The person they had just raised their weapons at turned out to be one of the royal daughters of the kingdom. A princess by the name Pina Co Lada. Graciously, she did indeed let the Emmerian convoy into the gate, to which there was many pushback by the locals. The Emmerians were the ones who caused the city to become under fire by the remnants of the military who attacked Alnus.
"We've done enough aerial reconnaissance flights to see that this city holds very strategic importance in this kingdom. Am I right on assumption, Princess?" Tavaris asked as they group made their way to meet the countess of the city.
"Yes, you are. Its more important from a trade standpoint, however. As you probably know most of the heads of the region were killed when our king ordered an attack into the other world."
"Our world, which you all paid dearly for that transgression. Many of my countrymen still want blood for what you all did." Tavaris stated, coldly. The message was received from her reaction. In all fairness, she didn't order the invasion, but she most likely didn't attempt to stop it. They entered a large building at the center of town, to which they were led to the chambers where the Countess awaited them.
"After your army came and after what happened at Alnus, the Formal territory fell into chaos. The young countess had to take over her father's duty." They opened the door, and what greeted them was something the soldiers could've never expected. Aside from the maids and butlers preparing the room, there sat a little girl. The young girl looked confused as to why the soldiers were staring at her.
"Dear God… She's..." Rico was at a loss for words. "She's just a kid…"
"She should be turning 11 in a few months' time." One of the other knights stated.
"Eleven? She's only ten?!"
"Rico, calm down. Princess, what exactly are you trying to insinuate here?" Montey asked. "Surely she wasn't the one calling the shots when you guys came under attack." The Princess went right by the girl's side.
"No, it would be too cruel to ask her to command an army. Even a defense. That's why I took command in her stead." Even if she took command, Tavaris could tell she wasn't too much older than her. Even still the effect of someone's action caused this. And they had a hand in it. "Now I must ask, what business do you have here?"
"We only came to help these young ladies sell their Dragon scales they collected." Montey stated. "But seems like whatever's going down here has soured any buyers mood."
"Plus, I believe we can be of assistance." Tavaris said. "We have a small force, but we can certainly bolster your defense here." The princess, although shocked at the proposal, knew she needed as much help as she could get. Besides, if the rumors were true about their power, she could witness it firsthand.
"Very well then. Your force is going to guard the southern gate. We'll have another defensive position ready to attack behind you." She gave them a pretty in depth layout of the city, which would come in handy in case things went south. Upon returning to the gate, Tavaris called for his vehicles to begin moving towards their defense points. The Bradley, being the unit's best and most powerful weapon, was placed up at the front, right behind the makeshift barrier. The M113 was placed on the left flank of the gate and the Humvee on the right, so as to have a wide firing arch. Crew members were busy readying themselves and their vehicles for the upcoming battle. The soldiers were up on the battlements, seeing up a couple of machine gun and rifle positions. Tavaris radioed headquarters, filling them in on the situation. Needless to say they were less than happy to hear that they were going to be involved in someone else's business.
"Sir, this is a very big opportunity to show that we aren't just here to kill anyone in our way. The local leaders here believe that's all we're capable of." Tavaris explained. "Alnus Hill was just a message."
"Major, we'd rather have you not shot up. And now with this whole incident… You're pulling my leg hard with this." There was a long pause, although lasting seconds, felt like minutes. "We'll have forces ready to go if you need them. Air support as well. If this shit goes down, radio us immediately."
"Wilco, -"
"Good luck Major. May the Golden King Smile upon you. And for the love of god, don't do anything stupid."
"Thank you. Recon 1 out." Tavaris sat in the commander's chair, taking the time to process and prepare for what was to come.
Joint Base Alnus: 2320 hours
The available aircrews had been gathered in one of the hangars for the upcoming briefing. This was to be one of the first major air missions of the war. Everyone there was excited, but also dreading the Upcoming mission. Past skirmishes had shown the major weakness of the opposition was their tech, which was akin to when the Golden King himself was alive.
"Listen up everyone, here's the mission. We have a Reconnaissance team that has committed themselves to defending the fortress city of Italica, approximately 150 kilometers to the north." The briefer stated. Behind him, a projection of the region around them zoomed in on the city's position.
"Our forces are on the south side of the city, setting up one hell of greeting party for potential invaders. Headquarters wants us to be ready to head out on a moment's notice if things go south for them. Shooter squadron, we're going to have you provide much of the close air support while Talisman, although in an A-10, will provide to cover. Shooter, you will also be providing cover for the transport helos. We'll have four go in, each will be loaded with a squad of soldiers. If there is any questions, now is the time to ask." The room remained silent. "Good, now get to your aircraft. Remain on alert five status. Happy hunting." Everyone, one of the pilots assigned to the mission was excited. For some, it would be their first taste of action since the outbreak of the war. For others, this was just a Tuesday morning.
For D-Ray, much like the other pilots, it felt like another day on the job but something inside him told him that he was about to be part of something major. It was the same feeling he had during those major battles of the War. Walking out to the helicopter, he performed his walk around. Every part of the helicopter, as always, was in great condition and ready for action. Jack was already climbing into the gunner seat of the chopper, and going through his systems checks. It wouldn't be long before them, and the entire force awaited the instruction to start up their engines and move out.
"Captain Robinson, can I ask you something?" Jack asked. "You have any idea what these guys have started?" It was something he had pondered about himself. Why would a nation put itself at risk by attacking another. He himself had seen what had happened to countless Estovakian soldiers, sailors and airmen as the war progressed. Same with their own.
"I don't think they do, Jack. Funny you ask though. This kind of reminds me of the times during the liberation of our homeland. We had to sit like this, waiting for the order sortie. Or worse, waiting for artillery rounds to start landing around us." He said with a sigh. "Luckily, didn't happen to me." For the next few hours, the pilots of Shooter and Nomad sat, waiting for something to happen.
Over on the other end of the airfield, the same could be said of Talisman. The Angel himself was restless, pacing around his jet, occasionally checking something if he noticed. It would only be a matter of time until they were summoned to battle.
Italica 0300 hours
Everyone was on edge. Everyone wanted something to start but hoped that nothing would. Tavaris, however, wasn't one of them. He was up on the wall, making sure everyone in his unit was awake. They hadn't gotten any rest, and he knew how people fought when they were exhausted.
"Major, you should be in your tank. We don't know when those bandits could attack." Tavaris looked at his Lieutenant and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"I appreciate the concern, but I think we could all hold our own if and when these guys attack." Tavaris looked over towards the eastern gate. It seemed as if the whole town was over there, which made sense. They weren't expecting the enemy to hit that side of the city. "Could I borrow your binoculars for a sec?" Money nodded and gave him the pair. It didn't take long for Tavaris to spot the defenders on the wall, and they seemed to be taken back by something.
"What's going on over there?" Montey asked. He lowered the binoculars and handed them back to Montey. Montey noticed something in Tavaris's eye. A look he had only seen back during the war.
"Its begun." Tavaris spoke. "Grab a squad and get into an M113. We're going to support the defenders."
"Why?! Why aren't they attacking here?!" The two turned to see Rory throw what seemed to be a hissy fit.
"I'm, oddly enough, in agreement with that question. But we don't have time to ponder over that." Montey stated. Then the enraged one started to sound more and more like she was getting turned on.
"What the hell is going on with her?" Rico asked. "Anything we can do?"
"Wait, isn't she a battle priestess or something?" Tavaris asked, turning to the young mage.
"As Rory is an Apostle to Emory, as well as a Demi-Goddess, the souls of fallen warriors pass through are very intoxicating." Leilei explained. "It would be easy if she just gave in."
"And have her go nuts on us? Are you crazy?!" Rico exclaimed. "If that's the case-"
"Private, settle down!" Montey exclaimed. The M113 and the Bradley both took up position at the bottom of the battlements, ready to receive their crews. "Rico, Huntley, Jones! Head down to the APC and get ready for some action. The rest of you stay here in case things get hot." The three soldiers did as they were told, and Montey went to join them. Tavaris sat on the thought of letting Rory loose on the invaders for a moment and concluded that it would be the best course.
"Better them than us. The rest of you, hold the fort. We'll be back." Tavaris went over to pick up the still amorous Demi-Goddess. "You're riding with me. We're going to somewhere you'll enjoy." He then felt her grab him. Her eyes looked like she was pleading for him to do something. He rushed down the battlements, set Rory down in the back of the tank and climbed to his position. "Delilah, get us going. Head to the eastern gate."
"So, we're not going to talk about- "
"I'd rather not. Now let's move!" Tavaris shouted. The tank lurched back as it got underway. He switched on the radio, knowing what needed to be done.
Joint Base Alnus
Aircrews were sitting just outside of their helicopters. Soldiers were waiting. The whole base seemed to be on edge, wondering if they'll get their chance to fight. They'd been briefed and they were ready. On the other side of the base, Talisman was standing by his Warthog, just as eager to climb in and take off as the helicopter crews. Then it happened. An officer burst into the hangar.
"Sir! Our force in Italica has requested close air support! You're cleared to sortie." All Talisman did was nod and signal for the ground crews to do their final preps on the jet. It was really happening. It wasn't like the last time when he was just going for patrol. He was going into the hot zone. On the other side where the helicopters were, they had also received the order to take off. The noise and rotor wash blew dust everywhere, but it wouldn't be long until every helicopter assigned to the mission would be airborne.
"This is Shooter to all helos. Don't underestimate these forces. Once we're on station, we'll saturate the forces outside of the wall with heavy rocket fire, then we'll have Nomad move in and deploy ground troops." D-ray explained. The armada of helicopters then lifted off and headed to Italica, led by the Apaches.
"Garuda one, you are cleared for takeoff. Good luck out there."
"Garuda one, cleared for takeoff. Thanks, were gonna need it." The A-10 screamed down the runway, lifting off into the dark morning sky. Its wings were laden with rocket pods.
"Shooter, this is Garuda One."
"We read you Garuda One."
"It's time to dance with the Angels."
Italica
"Gunner, infantry 50 meters, Fire at will!" The 25mm came to life, cutting down the brigand horde rushing through the gate.
"Damnit! I can't shoot around that girl! Tell her to move!" Steven shouted, desperately trying not to hit Rory, who had long given into her bloodlust. The result of that was the rear door of the Bradley being ripped open. The M113 and its crew had ultimately set up a defensive position near the two vehicles. The machine gun on the APC was going off. Specifically, Rico.
"This is recon 1-3, We've got enemy forces attempting to force their way into the southern gate!" Tavaris had a feeling this would happen. Splitting their forces once they realized they wouldn't be getting in this way, not without heavy losses.
"We need that air support pronto." Delilah stated.
"HQ, this is Recon one, where's our damn air support?! It's getting heavy out here!" Tavaris then looked up and against the rising sun, he could barely make out a dark silhouette. And that silhouette started getting larger and larger. "Never mind, Get your heads down!" The sound of shells impacting just outside of the wall and then the following brrrt resonated through the air. The A-10 flew low over the city and began circling. Once again, the angel had arrived to save the day.