickly added, "What? I mean, think about it. At the end of the day, these ninjas are nothing but a bunch of mercenaries, right? Maybe they decided it wasn't worth it anymore and decided to bail out."
Cooper contemplated that for a moment while the group debated back and forth. It wasn't a wild assumption to make. Mercenaries, no matter what kind they were, were in it for money and as a job. If the job started paying too little, becomes too dangerous to handle, or several other reasons that could play into the factor, then the mercs could simply decide to abandon their contract and pull out. In their offensive across the Sea Confederacy, they had seen it several times with groups of pirates that found themselves surrounded and cut off by UNSC forces. And from the prisoners they had captured, Shao Peng didn't sound like the best guy to work for (Shocking. Who'd thought?). So, with that line of thought, if an everyday pirate was willing to call it quits and bailout when it got too much for him to handle, who was to say that these shinobi weren't the same way?
Or maybe something else was happening. Perhaps they were being held back intentionally.
"Sergeant. How're you doing tonight?" He rolled over to see Sergeant First Class Malcolm standing over him. Cooper and the others started getting up to go to parade rest, but the SFC waved him off, "As you were. You doing alright?"
"Yes, Sergeant. About as pleasant as one can be on a fucking deployment." This got a snort out of the SFC, "What about you?"
"Can't complain. I could, but it won't do any good." the SFC smirked.
"Tch isn't that the fucking truth." Cooper remarked, "Something we can help with, Sergeant?"
"Nah, I'm just walking around checking on my joes. Overheard you talking about the op we're about to do." Malcolm replied, following with, "Mind sharing your own thoughts with me, boys and girls?"
Ian Malcolm was an old school Ranger, pushing 46, with a set of shrapnel scarring on the left side of his face and neck, which stood out against his tan skin tone. His onyx colored hair was graying, and he had noticeable crows feet around his eyes, which seem to make his amber-colored eyes stand out more. He was also a stocky build, too, being 5'9" and a solid 165 pounds at most. (But Jesus could that man outdo all of them in PT.) He wasn't originally from the 121st Rangers. In fact, a couple of years ago the old ranger had been retired after reaching 23 years of service, but after evacuating out to 'the Cove' with his family from Hellas, he'd been asked to serve once again, as the UNSC forces were concise on manpower, let alone experienced manpower. After some extensive negotiations, he'd been talked into it and was made Fourth Platoon's new Executive NCO (And temporary commanding officer, due to a shortage of army officers.).
"Well, Sergeant," Bellino started, "the others and I here were talking about how this Op was pretty shady overall. I mean, there's a shit ton that can go wrong. Add these fucking ninjas into the equation, and the fact Command's trying to pull some São Jonop/Market Garden-style bullshit Op, we've got a situation where just too fucking much can go wrong. And a lot of us are just kinda uneasy about it, ya' know?"
"We haven't had any reports of ninjas attacking us, have we?" Cooper asked.
"Aside from a couple of raids on the Jarheads down south, we think were them, not that I'm aware of." Malcolm answered, "Of course, rumor mills spew all kinds of crap. If you believed half the shit that gets spread around, we've already fought 40 skirmishes with ninjas and killed a thousand of the little bastards." The SFC snorted at this before continuing, "If you want my input, though, I think the reason we haven't seen them is that either they're studying us and trying to figure out a way to fight us, or they've decided to cut bait and bailout while they can."
"Thank you!" Holmes exclaimed.
"Yeah, okay. But I mean we've been fighting and taking these islands for almost four solid weeks now. You'd figure they'd of tried something by now, don't you think, Sergeant?" Sergeant Spoler added as she leaned back and crossed her arms.
"True," Malcolm conceded, "So then we operate under the assumption they're watching us and looking for some weakness in us to exploit."
"Like the fact we can't do any of that fancy ass, Abracadabra shit they can do?" Cooper pointed out, earning a couple of chuckles from the group as the SFC replied with a smile, "Yeah. I thought I forgot something."
"Well, fuck. I wish I could do some of the shit they can. Learn how to cast a little fire or fireball, think how much money you'd save on fucking lighters and matches." Torrens chimes in, which earns a snort from Holmes. "What, you gonna just snap your fingers or something and light your cigarettes from now on?"
"Or light a grill. I mean, with those powers, you could make all kinds of everyday shit way more convenient." Bellino replied, "I don't know about the other... what did they call 'em? Jastus or Jutsus? Whatever the fuck they're called, there's a lot of shit you can do with them. Like the water stuff, hell, firefighters and farmers would have a field day with that crap. I don't know about the... was it earth and wind, also? I think I forgot one."
"Water, Earth, Fire, Wind, and Lightning." Cooper answered as he laid down on his cot, "Those are the main... affinities, as they called 'em. There are all kinds of smaller, more specialized affinities, but those are the main five from what I read up in the briefings."
"Right, right, right." Bellino waved off, "So yeah, those five affinities. Use a freaking wind jutsu on yourself after a long pt session or a trek through some jungle, and boom! Goodbye, swamp-ass." This immediately set off a chorus of laughter and snickering through the group.
"B-be-be kinda hard to blow off your own swamp-ass, wouldn't it?" Gaines managed to choke out as she tried to control her laughter.
"Nah, Nah." Bellino replied, suppressing a giggle, "See, what you do is you get two guys to learn the wind stuff. Then you pull each other's pants down and-"
"And just start blowing each other's swamp-ass away?" Holmes finished, giggling.
"There ya go! Ninja Arts: Swamp-Ass Removal Jutsu!" This caused another bout of laughter in the group as they pictured the image in their heads, with Bellino and Holmes both more than willing to provide a visual aid in the form of them both sticking their heads between their legs and blowing as hard as they could at each other. Someone shouted, "Nah, Nah. Not Ninja Arts! Secret Army Arts!" "How 'bout Secret Sham Arts?" Soon enough, the whole conversation had devolved to a charade of jokes and discussions regarding the ninja's chakra, and all the little uses, either practical, crude, and ridiculous, that could be applied to everyday life. Shouts of "Dip Can Summon Jutsu," "Police Call Jutsu," "Safety Briefing Jutsu," "Prostitute Summon Jutsu," and other absurd 'Jutsus' the group was coming up with, while Cooper merely laid back and watched on as the conversation went on full swing, laughter echoing through the barracks.
Maybe he was overthinking all of it, and they were just overestimating the capabilities of these shinobi. Hell, the ODST managed to kick their asses on Timur Island, and they had been outnumbered at first. Maybe they weren't even here, or it'd be exactly like on Timur Island. Scary and concerning, but for the most part, overhyped by everyone in their abilities.
Same Day
Asanobe, Sea Confederacy Capital
Peng's Palace
There was a roar of rage that echoed throughout the room, "THEY'VE SEIZED ALMOST EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY ISLANDS, AND I'M ONLY NOW JUST FINDING THIS OUT! HOW DID THEY DO THIS SO QUICKLY?! AND WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING TO STOP THEM?!" Shao Peng thundered at them, throwing his sake bottle in fury as he continued, "WHAT DO I EVEN PAY ALL OF YOU FOR IF YOU CAN'T EVEN DO ONE SINGLE JOB!"
Most of the Pirate Lord's subordinates and servants flinched and cowered under the man's verbal abuse, but four of the individuals stood motionless before the warlord. Honestly, these little tirades were getting old. When something didn't go the old man's way, he'd fit and rage until he was blue in the face. Kami, he hated being around this fat bastard, but he paid too well. And it wasn't like he had any other places he could go. Well, Water Country may want his services, but that was a big maybe. But for now, Komatsu Subaru would just have to tolerate this jackass' tirades.
"Why are my armies being annihilated left and right? Why hasn't my shinobi attacked these foreign bastards and wiped them out?! ANSWER ME!"
'Because we're doing what anyone with common sense would do when under attack. Gather intelligence on your enemy.' Subaru thought with ire. And done, so they had. Quite well, actually, to get a good sense of how these 'Star People' operated and maneuvered. Not that this fat manchild would care. All he cared about was whatever he considered his. And considering he viewed the Sea Islands as 'his,' and they were now mostly under enemy occupation, Shao Peng was livid and not really seeing reason at the moment. He tended to do that when he was angry.
"M-my lord, we are doing everything in our power to stop them-" One of the Pirate Lord's Captains started, but was cut off.
"OBVIOUSLY NOT! If that were the case, then they wouldn't be fifty miles from my capital!" Shao thundered, slamming his fist on the armrest.
"They have weapons and machines that we've never seen or fought before. They don't fight conventionally, and they come out of nowhere without warning! Why didn't Jones warn us of this?!"
'Probably because he didn't know about it, idiot.' Subaru concluded. He'd never met the man or was apart of any of the dealings that acquired their new firearms that the pirates seemed to gush over, but there's no way that Jones guy was working with these invaders. Why give the enemy one of your most significant advantages over them and make it harder for you to fight them? So in that regard, Jones likely hadn't known that this 'UNSC' (Whatever the hell that stands for.) was even planning to attack them, let alone bring Moon Country into the fray. Subaru would have never thought or believed the tiny upstarts on that island would actually try to attack them. (They had like, what? Maybe a thousand shinobi altogether, most of whom weren't anything noteworthy.) This 'UNSC' must have offered something really significant to gain their cooperation.
"I don't care about fucking Jones!" Shao declared confidently, "What I care about is taking back what's rightfully mine! Captain Ukita!"
The Pirate Lord's senior subordinate, a balding and heavily scarred man who was pushing 50, stepped forward, "Yes, my lord?"
"Do we know for a fact where the invader's armies are at as of now?"
"Yes, my lord, thanks to the extensive scouting efforts by our shinobi." The Captain nodded to Subaru and company before continuing, "From what we've gathered, everything West of Qushan and southwest of Sakishima are under the control of the invaders. All the ports have been seized, and several towns and cities with hundreds of our troops inside them have been encircled. Contact has been made with most of them, but they can't even leave the houses without fear of being attacked by those damn air machines the invaders use."
Subaru decided to chime in with his own intel, "We've also noticed in our scouting that they're concentrating troops just West of Qushan. Lots of them."
"And you did nothing to disrupt their preparations?!" A captain exclaimed while Shao glared at him. Subaru continued unabated, "Because I had only 4 people and they numbered a good several thousand built up in a flat open area with those flying machines overhead. And the nearest settlement was 5 miles away, which means any person wandering around near their camp would have immediately been investigated. They would have seen my team coming from miles away."
"They'll probably send that force to capture Qushan," Ukita commented softly, looking down deep in thought.
"Didn't you just say they've encircled several towns?! Why wouldn't they do the same with Qushan and just attack Asanobe itself?" Another one of the captains called out, causing murmuring and heated discussion amongst the subordinates. Shao greedily gulped down several more drinks of sake, breathing heavily as he glared at everyone in the room. 'Fat bastard probably thinks this is all our fault, somehow.' Subaru thought bitterly, eyes narrowed in irritation.
"Because those settlements had only a hundred or so of our boys inside them. That's nothing they can't keep under control." Subaru answered loudly, getting everyone's attention as they all looked at him, "Qushan, on the other hand, has... what? 11,000 soldiers inside it? They can't just ignore that or go around it, especially being so close to Asanobe. So they'll have to try and take the city."
"And they don't seem to have that many troops." Ukita remarked, "In fact, Subaru-san, didn't you say they only had maybe two hundred or so soldiers guarding each of the cities and towns they had encircled?"
"Less than that in the villages and towns that were. They had maybe fifty or a hundred so that were situated around the town in a way that our boys inside wouldn't be able to slip past them without being spotted."
"Then..." Shao started, his cheeks slightly red with excitement (Or too much booze.), "If we were to destroy this force massing before Qushan, we might be able to drive these invaders back into the sea!" This got the group of pirate captains and subordinates excited as the realization set in that they might be able to win after all.
Subaru, and from the looks of his companions, didn't think so, 'No, you idiots. They'll just send in more troops on those damn airships they have. We're fucked regardless if we win or lose at Qushan.' This war was over the moment Sea Island was blockaded, the other islands captured in a lightning-fast offensive. Subaru had never heard of such a small force seizing so much territory in so little time. They couldn't have numbered more than 20 or 30,000 from what he had seen scouting, and that was just what had been sent to this island. How many more troops did they have at their disposal, waiting to be sent here or just standing around guarding the other islands? No. There was no hope of victory against such an enemy, even if they couldn't use chakra. They had nothing that could take down those massive airships hovering overhead, and the invaders seemed to know it.
If these thoughts or concerns entered the Pirate Lord's mind, Shao Peng didn't show it, or more likely, they never even crossed his mind. As the lord downed more drinks, his cheeks now noticeably red, he thundered out, "Captain! Assemble 5,000 men and bolster our forces at Qushan, and send a couple thousand to Sakishima!"
"Lord Peng, with all due respect, that would leave the Capital badly understrength in manpower-" Captain Ukita started to protest, but Shao was having none of it as he then shakily pointed at Subaru, "A-and you! Subaru! You will take most of my Shinobi to Qushan and assist in annihilating these fools who dare invade my islands! Have 40 or 50 shinobi go out into t-the enemy's territory and start raising hell. If it doesn't belong or serve me, annihilate it! I want these usurpers to be made an example out of!"
'You're starting to slur your words, you drunken lecher. Maybe you should lay off the booze when making military decisions.' Subaru thought, but nodded and bowed nonetheless. Ukita was right, send some 7,000 troops out from the capital would leave it woefully undermanned. There were barely 15,000 'warriors' inside the city at the moment, and Shao had maybe 200 shinobi under his employment on the islands. There were another 100 or so spread out across the Elemental Nations helping run Shao Peng's operations that were officially under his employment, particularly on the East Continent due to how unstable the countries were over there. (Though there were hundreds of rogue shinobi willing to offer their services, for a price.) Most of which had been called back here after the purchase of all these damn firearms, Shao likely having some massive raid or piracy campaign schemed up after gaining so much firepower. So overall, maybe around 250 or so available here on Sea Island. And most of them weren't even worth a damn if they were fighting enemy shinobi, but considering their opponent didn't seem to even have chakra, those 250 shinobi might actually be able to cause significant damage to the invading army.
Kami, maybe he should have stayed in Rain Country. Civil War or not, things were much simpler there. The Amekage might have been paranoid like hell and a pain to work for, but at least Hanzo had common sense when it came to military planning and strategy. Shao Peng... had none of that. He was just good at taking advantage of a situation that benefited him or gained him more power. And he was always looking to acquire more power, more wealth, more women, more everything. Plus, he paid too well for him to just walk away from it. And after deserting the Hidden Rain Village (No way in hell was he fighting the Atkasuki Rebels anymore. He'd had his fill of those bastards.), it wasn't like he really had any other places he could go to if shit went south here.
As Shao Peng began to, drunkenly, rile and fire up his subordinates at how they were going to annihilate the invaders and how 'Qushan would be their tomb,' a soft, sultry voice spoke up, "So we're going to get to kill them now, mmm? Finally, after you wouldn't let me have any fun for the past few days, Subaru-kun."
Subaru glanced over at the woman beside him, who unnerved him to no end. (Then again, all three of his 'squadmates' unnerved or bothered him in some form or fashion.) Standing 5'4", slim, tanned, and with baby blue eyes and light brown, shoulder-length hair, Endou Kiyo would have been considered beautiful to most. That is if she didn't have a long jagged scar that ran from the left corner of her mouth up the side of her face, leaving her with a permanently twisted grin. And Subaru knew better than to think of this 24-year-old rogue Mist Kunoichi as anything other than what Kiyo really was.
A psychopath.
Not that any of Subaru's other squadmates were any better. A large, burly man, standing 6'5", with sleek graying hair and carrying a massive tetsubō on his back, stood beside her with his arms cross, smirking as he watched the group of pirates debating back and forth. An air of boastfulness and confidence radiated around him, with a gaze from his teal-colored eyes that seemed to pierce through, as the towering individual looked down on those before him. Fujii Tomosada was the definition of an arrogant and prideful individual, but the only problem was that the 29-year-old rogue Frost Shinobi had the skill, prowess, and kill-count to back up his boastful demeanor.
Terumī Moroie, on the other hand, was usually silent as a mouse, as he was now while staring at the group with those pale ruby eyes of his. The auburn-colored hair of his seemed to defy gravity. Despite being the youngest member in the group, the 16-year-old rogue Mist Shinobi had garnered a notorious reputation back in his home country, having originally served with the forces loyal to the Mizukage, but apparently was ousted once it was learned he had a Kekkei Genkai. Why the Hidden Mist Village was so damn paranoid about anyone with a Kekkei Genkai, Subaru had no idea. But hey, their loss was his gain.
Well, whatever. Either way, he was going to do the job he was paid to do. And from what Subaru had seen regarding these UNSC, they were skilled and dangerous in their own way, but they tended to be over-reliant on their equipment and seem to have little understanding of how ninjutsu or shinobi worked in general. But at the same time, the Pirates didn't seem to have a good understanding of how the UNSC worked either.
Regardless, Subaru was certain that the upcoming battle would be a learning experience for everyone.
0157 AM
October 17
Fox Company, UNSC 121st Ranger Regiment
Main road on route to Qushan
Approx. 2 miles from Qushan
The massive APCs lumbered down the 'highway,' the engine roaring as several of 33rd Mech's M650 Mastodons rumbled down the road from the staging area as they moved into a preplanned position up north for the upcoming assault. To Cooper, the machines seem to dwarf all the others around them. Even a Scorpion seemed small when compared to a Mastodon's massive height. But many outside the UNSC Army didn't like using them for this exact reason. They were massive targets, their armor wasn't as good as the Scorpion, though it was decent, and they weren't very maneuverable, either. Still, they could take a lot more punishment than a Warthog could ever hope to, making them ideal for UNSC Army Operations. Especially when your enemy had no armor or air support whatsoever.
The one hundred or so Mastodons were supported by forty-six of another mainline Army vehicle, the M478 Oryx MICV. The goto Infantry Fighting Vehicle of the UNSC Armored Corps, the Oryx had been one of the workhorses of the UNSC since 2404, and it's been kicking ass ever since. 50mm of Titanium-A Armor all around, excluding any spaced laminate armor added on, with a 30mm Autocannon and two missile pods carrying four AT-AA missiles, plus a couple of machine guns, the 31-ton tracked war machine is one of the handful of UNSC vehicles that can hold its own against Covenant vehicles of similar size. It also serves as a 'battle-taxi' for infantry, capable of transporting eight inside its hold. Though mainly used by the UNSC Army, the Marine Corps was known to field a small number of them (they preferred the M455 Addax, for some reason.), and the occasional Colonial Guards Armored Unit could be found equipped with a few of them. (Though, again, they were typically equipped with the lighter and cheaper Addax.)
Along with the Mastodons and Hogs, there were one hundred and twenty-two M349 Bisons, old APCs from the 2400s CMA-era that were now regulated to rear-echelon roles, or in the case of the Hellas Guards and Colonial Guard units throughout Human space, serving as their main battlewagons for military operations. With six wheels and solid suspension, they had great rough terrain handling and were decently armed and armored enough to provide the Guardsmen sufficient support in Counter-Insurgency Ops. However, their armor was only 15mm thick all around, making them extremely vulnerable to Covenant plasma-weaponry, which forced them into a rear-echelon role during Covenant invasions.
And the last significant war machine that the Hellas Guards and Mechanized were using was about eighty M561 Springboks, another APC used by the Colonial Guards and UNSC Army. Initially meant to supplant and replace the Bison when it was adopted in 2471, the 8-wheeled transports ended up serving along with them due to a shortage of serviceable vehicles during Humanity's war with the Insurrectionists and later the Covenant. With 25mm of Titanium-A all around and a multitude of munitions that could be installed on its DEFENDER Remote Weapons Station, they were much better armed and armored than their predecessors were and could carry 11 soldiers (12 if one was ground loaded, though it'd an extremely uncomfortable ride.) as opposed to the Bison's 8. Still, like their predecessors, they lacked the protection or maneuverability to give them a fighting chance against Covenant weaponry, regulating them to a rear-echelon role within the UNSC.
But neither Cooper or any of his 256-man company were in the fleet of vehicles traveling down the roads towards Qushan. Cooper and the rest of the 40-man strong 4th Platoon were instead situated inside a Nightingale as they flew towards the city, preparing to launch their assault. Even if the EV-44 was made to hold 40, if some were floor loaded, it was still a tight fit with everyone inside having their rucksacks, too. The sun wouldn't appear for another four hours, and most of the enemy, despite the fact they had to of know they were coming from all the noise being made, would still mostly be asleep as they wouldn't expect an army to attack at nighttime. (Ah, the wonders of Night Vision Equipment.) The planet's lone moon was occasionally visible, but mostly hidden under blankets of cloud cover this night. In the distance, the sound of thunder could be faintly heard.
'All units, this is Outlaw. Be advised; artillery is opening in up in t-minus 3 Mike. Standby to begin assault at 0205 Hours. Command, out.' He heard Task Force Conway's Command order out over comms. The VTOL lurched to the side as it followed the rest of the aircraft in its flight to their designation staging area, the slight hum of its rotors whirring being heard even with the Rangers' hearing protection on. Popping a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, Cooper took a long drag from it before breathing out, checking his MA37 as he did so.
"Bum one off you, Sarge?" Bellino asked beside him.
"Goddammit, are you ever gonna start buying your own, you fucking freeloader?" Cooper gripped, but regardless pulled out his cigarette carton and handed the smirking Private, who merely shrugged in response. Shaking his head, Cooper went back to checking his MA37 SOCOM, cycling the chamber and doing last-minute functions checks on all the electrical gear to make sure it was working. The 2x/4x Scope automatically adjusted itself to his preferences, his foregrip and flashlight were tight and secure against the lower mod rail, the suppressor was secure on the barrel, and all the electronics were reporting green across the board.
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder and turned to see Specialists Torrens and Graves, his squad's two designated marksmen with their M392 SOCOMs slung across their chest, pointing out towards the horizon as several bright flashes of lights briefing illuminated the distant sky. He couldn't hear it from inside the Pelican, but he knew what it meant. Artillery had commenced firing.
The Battle for Qushan was on.
'Rangers, this is Hades-135, be advised. Task Force Conway is commencing its assault, and we are green for insertion. Strap in if you haven't already and prepare for combat drop, over.' The Nightingale pilot announced in their headsets as the dropship surged forward, following its flight mates into the city. The Rangers prepped their equipment and activated their NVDs as someone from TFC (Task Force Conway) Command spoke on their comms, 'All Ranger Elements, this is Outlaw. Be advised, drones are showing signs of enemy activity within the designated compounds. Break. Hostiles may be attempting or preparing to evacuate HVTs. You are to prevent that from happening by any means necessary. Break. If the capture of HVTs isn't possible, lethal force is authorized. How copy, over?'
'Outlaw, Fox-Actual. Solid Copy. Uh, Interrogative. What air assets will be available while we're securing the compounds? Over.'
'All Ranger Elements, air assets are as follows. Your transports will remain on station to provide necessary air support for ground ops, but they're only going to be available for 1 Hour before being needed elsewhere. Break. Two flights of three AV-19s apiece will be on station and are designated as your personal air assets for the Op. Callsigns are 'Cujo 2', and 'Cujo 3'. How copy, over?'
'Outlaw, Fox-Actual. Solid Copy on all. Out.'
The helicopter dove slightly as it sped towards their target, while the Rangers inside prepared for insertion. 'Fox Company, be advised. We are one mike from LZ, over.'
"Alright, boys and girls! Let's go teach the locals hotshots who the new big dogs are in town!" Cooper heard one of the soldiers exclaimed, which was followed by a chorus of 'Hooah' and whooping by some of the Rangers in the troop bay. Cooper didn't join in. It's not that he didn't think they were going to win or anything. No way they were losing against a bunch of raggedy-ass pirates with a few small arms. He was more concerned with whether or not these supposed shinobi were going to make an appearance or not, or if the pirates had any more surprises in store for them.
'Thirty seconds, Rangers. Be advised, there are no good landing zones. Too many trees and buildings bunched up to try. We're gonna have to fast-rope you in. Stand to and prepare to insert. Over.'
"You heard him, ladies! Stand up and prepare to drop!" SFC Malcolm barked out from, as the Nightingale's Crew Chief made her way to the end of the bird. Hooking herself up and setting up a couple of ropes for the Rangers to use, the Crew Chief turned around and gave Malcolm a thumbs up before pressing a switch, lowering the ramp of the EV-44. The ramp gave way to a darken city slowly growing larger as they closed into their LZ, occasionally illuminated by the flash of an artillery round or missile detonating across the city or its outskirts.
The Nightingale stopped descending about 30 feet from the ground in one of the three courtyards of Alpha-3, followed closely behind by Hades-137, who was carrying 2nd Platoon. The castle itself was divided into three levels of ascending height. The first level was comprised of a large courtyard that was jam-packed with houses and trees, making a landing impossible there, hence why it was being ignored in the initial landing. Two more courtyards, divided by a moat and walls, made up the second level of the castle itself, and sure enough, just as the pilot warned, there were no good spots to land. The damn natives had planted all kinds of short trees around that were just high enough to damage or outright destroy the rotor blades on their bird. So landing this big bitch was a no-go. Towering over all of this was the third and final level, where the actual castle was at and hopefully, so too where the nobility was at. The two second-level courtyards were where the initial insertions would take place, with the Command and Mortar Platoons going to be inserted once the third level had been secured.
'Touchdown! Rangers, go, go, go!'
"Disembark! Disembark!" Malcolm ordered as he and one of his squad subordinates, Staff Sergeant Allens, rappeled down first, followed by two more as the platoon quickly rappeled out of the craft. Soon enough it was Cooper's turn and he, like everyone else, was doing his damndest to get out of the bird as quickly as possible. They needed to be quick, too. This was when transports were most vulnerable to enemy fire. Still, they should have too much to worry-
'Contact! Foot mobiles at my 10 O'Clock! Bringing the 20 mike-mike around. Guns, guns, guns!'
BRTBRTBRTBRTBRT!
The EV-44's M638 autocannon roared to life, 5-round bursts thundering out, as Cooper heard the telltale sound of bullets smacking off the Nightingale's frame. Cooper cursed as he tried to rappel down as quick as the damn rope would let him. He could see the fellow Rangers that had preceded him down laying down suppressive fire on a trio of small bamboo buildings, likely storage houses, where some sporadic fire was coming from some 50 meters away. 20mm HE rounds were tearing the houses apart, the pirates inside screaming and shouting in dismay as they attempted to defend their position. Several torches were now fizzing out, the combatants carrying them now lying dead in heaps. Even if they hadn't had the torches which made them stand out from the night, the Ranger's NVDs allowed them to see perfectly fine in the pitch-black night.
The courtyard itself was fairly expansive, mostly comprised of several gardens and houses packed together. Aesthetically, it was beautiful. But, like everything touched by war, it wasn't going to stay like that long.
'Good hit, Hades-135. Target eliminated.' Malcolm's voice popped up over the SQUADCOM, 'Be advised. All Rangers have disembarked. You're free to bug out, 135. Over.'
'Solid copy, Fox-4-Actual. We'll regain some altitude and stay on station for any fire support you need. Hades-135, out.'
'4-Papa, we are moving out.' The order came through on SQUADCOM, '4-1, you're with me. We're securing that guardhouse and the gate leading to the castle. 4-2, secure the landing site for Fox-2 and Fox-5's arrivals. 4-3, sweep the courtyard west to east, then breach those houses on the far east side of the yard. We'll use them as a temporary triage in case of an emergency. 4-4, secure the gate leading down to the first level and lock it down, in case charlie decides to send some more friends up. Out.'
Making sure he had his squad together, Cooper motioned his squad to form a wedge on him as they moved out to 4-Actual's position, currently at the destroyed buildings using them for cover as they watched the northwest approach, where the guardhouse and the gate leading up to the third level was. If they could secure it, they'd have a straight shot to the castle where the crime-lords (No way in hell was he gonna call them nobles or royals. Royal pain in the ass? Maybe.) were located. At least, were supposedly located. As far as they knew, they were out of town or had bugged out when the first shells went off. It wasn't like the locals hadn't known they were coming for some time.
He could hear sporadic gunfire, smaller pistol-caliber weapons certainly belonging to smgs or pistols, echoing throughout the courtyard, while the faint telltale coughing sound of suppressed 7.62-caliber gunfire could be heard answering back as the Rangers launched their assault. Moving down the path towards 4-Actual's location, with rows of Sakura and Wisterias trees on either side of them, with Cooper's point man, Gaines, out in front. Despite the caution, no one tried to ambush them or stop them, the guards either dead or fled. Either way, that worked for him.
Cooper and his squad linked up with SFC Malcolm and his squad, who merely nodded and motioned for them to follow him as he took point. The man had only been their platoon leader for less than three months, but Cooper couldn't help but respect a man willing to take point ahead of all his subordinates, even if that put the NCO in immense danger. That didn't seem to faze the old man, as Malcolm seemed as sharp as anyone half his age. The 16-man unit pushed out from the small trio of buildings towards the guardhouse and the gate.
A couple of short bursts of suppressed shots rang out, and Cooper quickly swung his rifle to the source, seeing Staff Sergeant Allens dropping a couple of armed guards that had been trying to run for the gate. 'Goodnight. Two Tangoes down.' He heard Allens say over comms.
"Good kills." Cooper complimented as the Ranger element pushed forward. The gate itself seemed to be of typical feudal Japanese design, with the pair of massive wooden doors left closed. Above the gate watching the approach was the guardhouse, or yagura, as the locals called it. Barely two stories tall and with a standard feudal Japanese design, it basically served as an observation post for guards to watch an approach, or in the case of a siege, allow archers to fire down on the attackers, as they were typically stored with arrows for the defenders to use.
And it was a good thing Cooper had read up on basic Japanese castle architecture before they had deployed to Qushan because when he heard something whistle by between Bellino and himself, he immediately ordered his squad to spread out and take cover, as several more arrows and smgs were fired blindly onto the open field. The Rangers quickly returned fire, aiming upon the castle wall and the yagura tower at the defenders trying to stop them from breaking in. Cooper dropped two archers
'Fox-4-Actual, this is Cujo 2-1. Just finished escorting Hades-137 carrying Fox-2-Papa. We see you on the ground and are ready to provide support. Just give us the word, over.' Cooper heard through the comms as he killed a pirate trying to pop up on the wall's palisade to take a shot.
'Solid copy, Cujo 2-1. We have multiple enemies along the wall and guardhouse overseeing the gate. Requesting gun run on this line, over.'
'Solid copy. 50 mike-mikes armed. Pass initiated. Guns, guns, guns.'
Four 50mm autocannons thundered to life as the gunship strafed the wall line, with dozens of rounds exploding and throwing both man and debris about as the gunship continued its pass. The yagura was struck by several dozen rounds as the Skyhawk focused fire on the building. Cooper could hear men screaming and shrieking in agony as their lives were quickly snuffed out.
Several of the Rangers started cheering as the pirates were massacred by the lone gunship, with Malcolm quickly standing up and motioning for them to follow him as he charged forward. '4-Actual, this is Cujo 2-1. Pass complete.'
'Copy that, Cujo 2-1. Good hit on target, over.'
'Roger, 4-Actual. Cujo 2-1 egressing to overwatch position. Will be on standby for further fire missions. Out.'
The Rangers, using the suppression of the pirates to their advantage quickly reached the gate itself, which had been blasted apart, allowing the Rangers to move up to the third and final level of the castle.
'Fox-4-Actual, this is Fox-2-Actual. We have touched down and are moving out to fortify the positions held here while Fox-5 makes landfall. My platoon has taken over courtyard security, so the rest of Fox-4 is moving up to your location to reinforce your assault on the main building. How copy, over?'
'Solid copy, 2-Actual. Be advised, Neither myself nor Fox-1 has secured the gates and bridge linking the two courtyards. We'll need to send someone over there to secure the site, over.'
'Roger, 4-Actual. 2-Actual copies all. Out.'
Cooper motioned for his squad to spread out as they cleared the ramp leading up to the final level of the castle, putting out any torches or paper lanterns that they came across to conceal their movement. He could hear the sound of a Skyhawk's autocannons firing in the distance. The third level comprised mostly of a large, open courtyard, With primarily three large building complexes and a handful of beautiful trees and gardens decorating the interior. On the Southwestern side of the courtyard, running along the length of the wall, was the main castle and residence for the nobility. That was their target.
Through his 'nods*,' he could see several pirates and what he assumed were servants running around in a panic, trying to figure out what was going on. Some of the pirates were trying to rally and prepare for battle, but they were also slowed down by having to light torches and lanterns just to see where they were going.
The Rangers made quick work of the defenders, while the servants screaming and ran in terror as they watched the pirates get gunned down by some unknown, unseen attackers. As the rest of Fox-4 regrouped at the East gate, Cooper could hear the sounds of combat happening over at the North gate. Likely Fox-1 assaulting the gate. And just as it had been with the East gate, one strafing run from a roving Skyhawk and the gate, along with its defenders, were destroyed, allowing the Rangers to push up.
"Alright. So we got the fuckers boxed in now." Cooper surmised as he crouched up next to SFC Malcolm, "So what's the game plan, Sergeant? We waiting for Fox-3 or we gonna go ahead and breach?"
"Bastards have all fallen back into the house after they realized fighting us out in the open was a stupid idea. The longer we wait, the more time we'll give them to fortify and dig in." Malcolm answered confidently, taking a swig of water from his hydration pack before continuing, "So we'll go ahead and tackle the big building, take it down and secure it while Fox-1 works on the other two."
"Sounds good to me," Cooper heard Sergeant Spoler respond, "Quicker we get all this shit done, quicker we can go home."
"Tch, yeah, or get deployed to the next shithole." Cooper retorted, earning an elbow into his side from a smirking Malcolm.
"Let's bounce, boys and girls." Malcolm ordered as he lead the platoon forward. A small shower had started coming down as they moved in on the building, with faint thunder booming off in the distance.
The Platoon quickly stormed up to the building, stacking up on several doors as they got ready to breach. With 4-4 hanging back to defend the gate and prevent any escapees from sneaking out, the rest of 4th Platoon stormed the building, flashbangs detonating and shots ringing out as they cleared each room in rapid succession. Anyone they found was either restrained or, if they resisted or attempted to fight back, killed with extreme prejudice. The Rangers simply couldn't take any chances, especially when they needed to secure the building as quickly as possible. Some of the defenders had firearms but others came charging at the Rangers with nothing but swords, spears, or even small knives. Cooper himself was nearly beheaded by one such asshole with a sword hiding in a corner, who was quickly put down with a dozen rounds of 7.62 from his rifle. Within 30 minutes, only four Rangers had been injured and the whole building had been secured, but by the time the Rangers had located and breached the nobles' hideout room, they were too late. The noble family, hiding out in a room on the top level and likely assuming the worst for their fate, had apparently decided to go the way of the samurai and commit seppuku. By the time the Rangers had found the noble family, they were all dead. Not even the children, seven in all, had been spared. Even for battle hardened veterans such as the Rangers of the 121st, it was a hard sight to stomach, especially when you were viewing a bunch of corpses with their guts disemboweled and some with their heads severed off. The only individual they had managed to capture was a lone assistant, one of three that had helped the family commit suicide. He was quickly escorted away, under guard to keep him from trying suicide as the 4th Platoon Rangers secured the building.
Cooper could see Malcolm grumbling under his breath as he reported in, 'Fox-Actual, this Fox-4-Actual. Building secured. All hostiles eliminated. We have as follows: 4 WIA, 14 POWs, and 37 Civilians. Be advised, noble family is KIA. How copy, over?'
'Fox-Actual copies all, Fox-4. Uhh, Interrogative. What happened to the nobles, over?'
'Fox-Actual, nobles were hiding up on the top level and committed mass suicide before we could reach them. Down to the last child. Over.'
'Shit... Solid Copy, Fox-4. Be advised, Fox-1 has secured the buildings adjacent and Alpha-3 has been declared secured. Fox-Actual and Fox-6 are on approach to land. Bring out your wounded and POWs, then prep them for immediate evac. Out.'
"FUBAR. All I can say." Bellino gripped while exiting the building, "I mean I'm no saint, but who the fuck does that to their kids?"
"Seriously, man." Alvarez answered, totting his M739 on his shoulder as he glanced back at the building, "I thought the Innie bastardos did some fucked up things, using kids as suicide bombers or child soldiers, but Christ that was hard to look at, dude."
"Different views from us." PFC Choosak reasoned, shrugging, "They don't know anything about us, either. So they saw death as preferable to whatever they thought we had in store for them."
"Still, to do that shit to your own kids? What the fuck, man?" Bellino exclaimed.
Cooper tuned the conversation out, not really wanting to talk about dead kids, as he lead the squad back, marching what prisoners and civilians they had captured out as they did so. The four injured troopers, including 2nd Squad's PFC Richards, who had the misfortune of getting his thigh sliced open by a crazed spear-wielding nut, were brought out under guard, on the off chance someone with a gun was still lurking about looking to get payback. Overhead, he could hear the Albatross carrying Fox-Actual and Fox-6's Nightingale coming down to land. He saw Fox-1 coming out with some prisoners and civilians of their own from the other two buildings, along with five injured personnel. He clicked his tongue at that. Luckily, no one had died, but that was still nine less pair of eyes and guns they had available for the rest of the Op.
As the Albatross and Nightingale touched down and opened their holds, the Command and Mortar Companies came pouring out of them, not wanting the crafts to be loitering any longer than they have to. Members of the command company began pulling out stores of supplies that had also been carried by the heavy dropship, namely ammunition, medical supplies, and additional mortar rounds for the mortars. The mortar company, meanwhile, had quickly located and set up firing positions for their 81mm mortars on the top courtyard, before moving to assist in unloading the dropship of its cargo. With a range of 8,000 meters, they could hit anything within the city and with accuracy that Artillery could only dream of having, even in an age of advanced digital electronics.
As the company commander stepped forward and surveyed the area, many of Fox-4 and Fox-1's Rangers were sweeping the buildings and courtyard for any weapons or munitions, confiscating them when found.
"We got all our equipment off?" He heard the Captain asked, which was quickly answered with an affirmative, "Good. Once we get all the personnel loaded onboard, have the birds take off and GTFO. 4th platoon, I want you to bolster 3rd platoon on the northern courtyard once your done sweeping the main house for weapons. My staff'll handle the rest of the courtyard. 1st Platoon, you're backing up 2nd platoon down in the eastern courtyard. 5th'll get split up to reinforce both courtyards with their MGs and SMAWs. Let's have this castle locked down by the time TFC gets here." She ordered before quickly getting on the horn with command and reporting the progress of their insertion.
"Outlaw, this is Fox-Actual. We have secured Alpha-3 and are sending back POWs, WIA, and several civilians we've detained. How copy, over?" Captain Lubach spoke into the radio set.
'Roger that, Fox-Actual. Outlaw copies all. Be advised, we are getting confirmed reports of shinobi elements inside the city. They're largely being reported in the western section of the city, but maintain a visual for any in your sector. Out.'
As Cooper watched over the prisoners being loaded onto the Nightingale, he looked out into the city, towards the other side of the river where he could hear the sounds of battle happening. Flashes of light and fire illuminated the night as the 33rd Mech and the 419th fought its way into the city. With the command staff finished getting its comms equipment set up, he could hear the radio chatter of troops in the city as they fought their way through it. From the sound of it, the lead elements of TFC were maybe 10 minutes out from Alpha-1 and Delta Company. Delta sounded like it was still clearing out and fighting for control of Alpha-1, but against the war machines of the UNSC and its overwhelming firepower, it was becoming blatantly clear that the pirates stood little chance against such an onslaught.
Just as he thought that, he saw something explode on Alpha-1's top courtyard, followed closely by something, likely an aircraft, bursting into flames and came spiraling down into the streets below Alpha-1 in a brilliant explosion.
'Delta-Actual, this is Goliath, what's your-'
Gunfire and explosions suddenly came screaming into the comms, 'THIS IS DELTA-5 TO ANY AND ALL UNSC FORCES. ALPHA-1 IS NOT SECURE! I SAY AGAIN! ALPHA-1 NOT SECURE! Delta-Actual is KIA and we have enemy shinobi confirmed on- THEY'RE BREAKING OUR RIGHT FLANK! RAMIREZ! GET THAT 247 SET UP ON THE RIGHT FLANK! MOVE! MOVE!' Cooper and his SFC looked at one another worriedly, not liking the sound of heavy combat and gunfire being heard through comms. 'ALL FORCES, BE ADVISED! Hostile shinobi confirmed on station in Qushan! We are under attack from a squad-sized element of shinobi supported by at least a couple companies of foot mobiles! We have suffered nearly 60% casualties and are being forced back to the 3rd level of Alpha-1! Those ninja bastards are tearing right through my men! Broken Arrow! I say again! Bro- What the fuck is that little shit doing? The one along the wall? … FUCKING CHRIST! RAMIREZ, SANDLER! EVERYONE, GET DO-'
As he was listening in to the exchange, Cooper then watched Alpha-1 disappeared within a massive fireball, the explosion seeming to engulf almost the entire upper half of the castle like a volcano erupting. This was followed by what looked like multiple small meteors or fireballs spiraling into the streets and buildings all around the western side of castle, each erupting in a brilliant display. Exactly where Task Force Conway was pushing into town from towards Alpha-1.
He could hear the blood-curling screams of men and women quickly filling up comms, only to be cut off just as quickly. Cooper could feel the blood draining from his face as he watched the horrific scene unfold, while all around him, everyone silently watched on in horror.
"What the fuck did we walk into?"
0451 AM
17 minutes prior to Alpha-1's Destruction...
Highway 2, on approach to Alpha-1
Task Force Conway
33rd Mechanized Brigade
2nd Battalion
Gamma Company
'Rhino 2-3'
"Target 3 o'clock! Foot Mobiles out in the open trying to pull back!" Her TC Sergeant Evans called out, "Engaging with the .50! Khagga, keep glassing those buildings so the crunchies* can move in on it!"
"Suppressing!" Corporal Helia Khagga responded as she fired a burst from her Oryx's 30mm autocannon. 3 rounds of HE detonated against the stone and wood buildings, tearing off large chunks from their frames as a squad of Mechanized Infantry pushed towards them. But almost as if to thumb their noses at her, the MG and its accompanying infantry inside the building just refused to go silent, opening fire and forcing the troopers to take cover. She growled out a curse, unable to located just where exactly the MG was firing from as it apparently hadn't come with any tracer rounds. It didn't help any further that even with the sporadic rain, there had been so much smoke and flame produced by all the gunfire that thermals were almost useless, leaving her to rely on the Oryx's night-vision optics. She fired another burst, blasting more of the buildings apart. But again, after a few seconds, the MG and riflemen inside just started firing again. "Goddammit! Die already, you cocksucker!"
"Son of a- Watch your fire! Civilians fleeing out in the open!" Evans called out as he fired a burst from the DEFENDER RWS. Khagga watched, forced to hold her fire, as a couple of small families started fleeing right across the street, the building they fled out of glowing orange and smoking. Despite the Army Troopers holding their fire, the group barely got halfway across when they were cut down by gunfire. The pirates had no regard for the locals lives, so anything that jumped out in front of them was fired on, regardless of if it was hostile or not. If that wasn't a textbook definition of trigger happy, Helia didn't know what was. "Fucking Shink bastards!" Her sergeant snarled as he fired the .50 once more.
The bastards had caught them in a crossfire with a couple of machine guns and several rifle caliber weapons. Civilian-grade, bolt-action hunting rifles from Chalybs Defense. All of which were weapons the 'shinks*;' as some of the troops had started calling the native combatants on Shensei, particularly these assholes; weren't supposed to be in possession of if you were dumb enough to believe in Military Intelligence. Thankfully, they didn't appear to have any AT weaponry, as Helia was certain they would have used them by now. But none of that helped the 11 troopers that were now dead.
'Rhino-2, this is Goliath. We need that crossroad secured for the rest of the Task Force. What's the sitrep, over?'
'Goliath, Rhino 2-Actual. Sitrep is FUBAR. I've got multiple elements of enemy forces armed with machine guns and rifle caliber weapons pinning down our infantry in a crossfire. Break! Rhino-2's Victors* cannot move forward without leaving our infantry dangerously exposed. We have already suffered 11 KIA and 9 WIA. Break! Requesting artillery or air support on enemy positions in order to clear AO, over!'
'Rhino-2, solid copy on fire mission request. Standby while we get support on station. Infantry will flank North of the crossroad to see if they can't bypass the stronghold. Goliath, out.'
"Fucking Christ!" The driver, Corporal Higgins, exclaimed furiously as he flinched down instinctively from his view port while the several bullets pinged off the hull. "You'd think they'd have realized that doesn't do anything except give away their position by now."
Helia ignored him as she quickly lined up the target, the machine gunner that had been harassing her platoon. Finally the bastard had revealed himself. But just as she was about to fire another burst, the buildings and area behind the entrenched pirates came to life with gunfire and explosions, causing a panic amongst the pirates who clearly weren't expecting an attack from behind. As this happened, the comms came to life once more, 'Rhino-2, this is Goliath. Be advised, you have elements of Alpha Company, 419th Battalion approaching from the south behind the enemy's position. Hold your fire, over!'
Helia growled out in annoyance as she took her finger off the trigger to her 30mm, watching as the buildings where the pirates had fortified themselves erupted with gunfire and grenades going off. Through her NODs, she could see several pirates bursting out of the buildings trying to flee, only to be cut down quickly by Army troopers quickly pursuing them. The troopers of the 419th were methodically and ruthless in their assault, as any pirates found were eliminated with upmost efficiency as the 419th quickly seized control of the building complex. She might have been irritated with their lack of communication, but Helia couldn't deny that they were damn good at what they did, as expected of an elite battalion with years of experience fighting the Covenant. After witnessing their friends down south getting demolished, the pirate holdouts up north of the crossroad must have decided that it was time to bug out, as the troopers were reporting a cessation of gunfire from the north.
'Gamma Company? This is Alpha-4 of Alpha Company, 419th. Sorry for not warning you in advance, but we managed to slip behind them and didn't want to give ourselves away while we closed in on them. Be advised, buildings south of your position secured. MG neutralized. Enemy has been either destroyed or routed. How copy, over?'
'Solid Copy, Alpha-4. Good work and thanks for the assist. Interrogative, what's your status? Over.'
'Situation's as follows, Rhino. Alpha Company has pushed to within point-3, I say again, point-3 klicks of target Alpha-1. Break.' Jesus, the 419th really were an elite unit, if they managed to outpace a mechanized battalion with so many hostiles about. According to her HMD, Gamma's lead element, which was her unit Rhino-2, was still about 0.47 klicks from the objective. 'Contact has been made with Delta-Actual of the 121st, but they're reporting they're under heavy contact with a massive force inside Alpha-1. We're gonna need to try and blitz our way towards Alpha-1 to back them up ASAP. How copy, over?'
'Rhino acknowledges all, Alpha-4. Be advised, Rhino-2's Infantry contingent has suffered 11 KIA and 9 WIA. It is understrength and unable to continue Ops and will have to remain behind. But Rhino-1 is still green and all of Rhino-2's Victors are still available to proceed on mission. Just tell us where you need us and we'll back you up. Over.'
'Solid copy, Rhino-2. Down the street about 150 meters from our current location, the buildings and street open up into a large flat area. Looks to be some kind of plaza. We'll rendezvous and proceed from there to cover Alpha's left flank. Alpha-4, out.'
'Rhino, this is Goliath. Hoplite-3 is going to deploy one of their Mastadons and accompanying infantry to lock down the crossroad while the convoy pushes through. Cas-evac is on route for your wounded. You are to proceed on mission and assist 419-Alpha and 121-Delta in securing Alpha-1. Over.'
'Rhino acknowledges all, Goliath. Over.'
Not needing to be told, Higgins was already driving the Oryx down the road, maintaining a 15 meter interval with the vehicle in front of them, Rhino 2-2, as they made their way down the street, while Helia and Evans continued scanning the streets and buildings for anything hostile.
'Rhino, this is Goliath again. We have also been receiving sporadic reports of enemy shinobi being present throughout the AO and wreaking havoc on isolated UNSC elements. Be advised, these are now confirmed. I say again. Enemy shinobi presence confirmed inside Qushan. How copy, over?'
"Ah, shit." Helia heard Evans mutter.
'Goliath, Rhino copies all. We're Oscar-Mike to Alpha-1. Interrogative. What's the size of the shinobi force present, over?'
'Unknown at this time, Rhino, but believed to be roughly platoon strength in size. Stay frosty. Goliath, out.'
Great. So they had a bunch of magic-wielding freaks loose in the city and they had no clue how many there were. Wonderful. Helia scrunched her face up in frustration as she scanned for targets, occasionally hearing the smack of a bullet impacting her IFV's hull, which her Sergeant quickly answered with the .50-cal or if they were persistent, a burst from her 30-mil. Up ahead, Helia could see the outline of the castle looming over her. It was clear a hard fought battle was being waged for control of the castle, as there was smoke and fire spread all about the castle. The Rangers had clearly bitten off more than they could chew and needed some backup. Thankfully, they weren't too far away now.
Rhino 2-1 and Rhino 2-2 slowed to a halt, causing Higgins to bring his war machine to a halt, too. Further down the road, next to Rhino 2-1, the buildings gave way to a massive plaza like location, with an Army Trooper waving down the lead vehicle and pointing him right. Rhino 2-1 complied and lead the lead element of Gamma Company into the plaza, where the rest of Alpha-4 was hunkered down.
Almost before anything could even be said, bombs began detonating around the group as gunfire filled the courtyard. Nope the shinks hadn't had enough, it looks like, as the buildings in front of them came roaring to life with gunfire.
That wasn't the only threat they were facing, though, as out of nowhere, the ground erupted, jagged rocks flying up straight into Rhino 2-1's Oryx and sent the 31-ton IFV flipping onto its side and into a building. Helia quickly spotted the perpetrator responsible, who quickly leapt away and onto an adjacent building while throwing what looked small throwing knives at Alpha-4's troopers, who quickly retaliated and gunned down the attacker. The shinobi wasn't alone, however, as several more suddenly appeared, springing into the midst of the Army troopers and attacking without warning, while several pirates came storming out of the buildings screaming war cries as they attacked.
"Shinobi and more pirates! Take 'em out! Take 'em out!" Evans barked out, firing his DEFENDER RWS into the midst of the pirates trying to take the plaza.
"Firing!" Helia roared as she thumbed down the fire button on her 30-mil autocannon, the cannon barking out as it sent HE rounds right into the midst of the enemy forces coming out of the buildings. Bodies were torn to ribbons or sent flying through the air as the 30mm rounds detonated. Helia had read the reports and heard the rumors regarding these individuals, but it was still her first time seeing a shinobi in action and it shocked her to her core to see someone pulling off what these fuckers could do.
One of the ninjas, a woman, threw herself into the midst of a fireteam of Alpha-4's troopers, slamming one in the head with a solid roundhouse kick that sent the poor man flying before she slit another man's throat with some kinda short sword. The last man of the fireteam managed to slam the butt of his MA37 into the back of her head a couple of times, causing her to stumble, but she quickly recovered and kicked the man's leg out from under him before he could follow up his attack, followed by a solid kick to his knee that shattered it before the ninja decapitated her opponent effortlessly. 3 men dead, in the span of seconds, by just one sword-wielding nut.
Helia quickly managed to avenge the fireteam and gun down the offending ninja with her coaxial, before she suddenly felt her body go airborne, only to be caught by her seatbelt as something struck the IFV and sent it flying, causing it to flip a couple times before grinding to a halt. As she slowly gathered her wits, she heard Evans groan out, "Out, out! Everyone out! Grab your PDWs and prep for CQB." as he threw the TC hatch open, scanning the opening for any hostiles. Making sure she had her M7 still on her, she followed Sergeant Evans out of the downed Oryx and in the open, exposed. And strangely, all quiet all of the sudden. Alpha-4's survivors, maybe half of what they had come with, were scanning fiercely for their attackers. The pirates had all been eliminated or routed, but the ninjas seemed to have suddenly and eerily disappeared. The three crewman of Rhino 2-3 looked at one another, confused as to what was going on, when their comms came on with chatter from Goliath.
'Delta-Actual, this is Goliath, what's your-' Gunfire and explosions suddenly came screaming into the comms, causing her to flinch at the intensity. Explosions and gunfire were rocking the castle, with Helia and the survivors watching in horror as an Albatross dropship that had landed explode, followed closely by a hovering Nightingale that had somehow been shot down, its flaming wreck falling down into the streets beneath Alpha-1. 'THIS IS DELTA-5 TO ANY AND ALL UNSC FORCES. ALPHA-1 IS NOT SECURE! I SAY AGAIN! ALPHA-1 NOT SECURE! Delta-Actual is KIA and we have enemy shinobi confirmed on- THEY'RE BREAKING OUR RIGHT FLANK! RAMIREZ! GET THAT 247 SET UP ON THE RIGHT FLANK! MOVE! MOVE!'
"Shit that isn't good, man." Higgins muttered beside her. Alpha-4 was trying to collect their wounded and dead, while Helia could see that only one of Rhino-2's Oryxs, Rhino 2-4, was still operational. That meant they were basically combat ineffective and would have to be pulled out.
'ALL FORCES, BE ADVISED! Hostile shinobi confirmed on station in Qushan! We are under attack from a squad-sized element of shinobi supported by at least a couple companies of foot mobiles! We have suffered nearly 60% casualties and are being forced back to the 3rd level of Alpha-1! Those ninja bastards are tearing right through my men! Broken Arrow! I say again! Bro- What the fuck is that little shit doing? The one along the wall?'
"Hey, m-maybe we should pull back-" Helia started suggesting, but was cut off by her comms screaming, 'FUCKING CHRIST! RAMIREZ, SANDLER! EVERYONE, GET DO-'
A massive eruption seemed to engulf the upper half of Alpha-1, almost like that of a volcano erupting, sending bits and pieces of molten debris flying in every directions. The shockwave threw all of the troops onto the ground, rattling them as the sheer strength of the blast. Helia was slammed back into her IFV, hitting her head and dazing her for a moment. Quickly collecting herself, she looked up just in time to see what she could have sworn was someone flying through the air above them. She could have sworn she locked eyes with the young man, who could have been possibly older than 17, but the look he gave her promised nothing but death.
"SHIT! RUN! RUN FOR IT-" Someone shouted out, and too late, Helia realized this was another shinobi looking at her, having just finished casting some kind of jutsu. The next thing she knew, dozens of what looked like massive building sized meteors were descending to the ground all around Alpha-1. One of which was coming straight for her.
Helia Khagga's final moments and final screams of agony as her flesh was melted away, along with the rest of Alpha and Gamma Companies, were drowned out by the roar of dozens of massive fireballs slamming into their positions, as Terumī Moroie's attack annihilated almost everything and everyone within half a kilometer west of Alpha-1. Within the span of not even half a minute, 121's Delta Company, 419th's Alpha Company, and almost a third of 33rd Mech's 2nd Battalion ceased to exist.
Somewhere inside the city, atop a roof approx. 1.5 kilometers from the ruins of Alpha-1
"Well... this is just going from bad to worst." The man groaned softly, taking a swig from a bottle of sake he managed to swipe on his way out from the inn he had been staying at, as he watched the battle rage on. (Shame they woke him up so damn early. The landlord lady that owned the inn was such a nice girl. Great figure, too, heh-heh.) The 'UNSC' (What these star people were apparently called, but he had no clue what the hell that meant.) were now conducting what he could only describe as a fighting retreat as they reluctantly pulled back from all the ground they'd gained, harassed the entire way by Shao Peng's forces. They had correctly predicted where their attackers would assault from, and gathered the majority of their forces to prepare to repel them.
'The only thing they hadn't considered was that ballsy air assault they pulled off. Hell, I've been watching them on and off for a good couple weeks now and even I didn't think they'd be that ballsy to try that.' He thought as he glanced back to the other two castles on the other side of the river. Whether it had been to simply seize the feudal lords or to simply deny those strongpoints to Shao Peng for use, it hadn't really mattered now. The shinobi in particular were wrecking havoc amongst these 'Star People's' forces as they pulled back, leaving whatever forces inside those castles isolated and surrounded. Not cut off, though. They got into the castles by air, so he imagined they could get back out by air if needed, though it would be risky now that the enemy was on to them.
But the most important piece of information, as far as he was concerned, was that it looks like the rumors are true about these people. Not only have these individuals never encounter chakra-wielders, like shinobi, but they don't have any chakra of their own period. And it was becoming abundantly clear to him that these star people weren't use to fighting chakra-wielders.
Which, in turn, did explain their odd and unique weaponry and equipment that they were using. A lack of chakra meant they can't do the things shinobi can that makes a lot of minor inconveniences tolerable, so they've had to rely more on scientific and technological marvels to achieve the same results. Effective and useful in its own way, but... clearly with its own drawbacks, as he watched one of the UNSC's flying machines get hit, from an exploding kunai if he had to guess, and began to spiral down to the ground. The machine's operator fought to keep their machine the air, but its damaged wing tore off from the strain of its plummet, sealing the doomed craft's fate as it crashed into the streets below.
Random explosion were constantly going off in the city, some of which didn't look like they were cast from a jutsu. The screams of pirates being ripped to shreds by the bombs could be faintly heard. Some super-advanced, long range catapult maybe? Not that he would know for sure. Catapults and similar long range artillery systems haven't really been used in the elemental nations by any army for almost three centuries following the rise of shinobi clans. But for a group of chakra-less individuals who couldn't conjure up fire or wind jutsus, such artillery was probably a godsend, especially against an entrenched or attacking foe.
Their wheeled machines he could deduce what they were just from looking at them. They were clearly some kind of armored transport, meant to protect their foot soldiers while also providing heavy firepower where needed. Every bit of their hardware seemed to be centered around one thing.
Supporting the foot soldiers.
"Sir, the star people are falling back, but are consolidating in the city outskirts. And the ones inside the castles are holding position for the moment. There appears to be no moves indicating a withdrawal from the castles." A shinobi suddenly appeared next to him, reporting the situation. If the situation was any different, this shinobi would have eliminated on the spot for approaching him, especially considering who he had approached and that officially, he wasn't supposed to be here. He needed to maintain his cover, after all.
But, it was rather counterproductive to kill your informants, especially when he was one of your best sources of info within the Sea Confederacy.
"Which means this fight isn't over. They're not retreating, they're licking their wounds and preparing for the next encounter." looking over to his informant, he continued, "What about in areas and town that these Star People control? How're things different under their rule as opposed to Shao Peng?"
The informant paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts before speaking, "If I must be honest, surprisingly peaceful and confusing. These Star People don't loot any towns they capture, they tend to any civilians who are sick or injured, even construct housing and various other things for the inhabitants. They were building something called a school for the children in Saigai when I was there last week. Apparently it's some kind of facility where children are taught skills and knowledge that will benefit them when they get older. And anyone's child could attend it. There was also this facility that they called a 'water purification plant,' some kind of massive building that makes the ocean water into drinkable water. It was the craziest thing I'd seen. I didn't believe it until I actually tried some."
The first one sounded a lot like a ninja academy to him, except it wasn't exclusive. The second one, though, was definitely something he'd never heard of. Sure, a shinobi could use water jutsu to provide water if needed, as taxing as that was, but as far as he knew nobody could filter salt water into fresh water. At least, not proficiently or to the point it was drinkable. That was a level of chakra control that he was sure even hime's legendary chakra control would have difficulty doing. It was beyond his knowledge, and not to boast, but he was a pretty knowledgeable shinobi.
He wasn't known as a Sage for nothing.
"I see. Interesting to note, I'll make sure to keep that in mind when I forward my report." He finished, scratching his long gray mane as he contemplated his next move, "Sir, what do you plan on doing next?"
He sighed at this, "I guess my trip back to Konoha is gonna have to wait a little longer. I was hoping to deal with Shao and be outta here within a month, but go figure that someone had to put a snag in that plan." By deal with Shao Peng, he meant assassinate him. After a few rather severe raids on shipping in their nation's waters, Konoha's Hokage had decided that it was time someone did something about Shao Peng, so they sent him to infiltrate the Confederacy and kill the petty pirate lord about a month ago. This would have almost certainly resulting in a collapse of the current regime that would have the pirates fighting amongst themselves for years, hopefully decades, before someone else manages to seize control of the 'Nation' down here.
But then two things happened. First, the pirates were equipped with strange new projectile weapons that were extremely lethal if used properly. Then these 'UNSC' guys showed up, cutting off his escape route by destroying every damn vessel in port and started invading the island, forcing him to bide his time and observe how their attack played out. He could have probably sped things along by killing Peng, having the pirates fight amongst one another and this 'UNSC' at the same time, but he wasn't exactly keen on helping these newcomers. Even if they'd made no moves against his home, that didn't mean they were friendly.
So for now, he'd wait and simply observe this new faction and how it operated. If worst came to worst, he could always reverse summon back to Mount Myōboku.
"Guess I have to just stay and see where this goes." He concluded as he started to stand up, hearing some sporadic gunfire nearby. It sounded like the weapons these Star People were usually armed with. Good. A chance to maybe grab a couple prisoners and learn more about the new guys in the neighborhood. But he'd have to be careful. Last thing he needed was to draw the ire of this new faction towards Konoha.
"For now, you keep doing what you've been doing. Lay low, observe everything that's been happening. If you have to get into the fighting to keep up appearances, do so, but stay alive above anything else. I'll see what I found out about our new... friends." He ordered, tossing the sake bottle aside while the informant merely nodded. "As you wish Jiraiya-sama." The shinobi informant quickly disappeared, leaving the Toad Sannin alone on top of the roof as he watched the battle raged on.
'What the hell just happened to Alpha-1?!'
'Was that a goddamn volcano going off?'
'Ambush! Ambush! Charlie 2-3 taking fire from my 9 o'clock; 150 meters! Kilo 1-1, hit that fucker with the 30 mike-mike!'
'This is 419-Alpha 2 to any UNSC forces nearby! Our company just got wiped out by an unknown attack! Suspected to be shinobi in origin! We're down to 11 men and are under heavy attack by enemy foot mobiles supported by a fireteam of shinobi and unknown entities! Break. We are cut off and pinned down! I say again, we are CUT OFF! Broken Arrow! I say again, Broken Arrow! We'll hold them as long as we can, but we need assistance ASAP! How copy, over?'
'This is UNSC Stirling. We read you, Alpha-2. Archer missile salvo inbound, danger close. Over.'
'Contact left! Contact left! Drop that psycho bitch no-'
'Goliath, this is Warpig 3-2! Warpig 3-1's Victors just got taken out by an squad of enemy shinobi. Flipped them over like they were goddamn tin cans! They've jammed up the road with 3-1's Victors. Infantry is heavily engaged and taking severe casualties. 3-2 is unable to assist. I say again, 3-2 cannot proceed forward to assist 3-1's infantry. Requesting emergency artillery or air support. How copy, over?'
'This Havoc-Actual to Goliath! Be advised, we are getting overwhelmed with the number of fire missions being requested. My batteries are firing almost non-stop. Break. Goliath, at the rate we're sending rounds down range we're gonna burn through all our HE within the next 60 mikes! Requisitions are as follows. Break. Requisition Alpha: more munitions be sent to my location, ASAP; Requisition Bravo: permission to use white phosphorus and thermobaric warheads against enemy positions; And Requisition Charlie: more artillery assets be diverted to AO. How copy, Goliath, over?'
'Where the hell are they all coming from? How the fuck did they get behind us?!'
'Oh my god... This isn't happening...'
'3-1, Fall back! FALL BACK, GODDAMMIT!'
'LOOK OU-'
'This is Hades-401! We've been hit! Mayday, mayday! We are going down! BRACE FOR IMPA-'
'I just saw some guy with a big ass sword blow away all of Zulu 2-4 with a fucking swing of his sword! How the hell is that even possible?!'
'Zulu-1, this is Zulu-3! Be advise, you have a large element of foot mobiles pressing on your left flank, bearing 2-2-7 from our location, supported by unknown... creatures made of stone. Enemy shinobi suspected amongst them. Break. We'll attempt to intercept and suppress but are heavily engaged by company-sized element of foot mobiles. How copy, over?'
'This is Zulu 1-3! Interrogative! Where the hell's the air support? Over!'
'What happened to Gamma Company?!'
'They're fucking gone!'
'UNSC Stirling to all ground forces. Be advised, we are green for engaging enemy positions with Rampart PDGs and Archer missiles. Mark a target for us and we'll send it to hell, over.'
'This is 3-Helas Kilo-2, we are under heavy attack from shinobi using some kind of stone monsters! My platoon has taken significant casualties and we are pulling back. Out! Everyone, tactical retreat! AT, hit those fucking things with the SMAWs! Take 'em out! Take 'em out!'
'Roger! Engaging with thermobaric warhead! Firing!'
'All Task Force Conway forces, this is Outlaw. You are to conduct a tactical withdrawal to defensive positions in the outskirts of the city and regroup. Artillery and air assets will cover the withdrawal. All forces, I say again, get the hell out of there ASAP!'
...
...
'Jesus Christ... Someone drop the goddamn ball on intel... 'sigh' Get me Iron Maiden on call ASAP. She's gonna need to know what the hell happened and I'm going to need to make some calls to see what assets we can get sent to us pronto. These little cocksuckers want a slugging match? Alright. We'll give them a slugging match and we'll see just how much they can take.'
By the time the UNSC forces completed their tactical withdrawal from the heart of West Qushan back into the outskirts at approximately 0710 local time and started licking their wounds while prepping for their next move, the Battle of Qushan was barely 5 hours old. A gentle rain had swept over the smoldering ruins of West Qushan, turning the scarred landscape into a muddy quagmire as the storm thundered in the distance. Peng's forces had suffered greatly in their initial victory over their invaders, with some 3,000 pirates and at least 30 shinobi killed, but over 1,100 UNSC personnel were dead, with at almost half that number wounded. It was unknown how many civilians were killed in the initial battle, but later historians put the number from anywhere between 7-15,000. Many more lives would be lost in the days to come and the UNSC was now getting its first true glimpse into capabilities of the native Shinobi. This wasn't like the first contact on Timur, where the UNSC had ambushed an unprepared, inexperienced, and unsuspecting force that had never fought against firearms before, then fought said enemy on their terms. This was the true power of the shinobi being demonstrated, and why the rest of Shensei's populace respected and feared them so much.
This was a battle the world would never forget, and that would affect both the military and political thinking of UNSC personnel in the years to come, but it had only just begun.
*Shink/Shinks is a sort of racial slur that UNSC personnel have come up with when referring to Shinobi or Shensei native combatants due to the fact that A) they typically have Asian facial features or the fact they speak a pseudo-Asian language, and B) they're from the planet Shensei.
*For those of you who don't know, Nods is a nickname for Night Vision Equipment, while Tube Jockeys and Mortards are both nicknames for Mortar Infantrymen. (A combination of the words Mortar and Retard. Us Army boys are so nice to one another, aren't we?)
*Crunchies is a nickname for Infantry used by armored crewmen, who vise-versa will typically call armored crewmen DATs (Dumb-Ass Tankers) or Treadheads. Victor is military language for a vehicle, typically when speaking on comms, while Oscar Mike means Operationally Mobile, or on the move. Interrogative is said when you're about to ask a question on comms.
*So according to Halopedia, there are canon-established numbers for how many personnel are in a UNSC squad, platoon, company, etc. So according to the 'pedia's page for Unified Ground Command, which is based off what's written in the Halo Encyclopedia (2011), they are as follows:
Fireteam- 4
Squad- 13
Platoon- 39-42
Company- 164
Battalion- 800
Regiment- 3,000 (Used by UNSC Marine Corps)
Brigade- 5,000 (Used by UNSC Army)
Division- 14,000
However, on the website's page for UNSC Military Organization, which is more based off of the Halo novels and gameplay within the first three Halo games, shows a vast variation in numbers or just an outright contradiction as to the one above, as shown below:
Fireteam- 2-5
Squad- 5-8
Combat Team- 10-12
Platoon- 25-48
Company- 130-250
Battalion- 800-1,000
Regiment- 3,200 (Used by Marine Corps and a handful of 'historical' Army units)
Brigade- 5,000 (Used by Army)
Division- 20,000 (Mentioned only in Halo: Contact Harvest)
Expeditionary Force- 40,000-50,000 (Mentioned only in Halo: Contact Harvest)
So, what's one to do when he's trying to give consistent sizes for a military organization, since most military organizations have a largely uniformed unit structure in terms of size and numbers?
Well, I decided to try an go for a mix of the two, mostly favoring the model provided by Halo Encyclopedia, while trying to be as consistent as possible and explaining any units that don't match this. So in the case of the Rangers, whose companies, platoons, and squads number 256, 40/45/24/27, and 8 respectively, why are they numbered like that when the typical UNSC Army units are being numbered as 164/42/13/8?
The reasoning I ended up coming up with for my story is that due to Covenant War the UNSC Army Rangers, who operated usually as an airborne special-ops light infantry unit meant to conduct special recon, raids, counter-terrorism, and air assault operations with little to no support, were forced to 'bulk up' essentially. Due to the nature of both their role and their newfound enemy, the Rangers were forced to enlarge and reorganize their unit structure for a total of 256 personnel per company to allow them to be more 'self-sufficient', with the heavy weapons unit of a ranger company, typically comprising of all of their heavy machine guns, AT, and mortars into a single platoon, being split into two separate platoons; a mortar platoon with 24 personnel and five 81mm mortars (Fireteams of 4 men per gun with a command team of 4) to provide the company artillery support and a dedicated MG/AT platoon with 45 personnel that would typically be broken down into squads of 9 (4 squads of 2 MGs, 3 ATs, and 3 ammo-bearers with an NCO and a command squad) and attached to one of the 4 infantry platoons to bolster its strength. (Leaving an HQ platoon of 27, 7 of which are medics, to command the entire company.) This 'Bulking Up' of the Ranger Company was necessary in order to give them a better chance at surviving a Covenant assault (Which could comprise of anything and everything in the Covenant war machine's arsenal.), who time and again often overwhelmed UNSC forces with sheer numbers along with technological superiority.
Anyway, that's it for the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know your thoughts in the review section. Constructive criticism is always welcome, as well as any suggestions/ideas for the story!
See you next time and Happy Thanksgiving!
-Azores
