Act 1, Chapter 4: Weapons of Mass Implication
FIRST MINISTER'S OFFICE,
GOVERNMENT HOUSE,
NEW EPHYRA.
"Has it really been twenty-five years?", Anya thought to herself as she gazed out at the healing Seran landscape below from her office atop the capital building of New Ephyra.
Being so busy with putting the world back together again made her realize in that moment how little time she had to step back and fully appreciate the results of her efforts, the COG's collective effort, the collective effort of every person who gave their lives to make the view she was seeing now possible in the first place. So she simply stood there, taking in the sight of what humanity was truly capable of when differences were put aside and uniting under a common goal of securing a tomorrow from an enemy that dared to take it away.
"V-Day felt like it only happened yesterday..."
The sound of knocking on her office doors took her away from her thoughts. The First Minister turned to the door and quickly assumed her typical air of professionalism.
"Please enter"
The doors opened to reveal General Hoffman.
"Victor, it's good to see you"
"Likewise, First Minister", Hoffman greeted as he tipped his hat.
"Formalities aren't necessary, Victor", Anya said as she smiled
"If you say so, Mrs. Stroud"
Anya rolled her eyes and chuckled cheerfully.
"So, what did you come to see me for?"
"It's about Chain Breaker"
"Chain Breaker? Are there any issues with the Operation?"
"No, but we're going to run into a wall with intel gathering"
"How so?"
"Using cloaked Watchers alone simply won't be enough to meet all of our intel gathering needs. They just don't have the operational range and the speed we need for recon to be viable in the long-run"
"What did you have in mind then?"
"It was an idea suggested to me by our local robotics expert"
A knock came from the office doors again.
"Come in", Anya called out.
The office doors opened once again
"Sorry if I'm a little late. I was just finishing up some work in the labs"
"As a matter of fact, you're right on time. Would you mind explaining the details of your idea to Mrs. Stroud?"
"Okay, so basically I had plans to send a couple of deep recon satellites I'd designed to orbit the Special Region to gather intel we need. The intel that Watchers could gather in a year, these satellites can gather in just a few days"
"That's great and all but how are you going to launch those satellites? We don't have a rocket and a launch platform built in the Special Region"
"Don't worry about that, I got something even better than a rocket to get those satellites in orbit", Baird reassuringly stated as he handed Anya documents detailing the alternative launch method.
The First Minister took a few moments to go through the documents before she made her decision.
"Alright then, you have my approval to launch those satellites. If there isn't anything else, you two have a good day"
The General and the Founder of DBi saluted to their First Minister before both left her office, out of sight and out of earshot.
"Consider yourself lucky that I don't have any objections with what you're 'actually' going to do", Hoffman stated before parting ways with Baird.
MEANWHILE,
COG CONVOY EN ROUTE TO ITALICA,
VIP ARMADILLO.
Riding as a passenger in the armored confines of an Armadillo with a handful of COG soldiers, Count Colt Formal was on his way home to the city of Italica. The COG had negotiated with him and came to an agreement that satisfied both parties. He would be escorted home safely, be allowed to remain in power and Italica would be under COG protection, all in exchange for simply allowing the COG to establish a base of operations in his city to conduct missions from.
"I really didn't think I'd still be alive, much less see my daughter and subjects once again...", Count Formal though to himself.
"Are you alright, Count?", JD asked, sitting opposite to him.
"Yes, I am fine. Your people have shown me a degree of leniency that no other captor from my world would have, thank you"
"No thanks is needed. That's just how the COG does things"
He smiled, knowing that powerful but kind people really did exist, knowing he wasn't the only one who wielded power with genuinely benevolent intent. Much like himself, the COG did not hold any contempt towards those not similar to them, figuratively and literally. He saw how they treated the captured legionnaires and the non-humans equally in every regard. They provided both with the same type of cells, same kind of food and even the same privileges, even if they were prisoner privileges and even then the privileges granted were much more lenient than he could have ever imagined. Seeing others treat non-humans with dignity was a first for him and it gave him hope for a future where people, regardless of race or species, can live in peaceful coexistence.
"Sir Jaydee, how long do you suppose it will take us to reach Italica?", Count Formal asked, knowing it had been some time since his departure from Alnus Hill.
"We're here now", JD answered, only just receiving a Tac-Com notification from the convoy's lead vehicle of their arrival after Count Formal had asked.
"Already? Such incredible speed...These iron wagons are truly something to behold"
"Count, follow me please", JD ordered as he and the other Gears along with DeeBees disembarked from the Armadillo.
The Count exited the vehicle, only to be met with a grim sight.
"No, no, no, no...What happened here!?"
"Shit...", JD said under his breath as he took in the sight of the carnage in front of him.
"Who would do this!? Who would attack Italica!?", Count Formal yelled in distress.
"Sir Jaydee! We must go now! I must ensure my daughter and my subjects are unharmed!"
"Alright, Gears and DeeBees! On me! Double time it! Let's go!", JD ordered over Tac-Com.
"Lead the way, Count!"
The Count of Italica along with the Gears and DeeBees rushed through the now-destroyed front gates of the city. Upon entering the city they were met with corpses and bloodied weapons scattered everywhere with the remaining defenders of the city resting, absolutely exhausted from fighting tooth and nail. The Gears and DeeBees not knowing them, they raised their weapons.
"Wait! They are the city guards!", Count Formal exclaimed, after which JD ordered the Gears and DeeBees to stand down.
"Lord Formal? Thank the gods you have returned safely. Where have y-", the City Guard Captain stated, still catching his breath and recovering.
"I shall explain my safe return and the circumstances that have led to it at a later time but you must tell me what has transpired here!"
"The Empire..."
"What!?"
"Imperial soldiers, those that survived the failed invasion across the Gate a few months ago, they have turned to banditry and attacked Italica in the hopes of conquering it, milord"
"Are you certain of this!?"
"One of the bastards announced it so before they attacked the city"
"What of my daughter and my subjects!?"
"Your daughter and your servants retreated into your home's hidden shelter and many of the citizens of the city barricaded themselves in their homes, some of them have joined us in the defense, however I fear not many of them survived. Milord, they will return, we must prepare ourselves"
"Continue to protect the city. This officer, Sir Jaydee, will lead the defense of the city, so follow any orders he may issue to you and your men, am I understood?"
The Captain of the Italica City Guard nodded in compliance and without question.
Without warning, Count Formal then proceeded to quickly make his way to his home. JD noticed this. Telling the City Guard Captain to stay put, he followed Count Formal, not wanting him to run off unguarded.
"Why would they turn to banditry? I thought they were supposed to protect us", Myui asked as a tear flowed down her face.
"Milady, what matters most is that you are unharmed and away from direct danger", The Head Maid of House Formal, Kaine, said reassuringly.
"What of my father? I have not seen him since he left to take part in that expedition across the Gate. Do you think he-"
"No milady, your father is a strong and resilient man, both in body and soul. I am sure he would not succumb so easily, especially if he has your well-being in mind"
"Really?", Myui asked with a glint of hope present in her tone.
"Absolutely"
"Two people are approaching the shelter", Persia stated in concern as her sensitive cat ears twitched.
"Persia, Aurea, prepare yourselves to fend them off should they wish to break into here and harm our Lady. Momo and I shall ensure Lady Myui is protected from the intruders"
As the Cat girl and Gorgon readied themselves to defend the shelter and fight back, Kaine and Momo shielded Myui with their bodies, willing to lay down their lives to ensure the safety of Count Formal's daughter.
"Myui, are you in there!?", came the voice of Count Formal himself from just behind the shelter's concealer entrance.
"Father!"
"It is Lord Formal! Open the shelter entrance!", Kaine ordered, with her subordinate maids promptly complying
Once the entrance was opened, the shelter's occupants laid eyes on the Count of Italica himself, along with an unknown individual.
"Milord Formal, We are relieved to see you alive and well but who is this with you?"
"Kaine, this is Sir Jaydee. He and his people are going to help us defend Italica. Where is my beloved daughter? I heard her voice"
"Father! I missed you", Myui exclaimed in relief as she freed herself from the protective embrace of the two maids and ran over to hug her father.
"My beloved Myui, I thought I would never see you again"
"As did I, father"
"Listen carefully, I want you all to continue to stay here and keep my daughter safe, while myself, the city guards, Sir Jaydee and his people ward off Italica's attackers. I will personally come here to allow you to leave the shelter once Italica is no longer in danger"
"No, stay here with your daughter. We can handle ourselves, trust me. We will let you know when it's safe to come outside", JD said in objection.
Count Formal nodded in compliance as he continued to hug his daughter.
"All call-signs, this is Captain Fenix. Bring the convoy in through the front gates and defend and secure the city. I repeat, bring the convoy in through the front gates and defend and secure the city"
With the order given, JD rushed back outside to meet up with the Gears and DeeBees. Armadillos and Packhorses had strategically positioned themselves within the city to provide effective cover and support positions.
"All call-signs, This is Captain Fenix. Squads Alpha, Bravo and Gamma will defend the North Wall. Squads Theta, Kappa and Lambda will defend the West Wall. Squads Sigma, Iota and Tau will defend the South Wall and Squads Delta, Zeta and Upsilon will defend the East Wall. Total number of hostiles are unknown at this time, so dig in and get ready"
After giving the order, he contacted Keep Command to request for reinforcements. They had come equipped for a high priority escort mission, not the mess they were in now. A mess that would most likely get messier, figuratively and literally.
"Control, this is Delta, requesting close-air support and four fabricators at these positions", JD asked after marking locations on his smart map.
"Solid copy Delta, coordinates received. King Ravens and Fabricators are en route, ETA one hour"
With reinforcements on its way, JD unholstered his Lancer Mk.3 and flicked the safety off and prepared himself for the coming battle.
Just a little over a mile outside of Italica and concealed in a forest, the bandits planned their next move, following yet another failed attempt to seize Italica. These bandits, former Imperial legionnaires who had deserted and turned to banditry, had been driven to madness by the overwhelming failure of conquering the other side of the Gate, driven mad by the almost inconceivable level of death and destruction the barbarian mages were capable of dishing out. From this madness, these former legionnaires' desire for a successful and gainful conquest became twisted. Now as far as they were concerned, anywhere in Falmart that could be conquered and looted was fair game, even if it was the lands of the people they once swore an oath to protect.
"Damn city guards...", a bandit swore as he wrapped a cloth around a gash on his arm.
"There are more of us than there are of them. If we keep at it, Italica will be ours, along with its wealth and women", a fellow bandit stated
"After what that bastard Molt put us through, wealth and women are only a few of the many things we are rightfully owed"
"I couldn't agree with you more"
"How are you two holding up?", the bandit leader asked as he arrived at one of hundreds of tents and campfires.
"No serious wounds, we will return to fighting shape soon enough"
"Excellent, we shall commence another attack on the city in an hour. I will call for all of you when the time comes", the bandit leader stated, walking away to prepare himself for the next charge on Italica.
"How hard can taking over a city be any away? We still have the experience of being legionnaires, what could peasants possibly do to defeat us?"
"Nothing. there is only so much peasants can do against us before they inevitably fall"
"Exactly"
"At least we are not fighting the barbarians from the other world this time, so victory is within our grasp"
The other bandit simply nodded, relieved from the fact they didn't need to face the wrath of the enemy beyond the Gate again, or so he thought.
AN HOUR LATER,
EAST GATE,
ITALICA.
"So much for loyalty...", Sam commented as she looked at the many corpses of the former Imperial legionnaires that were scattered around, along with the corpses of many city guards and civilians.
"All the more reason to make them regret attacking these poor folks", commented Sergeant Arnold Falaguerra as he kicked a former legionnaire's corpse over, seeing its face holding an expression of twisted pleasure.
"Yeah, I definitely don't feel sorry for these bastards"
"Sir Jaydee!", the City Guard Captain called out.
"Do you need something?"
"What would you have my men and I do?"
"Leave the defense to us, have you and your men stay back until I call for you to assist us"
"Are you certain of this, Sir Jaydee?"
JD nodded
"Very well", the City Guard Captain said before he went to rally and notify his men of JD's order.
"I don't see how they're going to help out exactly", stated Del in uncertainty.
"We don't know how many bandits there are, so we got to use everything and everyone we have to our advantage", JD answered.
"We must also keep in mind that they have not fully developed the idea of not bringing a knife to a gun fight, but when they do and adapt, they can become a real threat", Tai stated as he picked up and examined a bloodied short sword.
"So until then, they will make for great target practice!", Corporal Grigori Volkov commented
"Let's keep the chat to a minimum folks and stay focused, they could attack at any moment", JD ordered
"You mean like right now!", Del stated in concern as he looked out into the horizon with his binoculars.
"Huh?", JD uttered with surprise as he pulled out his binoculars to confirm the sudden outburst. Sure enough, a horde of a several hundred bandits were approaching.
"Hostiles due East! Delta, Zeta and Upsilon, guns up. Open fire when they're within two hundred metres. Squads at the north, west and south walls, hold position and be on high alert", JD ordered.
"What if we need support?", Private Seiji Yokoyama asked.
"Reinforcement ETA is one hour", JD stated
"An hour of target practice it is!", Volkov commented as he unholstered his Markza Mk.1.
The legionnaires-turned-bandits were now approaching the city at a quick but steady pace, shields raised in testudo formation, confident that this time victory was certain
"Keep advancing!", the Bandit Leader ordered
Unlike previous attempts to take the city by simply rushing in, the approach the bandits had taken now was more cautious. However, it was a cautious approach to counter the city guards, not the COG. While their shields were practically impervious to arrows, they would not stop rounds going at supersonic speeds.
"Once we have reached the walls, set up the ladders and climb up as fast you can!"
Once the bandits had crossed the two hundred metre threshold, they quickly learned that their approach would no longer be viable and were once again reliving the horror they had endured at Alnus Hill. The familiar but terrifying sounds of distant cracks and bangs were soon followed by many of the shield formations rapidly falling apart.
"The enemy from beyond the Gate are here!?", a bandit exclaimed
"It matters not! Their numbers are far too few to wipe us all out at once!", the bandit leader stated as he peered through a small opening in the shield formation to quickly get an idea of the numbers they were facing.
"We have come so far and we have sacrificed too much, we absolutely will not give up! We will finish what we have started! We will have what is rightfully ours!"
With their leader's words strengthening their resolve, the bandits pushed onwards. Regardless of the quick morale boost, the bandits' numbers were dwindling at an alarming rate. Those in shield formations fortunate enough to hold together for this long began disbanding in favor of rushing the city. The bandit leader had no issue with this at all since he, like many other bandits at this point, understood the futility of the continued use of shield formations.
"Abandon formations and charge forward!", he ordered to the more reluctant ones.
A continuous barrage of rounds perforated the oncoming horde, easily tearing through the bandits' thin metal and leather armor and shields. Despite the Gears and DeeBees being able to take down dozens in quick succession, the bandits didn't show any signs of giving up. As the bandit numbers diminished, so did the Gears' and DeeBees ammo count. Very soon, the Gear's were forced to switch to their shotguns and pistols while the DeeBees CQC subroutines were engaged, greatly reducing their effective range and overall rate of damage output. At this point, many of the bandits made it to the foot of the East Wall and began ascending up the wall using crude wooden ladders, but not without many succumbing to point-blank blasts of buckshot and bone-shattering blows from metallic fists.
However, secondary weapon ammo soon ran out for the Gears and so they and the DeeBees fell back to the Packhorses and Armadillos to get more ammo as the vehicle gunners covered them. The bandits had successfully scaled the wall and made their way into the city, and thus the primary line of defense was broken ten minutes after the COG began opening fire on the bandits.
"Shit, I didn't think there'd be this many", Carmine commented as he and his squad mates rummaged around for extra magazines.
"We should've brought fabricators!", Seiji yelled out.
"Yeah, we would've, if we knew we'd end up in this mess!", Private Isaac Langford exclaimed.
"Focus! We cannot allow them to get through us!", Tai stated.
For roughly another twenty minutes, the Gears and DeeBees had gone through their remaining ammo reserves quickly and eventually were left with no choice but to resort to close quarters combat, an area that the enemy was very familiar with and one the COG did their best to stay away from as long as they could.
"Looks like we gotta get up close and personal", Carmine stated
"Shit, you're right. Alright, we're about to go in and engage in close combat, so get ready! It's about to get messy, really messy", JD ordered.
"Captain! On my signal, you and your men will charge forward with my soldiers! We will be engaging in close combat very soon!"
Complying with the order, the City Guard Captain notified his men.
All the Gears at the East Gate readied their chainsaw bayonets and the DeeBees once again engaged their CQC subroutines.
"Hold...", JD ordered, waiting for the vehicle gunners to use up all of their ammo before giving the order to charge.
The vehicle gunners kept firing ever since the bandits got over the walls, the barrels of their guns glowing red hot but still pumping out the damage they needed and continually spewing out cartridge casings. Once the vehicle gunners ran out of ammo, the order was given.
"Now!"
At this, all Gears standing by for the order charged into the fray along with the city guards. The bandits' efforts were ultimately in vain against the COG's newest iteration of composite body armor and the DeeBees' high-strength steel bodies and so the bandits were at a loss for words at their inability to inflict any fatal damage and began to lose confidence. The Gears capitalized on this by mercilessly bisecting them with their roaring chainsaws and slitting throats with their combat knives while the DeeBees simply and brutally beat them to a bloody pulp.
While the City Guards proved to be helpful with their proficiency in close combat, it would not be enough to guarantee victory.
"Why couldn't we just get the squads from the other gates to help us out!?", Del advised as he saved a city guard from a bandit approaching from behind.
"No! We can't risk giving them a way in! We just need to hold out until reinfo-"
"JD!", Del called out as he saw a hulking bandit wielding a large flail knock his best friend onto the ground with a strong hit to the chest plate.
Before Del could run out to pull JD out of trouble, an oncoming hail of arrows forced him along with the Gears and City Guards to fall back into cover. All the immediate DeeBees that could have pulled the Captain out of danger were knocked far back by the flail bandit and were struck hard enough that they needed a few seconds to reboot.
JD didn't have time to pull out his combat knife when the flail-wielding bandit was ready to deliver a literal head-crushing strike. However, the fatal strike never came. The flail-wielder stumbled backwards as a DeeBee that rebooted quickly enough ran and leaped onto the bandit and with extreme force, rammed its metallic fist through the bandit's helmet and face, leaving behind a massive and gory hole. The hulking bandit soon hit the ground with a thud.
"Thanks for the save, now come on! We got to push these guys back!"
At this point, the Gears, DeeBees and City Guards had engaged in bloody close-quarters combat for almost an hour. Throughout the battle, the bandit casualty rate remained generally high but it was about to reach its peak very soon, as JD would learn from a Tac-Com notification.
"Delta, This is KR Eight-Three. We are on approach and have a visual on the city, we're coming in to provide close-air support, how copy over?"
"KR Eight-Three, this is Delta! Do not open fire within the wall, probability of friendly fire is too high! There's no friendlies outside the wall, so you're weapons free there!"
"Solid copy, Delta"
The sound of continually spinning heavy blades marked the arrival of a force intent on lending a helping hand to the defenders and bringing utter ruin to the invaders. The King Ravens, both standard variants only equipped with one manned mini-gun or grenade launcher turret and gunships equipped with a multitude of armaments, hammered the bandits outside the wall into a bloody pulp with a hail of rounds and explosives.
"The cavalry's here!", Carmine said aloud.
As this was said, a single dual rotor King Raven dropped and deployed fabricator nearby, in a clearing behind the Armadillos and Packhorses.
"And so is the ammo, now we can get back to giving these guys a real ass whooping!", Del remarked as he started fabricating much needed ammunition.
With the defensive perimeter denying any hostile advancement into the city and with the King Ravens mercilessly wiping out bandits outside the wall, the remaining bandits were effectively surrounded and put into a proverbial corner, where a seemingly unending barrage of bullets granted them an early audience with Hardy.
"By the gods...Just what kind of force has Lord Formal called upon?...", the City Guard Captain wondered in awe as he stared up at one of the many 'flying iron pegasi' that defeated the bandits with impunity.
"You're just glad we're on your side, huh?", asked a familiar voice with a small chuckle.
Turning around to see it was Sir Jaydee, he breathed a sigh of relief and took up a solemn expression
"You have not the faintest idea of how glad I am. Because of you and your people, many in Italica get to live another day. However, It is unfortunate that I cannot say the same for some of my brothers-in-arms...", the City Guard Captain said as he kneeled down to gently shut the eyelids of a fallen city guard closed.
"No one is ever really dead if you never forget them", JD solemnly stated
"Indeed..."
The two shared a moment of silence.
"Well, I better get going then"
"Best of luck with your duty then, Sir Jaydee"
"Oh and before I go...", JD said as he fished a looted Imperial coin out of one his pouches and tossed it over to the City Guard Captain.
"Here"
Catching it, the City Guard Captain looked confused.
"I should be the one thanking you, if anything..."
"Buy yourself a drink, you've earned it"
"If you insist Sir Jaydee! I shall drink to the uh...umm...hmmm. What is the name of your army?"
"The COG"
"I shall down a tankard of ale to the Kaug this day!"
"I have to get going then", JD stated as he chuckled.
"Stay safe, Sir Jaydee"
Nodding to this in acknowledgment, JD proceeded to make his way to the Formal Manor. Not a minute after parting ways with the City Guard Captain, The COG Captain was soon joined by his best friend as they made their way to notify the Count of the city's successful defense.
"That wasn't as easy as I thought it was going to be", Del stated in hindsight.
"Yeah, me too...Hey Del, I'm sorry about earlier. I should've listened to you..."
"Don't worry about it. We didn't lose any Gears or DeeBees today and the city's safe, that's what matters"
"Still, It could've gone a hell of a lot smoother..."
"JD, let's not dwell on it. Let's keep going, you know, for her..."
"Yeah...It's probably what she would've wanted..."
Del and JD continued to move towards the Formal Manor, albeit in silence.
"Milord, are you sure these 'Kaug' can be trusted though?", Head Maid Kaine asked
"Ever since I accepted their offer, they have not given me any reason not to, however even if we did not, there is not much we can do to stop them should they have ill intentions..."
"Then I suppose only time will tell"
"It would seem so..."
"They have spared you father and even brought you back home safely. No ill-intentioned warriors would have gone through the trouble of doing such a thing, much less going out of their way to defend Italica", Myui stated with hope in her tone as she still embraced her father.
"That is correct, my dear Myui. However, as I have said to Head Maid Kaine, we will have to wait and see if they truly are what they present themselves to be", Count Formal stated as he reassuringly patted Myui on the head.
"Two people are approaching the shelter again", Persia stated in concern as her highly sensitive cat ears twitched once again.
"Count Formal, it's me!", came the voice just outside the sealed and hidden chamber as knocking could be heard as well.
"It's Sir Jaydee. Open the shelter entrance"
Nodding in compliance, the maids opened the shelter entrance to reveal the COG Captain himself, as well as a dark-skinned COG soldier.
"Sir Jaydee, the bandits, are they..."
"Dead. Italica is safe and no longer under attack, at least for now anyway"
The Count sighed in therapeutic relief.
"I am forever grateful for what your people have done for mine this day"
"I'm just doing my job. Now, I think we should go ahead with making our agreed-upon deal official, shall we?"
"Of course"
With the Battle of Italica concluding in victory for the defenders, clean-up efforts commenced. Mass graves were being dug out by the DeeBees and were filled with the hundreds of bandit corpses that littered the East Gate area. All the fallen volunteer defenders and fallen city guards were carried away to be given traditional individual burials, with their respective families and friends paying their respects. The COG had suffered trivially, with only heavily scratched armor being the worst sustained. As such, the COG medics focused on patching up the surviving volunteer defenders and city guards that could still be treated. The volunteer defenders and the city guards who were simply beyond saving, even by the COG medics, were humanely put down by request of family and friends.
All rubble and debris created by the defense effort was being cleared away by the COG and the citizens working together. The currently present COG engineers requested for Construction DeeBees to repair the structural damage in the East Gate area, which was granted by Keep Command and was on its way via transport trucks. Amidst the clean-up efforts, the citizens with nothing else to do, simply gave their heart-felt thanks to the COG for protecting them and their city. Some citizens even offered gifts with even a few of them worshipping the COG as divine saviors.
While the clean-up efforts were being carried out, Count Formal wrote up the terms of the agreement he had made with the COG. The terms of the COG-Italica Treaty were verbally recited by Count Formal himself as Recon Team Delta and the Count's subjects listened. At the conclusion of the recitation of the terms and with no objections to any of them, Count Formal had gone ahead and written his signature at the end of the parchment document with an ornate quill to authenticate the treaty. With the signature written, the treaty immediately came into effect.
"So, that was my first time seeing real combat…Good to see all that target practice and chainsaw training back at Basic payed off…", Seiji thought to himself, still reeling himself in from experiencing real combat for the first time as he leaned up against one of the parked convoy armadillos with a bloodied Lancer GL still gripped tightly in his hands.
"That was fun, and terrifying…"
"All squads, this is Captain Fenix. Get atop your respective walls and be on watch for anymore bandits. Gear and DeeBee reinforcements and construction teams are on their way from the Keep, so remain on watch until they get here"
Just before the freshly battle-baptized private could head for the top of the East Wall to meet up with the rest of his squad for sentry duty, Clayton passed by and noticed the visibly uneasy private.
"Hey kid, everything alright?", Clayton asked as he approached Seiji.
"Sergeant!", Seiji acknowledged his superior as he saluted.
"As you were, Private"
With this, the Private relaxed from his stiff salute.
"Let me guess, First time seeing combat?", Clayton assessed.
"Yeah, how did you-"
"All my brothers, even myself, were exactly like that after seeing combat for the first time. There's no shame in being a bit shaken up at first, Private"
"Yeah, but these guys only had swords and-"
"It doesn't matter what they're armed with, they were still trying their best to kill you and naturally, fear kicked in. The trick is to find a way to distract yourself from fear, but there's really no 'one-size-fits-all' way of doing that, it'll be different for everyone. For me, finding fun ways to kill works, especially on grubs"
"Got it, Sarge. I'll keep that in mind"
"I saw you fight. for a Gear who claims to be 'scared', you're pretty good at killing. I bet once you find your own way to deal with that fear, you'll be killing nearly as good as I kill grubs"
"Thanks Sarge, I'll find a way to distract myself from fear during future fights"
"Awesome, now we should get going, we don't want to keep the rest of our squads waiting"
"Glad you could make it, Yokoyama", Falaguerra greeted.
"Yeah, sorry about the hold up, I was just talking with Sergeant Carmine", Seiji explained as he met the rest of his squad mates on the East Wall of Italica.
"You heard Captain Fenix; us, Delta and Zeta are on watch from this wall until the reinforcements get here", Falaguerra reminded.
"I seriously doubt they're going to come back for a round two, especially not after the beating we gave them", Volkov commented.
"Yeah, I'm with you on that", Isaac concurred.
For the next few minutes, silence took over as the Gears watched over the horizon, until Seiji broke the silence.
"So, uhh…why did you guys join the COG?"
"I had a choice between being a farmer or being Gear. So, me being here should be obvious which one I chose", Falaguerra explained.
"You could've been a farmer?", Seiji asked.
"Yeah. I come from a long line of farmers but I couldn't stand the idea of being one. Hated working with farm animals, especially the more unruly ones; I've got some life-long stress-induced indecisiveness because of them, which probably should've stopped me from becoming a Gear, let alone a squad leader, yet here I am. My old man said he'd disown me if I enlisted and 'ruin the sacred family tradition of continuing the pure farmer lineage'. I told him I didn't give a shit and enlisted anyway. I'm not welcome anymore on the family farm but it doesn't bother me; not like I ever want to go back to that shithole anyway. Now I get to see new places while kicking asses that deserve it; something I've always wanted to do for a living and by the Allfathers, I'll be doing whole lot of that here in the Special Region"
"What about you, Isaac?", Falaguerra asked, now interested in the reason why his squad mates enlisted.
"Growing up, I loved the idea of making brothers-in-arms from watching certain anime and reading certain manga, so I enlisted to make that a reality. Coincidentally, I've also always loved the idea of isekai, especially ones where 'modern meets fantasy' and when I got told I'd be deployed here, it was like a freaking dream-come-true"
"Of course a weeb like you would make life decisions based on anime and manga", Volkov remarked.
"No need to be an asshole", Isaac responded.
"What's anime, manga and isekai? Are they like types of cartoons and comics or something?", Falaguerra asked.
"They're pathetic excuses for 'entertainment' that man-children, like Isaac here, shamelessly indulge in"
"Sarge, permission to beat the shit of out Volkov?", Isaac asked with clenched fists.
"Go on, hit me with the fist you fap with, I want to see how strong an arm can get after jerking with it to cartoon women for so long"
"Alright, that's enough Volkov. Langford, simmer down", Falaguerra ordered.
"What about you, Seiji? Why did you enlist", Falaguerra asked.
"Originally, I didn't plan on ever enlisting. I was happy with being just a bookstore cashier at Settlement Two"
"What changed your mind?", Isaac asked.
The Swarm attack on Settlement Two", Seiji stoically answered.
"I thought it was all over for me but a Gear whose name I never knew, gave his life to save mine. If it weren't for his sacrifice, I would've never gotten to the evacuation convoy alive. Once I got out of there, I promised myself I'd enlist to honor that Gear's sacrifice"
"That Gear died a hero…Allfathers bless his soul…", Falaguerra stated respectfully.
"Huh…my father said the exact same thing when I told him. It hit pretty close to home for him too since he had close friends who died fighting alongside him during the Locust War", Seiji added.
"Your father fought in the Locust War?", Falaguerra asked.
"Yeah, he started fighting as soon as he graduated Basic on E-Day"
"Damn, your old man's been killing grubs since day one…"
"Up until V-Day too. He was defending Anvil Gate and could've died defending that old fortress if the ICW hadn't fired that day"
"Wait, your father was defending Anvil Gate on V-Day?", Volkov asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"My mother and father were defending Anvil Gate on V-Day too"
"Wait, you're Gorasni, right?"
"I'm technically a Tyran citizen but I'm one hundred percent Gorasni by blood"
"Okay, so your mother and father are both Gorasni then. Did they serve the UIR at some point in the past?"
"Yes, they did. Oh, you're wondering how could my mother and father be Gears if they were serving the UIR, right? "
"Exactly"
"I thought so. Okay, I'll explain. My mother and father, both being UIR Soldiers at the time, met each other when they both signed up for the COG's Open Arms Program in the early stages of the Locust War. The Open Arms Program was basically a chance for UIR POWs to fight the Locust alongside the COG. My mother and father only joined the program because they would rather die fighting the Locust than die withering away as POWs. Since they both got assigned to the same unit after joining the program, they spent time, whenever they could, getting to know each other and pretty soon, they formed a deep bond. They did follow COG orders, but just barely. Being part of the UIR for nearly their entire lives made them hate the COG and that in turn made working with Gears really difficult and frustrating for them. However, that started to change when some of the Gears they fought alongside with began to look out for them, in and out of combat. By the time they were stationed at Anvil Gate, just a few days before V-Day, their hate for the COG was practically gone and they had a lot of Gear friends. Thanks to the ICW, my mother and father survived to see the end of the Locust War and to celebrate, they 'consummated' their relationship. Fast forward about nine months after V-Day and I was born. My father told me all of this one day and as soon as he was done telling me, I promised to join the COG to honor and thank the Gears that kept my mother and father safe"
"Well, that answers why you joined the COG and then some", Falaguerra commented
"This is unrelated but have any of you guys noticed the DeeBees who came with us here look…different?", Isaac asked.
"Now that you mention it, yeah they do look different", Seiji stated as he got close to one of the four Shepherds assigned to their squad and looked it over thoroughly, noting their new chassis design.
"Looks a lot like the new armor all of us are wearing at the moment, without the circular seals and all", Isaac commented.
"They probably got upgraded", Falaguerra assumed.
"I don't think the upgrades were only for the chassis. Did you see how they were fighting earlier? Especially the one that saved Captain Fenix", Volkov added.
"Yeah, never seen a Shepard move that fast and hit that hard before", Isaac commented.
"Speaking of upgrades, hey Grant", Isaac called out to the squad's designated JACK unit.
In response, a JACK unit comprised of a blue exoskeleton with gold decals uncloaked, waved and beeped his greetings.
"Did you get any upgrades recently?", Isaac asked.
Grant beeped in response.
"No? Hopefully you do at some point"
"Ain't Grant enough of an upgrade over our old Locust War model?", Falaguerra asked rhetorically.
"It never really hurts to always have an edge over your enemy" Seiji stated.
"Nonsense, we got all the edge we need right here and more", Volkov reassured in jest as he firmly planted a hand on Isaac's shoulder and shook it.
"Okay, what is your problem with me?", Isaac asked with visible irritation as he moved away from Volkov's hand.
"Other than you being a source of agonizing cringe, nothing really"
"Seriously, cut the shit Volkov. We ain't gonna be an effective squad if grudges start being a thing", Falaguerra ordered.
Isaac chuckled in amusement.
"And you, Langford, grow some thicker skin"
Some minutes of silence passed and the banter-induced tension settled down before Isaac voiced out a sudden realization.
"Hey, once we're done rescuing the civvies, why don't we just kill or arrest the Emperor right after if he's the one behind G-Day? We know where he is and getting to the capital won't take too long"
"Killing or arresting the Emperor is gonna leave a power vacuum that'll more than likely complicate things", Seiji answered.
"Shit, I didn't think about that…"
"I mean it could work if we have a well-guarded COG official take over after killing or arresting the Emperor", Volkov suggested.
"I seriously doubt that; from the way First Minister Stroud runs things, COG puppet states aren't gonna be a thing anytime soon", Seiji stated.
"We should have at least found some of those civvies by now…", Isaac commented.
"Command's being discreet from the looks of things, using just recon squads like ours and cloaked Watchers for the moment. It might take a little longer than we'd like but I'd imagine it's the safest way of going about it, for us and the civvies. Last thing we want is for the Imperials to know we're actively looking for em' and setting up traps for us", Falaguerra stated.
"Yeah, makes sense", Isaac concurred.
"All squads, this is Captain Fenix. The reinforcement and construction teams' ETA is five mikes. Head back to the Armadillos and prepare to RTB on my command"
"Finally, can't wait to get back and stuff my face at the mess. I'm starving", Falaguerra stated in relief.
"I just remembered, no bacon again this week…", Isaac announced in disappointment.
"Somebody's gotta do something about this", Volkov stated with grim urgency.
"I heard Sergeant Carmine is gonna take it up with Command and won't stop till bacon starts being served daily", Seiji stated.
"Carmine really is a hero, on and off the battlefield", Falaguerra commented.
(Achievement Unlocked)
(20G - Fed the Ravens and Vultures)
(Read Chapter 4)