SunTzu was sitting at the ground, leaning against the wall of a house at the village square, legs stretched out. In his mouth was a smoky cigarette and he quietly observed what was going on around him.
The village was bustling with activity by now.
The Imperial Commandos had moved on, augmented with Scouttroopers and Flametroopers they had combed through the forest and then began to scout ahead of the main force.
Transports were still bringing in troops, vehicles, up to AT-ATs, and supplies in, including aid for the planet.
Taskforce Sol's Commandos were on the ground as well by now, as were other units of the Taskforce.
At the moment, Makoto and Team 1 were unloading a Larty with food rations and dispersing them to the locals.
Next to the Larty was one of the black clad Death Troopers. He had his helmet down and handed out candy to a bunch of kids around him. He was smiling and joking with the kids while a comrade of him stood guard at the village square. This clearly wasn't the old Empire anymore.
SunTzu's gaze stopped at Sailor Mars, near the queue for the aid dispersion.
She was still transformed and but had cleaned herself up with some water.
Right now she was holding a baby, folded in blankets in her arms, while it's mother was waiting for food in the queue.
The raven haired Senshi was smiling down at the infant while she gently rocked him in her arms and SunTzu had to admit to himself that this sight deeply touched him. He wanted to have kids with her one day, after the War.
As if she sensed him, she looked up and at her boyfriend smiling, contentedly, while the child had napped away in her arms,
The baby's mother recieved a few packages of rations and Rei handed her her baby back, complimenting the cute child to the proud mother.
When the mother, baby in a bag over her stomach and a basket full of food for her family, left, Rei's gaze followed her for a moment.
She closed her eyes and smiled for a moment before she walked over to SunTzu, who was still smoking.
"I could use one as well." Sailor Mars said as she sat down next to SunTzu covering her short skirt while he pulled out his cigarettes out of a pocket on his flight suit.
She planted her head on his shoulder as she lighted the cigarette with her finger.
"What a day… but hey, we somehow didn't need Cosmic Sailor Mars in the end." She took a draw and after letting the smoke out their heads turned to each other and they began to smile.
The couple boarded a Larty back to the Far Side but their flagship wasn't in space anymore. It had landed a few hundred kilometers away and acted as main base for the planetary assault.
The Right to Rule stayed in Orbit while the rest of the had fleet split up and begun to scout and patrol the neighboring systems.
While the day was slowly coming to an end the Senator and her boyfriend enjoyed the civilization onboard the Gladiator Cruiser.
After a long, warm shower and a warm dinner the two lovers were spending some time at the observation deck and enjoyed the view on the wide plains and green hills around the landed capital ship.
They were sitting close cuddled close together.
It was idyllic.
At least until an artillery battle, between heavy artillery, probably SPHAs and SPMAs began. A flight of four Tie-Bombers soared down from the clouds as well and soon thick black clouds of smoke were rising into the red colored sky on the horizon.
Rei sighed and pulled a cigarette out.
"How long will this War still go on? The people on this planet were just living their life and boom, get invaded, with the point to kidnap them to turn them into mindless monsters. It sickens me."
"Imagine what would have happened if we lost more time. Or if Pellaeon would have decided to not split up his forces and get here. It's not like the enemy would have spared these people otherwise."
"Still… I'm getting tired. Tired of reacting. Tired of innocent people suffering. Tired of war." By now she had stopped cuddling and even glided a small distance away from him.
SunTzu got up and stepped in front of the observation window and looked out of it. The artillery battle had set a piece forest at fire and the high flames were visible in the distance.
"Rei?" SunTzu said not turning around.
She looked up to him.
"Hm?"
"I will do anything I can to end this War as fast as I can. I promise."
She took a draw from her cigarette and kept quiet otherwise for a moment.
"Let's go to our quarters. I need some rest." The Senator said after blowing out the smoke after a moment.
They were awoken a few hours later from an alarm that began to blare through the ship. Another artillery strike, mortars again this time, aimed directly against the Far Side but was thankfully stopped by the ships point defence systems.
Unfortunately for the attackers, Hotaru, who had been on her way to the ship back from her space patrol in AICA, wasn't having any of the disturbance and she and the snub made short work of the mortars. She didn't had any enemy contact in space but the teenager used a great lot of the ordnance in AICA to unleash hell on the mortar side.
Rei's mood was even worse after the attack and she was cursing the enemy for the attack.
That was until SunTzu grabbed her as she was walking angry up and down in her room, while she was hexing the enemy for disturbing her sleep, embraced her and carried her over to bed. She needed a few moments but then she finally stopped, being close to start crying in anger.
SunTzu pulled her closer.
"I want to go home. Or to Coruscant. Just away from this madness." She told as her head was leaned on his shoulder.
"Shhh my love. It's over. Let's talk about something nice to take your mind off it."
"Oh and what could that be? It's not that it's over here. Or elsewhere."
"But one day it will. Let's talk about…" SunTzu mulled over what to say. "I know. Let's talk about our future. When all this is done."
"When." She snorted in a sarcastic tone.
"Believe me, it will be one day. And then we can just enjoy ourselves. I'll buy us an apartment on Coruscant. And we will commute between Earth and Coruscant while you make your career as Senator."
Rei shook her head but she didn't frown anymore.
SunTzu continued.
"And while you're working I'll take care of the kids."
"Kids? We are talking plural already by now?"
"Of course, lots of Chibi-Reis and Chibi-SunTzus, maybe a whole soccer team."
Now she did have to laugh.
"Of course. Rei Hino, Senator, Priestess, Mother of the Crystal Tokyo Kickers."
"Yeah, exactly."
"Oh TopGun, then we should start soon if you want so many kids, I'm nearing my thirties. And also, my career."
SunTzu smiled at her.
"Leia Organa-Solo was the number two in the New Republic when she was pregnant as well. If you want we can start right now." He joked with her.
"You know that's not how it works. It's not that I just stop with my contraception and will be pregnant by tomorrow. Not to mention that I could stay away, while you'd be still out somewhere in the galaxy fighting. I'm not gonna get pregnant when the child's father is fighting a war somewhere. Let's be honest, you won't stop fighting before the war is over. And while I might not be happy about it, I'll respect and understand it."
Goddamit TopGun, what wouldn't I give for ,that you weren't the one destined to end all this…
SunTzu hushed for a moment, she was right. Of course.
"Okay, but after all this is done, we make lots of babies and in between you'll become Chief of State."
She grinned and shook her head again. Somehow he managed to raise her mood and make her feel better with his ways. Like so often before.
"I don't know how, but your palaver somehow accomplished to make me feel better."
She kissed him long and tender.
"Thank you, TopGun."
"You're welcome, Future mother of my kids."
She laughed and looked him in the eyes, mischief in her face.
"We might can't have kids right now but how about practicing making them?"
That night, after he had made sure Rei was asleep, SunTzu sneaked into the small bathroom of hers with his phone.
Using AICA as relay station he sent an order out for a diamond to a list of international gem traders. A red stone of flawless quality, two karats, for their both hearts beating as one. The red being a sign for her passion and her fire.
SunTzu had made his decision, and he didn't wanted to wait anymore. He wanted to marry her and one day, when all of this mess was over, they would start a family. And for this he would do everything he could to keep her safe and end this war.
After his order had been sent he told AICA to maintain absolute silence to anybody about it before he sneaked back into bed and observed the peacefully and now calm sleeping Rei until he fell asleep as well, dreaming about the family the two of them would have in the future.
Getting up early wasn't easy the day after, they still could feel battle of the day before in their bones and even massaging each other and a stretching session didn't help much, which made the couple consort to painkillers. Ranger Candy as it was called by the Infantry on board.
Rei didn't know why, but SunTzu was in the best of moods today and left even earlier than her to get things ready for their tasks today.
Rei would establish contact the officials of a few villages and small cities around their Area of Operations and SunTzu would provide Personal Security. Rei could have sent someone else from her branch but insisted to do it on her own, and leave her subordinates on board of the safe Star Destroyer.
SunTzu, dressed in full Combat Gear of an Operator, got handed the keys to a M1123 Cargo Carrier Two Seater Humvee with the back prepared for transportation and already filled with relief goods. The truck wasn't uparmored but at least sported doors.
The Pilot, turned bodyguard once more, just had stored his Block II M4A1 Assault Rifle, with an underslung grenade launcher M203 attached, behind his seat along with a small daypack full with ammo and grenades when Rei arrived in the vehicle deck at the right side of the Gladiator Cruiser. It once had been a smaller hangar but had been retrofitted as vehicle storage and an extendable ramp had been installed, so that the vehicles could exit from the ship apart from the ramp in the middle of the ship.
The Senator was wearing her olive colored Taskforce Service Uniform. the insignia now being the markings for a Galactic Senator, including the hat for female officers. She also had her hair in a single long braid down her back and was wearing her pistol, a subcompact Glock 26, in a holster on her belt.
SunTzu looked at her skeptically, he had told her to wear body armor when they would disembark.
When she saw his look she held up a hand.
"Don't worry, I'm wearing a Kevlar underneath." To proof it she tapped her hand on her chest.
"And your helmet?"
Rei pressed her lips together, now she finally knew what she had forgotten.
SunTzu shook his head and grabbed into the Humvee and produced another FAST Helmet, a smaller one.
"Don't worry Senator, your bodyguard got you."
Rei fixed her Officer's hat.
"I'll put it on when it get's dangerous."
SunTzu wanted to protest but she closed his mouth with her hand and kissed his cheek.
"You're so cute, when you're being overprotective."
SunTzu frowned but Rei began to giggle.
"Don't forget I'm superior to your rank, you can't order me around. But I promise I will immediately put it on when things start to remotely look dangerous."
SunTzu sighed but then nodded, accepting his defeat.
After all they weren't at the front and far away from the battles that were mostly fought by the Imperial roops, a Stormtrooper Legion, supported by an Armored Walker Regiment, Special Forces and TIEs from the Right to Rule.
Taskforce Sol, at least it's regular troops were used mostly for defensive purposes. The Commando Teams were behind enemy lines though and once again Captain Kino and her elite troops caused havoc.
Rei dropped on the co-driver seat and then knocked on the outside of the door.
"Can we roll out, Captain?"
A minute later the Hummer left the Far Side on the ramp at it's side and headed out, through a foggy morning, to a path that obviously had been used by heavy vehicles before, the grass had made way for mud, showing traces of tires that had rubbed through it.
Soon the muddy path lead to a simple road and SunTzu used a navigation system based on maps of the planet to navigate towards the first city.
Beside him Rei had her head leaned against the window and already had fallen asleep again.
Some things will never change…
Two hours later they had just left the first city, the biggest one in the Area of Operations and Rei was fit now, after her nap that went on until they had arrived at the city.
She had met with the local officials and told them about various precautionary measures in case the city would come under attack. On top a platoon of regular soldiers from the Taskforce had arrived and was patrolling the city and it's surroundings.
The fog was gone now and made way for a pretty sunny day, where temperatures would reach twenty five degrees later on.
Sunglasses on, Rei had the window on her door rolled down and legs hanging out the window, lolling on her seat.
"You do know we're in a warzone, right?" SunTzu asked her, although he had to smile. The contrast of her strict uniform and the relaxed pose was pretty obscure.
"Oh c'mon TopGun. I got the last update status of the liberation from Ami as well, we're almost done here. The Imperials are wiping the floor with the enemy. And the battles are hundreds of kilometers away. You should relax a bit as well and at least try give to give me a bit of normalcy." She said in her laid back posture, a smile on her lips.
He briefly looked over to her but stayed quiet and didn't say anything more.
"You could pretend that's the road-trip you promised me on Glee Anselm."
SunTzu's mouth twitched into a sly grin.
"I could. But may I remind you that we had a road trip in Italy already? And perfect Boyfriend I am, I decided to keep the real road trip for later."
"Aha, and when would that be then? When we're old and lined?"
"Nope. I was thinking about to do one for our honeymoon."
"Hm, I could get behind that." Rei said, her smile widening, imagining it in her head for a moment.
"TopGun, your planning quite ahead lately." She said a moment later and laid her hand on his knee.
SunTzu shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
"Guess I'm just looking forward to my future with you."
Rei's feet slipped back into the car as she sat up and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"I love you." She hushed into his ear and then leaned her head on the open window, smiling satisfied and happy again and began to daydream about their future while the wind was blowing through her hair. SunTzu steered the car towards the next village they would visit, smiling joyfully as well.
A few hours later, it was the middle of the afternoon the couple was done with visiting all the cities and villages and handing over the relief goods.
It took her a good while, and lots of pouting as well as overly friendly behavior and nagging, but somehow Rei had managed to convince SunTzu to skip lunch and rather have an improvised picnic on the way back to the Far Side.
When SunTzu objected because of safety reasons Rei had told him:
"Again, we're hundreds of kilometers away from the front line. And you're a Force-Sensitive and I'm a Psychic, we would feel danger incoming anyway."
On the way to a fitting location the Imperial Ground Control had announced that the official ground combat was over, the invader's heavy walkers, AT-TEs and AT-PTs hammered by the even larger AT-ATs and more modern smaller walkers like AT-STs and AT-ARs, together with air support, making Rei emphasize again, that they should be safe to take a break in the countryside here.
Finally they pulled off the road, a dirt way somewhere between two villages, and stopped near the bank of a beautiful lake.
Sitting on the grass, on top of a jacket SunTzu had with him, they held their improvised picnic with two MRE Rations that SunTzu had packed hastily in his pack this morning, while he geared up.
"Whatcha got. I have Chili Macaroni." Rei asked, sitting in his lap, SunTzu's plate carrier and rifle next to them.
"Looks like you hit the jackpot. I got… Uhm, Meatballs in Marinara Sauce. Hm, could be worse." He shrugged it off while Rei was fighting to open her MRE.
SunTzu smiled and took it from her. He produced a knife and cut the lid open for her before he handed the ration back to her.
Rei unpacked the various packages of food, not really knowing how to heat them.
SunTzu finally took care of it and fixed each meal in the chemical heaters the rations came with.
While he did so, Rei got up, got rid of her shoes and pantyhose and walked barefoot through the grass and up to the shore of the lake. She even dipped her toes inside the water but decided that the clear lake was a tad bit too cold for her to walk into more.
SunTzu walked up to her and hugged her from behind, making her lips curl up slightly as she leaned back and enjoyed his embrace and put her hands on his.
"You were right this is way better than to spent all day in the Humvee or on the Far Side." He kissed the nape of her neck before the couple took a moment and just glanced out onto the crystal blue lake and the greenery around.
"And now imagine us, driving through the States, or Europe or wherever you want. Stopping where we want to stop and enjoying the beauty of nature." SunTzu whispered into her ear."
"Well at least I hope you treat me to finer food in our honeymoon." Rei mocked him with a smile.
"Don't worry, we'll drive on the day and in the night I will treat you to the finest restaurants and hotels you can imagine. Treat you like the princess you are."
The couple kissed but was interrupted from borborygmus from both of them.
"Let's eat?"
After the late lunch, which wasn't particularly bad, nor particularily great either, SunTzu was packing everything together while Rei was sitting on the hood of the Hummer eating Skittles out of a small package that came with her MRE.
When SunTzu was done he walked up to her and she offered him some of the multi colored candy with holding the small bag in front of him. He took a few and put them in his mouth when she pulled him in and crossed her legs behind him.
As soon as he had swallowed down the sweet, sticky candy he leaned forward and kissed her and they began to make out.
Much to their annoyance their steamy kissing session was almost immediately interrupted by the Humvee's radio springing to life.
The Officer on duty at the Mission Control Center was calling for them and he sighed and she rolled her eyes.
"I have to take that." SunTzu said, still standing between her legs and then left.
"Phoenix copies, Command." SunTzu told into the radio. Phoenix was their callsign today, given by Artemis himself, because he was a pilot and she was the Senshi of Fire.
"Listen Phoenix we got a platoon of troopers from Charly Company that report some movement around their perimeter. Their Platoon Leader requests some backup to recon the area and you are the closest guys available. Link up with them and check it out."
"Copy Command, we're Oscar Mike."
The Command Center sent the position of the friendly troops over to the navigational system of the truck and SunTzu checked it out while a rather annoyed Rei sat down on the co-driver seat again, arms crossed.
Not even a minute later they were on their way.
The drive took them ten minutes and from the street they could see a few makeshift defensive positions, mostly hastily dug trenches and a few sandbags thrown over each other over a length of a few hundred meters, a paved street, the main street in the area lead through the defensive line and a checkpoint had been Installed there.
Charly Company was made up of the new troopers of the Taskforce and had no combat experience yet, some of the soldiers came fresh from Basic Training but the Taskforce needed everyone they could get and time was relevant. Charly Company was tasked with guarding the area, villages and cities around the Far Side.
As they drove towards the checkpoint, Rei extinguished the cigarette she had been smoking out the window in a empty can of coffee SunTzu had taken for them. She still was irritated that the Command Center had disturbed their little excursion to forget about the War for a bit.
SunTzu turned off from the street and parked a few meters away from the checkpoint. As they got out a young second lieutenant, fresh from officer school, walked with determination over to them and saluted.
Both Guardians, were still standing in their doors and Rei looked over to SunTzu with a raised eyebrow.
"Good afternoon, Madame Senator. Good Afternoon, Captain." The Lieutenant greeted them still saluting.
"Put your hand down Lieutenant. We don't salute in the field." SunTzu told him, one only saluted in front of people in a war zone if you wanted to make them a target.
"Y-yes Sir. I wasn't sure because Command reported the fighting was officially over."
"The fight is never over Lieutenant. What's your name?"
The young, nervous officer, an US-American, in the beginning of his twenties, stood straight again.
"Second Lieutenant Parks, Sir."
"Okay, Lieutenant Parks and what's the situation? Command told us you need backup."
"Affirmative Sir. My platoon sergeant and a squad are in that forest to our northwest after one of the privates noticed movement." He pointed towards a thick forest near their position.
"Another squad is to our west in a defensive position three hundred meters away and two fire teams are to our east, all of them down in the trenches."
"Okay. Tell the platoon sergeant that we're coming over." SunTzu ordered the Lieutenant, the Pilot being the highest ranking military officer at the location. He wanted to get to know more from the second in command, the platoon sergeant. Major Bernard, the commander of the ground forces of the Taskforce had made sure that at least the higher ranking NCOs in the new Company were veterans to train the new soldiers and officers adequately.
"You stay here. And put your helmet on." SunTzu told Rei and the two officers walked into the forest and after a few minutes joined the sergeant and a fire team of four troopers at an overturned tree in the forest.
The sergeant was busy on his radio, another of the four men fireteams were chasing after a figure in camouflaged clone trooper armor.
"Single guy?" SunTzu asked after the Platoon Sergeant told them what was going on.
"Yes Sir. First sighting twenty minutes before, one of the guys took a piss and saw something moving. And no we're hunting him through that whole forest."
"Any weapon on him?" SunTzu asked trying to figure out what a single enemy trooper was doing here.
"Negative Captain. But it seems he has something like a radio on his back, we try to snatch him for more infos. Hold on."
The second fireteam came in and reported they had him coming up to him on the western flank, while the other fireteam still chased him.
"He has stopped now, the troops are encircling him." The Sergeant reported asking him what he was doing. "One of our guys says he glassed him, he's not moving but he's apparently on a datapad.
And then it hit SunTzu like a truck. Single guy with a radio in camouflage. That trooper was a spotter.
"Shoot him immediately!" SunTzu ordered to the sergeant but it was already too late.
Rei was leaning against the Humvee, another cigarette in her mouth. What a waste of time, as if a platoon of soldiers couldn't take care of this on their own. Why they needed her and SunTzu here? Especially disturbing them when they were just getting intimate at that lake after their makeshift picnic.
Suddenly all radios, on soldiers and the one in the Humvee sprang to live at the same time.
"CP Seventh Heaven, INCOMING! INCOMING! INCOMING!"
Instinctively the Senshi ducked down next to the hood of the Humvee while a few hundred meters to her left the first mortar round exploded. Directly over the defensive position of that one squad to the west, sending a shockwave and hundreds of piercing metal pieces of shrapnel into the trench, the sandbags and the troops in there.
The scout had been shot in the moment the Incoming-warning blared out their radios.
Like in a trance SunTzu immediately ran back out the forest, followed by the sergeant. The pilot had his hand on the PTT for his radio and immediately called in an air strike against the mortar position.
The attacked stopped after just a few seconds, SunTzu appeared at the side of the Humvee, after running like a crazy to get there.
"Rei!?"
"I'm here." She was cowering down on the two seats inside and her head popped up. By now she was wearing her helmet.
He kneeled down beside her, the co-driver's door was still open.
"Are you good?"
Rei nodded, she was a bit pale but otherwise she seemed unharmed and she immediately flung her hands around his neck and seeked for his closeness.
"A bit shaken but I'm unharmed. What was that?"
"Mortar strike. The guy in the forest was a spotter. But don't worry, I'm on it." He tightened his hug for a moment, laid his head on hers, both still wearing their helmets and then kissed her hand before he got up.
"SunTzu to Command, you got the mortar site."
"Positive SunTzu, Voyager and two Terras are on it."
From nearby the Scream of wounded now came pouring in and the platoon's medic who had stayed at the checkpoint was already working on two wounded soldiers. The shelling had stopped just a few dozen meters away from the Humvee and when SunTzu rounded the vehicle to assess the situation around him, he saw that a piece of shrapnel had flattened one of the tires.
The young lieutenant was coming out of the forest as well now and when he saw his medic taking care of two of his soldiers nearby he turned an unhealthy pale as well, as he ordered two soldiers that were with him to help the medic.
The platoon sergeant had run up to the western defensive position, that got hit by most of the barrage and came in over radio, on the open standard tactical channel, his words tumbling.
"We need immediate Medevac on and around CP Seventh Heaven. We got at least two WIA and multiple KIA. And we need a EOD Team here, we got UXO."
The Sergeant had tried to carry his still living men out of the trench but his path was blocked by an unexploded mortar shell that was lying next to an unconscious soldier.
Two soldiers were conscious and screaming in agony, one had lost both his legs and the other was bleeding from several holes the shrapnel had ripped into him.
Six of the guys, three of them lying in the smoking remains of the sandbag position, were definitely dead, or if thos poor souls were still alive with their mangled bodies, wouldn't make it at all.
"We have to help them, let's go!" Rei said, her shock being over.
"We can't. There's a piece of unexploded ordnance over there. It's too dangerous to get those guys out before it's disarmed." SunTzu told her and thought about what to do for a moment.
"Rei get to cover and stay down. We don't know if any other strikes will come in. I'll see that I prepare a makeshift landing zone for the gunships."
Rei ran over into the trenches and got to cover while SunTzu ran over to the opposite of the street where a large plain was empty of vegetation.
Overhead the booming of aircraft breaking the barrier of sound could be heard.
Go! Bomb these motherfuckers back to the Stone Age!
SunTzu switched over to the tactical channel for aircraft.
"SunTzu checking in as JTAC from CP Seventh Heaven."
"Copy, SunTzu. Two Larties are getting ready with medics and an EOD Team, Callsign Dustoff Alpha and Bravo." Flight Control, Stinger Johnson himself, came in.
"Copy, I'll assign a LZ. Commander, interrogative." SunTzu sent through as he pulled down his map of the area and began to take in the map coordinates of the checkpoint and the plain he was standing on.
"Sent in, Captain."
"What's the status of the enemy mortar site?"
"Terra 2, 4 and Voyager are inbound, ETA sixty seconds. Terra 5 and 6 are on standby in the air for more targets. Mistress Nine is getting armed at the minute. We get them Captain." SunTzu nodded to himself before he pushed the PTT again.
"Copy Command. Standby for coordinates of LZ."
A few moments later he had given the coordinates to the Flight Control and pulled a smoke grenade from his plate Carrier as the Mission Control Center came in.
"Phoenix', how copy?"
"Phoenix copies loud and clear Command."
"What's your status? How's the Senator?"
"Senator Hino is shaken but alright, right now she's keeping her head down. Same goes for me."
"Copy, the air strike is commencing right now."
The three Starfighters destroyed four well hidden mortar emplacements, dug deep into a forest some few kilometers to the south of the checkpoint.
Hotaru would fly another bombing run over the forest a few minutes later, dropping napalm from AICA over the forest, while a detachment of two of the repulsor tanks and two hover transports, along with some speeder bikes would recon the surrounding area on the ground and the Voyager in the sky.
The artillery alarm had been lifted and Rei was standing next to SunTzu, as he dropped the purple colored smoke grenade on the plain, while the Lartys were on their way.
Rei had left the trenches as soon as she heard the artillery alarm had been lifted. She had wanted to leave the emplacement, the shocked faces of the young soldiers trying to keep their watch up while they glanced up to their medic trying to keep one of the two wounded nearby alive, as a piece of shrapnel had cut open his carotid artery on his neck and the medic did his best to stop the bleeding.
Within two minutes from leaving the Far Side the first Gunship touched down and a troop of medics, a squad of armored Royal Guards and Setsuna, still in her lab coat and uniform beneath but a medic backpack on her shoulders, jumped out.
The second Larty followed close and dropped another medic team and two EOD Specialists to clear the unexploded mortar round.
The engine of the Lartys whirled up the purple smoke that marked the Landing Zone as Setsuna walked up to SunTzu and Rei. The first medic team immediately sprinted over to the wounded nearby after ordered so by the doctor.
"Where's the other wounded?" She said without further introduction, facing SunTzu.
"Few hundred meters to the west, but there's a mortar round blocking the way. We need to defuse it first." The pilot explained, Rei linked in under his arm.
"Can you bring me there?"
SunTzu nodded.
"Rei you stay here." He told her, trying to sound reassuring.
"Actually, we have orders to bring her back to the Far Side immediately when the next Larty comes in." The squad leader of the Royal Guards appeared next to them. "Orders directly coming from the Queen."
The three guardians looked at him before Rei and SunTzu looked at each other and nodded.
"I'll go with you, Sergeant."
That said Rei grabbed SunTzu's hand swiftly and squeezed it before he walked off.
"Take care!" The raven haired yelled after her boyfriend and her fellow Senshi.
After a quick glance over the two wounded nearby, the one with the neck wound, stabilized now, Setsuna ordered them to immediately be brought to the medbay.
"Patient with the neck wound needs an emergency surgery ASAP. Patient with the leg wound will be treated by cadet Aino. I'll be assessing the situation in the other position, tell troop 2 to be on standby.
That said she began to accelerate her steps until she and SunTzu were basically sprinting towards the other defensive position.
On the way they catched up with the two EOD Soldiers, on their way to disarming the dud in the trench.
Just a few moments later the four members of the Taskforce arrived at the waiting platoon sergeant's position near the trench and the wounded. The thirty three year old Sergeant First Class would have favored to jump down there and carry every single one of his boys out. But he had orders to stand back and more important two daughters back on Crystal Tokyo. And now he was waiting, feeling and looking miserable, joined by a corporal that took over overwatch to keep himself occupied and not to have to look into the meat grinder the trench had become.
The screaming had stopped by now.
Setsuna assessed what she was seeing. So far she could only make out one guy still breathing. It was the one that had lost his legs, and from the paleness of his face and the blood around him, he wouldn't breathe much longer.
Meanwhile the two Ordnance specialists already had went to work, one checking the surroundings and the other, a brown haired European in the middle of his twenties, directly headed for the unexploded mortar round.
The Doctor turned around to SunTzu.
"I need your help. We have to bring the ones still alive out."
"There's a live mortar round In there. I know these guys need help but…"
SunTzu stated but was cut short by her as she walked up to him, her face directly in front of his now.
"Which means we need to hurry. First of all we need to find out who's still alive. And I need your help for this SunTzu."
SunTzu hesitated, if they would do anything wrong, the slightest tremor could blow up the mortar round and kill him, Setsuna, the EOD Guy and any survivors inside the trench.
"SunTzu, you're the only one who can sense who's not dead already in this trench. I need your help down there." She calmly but seriously explained to him and he nodded.
Without any further word she rushed along the trench, until she reached the position where the first body lay and carefully entered it. A few meters behind her the EOD Specialist was working on the dud.
"Doctor, I have to inform you that you're in grave danger if you stay here." He calmly stated while SunTzu entered the trench after Setsuna.
The Senshi examined the first body, the man was unconscious but had a pulse and she motioned SunTzu to help her to heave him up the wall of the trench.
"What's your name, Soldier?" She asked him, while she checked the breathing of the unconscious soldier.
"Corporal Davis Ma'am." The soldier answered as he spread out his tools around the mortar round.
"Listen Corporal Davis, our both's job is it to safe lives. And we're both doing this right now. And while I try to not interfere with your work, don't interfere with mine."
"Affirmative Ma'am."
"Good." She looked up and onto him. "And Corporal?"
"Yes Ma'am?"
"Please try to not make this thing go off. Right now I'm already really busy with work."
The Corporal had to smile about this remark.
"Affirmative Ma'am." He replied while SunTzu, after waving the sergeant and the corporal that secured the perimeter over, was helping Setsuna to heave up the unconscious man over the edge of the trench. The two grunts immediately were rushing off to a save distance and towards the medic troop that was arriving at their position as well now.
Over at the landing zone the first Gunship was taking off again, bringing the Royal Guard, Rei and the first two wounded back to the Far Side.
SunTzu was not following the departure, he had checked out of the Flight Command Channel on the way to the trenches.
Right now he and Setsuna had moved a few meters forward and were standing near the victims of the mortar bombardment.
"I need you to concentrate and sense who is still alive, so we can move them out here immediately." Setsuna told him, looking back to him. From where they stood the mutilated bodies all looked dead.
SunTzu closed his eyes and reached out with the force.
A shock overcame him as he felt the energy of the three silent soldiers being still alive fading away. Two were unconscious, including one of the guys that had been screaming earlier on, and another one, the one with missing legs was buried under a dead comrade and couldn't scream anymore as he was too weak. The despair and pain of the young man hit him like a punch in the guts, churning his stomach.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, it belonged to he great source of power that Setsuna was.
"You have to hurry, SunTzu." She said, her voice being sympathetic.
Eyes closed SunTzu motioned to where he still found signs of life and when he opened his eyes again she was already over the first wounded.
"Help me get them out." She told him and then turned around to where the medics were trying to stabilize the first wounded.
"Wade, Garcia, give me a hand here!" She yelled as she pulled the wounded young man back and lifted him up, supported by SunTzu.
"This one feels more alive than the others." SunTzu stated while the two medics that came running in, reached down and pulled the man out of the trench.
Setsuna nodded.
"I hope we don't make any spinal injuries worse with lifting them up."
They got the next guy out, the one that get riddled with shrapnel, looking like he was bleeding from a thousand holes.
"This one needs a blood transfusion ASAP." She told the medic that helped them and then rushed over to the last guy, where SunTzu was already lifting his dead comrade away from him.
The guy, a young black man, maybe nineteen or twenty, had his eyes half shut and his mouth was moving, his skin was very pale. His stumps and arms were slightly shaking now.
SunTzu was about to heave the man up, he could feel that there was almost no life left in him, when Setsuna put her hand on his shoulder and stopped him.
He turned around to her and she shook her head and SunTzu understood.
The boy was goner, the shaking was the last rearing of his body.
Gently she shoved SunTzu to the side and carefully walked behind the man where she kneeled down and placed the man's head on her lap.
The mouth of the man was moving again now, while the shaking of his limbs or what was left of them had stopped, and SunTzu could make out that the man was asking for his mother.
The scene was heartbreaking as the doctor in her white lab coat had the head on her lap, his wounds leaving traces of blood on the coat and she gently stroke his head listening to his last words, a meek and motherly look on her face.
This went on for a few seconds and then the man fell silent and limp. Setsuna closed her eyes for a moment before she gently shut the man's eyes with her hand. Next to her SunTzu crossed himself, his helmet in his hand.
Setsuna zoned out for the blink of an eye before she looked up to SunTzu.
"I'll have to take care of the other wounded now."
Almost tenderly she lifted the dead soldier's head up from her lap and put it onto the ground again before she left without another word, leaving SunTzu standing in mid of the dead Taskforce Soldiers.
SunTzu had to swallow hard before he put on his helmet anymore.
A few meters afar the Corporal who worked on the unexploded mortar round suddenly yelled.
"The round is defused! Clear!"
The medics and Setsuna did their best to stabilize the three still living wounded enough to fly them over to the Far Side and with the help of SunTzu and the rest of the platoon each wounded soldier was carried on a stretcher by four men to the waiting Gunship, the medics beside them with infusions or ventilating them, Setsuna being at the end of the small caravan.
At the checkpoint various vehicles, including an ITT and another platoon of Soldiers had arrived in the meantime and secured the area.
After helping to heave the last stretcher on board the LAAT/i, SunTzu stepped back as the doors began to shut and Setsuna shot him a last look, leaned over one of the patients, checking his breathing, before the doors closed fully and the Larty soared away.
In that moment SunTzu could hear AICA above in the sky, she was flying fast to the south, on her way to burn down the forest the mortars had been hidden in.
After a small breathing exercise, a Jedi technique, and a cigarette, a proven way on earth, to calm him down he decided to get back to the Far Side as well.
He walked back to the Humvee and just then remembered the inflated tire.
After changing the tire with the help of one of the soldiers around, something which at least had occupied his mind a bit and took it off the gruesome pictures in his head, he packed up and got ready to leave the scene. It was dark by now.
Before he left, he pulled out his phone and called up Rei.
"Are you okay?" Was the first thing she said.
"I am."
At least physically.
"I'm really glad to hear this. Are you still at the checkpoint?"
"I'm driving back now. Where are you?" He asked.
"Im in the Royal Quarters with Usagi. We heard it already, seven dead. She's bawling her eyes out." Rei swallowed hard. "And I have to admit I'm devastated as well."
"I'll be back soon, shall I get you and bring you to your room?"
Rei sighed.
"I wish i could leave here, but we decided to immediately inform the families of the dead soldiers from here. And I don't want to let Usagi do that all alone."
"That's a kind thing to do, Rei."
"I wish we wouldn't have to do all this in the first place." A pause followed. "Gods, i hate this war." Another pause.
"Let me know when you're done, I'll be there, okay?" SunTzu broke the silence first.
"I will."
"I love you Rei. You're handling this great."
"I wish… I'm looking forward to you." That said she hung up and SunTzu stowed his phone back into his combat pants and boarded the Humvee.
His rifle on the co-driver seat, in immediate drawing distance and chain-smoking he drove back to the Far Side.
He felt empty, he felt ashamed that he couldn't save more lives and that he didn't understood what had been going before it was too late.
Half an hour later he was back on the Far Side and went to the empty observation deck. The crew was either busy or stayed in their quarters, the news about the dead soldiers spread fast and shocked the ship and it's complements.
SunTzu stepped into the room and walked up to the glass front. Looking out into the dark cloudy night, he pulled out another cigarette and lighted it on fire.
As he let out the first draw the door behind him opened.
"Got one for me?"
"I thought smoking is bad for the health?" He answered and turned around, the reflection on the window making him seem even more tired than he was.
"Don't give me this shit right now." Setsuna said, still wearing her bloody doctor's coat as she walked up to him.
SunTzu wheezed, but then nestled out his cigarettes and handed the doctor one.
She took it and lighted it on the fire he also had pulled out.
Setsuna thanked him with a nod and took a long first draw, her head slumped down, as she blew out the smoke. SunTzu was about to ask how the survivors were doing but Setsuna started to speak first.
"I had forgotten about this. The mangled bodies, the screaming, the blood. The look on their faces when life fades out of them." She paused for a moment. "Shit."
Cigarette in the corner of her mouth she stroked through her dark green hair.
"After… After so long I thought I'd get used to it. But you never do."
"Are you… can I do something?" SunTzu asked, completely taken aback from the outburst of the ever so controlled Setsuna, the Ice Queen herself.
Now she was the one to wheeze.
"I wish."
"Need a moment for yourself?"
The doctor thought for a moment before she answered.
"Actually… can you please stay with me? Just for this cigarette? Before I have to go back? Go back and either have more young men dying under my hands or bring them back from the verge of death, knowing they will never be the same again." Setsuna said quietly.
Seeing her so agitated made him uneasy. More uneasy than he already was. Seeing the effects of war hitting the men, or rather boys, that was your comrades, a lot of them looking up to you, touches one deeply.
She took another draw and let the smoke out in the air, her head leaned back in the nape of her nack. And then she extinguished the cigarette in the ash tray next to them.
Suddenly she turned around to him and laid her head on his shoulder.
He had his cigarette in his hand and his arms were on his side but when SunTzu felt the weight of her head on his shoulder, afraid she would start crying any moment now, he laid his hands around her, which made her do the same and pull her head even closer onto him. Even through the smell of the cigarettes he could smell the pleasant scent of her shampoo as well as a small hint of the perfume she was using. But it wasn't about anything romantically for SunTzu, for him it was a hug between two friends, where one was bordering a mental breakdown after the things she saw, and the young soldiers she couldn't save although it was her profession.
For a moment they stayed like that, up until her phone or pager vibrated.
Setsuna took a deep breather, opened her eyes again, locking them with SunTzu's for the fracture of a second. Her cherry colored eyes had expressed tired- and sadness just before but after inhaling audibly the Senshi's expression changed into a neutral face again, back to the Ice Queen and she let go of SunTzu.
"I-I I'll get back now. Maybe you can have an eye on Hotaru while I'm busy."
"Sure. Haven't really talked to her for a minute anyway." He extinguished his cigarette also, while he continued.
"I'm glad she's flying. I rather have her bored in space than fighting on the ground"
Setsuna nodded, she was glad about this as well. Not that violence was new to her adoptive daughter, but she rather had her safe, both physical and psychological, being somewhere else. With the nod she began to walk away, only to turn around to SunTzu who was about to look out the large observation window again.
"Hey SunTzu."
SunTzu turned around again and faced her.
"I apologize for this moment of weakness."
The left corner of the pilot's mouth curled up to a wry half grin.
"Nothing to be sorry about, we're all just humans."
Setsuna now also showed the hint of a smile.
"I guess. At least halfways."
And with that she left the room, leaving SunTzu behind, wondering what she meant with her last sentence.
SunTzu finished his cigarette slowly and walked over to the hangar.
Hotaru and AICA had just landed after their bombing run and the patrol and reconnaissance afterwards and SunTzu was next to the AICA the moment the canopy opened, revealing Hotaru taking off her pilot helmet.
"You're never gonna change your callsign, right?" He greeted the girl with a half smile and she smiled back.
"Hey, I like it. And it reminds me to be aware of my actions."
"Yeah, well your mom and the others don't seem to be so fond of it."
Hotaru shrugged it off with another smile.
"Anyways, you had dinner already? Your mom's busy and asked me to take care of you." SunTzu continued while he petted AICA's frame, leading the Artificial Intelligence to play purring noises over her speaker and SunTzu briefly stopping the caressing and shaking his head in disbelieve.
"Let me get that straight. Me, a seventeen year old Sailor Senshi, Ace Pilot and Ruler of the Planet Saturn needs someone to take care of her?" Hotaru said with a stern voice.
SunTzu stopped the petting of his snub again and looked dumbfounded at her.
"I mean… of course that's cool, let's go. I'm hungry as fuck." She smiled at him and began to climb out the cockpit.
Great, and I don't even know who's fault that attitude she's getting is…
SunTzu lend his subordinate a hand and she jumped out of the cockpit.
"Oh and Hotaru, one more thing." SunTzu said calm as she landed next to him.
"Hm?"
"Language."
The two pilots went over to the top dining hall and the black haired teenager put enough food on her tray that it probably would have been enough to eat for a whole two days for a regular teenage girl her age.
"You're not taking anything?" She asked after putting a bowl of green jell-O on her tray as well, while SunTzu behind her had nothing on his tray. He wasn't hungry and just wanted to get a cup of tea. The pictures, smells and sensations of the afternoon still lingered inside him.
Hotaru took the bowl of green jelly again and put it on his tray again.
"You have to eat something. Mom told me, that even if you're not hungry you need to keep your energy up."
For a second SunTzu looked at the Jell-O.
"Your mom is a very intelligent woman. And she is a good soul." He said, the second sentence lost in thought.
"Yeah. She totally is. Man, I can't wait too eat."
SunTzu didn't expect it, but hanging out with the rather carefree Hotaru made him feel better and took away some of the tension.
Somehow the slender girl managed to eat all of the pilled up food on her tray all by herself and as she finished she sighed, a hand on her stomach, while SunTzu smiled warmly at her.
"That was great. See, the Jell-O did good to you. You're smiling again." This lead to an ever bigger smile on SunTzu's face.
"God, I'm stuffed. I'm gonna hit my bed up now, you're having the first patrol tomorrow morning and should do the same. AICA is already nagging about that she misses you."
"Yeah, I'll catch some shut eye as well. I'm just gonna see, what Rei is doing."
The two Guardians left the dining hall and Hotaru said goodnight as she walked to their quarters, her mother probably still busy.
SunTzu walked back to the Observation Deck to have a last cigarette, the last in the box as well. Did he really smoked a whole package today?
Halfway through the cigarette the door behind him glid open again and someone came closer.
SunTzu smiled, as two arms laid herself around him.
"Why did I just know that you are here." Rei said and carefully stole the cigarette out of his fingers, taking a draw.
"How are you?" He asked her with a tired voice, the exhaustion of the day taking it's toll on him now.
"Probably just as tired as you are." SunTzu could feel her head on his back.
"And how's Usagi?"
"I wouldn't say necessarily better, but more focused and determined. And she called every single family of today's victims on her own to tell them about their loss. It was heartbreaking." Rei fell silent for a moment. "The Palace also sent out ministers for every family. Also, we're leaving the Planet tomorrow morning, the Imperials still will patrol around but no attacks happened anymore, nor were there anymore traces of enemy troops."
"And where are we heading?"
"Home. These soldiers will get a funeral in space as tradition, but in our system. With their relatives on board."
SunTzu nodded, while Rei handed him the cigarette back.
"Bring me to bed. I'm done with today." Rei said with a low, tired voice and hugged him tighter.