Hello, so here's the newest chapter. With my co-writer Lucius Walker and cleaned up by Kurogane7. but also contributors like the following:
UnitedOpsrey1991. (Military advise to some extend)
Castlecrasher009. (Geographical, mainly Texas.)
Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.
Cheers!
"The Zygerrian-Terran War"
That was what the Intergalactic community dubbed this war of aggression between the Zygerrian Slave Empire and the collective neutral Terran system called Earth, ending all possibilities of a peaceful, diplomatic solution the moment the first orbital strikes had hit their targets.
Their plan consisted of a surprising amount of military equipment purchased from the Trade Federation and its other allies, with a 25 million-strong military force being sent in to neutralize and occupy central and vital parts of the planet, and arrest members of the Ölüm organization - all in the span of three months.
The only problem was - they failed. They believed that bombarding a relatively primitive planet and invading their lands with sheer numbers, firepower, and superior technology would've forced the entire population of Earth into submission.
Instead of being engulfed in fear, they were consumed by a rage that exploded into one collective resistance across the globe in all sizes and forms.
In the Texan city of Houston in Brazoria County, there lay a settlement just on the East of Angleton. A port city that was a well-known shipping hub that gave access to the Galveston Bay, it was a site of Urzik immigrants to the country that had built this small community up since the 1850s. It was also a target of the Zygerrians to try to cut off the supply routes through Houston.
Much to their frustration, they were less than successful in their attempts to seize the puny city, as the 60,000 populated area showed nothing but resilience and fearless determination to keep them out of their home. Despite being armed with, at best, tanks, missiles, and fighter planes that couldn't even leave the atmosphere, they've held their own for a remarkably long time.
It didn't matter how many times they rained fire from above, either at their pitiful versions of fighter ships or upon the land below them, they persisted like roaches, hiding underground to avoid the bombardment or continuously firing back until their shields finally gave out, earning them one or two of their fighter planes daily on average.
In Hurriya…it was bloody, to say the least.
Some countries preferred to simply kill the Zygerrians and be done with it. However, other communities, like those in Hurriya, who've been a thorn in the eyes with their continued resistance, the resilience that cost a lot of Zygerrian lives.
In response to that, they were brutally barraged from artillery and air bombardments, as the once lively port city was bombed to what would be reminiscing to their homeland' post-civil war status. With homes left uninhabitable left and right, large buildings being shot up to pieces, and the harbor being filled with sunken merchant, fishing and military ships that had been demobilized since the first attacks ensued.
Yet still, top command wanted this city to be secured, with now a convoy seen rolling through the ruined city. With this being the next attempt of the Zygerrians.
Leading was the Trade Federation AAT-1 assault tank that was leading the convoy of multiple other tanks, some STAP air speeders and even some stolen Humvee military trucks and civilian ones the Zygerrians were using, alongside a salvaged jeep that drove in the middle of the group.
In that jeep were both the captain and his second-in-command sitting while they were being driven by another Zygerrian who was driving behind an MTT that was carrying battle droids. As now more than half of their small force consisted of Zygerrian regulars, they were sent next into the meat grinder.
The Captain looked around and started to notice the grounds they were passing by, seeing one of those highway distance signs he read:
Houston - 55 miles
Hurriya - 5 miles
"Kriff..."
The convoy drove past the already-damaged sign, looking through the devastation wrought by the Zygs and their allies.
The farmlands that were on the outskirts of the city were normally filled with produce like vegetables, or ranches that held large amounts of cattle; now the landowners, the workers, even the livestock were nowhere to be seen, many having been killed in the first days of the battle. Now instead its fields were filled with uprooted earth, crater shells and the rotting remains of animals.
But a modicum of hope could also be found in those fields as the wrecks of Zygerrian ships could be seen throughout the landscape, their still-smoldering remains scattered across the fields with wings seen tens of meters away from the crash site. As they were defeated by the Americans on both land and in the air.
Then came the heart-wrenching part: the bodies.
Many lifeless corpses were seen across those fields, many of them either fresh from last week's attempted offensive, and decomposing bodies from the first wave over a few months ago. They were hard to miss, their bodies were stripped of equipment, weaponry and even communication devices that they begged help through.
The only thing on them were their clothes, shot to pieces and laid there on the dirt ground in the way they died.
"Lieutenant."
The Zygerrian lieutenant turned his eyes back to the captain, who was reading the paper map of the area they were in, and he was not at all pleased with the situation they found themselves in.
"Sire?"
"Order a halt." The captain told his second-in-command. "Now."
"Of course, sire." The young Zygerrian complied as he ordered through the comms. "Halt!"
As ordered, a whole convoy of mixed armored, personnel and civilian vehicles came to a stop with the leading AAT tank on standby. The commander emerged from the hatch to then use his binoculars.
Standing out in the middle of the road, surrounded by large swaps of farmland, with no air-support or even basic recon. They were in a very exposed area.
Adding insult to injury, many of the Zygerrian regulars were seen coming out of their vehicles, standing nearby the road as they were trying to stretch their legs but also didn't pay much attention to the surroundings.
"You see anything?" The captain asked as he kept his eyes on the map. "Something caught your attention?"
The lieutenant looked beyond and just shook his head. "No, captain. Nothing."
"That's just it, we're facing nothing." The captain said in disgust as he looked around. "Nothing but waste, this damn planet, this damn country-"
*BANG!*
Blood splattered across the lieutenant's face, making him panic as he thought he got hit and check himself, before turning to his captain whose head was seen falling down forwards.
"Shit!"
*BANG!*
Then suddenly the AAT commander got shot too, with his head dropping backwards and leaving his body hanging out of the tank.
"AMBUSH!"
BOOM!
The AAT tank then suddenly exploded, destroying the front vehicle on the spot. Causing panic amongst the Zygerrian regulars.
The Lieutenant however shouted to his radioman. "CALL IT IN! IT'S AN AMBUSH!"
"On it!" The radioman said as he grabbed the comms. "HQ-"
*BANG!*
The next bullet hit and shredded through the Zyg radioman's throat with blood splashing out of it as he fell down.
"DAMN IT!" The lieutenant turned around and demanded. "TURN AROUND! TURN AROUND!"
Then a rocket was seen fired from a distance, and the projectile flew all the way towards the other end of the convoy-
*BOOM!*
One of the stolen pickup trucks exploded, catching several Zygerrian regulars in the blast.
*Whistle!*
A loud, piercing whistle sounded off, confusing the Zygerrian men who wasted no time in surrounding the convoy. The roar and appearance of hundreds of fighters resounded after the whistle as they rushed out of their hiding places.
Blaster fire and slugthrower fire erupted as both sides opened fire on each other. The lieutenant drew his blaster pistol his eyes darting around and his gun blasting anything and barked out orders:
"PROTECT THE CONVOY, IT MUST NOT FALL"
The shooting exchange started as one of the regulars was pulling someone out of the burning truck, trying to save him.
The ambushers proceeded to fire and maneuver towards them, with some getting dangerously close.
"Rush them!" One of the ambushers yelled. "Come on!"
"Hold it, boy!"
"Behind you!" The Zygerrian lieutenant called upon his troops. "Behind!"
A pair of Zygerrian regulars quickly turned around and proceeded to return fire - killing a few in the process. With the reckless fighter still rushing for the enemy without any cover.
"Die, bastards!"
One of the Zygerrians happened to throw a thermal detonator, landing directly in front of the rushing fighters.
"Grenade!"
*BOOM!*
The blast caught three of the attackers who were rushing, and send their bodies a few meters away. But that did not deter the others from continuing their attack on the convoy.
"There's too many of them!-" The Zygerrian cut shot in the face before he could finish his sentence, another one of theirs getting killed at a fast pace.
"WE WILL NOT SURRENDER!" The lieutenant shouted while shooting his blaster. "Kill them all!"
It just happened another rocket got fired, and flew over the ambushing forces, and was directly going for the truck that was behind the lieutenant.
"Look out!"
The rocket hit the truck and its gas canisters it happened to carry-
*BOOOM!*
…
Five minutes later
With the smoldering remnants of the convoy giving away large black smoke, it pretty much gave away to everybody in a wide radius that yet another battle had occurred.
"Collect what you can!"
*THUMP!*
The sound of a body hitting the ground resounded through the air, bringing everyone's attention to the body of a Zygerrian warrior kicking up dust. It was a sound that warranted a Post-Op after a successful ambush.
With members of the ambush group seen now stripping anything useful out of the column that wasn't destroyed, like armor, weaponry, food or even some fuel that was being extracted.
Like how one man in full cameo, with a cap and scarf to disguise his identity, was looking at the jeep that had the convoy's captain still in it, moving the head away so he could check the vehicle correctly for valuables.
The blood coming out of the captain's skull was starting to attract flies, and it caused the camouflaged man to wave the flies away from his face.
"Stupid fucking Zyg…" The man said through his face scarf as he noticed something on the corpse' lap.
"Wait…"
Grabbing it, it was a map he read and it caused his eyes to nearly widen in shock at the information he had just found, literally on someone's lap. Almost insulting to this Army veteran who could not believe the amateurism of these people.
"No fucking way…" The vet turned around and started running. "Commander!"
As he ran through the destroyed column, the attackers were revealed to be a ragtag of willing fighters. From local Texans with cameo and body armor while wearing civilian clothing and Texan hats, to even a few Mexican volunteers who were formerly field workers of these farms.
But also amongst those were the majority of fighters - Hurriya residents and members of the Ölüm Partisans, with the last seen carrying their blaster rifles and long range missile launchers that they carried whilst the rest were still using their slug-thrower rifles and rocket launchers. An obese Texan was seen fishing multiple scavenged blaster rifles out of a truck that wasn't blown up, while three Mexican volunteers were seen emptying the gas out off the tanks of the trucks that were taken out.
But the biggest prize was how a dozen Zygerrians were forced to sit down next to the road with their hands behind their heads, having surrendered after a pitched fight with police officers standing vigil over them.
"Commander!" The camouflaged vet asked around. "Where's the commander?"
"Up front." One of the volunteers pointed out a bearded guy. "He's talking to that captured CO. Why?"
"You're not going to believe this…"
Up on the front, the AAT tank had its flames already extinguished, the bodies of the tank crew had been pulled out, with the tankers' their corpses being nearly burned to every inch.
And they were laid right next to the now very silent Zygerrian lieutenant, who now was facing down to the street in defeat. Not wanting to look up, he was instead forced to endure the malodorous scent of burned skin of his own people, all the while the side of his face was covered in black dirt and burns, parts of his uniform damaged from the fight.
Exhausted, the Zygerrian lieutenant was sitting there on the ground, as he was being watched closely by the surrounding militia members who were eying him with nothing less than hatred.
"Lieutenant Tarno."
Looking up through one eye, the Zygerrian found that he was confronted by the leader of the successful ambush, and the regional commander of the frontline, the man who had repelled many of the attacks on this small city. Tarik Karim - seen wearing tactical gear with the mixture of his traditional green-and-black patterned traditional Keffiyeh scarf around his neck. He faced off against the commander of the opposite front, whose forces were, by now, completely decimated. "Yes. That's me."
"Then you know who I am, right?" The bearded Urzik-American patiently asked. "And you know where you're at…"
"I know where I am…" Lieutenant Tarno said, suddenly finding the concrete road more interesting, "And I know who you are, Commander Tarik 'Imam' Karim - leader of Ölüm."
Tarik then happened to be joined by one of his field commanders, which happened to be one Mandalorian Jango Fett who walked up right behind him.
"Naruto, come here for a bit."
On command, coming from the side of the destroyed tank was Naruto, another field commander despite his age, carrying in the same gear he came to this planet with three months ago. Multiple cuts could be seen in his clothes, but he also carried a blaster rifle slung over his neck, his headscarf covering his hair.
Tarno looked at the young boy as he seemingly was staring back at him, right before he reached for something from behind- a flask of water that was unopened.
"Here." Naruto threw it to him. "Catch."
The half-burned Zygerrian caught it and nodded before he opened the flask and tried drinking from it, a refreshment for the captured commissioned officer. Once finished drinking, he began to ask.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Well you're our prisoner. You are going to be taken to a camp, your wounds would be looked at and you are going to have some basic rights." Tarik started to say to the commanding officer of the destroyed column. "Mainly we have to treat you right. If you're lucky your interrogator might just ask about your plans and stuff. Otherwise, we keep you until we find a way to send you back to your army."
The Zygerrian looked confused at that. "... Just like that?"
"We're not savages like you'd believe, we have some rules to warfare." Tarik responded, clearly to him while holding his hands into his body armor vest. "Though if the horror stories coming out of your side have any truth, I hope the interrogators still remember the Geneva convention."
"Yet you decide to keep me alive, after all that has happened?" Tarno questioned with genuine surprise at this treatment. "Why?"
"Simple, we got laws, even in war."
"Sir, you might want to look at this." The soldier with the map approached Tarik as he handed it over to him. "Found it on the captain's body."
Tarik accepted the map and inspected it, with Jango even taking a look at it. And the reactions of both adult men were pretty much self-spoken.
"And you just found it laying?" Jango asked the soldier who nodded, causing him to scoff. "Even when we've been attacking their men over and over. These Zygerrian officers…"
Naruto just watched as Tarik read the map and sees the Zygerrian Lieutenant being unresponsive, as he was being treated for his wounds by the militia's medic who had come by.
'These Zygerrian soldiers seem to be warn out, kid. Did you notice that? Even their equipment looks old, let alone they are using stolen trucks. So this cannot be the bulk of the army.'
"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake." Tarik quoted as he was about to fold the map.
"Unless they're fooling all of us."
The four men turned right back to Naruto who had said that, causing at least the unknown soldier to then ask.
"What do you mean, kid?"
Naruto began to insinuate. "What if they're deceiving us? And only send these guys as cannon fodder?" He even went further to say. "I mean, how many times have we ambushed groups like these now? And it's been calm on this side of the country."
It has been true that the last few weeks of fighting in Texas had reduced in its intensity, with the dubbed 'Alamo Line' of the South from El Paso to Hurriya having barely been changed, where the Zygerrians alongside their allies have been going for tit-for-tat combat across the battle zones.
The Alamo Line had seen the most vicious fighting in the state of Texas, not seen since the Mexican-American War. with cities and towns having been captured or re-captured by the US Armed Forces and any of the local militias, National Guard or even forces like the Texas Rangers and Border Patrol. Pushing back the Zygerrians to their southern landing positions off the border regions that they still held firmly like Brownsville and Laredo.
Basically splitting the state in half, with everything north up the Alamo Line still free, while anything underneath that line was under control of the Zygerrian invaders.
"Hey, hey, hey, look at this!" The unknown soldier pointed out the map. "Look what the frontline maps is drawn at…isn't that?"
Tarik also noticed and saw what the red line was that held multiple Zygerrian positions across Texas, from El Paso to their current location.
"The Interstate 10, they're using the interstate 10 as the defense line!" Tarik nearly shouted at this.
Jango noted. "By the sound of it, this doesn't sound good."
"Not if you want your line to be mostly open." Tarik said as he couldn't believe this as he wrapped it up. "We've got to move, call everybody in, let's go!"
"All men! Form up!" The soldier called out to his men. "We're leaving, get your gear and follow!"
Raxulon
A long way from Earth, the Outer Rim world of Raxus Secundus was experiencing an unwanted and unpredicted crisis they now had on their hands. Precisely in the capital Raxulon.
The effects of the Zygerrian-Terran War were making themselves more apparent by the day. As just a session of the Separatist Parliament had ended; something even Dooku couldn't manage to get any traction into.
Count Dooku himself was making his way towards his private quarters as he was in need to talk to his master. As he knew that he was awaiting the results of those behind-the-door sessions that were taking place. "Fools."
As the Sith had reached his quarters, the doors closed behind him. The lights dimmed upon arrival as a figure bathed in the blue light of the holoprojector appeared, the hood of a dark cloak covering the upper half of his face - his master, Darth Sidious.
"Master." Dooku greeted with a bow.
"Lord Tyranus, I presume you came here to inform me about the latest developments on the war?"
"Indeed, but with unfortunate news." Dooku began informing his master. "The efforts of calling a truce by senator Bonteri, have failed to come to fruition."
"As expected, the Republic's efforts have also been met with failure." The shrouded Sith Lord sounded unsatisfied. "The war is a hindrance our plans, my apprentice; the Zygterrians have overstepped their bounds."
"Then we are in agreement, milord," Dooku said in return. "But it is unprecedented that the Terran resistance would be so formidable. Not with the weaponry they're still using-"
"Do not underestimate those Terrans, not with the history they have. They've proven to be vicious in their past wars." Sidious told him firmly, half-complementing them. "Even now, they have proven themselves a formidable adversary. We must resolve this conflict before both the Republic and the Confederacy are involved directly; the longer this war drags on, the margin for failure increases."
It was true: over the few short months since contact was made, the amount of military hardware such as tanks, star fighters, missiles, even small arms were bought in bulk by Earth's sovereign governments.
But that wasn't the biggest eye-opener in the Galactic community: that dubious honor went to the mass influx of foreign volunteers and mercenaries who entered the war from all corners of the Galaxy. Many participated in order to cash in on a payday, but the conflict had also drawn in many individuals of differing ideologies ranging from mercenaries coming out of hiding from the Outer Rim to some human volunteers from the Core Rim. The Zygerrian-Terran War was attracting people from every corner of the galaxy, and all because of a former empire attempting to enslave a planet that refused to kneel.
A naive, but powerful message - who would bow down to an invading enemy without a fight?
"Either way, I predict that the war will come to a close in a few months." Lord Sidious spoke with a near wicked smile. "I have received word of an offensive being planned by the Zygerrians at this moment."
Dooku looked up, curiosity in his eyes. "An offensive? From where?"
"I cannot say, but I warn you to make sure to distance your people from this war as much as possible. Because it will be something the Galaxy hasn't witnessed in a long time."
Earth
In the Texan countryside, the night had already arrived at the latest day of the invasion, the defenders having earned a small, but well-earned peace.
The wetlands of the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge were located just east of Angleton. It was a good spot for those who had been fighting in the countryside, where many people rallied, either to regroup or to plan coordinated attacks against the occupying Zygerrian forces.
Deep in that wetlands, a few visible camp fires were seen. Even when they were limited to only three small fires, dozens of these fighters closed up to warm themselves with some laughter to light up the mood. Some used the fire simply to warm themselves or their rations, but some simply preferred to have the visibility to field-strip and clean their weapons.
For Tarik, it was used to read the map of the deceased Zygerrian captain that was confiscated, looking alongside one of his CO's, a fellow Ölüm Partisan veteran who recently joined. The Canadian former cook named Nathan.
"So they basically hold an entire defense line across this big highway that crosses the state?"
"Pretty much, yes." Tarik said pointing out. "As you can see, they're stretched out, with having presence within cities and towns alongside Interstate 10."
"Which are?"
"El Paso, Fabens, Fort Hancock, Sierra Blanca," Tarik named them all, "Van Horn, Kent, Balmorhea, Fort Stockton, Ozona, Sonora, Junction to outside San Antonio."
"Outside San Antonio?" One of the Texan Militia leaders asked. "Isn't it fully captured?"
"The National Guard is holding out there, driving distance away. But I'm not finished." Tarik continued. "Then from there they hold Seguin to Schulenburg. But they couldn't capture Columbus, so the Zygs have driven southwards and captured Angleton, so…"
"They need to go through Hurriya." Nathan figured it out as he noticed it. "They want to drive through the south into Houston."
"It means they're stretched thin." One of the Mexican volunteers silently cheered. "This is golden."
"Yeah, but so are we. We're stretched out too." Tarik reminded them with caution. "But the terrain favors the defenders, that is why we have a salient around San Antonio and we're holding out still here."
"So what now?"
Tarik folded the map and laid out the plan. "We'll leave early in the morning, we've got to debrief this info as soon as possible." He puts the map into his shirt. "With luck we can perhaps start an offensive soon. So tell everyone to sleep now, they're gonna need it."
"What about the prisoners?" Nathan brought up. "Any plans for them?"
"What about them?"
"Do we kill them or what?"
The question fell silent as it caught the four men around the fire off guard, with it being Tarik who responded.
"Listen here…."
A few meters away from the main camp where another campfire was seen, was only one Partisan, who happened to be tasked: guarding the prisoners.
The few Zygerrian prisoners of war were seen, either on their knees or laying on the dry ground, their hands tied behind their back, with their eyes blindfolded, as they all were connected to one another. No chances were taken for fear that these men would try to escape detention.
Naruto stood guard over them, having volunteered to be on the first watch, feeling that it would be for the best. He took a bite out of the bread he'd collected, quite hungry as he watched at these POWs with little to no care, having positioned a few of his Shadow Clones in the trees for overwatch, keeping a close eye on all of the prisoners.
'So you decided to be the barrier.'
'I don't know what you're talking about.'
'Don't fool me, kid. You know those humans would want to have some alone time with these prisoners.'
Naruto stopped eating and then swallowed the food before he then responded internally.
'I got orders.'
"Naruto."
Hearing his name, Naruto turned and relaxed upon seeing Tarik and Nathan walking up to him.
"Hey guys."
"Hey kid. Are you doing alright?" Tarik asked as he kneeled next to the youngster. "Your shift is over, Nathan here will take it over."
Naruto nodded. "I appreciate that, but I don't mind keeping an eye here." He turned to Nathan and asked. "Are you okay with me staying here?"
"I don't mind."
*SHINK!*
Nathan drew his cleaver and a sharpening stick as he sat near the campfire, honing the edge while glaring at the prisoners menacingly.
"I don't mind watching these people at all…"
Seeing that caused Naruto to regard his commander Tarik. "What'll happen to the prisoners?"
"They'll be transferred to MP once we get back to Hurriya. Some are waiting." Tarik informed him, reaching for a canteen full of water. "We'll meet them there in the early morning. Also while debriefing the info we obtained."
*SMACK!*
That was Nathan smacking his bare hand against his own neck, as he had a dead bug he just killed.
"Hopefully the brass get to use that info fast - because fuck me if I got to stay around in this place for another month."
"Be glad we ain't in Louisiana. The swamps there in the summer are worse." Tarik reminded him before he turned to Naruto. "Listen, I need to know, have you heard anything from Tayuya? Or anyone for that matter?"
"No, sorry." Naruto shook his head at that question. "I have had no contact with anyone else for almost a year."
"It's true." Nathan responded, putting his two cents in. "Except for Tayuya and that furball Chewbacca. I haven't seen anyone from Ölüm."
"So we're all that's left for the moment?" Tarik asked around. "Nobody heard anything from the others outside?"
Naruto and Nathan both shook heads, confirming the current state of what was most likely the case - where many if not most of the Ölüm veterans were not from Earth, had not responded to the call for help. This left perhaps only a fraction of the group that was known to be fighting.
"That means around a possible five hundred to a thousand active fighters across the world. If they aren't killed already." Nathan sighed at mentioning that. "If they all were fighting, of course. We're spread thin across the planet."
"You were caught off guard."
The fourth voice to join in was in fact Jango, who appeared from the darkness after having finished a patrol alongside the wetlands as he joined the campfire.
"Don't go taking all the credit," Jango said as he sat down on a branch. "The Zygerrians took everyone by surprise, but you Earthlings managed to surprise everyone in the Galaxy when you stood up to them; and with low-tier gear, to boot."
"And yet barely any help of our own." Nathan muttered as he kept working on his chopper. "We've gone through so much on that hellhole Kessel, yet only a handful showed up."
Tarik turned to regard both Naruto and Jango, both of them among the first to come to Earth's aid, even when it wasn't asked. "Why did you two come here, anyway? You could've just stayed out of it."
Jango responded. "Ask the kid, I just tagged along."
Tarik and Nathan turned their eyes to Naruto, no mind spared for the face-covered prisoners who were all sleeping. "Why?"
Naruto just didn't give a thought about it and said. "I don't abandon my friends - that's all."
"That's it?" Nathan asked, baffled by that answer. "You came here for that?"
"I do not intend to break a promise I made to friends," Naruto replied. "I'm an Uzumaki, and Uzumakis don't break promises. So yeah, that's it."
…
Then a shared amount of laughter could be heard coming from Nathan and Tarik who were unable to hold it and smiled at the young blond.
"I'll give you this, Naruto, you're loyal." Nathan complimented. "Dumb as hell, but just as loyal."
"Yeah, couldn't have a better comrade." Tarik agreed and pointed. "Tell you what, if Idel and I are getting married, I might consider you as my best man."
Naruto shrugged as he scratched his head. "Man, thanks."
"You're going to get married, you say?" Jango asked with a chuckle. "And just a few months ago you ended a civil war. And who's this Idel?"
"Our Jewish doctor and the thief of Tarik's heart." Nathan smiled at that. "They were planned on it for a few months, until Tarik had to go and help his folks in Urzikstan when the US started pulling out."
"Where is she now?" Naruto asked. "I mean Idel."
"DC, working as a doctor in a refugee camp." Tarik said, taking a swig from his canteen, "Last time I talked with her was when another camp was set up for about 100, 000 people, but this was just before another push by the Zygs, causing a massive influx of Virginians and Marylanders to flee there."
"The fighting up north's still calm?" Naruto asked. "I wonder how bad things are up there."
Washington DC
In the US capital, the war itself was getting close, having already been hit multiple times either from the air or by missiles - but it was still not occupied, and far away from the frontline.
Yet the first refugees of internally displaced Americans who fled from the war, mainly Marylanders and Virginians who were forced to flee their homes after the Zygerrian invaders secured the coastal regions and caused millions to flee to the capital.
"Everyone! Stay calm!" One US National Guard officer spoke over the megaphone. "Stay in line and be patient!"
Part of the massive effort of evacuating the hundreds of thousands of civilian refugees, convoys of hundreds of buses were prepared and ready to leave the city. As the US Armed Forces now had made a clear presence within the city and its metropolitan area. The sick and elderly were the priority, but there were women and children crying as they said goodbyes to their husbands on what was the National Mall. Among them were members of the Galactic Republic who were observing these efforts of evacuation. Watching from the steps, one Riyo Chuchi was astonished.
"Where are they going?"
"They're being evacuated, of course." Organa said, watching with his arms closed as he informed. "The President ordered an all-out evacuation and enacted the draft just a few hours ago."
"The draft?" Riyo asked, realizing what that meant. "You mean…"
"Every male and female of age is going to be conscripted into military service," confirmed Jiraiya, "Defenses around the city are being set up, and civilians being evacuated away through the corridors, using the highways."
*FWOOOOOSH!*
The sound of jets flying in formation could be seen in the skies of DC. Senators could feel the wave as loud clapping and cheering from a populace that had regained hope.
Padme watched the jets performing their maneuvers. "What are those?"
"F-16's."
The senators turned around to find that the speaker was a dark-skinned man wearing a dark gray BDU, and a harness with ammo pouches and a ballistic vest. Alongside an advanced helmet with goggles and standard military boots, he was armed with an FN SCAR-H slung around his shoulder.
Mesmerized by the precision and coordination of the pilots, Padme could not help but wonder how Anakin would have felt to be in those cockpits. "Where did they come from?"
"Philadelphia, Ma'am. They just finished cleaning up an enemy camp down Wharton, so they'll be heading back to base after this drill," The dark-skinned man approached and extended his hand. "Sgt Foley, First Battalion, 75th Rangers. You must be the Senators from the Republic."
"Correct." Jiraiya nodded and shook his head. "What is it that you came here for, Sergeant?"
"To escort you, sir." Foley spoke. "You've been summoned by my commanding officer."
Organa turned to the others and suggested. "Let's go, shall we?"
The other two female senators nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's go then." Foley then turned to his men. "Dunn, Ramirez, start the engines."
Jiraiya turned his head around and asked. "Master Kenobi, do you mind joining us?"
Foley turned also. "There's room enough."
Obi Wan Kenobi and his Padawan Anakin, both walking away from the statue of Abraham Lincoln.
"Don't mind us." Obi Wan said politely to them. "We'll just stay here. It's not everyday you explore a nation's history."
"Yeah…" Anakin stated, as he stared at the statue.
"Let's go then."
The senators followed the Sgt as they proceeded. Laying the focus on the National Mall where a new convoy of trucks had just arrived.
And some problems were brewing.
…
"I say remove those masks!"
"Go fuck yourself, bitch!"
There in the middle of the National Mall, things really got worse, as a group of National Guard soldiers alongside some DC police officers were in a heated confrontation with a group of recent arrivals who appear to be volunteers with different types of weapons, which included blasters and even rocket launchers.
"Bint al kalb!"
"Speak English to me!" The National Guard soldier commanded, as he faced off the group of armed civilians. "I say again, I order you to remove those bags, those masks, and show ID, or I'm arresting you-"
"For what?!" One of the men responded, showing himself to be Ibrahim Rida, rather angered as he was seen wearing tactical gear with a keffiyeh scarf around him while carrying an AK. "Give me a specific reason! For what?"
"You're not helping here, sir."
"Then stop stalling and let us get to Texas! Our commander is there!" One of the Ölüm fighters shouted in anger. Getting some approval from other members of the arrivals.
"You're not going anywhere!" One of the DC cops roared with authority as he confronted Ibrahim directly. "Tell your band of hoodlums to back off and comply!"
"Hoodlums? Really, you call us that!?" One of the balaclava-wearing Arab members of Ölüm demanded in anger and returned. "We came here to help our commander, and you dare call us nothing but criminals?"
"Listen, he didn't mean that." One of the calmer DC officers tried to say. "We just need to know who you are and verify why you are here."
"We're members of the Ölüm Partisans - we're here on good terms." Yasser inserted himself, the old man tried to calm things with the police. "Our commander is Tarik Karim, he's in Hurriya, and we've just been told to assemble here."
"Wait, you say Ölüm?"
"Yes, we are!"
"SILENCE!" Yasser shut the guy down before turning back to the officer. "Yes, and we were told to be here, that we need to go to Texas."
"I'm sorry, but I can't help you-"
"Then give us someone who can help!"
The squabble continued between the two groups, but it was when one of the grunts of the National Guard happened to comment and say something about the appearance of the members.
"Do we really need the help of a bunch of god-damn raghead terrorists?"
"What did you say?" The Ölüm volunteer wearing the balaclava overheard it and confronted the commenting grunt. "I heard that! I dare you say that again!"
The nearby civilians were taking a step back as they were fearing for the worst, as some even within the crowd were seen pulling up their cellphones to record the debacle.
"Stand back-"
"Don't tell me to stand back, punk!" Balaclava looked furious as he went on. "You dare call me a terrorist. I dare you look in the fucking mirror!"
"What, because I'm-"
"And before you say your ski mask, no you dumb fuck, because you're an American!" Balaclava spat, pointing at his uniform and added in anger. "Tell me, how can I be the terrorist when you bastards kept bombing my homeland? You bastards have been destroying my home for years and I fought you with tooth and nail, HOW AM I THE TERRORIST!?"
"I said BACK OFF!" The grunt shouted into the man's face and pushed him away. "NOW!"
"Fuck you!"
*PUNCH!*
The grunt was punch in the face by Balaclava, who then got bunched up by a few other soldiers who tried to arrest him, causing then the other Ölüm members to come to his defense as the squabble only turned for the worst - with pushing and shouting becoming louder and accusations being heard.
"WHAT IN FUCK'S NAME IS GOING ON HERE!"
The very crass voice shouted, freezing everyone in place. All eyes were quickly drawn to Marine Sgt Griggs, and his Ölüm counterpart Tayuya, with Chewbacca following closely behind.
"Break off, Now!" Tayuya ordered her men around as told her men off. "I'm not having this bullshit! Go back to camp and wait there until I say otherwise! NOW MOVE!"
"But-"
"You, wait till I get back." Tayuya warned, not at all in the mood for Balaclava's tirade, "Chewie, keep an eye on him."
Chewie growled at the Ölüm volunteers, walking alongside Ibrahim to the designated spot.
"Officer, take your men back." Sgt Griggs told the gathering of U.S. armed forces, "They're under my supervision, and so they're friendlies. So back off."
"Sergeant, with all due respect, but one of them threw a punch-"
"Think this is a discussion, Private? Get a move on before I make you!" Griggs made it clear as he added. "And don't think I've heard what you said about that man, we're all in this fight, so there is no need for that kinda talk. Move it!"
The grunt saluted as he and his team moved on as Sgt Griggs then turned to the DC officers and Tayuya, who was still accompanied by Yasser.
"Let's be adults here for a moment."
"Irony of the fucking Century."
…
Meanwhile, a few miles away, a row of medical tents were present that were set up close to Union Station as they were primarily made for the purpose to help the wounded.
They came from every active front: Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the wounded from the recently occupied Delaware. With all these wounded servicemen being brought to DC before then being sent for treatment to either as close as Pittsburgh for minor injuries, or if they were more serious than they'd be transferred to the Midwest, as far as either Columbus or Detroit.
One of those doctors who was busy making those decisions was Idel Laskov. An experienced doctor, and a survivor of Ölüm who had been in the shadows of the whole ordeal. She hoped to not attract any attention - she just wanted a normal life. Or to whatever normalcy she could get - but even that failed when the war started.
"Another patient." One of the nurses brought in a barely conscious Marine who's left leg was covered in bandages that had a red stain in it. "Shrapnel from an ammo depot explosion."
"Lemme see."
Idel proceeded to remove the bandages with help from the nurse and found that the damage was far worse than just shrapnel; she could see burns, along with a few fractures on his arms and legs. The only good news thus far was that the shrapnel had missed any serious vital organs.
"Columbus for you, soldier." Idel said writing the report and putting it on the man's chest. "I cannot do anything for you here now. War's over for you."
The marine groaned as the nurse nodded to her words and brought her outside, ready for evacuation. As already designated transport was ready for them on a daily basis.
As she was getting ready for the next patient, Idel happened to then overhear a few soldiers in the waiting room talk about the latest update on the war.
"So we're still holding in Philly, right?" One with a thick southern accent asked. "From how far?"
"They cleaned up Wharton State Forest, for now at least. But I also heard from my Lt. they held the Zygs back at Trenton, but for how long I cannot say."
"Things don't look good in Virginia, though." One corporal of Hispanic origin, seen having bandages across his right eye stated. "Bastards took Norfolk and are trying to get to Williamsburg."
"Fuck that's just a straight shot up 95 to us." Another soldier mentioned. "If they take Richmond, roads open."
"You think they'll try a Pincer movement?" One drafter recruit dared ask. "I mean, if they come from both Richmond and Baltimore, DC will be at risk of encirclement."
Not wanting to hear this, Idel closed the shroud and went on to work on her expertise. Trying to save lives.
Earth Orbit
While the night had taken over the Western Hemisphere of Earth, lights dotted large swathes of the planet were still present wherever they were, day or night.
Orbiting Earth was a Providence-class Dreadnought, one that was bought by the Royal Military of Zygerria. As it was accompanied by half a dozen of Recusant-class light destroyers and Munificent-class star frigates. Its deck oversaw the Western Hemisphere with the leader of the whole invasion, Fleet Admiral Sirem Trantos, was watching parts of the planet left in the darkness as the reports behind him were being debriefed to him.
"Currently our forces in the African continent have fully occupied the capital of South Africa, and are making inroads, but resistance of the local populace is to be expected. So is Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and parts of the Central African nations. Our attempts to tap into the resources of the Congo have proven to be fruitless…"
"So not much progress in that forsaken continent…."
"...No sir." The officer debriefing him stated but added. "We have, however, managed to make viable progress in Asia, particularly in China. Multiple Chinese cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hong Kong, and even the island of Taiwan have proven to be very troublesome, though I imagine that continued orbital bombardment on the Chinese should be effective. But given China's long history of fighting defensive wars, and how good they are at it…"
"Alright, as expected." The admiral huffed in frustration, "What about the Indian front?"
"From there, we barely see any progress. Same here, heavier resistance, better coordination than expected. We didn't think India, Pakistan and Bangladesh would band together given their recent history." The officer told him with quiet astonishment. "And their combined effort managed to keep us out of the Indian coast, but we do have a presence in Karachi, and taken Dhaka, the Bangladeshi capital, but with the army having retreated to the countryside - but the island of Sri Lanka is still under occupation."
"The so-called 'Pacific', what's their status?"
"Except for Japan and Australia, who are still showing heavy resistance - most of the islands are kept under better control." The officer stated. "...But resistance activity in Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and New Zealand. Even the occupied Korean Peninsula is showing increased partisan activity."
"And we've just scaled up our efforts to put down that type of resistance in the Middle East and the Caucasus…" The Admiral squinted his eyes with a shaking head in his hand. "What about Europe?"
The officer looked at him. "Do I even have to mention, admiral?"
"No foothold there?"
"Nothing's changed since Sicily, sir." The officer remarked. "Even when we cut through Turkey and have parts of Ukraine occupied - most of Europe's armies are showing resistance even when we hit their critical infrastructure. Their Air Force is just equal to our star fighters."
The Admiral looked out to the ship having arrived over the landmass that was Russia.
"What about the two main targets? Russia and the United States?"
"Russia, despite its lacking military, is shown to be fighting even with a bloodied nose. With large parts of the western part of the country and southern parts occupied - they refuse to give in. Even resorting to Scorched Earth tactics that leave their own citizens in a bad situation, and it seems that they are more than comfortable with hiding their civilians in Siberia for the duration. It should be more than obvious that they are not giving up…"
"And neither are the Americans…"
The person who said that just walked past was Prime Minister Atai Molec, the political head of the Zygerrian Monarchy, having come on behalf of the Queen to oversee the progress of the war. And he was not showing any negative or even disappointed feelings; instead, he was impressed, smiling and to some level even admired this. Even when the casualties were in the tens of millions, if not a hundred at this point.
"As for the Americas, pretty much the same from the south to Mexico," Molec stated as he admired the planet. "If it isn't the Army fighting, then it is armed resistance - from the Amazon Rainforest to the mountains of Mexico. They all are putting up a fight for sure. It's admirable."
"Admirable?" The officer however was less pleased on hearing this. " Prime Minister, with all due respect. This invasion is a drain on our economy and man force. Daily men of ours dying in either direct combat or ambushes. These primitive savages are playing dirty and they are not showing to slow down for anything."
"True, but such is the nature of war." Molec stated, with a smug grin. "And everything is fair in this war…prepare the missiles."
The mention of the missiles alone, caused an outraged Admiral Trantos to look at him as if he'd sprouted a second, fire-breathing head. "Sir, are you sure? This might cause an effect we cannot undo."
"No need to worry," Molec sneered, "This is all planned….now commence the next phase, and start the new offensive."
…
As the ships started to make distance from Earth, it was the Providence-class Dreadnought that moved into position - much like how their initial orbital attacks on Earth had disabled any nuclear weapons the planet possessed, they now were preparing for a second orbital strike.
It didn't take long for dozens of missiles to be launched from the flagship - with each of them speeding off to different directions for their designated targets.
Once those rockets hit Earth, the entire Galaxy would wake in shock and awe.
Texas
In the middle of the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge, Naruto was seen meditating, instead of sleeping, having laid in a perfect position that got his comrades-in-arms to think he might be a monk of some sorts. Even when small animals like birds and lizards were seen coming towards him or even landing on his head, the presence of these animals alone didn't seem to bother him.
The small spectating crowd from a distance kept watching at the young man, some even commenting.
"Well, you don't see that every day."
'!'
Then Naruto's eyes widened open, and he suddenly felt a little dizzy when he looked around as the animals that approached him began to scatter.
'... Something happened…Kurama.'
'I felt that too, kid…. It's like….millions of screams….dying.'
"Naruto, are you doing alright?" Tarik asked as he tried to approach him. "Maybe you-"
"COMMANDER!"
Running through the forest came the comms guy who was supposed to be in his position.
"Soldier, why aren't you-"
"Read this!" The volunteer gave a piece of paper with a trembling hand. "You won't believe this…."
Grabbing the document, Tarik unfolded it and read it: his eyes widened in shock.
Jango then walked over and read it, and quickly understood why Tarik froze. He took the initiative and barked orders. "Alright everyone, change of plans! We're leaving now! Go! Go! Go!"
The group immediately took off and grabbed their gear. For Jango to have to take initiative and give out orders, it had to be bad…instead of wasting time, they armed up and readied themselves to mount up.
But one man was too curious enough to ask. "What happened?"
"You do not want to know." Tarik snapped out as he crumpled the document. "Let's go, people!"
Naruto on the other hand was still in his meditation position, and inertly noted.
'I think this war turned for the worst.'
The beginning of a new Arc. Hope you all enjoy it and see you guys next time.